Anchor trolley and fall arrest system and method implementing the same

1. A fall

arrest system comprising:

a rail extending along a longitudinal axis, the rail comprising a floor and a longitudinal slot separating the floor into a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section;

a trolley comprising a body, a brake sub-system, and a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body, the plurality of wheels in rollable contact with upper surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections;

the brake sub-system comprising a brake pad, a lanyard connector, a resilient element, a vertical brake rod extending through the longitudinal slot while connecting the brake pad to the lanyard connector, the brake pad and the resilient element positioned above the first and second longitudinal sections, the lanyard connector positioned below the longitudinal sections, the brake pad comprising a brake plate and a plurality of set screws, tip portions of the plurality of set screws protruding from a bottom surface of the brake plate;

the brake rod slidably coupled to the body so that the brake sub-system is alterable between:

(1) an arrest state in which the tip portions of the set screws of the brake pad frictionally engage the uppers surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections of the rail to prohibit rolling movement of the trolley along the rail; and (2) a free state in which the tip portions of the set screws of the brake pad are spaced a distance above the upper surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections of the rail to allow rolling movement of the trolley along the rail; and

the resilient element biasing the brake sub-system to urge it into the free state.

2. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the rail is an enclosed rail comprising a roof, two opposing sidewalls and the first and second longitudinal sections of the floor that define a cavity, the plurality of wheels located within the cavity.

3. The fall arrest system of claim 2 wherein the first longitudinal section of the floor has a first edge and the second longitudinal section of the floor has a second edge, the first and second edges spaced apart by the longitudinal slot, wherein the longitudinal slot forms a passageway into the cavity, the trolley further comprising one or more rollers connected to the body, the one or more rollers located within the longitudinal slot for maintaining alignment of the trolley on the rail.

4. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the brake sub-system is altered from the free state to the arrest state upon a downward vertical force being applied to the lanyard connector.

5. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the brake rod extends along a brake axis, wherein the brake axis is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

6. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the trolley comprises one or more rollers connected to the body, the one or more rollers located within the longitudinal slot for maintaining alignment of the trolley on the rail, the plurality of wheels having a first rotational axis and the one or more rollers having a second rotational axis, the second rotational axis being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail and intersecting a plane defined by the floor of the rail, and the first and second rotational axes being non-parallel.

7. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the body comprises a first portion located above the first and second longitudinal sections of the floor and a second portion located below the first and second longitudinal sections of the floor, the body extending through the longitudinal slot.

8. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the brake sub-system comprises a first flange connected to the brake rod, and the body comprises a first collar through which the brake rod extends, the first collar of the body located below the first flange of the brake sub-system, the resilient element positioned between the first flange of the brake sub-system and the first collar of the body to urge the brake sub-system into the free state.

9. The fall arrest system of claim 8 wherein the resilient element comprises a plurality of spring discs.

10. The fall arrest system of claim 8 wherein the brake sub-system comprises a second flange connected to the brake rod, and the body comprises a second collar through which the brake rod extends, the second collar of the body located below the second flange of the brake subs-system, and the second flange of the brake sub-system located below the first collar of the body.

11. The fall arrest system of claim 10 wherein the body comprises a third collar through which the brake rod extends, the third collar located between the first and second collars of the body, the third collar extending transversely below bottom surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections of the floor.

12. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of set screws are located within threaded holes of the brake plate.

13. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein a clearance exists between the tip portions of the set screws of the brake pad and the upper surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections when the brake sub-system is in the free state.

14. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the lanyard connector is connected to a bottom end of the brake rod and a first flange is connected to a top end of the brake rod, the resilient element exerting an upward force on the first flange to bias the brake sub-system into the free state.

15. The fall arrest system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wheels comprises a first set of wheels and a second set of wheels that are spaced apart from one another, wherein the resilient element is positioned between the first and second sets of wheels, and wherein a plane that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail intersects the first and second sets of wheels and the resilient element.

16. A fall

arrest trolley configured to move along a rail extending along a longitudinal axis, the rail comprising a floor and a longitudinal slot separating the floor into a first longitudinal section and a second longitudinal section, the fall arrest trolley comprising:

a body, a brake sub-system, and a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled to the body about a first rotational axis, wherein bottoms of the plurality of wheels collectively define a rolling plane and are configured to be in rollable contact with upper surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections;

one or more rollers connected to the body, the one or more rollers rotatable about a second rotational axis, the second rotational axis intersecting the rolling plane in a substantially perpendicular manner and being non-parallel to the first rotational axis:

the brake sub-system comprising a brake pad, a lanyard connector positioned below the rolling plane, a resilient element positioned above the rolling plane, a vertical brake rod connecting the brake pad to the lanyard connector and configured to pass through the longitudinal slot;

the brake rod slidably coupled to the body so that the brake sub-system is alterable between:

(1) an arrest state in which the brake pad is configured to frictionally engage the uppers surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections of the rail to prohibit rolling movement of the trolley along the rail; and (2) a free state in which the brake pad is configured to be spaced a distance above the upper surfaces of the first and second longitudinal sections of the rail to allow rolling movement of the trolley along the rail; and

the resilient element biasing the brake sub-system to urge it into the free state.

17. The fall arrest trolley of claim 16 wherein the brake sub-system is altered from the free state to the arrest state upon a downward vertical force being applied to the lanyard connector.

18. The fall arrest trolley of claim 16 wherein the brake sub-system comprises a first flange connected to the brake rod, and the body comprises a first collar through which the brake rod extends, the first collar of the body located below the first flange of the brake sub-system, the resilient element positioned between the first flange of the brake sub-system and the first collar of the body to urge the brake sub-system into the free state.