EP2260216A1

EP2260216A1 - Device for braking and/or blocking a flexible link

Info

Publication number: EP2260216A1
Application number: EP09712565A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Fiocchi
Original assignee: Flakes SA
Current assignee: Flakes SA
Priority date: 2008-02-21
Filing date: 2009-02-19
Publication date: 2010-12-15
Also published as: WO2009103178A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for braking and mechanically blocking a flexible link, in particular a cable, a rope or particularly a sail sheet, a winch cable, a rappelling rope or the like. The device (10) comprises a base (11), a first housing (12) connected to said base and a second housing (14) attached on the first housing (12). The first housing (12) includes a pulley (19) on which a flexible link (13) is wound up. A mechanism for controlling and monitoring the passage of the flexible link (13) through the first housing (12) is mounted inside both housings. The mechanism is combined with an actuation lever (16) connected to a rotary shaft (17) centred on the first and second housings (12, 14). The lever (16), when rotated in the direction of the double arrow A, actuates the control and monitoring mechanism in order to adjust it between an initial position, in which the flexible link (13) is totally free, and a final position in which the flexible link (13) is gradually braked until there is a total position blocking.

Description

DEVICE FOR BRAKING AND / OR BLOCKING A FLEXIBLE LINK

Technical area

The present invention relates to a device for braking and mechanically locking a flexible link, in particular a cable, a rope and in particular a sail listening, a winch cable, a rope of reminder or similar.

Prior art

In particular on sailboats, the holding devices in the position of the sheets of sail, commonly called jamming or holding blockers, are often made of two opposing jaws, arranged opposite and articulated on a base mounted on the hull of the boat , to tighten a sail listening and maintain it in position in order to ensure a constant tension on the sail. These blockers have only one function, that of maintaining the sail in a position determined by the browser. The blocking is absolute, that is to say without nuances, all or nothing type. In case of a brutal gale, especially on small sailboats or on catamarans, the pressure generated by the thrust of the wind on the sails causes very high tensions on the plays and it becomes extremely difficult to release them quickly and safely. The blocking in position of the sail sounds can, under extreme conditions, cause tearing of the sail, breaks of plays or breaks of masts which are generally at the origin of extremely serious accidents, even of the rollovers of boats, especially catamarans that are impossible to straighten. At the moment when such a gust of wind occurs, which is not uncommon at sea, the navigator should be able to reduce the pressure on the wing. For this purpose, it should be able to release the tension exerted on the plays, preferably in a progressive and controlled manner. But the usual blockers do not allow a progressive action. In case of emergency, listening is released suddenly and the sail becomes uncontrollable. The sudden release of the listening can cause material and / or bodily damage because of the extreme tensions exerted on it. Offshore trawling cables are usually hauled by powered winches and the nets they drag can weigh several tons when full. The resistance that is exerted on these cables can be considerable. In case of big sea, the resistance to the progress of the trawlers braked by their nets, generates important risks for the boat which can be caught by a big wave, deprived of a large part of its maneuverability, slowed by the nets and put in difficulty, even sunk in a few moments. This situation is well known to fishermen, but no reliable solution exists to date to reduce or eliminate this risk. Freeing the hauling cable by means of a clutch requires human intervention, heavy and slow maneuvers, while the situation at risk is very brutal and staff, often surprised by the events does not have the necessary time to evaluate the danger and intervene effectively and on time.

In the field of boating, equipment such as winches known as "winches", motorized or manual and capstans have the same problems of safety and handling.

The devices called "descenders" used by mountaineers, mountain rescue services, firefighters usually include a rappelling rope equipped with a device that can slow the descent of a person by tightening more or less the rope of recall. Braking on the rope causes significant heating of the rope and the efficiency of the system is relative for uninitiated people.

Portable or stationary winches used as accessories on a motor vehicle, a construction vehicle, a forestry tractor or the like or on lifting equipment such as a crane also present safety problems in the event of a breakdown of the drive motor. According to the existing safety standards these winches must include fall arrest equipment, called "parachutes" on metal curtains used to close shop windows. These devices are complex and do not always respond to imposed constraints. In particular, one of these constraints is to allow manual closing and lifting of the blind in case of failure of the drive motor and blocking by the fall arrest mechanism.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention proposes to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks in these various fields of application, in particular by eliminating the danger associated with jamming sail clams as they exist on many pleasure boats, by eliminating the risks inherent in the reduction of the maneuverability of trawlers related to the load of their nets in case of heavy weather, by suppressing warming of the return rope of a descender and by reassuring the uninitiated users, by securing the cables of motorized winches, in case of failure of the drive motor. The invention proposes a device which makes it possible to modulate the voltage acting on a flexible link, according to the conditions of use of this link, this device being able to ensure the locking of said link in position under certain conditions of use, to define a voltage limit of this blocking, automatically release the link when this limit voltage is exceeded and allow to release the link of the device without risk even when the tension exerted on him is particularly high.

This object is achieved by the device according to the invention as defined in the preamble and characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a first housing defined by a frame rigidly mounted on a base and a rotary pulley around a pin mounted on said base and housed in said first housing and, secondly, a second housing integral with said first housing, said device further comprising a mechanism for controlling and controlling the rotation of said rotary pulley, which comprises a core central movable axially relative to said base and housed in said second housing, and in that said central core and said pulley respectively comprise complementary braking and / or locking means arranged to cooperate by effecting relative braking and / or locking. of said pulley with respect to said central core. According to a first embodiment, said central core is provided with at least one notch arranged to receive the head of at least one pin carried by said pulley and biased by a thrust spring, said notch and said pin constituting said complementary means braking and / or locking.

According to another embodiment, said pulley is provided with at least one notch arranged to receive the head of at least one pin carried by said axially mobile central core and biased by a thrust spring, said notch and said pin constituting said additional means of braking and / or locking.

Advantageously, said central core is mounted on a rotary shaft, said rotary shaft comprising actuating means which cooperate with said central core to generate an axial displacement of said central core according to a determined rotation of said rotary shaft.

Advantageously, said actuating means comprise a thread complementary to said central core and said rotary shaft.

Said axially movable central core is preferably provided with at least one series of notches arranged to each receive the head of a pin of a series of pins carried by said pulley, each pin being respectively urged by a thrust spring, said series of notches and said series of pins constituting said complementary braking and / or locking means.

In the preferred embodiment of the device, said central core comprises at least two sets of notches arranged to receive respectively at least two sets of pins each biased by a thrust spring, and the two sets of notches are arranged to cooperate with the heads of said pins to provide a braking and / or blocking function of the device in braking and / or relative locking of said pulley with respect to said central core, said two sets of notches and said two sets of pins constituting said complementary braking and / or locking means.

In this embodiment, the device comprises a first housing, integral with the base, traversed by said flexible link and containing the pulley, and a second housing containing said central core and fixed on said first housing.

Said central core is advantageously coupled to the rotary shaft by means of a thread whose pitch is determined according to the desired speed of passage from a free or braked position to a locked position of the flexible link.

Preferably, said operating means comprise a manual operating lever.

The device can be used as a blocker for listening to a sail of a boat or mounted on a winch of a towing rope of a trawl dragged by a trawler.

It can also equip a harness and be used as a descender for a mountaineer or rescue worker. In this use, said actuating means comprise a control lever pivoting between a first position in which the flexible link, formed by a return rope, is braked and a second position in which the flexible link is blocked.

When the device is used to mount a load, the pulley, around which is wound the link formed by a rope, is coupled to a drive motor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the detailed description of preferred embodiments of the device, with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limiting indication, in which: FIG. 1 represents a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the device for braking and mechanically locking a flexible link according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 1, illustrating a particular construction of the braking and locking means,

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a particular application of the device of FIG. 1 as a sail listening blocker on a pleasure boat,

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate another particular application of the device of FIG. 1 as a safety element coupled to the towing cable of a fishing trawl,

FIG. 5 illustrates a particular application of the device of FIG. 1 as a descender coupled to a return rope,

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the descender of FIG. 5 in a first and a second position, and

Figure 6 illustrates a particular application of the device of Figure 1 as a safe elevator.

BEST WAYS OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 10 represented comprises a base 11 having, for example, a substantially rectangular shape, a first housing 12 integral with said base and a second housing 14 fixed on said first housing 12 The first housing 12 is constituted by a frame 12a closed by said base 11 and contains a pulley 19 rotatable about an axis 9 and on which is wound, making at least one loop, a flexible link 13. The pulley 19 comprises advantageously a groove 19a in which is housed said flexible link 13. A control and control mechanism 15 of said flexible link 13 through said first housing 12 is mounted inside the two housings 12 and 14. This mechanism is associated, in this embodiment, with actuating means, for example a manual operating lever 16, integral with a rotary shaft 17 which is centered on said first and second housings 12 and 14. This lever 16, when turned on its axis 17 in the direction of the double arrow A, actuates the control and control mechanism 15 so as to adjust it between a initial position in which the flexible link 13 is completely free and a final position in which the flexible link 13 is gradually braked to a total blockage in position. In practice, said mechanism controls the rotation and the braking of the pulley 19.

Figure 1 shows an external view of an embodiment of the device 10 for braking and mechanical locking of a flexible link 13, wherein said flexible link is for example a rope and more particularly a sail listening.

FIG. 2 represents an axial sectional view of the device 10, this section illustrating in more detail the construction of the control and control mechanism 15. This control and control mechanism 15 comprises a central core 18 which is linked to the shaft rotary 17 carrying said handle 16 and arranged to allow said central core 18 to be displaced axially in one direction or the other, according to the direction of rotation of this handle 16. The connection between the central core 18 and the rotary shaft 17 is a thread coupling which ensures the relative displacement of the two components in a more or less rapid manner according to the pitch of this thread. For some applications, the pitch is small so that knob 16 must be turned a large number of turns to cause the desired movement. For other applications, the pitch is large so that the knob 16 must be rotated to a small angular sector to cause the desired movement. The central core 18 and the rotary shaft 17 are housed in said second housing 14 mounted on the first housing 12 in which the pulley 19 is housed. In the illustrated embodiment, the second housing 14 is fixed to the first housing 12 at the bolts 20 and the base 11 is fixed to said first housing 12 by means of screws 21. The male thread of the rotary shaft 17 and the female thread of the central core 18 are complementary.

The pulley 19 carries, in the example shown, at least one, but preferably a first series of pins 22 each biased by a thrust spring 23 and arranged to each penetrate more or less deeply in a series of notches 24 corresponding arranged in the central core 18 and disposed opposite the head of each pin 22. These notches 24 are arranged to cooperate with the heads of said pins 22 to provide a braking function and / or locking the device 10 by exerting friction on the central core 18 which slows or blocks the rotation of the pulley 19, and thus the displacement of the flexible link 13 which is wound on this pulley. Furthermore, the pulley 19 carries, in the example shown, a second series of pins 25 each urged by a thrust spring 26 and arranged to each penetrate more or less deeply into a second series of corresponding notches 27 formed in the core 18 and arranged opposite the heads of the pins 25. These notches 27 are also arranged to cooperate with the heads of said pins 25 to also provide a function of braking and / or locking the device 10 by exerting friction on the core central 18 which slows or blocks the rotation of the pulley 19 and, therefore, the displacement of the flexible link 13 which is wound on this pulley. Each of the series of pins 22 and 25 is arranged on a concentric circle and the corresponding notches 24 and 27 may have a different geometry in such a way that one of the series of pins is mainly affected to the braking of the pulley 19 and that the other is essentially assigned to blocking said pulley. The notches and pins could be reversed and the number of notches and pins can be varied depending on the application. The notches and the corresponding pins are complementary means of braking and / or blocking the pulley 19 and of course the flexible link wound on this pulley. This assembly makes it possible to completely release the pulley 19 or to slow it down gradually and finally block it. The transition from the freewheel position to the locked position through progressive braking or the transition from a braked position to a locked position can be controlled according to the construction and / or adjustment of the control and control mechanism 15.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a pleasure craft 30 using a device 10 as represented by FIGS. 1 and 2 arranged as a blocker of the listening 31 of the jib 32 in the event of a very strong gust of wind capable of reversing the sailboat. In Figure 3A, the sail is bordered to the maximum while in Figure 3B, the sail is released after a brutal gust of wind suffered. With a usual blocker, the only way to escape the risk of overturning the boat is, for the skipper, to react quickly by unlocking the listening 31 of the jib 32 to release the tension on this listening and reduce the pressure on the skipper. sailing. This approach can be dangerous because the tension on the listening can cause accidents. The device 10 can be set in such a way that the earpiece 31 can unblock automatically, without any human intervention, when the voltage on the earpiece exceeds a certain pre-set value. As a result, the pressure on the sail can never exceed a threshold value beyond which navigation becomes dangerous with risks of sail tear, mast breakage and overturning of the hull.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a trawler 40 using at least one device 10 as represented by FIGS. 1 and 2 as a safety coupler mounted on a towing cable 41 of a trawl 42. In FIG. 4A, the trawl 42, heavily loaded is towed by the trawler 40. As a result, it has lost a significant part of its maneuvering ability and, in case of heavy seas, the boat can be overtaken by a large wave that can fill it from behind, or poke forward and sink. In FIG. 4B, the device has automatically released the cable while allowing the trawler 40 to regain its maneuverability momentarily when a large wave arrives, avoiding the risks mentioned above. Figure 5 is a schematic view illustrating another application of the device 10 used as a return chute. In this case, the device 10 is mounted on a harness 50 carried by a mountaineer or a rescuer 51, and the flexible link 13 is a return rope. The control and control mechanism housed inside the device 10 is provided with a two-position pivoting actuating lever 52, namely a total locking or stopping position, marked "off" (FIG. 5A). ₁ in which the lever is in the low position and where the rope is jammed by the mechanism preventing any descent of the mountaineer and a braking position, marked "on" (Figure 5B), in which the lever is in the up position and where the rope is braked by the mechanism to slow down and control the descent of the mountaineer.

Figure 6 shows the device 10 used as a safe elevator. The load is represented by a mason bucket 60, but could be in the form of any load. In this case, the device is associated with a drive motor 61 which allows it to operate in both directions. The descent can be ensured in the same way as in the previous case with the rappel rope of the descender. On the other hand, the rise of the load can only be carried out with mechanical means which are provided by the drive motor 61. This drive motor 61 is coupled to the inner pulley of the control and control mechanism of the device 10 which can carry one or more flexible link loops 13, preferably a rope or cable. The control of the descent is carried out as previously, by a manual actuating lever 62 ensuring the braking adjustment of the flexible link

13. This embodiment is ideal for winches.

Many other applications are possible, especially when the control and control mechanism of the device 10 is associated with a motorization that allows it to assume a secure winch function.

Claims

1. Device (10) for braking and mechanically locking a flexible link (13), especially a cable, a rope and in particular a sail listening, a winch cable, a a return rope or the like, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a first housing (12) defined by a frame (12a) rigidly mounted on a base (11) and a pulley (19) rotatable around a an axis (9), mounted on said base (11) and housed in said first housing (12) and, secondly, a second housing (14) integral with said first housing (12), said device (10) comprising further a control and control mechanism (15) for rotating said rotary pulley (19) which comprises a central core (18) movable axially with respect to said base (11) and housed in said second housing (14), and in that said central core (18) and said rotary pulley (19) each comprise complementary braking and / or locking means arranged to cooperate with each other. braking and / or releasably locking said rotatable pulley (19) relative to said central core (18).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said central core (18) is provided with at least one notch (24) arranged to receive the head of at least one pin (22) carried by said pulley (19) and urged by a thrust spring (23), said notch and said pin constituting said complementary means of braking and / or locking.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said pulley is provided with at least one notch arranged to receive the head of at least one pin carried by said axially movable central core and biased by a thrust spring, said notch and said pin constituting said complementary braking and / or locking means.

4. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said central core (18) is mounted on a rotary shaft (17), said rotary shaft (17) comprising actuating means which cooperate with said central core ( 18) for generating an axial displacement of said central core (18) according to a determined rotation of said rotary shaft (17).

5. Device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that said actuating means comprise a thread complementary to said central core (18) and said rotary shaft (17).

6. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said axially movable central core (18) is provided with at least one series of notches (24) arranged to receive each the head of a pin (22) of a series of pins carried by said pulley (19), each pin being respectively urged by a thrust spring (23), said series of notches and said pins constituting said complementary means of braking and / or locking.

7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that said central core (18) comprises at least two series of notches (24, 27) arranged to receive respectively at least two sets of pins (22, 25) each requested by a thrust spring (23, 26), and in that the two series of notches (24, 27) are arranged to cooperate with the heads of said pins (22, 25) to provide a braking function and / or locking the device by braking and / or relative locking of said pulley (19) relative to said central core (18), said two series of notches and said pins constituting said complementary means of braking and / or locking.

8. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said central core (18) is coupled to the rotary shaft (17) by means of a thread whose pitch is determined according to the desired speed of the passage of a free or braked position to a locked position of the flexible link (13).

9. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that said rotary shaft (17) is integral with actuating means consisting of a manual actuating lever (16).

10. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to be used as a listening blocker (31) of a sail (32) of a boat (30).

11. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to be mounted on a winch of a towing cable (40) of a trawl (41) dragged by a trawler (40).

12. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to equip a harness (50) and be used as a descender for a mountaineer or a first aid (51).

13. Device according to claims 4 and 12, characterized in thatdiida means actuating said descender comprises a control lever (52) pivoting between a first position in which the flexible link (13) is braked and a second position in which the flexible link (13) is blocked.

14. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to be used to mount a load (60) suspended from the link around the pulley (19).

15. Device according to claims 1 and 11, characterized in that said pulley (19) is coupled to a drive motor (61).