EP0544780A1

EP0544780A1 - Water survival device.

Info

Publication number: EP0544780A1
Application number: EP91915649A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Olivier Louis
Original assignee: Unitor AS
Current assignee: Unitor AS
Priority date: 1990-08-24
Filing date: 1991-08-09
Publication date: 1993-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2011-08-09
Also published as: JPH06503770A; NO302113B1; EP0544780B1; FR2666061B1; JP3068849B2; DK0544780T3; AU8405091A; WO1992003333A1; US5342230A; NO930612L; FR2666061A1; ES2059149T3; AU652957B2; NO930612D0; DE69102705D1; DE69102705T2; CA2090002A1; KR0137226B1

Abstract

La présente invention est reliée à un dispositif de survie dans l'eau du type radeau de sauvetage gonflable. Un radeau (1) emballé dans un conteneur (2) comporte un premier compartiment étanche (4) et un deuxième compartiment étanche (5), lesquels compartiments étanches sont séparés par une cloison étanche (6) et sont délimités respectivement par un capot supérieur (7) et un capot inférieur (8) qui sont fixés sur ladite cloison étanche. Le premier compartiment étanche reçoit le radeau gonflable et le deuxième compartiment étanche comporte les matériels de survie. Le domaine technique de l'invention est celui de la construction de radeau de sauvetage.The present invention is linked to a water survival device of the inflatable liferaft type. A raft (1) packed in a container (2) has a first sealed compartment (4) and a second sealed compartment (5), which sealed compartments are separated by a sealed partition (6) and are delimited respectively by an upper cover ( 7) and a lower cover (8) which are fixed to said watertight partition. The first waterproof compartment receives the inflatable raft and the second waterproof compartment contains survival equipment. The technical field of the invention is that of the construction of a liferaft.

Description

/ 03333

Survival device in water.

DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a water survival device of the inflatable liferaft type packaged in a container.

It is known and often compulsory to place inflatable liferafts on board boats of a certain tonnage which are dropped in the event of a sinking and which allow passengers to find refuge while awaiting rescue.

The known rafts have capacities ranging from a few people to a few tens of people. They generally consist of a flexible floor which can be inflatable and which is equipped at its periphery with inflatable tubes which give the raft its buoyancy; the rafts are generally inflated after release thanks to a reserve of pressurized gas constituted for example by nitrogen which is generally mixed with carbon dioxide, which is stored in a bottle generally fixed on the inflatable tubes. They generally include batteries which make it possible to supply indicator lights facilitating the location of the raft in the water.

The rafts also include a tight reserve of food and water to temporarily ensure the survival of the passengers. The known rafts are packaged in a substantially leaktight manner (in the deflated state) in flexible suitcases or containers; the containers generally have a substantially cylindrical shape and consist of two half-shells assembled by straps or other equivalent systems; devices exist which allow the opening of these straps allowing the opening of the container and the inflation of the raft, under the control of a manual device, or of an automatic release control device - often called hydrostatic hook - which actuates automatically release then open the container and inflate the raft when the wrecked boat reaches a certain depth.

The known devices of inflatable liferafts and their container have many defects; indeed, when the 03333

container opens, the two half-shells constituting it are lost at sea: moreover, these containers are relatively heavy and often have leaks. are not very handy and require the use of supports in the form of cradles, equipped with straps: in addition, the equipment consisting of pressurized gas cylinders, provisions and other accessories as well as the inflation trigger line - sometimes called line of maneuver - are trapped in the container: this requires the complete opening of the container for the purpose of checking the armament - compulsory verification according to the regulations of many countries - and the complete deployment of the raft.

These openings which often have to be made annually which are followed by a new conditioning of the raft and its fitting out in the container, although they are generally carried out by specialized companies employing qualified personnel, cause additional risks of failure. 'tightness of the raft and malfunction of the components of the armament because of the frequent manipulations they cause. In addition, these visits are costly for the owner or the owner of the boat. The objective of the present invention is to remedy these defects, the objectives are achieved by the present invention by providing a survival device in water of the life raft type packed in a container. comprising survival equipment which comprises at least one cylinder of pressurized gas such that said container comprises at least a first watertight compartment and a second watertight compartment, which watertight compartments are separated by a watertight partition. which first waterproof compartment can contain said liferaft, which second waterproof compartment can contain said survival equipment, and such that said second waterproof compartment can be opened without said first waterproof compartment being open, so that one can visit, control said survival equipment contained in said second sealed compartment without opening said first sealed compartment. Advantageously, a device according to the invention is such that said container comprises said watertight partition which is substantially planar and comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, which hoods can be fixed on either side of said watertight partition so that said watertight partition and said upper cover delimit said first watertight compartment. and so that said watertight bulkhead and said bottom cover delimit said second watertight compartment.

A device according to the invention may be such that said upper cover has zones of least resistance, so that said cover is capable of opening under the effect of the pressure exerted by said liferaft when the latter is inflated. this. Preferably, a device according to the invention is such that said watertight bulkhead constitutes at least part of the floor of said liferaft, and such that said watertight bulkhead comprises at least one hatch, so that when said hatch is opened, access is obtained from the interior of said liferaft to said second watertight compartment. and thus access when said raft is at sea, at least part of said survival equipment.

A device according to the invention may include means making it possible, without opening said sealed compartment, to control the pressure prevailing in said sealed compartment. Advantageously, a device according to the invention is such that said watertight partition is crossed by at least one pipeline for transporting said gas under pressure.

In addition, said upper cover may comprise at least one fall damping zone, so that when the said liferaft packed in said container is released, said liferaft is protected from impact.

Said container may further include supports in the form of skids and means for securing said container to a boat, so that said container can be kept stationary on an inclined plane of said boat, and so that when disables said securing means of said container, said container can slide on said inclined plane and be released from said boat easily.

Advantageously, said watertight partition has at its periphery an edge on which at least one of said upper cover and lower cover can be fixed.

Said watertight partition may be substantially in the form of a rectangle, preferably substantially in the form of a square, and such that the corners of said rectangle, preferably of said square, are rounded.

Said upper cover may consist of at least two rigid parts assembled by connecting means. and by a flexible waterproof envelope of said liferaft, which flexible envelope is located between said rigid parts and said liferaft, which flexible envelope is fixed to said watertight partition.

In a device according to the invention, intended to be mounted under a davit, said upper cover may include a zone of low resistance, which zone is provided on its outer face with a hoisting ring and is provided on its inner face with a internal ring, which rings are integral with each other, and the device comprises lines, a first end of which is fixed to said internal ring and a second end of which is fixed to said life raft, and it comprises a detachable link, one of which first end is detachably fixed to said internal ring and therefore a second end is fixed to said watertight partition, and it includes means for detaching said detachable link during inflation of said raft. The advantages provided by the invention are numerous; the inflatable part of the raft which is completely and hermetically contained in the first sealed compartment, does not require an annual visit; a visit every five years or more is entirely possible.

The armament, bottles, maneuvering line, placed in the second waterproof compartment which can be dismantled without opening the first waterproof compartment. allows easier annual visits (necessary for perishable goods).

The device according to the invention provides absolute and controllable protection of the inflatable part of the raft and allows easy access to the perishable elements and requiring frequent control, which can be carried out by unskilled personnel.

The invention also makes it possible to have a container comprising a raft, the mass of which is balanced and whose handling is facilitated compared to the known raft thanks to the position of the heaviest elements in the lower part, and whose penetration into the water is also improved, thanks in particular to the anti-shock shield.

The launching is also facilitated thanks to the supports in form of skids which allow the container to slide to the drop zone, while the known containers must be removed from their cradle and carried to the drop zone.

These maneuvering facilities allow faster launching and further improves safety.

All these advantages will be better understood through the following description, which refers to the accompanying drawings, of particular embodiments of the device according to the invention, which are in no way limiting. Figure 1 is a side sectional view of an embodiment of a raft and its container under davit according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows the implementation of a davit raft according to the invention. Figure 3 is a side view of another embodiment of a raft and its container according to the invention.

Figure k is a partial view along IV IV of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a top view of an inflated raft. Figure 6 is a view along VI VI of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a top view of a second sealed compartment of a raft according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a view on a different scale of a detail of FIG. 7.

Figure 9 illustrates the folding operations of a raft according to the invention.

Figure 10 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention.

FIG. 11 is a view of an embodiment of the device for lifting the container containing the raft. In FIG. 1. it can be seen that the inflatable liferaft 1 is contained in a first sealed compartment k of the container 2.

Said container 2 comp. e a second sealed compartment 5 which in particular receives at least one bottle 3 of pressurized gas intended to allow the inflation of said raft, when it is released. Said first watertight compartment is delimited by an upper cover 7 and a watertight partition 6. Said watertight upper cover is fixed to the edge 18 of said watertight partition by means 33 such that a steel band encircled around said upper cover. The connection between said upper cover and said edge of said watertight partition can be kept watertight by a seal 34.

Said second sealed compartment is delimited by a lower cover 8 and said sealed partition.

Said lower cover is fixed to said watertight bulkhead by known connecting means such as screws 38; sealing means are provided between said lower cover and said watertight partition in order to seal said second watertight compartment. It can be seen that in the upper part of said container, in a zone of least resistance of said upper cover, a lifting ring 24 is provided for using said container by known means generally called davits. Said lifting ring 24 which is placed outside said container is held integral with an internal ring 25 which is placed in said first sealed compartment.

Inside said first sealed compartment. lines 26 are provided, a first end 28 of which is fixed to said inflatable liferaft and the second end of which is fixed to said inner ring.

A detachable link 29 is also located in said first waterproof compartment, and said detachable link has a first end detachably fixed to said internal ring and a second end 31 fixed to said waterproof partition, near the center of gravity of said container.

Said lines are not stretched between their ends inside said first sealed compartment. On the other hand. the length of said detachable link 29 corresponds substantially to the distance separating said internal ring from said upper cover, from said watertight partition, and is therefore substantially stretched between its two attachment points. Thus according to the invention, when hoisting said container via said hoisting ring. the weight of said container containing said raft and survival equipment is supported by said inner ring and said hoisting ring and by said detachable link. When said raft is in a position where it can be inflated, the means delivering said pressurized gas contained in said bottle 3 are actuated towards the flanges 39 of said raft, as shown in Figure 2. The force exerted by the inflation of said tubes against the walls of said upper cover causes the tearing or bursting of said upper cover said tubes can then inflate freely giving its shape to said raft, and in s 'moving away from the center of said bulkhead by this spacing movement. means for detaching said detachable link are actuated, which means cause an end of said detachable link 29 to separate from said internal ring; the weight of said raft and said second watertight compartment limited by said watertight partition and said lower cover is then supported by said lines 26 and said rings 24,25, as shown in FIG. 2.

In Figure 1 we see that said upper cover has on one of its side faces, a prominent and deformable area 14; said zone is intended to absorb shocks on said container when the latter is released.

The release can be carried out by a translational movement according to arrow F.

Said release can be facilitated when said container is mounted on an inclined plane 17 arranged on the deck 41 of a boat 40 as shown in FIG. 2.

Said container comprises supports 15 in the form of skids and securing means 16 to said boat, such as a ring through which a rope can be passed. According to the invention, when said securing means are deactivated, said container can slide on said inclined plane and an easier release is thus obtained.

Advantageously, in the lower part of said container, preferably under said watertight partition, housings 36 are provided for receiving links 37 for securing the raft under davits.

Said links 37 are useful, in the case of the release of the rafts under davits, to maintain said raft against the edge of said boat and allow the boarding of passengers as shown in Figure 2. The materials chosen for the construction of said container can be example, a plastic material for said upper cover, a synthetic resin reinforced with glass fibers for said watertight partition. polyurethane for said deformable zone 14 of said cover 8

superior.

In Figure 3. it is seen that advantageously, said supports 15 in the form of pads can slide in sliding rails 35 which can for example have a U-shaped section and which can be fixed on said inclined plane 17 of said bridge of said boat. It can be seen that said container comprises said upper cover 7. said lower cover 8, which covers are respectively fixed on said edges of said watertight bulkhead 6 and under said watertight bulkhead.

Said container 2 may include means 12 for controlling the pressure prevailing in said first sealed compartment containing said life raft: said means for controlling pressure can for example be constituted by a manometer of U-tube type or by any other known means . In fact, according to the invention, during the factory preparation of said liferaft and its container, said liferaft is enclosed in the deflated state in said first watertight compartment closed by said watertight partition and by said top cover. Then known means of air suction such as a vacuum pump are connected to said first sealed compartment and part of the air which remains trapped in said first sealed compartment is sucked.

It is then advantageous to allow an inert and dry gas to enter said first sealed compartment, such as nitrogen for example, until the pressure prevailing in said first sealed compartment reaches a value fixed in advance; said value will advantageously be chosen outside the ranges of variation of atmospheric pressure, that is to say that it will be fixed for example at a value greater than 105,000 pascals or at a value less than 96,000 pascals. In this way, if the sealing of said first sealed compartment is correctly carried out, said pressure prevailing in said first sealed compartment will remain a value close to that set in the factory, and it will be possible to permanently check that this pressure is different from ambient atmospheric pressure. , and therefore check that the tightness of said tight compartment is good; alternatively, it is possible to envisage other known systems for checking the tightness of said first sealed compartment.

It can also be seen in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 4 that the device according to the invention comprises an external line 43 for triggering the inflation of the raft, one end of which is connected by connecting means 46 to an inner line 44 for triggering inflation of said tubes of said raft. We see that. in a known way. said connecting means 46 comprises a ring located inside said second sealed compartment 5. a ring located outside said second sealed compartment. which rings are held integral by a part located in a thin part of said lower cover 8; the second end of said external line 43 for triggering inflation can be housed in a housing 45, thus remaining easily accessible.

It can be seen in these figures that, advantageously, said second sealed compartment 5 is divided into two parts marked 5a and 5b, which are separated by a partition 5c which must be sealed. Advantageously, said gas cylinder is placed under pressure and optionally seawater cells in said part 5a of said second sealed compartment, and survival food is placed in said part 5b of said second sealed compartment.

In FIG. 5, it can be seen that said watertight partition 6 constitutes a part of the floor 10 of said inflatable raft 1; it can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 that said inflatable liferaft comprises a flexible floor 10a of which at least part 57 is inflatable.

Advantageously according to the invention, said flexible floor 10a comprises inflatable parts 57 and non-inflatable parts 58, which non-inflatable parts which extend substantially radially; we see that the rigid part 10b of said floor which is constituted by said watertight partition 6 is substantially central: said watertight partition is of substantially square shape and provided with rounded corners. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the pipe 52 for supplying pressurized gas coming from said bottle (not shown) is seen passing through said sealed partition and is divided into two pipes 53 starting from said pressurized gas towards said tubes. Advantageously, said starting pipes 53 pass through said watertight bulkhead, and are extended by flexible pipes 51 which convey said gas under pressure to said points. sausages 39.

Advantageously. a pipe 56, one end of which communicates with said inflatable parts 57 of said floor, is provided at its other end with a stop valve 55 and a connector 54, making it possible to introduce air to inflate said floor, for example with a hand pump.

Advantageously, said pipes 52 and 53 also include a connection connector 94.

It can be seen in FIG. 6 that in a preferred embodiment, said flexible floor 10a is provided in its middle with an opening corresponding substantially to the periphery of said watertight partition, and comprises on the edge of said opening a bead 47.

According to the invention, said flexible floor 10a is fixed to said rigid floor 10b constituted by said watertight partition 6 by means of a groove 49 arranged in said watertight partition, at its periphery: said flexible floor can thus be maintained by a pinching frame 48 which is itself fixed in said rigid floor by screws 50. or any other known means.

It can be seen in FIG. 5, that said partition comprises a hatch 11, which can be opened and thus allow access to a part of said second waterproof compartment located under said waterproof partition forming said rigid floor.

In a preferred embodiment, said hatch comprises a rigid part which is removable to give access to said second sealed compartment; its sealing can for example be ensured by a thin film having substantially the same surface as said hatch, which can be glued to said watertight partition. and which can therefore be easily detached when the said hatch is opened. Thanks to the particular configuration of said inflatable parts and of said non-inflatable parts, and due to the relative sinking in water of said rigid floor with respect to said tube, due to the weight of the people located in said raft and the weight of said second waterproof compartment. , this promotes runoff, from the periphery towards the center of said floor, and the accumulation of water capable of entering said raft and it is thus possible to evacuate said water for example using a scoop 11

or a manual pump. In these figures, there is shown an inflatable raft of substantially circular shape, but the characteristics of the invention apply of course to inflatable liferafts of all shapes. In FIG. 7 it can be seen that said lower cover 8 is preferably of rectangular or square shape and is provided with rounded corners. Said lower cover may be provided with fixing lugs 59 which may be provided with a hole allowing the passage of fixing means - such as screws - to said watertight partition. Advantageously, said cover comprises a wall 5c which separates the two parts 5a and 5b of said second sealed compartment 5. The side walls 65 as well as said wall 5c, which are provided in their upper part located opposite said sealed partition. and which bears on said watertight partition during assembly, with a seal 61 which thus seals the assembly.

It can be seen that in part 5b of said second watertight compartment, survival armament 63 is provided, which may notably include food, water, a pharmacy. In part 5a of the second waterproof compartment. said bottle 3 of pressurized gas is installed in a removable manner, for example on cradle-shaped supports 66; said bottle 3 usually comprises at one of its ends, an inflation trigger device 64 which, when actuated, allows the gas contained in said bottle to exit into said outlet pipe 52 (partially shown) via for example a fitting 94.

In said part 5a of said second watertight compartment, seawater batteries 62 are located, as well as a housing 60 for an internal inflation trigger line 44, which makes it possible to receive the necessary length - and regulatory - of said line 44. Advantageously, said inner inflation trigger line 44 can be constituted by two parts connected by a releasable fastener ^; shown), so that after inflating said raft, it will be easy to separate said parts of said line 44, part of which will remain integral with said raft, the second part remaining integral with the boat from which said raft was dropped.

We also see in this figure that means 46 are provided 12

which ensure the connection between said inner line 44 and said outer line 43 for triggering inflation, and that a housing 45 of said outer line for triggering inflation is provided on one of said side walls of said lower cover, outside that -this.

Advantageously, a pressure control device prevailing in said bottle 3 can be provided in said part 5a of said second sealed compartment. such as a pressure gauge for example; in that case. it is advantageous to arrange in one of the side walls 65 a sealed translucent window, located opposite said pressure gauge, so that said pressure of said bottle can be easily controlled from the outside. without requiring any intervention on said raft and on its container.

In FIG. 8, it can be seen that when the inflation of said liferaft is initiated, traction is exerted on the free end of said external line 43 for triggering inflation; when said outer line 43 is stretched, said traction is exerted on said connecting means 46 which consist of an outer ring 68 rigidly connected to an inner ring 69. which rings are located on either side of an element thin 67 of said side wall 65 of said lower cover 8. which thin element 67 will separate from said wall 65 under the effect of said traction, by tearing, thus creating an opening 73 in said wall 65.

Said internal inflation trigger line 44, one end of which is linked to said internal ring 69 will then take place under the effect of said traction transmitted by said connecting means 46.

It can be seen that the second end of said internal line 44 is fixed to a lashing ring 70. securely fixed to said lower cover of said raft and that said internal line 44 passes through a shackle 71 fixed to the release handle 72 of said release device 64 of inflation, located on said bottle 3 contained in said part 5a of said second sealed compartment.

Due to said traction, said internal line 44 will actuate said device 64 for triggering inflation which will allow the escape of said pressurized gas contained in said bottle, by said outlet pipe 52. as indicated by the arrow G. 13

Simultaneously with the appearance of said opening 73 due to said tearing of said thin element 67. seawater will penetrate along arrow E in said part 5a of said second sealed compartment and will be able to activate said seawater batteries 62. In the figures 9a to 9b, the main operations of a folding process of said raft are shown, allowing when it is deflated, to have it on its support constituted by said watertight partition, then allowing to cover it by said upper cover. In FIG. 9a, we see said inflatable raft 1, in the deflated state, which comprises said substantially circular flanges 39 and said flexible floor 10a, which comprises in its center said opening delimited by edges 74 constituted by said beads -persal 47 of FIG. 6- which are substantially parallel to said edges 18 of said watertight partition 6.

Folding is carried out along fold lines 75 said vertical (with reference to the orientation of the drawing on the sheet) and fold lines 76 said horizontal, which lines are substantially parallel to said edge 18 of said watertight partition 6. On Figure -9a, said raft is ready to be folded.

In FIG. 9b, it can be seen that the folding takes place along said vertical lines 75, as indicated by the arrows 77 so as to provide a vertical space 78 of a few centimeters, when this first folding is carried out, as shown in FIG. 9c. In FIG. 9d, it can be seen that the folding is then carried out along said horizontal lines 76, as indicated by the arrows 79, so as to provide a horizontal space 80 of a value close to that of said vertical space, as shown in FIG. 9e .

It can be seen in this figure, that following the folding of said deflated raft, it is contained inside the surface of said watertight partition 6, delimited by the edges 18.

Advantageously, thanks to said vertical and horizontal spaces, a space 81 in the form of a well is thus arranged in the center of said inflatable raft folded on said watertight partition. so that one can pass through said well-shaped space, pass said detachable link - item 29 of FIG. 1- and one can thus fix one end of said detachable link - marker 31 of FIG. 1- to said watertight partition 6. 14

In Figure 10. there is shown a preferred embodiment according to the invention. Said upper cover 7 consists of several panels 82 which are assembled together by watertight connecting means 88. Said panels provide mechanical protection for said raft 1; they can for example consist of a "sandwich" comprising two rigid outer skins which can be metallic or made of plastic, between which is injected a foam, for example polyurethane. In order to complete the tightness of said first sealed compartment delimited by said upper cover 7 and said sealed partition 6, in addition to said sealed connection means 88. there is provided a flexible envelope 85 which surrounds said raft 1 and which can be encircled on said edges 18 of said bulkhead 6; it is thus possible, before the installation of said panels constituting said upper cover, after the installation of said flexible envelope, create a relative vacuum in the enclosure constituted by said flexible envelope and said watertight partition. thanks to an opening provided in said watertight partition and provided with a valve 86, and thus ensuring the tightness of said enclosure.

When said upper cover is then mounted on said waterproof partition 6. thus constituting said first waterproof compartment. said inert gas preferably dry. can also be injected into said enclosure via said valve. FIG. 11 shows a detail of an embodiment of a device according to the invention provided with said upper cover composed of said panels 82, and provided with said flexible envelope 85, for application to rafts under davits already seen in FIG. 1.

The means for hoisting said raft and its container comprise said hoisting ring 24 which is made integral with said internal ring 25. which internal ring receives the end of said lines 26 and one end of said detachable link 29, via said means of detach 32; we see that said detaching means can be constituted by a shackle 91 which can open under the effect of traction that can exert a traction link 93, one end of which is fixed to said inflatable raft.

Alternatively, said detaching means may include 15

a guillotine capable of slicing said detachable link, which guillotine can be actuated by said traction link.

It can be seen that advantageously, a window 92 is provided in the panel 82 situated in the upper part of said upper cover, as well as a bellows 90 fixed on said panel 82 near the edges of said window, which bellows constitutes one of said zones.

23 of low resistance.

We see that between said rings 24, 25 capable of being made integral by virtue of the male and female threads with which they are provided respectively, are provided from bottom to top, a first seal

84. a first washer 89 which may be metallic, a second seal 84, said flexible envelope and said bellows which are each provided with a through hole for said threaded thread, and a second washer 89. The technical field of the invention is the construction of inflatable liferafts.

Claims

16

CLAIMS 1. Survival device in water of the life raft type (1) packed in a container (2), comprising survival equipment which comprises at least one bottle (3) of pressurized gas characterized in that said container comprises at least a first sealed compartment (4) and a second sealed compartment (5). which watertight compartments (4,5) are separated by a watertight partition (6), which first watertight compartment can contain said liferaft, which second watertight compartment can contain said survival equipment. which second watertight compartment can be opened without said first watertight compartment being open, so that one can visit, control said survival equipment contained in said second watertight compartment without opening said first watertight compartment.

2. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that said container comprises said sealed partition (6) which is substantially planar and comprises an upper cover (7) and a lower cover (8), which covers can be fixed on either side another of said watertight partition (6) so that said watertight partition and said upper cover (7) delimit said first watertight compartment, and so that said watertight partition and said lower cover (8) delimit said second watertight compartment (5).

3. Device according to claim 2 characterized in that said upper cover (7) has zones of least resistance. so that said cover is capable of opening under the effect of the pressure exerted by said liferaft when the latter is inflated.

4. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 3 characterized in that said watertight bulkhead (6) constitutes at least part of the floor (10) of said liferaft, and in that said watertight bulkhead comprises at least one hatch (11), so that when said hatch is opened, access from the interior of said liferaft to said second sealed compartment. and thus access when said raft is at sea, at least part of said survival equipment.

5. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 characterized in that said first sealed compartment is filled with factory of an inert gas, at a pressure substantially different from atmospheric pressure and characterized in that it comprises means (12) allowing, without opening said first sealed compartment, to control the pressure prevailing in said first sealed compartment.

6. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 characterized in that said sealed partition is crossed by at least one transport pipe (13) of said pressurized gas.

7. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 6 characterized in that said upper cover comprises at least one zone (14) for damping fall, so that when the said liferaft packed in said container is released, said liferaft is protected from impact.

8. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 7 characterized in that said container further comprises supports (15) in the form of pads and means for securing (16) said container to a boat, so that said container can be kept stationary on an inclined plane (17) of said boat, and so that when deactivating said securing means of said container, said container can slide on said inclined plane and be released from said boat easily.

9. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 8 characterized in that said sealed partition has at its periphery an edge (18) on which at least one of said upper cover and lower cover can be fixed.

10. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 9 characterized in that said watertight partition is substantially in the shape of a rectangle, preferably substantially in the shape of a square, and that the corners (19) of said rectangle, preferably of said square , are rounded.

11. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 10 characterized in that said upper cover is constituted by at least two rigid parts (20) assembled by connecting means (21). and by a flexible waterproof envelope (22) of said liferaft, which flexible envelope is situated between said rigid parts and said liferaft, which flexible envelope is fixed to said watertight partition.

12. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 18

11, intended to be mounted under a davit, characterized in that the upper cover comprises one of said zones (23) of low resistance, which zone (23) is provided on its outer face with a ring (24) for hoisting and is provided on its inner face of an internal ring (25), which rings are integral with one another, and in that it comprises supports (26) of which a first end (27) is fixed to said internal ring and a second end (28) of which is fixed to said liferaft, and in that it comprises a detachable link (29) of which a first end (30) is detachably fixed to said internal ring and therefore a second end (31) is attached to said bulkhead, and in that it includes means (32) for detaching said detachable link during inflation of said raft.