GB2263123A - Removable vehicle barrier post - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle entry control device comprises a socket (2) in which a post (6) is mounted. The socket (2) includes a box (7) which defines a space into which a paw at the lower end of an operating rod (11, fig. 2) located within the body (6) may be positioned to prevent removal of the post from the socket. The rod may be retained in the position corresponding to the locked position of the paw by key-operated lock located within a cowl (16) provided at the top edge of the post. The lock may be permanently secured to the post or plates may be attached to the end of the rod and the exterior post, the plates having apertures which align when the rod is in the locked position and through which a padlock may be attached. <IMAGE>

Description

VEHICLULAR MOVEMENT CONTROL DEVICE This invention relates to a vehicular movement control' device, that is to a device for controlling the movement of vehicles into a restricted area.

Vehicular entry control devices comprising a base which is fixed to the ground and a post which is movable relative to the base between an operative position in which the post prevents vehicular entry and a non-operative position in which vehicular entry is permitted are well known. Typically, in such devices the post is hingedly connected to the base and the device incorporates a key operable lock which may be used to lock the post in an upright, operative position and optionally in a recumbent non-operative position. Such devices suffer from the disadvantage that if the integral lock is loaded by lateral forces applied to the post, e.g. minor impacts from vehicles, the lock mus;L be made sufficiently robust to withstand such forces and is accordingly substantial and hence expensive.This not only adds to the initial cost of the installation, but renders it expensive to replace the lock if it is damaged or the key is lost.

According to the present invention there is provided a vehicular entry control device comprising: a base in the form of a socket; a post which is telescopically positionable with the lower end of the post received in the socket; a locking pawl rotatably mounted on the post and movable between a first position in which the pawl lies within the post and a second position in which the pawl projects from the post and extends into an aperture provided in the socket wall; an operating rod connected to the pawl and located within the post; and key operated locking means located at the end of the post remote from the pawl and operable to lock the pawl in its second position.

With such an arrangement, the key operated lock serves merely to retain the pawl in the desired position.

The pawl itself can be made robust in order to withstand attempts to forcibly remove the post from the socket and the key operated lock is required merely to be sufficiently strong to resist forcing the lock itself. In the particularly preferred embodiment, a cowl is provided at the normally upper end of the post and the key operated lock is located substantially beneath the cowl within the space defined by the walls of the cowl. With this arrangement access to the lock is very substantially limited by the cowl and accordingly forcing or cutting away of the lock is rendered very difficult.

Because the post is telescopically received within the socket lateral impacts on the post, e.g. as a result of being driven into, are not resisted by the locking mechanism but rather are resisted by the telescopic fit between the post and the socket. Since both the post and the socket can be made robustly minor impacts are unlikely to result in damage to the device, and any minor damage which the device may suffer will not prevent subsequent unlocking and removal of the device.

In one embodiment of the invention the operating rod is furnished at the normally upper end thereof with a plate which, when the pawl is in the operative position, engages a further plate secured to the post so that the plates may be secured together by a simple key operated lock, for example a padlock. Padlocks may be obtained relatively inexpensively, can be made very robust and can readily be replaced if damaged or if the key is lost.

However, because in the preferred embodument the lock is located within the cowl the padlock, if used, will not be subject to adverse weather conditions or contamination by ground dirt.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention a key-operated lock is built into the cowl for retaining the operating rod in the position corresponding to the operative position of the pawl. Conveniently, the rod may be furnished at its upper end with a plate which carries a pin which is engaged by the lock to hold the rod in the required position.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a partially broken away view showing the post of the embodiment of Figure 1, the cowl having been omitted in the interests of clarity; Figure 3 is a cross section on the line III-III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view generally corresponding to the upper portion of Figure 2, but with the operating rod and plate removed to show the construction of the upper end of the post; Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a plan view of the socket of the device of Figure 1; and Figure 7 is a plan view, with the top of the cowl omitted, of an alternative embodiment of the invention with the components in the locked configuration.

Referring firstly to Figures 1-6, the device 1 comprises a socket 2 which, in use, is secured permanently in position as by being set in concerete. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the socket 2 is fabricated from a length of square cross-section tubular steel 3 to which is secured a pair of transverse rods 4, 5 which both assist in retaining the socket in position and provide a stop limiting insertion of the post 6 into the socket. An aperture is cut in the wall of the socket at a level just above the rods 4, 5 and a box 7 is secured to the outer surface of the tubular section 3 to cover the aperture. The entire socket 2 is preferably fabricated from mild steel and may be galvanised or otherwise protected against rusting.

The post 6 comprises a body 8 provided by a length of square cross-section tubular steel of a size to form a snug sliding fit with the tubular portion of the socket 2. The length of the body 8 is chosen in light of the intended use of the proposed device, and may typically be in the order of 750mm.

A pair of locating plates 9, 10 are secured within the body 8 and rotatably mount a rod 11 within the body. The lower end of the rod is furnished with a pawl 12 which, by rotation of the rod can be moved between an operative position as illustrated in solid lines in Figure 3 and an inoperative position illustrated in broken line in Figure 3. In the operative position the pawl 12 extends outwardly through a slot 13 provided in the body 8 and, if the post is mounted within the socket, the pawl extends through the aperture provided in the wall of the socket into the box 7. Hence, when the pawl is in the operative position the post cannot be removed from the socket.

The normally upper end of the rod 11 is bent at right angles to the major portion of the rod 11 to form an operating arm 14 to which is secured a plate 15. The arm 14 and plate 15 are located under a cowl 16 provided at the upper end of the post. The cowl 16 comprises a flat top member 17 and a depending skirt 18 which defines space within which the arm 14 and plate 15 are located.

A plate 19 is secured to the body 8 within the zone defined by cowl 16. The plates 15 and 19 are provided with apertures 20, 21 which, when the plates are positioned against each other, are aligned. When the plate 15 is placed against the plate 19 the pawl 12 is in the operative position and may be secured in that position by locking the plates 15 and 19 to each other, e.g. by means of a padlock.

Under these circumstances, the padlock itself, or at least the shackle thereof will be located under the cowl 16 and accordingly it will be very difficult to force or cut away the padlock unless specialist tools are available.

The entire post assembly can be fabricated from mild steel in a robust manner.

It will be noted that when the post is in position in the socket the locking arrangement is not required to withstand any horizontal impact to which the post is subjected. Any vertical movement of the post is resisted by the pawl 1 engaging the wall of the aperture provided in the socket and does not directly apply any force to the key operated lock located at the upper end of the device. Since the post and socket may be made robustly any upward force applied to the post in an attempt to force it out of the socket can be well resisted.

Positioning the lock under the cowl 16 not only protects the lock against attempts at unauthorised opening, but protects the lock from the worst effects of the weather. The lock is also located well above ground level and will accordingly not be contaminated by ground dirt.

Referring now to Figure 7, in the alternative embodiment the various components of the device are identical to those previously described except in relation to the key-operated lock. In the arrangement of Figure 7 the plate 19 of Figure 5 is replaced by a web 22 which is welded between the exterior surface of the body 8 and the interior surface of the skirt 18 of the cowl. A keyoperated lock 23 is mounted between the web 22 and the side 24 of the skirt 18 and is operable by a key (not shown) which may be inserted from the exterior of the cowl in the direction of the arrow A.

The plate 15 which, as in the previous embodiment, is secured to the operating arm 14 of the rod, carries a pin 25 which, in the illustrated operative position of the rod, passes through an aperture in the web 22 to be locked in position by the lock 23. It will be appreciated that the position of the lock in a box formed on two sides by the skirt 18, on a third side by the web 22, on a fourth side by the body 8, and on top by the member 15 substantially protects the lock from the weather and from attempts to force it. If desired, the box may be closed by welding a plate to the lower surface of the skirt 18, to the web 22, and to the exterior surface of the body 8.

Operation of the embodiment of Figure 7 is substantially the same as that of the previously described embodiment. After the lock 23 has been turned by the correct key to release the pin 25 finger pressure may be applied to the bottom edge of plate 15 to rotate the rod through 900 and thereby move the pawl out of engagement with the socket 7.

The described device may be used singularly as a vehicle entry control device, for example to prevent unauthorised entry to a parking space. In the alternative, a plurality of such devices may be connected together by horizontally extending-barrier members to form a peripheral barrier, for example to empound cars on a garage forecourt.

It will be appreciated that by appropriate design of the barrier members the entire structure may readily be removed during normal working hours to permit free movement of vehicles to and from the garage forecourt, but may be readily installed at night to prevent unauthorised removal of vehicles.

Claims (8)

1. A vehicular movement control device comprising: a base in the form of a socket; a post which is telescopically positionable with the lower end of the post received in the socket.; a locking pawl rotatably mounted on the post and movable between a first position in which the pawl lies within the post and a second position in which the pawl projects from the post and extends into an aperture provided in the socket wall; an operating rod connected to the pawl and located within the post; and key operated locking means- located at the end of the post remote from the pawl and operable to lock the pawl in its second position.

2. A device according to Claim 1 wherein a cowl is provided at the normally upper end of the post and the keyoperated lock is located substantially beneath the cowl and within the space defined by the walls of the cowl.

3. A device according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the operating rod is furnished at the normally upper end thereof with a plate and wherein a key-operated lock acts on said plate to retain the rod in the second position.

4. A device according to Claim 3 wherein said plate depends vertically from a generally horizontally extending portion of said rod, said horizontally extending portion being integral with the remainder of the rod and bent generally at right-angles to the longitudinal direction of the post.

5. A device according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein a further plate is secured to the post so that the plates may be secured together by a key-operated lock, for example a padlock.

6. A device according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein the key-operated lock is permanently secured to the device and acts on a pin secured to the plate to retain the plate in the position corresponding to the second position of the rod.

7. A device according to Claim 6 wherein said lock is located within a box formed by components of the device and open only in the downward direction.

8. A vehicle movement control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.