EP0734946B1 - Device for life-saving at sea - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to improvements brought to sea survival devices including a inflatable liferaft or the like when deflated and folded as well as at least one inflation fluid reservoir which are enclosed in the internal volume of a rigid container.

To be sure that survival devices are in permanent state of immediate use, these devices are subject to regular periodic checks which currently is done annually. This control requires the moving the survival device out of its location on board the vessel and its transfer to a approved maintenance station located on land. These controls may include opening the container to check the operating condition, inflate the raft to check the state of tightness, check the inflation fluid reservoir (s) and its sealing by weighing of the fluid, checking the equipment and possibly to replace weapons equipment in particular perishable items that are damaged or have expired by validity.

These periodic checks are operations time consuming, costly and burdensome, and there is a wish, on the part of users in particular, for the periodicity of these complete checks can be significantly lengthened without weakening the security of operation of survival devices.

The main purpose of the invention is to provide an original arrangement of a sea survival device such as mentioned in the preamble to space the periodicity full controls while authorizing controls punctual intermediates on essential organs and / or on perishable materials with a lower validity period the frequency of the main controls.

We have certainly already proposed (WO-A-92/03 333) a life raft water survival device inflatable whose arrangement claims to remedy the drawbacks cited above. However, this known device puts in works a container with two compartments in which are enclosed respectively, in one, the deflated raft and folded and, in the other, the inflation and armament materials and survival. A watertight partition separates the two compartments inside the container. Control and replacement of these inflation, armament and survival equipment takes place after dismantling the wall part of the container which defines, in conjunction with the above-mentioned partition waterproof, the lower compartment concerned.

The dismantling, then the reassembly of this part of partition substantially lengthen the duration of the inspection and, from the removable wall part is located in the area from the bottom of the container, its access is not easy on a container resting on its cradles on board a ship. In practical, we then have to lift the container, or even to move it, to facilitate the operation.

Ultimately, the known device does not respond to satisfactorily to the aims sought in practice.

For these purposes, a survival device as mentioned in the preamble is essentially characterized, being arranged in accordance with the invention, in that the container has a hatch allowing access to its volume internal and in that the fluid reservoir (s) inflation is provided with at least one sensor for detection at least one quantity characteristic of the state of the fluid contained in the tank, in particular its pressure and / or its temperature, and is arranged so that said quantity detected can be measured from the open hatch of the container.

Thanks to such an arrangement, it therefore becomes possible to check the condition of the inflation fluid without that it is necessary to extract the tank (s) out of the container, and therefore without the need to open the container.

One could certainly foresee that, to facilitate this control, the tank (s) is itself equipped with suitable measuring devices and / or connection fittings for the direct connection of control devices and that to do this it is located immediately behind the access hatch. However, in order for it to be protected maximum against corrosion, in the context of the present invention, that the inflated liferaft and folded and the inflation fluid reservoir (s) are enclosed in a tightly sealed flexible pouch of so as to further increase the effectiveness of the protection of the raft and tank against moisture and corrosion: this slows down the attacks on these two elements and it becomes possible to significantly increase the intervals between two successive checks, which can by example be increased to three years or five years.

Under these conditions, it is expected that the sensor is connected by a connecting element to an accessible connector through the open hatch, which makes it possible to connect an external measuring device to said connector. The deflated raft and the tank (s) also being enclosed in a waterproof pocket, we can make sure that the connector is of the wall crossing type and is fixed on the waterproof bag, the connector then being placed on a portion of the waterproof pocket located in the immediate vicinity hatch; to overcome the problem of establishment a waterproof pocket crossing, you can also so that the pocket tightly surrounds a nut closing of the tank (s) which then remains external to said pocket and that the connecting element is connected to the nut of the tank (s), with the connector located near the hatch.

To also be able to exploit all the advantages provided by the presence of the hatch, you can provide that at least one other flexible pocket is provided waterproof containing perishable weapons equipment. So, it is possible, still without opening the container, to access pockets containing perishable weaponry and extract them from the container to control them and / or to replace them during intermediate checks.

Thanks to all the provisions in accordance with the invention, one can be in the presence of a device which offers possibilities for control and maintenance at short intervals (for example annual) for some of its elements (control of inflation fluid, control and / or replacement of equipment perishable), these close checks can be carried out by the hatch, without opening the container. There there is no longer any reason to lower the container to the ground and all these checks may be carried out on board the vessel, the container remaining on its lashing support. For which is now in control of the raft itself and in control the physical condition of the tank and / or its replacement, which require the container to be lowered to the ground and brought to a maintenance station, the presence of the pocket waterproof which doubles the container itself allows them space noticeably. We are therefore led, thanks to the arrangement of the invention, to a container whose conditions of maintenance are considerably simplified, and therefore made less expensive and less restrictive, while maintaining the same level of security.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique d'un dispositif de survie en mer agencé conformément à l'invention, le conteneur étant représenté très schématiquement en étant supposé transparent de manière que soit visible son contenu,
• les figures 2 et 3 sont des vues à plus grande échelle illustrant respectivement deux variantes d'aménagement d'une partie du dispositif de la figure 1.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of certain preferred embodiments, given solely by way of nonlimiting examples. In this description, reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a sea survival device arranged in accordance with the invention, the container being shown very schematically, being assumed to be transparent so that its contents are visible,
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are views on a larger scale respectively illustrating two variant arrangements of a part of the device in FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a sea survival device, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, essentially comprises a pneumatic raft 2 or the like in the deflated and folded state as well as at least one reservoir 3 of inflation fluid (CO ₂ and N ₂ for example) which are enclosed in a rigid container 4, generally consisting of two half-shells 5 assembled in a weathertight and marine condition manner.

The reservoir 3 has a closure nut of tank 6 with the sealing members suitable for supply the inflation gas and a trigger head 7 for starting the inflation process, said trigger head which can itself be actuated by an external actuator 8.

Container 4 is provided with a closing hatch shutter 9 which is preferably arranged on the half-shell 5 lower and at one end thereof to facilitate handling and access to the interior of the container while the container is stowed on its support cradle aboard the ship.

For its part, the reservoir 3 is equipped with at least one sensor 10 for the detection of at least one parameter or quantity characteristic of the state of the inflation fluid contained in the tank. The sensor 10 is preferably arranged in the nut 6 of the tank and allows for example a determination of the pressure and / or the temperature of the fluid. In addition, the arrangement is such that said size detected can be measured from hatch 9 opened.

A very simple solution could be to directly equip nut 6 of the tank with one or several indicating devices (manometer, thermometer) and to arrange the tank so that the nut 6 is located immediately behind the hatch and that the aircraft can be read directly through the open hatch. However, certain arrangements of the device specific to the arrangement and folding of a life raft in a container (tank wrapped as completely as possible in the web of the deflated raft, as well as other provisions which will be discussed below) make that, on the one hand, the tank cannot be easily placed in the container with its nut located near hatch 9 and that, on the other hand, physical access to tank is not possible.

Provision can therefore be made to connect the sensor 10, by a connecting element shown schematically in 11, to an element of connection or connector 12 located immediately rear of the hatch 9 and which can be connected by the open hatch 9, a measuring and / or detection device. Such an arrangement is very flexible for this which is the nature of the sensor 10, the nature of the element 11 and the nature of the connector 12. in particular, the sensor 10 can be a simple taking of bypass, while the connecting element 11 can be a simple flexible tubing and that the connector 12 can be a shut-off valve fluid connector to which can be connected an external device incorporating all the components detection, conversion, measurement and display. Also, the sensor 10 can be arranged to deliver a electrical signal representative of the quantity measured (temperature, pressure, ...), while the connecting element 11 is an electric line (can be connected to several sensors) and that the connector 12 is a connector to which a device can be connected outside arranged to process the received signals and display the information.

To increase the protection of the folded raft 2 and the tank 3, we plan to lock them in a pocket flexible waterproof protection 13, itself enclosed in the container 4, said waterproof pocket 13 possibly being able to also contain non-perishable weapons equipment. Perishable weapons equipment (food, products pharmaceuticals, cells or batteries, ...) can be enclosed in one or more auxiliary flexible pockets 14 which are then arranged near the hatch 9 of so that it can be extracted by said hatch for the purposes control and / or replacement at more frequent intervals brief that the frequency of checking the raft and the tank contained in the main pocket 13.

In this case, it is possible to arrange, as shown in Figure 2, that the connector 12 is of the type of bushing connector tightly mounted on a portion of the flexible bag 13 located near the hatch 9. The connecting element 11 then extends inside pocket 13.

To avoid the need for a connector of the type crossing connector which is expensive we can also ensure, as shown in Figure 3, that the pocket flexible 13 has an opening 15 enclosing so tight, by an O-ring, the nut 6 of the tank. Thus, the reservoir 3 can remain wrapped in the folds of the web of the deflated raft while the connecting element 11, which extends into the folds of the pocket 13, then remains outside pocket 13.

As it goes without saying and as it already results from this above, the invention is in no way limited to those of its modes of application and embodiments which have been more particularly envisaged; on the contrary, she embraces all variants.

Claims (7)

1. A device (1) for survival at sea comprising a pneumatic raft (2) or the like in the uninflated and folded state, together with at least one reservoir (3) of inflation fluid, which raft and reservoir are enclosed in a rigid container (4), characterized in that the container (4) includes a hatch (9) giving an access to the inside volume of said container, and in that the inflation fluid reservoir (3) is provided with at least one sensor (10) for detecting at least one magnitude characteristic of the state of the fluid enclosed in the reservoir, in particular its pressure and/or its temperature, and is organized in such a manner that said detected magnitude cans be measured from the open hatch of the container, whereby the state of the survival device can be inspected without opening the container.
2. A survival device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor (10) is connected via a link element (11) to a connector (12) that is accessible via the open hatch (9), whereby making it possible to connect an external measuring instrument to said connector.
3. A survival device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the uninflated and folded pneumatic raft (2) and the inflation fluid reservoir (3) are enclosed in a flexible bag (13) that is closed in watertight manner.
4. A survival device according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the connector (12) is of the "lead-in wall" type and is fixed on the watertight bag (13).
5. A survival device according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the bag (13) surrounds in sealed manner (15) a closure head (6) of the reservoir which has at least a portion remaining outside said bag, and in that the link element (11) is connected to the head (6) of the reservoir.
6. A survival device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the watertight bag (13) also encloses non-perishable stores.
7. A survival device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that at least one other waterproof flexible bag (14) is provided that encloses perishable stores.

Images