Hose carrying basket

Abstract

Hose carrying basket designed to hold a fire hose, comprising a surrounding frame, a back wall, and a lid movable between an open position enabling the insertion of a fire hose into the hose carrying basket and a closed position closing the hose carrying basket, wherein the frame, back wall, and lid define an interior space, and wherein the hose carrying basket has an opening designed to allow one end of the fire hose to exit the interior space, characterized in that at least one support web runs within the interior space between the back wall and the lid, wherein the support web is arranged at a distance from the surrounding edge in the central region of the back wall or the lid.

Description

The invention relates to a hose carrying basket according to the preamble of claim 1. A hose carrying basket of this type is known from DE 20 2016 107 471 U1, and similar hose carrying baskets in various designs are known in practice. They serve to transport a fire hose, which is laid in coils inside the basket. One end of the fire hose protrudes from an opening, equipped with a coupling and able to be connected to a water supply, such as a hydrant, a pump, or the end of another fire hose. From this connection point, the fire hose can be carried either to the scene of the incident where water is needed or to a location where another connection point is to be established and another fire hose is to be connected.While the fire hose is being carried, it unwinds from the hose carrying basket, making the fire hose easier to handle using the hose carrying basket than if it were wound on a spool. For example, in a metal hose carrying basket, the surrounding frame can be made of an aluminum sheet, while the back panel and lid are formed from a grid of aluminum struts or tubes. It is also known to manufacture the frame, back panel, and lid from plastic. Hose carrying baskets are used by emergency services such as the fire department. Under harsh operating conditions, often under time pressure, the hose carrying basket can be subjected to considerable mechanical stress. Permanent deformation or damage to the hose carrying basket should be avoided to ensure that the fire hose can unwind smoothly from the basket during the next use. If the fire hose cannot unwind smoothly from the hose carrying basket, this can lead to delays in firefighting operations, which can result in significant property damage or even personal injury. The invention is based on the objective of improving a generic hose carrying basket in such a way that it can withstand high mechanical loads without permanent adverse deformations. This problem is solved by a hose carrying basket with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims. In other words, the invention proposes to brace the back panel and the lid against each other in the central area of ​​the back panel and the lid, respectively. The hose carrying basket already exhibits its greatest mechanical stability in the area of ​​the surrounding frame. The two grid-like surfaces of the hose carrying basket, which may have perforations, namely the back panel and the lid, are comparatively more sensitive to pressure. If the empty hose carrying basket is lying flat on the ground, the upward-facing surface can be pressed in and permanently deformed if something heavy is placed on it or if a person stands on it.The proposal includes a support rib that runs between the back wall and the lid, so that the upper surface can transfer the acting pressure load via the support rib to the lower surface, which in turn rests on the ground and can accordingly transfer the forces into the subsoil. It may be possible to arrange several support struts between the back panel and the lid. However, initial practical tests have shown that a single support strut located in the central area of ​​the back panel or lid is sufficient to ensure the desired mechanical strength of the hose carrying basket. According to these initial practical tests, pressure loads between the support strut in the central area and the surrounding rim did not result in such significant permanent deformations of the lid or back panel that they would impair the smooth flow of the hose from the hose carrying basket during subsequent use. Rather, the loads occurring there are absorbed by the surrounding rim on the one hand and by the support strut on the other, so that the resulting deformations of the back panel or lid are minimal.The changes to the lid are either elastically reversible or, as plastic, permanent deformations, so small that they do not have a detrimental effect. Advantageously, the support strut can have an elongated cross-section. In this way, the support strut can effectively connect the two surfaces of the hose carrying basket not just at a single point, but over a larger area, while at the same time the cross-sectional shape of the support strut is optimally adapted to the coiled path of the fire hose, so as not to impede, for example, the insertion of the fire hose into the hose carrying basket. Advantageously, the support bracket can have a rounded cross-sectional contour to prevent the fire hose from unwinding from the hose basket. This is particularly important when the hose basket contains not just a single, correspondingly long fire hose, but two fire hoses connected by a coupling. In such cases, it is crucial to ensure that the coupling does not become stuck and obstruct the hose's unwinding. The rounded cross-sectional contour allows the coupling to slide off and prevents it from catching on an edge of the support bracket. The advantages of an elongated and rounded cross-sectional contour can be advantageously realized by giving the support web an oval or elliptical cross-sectional contour. Advantageously, the support bar can be fixed to the back wall. In this case, the empty hose basket can be placed on a surface with its back wall facing down, and the lid can be opened either by pulling it out of the basket or by hinged opening it, thus providing free access to the interior. The fire hose can then be placed inside the hose basket in numerous loops, wrapping itself around the support bar. The lid can then be closed without any support bar on the lid having to protrude between the hose loops and obstruct the closing mechanism. In practice, an elongated shape for the hose carrying basket has proven effective, achieved, for example, by making the lid and back panel rectangular. If the support strut has an elongated cross-sectional contour, it can preferably be oriented so that its longitudinal axis extends along the length of the hose carrying basket. This facilitates both the insertion of the fire hose into the basket and, later, the trouble-free unwinding of the fire hose from the basket. In a manner known per se, a carrying handle can be attached to the frame of the hose carrying basket. To avoid creating any obstructive protrusions, the frame often forms a recess projecting into the interior, in which the carrying handle is positioned. Advantageously, the carrying handle can be attached to the frame in a replaceable manner, so that if the carrying handle is damaged, the entire hose carrying basket does not need to be replaced, but rather only the carrying handle can be replaced, saving costs and resources. For example, the carrying handle can be screwed directly to the frame or designed as part of an insert that is screwed to the frame. For the same reasons, it can also be advantageous to attach the back panel and / or the lid to the frame in a replaceable manner. The support bar can also be attached to the rest of the carrying basket in a replaceable way, for example, using a screw connection. The back panel can also be screwed to the frame. If the lid can be pulled off the frame, it is a separate component that can be easily replaced. However, if the lid is advantageously attached to the frame in a captive manner, for example, by means of a hinge, the hinge can be screwed to the frame and / or the lid, or a hinge pin that can be removed from the hinge can allow the lid to be separated from the frame. Advantageously, due to its corrosion resistance, low weight, high mechanical strength and high elasticity, a fiber-reinforced plastic material can be used as the material from which the frame, carrying handle, back panel, lid and / or support bar are made. Suitable materials for the plastic component include polyamide or polycarbonate, and, if they possess suitable mechanical properties, biopolymers. Reinforcing fibers can include glass fibers or carbon fibers, and, if they have appropriate mechanical properties, natural fibers as well. Advantageously, the hose carrying basket can have not just one opening, but two, which, for example, are arranged opposite each other on opposite sides of the basket, so that both ends of the fire hose can be led out of the interior. For example, one end of the fire hose can be connected to the water supply in the form of the aforementioned connection point, pump, or hydrant, and then the fire hose can be carried in the hose carrying basket to the scene of the incident or to create another connection point, unwinding from the basket, and the second end of the fire hose is then immediately ready for connection when it protrudes from the second opening. The frame can be manufactured as a single unit, i.e., from a single piece of material. This can be advantageous, for example, for achieving particularly high load-bearing capacity. From a manufacturing perspective, this design can also offer the advantage of shorter production times, as it eliminates the need to assemble multiple sections into the complete frame. However, in another embodiment, and for the sake of comparatively simpler manufacturing, the frame can be designed in multiple parts. This avoids the need for one large, complex component; instead, two or more sections are required, each of which can be comparatively smaller and have a relatively simpler geometry. For example, the frame could consist of four sections. Regardless of manufacturing considerations, the multi-part design of the frame can also be advantageous for other reasons: Given the often time-pressured and therefore rough handling of the hose carrying basket, frame defects in the form of deformations or breaks can occur. In such cases, it can be advantageous from both an economic and an environmental perspective that it is not necessary to replace the entire frame, but only the affected section. In this context, it can be particularly advantageous to provide the frame sections with detachable connections. This can be achieved, for example, by appropriately designing the sections themselves, such as by creating a detachable snap-fit ​​or clip connection. However, for the sake of high stability of the hose carrying basket, separate, detachable connecting elements, such as screws, can be advantageously used. Because of the detachable connection, if necessary, the corresponding section does not need to be mechanically removed from the frame and a new section permanently inserted, for example, by welding, gluing, or riveting. This can be done, for example, as a repair at the hose carrying basket's manufacturing plant.Rather, thanks to the detachable connection, users themselves can remove a damaged section from a hose carrying basket and insert a replacement, thus keeping repair costs and, in particular, downtime of the hose carrying basket as low as possible.

Claims

Hose carrying basket designed to hold a fire hose, comprising a surrounding frame, a back wall, and a lid movable between an open position enabling the insertion of a fire hose into the hose carrying basket and a closed position closing the hose carrying basket, wherein the frame, back wall, and lid define an interior space, and wherein the hose carrying basket has an opening designed to allow one end of the fire hose to exit the interior space, characterized in that at least one support web extends within the interior space between the back wall and the lid, the support web being arranged at a distance from the surrounding edge in the central region of the back wall or the lid. Hose carrying basket according to claim 1, characterized in that the support strut has an elongated cross-section. Hose carrying basket according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support rib has a rounded cross-sectional contour. Hose carrying basket according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the support rib has an oval or elliptical cross-sectional contour. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support strut is fixed to the rear wall. Hose carrying basket claim 2 , characterized in that the back wall and the lid each have rectangular dimensions, such that the hose carrying basket has an elongated basic shape, and that the elongated cross-section of the support rib extends in the longitudinal direction of the hose carrying basket. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a carrying handle is arranged on the frame, wherein the carrying handle is interchangeably attached to the frame. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the back wall and / or the lid is interchangeably attached to the frame. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the frame, the carrying handle, the back wall, the lid and / or the support bar is made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. Hose carrying basket according to claim 9, characterized in that the plastic material contains polyamide. Hose carrying basket according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the plastic material contains glass fibers as reinforcing fibers. Hose carrying basket according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the plastic material contains natural fibers as reinforcing fibers. Hose carrying basket according to claim 9, 11 or 12, characterized in that the plastic material contains a biopolymer. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hose carrying basket has two openings which are intended to lead the two ends of the fire hose out of the interior. Hose carrying basket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the frame is composed of several parts. Hose carrying basket according to claim 15, characterized in that the sections are detachably connected to one another. Hose carrying basket according to claim 16, characterized in that the sections are connected to each other by separate, detachable connecting elements.