FR2679457A1 - Fire-fighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fire-fighting device. A device according to the invention comprises a hose winding drum that has an approximately horizontal winding hub provided with two end plates (4, 5), and the device has two fixed supports (6, 7) provided with bearings to enable the winding drum to rotate. It also has a drive wheel (8) which can rotate the winding drum by contact with an annulus (10) fixed rigidly to the hub. The technical field of the invention is fire-fighting devices.

Description

 Fire fighting device.

DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to fire fighting devices.

 The technical field of the invention is that of fire-fighting devices.

 Numerous types of fire-fighting devices are already known, in particular fire-fighting vehicles which include a tank or reserve of water, which water can be pumped into the tank and projected under pressure onto the flames, said water. being conveyed between said tank and the projection point by a flexible hose which can be, when not in use, wound on a reel of the reel or drum type.

 Other fire-fighting devices are known as described in application FR 2546761 (PROMETEC SRL).

 The known type of reel generally used comprises a hub provided at its ends with two flanges, so as to constitute a coil or drum which can rotate around the axis of its hub in general substantially horizontal with respect to a fixed support of the 'reel.

 There are different types of reels with manual or motorized drive.

 In the case of a motorized reel, the means for driving the reel in rotation allowing in particular the winding of the flexible hose after an intervention or an exercise during which the flexible hose has been unwound from 11 reel, which means of drive generally comprise a motor, for example an electric motor, and means of connection between the motor shaft and the reel shaft, such as assemblies of known type comprising pulleys and a belt or sprockets and a chain.

 Known hose reel devices for fire fighting devices have many drawbacks.

 The drive means between a drive motor and a reel which comprise a belt (or chain) connecting pulleys (or sprockets) require protective members in order to ensure the safety of the personnel operating the reels; moreover, these devices require frequent maintenance and are liable to wear out.

 In addition, these devices are relatively high cost.

 The problem is to provide fire fighting devices comprising a hose reel which can rotate about its substantially horizontal axis, which reel can be rotated by means of a motor, in which the means for 'drives are very low cost, easy to handle and do not present any danger to the personnel using these devices, and which require very little maintenance.

 The solution to the problem posed consists in providing a fire-fighting device comprising a hose reel, which hose reel comprises a winding hub (of said flexible hose) with a substantially horizontal axis provided at each of its ends with two flanges, which device comprises two fixed supports (or candles) provided with bearings, which reel can rotate around said axis, which device comprises a drive wheel which can rotate around its substantially horizontal axis and parallel to said axis of said hub thanks to a motor ( preferably an electric motor), which drive wheel can rotate said reel by contact (by friction) with a substantially circular ring rigidly fixed to said hub.

 Advantageously, an assembly comprising said drive wheel and said motor can pivot around a substantially horizontal axis and parallel to said axes, by means of an operating lever rigidly connected to said pivoting assembly, so as to bring into contact or separate said crown. and said drive wheel.

 Advantageously, the device comprises means for separating said drive wheel from said ring in the absence of external forces, so that in the absence of external forces, said reel can rotate freely around said axis, so as to allow the free running of said flexible pipe.

 Advantageously, said assembly movable around said axis comprising said drive wheel, said motor and said lever, at its center of gravity located on a first side of a vertical plane containing said axis, and said axis of rotation of said reel is located on a second side of said vertical plane so that the weight of said movable assembly around said axis constantly tends to move said drive wheel away from said crown and therefore tends to disengage said means for driving in rotation of said reel.

 Advantageously, said crown is located at the periphery of one of said flanges of said reel.

 Advantageously, said crown is constituted by a hollow tube preferably of circular section, which is curved so as to constitute a torus and which is fixed to the periphery of one of said flanges.

 Advantageously, said hub of said reel comprises a plurality of tubes, the number of which is advantageously between 3 and 12, which tubes are substantially parallel to said axis and are preferably regularly distributed around said axis.

 Advantageously, each of said bearings comprises a ball bearing provided with a hemispherical outer ring.

 Advantageously, the device comprises a central water supply tube elongated along said axis of said hub of said reel, which central tube can be connected to said flexible pipe by means of an elbow connection, which central tube is fixed by its ends. to said flanges and comprises on its said ends said bearing which are fitted by their inner ring.

 Advantageously, said central tube is provided at one end with a first tubular connector (which is preferably screwed to said end of said central tube) which communicates by a first end with the interior of said central tube and of which a second end is closed, and the substantially cylindrical wall of which is provided in the vicinity of said second end with at least one substantially radial orifice and said device comprises a second connector which comprises a first tubular part which can slide around said second substantially cylindrical end of said first connector tubular part of said second connector is open at its two ends and is provided on its substantially cylindrical wall with at least one substantially radial orifice which communicates with a second substantially tubular part, and said device comprises at least two O-rings which can ensure the sealing between said first e t second fittings and said device comprises means for retaining said second fitting on said first fitting.

 The advantages provided by the invention are numerous; thanks to the characteristics of the fire-fighting device according to the invention, the handling of a motorized reel is facilitated in particular for the operations of winding the flexible hose on the hub of the reel, thanks to said swivel assembly provided with an operating lever which tends to deviate naturally from the friction ring located on the reel, which allows a metering of the force exerted by the operator on said operating lever, to cause said wheel to slip drive on said crown and thus adjust the speed of rotation of said reel as a function of the tensile force (on the flexible tube) required.

 Furthermore, another important advantage of the device according to the invention and that it makes it possible to add to a fire-fighting device comprising a manual drive reel, a motorization device comprising said assembly comprising said operating lever, said motor and said drive wheel, which assembly can be pivotally mounted with respect to an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said reel.

 The numerous advantages provided by the invention are better understood through the following description which refers to the appended drawings, which illustrates without any limiting character particular embodiments of hose reel for fire fighting device according to the invention.

 Figure 1 illustrates in longitudinal section along a vertical plane, a device comprising a motorized reel according to the invention.

 FIG. 2 is a view along II II of FIG. 1.

 FIG. 3 illustrates the end of a central tube of a reel on which said first and second fittings can be reassembled.

 FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate respectively in longitudinal and transverse section a first connection of a device comprising a reel according to the invention, FIG. 5.5 being a view along V V of FIG. 4.

 FIG. 6 illustrates in longitudinal section a second connector intended to adapt to the first connector of FIGS. 4 and 5.

 As illustrated in FIG. 1, a reel 1 according to the invention can be fixed on a support 23 forming part of a fire-fighting device by means 22 such as screws; said reel indeed comprises two supports 6 and 7 in the form of candles which extend substantially vertically, which are provided with their lower part of means allowing their fixing on said base 23 by said means 22, and comprising in their upper part means 7b such as bolts making it possible to fix parts 7c constituting a bearing housing respectively 131 for said support 6 and 132 for said support 7.

 It can be seen that advantageously, each of said bearings is provided with an outer ring (13a corresponding to bearing 132) whose outer face is substantially hemispherical so as to allow pivoting of said bearing 132 inside said supports 7c rigidly fixed to said support 7 by said means 7b, and so as to compensate for misalignments of said supports 6 and 7.

 Said bearings 131 and 132 allow rotation of the hub of said reel, which hub comprises a central tube 14 on the ends of which said bearings are fitted by their inner ring, and comprise a plurality of tubes 12, which tubes 12 and 14 are rigidly fixed by example by welding at each of their ends on respective flanges 4 and 5; said tubes 12 which are advantageously distributed around said central tube constitute a means 3 on which said flexible pipe can be rolled.

 We see that each of said flanges 4 and 5 is substantially constituted by a thin white veil which extends perpendicular to the plane of Figure 1, and perpendicular to the axis XX1 of rotation of said reel defined by said rolling bearings mounted on said supports 6 and 7.

 It can be seen that each of said flanges has at its periphery a friction ring 10 which is advantageously constituted by a tube of hollow circular section which is wound in the form of a torus and which is welded to the periphery of each of said flanges 4 and 5 so that at least one of said flanges can be brought into contact via said ring 10 with the external surface 8a of a drive wheel 8 which can rotate about an axis XX2 substantially horizontal and parallel to said axis XX1, which drive wheel 8 cannot be rotated by a motor 9, for example an electric motor, possibly via a reduction gear 24; said assembly constituted by said drive wheel 8, said motor 9 and said reduction gear 24 is fixed on a plate 27 which is pivotally mounted relative to a shaft 25 by means of gussets 26a, which shaft 25 is itself pivotally mounted by relative to a yoke 27 rigidly fixed to said support 7 and / or said bulkhead 23 forming part of the fire-fighting device.

 Said shaft 25 which extends substantially along a horizontal axis xx3 parallel to said axes XX2 and XX1 thus allows the rotation or pivoting of the assembly formed by said plate 27, said motor 9, said reduction gear 24 and said drive wheel 8 around said axis XX3, by action of the operator in charge of the winding operations of said flexible pipe on an operating lever 11 (partially shown) which is rigidly fixed to said assembly, preferably to said plate 27.

 It can be seen that advantageously, said central tube constituting said rotation shaft of said reel which extends along said axis XX1, serves as a water supply pipe, is closed at one end (on the left in FIG. 1) communicates with an elbow connection 15 which is itself connected to said flexible pipe (not shown), and said central tube 14 is provided at its second end (on the right in FIG. 1) with means of connection with a first connector 16, which first connector 16 is provided connecting means with a second connector 17 which is itself connected to a water supply tube 20 (partially shown).

 We see that said first connector 16 can be screwed by one end 16a provided on its cylindrical outer face with a thread, on said central tubes 14, which connector 16 is provided with an orifice at said first end 16a, and is closed at a second end 16b.

 Said first connector 16 can communicate with said second connector 17 which is provided with a first substantially cylindrical part 17a bored in its center and which is mounted fitted around said end 16b of said first connector, and said second connector 17 has a second end 17b to which is connected for example by threading said water supply tube 20.

 As shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that said flexible pipe 2 (partially shown) can be rolled around said hub 3 constituted by said tubes 12 located between said flanges 4 and 5.

 We see in this figure that said flexible pipe 2 which is fixed by one end 2a to said elbow fitting 15 in which the water can circulate, which elbow fitting 15 is itself communicates with said central tube 14, said flexible pipe 2 can s 'winding around said tubes 12 constituting said hubs 3.

 We see that said central tube 14 constituting the rotation shaft of said reel is mounted by means of bearing 6 on vertical supports 7 in the form of candles, themselves rigidly fixed to a block 23 forming part of the fire-fighting device .

It can be seen that said assembly comprising said motor (not shown) said drive wheel 8 and said support 27 can pivot around said shaft 25 of axis XX3 perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2; said shaft 25 is rigidly mounted with respect to said solid mass 23 by means of supports 27 and is connected by means 26a, 26b to said plate 27 allowing the rotation thereof relative to said axis XX3, said assembly articulated around said axis
XX3 also comprising said operating lever 11 rigidly connected to said plate 27.

 It can be seen that according to a characteristic of the invention, the stored center of gravity of said pivoting assembly comprising said motor, said drive wheel, said plate 27 and said operating lever is located on a first side (on the right on the FIG. 2) of a vertical plane P3 containing said axis XX3, so that said assembly articulated around said axis XX3 naturally tends due to its weight to move away from said reel, so that said external surface 8a of said wheel 8, moves away from said crown 10 provided on said reel and consequently causes the disengagement of said drive means of said reel; thus, in order to ensure the drive of said reel by said articulated assembly comprising said drive means, the operator must exert a force F on said lever II so as to bring said friction surface 8a closer to said drive wheel 8 with said crown 10.

 In FIG. 3, it can be seen that the emerging end of a central tube 14 of a reel according to the invention is provided on its substantially cylindrical internal face 14b with a thread allowing the mounting of a first connector (item 16 in Figure 4).

 We see that said tube 14 is provided at its said end 14a with an external cylindrical face 14c allowing the fitting of one of said bearings by its inner ring, said central sleeve or central tube 14 constituting said rotation shaft of said reel.

 In Figures 4 and 5 we see that a first sleeve according to the invention comprises at a first end 16a a substantially cylindrical external face threaded 16d allowing its attachment to said end of said central tube (reference 14 of Figure 3), which first connector is generally substantially cylindrical in shape and has a central recess, and is closed at its second end 16b; it can be seen that said central recess is provided with radial holes 16c as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 which allow said central recess to communicate with said second connector (reference 17 in FIG. 6).

 It can be seen that, advantageously, said first connector is provided on its external face with grooves 16f making it possible to receive O-rings for sealing between said first connectors and said second connector and also includes on its said second end 16b a groove 16g making it possible to receive a clip for holding in position said second connector, when the latter has been fitted around said first connector.

 In Figure 6, we see that a second connector is provided at one end 17a with a cylindrical portion having a bore opening on two faces 17al, 17a2 so that said second connector can be fitted by a relative movement according to the arrow F around said second end (reference 16b in FIG. 4) of said first sleeve.

 Said second sleeve also comprises a second substantially tubular part 17b emerging at one end 17c in said bore of said first part 17a, and provided at its other end 17d with means such as a thread for connection with a water supply tube (not shown).

 As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6, said assembly comprising said first connector and said second connector and said sealing means constitute an elbow with adjustable orientation whose maintenance and inspection are facilitated by said sealing means, retaining and sliding with which they are provided.

Claims (10)

 1. Fire-fighting device comprising a hose reel (1) of flexible hose (2), which reel comprises a hub (3) for winding a substantially horizontal axis (XX1) provided at each of its ends with two flanges ( 4,5), which device comprises two fixed supports (6, 7) provided with bearings (6a, 7a), which reel can rotate around said axis (XX1) characterized in that it comprises a drive wheel (8) which can rotate about its axis (XX2) substantially horizontal and perpendicular to said axis (xxî) thanks to a motor (9), which drive wheel can rotate said reel by contact with a crown (10) substantially circular and fixed rigidly to said hub.  2. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that an assembly comprising said drive wheel (8) and said motor (9) can pivot about an axis (xi3) substantially horizontal and parallel to said axes (xxi) and ( XX2), thanks to an operating lever rigidly linked to said pivoting assembly, so as to bring into contact or separate said crown (10) and said drive wheel (8).  3. Device according to claim 2 characterized in that it comprises means for deviating in the absence of external forces said drive wheel from said crown, so that in the absence of external forces, said reel can rotate freely around said axis (XX1), so as to allow the unwinding of said flexible pipe.  4. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 3 characterized in that said movable assembly around said axis (XX3) comprising said drive wheel, said motor and said lever, at its center of gravity (G) located a first side of a vertical plane (P3) containing said axis (XX3), and said axis (XX1) of rotation of said reel is located on a second side of said vertical plane (P3) so that the weight of said movable assembly around of said axis (xi3) constantly tends to move said drive wheel away from said crown and therefore tends to disengage said drive means in rotation of said reel.  5. Device according to any one of claims i to 4 characterized in that said crown (10) is located on the periphery of one of said flanges of said reel.  6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said crown is constituted by a hollow tube preferably of circular section, which is curved so as to constitute a torus and which is fixed to a periphery of a said flanges.  7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that said hub of said reel comprises a plurality of tubes (12) the number of which is advantageously between 3 and 12, which tubes (12) are substantially parallel to said axis (XXi) and are preferably regularly distributed around said axis (xi).  8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that each of said bearings comprises a ball bearing (131, 132) provided with a hemispherical outer ring.  9. Device according to any one of claims i to 8 characterized in that it comprises a central tube (14) for supplying water elongated along said axis (XX1) of said hub of said reel, which central tube can be connected to said flexible pipe by means of an elbow fitting (15), which central tube is fixed at its ends to said flanges and comprises on its said ends said bearings (131, 132) which are fitted by their inner ring.  10. Device according to claim 9 characterized in that said central tube is provided at one end with a first tubular connector (16) which communicates by a first end (16a) with the interior of said central tube and of which a second end ( 16b) is closed, and whose substantially cylindrical wall is provided in the vicinity of said second end with at least one substantially radial orifice (16c) and said device comprises a second connector (17) of axis (ex4), which second connector comprises a first tubular part (17a) which can slide around said second substantially cylindrical end of said first connector, which tubular part of said second connector is open at its two ends and is provided on its substantially cylindrical wall with at least one substantially radial orifice which communicates with a second substantially tubular part (17b) of axis (YY1) substantially perpendicular to said axis (XX4), and said dispo sitive comprises at least two O-rings (18) which can seal between said first and second fittings and said device comprises means (19) for retaining said second fitting on said first fitting.