WO2004035379A1

WO2004035379A1 - Safety device for boat and boat provided with safety device

Info

Publication number: WO2004035379A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001592
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christoffer Hermelin
Original assignee: Christoffer Hermelin
Priority date: 2002-10-14
Filing date: 2003-10-14
Publication date: 2004-04-29
Also published as: NO20052397L; SE0203029L; DE03751695T1; NO20052397D0; EP1551702A1; AU2003271265A1; SE0203029D0; SE524037C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a safety device (1) for a motor-driven boat with the object of preventing that the boat leaves a person that falls overboard. The safety device (1) is intended to be attached at the boat and comprises a lifeline (5) that at one end thereof is attached to the boat such that it can be pulled out and that at the other end thereof can be connected to a person on the boat. The boat is equipped with a motor (M) to propel the boat and the lifeline (5) is functionally connected to the motor (M) in order to affect the motor (M), at a predetermined position of the lifeline (5), so that the motor (M) is shut off and/or disengaged. The invention also relates to a boat provided with safety device (1).

Description

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BOAT AND BOAT PROVIDED WITH SAFETY DEVICE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a safety device for motor-driven boats. The invention also relates to a boat provided with a safety device according to the invention and a method for equipping a boat with a safety device according to the invention.

PRIOR ART

Maritime accidents not seldom end with the death of one or more persons that for any reason has/have fallen overboard. During the years, countless devices have been developed in order to increase safety for persons at sea. Some devices are intended to be carried by a person on the boat. Examples of such devices are life vests and belt vests having a self- inflatable function, that aid in keeping a person afloat until help arrives or the person rescues himself. Other devices aim to help in rescuing the person that has fallen overboard, for example lifebuoys of varying types intended to be thrown or sent out to a person in distress.

The situation often becomes dramatically aggravated as the boat leaves the person that has fallen overboard and the person is far out at sea without any possibility to call for help or rescue himself. A situation that not seldom happens to a sole seafarer, but also in case of several persons aboard, is that it is the driver that has fallen overboard and that those remaining on the boat are unable to manoeuvre it.

Sometimes, it may be several hours before a person is reported missing and the sea rescue services turn out to search for the missing person. The search is rendered more difficult as the person in distress and the boat are not at the same location, and most often one can only get a bearing on the boat. In good weather and in reasonably tempered water, the drama may end happily. If the person in distress has a life vest, the chances of finding him/her alive increase, but the cold is an important factor and many people die following too long exposure to too cold water. If the distressed person has no life vest and drowns or dies due to the cold, extensive work remains for the sea rescue services in trying to find the body. This costs a lot of money to the society and the next of kin often find it very distressful if the body is not found. On the market, there are different types of lifelines that are intended to keep a person that has fallen overboard connected to the boat. One example is shown in US 4,567,961. The device consists of a spring-loaded lifeline that is mounted at the boat. A person on the boat wears a belt or a belt vest that is attached to the lifeline. The belt and the belt vest can be equipped with self-inflating buoyant cushions.

Another type of safety device is shown in US 4,630,205, in which the driver of the boat wears a radio transmitter that communicates with a radio receiver on the boat. If the driver falls into the water, the signal from the radio transmitter changes and the boat will be stopped or alternatively its heading will be changed so that the boat returns to the person in distress.

US 5,838,227 suggests a technique in which the driver wears a radio transmitter and the boat is provided with a radio receiver that turns off the boat's motor if the radio signal is changed or cut off.

Unfortunately, many of these devices are never used because they are experienced as limiting to the freedom of movement. Several devices also require that there are other persons still aboard that can call for help or rescue the person in distress by turning the boat back and sending out rescuing tools.

BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate or at least minimise the problems mentioned above, which is achieved by a safety device for a motor-driven boat with the object of preventing that the boat leaves a person that falls overboard, where the safety device comprises a lifeline intended to be attached at one end thereof to a person aboard the boat and at the other end to the boat, a reeling device to wind up the lifeline and an attachment to attach the lifeline to the boat, where the lifeline at its inner end is fixedly mounted on the reeling device that is loaded by a winding force so that a lifeline that is completely or partially unwound automatically will be wound up on the reeling device when the pulling force is less than the winding force, characterised in that the safety device comprises a detection device to detect the situation when the lifeline has been unwound to a predetermined position, which detection device is arranged to interact with the propulsion system of the boat in order to shut off or disengage the motor.

Thanks to the invention, the boat is prevented from leaving a person that falls overboard. The person may also more easily return to the boat by grabbing the lifeline and pulling himself/herself to the boat. This is especially advantageous at bad visibilities or in the dark or at hard sea. Yet another advantage is obtained by any persons still aboard not having to concern themselves with the manoeuvring of the boat, but being able to help in the hauling- in of the person that has fallen overboard. This is especially advantageous if the person that has fallen overboard rapidly has become ill or has been injured or in any other way lacks the ability to rescue himself/herself.

According to another aspect of the invention, the detection device is arranged to interact with a switch mechanism that is arranged to affect an electrical circuit in the propulsion system of the boat, which will result in a number of solutions in arresting the advance of the boat by shutting off or disengaging the boat motor.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the switch mechanism also comprises a radio transmitter and a radio receiver, where the radio receiver is intended to be connected to said propulsion system, which gives the advantage that the safety device is mobile and that several persons may secure themselves to the boat at different deck positions, which has the advantage of a decreased risk of entangling of their respective lifelines than if fixed safety devices that are mounted at the rail of the stern are used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a boat provided with a safety device the object of which is to prevent that the boat leaves a person that falls overboard and where the safety device comprises a lifeline that at one end thereof is attached to the boat such that it can be pulled out and that at the other end thereof can be connected to a person on the boat, characterised in that said boat is equipped with a propulsion system to propel the boat and in that the lifeline is functionally connected to the propulsion system in order to affect the propulsion system, at a predetermined position of the lifeline, so that the motor is shut off and/or disengaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawing figures, of which:

Fig. 1A illustrates a preferred embodiment of the safety device, Fig. IB illustrates an alternative embodiment of the safety device,

Fig. 2A, 2B illustrates a variant of the safety device,

Fig. 3 illustrates a belt intended to be used in combination with the device and directions in the form of a manual, Fig. 4 illustrates a boat provided with a safety device, where the shipmaster has fallen overboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1A illustrates a preferred embodiment of the safety device 1. The safety device 1 comprises a housing 2 provided with an attachment 3 for mounting the safety device 1 on the boat. In the housing 2 a reeling device 4, in this case a cylinder, is arranged, upon which a lifeline 5 is wound. The inner end of the lifeline 5 is fixedly mounted in the reeling device 4 and in this case, the lifeline 5 is attached to the hub 6 of the cylinder. The outer end of the lifeline projects through a hole 16 in the housing 2. The reeling device 4 is loaded by a force from a spring 8, so that a completely or partially unwound lifeline 5 will be automatically wound up on the reeling device 4 as the pulling force diminishes or ends. In order to prevent that the outer end of the lifeline 5 is pulled into the housing 2, it should be provided with some type of stopping device. In a simple embodiment, this stopping device may be a knot on the line but in a beneficial embodiment, the stopping device in the outer end may be a means of attachment 7, in this case a spring hook, intended to be secured at a suitable place on the person that is to be secured. Furthermore, the outer end can be reinforced in connection with the means of attachment 7, in order to make the outer end steadier, which is beneficial from a handling point of view, especially when a person has fallen overboard and needs to get a firm grip of the lifeline. The reinforcement is most easily achieved by a section of the outer end of the line where the line has been double- twined to secure the ends, which also gives the advantage that a loop is formed in the outer end, which can constitute an attachment for the spring hook. The housing 2 and the attachment 3 are suitably manufactured from some moisture-repellent material such as plastics or metal. The housing 2 and the attachment 3 should be designed to withstand a certain degree of bumps and thrusts that may arise at use aboard a boat, without jeopardising the function of the safety device 1. Furthermore, the safety device 1 should withstand the load that arises when a person falls overboard and the lifeline is extended to its full length.

The safety device 1 also comprises a detection device 10, placed inside the housing. The detection device 10 is arranged to interact with the reeling device 4 so that the detection device 10 is activated at a predetermined position L of the unwound lifeline 5. This position is preferably reached when the lifeline 5 is completely extended. Furthermore, the detection device 10 is arranged to interact with a switch mechanism 11 so that the detection device 10, as it is activated, affects the switch mechanism 11 to communicate with the electrical system EL of the boat motor in order to shut off the motor M. By the electrical system EL of the boat motor is meant the ignition system of the motor in the case that the boat is driven by a petrol engine. In the case that the boat is propelled by a diesel engine, the electrical system EL may be an electrically controlled electromagnet that is arranged to disengage the crankshaft of the fuel pump to shut off the motor. Alternatively, it may be an electrically controlled cut-off valve on the fuel hose.

The person skilled in the art will realise that the detection device 10 can be composed of a number of known devices and that the type of detection device used is not decisive to the safety device 1. Naturally, the detection device 10 should be classed for use in maritime environments with the requirements put on corrosion resistance inter alia and the ability to withstand moisture. In a beneficial embodiment, the detection device 10 and the switch mechanism 11 are integrated and may suitable be composed of one and the same device. The detection device 10 may for example be a spring-loaded switch that bears against the wound-up lifeline by a spring force and be arranged to transmit an electrical signal to the electrical system EL of the motor in order to shut off or disengage the motor when the lifeline has been pulled out to the predetermined position L. Other suitable ways to detect the predetermined position L may be by aid of optical detection devices.

The detection device 10 and the switch mechanism 11 should be placed to be well protected against moisture that may enter the housing 2 along with the lifeline 5. Suitably, they can be placed in the upper part of the housing or separate from the reeling device 4, by being arranged inside its hub 6. It may also be suitable to enclose the detection device 10 and the switch mechanism 11 in a space having a moisture barrier inside the housing or in a separate space in the side of the housing, which is shown in Fig. 2. Suitably, the housing 2 can be provided with draining holes (not shown) in order to drain off any water that may accompany the lifeline into the housing. In a variant of the invention, the hole 16 through which the lifeline runs out of the housing is positioned to at the same time drain off incoming moisture.

According to a beneficial embodiment, the switch mechanism 11 is arranged to communicate with the motor's electrical system EL in order to via the electrical system EL shut off the motor M, if a person falls overboard. The communication may be via electrical signals or radio signals. In the case that the switch mechanism 11 communicates via electrical signals, the switch mechanism 11 should be provided with a fixed connection to the motor's electrical system EL in order to minimise the risk of loose contact. In case radio communication is used, a radio transmitter RT and a radio receiver RR should of the same reason be arranged as fixed connected parts of the switch mechanism 11 and the motor's electrical system EL, respectively, which is shown in Fig. IB.

If the boat is propelled by a petrol engine, the motor M is shut off by the switch mechanism 11 communicating with the motor's ignition system in order to prevent ignition. This may be done by the switch mechanism 11 being arranged to send an electrical signal to the plus pole of the ignition system, which thereby will be electrically connected to earth, whereby the sparking plugs are short-circuited and ignition is prevented. Another way of preventing ignition is that the switch mechanism breaks the ignition current.

If the boat is propelled by diesel engine, the connection to the motor's fuel system is designed to shut off the motor M by preventing fuel supply to the motor. Another way of arranging this is to shut off the fuel pump. If the motor M is of older type, it is to be provided with an electromagnet that is activated by an electrical signal from the switch mechanism 10. The electromagnet will disengage the crankshaft of the fuel pump, whereby the pump and the motor are shut off. If the motor M is of more recent type, it is already equipped with an electromagnet and it is only required to connect the switch mechanism to the electromagnet. Another way of shutting off the motor M is to provide the fuel hose with a cut-off valve. In this case, there is a certain delay from the shutting of the valve to the stoppage of the motor, which is less beneficial. It is not necessary to shut off the motor but the safety device 1 may also be arranged to disengage the motor in order to stop the boat. The motor is disengaged by arranging the switch mechanism 11 to affect a transmission from the motor to the propeller, that can be disengaged in a way that is known to the person skilled in the art.

A variant of the safety device 1 is shown in Fig. IB. By allowing the switch mechanism 10' to communicate with the electrical system EL via a device for short-distance communication, of BLUE TOOTH type or similar radio communication equipment, it is possible to allow the safety device to be mobile. The attachment 3' may then be composed simply of a short line with a spring hook or some other attachment means that can be attached to the boat wherever the person desires. This can be an advantage if several persons are aboard and the lifeline otherwise can be experienced as limiting to the freedom of movement for other persons aboard. If several persons are to be secured, they can secure themselves to the boat at different deck positions which has the advantage of a decreased entangling risk of their respective lifelines than if fixed safety devices mounted at the rail of the stern are used.

The person skilled in the art will realise that the safety device not is limited to comprise a housing that encloses and protects the reeling device, but that the device also can be arranged as an open reel having an attachment to attach it to the boat according to Fig. 2A and 2B. In this embodiment, the detection device 10 and the switch mechanism 11 may e.g. be contained in the hub 6 of the cylinder or be arranged in a water-tight space in connection with one side of the cylinder, suitably integrated in the attachment 3.

Fig. 2A also shows a detail of the safety device 1. As the motor M has been shut off following the activation of the detection device 10. i.e. when a person has fallen overboard, it is of course desirable to be able to restart the motor M as the person has been rescued. For this purpose, the safety device 1 is provided with a reset button 12 that by a simple pressing of the button resets the safety device 1 so that the signal to the motor's electrical system EL is interrupted. This reset button 12 is placed to easily be reached from the outside of the safety device and suitably, the reset button is vulcanised to be well protected from moisture. This reset button 12 also exists on the safety devices according to the embodiments of Fig. 1 A and IB, but is not shown in those figures. In order to reset the switch mechanism, the lifeline is wound up at least a short distance past the predetermined position L, where after the motor can be started. The advantage of this is that it is not necessary that a person that has fallen overboard has gotten back onto the boat in order for the motor to be started. It is not unusual that the person that falls overboard quickly looses strength and not even with aid is able to get on board again. In that situation, others onboard may secure the person to the boat by e.g. tying him/her at the rail of the stern, where after the motor can be started and the boat can be taken somewhere where help is available, e.g. to an arriving rescue boat or ashore.

According to one aspect of the invention, it is beneficial that the person to be secured uses a belt 13 intended to be strapped around the waist, which is shown in Fig. 3. The belt 13 comprises an attachment 14 for attachment of the lifeline 5 either by threading the outer end of the lifeline through the attachment 14 and tying it, or, if the lifeline 5 is provided with means of attachment 7, simply by hooking it to the attachment 14. The attachment 14 can be a metal ring or a ring of some other durable material. The attachment 14 is arranged on the belt 13 to move freely in a loose loop 15 that is placed to be positioned on the back of the person when the belt is strapped. The loop 15 can be of the same material as the belt 13 or be of some other material with adequate strength. The loop 15 can be a short piece that is sewn or glued to the belt 15, or, the loop 15 may be an integrated part of the belt 13 that has been made at the manufacturing of the belt.

By designing the belt 13 such that the attachment 14 is placed on the back of the person, the advantage is attained that the lifeline 5 not is in the way as the person works. If the person falls overboard, yet another advantage is attained in that the belt 13 can be rotated such that the attachment 14 and the lifeline 5 end up in front, on the belly. Then, the person can quite easily grab the lifeline 5 to pull himself/herself back onto the boat. The person can also position himself/herself at a higher position in the water by wrapping the lifeline 5 around both shoulders, which is especially beneficial if the person is hauled to the boat by somebody onboard. The person skilled in the art will however realised that the safety device does not require the use of a belt 13, but that the lifeline 5 can be attached in a way that the person finds suitable. For example, the lifeline 5 can most easily be tied about the waist. If the person has a life vest, the lifeline 5 can be attached to that. Fig. 4 shows a situation in which a person has fallen overboard and the extended lifeline 5 has shut off the motor M so that the boat has arrested. A safety device 1 according to the invention is attached to the rail R of the boat. It may be beneficial to position the safety device 1 astern, since a person that has fallen overboard usually can get up into the boat astern, either by climbing up on a ladder astern or by heaving himself/herself up over the rail. Then, the safety device 1 will help the person to get to the appropriate position. This is especially advantageous at bad visibilities or in the dark or at hard sea. It should however be understood that the device is not limited accordingly, but that it can be mounted in other suitable positions.

HANDLING

A person aboard the boat secures himself herself to the device by attaching the lifeline 5 to himself/herself, which can be done in a variety of ways according to that described in connection with Fig. 3. During voyage, the person can move freely on deck and still be secured. Due to the spring loaded reeling device 4 on which the lifeline 5 is wound, the lifeline 5 will be kept stretched so that the person does not risk to be entangled. The load of the spring 8 is adapted not to give a tension load when the person moves about.

Preferably, the lifeline 5 is designed long enough to give the person a reach that allows the person to move freely on the boat deck, but also to move below deck without having to unleash himself/herself. Otherwise, there would be a risk that the person forgets to leash himself/herself as he/she moves up on deck again.

However, the lifeline 5 should no be longer than to result in a quick shut-off of the boat motor if the person falls overboard. Suitably, the line has a length that enables a shut-off of the motor within 10 seconds and even more preferred within 5 seconds after the person has fallen overboard. Therefore, it is conceivable to adapt the length of the lifeline 5 depending on the type of boat that the safety device is intended for.

If the person falls overboard, the lifeline will be unwound and the detection device will send an electrical signal to the switch mechanism when the lifeline has been unwound to the predetermined position L. On this signal, the switch mechanism will communicate with the electrical system of the motor, either via electrical signals or via radio signals, whereby the motor will be shut off or disengaged and the boat stops. Now, the person that has fallen overboard can, by aid of the lifeline, haul himself/herself onto the boat in order then to get up onto the boat on his/her own or by aid of other persons aboard the boat. If the person in the water is unable to get aboard on his/her own, he/she can be secured to the boat for example by tying him/her to the rail and thereby at least partly getting him/her out of the water.

As soon as the person has been rescued, it is desirable that the motor can be started again. By simply pressing the reset button, the signal from the switch mechanism to the electrical system of the motor is broken, where after the motor immediately can be started. It is however a prerequisite that the lifeline is enough wound up that the predetermined position L has been re-wound onto the reeling device, which takes place automatically when the pulling force in the lifeline diminishes.

The safety device preferably comprises directions on how to use the device and on how it suitably is mounted on the boat. The directions may furthermore include information on how to connect the device to the boat motor M, so that the lifeline and the boat motor will be functionally connected to each other. The directions may e.g. have the form of an manual written on an information carrier. The information carrier may e.g. be a paper or a diskette or a CD-ROM. Also, the directions may be given orally in connection with the selling. The directions may also be a part of the marketing of the product and be given in the form of an advertising film. In Fig. 3, the instruction is shown as a written manual 17.

The invention also relates to a boat equipped with a safety device according to the invention and a method of providing a boat with a safety device according to the invention.

ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The invention is not limited to that described above but may be varied within the scope of the claims. For example, the person skilled in the art will realise that the attachment 14 can consist of other attachment means such as hooks, loops or other suitable means.

Claims

1. A safety device (1) for a motor-driven boat with the object of preventing that the boat leaves a person that falls overboard, where the safety device (1) comprises a lifeline (5) intended to be attached at one end thereof to a person aboard the boat and at the other end to the boat, a reeling device (4) to wind up the lifeline and an attachment (3) to attach the lifeline (5) to the boat, where the lifeline (5) at its inner end is fixedly mounted at the reeling device (4) that is loaded by a winding force so that a lifeline (5) that is completely or partially unwound automatically will be wound up on the reeling device (4) when the pulling force is less than the winding force, characteri s ed i n that the safety device ( 1 ) comprises a detection device

(10) to detect the situation when the lifeline (5) has been unwound to a predetermined position (L), which detection device (10) is arranged to interact with the propulsion system (M, EL) of the boat in order to shut off or disengage the motor (M).

2. A safety device according to claim 1, ch aracteri sed in that the reeling device (4) comprises a spring (8) to give said winding force.

3. A safety device according to claim 1, ch aracteri sed in that the detection device (10) is arranged to interact with a switch mechanism (11) arranged to affect an electric circuit in the propulsion system (M, EL) of the boat.

4. A safety device according to claim 3, ch aracteri sed in that the switch mechanism (11) also comprises a radio transmitter (RT) and a radio receiver (RR) and in that the radio receiver (RR) is intended to be connected to said propulsion system (M, EL).

5. A safety device according to claim 1, ch aracte ri sed in that the predetermined position L is the position in which the lifeline 5 is extended to its full length.

A boat provided with a safety device (1) the object of which is to prevent that the boat leaves a person that falls overboard and where the safety device (1) comprises a lifeline (5) that at one end thereof is attached to the boat such that it can be pulled out and that at the other end thereof can be connected to a person aboard the boat, characteri sed in that said boat is equipped with a propulsion system (M, EL) to propel the boat and in that the lifeline (5) is functionally connected to the propulsion system in order to affect the propulsion system, at a predetermined position (L) of the lifeline (5), so that the motor (M) is shut off and/or disengaged.