EP1438105A1

EP1438105A1 - Device for rescuing persons from edifices such as buildings, drilling platforms, ships or the like

Info

Publication number: EP1438105A1
Application number: EP02779172A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Herwig Fischer
Original assignee: Advance Technology Venture Ltd
Current assignee: Advance Technology Venture Ltd
Priority date: 2001-10-25
Filing date: 2002-10-24
Publication date: 2004-07-21
Also published as: CN1568208A; US20040245047A1; KR20040076853A; JP2005506890A; WO2003037435A8; DE10152833A1; WO2003037435A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for rapid evacuation of people from edifices on fire or in other dangerous situations. The inventive device consists of an abseiling device which slides downward by the force of gravity on a downward hanging rope upon engagement. A braking device ensures that the speed at which the abseiling device slides downward does not exceed a given maximum value. The rope is secured or can be secured on a pivotally articulated extension arm which is firmly connected to the edifice. The abseiling device can be engaged and disengaged by means of a rapid clamping device.

Description

Device for rescuing people from structures such as buildings, oil rigs, ships or the like

Tall buildings in which there are many people, such as high-rise hotels and offices, but also residential buildings always harbor the risk that in dangerous situations, e.g. in the event of fire, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, etc., evacuation cannot take place quickly and safely enough. Elevators can only or should not be used due to the risk of a power failure. Descending through the stairwell not only takes a long time, but is also very difficult, especially for people with walking difficulties, children or the elderly. In many cases, the stairwell escape route is blocked by smoke.

In high-rise buildings with a large number of people, evacuation through existing stairwells is hardly possible in a very short time. The speed at which a building can be evacuated depends crucially on the number of people in the building and the speed at which the slowest people move. Rescue using a retractable ladder, such as that of the fire brigade or technical support services, is also time-consuming and time-consuming considering the number of people to be rescued. In addition, many people suffer from a fear of heights or dizziness, which makes rescue difficult, in some cases even blocked.

As an alternative, rescue by abseiling remains. For this purpose, a rope could be attached to an outside wall of the building. Shimmy down on a rope, especially from a great height, is only possible for those with sporting experience. In addition, a rope attached to the outer wall of the building can also be reached by several people from different floors, so that there is a risk that many people will grab the rope at the same time, which may then result in the Load no longer grew. Flames escaping from window openings can also destroy fire-sensitive cables. To remedy this, DE 202 03 970 U1 proposes a rappelling device which has a rope which can be pulled off a rope supply and which has at its end a fastening device for hanging in a stationary counter device. The rope is wound on a drum which is rotatably arranged in a capsule to which a standing platform with a center column and handles arranged there is attached. One of the handles is designed as a rotary handle for actuating a brake. However, this device has the disadvantage that only a single person can be roped down.

Similar descenders are described for example in DE 3546429, DE 39 22 825 C2, DE 39 24 218 A1 or DE 3826401 A1.

It is an object of the present invention to find a device installed on the structure that functions reliably and enables people in need of help to be safely rescued from the structures mentioned.

This object is achieved by the device according to claim 1. An essential part of the device is a swivel arm which is firmly connected to the structure and to which the rope is fastened or can be fastened. The length of the jib creates a sufficient distance from the building when the people in need of abseiling, which prevents the persons to be rappelled from being damaged on the building wall by wind or other influences. The descender has a wing, which is preferably designed as a seat on which people can be buckled using seat belts or other harnesses. Furthermore, the abseiling device can be engaged and disengaged by means of a quick-release device, which enables the abseiling device to be connected to the rope for the abseiling process. In order to ensure that people to be rescued are abseiled at only moderate speed, the abseil device has a braking device, which preferably has a control system which influences different influences Body weights are compensated for the sliding speed and braking forces proportional to the speed are generated so that a maximum speed is not exceeded. The advantage of the device according to the invention lies in its simple structure and ease of use. The boom can be arranged on every or every second floor so that it is not exposed to external weather influences. Complex maintenance or mechanical or electrical controls are not necessary. Experience has shown that people at risk instinctively flee in the direction of the outer facade to the windows and not to the middle of the building towards the stairwells and lift shafts. To rescue people on this floor, the boom must be swung out to unroll the fireproof rope, which is preferably made of steel, which is rolled up at its end. The rope length is coordinated in levels. Depending on the expected floor occupancy, there is a sufficient number of abseiling devices to strap on the people to be rescued. Before abseiling, the boom is swiveled in again so that the rope can be reached on the relevant floor and then, if necessary, the quick release of the abseiling device is connected to the rope by an assistant. Once this has been done, the boom is swung out again so that the abseiling process is fully automatic and speed-controlled. Preferably, and what will be discussed later, aids are available which make it possible to strongly minimize or dampen the abseiling speed before reaching the ground in order to avoid injuries in the event of an impact. When the roped person has reached the ground, the quick release device is released, so that the next person is then rappelled after the boom has been swung back in again. Except for releasing and releasing, no activity is required by the person to be rescued.

The supporting surface of the descender is preferably a seat with a backrest, on the outer wall of which the device for lateral guidance and the quick-release device are fastened. This measure is the only way to ensure that the person who is being rappelled can accidentally release the quick release device. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the descender has a rope guide with a plurality of deflection rollers or sliding guides with looping means, which preferably generate a friction force proportional to the weight. In particular, the rope guide can have rollers or sliding elements which are pressed against the rope for braking when the descender slides down. As an alternative to this, the cable guide can have hydraulically effective brake rotors which are arranged in a viscose mass composed of a liquid and / or a solid-liquid mixture. The braking device is used to limit the sliding speed when abseiling without the person to be rescued having to intervene himself.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, an inflatable or liquid-filled life raft is attached to the rope end, which dampens the impact. The construction of the seat shell, into which a ride with slightly spread legs "forces", in conjunction with the "soft" life raft ensures that leg injuries are largely avoided. The life raft is preferably attached to the boom together with the rolled-up rope as a package, after the first swinging out of which the rope is unrolled. Once the rope has been unrolled, for example a tension spring, a lever or the like can be used to open the closure of a propellant gas bottle which is located inside the life raft, so that the outflowing propellant gas automatically inflates the life raft. Alternatively, it is of course possible within the scope of the present invention to inflate the life raft by means of hydraulic or pneumatic devices provided on the floor. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the rope can be tensioned between the jib and a hook anchored in the floor next to the building. This has the advantage that the rope is not tensioned solely by the weight of the life raft.

According to a development of the invention, a folding or swiveling step surface is connected to the building on floors, which, after being folded out or swung out, serves as a standing surface for the people to be rescued and an assistant serves who latches the descender onto the rope and then swings the boom horizontally, after which the abseiling starts automatically. This step surface has the advantage that the people to be rescued still have a firm footing when the descender is latched on. In order to further reduce fears, provision can additionally be made for the boom to connect at least two vertical screening walls connected by a hinge, which together with the tread form a space which is only open at the top but is otherwise opaque. The person to be abseiled thus emerges from the building into a chamber which is closed to the side and downwards and which only opens when the jetty swings out, ie at a time when the person to be rescued is already connected to the rope by the abseiling device.

According to a further measure, a spring damping unit is arranged at the lower end of the rope, which brakes the sliding speed of the descender.

In order to make the quick-release device simple, it preferably has a roller system which can be actuated by means of a pivot lever. If the reel system is connected to the rope, a safety lever is also flipped over to prevent the rope from jumping out of the reel guide.

Preferably, in the area of the rope end, i.e. In the vicinity of the ground or in the vicinity of the life raft, cable branches or rope thickenings such as cams or the like are provided, which cause the quick release device to open automatically, so that rescued persons can leave the life raft as quickly as possible or be rescued there as quickly as possible.

The descender itself can also have additional brake rollers, which are connected to the other deflecting rollers via a gear and which rotate in opposite directions to the deflecting rollers on the rope and have a braking effect on the rope by means of a corresponding pressing system. Ideally, the boom and the tread form a folded, fold-out unit which is arranged in the interior of the building floor, preferably at least every second floor, and which can be actuated mechanically, hydraulically and / or electrically. As already mentioned, the rope is wound spirally in a rope drum and is preferably fixedly connected to the boom at one end. In an emergency, the entire system is unfolded using a corresponding emergency switch.When the boom is swung out, the tread form, the vertical privacy screens and the rope drum or the rope wound into a roll are exposed, so that after the rope has been completely unrolled and inflated Liferaft the boom can be swiveled back accordingly, so that the end of the rope can be gripped by an auxiliary person and the first person can be latched in with the descender.

Further advantages and other embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. Show it

1 is a schematic view of a skyscraper with a rescue device according to the invention,

2 to 6 are partial views of the upper building floor at different times with schematic functional representations of the rescue device and

7 and 8 respective views of the descender.

1 shows a high-rise building 10 with an upper floor 11 in which the device according to the invention is arranged. The same applies to further floors, preferably each floor of this building 10, the individual devices being arranged at a safe horizontal distance from one another. 1 shows the device 12 according to the invention in the unfolded state with the boom extended, at the end of which a rope 13 is attached, which is connected to a life raft 14 connected is. The life raft 14 is connected to the rope and holds the rope taut due to its weight, the life rope being kept at a distance from the building wall by a correspondingly large diameter of the life raft.

2 shows the device 12 according to the invention in a folded installation state, in which the entire device is arranged on the upper floor 11 of the building 10. In an emergency, the boom 15, at the tip of which a cable drum 16 is attached, is pivoted out as shown in FIG. 3. At the same time, a step shape 17 is folded down, which later serves as a standing area.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, after the boom has been pivoted out, the rope 13 is unrolled and, once this has been done completely, the life raft is inflated. To save the first person, the boom 15 is pivoted in again so that the person 18, who is now standing on the platform 17, can be latched in for rappelling. After the corresponding attachment of the abseiling device, not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the boom 15 is pivoted out again, with which or after which the person 18 slides down to the rescue. A basic illustration of the abseiling device can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, which shows a seat shell with a backrest 19 and a seat surface 20, which is shaped in such a way that the person 18 to be rescued is forced to sit there in a slightly spread leg position. Seat belts and straps, which are to be put on the person 18 to be rescued and with which the person is fixed on the seat 19, 20, are not shown. The device for cable guidance and the quick release device are attached to the rear wall of the backrest. This device has three rollers 21, 22 and 23 which are attached to a rail 24. First, with the boom 15 pivoted back in, the cable 13 is placed between the rollers 21 and 22, after which this rail is pivoted by the handle 25 in the direction of arrow 26 by 90 °, so that the cable is guided through the roller system 21, 22 and 23 , Thereafter, the articulated locking lever 26 is pivoted upwards in the direction of arrow 27, after which the lever assumes the position 26 '(see FIG. 7). After that can the actual abseiling process can be started by swinging out the boom 15. At least one of the rollers is connected to, for example, a hydraulically acting braking device 28.

Vertical view protection walls are not shown, which are connected to the boom 15 and which, in the (again) retracted state of the boom according to FIG. 5, form an all-round view protection.

When the boom is swung out, the person 18 to be rescued begins to abseil, who only then visually perceives the height from which he is rescued. Panic-like reactions or refusals to be connected to the rope are thus largely minimized. The measure that the abseiling device is fastened to the back of the backrest 19 together with the quick-release device also prevents the persons in the abseiling process from looking for a hold on the quick-release device in a panic reaction and inadvertently opening it. The embodiment of the descender shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 must be operated by an assistant who is the last to remain. In order to enable this person to abseil, in a modification a abseil device can have a quick-release device that is attached either to the side or to the front, so that this person can latch onto himself. Possibly. For this purpose, the seat surface 20 is provided in an arrangement offset by 180 °, possibly slotted in the middle in order to be able to pass the rope 13. Instead of the closed seat 20, two separate leg shells are then to be provided.

The falling speed of the abseiling device is limited according to the invention, for example, by the fact that the guide device 21 to 24 is automatically pressed onto the rope 13 by means of a lever system or other clamping device with a force which is proportional to the weight of the person 18 to be rescued. The friction pairing of the rope and the guide can be chosen so that the wear is not or only to a very small extent and largely in the guide 21 to 23 itself, since this is used only once, whereas the rope should be preserved for other people. For this reason, a steel is preferably chosen as the rope material, which cannot tear or be destroyed by flames as with textile or plastic ropes. To limit the falling speed of the descender it can also have a centrifugal brake.

In a special embodiment, a wear behavior is selected which leads to a friction force proportional to the speed, so that, regardless of the height of fall, a steady state of fall is achieved when abseiling, in which a certain limit speed is not exceeded.

In one embodiment of the invention, the guidance is supported by rollers and the roller speed is braked in a fluid brake 28 to a maximum speed and thus to a maximum downward speed. In addition, the rescue rope 13 can also be guided through the guide in a loop.

As an alternative, a braking effect can also be achieved - in particular with lower building heights - by reducing the speed at a safe height before the impact on the life raft by thickening the rescue rope in the lower area and thus increasing the frictional force. The rescue rope 13 can also be provided with a special friction lining in this braking zone. In addition, spring damping devices are possible at the lower end of the rope, so that the falling speed is reduced to a lower value in this area when the descender runs up.

The guide device can optionally also be filled with a visco-elastic liquid that emerges during the downward movement between the guide and the rope and thus generates an approximately speed-proportional frictional force that acts similarly to oil-lubricated plain bearings. Possibly. the case of abseiling can also be limited by an air brake screen. This brake screen can be attached to a guide. Compared to the parachute rescue, in which the people to be rescued jump and release the parachute automatically However, the connection to the rope remains, so that the falling person in the direction of the building wall is prevented from drifting due to wind influences.

In another embodiment variant, the braking device can also be designed as a so-called stuttering brake, in which the roller and sliding system is set in resonance vibrations, as a result of which periodic braking is triggered at specific time or spatial intervals. The guide device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 also ensures that the persons to be rescued come into contact with the rope unintentionally when sliding down.

As already mentioned, an automatic release device can also be provided, e.g. is controlled via cams, thickenings or the like on the rope 13 so that after reaching the ground or the life raft the person can leave the area of the rope end as quickly as possible so as not to collide with subsequent people.

In order to be able to rescue anxious, older, unsportsmanlike or disabled people as well as children, holding straps can also be provided for two or more people or a seat surface 19, 20 can be designed in such a way that an additional person is roped with this person who, similarly as with the parachute tandem jump, provides assistance.

The rescue system according to the invention should preferably be modular, so that it can be retrofitted in existing buildings by replacing a window frame as a finished unit, if necessary. The system is protected against weather-related corrosion and is largely maintenance-free since the boom and the rope pulley are located in the interior and can only be folded out in an emergency. On each floor, the position of the boom or the rescue rope is offset from the neighboring floor, so that rescue operations from different floors cannot be hindered. The tread form 17 has furthermore the further advantage that the distance of the person to be rescued from the building wall is increased at the beginning with the initiation of the abseiling process.

The measures described above ensure that the abseiling or falling speed is limited in order to avoid a high impact speed at the end of the rope and an associated increased risk of injury. The rescue ropes are rolled up so that they can unroll themselves in an emergency. Mechanically operating systems are preferred as the braking device of the descender, i.e. braking cable guides, loops, sliding elements, intermittent "stuttering brakes", liquid, gas or viscose damping agents as well as cables that thicken or branch down.

The life raft should be designed in such a way that it automatically inflates upon impact and thus activates itself. This saves valuable time until the auxiliary personnel (fire brigade, etc.) arrive. Other tandem descenders may use other rope guidance systems that have a stronger braking behavior.

In the context of the present invention, it is also possible to design the cable guide on the boom so that the persons to be rescued first slide down over a horizontally or slightly diagonally guided rope before they reach the vertical rope.

The rope can also be provided with pulse generators which enable a check to be made as to whether the rope is completely unrolled.

In principle, the present invention can be used for all buildings such as high-rise buildings, but also oil rigs or ships, in the latter case damping means at the end of the rope being unnecessary when rappelling into the water. After a floor has been evacuated, especially if the end of the rope is anchored in the ground, the tensioned rope can also be used by rescue workers to use the rope by means of motor-driven lifting devices to get to the upper floors for extinguishing work or the like.

Claims

Expectations

1.Device for rescuing people from structures such as buildings (10), oil rigs, ships or the like, with an abseiling device which has an aerofoil and which on a hanging rope (13) slides down due to gravity due to gravity, the sliding speed of the abseiling device due to an existing braking device can be minimized, characterized in that the cable (13) is attached or can be fastened to a pivotally articulated arm (15) which is fixedly connected to the structure (10) and that the descender can be engaged and disengaged by means of a quick-release device, the Sliding speed of the descender preferably does not exceed a maximum speed.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting surface of the descender is a seat (20), which is preferably connected to a backrest (19), on the outer wall of which the device for guiding the rope and the quick-release device are fastened.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the descender has a rope guide with a plurality of deflection rollers (21, 22, 23) or sliding guides with looping means, which preferably generate a braking force proportional to the speed, and / or the descender has a centrifugal brake.

4. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the cable guide has rollers or sliding elements which are pressed against the cable for braking when the descender slides down and / or that the cable guide has hydraulically effective brake rotors which are in a viscous mass from a liquid and / or a solid-liquid mixture are arranged.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an inflatable or liquid-filled life raft (14) is attached to the rope end.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the rope (13) between the boom (15) and a hook anchored in the ground next to the building (10) can be tensioned.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that with the structure (10) a fold-out or swing-out step surface (17) is connected, which serves as a standing surface for the person to be rescued and an auxiliary person after folding out or swinging out, which latches the descender onto the rope (13) and then swings the boom (15) out horizontally.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that with the boom (15) at least two vertical, connected by a hinge screen walls are connected, which together with the tread surface (17) form an only upwardly open, but otherwise tightly closed space ,

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a spring / damping unit is arranged at the lower end of the rope, which brakes the sliding speed of the descender.

10. The device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the quick release device consists of a roller system which can be actuated by means of a pivot lever (24) and a locking lever (26) which can finally be deflected to the rope wrap.

11. The device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that in the area of the rope end rope branches or rope thickenings such as cams are provided, which cause the quick release device to open automatically.

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the abseiling device has brake rollers which are connected via a gear to the other deflecting rollers and which rotate in opposite directions to the deflecting rollers and have a braking effect on the rope by a press system.

13. Device according to one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the boom (15) and the tread form (17) form a folded fold-out unit which is arranged in the interior of a building floor, and which can be actuated mechanically, hydraulically and / or electrically is.

14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the rope (13) spirally wound in a rope drum (16) or over a core or rolled up freely and is preferably fixedly connected at one end to the boom (15).