GB2032874A

GB2032874A - Braked Rope Drum for Lowering Persons

Info

Publication number: GB2032874A
Application number: GB7929701A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: HERMANI R
Current assignee: HERMANI R
Priority date: 1978-09-06
Filing date: 1979-08-28
Publication date: 1980-05-14
Also published as: BE878607A; CH639858A5; FR2435259A1; IT7950161A0; IT1197416B; SE7907306L; NL7906606A; DE2838761A1; GB2032874B; ES483906A1

Abstract

A device for lowering a person, comprises a frame 1 with limbs 1a and 1b resiliently movable towards and away from each other. A rope drum 3 is wound with a rope 3a having one end secured to a fixed anchorage. The drum 3 rotates on a spindle 4 with a screw-threaded end engaged in a screw-threaded bore in the limb 1b, the spindle 4 having a collar engaged by a plate 6 secured to the limb 1a. A handle 5 permits the spindle 4 to be rotated manually so that discs 7 and 7a located by pegs 7b can press brake pads 8 and 8a against the ends of the drum 3. A flexible element 2 interconnecting the limbs 1a and 1b has a loop 2a for attachment to a harness worn by a person, whose weight will act through the element 2 to draw the limbs 1a and 1b together and press the brake pads 8 and 8a against the drum 3 with a force proportional to the weight. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A Device Comprising a Braked Rope Drum for Lowering Persons The invention relates to a device comprising a braked rope drum for lowering persons, expecially for use on high buildings in danger of fire.

A proposal for such a device may be found for example in U.K. Patent Specification No.

1,480,958.

Such devices are used when for example in the case of a hotel fire the stairs and lifts are no longer accessible and the person to be rescued must use the window as emergency exit. In this case a rope of the person-lowering device is secured to a hook or the like provided in the vicinity of the window and the person to be rescued can lower himself to the ground with the aid of the lowering device, unwinding the rope from a rope drum of the rescue device.

It is the problem of the present invention to provide such a person-lowering rescue device, despite constructionally simple assembly and reliable manner of operation, with an effective brake control system which permits the user to regulate the speed of lowering effectively and uniformly according to the weight of the person to be lowered and the desired lowering speed.

In accordance with the invention this problem is solved by a carrier frame having two substantially parallel longitudinal members held movably in relation to one another which are connected with one another at their upper ends, in the middle region of which the spindle of the rope drum is held and the lower region of which is bridged over with a flexible or articulated bracing member for the attachment of the lowering harness to receive the person to be lowered, and by brake discs provided on the spindle between the longitudinal members and the outer flanks of the rope drum.Since by reason of the weight of the person to be lowered, acting on the flexible or articulated bracing member, and of the holding of the longitudinal members for movement in relation to one another, these members are brought together so that they act more or less upon the brake discs to brake the rope drum in lowering, according to the weight of the person to be lowered. Thus the brake force is weightdependent.

By reason of an adjusting device having a hand lever for moving the longitudinal members together in the direction towards the brake discs and the outer flanks of the rope drum, in one particular embodiment of the invention it is also possible to regulate the brake action of the brake discs upon the outer flank of the rope drum and thus the speed of lowering by hand.

If the longitudinal members either are themselves made resiliently elastic or are resiliently or articulatedly connected with one another at their upper ends, in a simple way a return force can act upon the longitudinal members so that on slackening of the adjusting device a return force acts upon the longitudinal members so that reliable regulation of the lowering speed is possible.

A uniform application of the brake discs to the outer flanks of the rope drum can be achieved in that the longitudinal members have presser discs approximately of the diameter of the brake discs in the region of the brake discs.

Since by reason of the weight of the person to be lowered the longitudinal members are no longer exactly parallel but converge somewhat, to improve the uniform pressure charging of the brake discs the presser discs are held on the !ongitudinal members by means of journals so as to be slightly tiltable in relation to the longitudinal members. In this way the oblique position of the longitudinal members can be compensated.

In a constructionally simple development of the invention the brake discs are arranged as separate discs axially displaceably and rotatably on the spindle. The brake force instigated by reason of the weight of the person to be lowered can also be determined in that the longitudinal members have mutually opposite bores for the attachment of the bracing member at different distances from the lower free end. When the lowering device is used by a heavier person the bracing member is hooked into the bores lying further upwards, when used by a lighter person it is hooked into the bores tying further below. In a constructionally simple further development of the invention the bracing member comprises a rope, preferably a wire rope, having a centrally formed loop for the attachment of the lowering belt accommodating the person to be lowered.

The manually operable adjusting device can be realised in the device according to the invention in a simple way for example in that the hand lever is fitted fast in rotation on the stub of the spindle of the rope drum which protrudes freely rotatably from the one longitudinal member and the opposite end of the spindle engages with a threading in the other longitudinal member.

Then by rotation of the hand lever the longitudinal members are moved towards one another, whereby the brake action is increased; on turning back the longitudinal members again release the action of the brake discs upon the lateral flanks of the rope drum, especially if a return force comes to act.

Between the hub of the hand lever and the associated longitudinal member there can preferably be provided on the longitudinal member an intermediate plate having a recess for the stub of the spindle.

The movement of the longitudinal members towards one another can be effectively limited in that tube sections are provided on the mutually facing sides of the longitudinal members and are opposite to one another with spacing.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below, with further features, advantages and possibilities of application, in the following description of an example of embodiment, in which all described and/or illustrated features separately or in any logical combination form the object of the present invention, irrespective of their summarising in the Claims or the appendancy of the latter, with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:- Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an elevation of the person-lowering device according to the invention, and Figure 2 shows a lateral elevation of the device according to Figure 1.

In the drawing, the form of embodiment of the person-lowering device as illustrated comprises a carrier frame 1 of flat material. The carrier frame 1 has two longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b extending substantially parallel, which are connected with one another at their upper end by bending of the material strip. The thickness of the material strip is selected so that the two longitudinal members la and ib are movable elastically towards and away from one another at least by reason of the upper curvature. In the middle region the two longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b accommodate a transversely extending spindle 4 on which a rope drum 3 with side flanks is rotatably mounted. Before the lowering device is used, a rope 3a is wound in layers on the rope drum 3.In use, that is in lowering, the rope 3a is conducted through an opening in the upper curvature of the material strip forming the carrier frame 1. The rope 3a is preferably formed so that by reason of the lay of the rope rotation of the lowering device in lowering is avoided. This can be effected by the use of either of a flat rope or of a rope having contrarily twisted strands. Brake discs 8 and 8a are axially displaceably and rotatably arranged on the outer surfaces of the side flanks of the rope drum 3. Between the brake discs 8 and 8a and the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b there are presser discs 7 and 7a in each case of approximately the diameter of the brake discs 8 and 8a.The presser discs 7 and 7a are mounted by means of outwardly pointing journals 7b in bores of the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b so that they can tilt slightly in relation to the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b. On the stub of the spindle 4 protruding freely rotatably through the longitudinal member 1 a a hand lever 5 is secured fast in rotation. The stub of the spindle 4 there is additionally held by means of an intermediate plate 6 which grasps with a recess 6a around the stub. The intermediate plate 6 is screwed externally on to the longitudinal member 1 a. The end of the spindle 4 opposite to the hand lever 5 has a fine threading 4a which engages in a corresponding threaded bore of the longitudinal member 1 b.Thus by actuation of the lever 5 it is possible to reduce or increase the distance of the longitudinal members lob from one another, whereby it is possible by manual actuation to regulate the brake action of the brake discs 8 and 8a, with cooperation of the presser discs 7 and 7a, upon the outer flanks of the rope drum 3 according to the existing conditions and requirements of the person to be lowered and thus the speed of lowering.

Now in the lower region the inherently free ends of the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b are bridged over with a flexible or articulated bracing member 2 formed as wire rope. The rope of the bracing member 2 is laid into a loop 2a in the middle in which the lowering belt accommodating the person to be lowered can be hooked. By reason of the flexibility of the bracing member 2 and of the resiliently elastic mobility of the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b towards one another, now the latter are drawn together more or less downwards according to the weight of the person to be lowered, whereby a brake force action corresponding to the weight of the person to be lowered is generated by movement of the presser discs 7 and 7a towards the brake discs 8 and 8a and of the latter towards the outer surfaces of the side flanks of the rope drum 3.

According to the weight of the person to be lowered the bracing member 2 can be hooked into bores 1 a' and 1 b' lying further upwards or downwards, in the lower region of the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b. For heavy persons the upper mutually opposite bores 1 a' and 1 b' are used, for lighter persons the lower bores 1 a' and 1 b', so that in this way the braking action of the weight of the person to be lowered can be preselected by lengthening or shortening the lever arm which comes into effect. Then the lowering speed already predetermined by reason of the weight of the person to be lowered, can be regulated precisely by hand by means of the already described adjusting device having the hand lever 5. The movement of the longitudinal members la and ib towards one another is limited by tube sections 1 C which are welded to the inner surfaces of the longitudinal members 1 a and 1 b facing one another and in the relaxed condition of the longitudinal members la and 1 b lie with their free ends at a predetermined distance from one another.

For the protection of the rope drum 3, the brake discs 8 and 8a and of the presser discs 7 and 7a a guard housing 9 (represented in chain lines), for example of synthetic plastics material, can be clamped in between the members 1a and 1b.

Claims

1. A device comprising a braked rope drum for lowering persons, especially for use on high buildings in the case of fire danger, having a rope drum to receive a wire or synthetic plastics rope wound in layers and capable of being unwound from the drum, characterised by a carrier frame (1) having two substantially parallel longitudinal members (1 a, 1 b) held movably in relation to one another which are connected with one another at their upper ends, in the middle region of which members the spindle (4) of the rope drum (3) is held, and the lower region of which members is bridged over with a flexible or articulated bracing member (2) for the attachment of the lowering belt accommodating the person to be lowered, and by brake discs (8a, 8) provided on the spindle (4) between the longitudinal members (1a, 1b and the outer flanks of the rope drum (3).

2. A device according to Claim 1, characterised by an adjusting device having a hand lever (5) for the movement together of the longitudinal members (1 a, 1 b) in the direction towards the brake discs (8, 8a) and the outer flanks of the rope drum (3).

3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the longitudinal members (1a, 1b) are either made resiliently elastic in themselves and/or are resiliently or articulatedly connected with one another at their upper ends.

4. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the longitudinal members (1a, 1 b, carry presser discs (7, 7a) of approximately the diameter of the brake discs (8, 8a) in the brake discs (8, 8a) in the region of the brake discs (8, 8a).

5. A device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the presser discs (7, 7a) are held on the longitudinal members (1 a, 1 b) for slight tilting in relation to these by means of journals (7b).

6. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the brake discs (8, 8a) are arranged as separate discs axially displaceably and rotatably on the spindle (4).

7. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the longitudinal members (la, 1b) have mutually opposite bores (1 a', 1 b' for the attachment of the bracing member (2), at different distances from their lower free ends.

8. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the bracing member (2) comprises a rope, preferably a wire rope, having a centrally formed loop (2a) for the attachment of the lowering belt receiving the person to be lowered.

9. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the hand lever (5) is fitted fast in rotation on the stub of the spindle (4) protruding freely rotatably from one longitudinal member (1 a), and the opposite end of the spindle (4) engages with a threading on the other longitudinal member (1b).

10. A device according to Claim 9, characterised in that between the hub of the hand lever (5) and the associated longitudinal member (1a) there is provided on the longitudinal member (1a) an intermediate plate (6) having a recess (6a) for the stub of the spindle (4).

11. A device according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the movement of the longitudinal members (1a, 1b) towards one another is limited by tube sections (1 c) fitted on the mutually facing sides of the longitudinal members (1a, 1b) opposite to one another with spacing.

12. A device comprising a braked rope drum for lowering persons, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawing.