WO2014177880A2

WO2014177880A2 - Portable training unit

Info

Publication number: WO2014177880A2
Application number: PCT/GB2014/051365
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Smith
Original assignee: David Smith
Priority date: 2013-05-03
Filing date: 2014-05-01
Publication date: 2014-11-06
Also published as: GB201308048D0; WO2014177880A3

Abstract

There is disclosed a portable (or mobile) training unit, for providing training to personnel, In one embodiment, a portable training unit (10) is disclosed which comprises a transportable container (12) defining an internal training area (14); a plurality of training boards (16), each training board being mountable to the container within the internal training area; and a mounting arrangement (34) for mounting the training boards within the container, the mounting arrangement comprising a first mounting component (36) provided on the container within the internal training area and a second mounting component (38) on each training board, the first and second mounting components arranged to cooperate so that at least one of "movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is permitted. One or more of the boards can be selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area, to thereby define at least, one classroom space (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a portable (or mobile) training unit, in particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a portable training unit comprising a transportable container.

Current health and safety regulations in many countries require employers to provide training for personnel who are to work in certain environments, particularly in confined spaces and at height, It is a recognised problem that the provision of such training can be very costly, for reasons including that the training has conventionally been provided at dedicated training centres, and requires that the personnel travel to the centre to receive the training. The oil and gas exploration and production industry is one in which personnel are frequently required to operate in such environments, and a dedicated training industry has developed to meet this need.

Efforts have beers made to address this problem by providing a mobile training unit comprising a transportable cargo container comprising a confined working compartment, a door and a tower which can be moved between a transport^" position and a training position. The training unit is disclosed in International patent application no. PCT/GB2009/051571 , published as WO-2010/070307. The training unit simulates work in confined spaces and at height, and can be transported to where it is required so that the need to bring personnel to a dedicated training centre is avoided.

Whilst the training unit disclosed in WO-2010/070307 potentially provides a step forward in the provision of training to personnel, the unit is relatively complex and cumbersome, and does not address many training needs, in particular, the unit provides a relatively restricted range of training options.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable (or mobile) training unit. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable (or mobile) training unit comprising:

a transportable container defining an internal training area;

a plurality of training hoards, each training board being rnountable to the container within the internal training area; and

a mounting arrangement for mounting the training boards within the container, the mounting arrangement comprising a first mounting component provided on the container within the internal training area and a second mounting component on each training hoard, the first and second mounting components arranged to cooperate so that at least one of movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is permitted;

in which one or more of the boards can be selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area, to thereby define at least one classroom space.

The second mounting components may be movable relative to the first mounting component to permit said movement of the boards. The first mounting component may be elongate and the second mounting components may be translatable relative to the first mounting component. The second mounting components may be rotatable relative to the first mounting component, to permit said rotation of the boards.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable (or mobile) training unit comprising:

a transportable container defining an internal training area;

an elongate guide track provided within the internal training area and extending at least part way along a length of the container; and

a plurality of training boards, each training board being rnountable to the container within the internal training area via the elongate guide track;

in which the training boards are rnountable to the track so that at least one of movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is permitted; and in which one or more of ihe hoards can be selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area, to thereby define one or more classroom spaces. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile training unit comprising:

a transportable container defining an internal training area; and

a plurality of training boards, each training board being mountable to the container within the internal training area in such a way that at least one of movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is permitted;

in which one or more of the boards can he selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area, to thereby define one or more classroom spaces. it will be understood that the board or boards which are selected can be located in the desired position and/or rotational orientation within the training area by moving the board along the container and/or rotating the board about the vertical axis, Advantageously, the present invention provides a portable/mobile training unit which can be arranged to define a large number of different classroom spaces, by appropriate location/orientation of the board or boards within the training area.. Effectively, the invention provides the ability to divide up the internal training area into one or more separate classroom spaces. Accordingly, the or each classroom space may comprise at least a portion of the internal training area. Each classroom space which is defined may have unique characteristics, which may be: a dimension or dimensions of the space; and/or equipment/material contained or presented within the space,

The training boards may each be both movable along the length of the container (and so translatable along the container) and rotatable about a vertical axis, At least one of the boards may be rotatable about a horizontal axis. At least one of the boards may be mounted in the container for movement in a width direction of the container. At least one of the boards may be mounted in the container for movement in a height direction of the container.

The boards rnay each have a wall which can form a wall of a classroom space. The boards may he generally planar, having first and second opposed walls, one or both of which can form a wall of a classroom space. The boards may therefore form walls of two or more different classroom spaces.

The boards may be capable of being arranged to form a confined working classroom space, which may be defined between two or more adjacent boards, and/or between a board and a wall, roof, floor and/or door of the container.

The boards may each be releasably mountable to the container within the internal training area. This may facilitate removal of boards from the container, and/or reconfiguration of the arrangement or order of boards within the container. Such may be desirable in order to configure the unit for a particular training need. The unit may comprise a deployment arrangement for inserting boards into the container and removing boards from the container, The deployment arrangement may be releasably mountable to the container so that it extends out of the container, or rnay be pi vo able from a stowed position within the container to a deployed position where it extends out of the container, to facilitate insertion/remo val of boards.

The unit may comprise a mounting arrangement for the training boards, for mounting the boards within the container.

The mounting arrangement may comprise an elongate guide track, which may he provided within the internal training area, and which may extend at least part way along a length of the container. The training boards may be mounted to the track, and thereby mounted within the internal training area. The training boards may be mounted to the track so as to be moveable along the length of container and/or rotatable about the vertical axis; the track may thus facilitate such movement. The unit may comprise a plurality of elongate guide tracks, or the elongate guide track may comprise a plurality of guide track branches, providing different mounting options for the boards, Where the elongate guide track comprises a plurality of guide track branches, the branches may be associated with one another so that a board or boards may be deployed along a selected one of the branches. The branches or tracks may be connected together to facilitate deployment of the board(s) along the selected branch/track. The branches may be connected together in a storage area or zone for the boards. The branches may

communicate with a storage track portion of the elongate guide track, in which the boards may be stored during transportation. The plurality of guide tracks/guide track branches may be spaced laterally (that is in a width direction of the container), and or may be spaced along a length of the container.

The mounting arrangement may comprise a first mounting component mounted to the container within the internal training area, and a second mounting component on the or each training board, the first and second mounting components arranged to cooperate for mounting of the or each board within the container to facilitate the translation and/or rotation stated above.

The first mounting component of the mounting arrangement may be an elongate guide track or rail mounted to the container and extending at least part way along a length thereof, and which may extend the entire length of the internal training area. The second mounting components may take the form of couplings which are mounted on the boards and arranged to engage the elongate guide track, for mounting the boards to the track. The couplings may be translatable along the guide track and/or rotatable relative to the track. The guide track may be mounted to a roof or wall of the container. Where the unit comprises a deployment, arrangement for the boards, the deployment arrangement, may comprise an extension portion of the guide track. The extension portion may be reieasably couplable to or associatable with the track mounted to the container. The extension portion may be pivotable out from the container as described above, for inserting removing boards,

The boards may be suspended from the container within the internal training area, and may be suspended from a roof and/or one or more wall of the container. The mounting arrangement may serve for suspending the boards from the container. The hoards may be suspended from the elongate guide track, One or more board may comprise a ground engaging support for transmitting at leas part, of a load of the board to a floor of the container, and/or for locking the board against movement/rotation relative to the container. The ground engaging support may be or may comprise a wheel, to facilitate movement of the boards along the length of the container and/or rotation of the board. The ground engaging support may comprise at least one locking element, which may engage in a corresponding locking receptacle in the container, and which may be provided in the container floor.

The training unit may comprise a power transmission system for providing electrical power to at least one of the boards. This may facilitate operation of training equipment, associated with the boards. The power transmission system may be provided as part of the mounting arrangement. The first mounting component may comprise at least one first electrical connection and the second mounting components (of at least one board) may comprise a second electrical connection which is arranged to cooperate with the first connection for completing an electrical circuit, so that power can be provided to the board(s). The first electrical connection may be an electrical track or tracks, such as a 'busbar' (also known as a 'buzz bar'), extending along the guide track or rail. The second electrical connection may be a contact or contacts provided on said board, and which may be arranged so that it. can touch the first connection at any point along a length thereof, and/or at any rotational orientation, to complete the electrical circuit.

The boards, optionally the walls of the boards, may define a training surface on which training equipment can be mounted. The training equipment may be selected from the group comprising: a) electrical and/or electronic; b) mechanical; c) hydraulic; d) pneumatic; e) audio-visual; f) emergency or health & safety; g) machine/process control equipment; and h) static display training equipment. The skilled person will readily understand that this list is not exhaustive, and that other suitable training equipment may be provided. Eqiupment falling within option a) includes; simulated electrical circuitry, cables, wires, connectors and/or related components, including but not restricted to equipment relating to electrical power, theory and power generation. Equipment falling within option b) includes: material processing equipment such as cutting, abrading or shaping tools, and material handling/transportation equipment such as cranes and hoists.

Equipment falling within options c) and d) includes: hydraulic/pneumatic flow control equipment such as valves, control lines and connectors, and /pneumatic power generation equipment such as pumps, compressors and compressed gas bottles. The unit may comprise a fluid storage tank or vessel, for storing a fluid to be used, for example, with the hydraulic/pneumatic flow control equipment. Equipment falling within option e) includes: interactive teaching aids such as electronic whiteboards, televisions/monitors, projectors, PCs and public announcement equipment such as loudspeakers.

Equipment falling within option f) includes: first aid equipment and fire control equipment.

Equipment falling within option g) includes: programmable logic controllers (PLC).

Equipment falling within option h) includes: whiteboards, and literature such as posters, photographs/images, brochures and other handouts.

The training unit may comprise at least one of the following: a confined working space; equipment for simulating working at height, which may comprise at least one of a scaffolding, a ladder, a platform and a lift; safety equipment, which may comprise fall- arrest equipment such as a safety or 'zip' line; lighting, which may be depSoyable from a stowed position within the container to a deployed position outside the container; a hoist or crane; and a generator for providing hydraulic and/or electrical power. The container may have a roof which is arranged to define a raised platform for simulating working at height. and/or which can support one or more of the optional equipment listed above. The container may comprise a ladder for gaining access to the roof of the container, and a beam which can be secured to the container to define a simulated bulkhead, and which may present a strike risk for a person using the ladder, A position of the beam relati ve to the ladder may be adjustable to vary a spacing between the ladder and the beam. The container may be deployable from a transport configuration to at least one training position. Some of all of the equipment listed above may be stored within the container when in the transport con figuratio . Mounting of the boards to the container in such a way that the boards can move along the length of the container may facilitate the balancing of loads within the container. In particular, where the unit comprises one or more of the optional additional equipment listed in the preceding paragraph, the centre of gravity of the unit may be spaced from the centroid of the container (or, most significantly, spaced from a midpoint along the length of the container). This may present difficulties in handling of the container during transport, where the container is to be suspended e.g. from a hoist or crane. The ability to move the boards may enable the centre of gravity to be adjusted to as near as possible to the centroid (or to the midpoint along the length of the container), to facilitate handling. In particular, this may facilitate safe lifting of the container by a hoist, or crane. It will be understood that the ability to move the boards as discussed above may also allow repositioning of the boards to account for the loads of the boards themselves, particularly where a large number of boards are provided.

The container may comprise end and/or side walls, and at least one of the walls, in particular at least one of the side walls, may be arranged so that it can be opened to provide access to the classroom spaee(s).

The unit may comprise at least one baffle which is mounted to the container within the internal training area, and which is movable from a stowed (transport) position to a deployed (training) position. The baffle may be pivotable from the stowed position to the deployed position. In the stowed position, the baffle may be disposed against a wall, roof or floor of the container. The baffle may compri se at least one aperture defining part of a simulated confined working space.

The unit may comprise at least one canopy which is extendable from a retracted position, to a deployed position in which the canopy defines a roof over at least part of at least one classroom space. This may facilitate the provision of a classroom space which extends out beyond the internal space defined by the container.

The container may be a transportable cargo container, and may he a standard cargo container based on an ISO standard container, such as the known standard 40ft container, which is approximately: 40' (12.192m) in length; 8' (2.438m) in width: and 8'6" (2.591m) in height. The container may he or may be based on a standard flat rack container such as the known standard 40ft flat rack container. Flat rack containers typically have a base and end walls, but no side walls or roof. They are usually capable of bearing greater loads than standard ISO 40ft containers, and can easily be adapted for use in the present invention. The container may comprise at least one door in a wall thereof. The container may comprise at least one hatch in a roof thereof,

The internal training area may take up the entire interior space defined by the container, or a portion or portions may be provided for other purposes, such as the housing of a generator.

The transportable container may be a primary container, and the unit may comprise a secondary transportable container defining a respective internal training area, in which the secondary container can be coupled to the primary container so that the internal training areas communicate with one another. This may provide a unit with an enlarged overall training area, whilst retaining the benefit of easy transportation of the different containers. The secondary container may be mountable on a roof of the primary container. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of ex mple only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -1.0-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portable (or mobile) training unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig, 2 is a view of the training unit of Fig. 1 shown during deployment to a desired training configuration;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the unit of Fig, 1 taken from below, and shows the unit with a side wal l of the container removed, for better viewing of the interior of a container of the unit;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the unit of Fig. 1 taken from a different angle, showing training boards of the unit located spaced apart along a length of the container, to define a number of classroom spaces; Fig. 5 is a view of the unit similar to Fig. 4, but showing the boards rotated through 90° about respective vertical axes;

Fig, 6 is a an enlarged perspective view of the unit taken from the same angle as Fig. 1 , and showing another different arrangement of boards;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a training board and a mounting arrangement for the boards, for mounting the boards within the container;

Fig. 7 A is an end view of the mounting arrangement shown in Fig. 7, showing a power transmission system;

Fig. 8 is a view showing removal of a board employing a deployment arrangement of the unit; Figs. 9 to 13 are perspective views showing optional additional equipmen which may be provided as part of the training unit; Fig, 14 Is a perspective view of a portable (or mobile) training unit in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 15 to 17 are perspective views of an elongate guide track forming part of the unit of Fig, 14, showing training boards of the unit mounted on the track in different positions and/or rotational orientations;

Figs. 18 and 19 are views of part of the unit of Fig. 14 , showing a ladder and a beam secured to a container of the unit to define a simulated bulkhead, a position of the beam relative to the ladder being adjustable, and the beam being shown in two such different positions in the drawings;

Figs. 20 and 21 are enlarged perspective views of the unit of Fig. 14, showing steps in a training procedur invol ving the positioning of flow control equipment on the container;

Figs. 22 and 23 are views of the unit of Fig, 14 following removal of an access hatch on the container to which the flow control equipment of Figs, 20 and 21 ca be mounted;

Fig. 24 is a view of an internal training area of the unit of Fig. 14, showing baffles which are movable from a stowed (transport) position to a deployed (training) position; and

Fig, 25 is a side view of the unit of Fig. 14, showing a secondary transportable container coupled to a primary transportable container of the unit. Turning firstly to Fig. 1, there is shown a perspective vie of a portable (or mobile) training unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the unit indicated generally by reference numeral 10. The training unit 10 is shown in Fig. 1 in a transport configuration, for transportation to a site where training is to be provided. Following location at the selected site, the training unit 10 can be arranged in a training configuration, facilitating the provision of the desired training. As will be appreciated from the following description, the training unit 10 can be arranged in one of a large number of different training configurations appropriate to the training which is to be given. The training unit 10 is also shown in Fig. 2, during deployment to a desired training configuration, and generally comprises a transportable container 12 defining an internal training area 14, and a plurality of training boards, which may also be referred to as 'cassettes', indicated generally by reference numeral 16. Each training board 16 is momitable to the container 12 within the internal training area 14 in such a way that at least one of mo vement of the board 16 along a length of the container 12, and rotation of the board 16 about a vertical axis, is permitted, in the illustrated embodiment, each board 16 is both movable along the length of the container 12 and rotatable. but it will be understood that a selected board or boards 16 may only be movable along the length of the container 12, whilst another board or boards 16 may only be rotatable.

Fig, 3 is a perspecti ve view of the unit 10 taken from below, and shows the unit with a side wall 18 of the container 12 removed, for better viewing of the interior of the container. It will be understood however that embodiments of the in vention may be pro vided without side walls, particularly units based on flat rack containers (see below)- The boards 16 are shown here in their transport configuration, positioned towards an end 24 of the container 12. One or more of the boards 16 can be selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area 14, to thereby define one or more classroom spaces 20.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the unit 10 taken from a different angle, showing boards 16a, 16b and 16c located spaced apart along a length of the container 12, to define classroom spaces 20a, to 2()d. As will be described below, this provides the ability to perform different training in each classroom space 20a-d, or indeed die same training for multiple trainees in each, of the classroom spaces 20a-d. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, which shows a different arrangement of the boards 16a, 16b and 16c, and indeed a different ordering of the boards within the container 12. In Fig. 5, the boards 16a-c are each shown rotated through 90° about respective vertical axes 22a-c of the boards, in this configuration, part of a classroom space 20e is defined. This space 20e may form a confined working space between the boards ! 6a-c and a side wall 18 of the container 12, or ίη an open-sided container 12, may form the front of a relatively large classroom space extending out from the container.

Fig, 6 is an enlarged perspective view taken from the same angle as Fig. 1 , and showing another different arrangemen of boards 16. In this configuration, boards 16a, 16b and 16c remain stowed towards an end 24 of the container 12, whilst a further board 16d is shown, located part-way along the length of the container 12. to define a main classroom space 20f, and a second smaller classroom space 20g. Fig. 6 also shows canopies 25 which are extendable from retracted positions to deployed positions in which they each define a roof over part of the respective classroom spaces 20f, 20g. This facilitates the provision of classroom spaces which extend out beyond the internal space 14 defined by the container 12, and so increases the number of people that can receive training.

As will be appreciated from the above described exemplary configurations, the invention provides the ability to divide up the internal training area 14 into one or more separate classroom spaces 20, the number of spaces depending upon the number of boards 16, and/or the positioning of the boards 16 within the container 12. Each classroom space 20 effectively comprises at least a portion, and optionally ail of, the internal training area 14, Each classroom space 20 which is defined may have unique characteristics, which may be a dimension or dimensions of the space, and/or equipment/material contained or presented within the space 20.

The boards 16 each have a wall 26 which can form a wall of a classroom space 20.

Referring again to Fig. 4, it will be seen that each board 16 is generally planar, defining opposed walls 26. Thus the board 16a has opposed walls 26a and 26a', the board 16h has walls 26b and 26b'. and the board 16c has opposed walls 26c and 26c'. One or both of the walls 26 defined by the boards 1 can form a wall of a classroom space, in Fig. 4 for example, the wall 26a of board 16a forms a wall of classroom space 20a, whilst the opposed wall 26a' forms a wall of classroom space 20b.

The boards 16 are capable of being arranged to form a confined working classroom space, which may be defined between two or more adjacent boards 16, and/or between a. board and a wall 18, roof 28 (Fig. 1), floor 30 (Fig. 3) and/or door 32 (Fig. 2) of the container 12. Formation of such a confined working classroom space is achieved by appropriate spacing of the selected board 16 from the respective adjacent door, wall 18 etc. Turning now to Fig, 7, there is shown an enlarged view of a training board 16e and a mounting arrangement 34 for all of the boards, for mounting the boards within the container 12. The mounting arrangement 34 comprises a first mounting component 36 mounted to the container 12 within the internal training area 14, and second mounting components 38, one of which is shown mounted on the training board 16e. Whilst the specific board 16e is shown and described in Fig. 7. it will be understood that mounting components 38 are provided on each of the boards 16, The first and second mounting components 36 and 38 are arranged to cooperate for mounting the boards 16e within the container 12, and to facilitate translation and/or rotation of the board rel ative to the container. in the illustrated embodiment, the first, mounting component 36 is elongate, and takes the form of an elongate guide track or rail which is mounted to the container 12, on the underside of the roof 28, and which extends at least part way along a length of the container. Typically the guide track 36 will extend the entire length of the internal training area 14, and likely beyond that, to facilitate insertion/removal of boards 16. The second mounting components 38 take the form of couplings which are mounted on the boards 16, and arranged to engage the elongate guide track 36, for mounting the boards to the track. The couplings 38 are translatable along the guide track 26, and/or rotatable relative to the track (depending on whether the boards arc translatable, rotatable or both). Typically, the guide track 36 defines a channel which captures the coupling 38, permitting translation of the coupling along the track, but restricting lateral and vertical movement. The couplings 38 each comprise a pair of wheels 40, connected by an arm 41 , which is shown in the end view of Fig. 7 A (in which one of the wheels 40 has been removed, for illustration purposes). A shaft 42 depends from the ami and is secured to the board 16, for mounting the board to the guide track 36. Typically, where the board 16e is to be rotatable about a vertical axis 22e, rotation is achieved via a suitable rotatable connection 43 between the shaft. 42 and the wheel arm 41. The arrangement 34 comprising the guide track 36 and couplings 38 facilitates suspension of the boards 16 from the container 12 roof, which enables easy movement/rotation of the boards. However, the mounting arrangement 34 may include ground engaging supports (not shown), for transmitting at least part of a load of the board 16 to the floor 30 of the container 12, and/or for locking the board 16 against movement/rotation relative to the container 12. The ground engaging support may be or may comprise a wheel, to facilitate movement of the boards 16 along the length of the container 12 and/or rotation of the board. The ground engaging support may comprise at least one locking element, which may engage in a corresponding locking receptacle in the container, and which may be provided in the container floor. Three such locking receptacles are shown in Fig. 7, and take the form of elongate channels 44 which receive the locking element(s). Engagement of the locking element(s) in the channels 44 secures the board 16 in a desired position. The boards 16 are each optionally releasably moimtable to the container 2 within the internal training area 14. This facilitates removal of boards 16 from the container 12 and insertion of boards, and also reconfiguration of the arrangement or order of the boards 16 within the container 12, Such may be desirable in order to configure the unit 10 for a particular training need. To this end therefore, and referring now to Fig. 8, the unit 10 comprises a deployment arrangement, ind cated generally by reference numeral 46. for inserting boards 16 into the container 12 and removing boards from the container. The deployment arrangement 46 can be releasably raouniable to the container 12 so that it extends out of the container, or can be pivotable from a stowed position within the container 12 to a deployed position where it extends out of the container, to facilitate insertion/removal of boards 16.

In the illustrated embodiment, the deployment arrangement 46 takes the form of an extension portion of the guide track 36. The extension portion 46 is either releasably eouplable or associatable with the track 36, or pivotable out from the container 12 when required for removal/insertion of a board 16. Fig. 8 shows insertion of one such board 16 employing the extension portion 46 and a hoist (not shown in the drawing) mounted on the container roof 28, which supports the board 1 until such time it has been suspended from the extension portion 46. Typically, the board 16 is inserted in the rotational orientation shown in Fig. 8, as this provides space either side of the board for an operator. The wheels 40 are positioned in the extension track portion 46, and the board 1 is then translated along the extension portion 46 until the wheels 40 pass into the guide track 36. The extension portion 46 can then be released or rotated back to the stowed position, and the board 16 rotated through 90", if desired, for stowage or deployment into the internal training area 14.

The training unit 10 also comprises a power transmission system for providing electrical power to at least one of the boards, which is shown in Fig. 7A and given the numeral 48. The power transmission system 48 facili tates operation of training equipment associated with the boards, which will be described below. The power transmission system. 48 is provided as part of the mounting arrangement 34, and takes the general form of a 'busbar' (or 'buzz bar'). Specifically, the first mounting component (guide track 36) comprises first electrical connections in the form of contacts 50 embedded in the track 36, and the second mounting components 38 comprise second electrical connections also in the form of contacts 52. The contacts 52 are embedded in a plate 54 which is mounted on the arm 41, and are arranged to cooperate with the contacts 50, to complete an electrical circuit, so that power can be provided to the board(s) 16.

The boards 16, in particular the walls 26 of the boards, define a training surface on which training equipment can be mounted. The training equipment may be selected from the group comprising: a) electrical and/or electronic; b) mechanical; c) hydraulic; d) pneumatic; e) audio-visual; f) emergency or health & safety; g) machine/process control equipment; and h) static display training equipment. The skilled person will readily understand that this list is not exhaustive, and that other suitable training equipment may be provided.

Equipment falling within option a) includes; simulated electrical circuitry, cables, wires, connectors and/or related components, including but not restricted to equipment relating to electrical power, theory and power generation. Equipment falling within option b) includes: material processing equipment such as cutting, abrading or shaping tools, and -Immaterial handling/transportation equipment such as cranes and hoists. Equipment falling within options c) and d) includes: hydraulic/pneumatic flow control equipment, such as valves, control lines and connectors, and /pneumatic power generation equipment such as pumps, compressors and compressed gas bottles. Equipment falling within option e) includes: interactive teaching aids such as electronic whiteboards, televisions/monitors, projectors, PCs and public announcement equipment such as loudspeakers. Equipment falling within option f) includes: first aid equipment and fire control equipment.

Equipment falling within option g) includes: programmable logic controllers (PLC), Equipment falling within option h) includes: whiteboards, and literature such as posters, photographs/images, brochures and other handouts.

The drawings show a number of examples of such training equipment. In particular, the boards 16a, 16b and 16c shown in Figs, 4 and 5 comprise training equipment suitable for electrical isolation training, mechanical isolation training, and hydraulic/pneumatic training, respectively (falling within options a, b and c/d discussed above). The board 16d shown in Fig, 6 may be suitable for supporting audio-visual equipment. The board 16e shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is another exemplary hydraulic/pneumatic training board, and includes an arrangement of piping 56, valves 58 and other flow control equipment 60 and 62, which can be employed in a training procedure.

The training unit 10 can comprise at least one of the following: a confined working space; equipment for simulating working at height, which may comprise at least one of a scaffolding, a ladder, a platform and a lift; safety equipment, which may comprise fall- arrest equipment such as a safety or 'zip⁵ line; lighting, which may be deployable from a stowed position within the container to a deployed position outside the container; a hoist or crane; and a generator for providing hydraulic and/or electrical power, The container may have a roof which is arranged to define a raised platform for simulating working at height, and/or which can support, one or more of the optional equipment listed above. The container may be deployable from a transport configuration to at least one training position. Some of all of the equipment listed above may be stored within the container when in the transport configuration. Examples of such equipment are shown in the various perspective views of Figs. 9 to 13. Fig. 9 shows a platform area 64 defined on the roof 28 of the container 12, bounded by a safety rail 66. A platform section 67 can be mounted to the container 1.2, or optionally pivoted out from the container, to form an accessway on to the platform area 64, A ladder 68 is secured to the platform section 67 for providing access on the platform area 64 from ground level. A beam 70 is shown, and can be secured to the container 12 to define a simulated bulkhead, which presents a strike risk for a trainee using the ladder 68. The safety rail 66, platform section 67, ladder 68 and beam 70 can all optionally be stowed in the container 12 during transportation, and mounted on the container 12 when required,

Fig. 10 shows an optional equipment storage space 72 provided at an end 74 of the container 12, and which may be employed to store a generator. Access to the space 72 is achieved through doors 76. The space 72 may be defined between the doors 76 and. a board. 16, or a permanent internal wall 78 of the container. The space 72 can additionally or alternatively form an office space, and may define a simulated 'permit office'.

Fig. 11 shows a confined working space 80 which is accessed through further doors, one of which is shown and given the numeral 82. A hatch 84 opens on to the platform area 64, which is accessed via a ladder 86. An internal wall 88 defines a small doorway 90, presenting a restriction within the confined working space 80, The hatch 84 also enables simulated recovery of a trainee from the confined space 80, to simulate operative recovery in the event of an accident.

Figs. 12 and 13 show fall-arrest equipment in the form of a safety or ' i ' line 92, comprising columns 94 which can be mounted on the container roof 28, and a cable 96 extending between the columns. Trainees can secure themselves to the cable 96 using a harness and karabiner, to simulate working at height. Lighting 100 is shown, and can optionally be automatically deployable from within the container 12 to a position above the roof 28, as shown in the drawing. The lighting 100 may be adjustable, and may be remotely operable and adjustable using suitable control equipment. A hoist or davit 102 is shown mounted on the roof, and can be employed for performing tasks including simulated recovery of a trainee from the confined space 80, and insertion/removal of boards 16 from ihe container. The hoist 102 can be located in one of a number of different positions spaced around the roof 28 of the container 12, for performing these and other operations. The equipment described in this paragraph can all optionally be stowed within the container 12 during transport.

Mounting of the boards 16 to the container 12 in such a way that the boards can move along the length of the container may facilitate the balancing of loads within the container 12. In particular, where the unit 10 comprises one or more of the optional additional equipment listed above, the centre of gravity of the unit may he spaced from the centroid of the container 12 (or. most significantly, spaced from a midpoint along the length of the container 12), This may present difficulties in handling of the unit 10 during transport, where the container 12 is to he suspended e.g. from a hoist or crane. The ability to move the boards 16 may enable the centre of gravity to be adjusted to as near as possible to the centroid (or to the midpoint along the length of the container 12), to facilitate handling, in particular, this may facilitate safe lifting of the container 12 by a hoist or crane. It will be understood that the ability to move the boards 16 as discussed above may also allow repositioning of the boards to account for the loads of the boards themselves, particularly where a large number of boards are provided. The container 12 may he a transportable cargo container, and may be a standard cargo container based on an ISO standard container, such as the known standard 40ft container, which is approximately: 40' (12.192m) in length: 8' (2.438m) in width; and 8'6" (2.591m) in height. The container may be or may be based on a standard flat rack container such as the known standard 40fi flat rack container. Flat, rack containers typically have a base and end wails, but no side walls or roof. They are usually capable of bearing greater loads than standard ISO 40ft containers, and can easily be adapted for use in the present invention.

The invention may have a utility in the provision of a wide range of different training courses, including but not restricted to: tower scaffold; lower level access; work at height; harness awareness and inspection; health & safety in the workplace; manual handling; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH); risk assessment; fire safety; first aid; confined space; ladder; abrasive wheel; cable awareness; chemical plant; electric power plant; power generator; instrument; hydraulic; hand tool; electric, theory; boiler; PLC; pneumatic; circuits; overhead line; pipes and valves; pumps; and rigging training courses, Turning now to Fig. 14, there is shown a perspective view of a portable (or mobile) training unit in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the unit indicated generally by reference numeral 10^'', The unit 10' is of similar construction and operation to the unit 10 of Figs. 1 to 13, and only the substantive differences between the units will be described herein. Like components of the unit 10' with the unit 10 share the same reference numerals, with the addition of the suffix

In this embodiment, the unit 10' comprises an elongate guide track 36' for mounting training boards 16' within a container 12' of the unit, the guide track shown in isolation in the perspective view of Fig, 15. The guide track 36' comprises a plurality of guide track branches and, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises two parallel branches 104 and 106. The branches 104, 106 provide different mounting options for boards training 16a' and 16b\ and are associated with one another so that the boards can be deployed along a selected one of the branches. The branches 104 and 106 may also be used to facilitate variations in the order or arrangement of the boards .16'.

The branches 104, 106 axe connected together in a storage area or zone 108 for the boards 16a' and 16b', to facilitate deployment of the boards along the selected branch. To this end, the branches 104 and 106 communicate with a storage track portion 110 of the elongate guide track 36', on which the boards 16a' and 16b' are stored during

transportation or when not required for use, The guide track branches 104 and 106 are spaced laterally, that, is in a width direction of the container 12', but may additionally or alternatively be spaced along a length of the container. In addition, whilst, the branches 104 and 106 are substantially straight, they may be curved, and/or may include further sub- branches or sections which may extend at a non-parallel angle to a main part of the branch (such as in a width direction of the container 12'). Figs, 15 and 16 show board the 16b^"' during deployment from the storage area 108, from the storage track portion 110 and on to the branch 106. Fig. 17 shows the board 16b' following deployment on to the alternative branch 104, In addition, Fig. 17 shows the board 16b' in an alternative rotational orientation, The provision of a guide track 36' including such branches 104 and 106 provides a number of positioning options for the boards 16a', 16b'.

Fig, 15 also shows a locking arrangement 105 for the boards, which comprises locking pins 107 which can engage in a recess (not shown) or the like in a floor of the container 12', such as the channels 44 shown and described above (although the pins may simply abut the floor surface). The locking pins 107 are urged from retracted, unlocked positions to extended, locked positions (shown in Fig, 15) by means of cams 109 mounted on an actuating rod 111, which is operated by a control lever 113. Operation of the lever 1 13 rotates the rod 1 1 1, and thus the cams 109, which urge the pins 107 downwardly to their locking positions, against the action of a biasing spring or the like (not shown) associated with the pins.

Figs. 18 and 19 are views of part of the unit 10' of Fig. 14, showing a ladder 68' and a bar or beam 70' secured to the container 12', to define a simulated bulkhead , A position of the beam 70' relative to the ladder 68' is adjustable, to vary a spacing between the ladder and the beam (and so the effective bulkhead clearance). The beam is shown in two such different positions in Figs. 18 and 19.

Fig. 14 also shows a zip line 92' which is provided on a roof 28' of the container 12', to simulate working at height. The unit 10' includes an additional zip line 112, provided at a lower level, just above the roof 28' surface, A trainee/operator can connect to the lower zip line 112 so that they are securely restrained during, for example, the mo unting of other equipment on the roof 28' of the unit, in particular the upper zip line 92' and its support columns 94'.

Turning now to Fig. 20, there is shown a view of part of the unit 10' of Fig, 14, showing steps in a training procedure involving the positioning of flow control equipment 1 14 on the container 12', In this embodiment, the flow control equipment 114 takes the form of a valve, having a valve housing 1 16 which can be bolted to a flange plate 1 18 provided on a side wall 26' of the container 12\ The valve 1 14 is suspended from a hoist or davit 102' mounted on the container roof 28'.

Optionally, the unit 10' can include a fluid storage tank or vessel (not shown), for storing a fluid to be used with hydraulic/pneumatic flow control equipment, in particular the valve 1 14. The tank can be coupled to the valve 1 14 via suitable pipes, for pressure testing, to verify correct installation of the valve. The flange plate 1 18 is releasably securable to the side wall 26' and can be removed, as best shown in Figs. 22 and 23, to provide an additional confined access-way into the container 12'. The flange plate 1 18 can thus also act as an access hatch, which may form an entrance to a confined working space.

Fig. 24 is a view of an internal training area 14' defined by the container 12' of the unit 10', showing baffles 120 and 122 which are movable from stowed (transport) positions to deployed (training) positions. The drawing shows the baffles 120 and 122 in their deployed positions, the baffles being pivotable from their stowed positions to their deployed positions. In the stowed position, the baffles 120 and 122 can he disposed, for example, against a wall 26', roof 28' or floor 30' of the container 12', The baffles 120 and 122 each comprise a plurality of respective apertures 121 and 123, defining part of a simulated confined working space.

Turning now to Fig. 25, there is shown a variation of the unit 10' shown in Figs. 14 to 24. The drawing shows a side vie of the unit 10', in which the container 12' forms a primary transportable container, and also shows a secondaiy transportable container 124 of the unit. The secondary transportable container 12 defines a respective internal training area 126, and can be coupled to the primary container 12'. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary container 124 is mounted on the roof 28 of the primary container 12', accessed via a ladder (not shown) in the primary container, but may equally well be provided at ground level The secondary container 124 is arranged relative to the primary container 12' so that the internal training areas 126 and 14' of the respective containers communicate with one another, This provides a unit with an enlarged overall training area, whilst reiaining the benefit of easy transportat on of the different containers 12^; and 126. To this end, the container 126 will typically be of similar or reduced dimensions in comparison to the primary container 12'. For example, the secondary container 126 will typically be of similar height and width to the primary container 12' but, as shown, may be of a reduced length (to provide spac for a platform area 64' on the roof 28' of the primary container). In the illustrated embodiment, the primary container 12' is typically a standard container which is 40' in length (as described above), and the secondary container 124 is typically half thai length, i.e. 20', Various modifications may be made to the foregoing without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

For example, at least one of the boards may be rotatable about a horizontal axis. At least one of the boards may be mounted in the container for movement in a width direction of the container. At least one of the boards may be mounted in the container for movement in a height direction of the container.

Power may be provided via an onboard generator, or via a suitable power source at the training location.

The unit may comprise a plurality of independent elongate guide tracks, in place of the guide track having the plurality of branches shown in Figs. 15 to 1.7.

Further embodiments of the invention may comprise one or more features of the above described embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A portable training unit comprising:

a transportable container defining an internal training area;

a plurality of training boards, each training board being mountable to the container within the internal training area; and

a mounting arrangement for mounting the training boards within the container, the mounting arrangement comprising a first mounting component provided on the container within the internal training area and a second mounting component on each training board, the first and second mounting components arranged to cooperate so that at least one of movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is permitted;

2. A training unit as claimed in claim 1, in which the second mounting components are adapted to engage the first mounting component in such a way that the second mounting components are movable relative to the first mounting component, to permit said movement of the boards.

3. A training unit as claimed in claim 2, in which the first mounting component is elongate and the second mounting components are translatable relative to the first mounting component.

4. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the second mounting components are adapted to engage the first mounting component in such a way that the second mounting components are rotatable relative to the first mounting component, to permit said rotation of the boards.

5. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each classroom space which is defined has unique characteristics, selected from the group comprising: at least one dimension of the space; eq ipment contained within the space; and material presented within the space.

6. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least one of the boards is rotatable about a horizontal axis.

7, A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least one of the boards is mounted in the container for movement in a width direction of the container.

8. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least one of the boards is mounted in the container for movement in a height direction of the container.

9. A training unit as claimed in. any preceding claim, in which the boards each have a wall which can form a wall of a classroom space,

10. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the boards are each releasably mountable to the container within the internal training area.

11. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a deployment arrangement for inserting boards into the container and removing boards from the container.

12. A training unit as claimed in claim 1 1 , in which the deployment, arrangement is releasably mountable to the container so that it extends out of the container, to facilitate insertion/removal of boards.

13. A training unit as claimed in claim 1 1 , in which the deployment arrangement is pivotable from a stowed position within the container to a deployed position where it extends out of the container, to facilitate insertion/removal of boards.

14. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which: the first, mounting component is an elongate guide track mounted to the container and extending at least part way along a length thereof; and the second mounting components take the form of couplings which are mounted on the hoards and arranged to engage the elongate guide track, for mounting the boards to the traek.

15. A training unit as claimed in claim 14, in which the couplings are translatable along the guide track and/or rotatable relative to the track.

16. A training unit as claimed in either of claims 14 or 15, in which elongate guide track comprises a plurality of guide track branches, the branches being associated with one another so that the boards can be deployed along a selected one of the branches,

17. A training unit as claimed in claim 16, in which the branches are connected together in a storage area for the boards, to facilitate deployment of the boards from the storage area and along the selected branch.

18. A training unit as claimed in either of claims 16 or 17, in which the plurality of guide track branches are laterally spaced, along a width direction of the container.

19. A training unit as claimed in claim .1 1 , or any one of claims 1.2 to 18 when dependent on claim 1 1, in which the deployment arrangement comprises an extension portion of the guide track.

20. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the boards are suspended from the container within the internal training area.

21. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which one or more board comprises a ground engaging support for transmitting at least part of a load of the board to a floor of the container.

22. A training unit as claimed in claim 21 , in which said ground engaging support is adapted for locking the board against movement/rotation relative to the container.

23. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a power transmission system for pro viding electrical power to at least one of the boards, in which the power transmission system is provided as part of the mounting arrangement.

24. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim , in which the first mounting component comprises at least one first electrical connection and said second mounting components each comprise a second electrical connection which is arranged to cooperate with the first connection for completing an electrical circuit, so that power can be provided to said board.

25. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the transportable container is a primary container, and in which the unit comprises a secondary transportable container defining a respective internal training area, in which the secondary container can be coupled to the primary container so that the internal training areas communicate with one another.

26. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the boards define a training surface on which training equipment can be mounted,

27. A training unit as claimed in claim 26, in which the training equipment is selected from the group comprising: a) electrical and/or electronic; b) mechanical; c) hydraulic; d) pneumatic; e) audio-visual; f) emergency or health & safety; g) machine/process control equipment; and h) static display training equipment.

28. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising at least one of the following: a confined working space; equipment for simulating working at height; safety equipment; lighting; a hoist; a crane; and a generator for providing hydraulic and/or electrical power,

29. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the container is deployable from a transport configuration to at least one training position.

30. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least one wall of the container is arranged so that it can be opened to provide access to the classroom space(s).

31. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising at least one canopy which is extendable from a retracted position, to a deployed position in which the canopy defines a roof over at least part of at least one classroom space.

32. A training unit as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the container is a standard transportable cargo container.

33. A training unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 31, in which the container is a standard fiat rack container.

34. A portable training unit comprising:

a transportable container defining an internal training area;

an elongate guide track provided within the internal training area ami extending at least part way along a length of the container; and

a plurality of training boards, each training board being mountable to the container within the internal training area via the elongate guide track;

in which the training boards are mountable to the track so that at least one of movement of the board along a length of the container and rotation of the board about a vertical axis is pennitted;

and in which one or more of the boards can be selected and located in at least one of a desired position and a desired rotational orientation within the training area, to thereby define one or more classroom spaces.