GB2144710A - A device for raising a person or object - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for raising a person (33) or object (hereinafter called "a person"), e.g. from water on to a boat (32), comprises a lifting arm (10) mounted for swinging movement about one end from a first position to a second position, and a line (34) supported at or adjacent the other end of the arm and which, in use, is connected to a person (33) so that by drawing in the line (34) the person will be drawn towards said other end of the arm (10) and the arm will swing over said one end from the first position to the second position so as to position the person (33) on a surface (32a). The lifting arm may be telescopic. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A device for raising a person or object The invention relates to a device for raising a person or object and is particularly but not exclusively concerned with a device for raising a person from water on to a boat.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a device for raising a person or object (hereinafter called "a person") comprising a lifting arm mounted for swinging movement about one end from a first position to a second position, and a line supported at or adjacent the other end of the arm and which, in use, is connected to a person so that by drawing in the line the person will be drawn towards said other end of the arm and the arm will swing over said one end from the first position to be second position so as to position the person on a surface.

The line preferably locates in a recess at said other end of the arm. When the arm is in the first position the line may be retained in the recess by a displaceable element and when the arm is in the second position the element may be displaced by the line so that the line is released from the recess.

The arm may be provided with a panel which forms an underside surface of the arm when the arm occupies its said first position and which faces upwardly when the arm occupies its second position to form said surface on which the person is positioned.

The arm may comprise two side members having pivotally mounted spaced-apart ends, said side members converging towards said other end of the arm to define the said recess therebetween. The displaceable element may be mounted on one of said side members.

Preferably the line is drawn in by means of a winch and has connecting means thereon, e.g. a snap shackle, for attachment to a harness worn by the person. The connecting means may be arranged adjacent a float on the line. Alternatively the line may include a single line section terminating at a plurality of further lines connected to a net for receiving the person to be raised. In such a case, one of said plurality of line sections may be located in said recess.

The arm is preferably mounted on the deck of a boat and, in such a case, the said other end of the arm is arranged to lie outboard of the deck when the arm is in said first position and is arranged to lie inboard of the deck when the arm is in said second position.

A damper device may be connected to the arm to control the rate of swinging movement of the arm.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a boat having pivotally mounted thereon a device in accordance with any of the seven immediately preceding paragraphs.

Preferably, the arm is telescopic and this telescopic lifting arm is arranged in such a way that the arm becomes extended as it swings from the first position to the second position. Such extension is preferably achieved by the provision of a support arm, one end of which is pivoted on the lifting arm, and the other end of which is pivoted at a point spaced from the base of the lifting arm.

Accordingly the present invention also provides a device for raising a person, comprising a telescopic lifting arm having axially relatively-displaceable first and second arm sections, of which one end of the first arm section is pivoted at a fixed first mounting point and that end of the second arm section which is remote from the first arm section is free and is arranged to support a lifting line, and a support arm pivoted at one of its ends to the second arm section and pivotable at its opposite end to a second mounting spaced from the first mounting point, such that as the lifting arm is pivoted about the first mounting point, relative axial displacement of the second arm section away from the first arm section, and thus extension of the lifting arm, is caused by the support.

Thus, when the device is used either on a boat or on land adjacent a body of water to rescue a person who has fallen into the water, one end of the line will be attached to a winch or other pulling device and the other end (preferably carrying a harness or the like) will be thrown to the person in the water, who will then secure himself to the line. The line will then be pulled in, causing the lifting arm to pivot and its line-supporting end to swing upwards and away from the water, whilst the arm as a whole is gradually extended under the effect of the support arm, so that the person is simultaneously lifted up out of the water and swung onto the boat or dry land.

The free end of the lifting arm preferably includes a pulley or pulleys for supporting the line. In a preferred construction two pulleys are used, so that the device can be used with two separate lines. This would be beneficial in cases where the person to be rescued is unconscious or otherwise unable to secure himself to the line, the second line in this case being secured to a rescuer who would himself then enter the water to give assistance.

When inoperative the lifting arm preferably stands vertical with the support arm disengaged from the second mounting and lying parallel to and against the lifting arm. In this position it may be secured to the lifting arm, e.g. by a pin, which thus prevents relative telescopic movement of the lifting arm sections whilst the arm is in this inoperative position. In its vertical position on a boat deck the lifting arm can be used to support the usual upper and lower lifelines of the boat.

Locking means is preferably provided between the lifting arm and its (i.e. the first) mounting point, so that when the lifting arm is not being used it is locked in the vertical position against pivotal movement about the mounting point. This locking means preferably comprises a rotatable pin which in one position locks the arm against pivotal movement and in another position allows pivotal movement of the arm. This pin would be rotated to the latter position before bringing the device into use.

When the device is brought into use, the above mentioned locking device is first freed, then the arm is pivoted so that its upper line-supporting end is directed generallytowardsthe person to be lifted.

Clip means is preferably provided to lock the arm when it has pivoted in this direction to a predetermined extent, so that the arm can neither pivot further, nor pivot back towards the vertical position.

This clip means is preferably associated with resilient means either on the lifting arm or on the support arm tending to keep the arm extended, such that when the downward force is exerted on the arm to a predetermined extent, the resilient means allows compression of the lifting arm resulting in disengagement of the clip means and thus allowing further pivoting of the lifting arm.

Three devices in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation of an arm of a first device in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a view of the arm of Figure 1 looking in the direction of arrow 11 in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a retaining cam of the arm, Figures4to 7illustrate the arm of Figures 1 and 2 mounted on a boat and the way in which a person can be raised from the water on to the boat.

Figures 8 and 9 are side and end views respectively of the arm shown in Figure 1 when used in the raising of a person by means of a net, Figure 10 shows the way in which the net shown in Figures 8 and 9 positions a person on the deck of the boat, Figure 11 is a front elevation partially in section of a second device as a whole.

Figure 12 is a side elevation partially in section of the device shown in Figure 11, Figure 13 shows the support arm of Figure 11 in longitudinal section, Figure 14 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 11 as a whole, Figure 15 shows the deck plate for the support arm of Figure 11, Figure 16 shows the retaining pin forthe lifting arm of Figure 11.

Figure 17 shows in cross-section the line-retaining cap of the arm shown in Figure 11, Figures 18a to 18c shows in sequence the various stages of a rescue using the device shown in Figure 11.

Figure 19 is a detail showing an end of the rescue line of the device shown in Figure 11, Figure 20a is a side elevation of a third device, Figure 20b is a plan view of the device of Figure 20a, and Figure 2 1 is a detail showing the latching means of the device of Figure 20a and 20b.

In Figures 1 and 2 the arm 10 is formed from side members 11, 12 each of which is pivotally connected at one end by nuts and bolts 13 to trunnions 14 which, in use, are mounted on the deck of a boat. If desired, the trunnions may be formed so as to locate in the usual genoa track on the boat.

The side member 11 is pivotally connected to one end of a fluid damper 15 the other end of which is secured to the adjacent trunnion 14. The said members 11, 12 converage and support a pulley 16 at their opposite ends. The pulley 16 is rotatable about an axle 18 one end of which is screwed into a plate 19 welded to the side member 12 and the other end of which extends through the side member 11 and is formed with a hexagon head 20. The side member 11 includes an extension 21 which projects beyond the side member 12 and which is bent into the form of an elongated S to define a mouth 22 between the adjacent ends of the side members. The extension 21 carries spaced apart bosses 23 and is formed with a rectangular aperture 24. A cam 30 occupies the aperture 24 with working clearance and comprises a body 25 formed with an integral leaf spring 26, a bore 27 and an inclined lobe 28.The cam is retained in the aperture by a pin or bolt (not shown) which passes through the bore 27 and locates in the bosses 23. A space 31 constituting the aforesaid recess is defined between the lobe 28 and the pulley 16 for receiving a line as described below.

As shown in Figure 2, each of the side members 11, 12 is of obtuse shape and the damper 15 is connected to the adjacent trunnion at a pivotal position spaced by a distance A from the centre of pivoting of the arm 10.Ametal plate 9 is mounted between the side members 11, 12 to form a surface for supporting a person raised from the water as will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7.

The boat, indicated generally at 32, is manoeuvred alongside a person 33 in the water. A line 34 is then cast overboard towards the person with the arm 10 extending outwardly as shown in Figure 4. The line, e.g. high tensile rope, has a float 35 at one end adjacent a conventional snap-shackle 36 which the person secures to his typical boating harness 37. The float 35 and snap shackle 36 are shown in Figure 4 only. Where no harness is worn, the person can secure the line around his body beneath his arms.

The other end of the line is retained by the crew and is wrapped around one of the main sheet winches 38 in the case of a yacht or an alternative winch in the case of a powered vessel. The line is manually located in the throat 22 by sliding the line outwardly along side member 12 and winding is commenced.

As the line pulls taut, it loads the cam lobe 28 and causes the cam 30 to pivot clockwise as shown in Figure 1 against the bias of leaf spring 26 which abuts the extension 21. The line eventually slips into the space 31 to engage the pulley 16 and the cam moves back into its initial position to retain the line in the space. A curved surface 28a on the lobe 28 readily facilitates deflection of the cam by the line.

As winching continues, the person eventually reaches the Figure 5 position, the float 35 being unable to pass overthe pulley 16. The arm 10 then begins to pivot inwardly about its inner end as in Figure 6 during continued winching. As the centre of gravity of the person and the arm 10 move over the pivoted inner end of the arm, the damper 15 prevents rapid pivotal movement of the arm towards a deck section 32a of the boat. Eventually the arm 10 reaches the Figure 7 position with the person supported by the metal plate 9. As the arm 10 moves over-centre the line 34 applies a load to the inclined surface of the lobe 28, i.e. the upper surface of the lobe 28 as viewed in Figure 3, so that the cam deflects and releases the line from the space 31.

Continued winching then draws the torso of the person completely inboard, the torso sliding inwardly along the plate 9. The legs of the person can then easily be swung on to the deck if necessary. In order to inhibit outward movement of the line once the weight of the person is applied to the line the pulley 16 may be associated with unidirectional means such as a ratchet which resists anticlockwise rotation of the pulley as viewed in Figures 4 - 7. Also, serrations may be formed in the vee of the pulley to inhibit slip. Such a pulley arrangement will also help to prevent the aforesaid rapid pivotal movement of the arm towards deck section 32a as the pulley when locked by the undirectional means will inhibit movement of the arm relative to the line.

Instead of using a snap-shackle attachment on the line, the line may include a single line section 40 as in Figures 8 to 10 and two other sections 41,42 spliced thereto. The outer ends of the line sections are secured to a net 43 having a flexible tubular outline frame 44, weights (not shown) within the frame and spaced floats 45. To raise a person from the water the net is thrown overboard and the weighted frame causes the net between the floats to sink. The person can then manoeuvre himself over the submerged net or the rescuer can position the net beneath the person. The line section 40 is located in the mouth 22 of the arm 10 whilst the line sections 41,42 rest against the edge of the usual deck rail indicated at 46. Spacers 47 may be provided on the deck rail 47 to hold the line sections 41,42 apart.The line sections are drawn in simultaneously by winching to lift the person from the water. Provided that the person lies in a fore-and-aft direction in the net, as shown in Figure 8, continued winching will position him on his side on the deck as shown in Figure 10, the line section 40 having been released from the arm as before.

It is envisaged that the arm 10 may be telescopic to take up minimal space when not in use. Also the length of the arm may vary depending on the size of the boat.

Where the boat has the usual upper and lower lifelines 50, 51 (Figure 10) on stachions 52, the lower lifeline can be lowered to allow the arm 10 to be pivoted outwardly and the person will then be moved inboard on the arm 10 beneath the upper lifeline. The arm 10 may conveniently form a stanchion for the lifelines 50,51. The lifelines would be connected to the arm by suitable quick release devices so that they could be released quickly from the arm and the latter swung outwardly for rescue purposes. The arm would therefore replace a normal stanchion so as not to add significantly to the weight of the boat. Weight may be further minimized by constructing the side members 11, 12 from tubular material.

It is envisaged that the harness 37 may include an automatic inflation device which will inflate a buoy attached to one end of a line woven into the person's clothing. The inflated buoy will float downwind drawing the line from the clothing and the boat can be manoevered to pick up the buoy. The line can then be winched in supported by the arm 10 as above.

As an additional rescue aid, the harness 37 could include a small radio beacon which would emit a single frequency over, say, two miles. A rescue vessel could then locate the person using its direc tionfinding equipment to home-in on the transmitted frequency.

The device shown in Figures 11 to 19comprisesa telescopic lifting arm 100 consisting of first and second arm sections (101 and 102, respectively) axially displaceable relative to one another, the first section 101 being slidable within the second section 102. The first arm section 101 is pivoted to a first mounting bracket 103, which is securely attached to a deck of the boat on which the device is mounted, and the second section carries a pulley mounting assembly 104. These parts 103,104 will be described in more detail hereinafter. A support arm 105 is pivotably mounted by one end thereof to the second lifting arm section 102 by means of spaced slotted mounting plates 106.The opposite end 107 of the supporting arm can be pivotably located in a second mounting provided by a deck plate 108 which is also secured to a deck of the boat but spaced from the first mounting 103, in the plane within which the lifting arm 100 pivots.

The top of the second arm section 102 is fixed relative to the pulley mounting assembly 104 in the axial direction, but the pulley mounting assembly is free to rotate around the section 102. The assembly 104 comprises an inner tubular portion 109 coaxial with the fitting around the top part of the second arm section 102, and a pair of spaced parallel side plates 110. Two pulleys 111 are also provided, each being mounted on an axle journalled on one of the side plates 110 and one side of the tubular portion 109.

Thus, the pulleys 111 are located on opposite sides of the arm section 102.

A coil spring 112 is located between the first and second arm sections 101, 102, and the upper end of the outer (i.e. second) arm section 102 is threaded to take an end cap 113 which retains the spring 112.

This end cap 113 is surmounted by a top cap 114 which is spaced from the two pulleys 111 and in use serves to retain a rescue line on either or both of the pulleys. The front face of the pulley mounting assembly 104 comprises a jam plate 115 (see Figure 4) which extends upwards over only a part of the height of each pulley 111 so as to leave gaps 116 for the rescue lines. The jam plate is also provided with two jam slots 117, each aligned with one of the pulleys, in which a rescue line supported by that pulley can jam when it reaches a particular orientation in relation to the arm 100, as will be further explained hereinafter.

When the device is inoperative, the support arm 105 can be retained lying parallel to and adjacent the second arm section 102, by means of a bolt 118 which extends through aligned bores in itself, and the first and second arm portions 101, 102, thus securing all three rigidly together.

The first mounting bracket 103 comprises a pair of spaced vertical trunnions 119 having aligned holes to receive a main retaining bolt 120 which also passes through a bore in the first arm portion 101.

Beneath the first arm section 101, and pivoted in aligned holes through the bottom partsofthe trunnions 119, is rotated an L-shaped locking pin 121, provided with a cut-out portion 130. When in the position shown, this pin 121 prevents pivoting of the arm 100 about the main retaining bolt 120. When rotated through 1800, however, the pin becomes disengaged from the base of the first arm section 101 and permits pivoting ofthe arm 100 on its mounting bracket 103.

A rescue line 123 is permanently roved over one of the pulleys 111. In use, one end of the rescue line 123 is wound around a winch 124 and the other end is provided with a float 125 and a conventional snapshackle 126 to which a man being rescued can attach his boating harness, if one is being worn.

Aspring-loaded stop pin 128 is fitted into the second arm portion (i.e. the outer arm portion) 102 so that its end 129 rests against the outside of the first (i.e. inner) arm portion 101. However, when the second arm portion has moved sufficiently upwards relative to the first portion, this pin end 129 snaps into a detent 130 in the first arm portion 101,thus preventing any further upward movement.

Clip means 131 is provided on the mounting bracket 103, so that when the arm 100 has pivoted to a predetermined angle (in this case 45 ) from the vertical to the side away from the support arm 105, this clip means snaps into engagement with a retaining plate 132 on the bottom of the second arm portion 102, thus locking the arm against pivoting in either direction. This clip means 131 becomes disengaged if the second arm portion 102 is displaced downwards slightly relative to the mounting bracket 103, by overriding the action of the spring 112, as will be explained hereinafter.

In use, in order to rescue a person who has fallen overboard, the pin 121 is released and the support arm 105 freed by releasing the bolt 118. The free end of the support arm is then secured in the deck plate 106, thus causing the arm 101 to swing outwards away from the deck plate 106, as shown, and to contract by downward displacement of the second arm section 102. This outward swinging movement also causes the clip means 131 to engage the plate 132, thus temporarily locking the arm 100 against further pivotal movement in either direction. One end of the rescue line 123 passing over one of the pulleys 111 is then secured to the winding drum of the winch 124, whilst the other end carrying the float 125, snap-shackle 126, and harness 127 is thrown to a person in the water, who secures himself to the line (Figure 18b).

The line is then pulled in using the winch 114, so that the person fastened to the end of it is raised out of the water to the position shown in Figure 18c, where the float 125 has come into contact with the pulley mounting assembly 104, thus preventing the rope from passing any further over the pulley supporting it. As a result, further winding of the winch causes the load on the arm to increase so that the spring 112 is overridden and the outer, second arm portion moves a short distance axially downwards. This short downward movement disengages the plate 132 on the second arm portion 112 from the retaining clip 131,so that the arm can then pivot inwardly (i.e. towards the winch) as the line is wound in. This downward movement of the second arm portion 102 is permitted by the slots in the plates 106 in which the support arm 105 is pivoted.As winding is continued, the support arm 105 pushes the second arm portion 102 back upwards, thus extending the lifting arm 100 until upward movement is arrested by engagement of the pin 129 in the associated detent in the first arm portion 101. Thus, the person being rescued is lifted as he is winched aboard the boat. The support provided by the support arm 105 during this operation prevents any sudden inward movement of the arm 100. Once the arm has swung over sufficiently towards the position shown in Figure 8d, the rope becomes caught in the associated jam slot 117, so that the person is held securely against the arm 100 which has in the meantime adopted the almost horizontal position shown in Figure 18e.

If the person to be rescued is unconsious or is for any other reason unable to secure himself to the line 123, it is necessary for a rescuer to enter the water to give assistance. In this case, a second line (not shown) may be fitted to the device using the other of the two pulleys 111, over which second line to the rescuer passes. The rescuer can then also be handed back on board the boat using the device of the invention. Thus, any risk of the rescuer himself being lost is avoided.

When the lifting arm is vertical it can be used to support upper and lower lifelines (not shown) extending around the boat deck in the usual manner.

For that purpose the arm is provided with upper and lowerfastenings indicated generally at 151 and 152 respectively. The lifelines are released from the fastenings prior to a rescue operation.

The device shown in Figures 20a, 20b and 21 is generally similar to that shown in Figures 11 to 18, the main differences being that the fixed deck plate 108 has been replaced buy a pivoted deck arm 200, that the support arm is telescopic and the two telescopic parts 201,202 are urged apart by a compression spring 203, and that there is no compression spring urging the telescoping parts of the lifting arm apart, and that the design of the clip means 204 at the bottom of the lifting arm has been changed (c.f. clip means 131 in Figures 12 and 17).

For parts that are essentially similar to those of the embodiment of Figures 11 to 18, the same reference numerals have been used.

The clip means 204 comprises a first latch 205 at the bottom of the arm 100 and a second latch 206 on the sloping ramp 207.

The deck arm 200 is channel-shaped and is pivoted at one end to the mounting bracket 103 and has a motch 208 at the other end to receive the distal end 107 of the support arm 105. The channel opening faces upwards and when not in use the deck arm can be housed in a vertical position with the support arm 105 received in the channel.

The operation of this arm is as follows: Firstly, the deck arm 200 is arranged horizontal and then the top end 107 of the support arm 105 is pivoted downwardly so that this end engages the notch 208 in the deck arm. This causes the lifting arm 100 to pivot to the left. The latch 205 on the arm passes just below the latch 206 on the ramp, so that the base portion 210 of the arm comes to rest on the ramp 207. The line is then secured to the person to be rescued and then winching is commenced, as in the device shown in Figures 11 to 18. As the lifting arm 100 is now supported by the support arm, the tension of the line resulting from the winching action, which would tend to pivot the lifting arm back towards the right in the drawing, will cause the arm to lift slightly and thus cause interengagement of the latches 205, 206. Thus, the lifting arm is anchored in the position in which it is supported by ramp 207.

Winching continues until the person being rescued is lifted out of the water and his harness comes into contact with the pulley mounting assembly 104 at the top of the lifting arm (c.f. Figures 18c, 18d).The weight of the person will then cause slight compression of the spring 203,.allowing the latches 205, 206 to become disengaged, and thus allowing the lifting arm to be pivoted to the right as shown in Figure 18e.

Claims (8)

1. A device for raising a person or object (hereinafter called "a person") comprising a lifting arm mounted for swinging movement about one end from a first position to a second position, and a line supported at or adjacent the other end of the arm and which, in use, is connected to a person so that by drawing in the line the person will be drawn towards said other end of the arm and the arm will swing over said one end from the first position to the second position so as to position the person on a surface.

2. A device for raising a person, comprising a telescopic lifting arm having axailly relatively displaceabie first and second arm sections, of which one end of the first arm section is pivoted at a fixed first mounting point and that end of the second arm section which is remote from the first arm section is free and is arranged to support a lifting line, and a support arm pivoted at one of its ends to the second arm section and pivotable at its opposite end to a second mounting spaced from the first mounting point, such that as the lifting arm is pivoted about the first mounting point, relative axial displacement of the second arm section away from the first arm section, and thus extension of the lifting arm, is caused by the support.

3. A device according to either preceding claim wherein the free end of the lifting arm. includes at least one pulley, and preferably two pulleys, for supporting the line, or preferably two lines.

4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein locking means is provided between the lifting arm and its (i.e. the first) mounting point, so that when the lifting arm is not being used it is locked in the vertical position against pivotal movement about the mounting point

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein clip means is provided to lock the arm when it has pivoted to a predetermined extent, so that the arm can neither pivot further, nor pivot back towards the vertical position.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the clip means is associated with resilient means either on the lifting arm or on the support arm tending to keep the lifting arm extended, such that when the downward force is exerted on the lifting arm to a predetermined extent, the resilient means allows compression of the lifting arm resulting in disengagement of the clip means and thus allowing further pivoting of the lifting arm.

7. A device according to any of claims 2 to 6 including a deck arm pivotally mounted at one end to the base of the lifting arm so that it can be arranged horizontal and provide the second mounting for the support arm.

8. A boat provided with a device according to any preceding claim.