Patent Publication Number: US-2013247310-A1

Title: Gangway for Embarking and Disembarking Passengers

Description:
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application for a patent of invention has as object the registration of a gangway for embarking and disembarking passengers, incorporating substantial innovations and advantages. 
     The field of application of the present invention is the industry of manufacture of port equipments and structures, specially those aimed at facilitating the docking manoeuvres of passenger ships and embarking and disembarking passengers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Installations and equipments to permit the embarking and disembarking passengers to/from a ship after its docking in the port are well known in the state of the art, being of the type which comprises a support structure holding one or more extendible or telescopic tunnels along which the passengers may pass, which tunnels are coupled by one end to a point of access to the ship while at the other end they are coupled to a stationary terminal. 
     However, the installations which are currently used, due to its general construction, are not convenient to use as they have a limited height, mainly due to the arrangement of the stationary terminal in a location of the port area. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention has been developed with the aim to provide a gangway which solves the abovementioned drawbacks, additionally contributing other advantages which will be evident from the following description. 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a gangway for the embarking and disembarking of passengers from a port installation up to the interior of a ship or vice versa, characterised by comprising:
         a first module having a plurality of ramps located at different heights, said ramps being connected by its ends by means of union modules, defining an entrance point and a point of exit towards the second module, as well as a pair of support structures which are movable on the horizontal plane, being located at the opposed ends of the first module;   the second module has a plurality of telescopic and extendible tunnels each of them with a substantially parallelepiped form, one of the ends of the outermost tunnel being coupled to a cabin substantially coupled to the ship, and having a gantry structure which is movable in such a way that said second module may be adjusted in height, being adapted to the height between said first module and the ship; and   a rotating platform without driving motors, which is coupled to the first and the second modules, supported by a movable support structure capable to rotate in respect to its own vertical axis.       

     Due to these characteristics, a gangway is made up in which use there is no need that the port installation has a terminal building, because the first module has the role of terminal, so that it may be used in whatever adequate location of the port. Furthermore, another not less important advantage of the gangway of the invention consists in the fact that for being movable it may be located at different points of the port as required, so that the mooring manoeuvres of the passenger ships as well as the embarking and disembarking of the passengers are made easier. 
     Other particulars and advantageous aspects of the gangway, according to the invention, are the object of the dependent claims. 
     Other characteristics and advantages of the gangway which is the object of the invention will be evident from the description of a preferred, although not exclusive embodiment illustrated as a non limitative example in the annexed drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gangway for the embarking and disembarking of passengers according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed perspective view of the first module of the gangway of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed perspective view of the second module of the gangway of the invention with tunnels in a retracted position; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the gantry structure of the second module; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the rotating platform; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the rotating platform after 90° rotation to show the lower part of the platform; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a cabin which may be coupled to the ship, arranged in the second module of the gangway; and 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the structure supporting the rotating platform. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the figures, a gangway is shown for the embarking and disembarking of passengers is shown generally indicated with the numeral  1 , corresponding to the type aimed at making possible the access of passengers from a port installation up to the interior of a ship or vice versa. 
     Particularly, said gangway has a first module generally indicated with the numeral  2 , having an access ramp  4  with access from the level of the ground and a plurality of ramps  5  coupled by its ends by means of union modules  6 , defining an entrance point and a point of exit towards a second module  3  generally indicated with the numeral  3 , the module having as well a pair of movable support structures  7  located at opposing ends. Both support structures  7  have bottom wheels for its displacement. 
     The union modules  6  have partially closed enclosures having securing means for engagement to ramps  5 . As to be seen, ramps  5 , which form part of the first module  2 , are closed by the sides and top portions by respective covers having said covers transparent sections. 
     In  FIG. 1  way be seen that the first module  2  adopts a 90 degrees arrangement in respect to the second module  3  although said arrangement may vary in its angle due to the presence of rotation systems, as will be explained below. 
     The second module  3  has three telescopic tunnels  8 ,  9 ,  10  which are mutually extendible, with a rectangular transverse section, having therefore each of the tunnels a generally parallelepiped form, being one of the ends of outermost tunnel coupled to a cabin  11  to be joined to the ship to or from which the passengers have to embark or disembark, and the module is associated to a movable gantry structure  12  (to be explained below) so that said second module  3  is adjustable in its height. 
     The cabin  11  is formed by a generally cylindrical body  13  which has a bottom base, a side wall with two access openings and an upper deck, the bottom base including a rotating coupling portion and guiding means for coupling to the telescopic tunnel which has a bigger transverse section. On the other side, the top part of said cabin  11  has a rotating axis  14  from which a pair of V arranged struts  15  protrude, being secured by its ends to a frame  16 , in concrete terms in the upper portion of the frame, with an inverted “U” form which is capable to oscillate in an horizontal plane following the cylindrical outline of the side wall of the cabin  11 . In this way, the cabin  11  adapts to the eventual oscillating movements caused by the waves. 
     Said frame  16  is secured to a horizontal platform  17  by conventional securing means and has at the sides protection railings  18 , said platform being in direct contact with the ship when the gangway  1  is in operation, as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The telescopic tunnels  8 ,  9 ,  10  have an extension/retraction system formed by multiple pulleys and cables permitting the mutual adaptation of the three telescopic tunnels  8 ,  9 ,  10 . Said system is used in other gangways described in patents of the same owner of the present invention. 
     Additionally, a motor-less rotating platform  19  is arranged coupled to the first and second modules  2 ,  3  supported by a movable support structure  20  capable to rotate in respect of its vertical axis. As said rotating platform  11  does not have propulsion means, it carries out its rotation by the movement caused by the second module. 
     As to be more clearly seen in  FIG. 8 , the support structure  20  of the rotating platform has a plurality of vertical, horizontal and inclined metal profiles  21  and four sets of wheels  22  for its displacement, located at the lower part of said structure  20 , which corresponds with one of the support structures for the tunnels  8 ,  9 ,  10 . 
     The above mentioned rotating platform  19  comprises a generally cylindrical body  23  which has a bottom base, a side wall having at least two access openings and an upper deck, having the lower base a rotating coupling portion  24  and guiding means to couple to the telescopic tunnel with smaller transverse section located in the second module  3 . These guiding means comprise mainly a frame  25  which may be adapted to the telescopic tunnel with a smaller transverse section. 
     The structure of the gantry  12  is made out by two opposed vertical metal posts  26  and two metal horizontal upper and lower crossbars  27 , a pair of support elements  28  having been provided being vertically displaceable by means of a conventional electromechanical system (not shown), being guided along the slotted sections  29  arranged longitudinally at the internal side of each of the vertical posts  26  on which the outermost tunnel  8  is supported, both support elements  28  being movable by motor means. In this way, the height of the second module  3  may be regulated in a simple and quick manner. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the structure of the gantry  12  includes at the bottom part two sets of wheels  30  to permit its movement, having each of them motor means to carry out displacement movements. 
     Although the whole gangway has been shown having motor driven wheels, it is eventually possible for the gangway to be dragged along by a tractor vehicle. 
     The details, shape, dimensions and other accessory elements as well as the materials used for the manufacture of the gangway of the invention may be conveniently substituted by other technically equivalent, not departing from the essentials of the invention nor from its scope as defined by the claims which follow.