Self-retracting lifeline

Abstract

A self-retracting lifeline (SRL) including a housing within which are a lifeline-bearing drum and a centrifugal brake. The SRL may comprise pawl-supporting infrastructure that is integral with a sidewall of the drum. The drum, including first and second sidewalls and a spool connecting them, and the pawl- supporting infrastructure, may all be portions of a single piece. The SRL may include a motor spring with a radially-inward end that is fixedly connected to a shaft that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing and upon which the drum is rotatably mounted. The motor spring may reside in a casing that is axially mated to the drum so that the casing as a whole, and the drum, cannot substantially rotate relative to each other. The drum may comprise a cavity configured to receive, e.g. to circumscribe, a fitting of a proximal end of a safety line of the SRL, in order to permanently connect the safety line to the drum.

Description

[0001] SELF-RETRACTING LIFELINE

[0002] Fall-protection apparatus such as self-retracting lifelines have often found use in applications such as building construction and the like.

[0003] Summary

[0004] In broad summary, herein is disclosed a self-retracting lifeline (SRL) comprising a housing within which are a safety line-bearing drum and a centrifugal brake. In one aspect, the SRL may comprise pawlsupporting infrastructure that is integral with a sidewall of the drum. In another aspect, the drum, including first and second sidewalls and a spool connecting them, and the pawl-supporting infrastructure, may all be integral portions of a single piece. In another aspect, the SRL may comprise a motor spring with a radially - inward end that is fixedly connected, e.g. indirectly fixedly connected, to a shaft that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing and upon which the drum is rotatably mounted. In another aspect, the motor spring may reside in a casing that is axially mated to the drum so that the casing as a whole, and the drum, cannot substantially rotate relative to each other. In another aspect, the drum may comprise a cavity configured to receive, e.g. to circumscribe, a fitting of a proximal end of a safety line of the SRL, in order to permanently connect the safety line to the drum. These and other aspects will be apparent from the detailed description below. In no event, however, should this broad summary be constmed to limit the claimable subject matter, whether such subject matter is presented in claims in the application as initially filed or in claims that are amended or otherwise presented in prosecution.

[0005] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary self-retracting lifeline.

[0007] Fig. 2 is a perspective partially-exploded view of various components of an exemplary selfretracting lifeline.

[0008] Fig. 3 is a perspective partially -exploded view of the exemplary self-retracting lifeline of Fig. 2, from an opposite viewing perspective.

[0009] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary drum and its integral pawl-supporting infrastructure, and of exemplary pawls.

[0010] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary motor spring module.

[0011] Fig. 6 is a perspective exploded view of the exemplary motor spring module of Fig. 5, along with an exemplary shaft on which the motor spring module can be mounted.

[0012] Fig. 7 is a side view of the exemplary drum of Fig. 4.

[0013] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view, viewed along the axial direction, of the exemplary drum of Figs. 4 and 7.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a perspective view, from a different viewing perspective, of the exemplary drum of Figs. 4 and 7-8.

[0015] Fig. 10 is a perspective view, from a different viewing perspective, of a portion of the exemplary self-retracting lifeline of Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a plan view of an exemplary full-body fall-protection safety harness with which a herein- disclosed self-retracting lifeline may be used.

[0016] Fig. 12 depicts a portion of an exemplary full-body fall-protection safety harness illustrating an exemplary manner in which a herein-disclosed self-retracting lifeline may be connected to the safety harness.

[0017] Like reference numbers in the various figures indicate like elements. Some elements may be present in identical or equivalent multiples; in such cases only one or more representative elements may be designated by a reference number but it will be understood that such reference numbers apply to all such identical elements. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures and drawings in this document are not to scale and are chosen for the purpose of illustrating different embodiments of the invention. In particular the dimensions of the various components are depicted in illustrative terms only, and no relationship between the dimensions of the various components should be inferred from the drawings, unless so indicated. Although terms such as “first” and “second” may be used in this disclosure, it should be understood that those terms are used in their relative sense only unless otherwise noted.

[0018] Geometric descriptors are used herein, unless otherwise specified, with reference to a housing, dmm, and other components of a self-retracting lifeline as described in detail herein and as shown e.g. in Figs. 1-3. The term “axial” refers to a direction at least generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum and to a shaft on which the drum is rotatably mounted. (The axial direction Dais indicated in various Figures). By axially outward is meant a direction away from a spool of such a drum (as described in detail later herein); by axially inward is meant a direction toward the spool of the drum. The term “radial” and like terms refers to directions generally parallel to the radii of the drum and generally perpendicular to the axial direction. The terms circumferential, circumferentially, and like terms, refer to an arcuate direction that exhibits a generally constant radius relative to the axis of rotation of the drum.

[0019] The direction of rotation of various components (e.g. drum 30) in the event of a user fall is denoted in Fig. 4 by an arcuate arrow labeled co. (Discussions herein will make it clear that these components can sometimes rotate in the opposite direction; however, the particular direction of fall-induced rotation will be used in order to standardize terms used herein). The term “leading” refers to a direction along this direction of rotation; the term “trailing” refers to an opposite direction; these directions are denoted as “L” and “T” in Fig. 4. The meanings of all of these terms, and related terms and phrases, will be readily apparent based on the descriptions and Figures presented herein.

[0020] Terms such as fixing, fixed, fixedly connected, and similar terms, mean that an entity in question is attached or otherwise disposed so that it cannot move relative to another entity to which it is fixed, fixedly connected, etc. Such fixing may be direct or indirect. The specific terminology of non-rotatably fixed further specifies in particular that an entity cannot rotate relative to an entity to which it is non-rotatably fixed.

[0021] As used herein as a modifier to a property or attribute, the term “generally”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property or attribute would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring a high degree of approximation (e.g., within + / - 20 % for quantifiable properties). The term “substantially”, unless otherwise specifically defined, means to a high degree of approximation (e.g., within + / - 10% for quantifiable properties). The term “essentially” means to a very high degree of approximation (e.g., within plus or minus 2 % for quantifiable properties; it will be understood that the phrase “at least essentially” subsumes the specific case of an “exact” match. However, even an “exact” match, or any other characterization using terms such as e.g. same, equal, identical, uniform, constant, and the like, will be understood to be within the usual tolerances or measuring error applicable to the particular circumstance rather than requiring absolute precision or a perfect match. The term “configured to” and like terms is at least as restrictive as the term “adapted to”, and requires actual design intention to perform the specified function rather than mere physical capability of performing such a function.

[0022] Detailed Description

[0023] Disclosed herein is a self-retracting lifeline (SRL) 1 that allows a human user of the SRL to move (e.g. to move about a workplace) and that acts to controllably decelerate the user in the event of a user fall. With reference to Figs. 1-3, self-retracting lifeline 1 comprises a housing 10 that contains a drum 30 and a drum-wound safety line 2 that can be extended from the housing and retracted into the housing during normal movement of a user of the apparatus. Drum 30 will be rotatably mounted within housing 10 (e.g., by way of a shaft 20) such that the safety line 2 can be wound and unwound from the drum as the safety line is retracted into, and extended from, the housing. Such an SRL will comprise a brake 7 configured so that in the event of a user fall, the SRL will automatically arrest the fall of the user. Specifically, such a brake will slow (e.g. stop) the rotation of drum 30 upon rotation of the drum with a velocity above a predetermined threshold value. By definition, a brake 7 as disclosed herein will be a centrifugal brake that will comprise at least one centrifugally -actuated pawl 50. A centrifugal brake and a centrifugally -actuated pawl thereof will be distinguished from arrangements and entities that do not rely on centrifugal actuation (for example, the arrangements as disclosed in U.S. Patent 6,279,682).

[0024] In some embodiments an SRL 1 e.g. as depicted in Figs. 1-3 may comprise a housing 10 that is provided by a first major housing piece 11 and a second major housing piece 13 that are assembled and held together to form the housing. In some embodiments, housing pieces 11 and 13 may be held together at least in part by way of shaft 20, e.g., by way of retaining flange 22 at one end of shaft 20 being seated axially outward of aperture 12 of first housing piece 11, along with a bolt (not shown in any Figure) being attached to a threaded bore 26 at the opposing end of shaft 20, with the bolt being seated axially outward of aperture 14 of second housing piece 13. In addition to this, or as an adjunct to this, housing pieces 11 and 13 may be held together e.g. by bolts, screws, clips, clamps, and / or rivets, or, in general, by any suitable fastener or fasteners. In some embodiments, the first and second housing pieces may be attached to each other by melt-bonding e.g. via ultrasonic welding along the junction of the two housing pieces; or, by solvent-bonding along the junction of the two pieces. In some embodiments, adhesive bonding may be used, e.g. as an adjunct to one or more of the above-described joining methods. Any such bonding, joining, or fastening method or methods may be used, in any combination. In some embodiments, the first and second housing pieces may be permanently attached to each other so that the housing 10 of the SRL is not disassemblable. In other embodiments, the first and second housing pieces may be detachable from each other so that the housing 10 can be disassembled for access to interior components thereof. In some embodiments, housing 10 may be load-bearing as discussed in detail later herein. In some embodiments the housing may not necessarily be formed from two major housing pieces that are generally similar in size; rather, in some embodiments they may take the form of e.g. one large housing piece in combination with a closure lid or plate (e.g. in the manner illustrated in U.S. Patent 5, 186,289).

[0025] In some embodiments, housing 10 may be equipped with a connector 15 as visible in Figs. 1-3. In the depicted embodiment, connector 15 resides in, and extends out of, a seating orifice (not visible in the particular viewing angles in the Figures herein) of housing 10, and is held in place by way of a retaining flange 16. In many embodiments, connector 15 will be load-bearing as discussed in detail later herein. In various embodiments, housing 10 may comprise various additional components (e.g. minor housing pieces, gaskets, washers, spacers, labels, sensors, and so on) as desired for suitable functioning of the SRL.

[0026] SRL 1 comprises a drum 30 that is rotatably mounted within housing 10 such that the safety line 2 can be wound about the drum when the safety line is retracted into the housing. In many embodiments, drum 30 comprises a first sidewall 31 and a second sidewall 41, connected by a central spool 45 as visible in Figs. 2-4. The sidewalls and spool collectively define a receiving space 40 into which can be wound (e.g., spiral-wound) a length of safety line 2. The term safety line broadly encompasses any elongate, windable load-bearing member, including e.g. webbing, cable, rope, etc., made e.g. of any suitable synthetic or natural polymeric material, metal, metal alloy or blend, and so on, and having any suitable cross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, safety line 2 may take the form of a relatively wide and flat webbing (e.g. of the type depicted in U.S. Patent 10,792,523). In other embodiments, safety line 2 will exhibit a generally circular cross-sectional shape. Such a shape does not have to be purely circular when viewed in crosssection; rather, the term generally circular includes shapes of the type exhibited by items such as e.g. wire ropes that are made of multiple fibers, plies, strands, etc., that are twisted or braided together. Such a shape will nevertheless exhibit an overall cross-sectional aspect ratio of less than 1.4: 1, and will thus be distinguished from a safety line that is in the form of a relatively wide and flat webbing that often exhibits a cross-sectional aspect ratio of at least 4:1.

[0027] A proximal end 3 of safety line 2 is permanently connected, directly or indirectly, to dmm 30, e.g. by way of the proximal end 3 of line 2 being equipped with a fitting 4 that is seated within a receiving chamber 46 of drum 30, as described in detail later herein. Distal end 5 of safety line 2 may comprise a hook 6, noting that the term “hook” generically encompasses any suitable connector, including e.g. gated hooks, carabiners, and various types of quick-connect devices. In many embodiments, the herein-disclosed SRL 1 will be a so-called “personal” SRL, meaning that the housing 10 of the SRL is configured to be connected (e.g. by way of the above-described connector 15) to a full-body fall-protection safety harness 90 with the hook 6 at the distal end of the safety line 2 being configured to be connected to a suitable anchorage.

[0028] As noted, drum 30 is rotatably mounted within housing 11. In some embodiments this will be achieved by rotatably mounting drum 30 on a shaft 20 that is non-rotatably fixed to housing 10. Drum 30 may thus be rotatably mounted on cylindrical section 24 of shaft, which section is most easily seen in Fig. 6. A circular orifice 59 (most easily seen in Fig. 4) provided may be provided in drum 30 for this purpose. As seen in the exemplary depiction of Fig. 2, one or more bushings 81 and 82 may be at least partially interposed between drum 30 and section 24 of shaft 20 to serve as one or more bearings. In such embodiments, the rotation of dmm 30 relative to housing 10 is achieved by rotation of drum about shaft 20 rather than by rotation of shaft 20 relative to housing 10.

[0029] In some embodiments, the non-rotatable fixing of shaft 20 to housing 10 is achieved by seating a non-circular (square, in the depicted embodiment) end 25 of shaft 20 in a complementary non-circular aperture 14 (again square, in the depicted embodiment) of housing piece 13. In some embodiments both of the ends of shaft 20 may be non-circular. However, only one such non-circular interface is needed to provide the desired non-rotatability of shaft 20 relative to housing 10. Thus in the depicted embodiment seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the other end 21 of shaft 20 is round so as to be seated in a complementary round aperture 12 in the other housing piece 11. It has been found that providing that one end of shaft 20 is round and is seated in a circular aperture 12 of a housing piece, can provide advantages in assembly of the SRL without affecting the functioning of the assembled SRL.

[0030] SRL 1 comprises a centrifugal brake 7 as indicated in general in Fig. 2. Such a centrifugal brake 7 relies on at least one centrifugally -actuated pawl 50 (two such pawls 50 are used in the exemplary arranged depicted in the Figures herein). The centrifugal brake will also include at least one ratchet 18 comprising one or more teeth 19 which the pawl(s) can engage, as discussed below. Each such pawl 50 is co-rotatable with drum 30. By this is meant that the pawl is able to rotate along with drum 30, with the pawl moving in an orbital path about a center of orbital motion that coincides with the axis of rotation of the drum. In addition to this orbital motion of the pawl as a whole, each pawl is pivotable through an arc of partial rotation, between a disengaged position and an engaged position. Each such pawl 50 is configured so that in ordinary use of the SRL, an engaging portion 52 of the pawl 50 is maintained (e.g. by the action of a biasing spring 58) in a non-engaged position in which engaging portion 52 (and all other portions of pawl 50) does not engage with any item (e.g. a ratchet tooth) that would limit rotation of drum 30. This arrangement allows drum 30 to rotate freely back and forth thus allowing extension and retraction of the safety line in response to movements of a user of the SRL as the user goes about their workplace activities. In the event that drum 30 begins to rotate (in direction co as indicated e.g. in Fig. 4) above a predetermined threshold value of velocity, at least a portion of the pawl 50 is urged radially outward via centrifugal force (overcoming the biasing force applied by spring 58) into an engaged position in which the engaging portion Pawl 50 is thus pivotable in an arc of partial rotation about a rotation axis that coincides with bore 51 of pawl 50, in which bore resides a pawl-support post 34 upon which pawl 50 is seated. The pivotal motion of pawl 50 toward an engaged position in response to a user fall will involve some portions of pawl 50 (e.g., including “leading” portions 57 and 52) moving radially outward, while other, “trailing” portions of pawl 50 may move radially inward. The shapes and sizes of all such portions of pawl 50 can be set (to establish the desired distribution of mass about the pawl’s rotation axis), along with the spring constant of spring 58, and other associated parameters, so pawl 50 is actuated into an engaged position at a predetermined threshold of rotational velocity. It is noted that the elongation of portion 57 of pawl 50 in the “leading” direction as evident e.g. in Fig. 4, is done for purposes of establishing a desired distribution of mass of the pawl; in the depicted design, it is portion 52, not the leading tip of portion 57, that will engage a ratchet tooth. Again, all such geometric parameters, shapes, sizes, and so on, can be set as needed to provide a particular predetermined threshold of rotational velocity at which the pawl will be centrifugally actuated. It is further noted that, strictly speaking, pawl 50 will not engage with a ratchet tooth 19 until its engaging portion 52 actually contacts the tooth. However, for purposes of description, a pawl will be considered to be in an engaged position upon the pawl having been actuated so that its engaging portion is in a position (e.g. having moved radially outward) in which it will contact a ratchet tooth upon continued motion of the pawl along its orbital path. In Fig. 4, pawl 50eis depicted in an engaged position in which engaging portion 52 has moved sufficiently far radially outward that it will contact a tooth of a ratchet; pawl 50d is depicted in a disengaged position in which the pawl does not prevent the drum from freely rotating.

[0031] As disclosed herein, a pawl 50 will be supported by pawl-supporting infrastructure 8. Such infrastructure will include at least an axially -outwardly -extending pawl-support post 34 configured so that bore 51 of pawl 50 is mounted on post 34 as evident in Fig. 4. In some embodiments, such infrastructure will also include a spring-seat 38 that supports the above-described biasing spring 58. In the depicted embodiment, spring-seat 38 defines a spring-slot 39 within which spring 58 is seated, such that spring 58 functions as a compression spring that exerts force on surface 56 of pawl 50 to urge pawl 50 toward the disengaged position. In other embodiments, a biasing spring and pawl may be configured so that the spring biases the pawl by functioning in tension rather than in compression.

[0032] In some embodiments, pawl-support infrastructure 8 will include at least one pawl-stop 35 that will serve to limit the arc of partial rotation through which pawl 50 can move. Such a pawl-stop 35 may be configured to limit the pivotal movement of the pawl in the disengaging direction, in the engaging direction, or both. The exemplary illustration of Fig. 4 depicts an arrangement in which a pawl-stop 35 limits the pawl movement in both directions. In the depicted embodiment, pawl-stop 35 comprises a first pawl-contacting surface 36 that faces in a generally trailing direction and that is configured to be contacted by a first contact surface 54 of the pawl when the pawl is in a disengaged position (as with pawl 50d of Fig. 4). Pawl-stop 35 further comprises a second pawl-contacting surface 37 that faces in a generally leading direction and that is configured to be contacted by a second contact surface 55 of the pawl when the pawl is in an engaged position (as with pawl 50eof Fig. 4). It will be observed that first pawl-contacting surface 36 of pawl-stop 35 does not face exactly in the leading direction and second pawl-contacting surface 37 of pawl-stop 35 does not face exactly in the trailing direction. Rather, at least portions of both pawl-contact surfaces 36 and 37 face at least somewhat radially outward as evident from Fig. 4. (Indeed, second pawl-contacting surface 37 of pawl-stop 35 includes a portion that faces generally radially outward but that nevertheless is contacted by pawl 50 when pawl 50 is in the engaged position, as can be seen for pawl 50ein Fig. 4). The concept of facing “generally” in a leading or trailing direction broadly encompasses any such arrangements.

[0033] It is further noted that strictly speaking, pawl-stop surface 37 may not necessarily be configured (positioned) to stop pawl 50 “exactly” at the engaged position. Rather, surface 37 of pawl-stop 35 may be positioned slightly beyond this to ensure that pawl 50 can reach its engaged position and engage with a ratchet tooth. This engaging may then cause pawl 50 to move slightly further so that surface 55 of pawl 50 contacts surface 37 of pawl-stop 35. Pawl-stop 35 can thus assist in dissipating the forces that arise during fall arrest, without hampering the ability of pawl 50 to engage ratchet 18. This nuance notwithstanding, such arrangements will be characterized herein as surface 37 of pawl-stop 35 being configured to be contacted by a second contact surface 55 of pawl 50 when the pawl is in an engaged position.

[0034] In the depicted embodiment of Fig. 4, each pawl 50 exhibits a radially-outwardly-open-ended concave recess 53. Portions of this concave recess are defined by the above-described contact surfaces 54 and 55 of pawl 50. It will be appreciated that Fig. 4 is an example of a general arrangement in which a pawl-stop 35 is positioned generally radially outward of the pawl 50 which it serves, e.g. with the pawlstop residing at least partially in a radially -outwardly -open-ended concave recess provided in the pawl. In at least some such cases, the pawl-stop 35 may exhibit pawl-contacting surfaces 36 and 37 that collectively form a generally radially-inwardly-facing convex surface, as is evident from Fig. 4. Within these general guidelines, the exact shape of pawl-stop 35 (in particular, its radially -outward-facing surface) may be varied. For example, pawl-stop 35 may have a radially -outward facing notch e.g. to save weight (indeed, in some embodiments the pawl-stop 35 may be completely divided into two separate entities, one bearing first surface 36, the other bearing second surface 37).

[0035] Fig. 4 is also an example of a general arrangement in which multiple pawls (in this case, two) 50 are present, with each pawl being served by a different pawl-stop 35, and with the two pawl-stops 35 being separate, and isolated, from each other. By this is meant that the individual pawl-stops are not portions of a single entity such that an uninterrupted, generally circumferential path, that lies in a single axial plane, can be followed from one pawl-stop to the other pawl-stop. Such an arrangement can be contrasted to those in which multiple pawl-stops are provided e.g. as portions of a single plate such as a pawl-support plate.

[0036] In some embodiments, at least some portion of pawl-support infrastructure 8 will be integral with a sidewall (e.g. first sidewall 31) of dmm 30. By integral is meant (here and elsewhere herein) that entities are made of the exact same material, and are formed at the same time, during the same general forming (e.g. molding, casting, machining, etc.) operation. This will be distinguished from non-integral items, e.g. a pawl-support post that is made separately and is then attached to a drum (or, is simply held in close proximity to the drum). In many embodiments, any such infrastructure item will protrude at least generally axially outwardly from the axially -outward-facing surface 32 of sidewall 31 of drum 30. In some embodiments, such integral pawl-support infrastructure may comprise at least one pawl-support post 34. In some embodiments, such integral pawl-support infrastructure may comprise at least one pawl-stop 35. In some embodiments, such integral pawl-support infrastructure may comprise at least one spring-seat 38. Any or all such items, in any combination, may be integral with the drum sidewall (and thus with each other). If multiple pawls are present (e.g. two, three, four, or more), multiple such sidewall-integral items may be present as part of the pawl-support infrastructure.

[0037] In some embodiments using an integral pawl-support infrastructure, centrifugal brake 7, and pawlsupport infrastructure 8 in particular, may be configured so that the one or more pawls 50 are supported directly by this integral pawl-support infrastructure. In at least some such integral arrangements, no pawlsupport plate will be present. A pawl-support plate is a generally plate-like item (sometimes referred to as a rotor, exemplified e.g. by rotor 162 as depicted in Fig. 1 of U.S. Patent 10,792,523) that is made separately from a drum and is abutted closely against a drum sidewall (in some cases, the pawl-support plate may be attached to the drum sidewall) and on or in which one or more pawls are mounted and supported. In at least some such integral arrangements, no pawl-support post, spring-seat, and / or pawl-stop will be present in the form of a non-integral item that is made separately from the dmm and that is attached to the dmm sidewall or to a pawl-support plate. It will be appreciated that the arrangements described herein can advantageously minimize the total volume and weight of pawl-support infrastructure. In particular, such arrangements can provide that no geometrically complex pawl-support plate need be used.

[0038] In some embodiments, drum 30 may be an integral entity, e.g. including first sidewall 31, second sidewall 41, spool 45 that connects the first and second sidewalls, and at least some portion, or all, of any pawl-support infrastructure that is present on a sidewall of the drum. (Such arrangements do not preclude other ancillary items or components from being made separately and then attached to the drum.) In some embodiments, such an integral drum 30 may be formed by additive methods, e.g. by molding (e.g. of an organic polymeric material such as a thermoplastic or thermoset injection-molding resin), by casting (e.g. of a suitable metal, alloy, blend, etc.), or by 3D printing. In some embodiments an integral drum 30 may be formed by subtractive methods, e.g. by starting with a suitable workpiece (e.g. a metal block, made of e.g. aluminum or steel) and machining the workpiece, e.g. by mechanical machining processes such as milling, turning, grinding, cutting, drilling, etc., or by non-mechanical machining methods such as e.g. electrical discharge machining, plasma cutting, laser cutting, and so on. It will be appreciated that the arrangements disclosed herein can minimize the total number of components that must be attached to each other and can thus minimize the number of connection points and connectors that must be used.

[0039] In addition to one or more pawls 50 and various supporting infrastructure as discussed above, a centrifugal brake 7 as disclosed herein will include a ratchet 18 that presents at least one tooth 19 configured to be engaged by a pawl in the event that the pawl pivots to an engaged position. In the depicted embodiment, pawl 50 is configured so that the engaging portion 52 of the pawl travels from a disengaged position to an engaged position by moving generally radially outward as is evident in Fig. 4. Such centrifugally-outwardly-actuated pawl arrangements are typically used with a radially-inward-facing ratchet (meaning a ratchet, e.g. a ratchet ring or partial ring, with radially inward-facing teeth), as is the case for ratchet 18 as visible in Fig. 3. In some embodiments a ratchet may be provided as an integral (e.g. molded, cast, or machined) feature of the housing 10 of the SRL. This is the case for exemplary ratchet 18 as shown in Fig. 3, which is formed directly in the interior side of housing piece 13. apparatus. However, in some embodiments, a ratchet may take the form of an item (e.g. a toothed ring) that is made separately and inserted into a housing of a fall-protection apparatus. Another possibility in ratchet design is disclosed in U.S. Patent 9,488,235, in which a ratchet takes the form of a single tooth (“stop member”) that is provided as an integral part of a bracket (e.g., a load-bearing bracket) of a fall-protection apparatus.

[0040] From the above discussions it will be clear that a ratchet of a centrifugal brake can be any component (e.g. an integrally -formed portion of a housing, a separately -made toothed ring or partial ring, a portion of a load-bearing bracket, and so on) that presents at least one tooth that can be engaged by an engaging portion of a pawl to initiate a braking operation of the centrifugal brake. It is emphasized that the term “ratchet” is used for convenience of description; use of this term does not require that the ratchet and pawl(s) must necessarily be arranged e.g. so that relative rotation of these components is permitted in one direction but is precluded in the opposite direction.

[0041] In use of a centrifugal brake as disclosed herein, the engaging of at least one pawl with a tooth of a ratchet will at least slow, e.g. will arrest, the rotation of the drum. With some such arrangements (including the ones depicted in the Figures herein), the centrifugal brake may bring the drum to a “hard stop” in which the rotation of the drum ceases essentially completely at the instant that the pawl engages the tooth. The term “hard stop” is used for convenience in distinguishing such an arrangement from a more gradual halting of the drum rotation that relies on the use of an internal friction brake as described below; the term “hard stop” does not imply that the user is subjected to, e.g., excessively hard forces in being brought to a halt. Rather, in many embodiments the safety line of such an SRL (and / or a harness or connection system that is used in combination with the SRL) may include a so-called shock absorber (sometimes referred to as an energy absorber, and often being in the form of a so-called tear web or tear strip) to minimize the force experienced by a user as the user is brought to a halt. The above-cited U.S. Patent 9,488,235 provides an example of an arrangement that uses a centrifugal brake configured to provide a “hard stop”, in combination with a shock absorber. Shock absorbers that may be useful in combination with the presently -disclosed arrangements include, e.g., the general types described in U.S. Patent 9,174,073 and in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2006 / 0048723 and 2022 / 0362594, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein for this purpose.

[0042] Thus, in some embodiments a centrifugal brake as disclosed herein can bring a drum to a “hard stop” (e.g. the braking device may rely on a ratchet, and any tooth or teeth thereof, that is immovably fixed to the housing of the apparatus). However, in other embodiments a centrifugal brake may comprise an internal friction brake that operates in concert with the ratchet of the SRL. In some instances, such a friction brake will comprise at least one layer of friction material (e.g. in the form of a disk or ring) that is in contact with the ratchet or with an item that is attached to the ratchet. In such an arrangement, the ratchet may be momentarily set into motion when engaged by the pawl (e.g. the ratchet, in the form of a ring, may rotate); the ratchet will then be brought to a halt by the frictional forces imparted by the layer of friction material. Centrifugal brakes that use arrangements of this general type are described e.g. in U.S. Patents 5186289 and 8430206. In some embodiments a centrifugal brake of an SRL as disclosed herein may include this general type of internal friction brake. However, in some embodiments, the centrifugal brake of an SRL as disclosed herein will not have an internal friction brake; that is, it will not include any layer of sort of friction material that is associated in any way with the ratchet.

[0043] Some SRLs described in the art use an internal friction brake in which a layer of friction material is sandwiched axially between a pawl or pawls (and / or a pawl-support plate), and a safety line-bearing drum. With such an arrangement, upon the engaging of an engaging portion of a pawl with a tooth of the ratchet, the drum may continue to rotate momentarily until brought to a halt by the frictional forces imparted by the frictional material. An arrangement of this general type is depicted e.g. in Fig. 2 of International (PCT) Patent Application WO 2022 / 009174. In at least some embodiments, a herein-disclosed SRL will not comprise an internal friction brake that includes any layer of friction material located axially between a pawl or pawls, and a safety line-bearing drum. Thus in summary, in many embodiments a herein-disclosed SRL will not include any internal friction brake of any type or design, but rather may be configured e.g. to bring the drum to a “hard stop”.

[0044] In the depicted embodiment, pawls 50 are not fastened to drum 30 or to any other component of SRL 1 by any sort of fastener (e.g., clip, retaining pin, etc.). Rather, pawls 50 are maintained in their position in close abutment to drum 30 by way of isolation plate 83 which is rotatably mounted on shaft 20 so that in the assembled SRL, pawls 50 are axially sandwiched between isolation plate 83 and sidewall 31 of drum 30. Isolation plate 83 may be made of any suitable material, e.g. metal, plastic, and so on, and may take the form of a round disk, although this exact shape may not be strictly necessary. Although such an isolation plate 83 may, in the assembled SRL, serve at least in part to ensure that pawls 50 maintain their proper axial position, such an isolation plate plays no part in supporting the pawls (e.g. it has no pawl-support post or pawl-support receptable, nor does it provide a pawl-stop or any analogous item). As such, an isolation plate 83 is distinguished from a pawl-support plate of the type discussed earlier herein. In some embodiments, a drum 30 may include an axially -protruding sleeve 33 as most easily seen in Fig. 4. Such a sleeve 33 may define the previously -noted circular aperture 59 that allows drum 30 to be rotatably mounted on section 24 of shaft 20. In some embodiments, the distance that sleeve 33 protrudes axially may be chosen to provide a desired axial distance between the axially -outward surface 32 of drum 30 and the axially -inward surface (unnumbered) of isolation plate 83, so as to provide a suitable space within which pawl(s) 50 reside and function.

[0045] As noted earlier herein, drum 30 is biased toward rotating in a direction that will retract safety line

[0046] 2 onto the drum (i.e., a direction the opposite of direction co as appearing in Fig. 4) unless the biasing force is overcome e.g. by deliberate movement of a human user or by a fall. In many embodiments, this biasing may be achieved by the use of a suitable motor spring 61 such as a helical (spiral-coiled) torsion spring 61 as shown in Fig. 6. In some embodiments such a motor spring 61 may be provided as part of a motor spring module 60 as illustrated in exemplary embodiment in Figs. 6 and 7. In the depicted embodiment, motor spring module 60 includes a casing 64 that comprises first and second casing pieces 66 and 71 that are mated axially to form main casing portion 65 (pieces 66 and 71 may be held together by latches 72, or in any suitable manner). Main casing portion 65 is rotatably mounted on bushing 74 (which resides in a circular aperture 73 defined by main casing portion 65 for this purpose) so that main casing portion 65 of casing 64 is able to rotate relative to bushing 74 of casing 64. Bushing 74 in turn is non-rotatably mounted onto the earlier-described shaft 20. (Fig. 6 is an axially -exploded view of motor spring module 60; shaft 20 is also shown in this Figure, in radially -exploded position, so that the relationship of the various components of module 60 to shaft 20 can be easily seen.) In the depicted embodiment, this is achieved by providing bushing 74 with a non-circular (in this case, octagonal) aperture 75 that is configured to reside on a complementary non-circular (again, octagonal in this case) section 23 of shaft 20. Shaft 20 being non- rotatably fixed to housing 10 as discussed earlier herein, and bushing 74 being non-rotatably mounted on shaft 20, bushing 74 is thus not able to rotate relative to housing 10. However, main casing portion 65, being able to rotate relative to bushing 74, is able to rotate relative to housing 10.

[0047] In the depicted embodiment, motor spring 61 comprises a radially -inward end 62 that resides in a slot 76 provided in bushing 74, with bushing 74 in turn being fixed on shaft 20. Such an arrangement will be characterized herein as inward end 62 of motor spring 61 being “indirectly” fixedly connected to shaft 20, and can be contrasted to an arrangement in which an end of a motor spring is directly fixed to a shaft, e.g. by inserting the spring end directly into a slot in the shaft. The radially -inward end 62 of motor spring 61 is thus fixed in position and is not able to rotate relative to bushing 74, shaft 20, or housing 10.

[0048] In the depicted embodiment, motor spring module 60, and the main casing portion 65 of casing 64 in particular, is axially mated to drum 30. By this is mean that, as evident from Figs. 2 and 3, casing 64 and dmm 30 are coaxially mounted on the same shaft 20 and are moved axially so that they are mated together (as discussed in detail later herein) so that main casing portion 65 cannot substantially rotate separately from, or independently of, drum 30. However, this can be achieved without necessarily attaching main casing portion 65 to dmm 30, as will be clear from the discussions that follow.

[0049] As described above, the herein-disclosed arrangement uses a motor spring 61 with a radially - inward end 62 that is fixed to a bushing 74 that is fixed to shaft 20 that is in turn fixed to housing 10, so that inward end 62 of motor spring 61 is fixed in position relative to housing 10. The radially -outward end 63 of motor spring 61 is fixed to a radially -outward perimeter of main casing portion 65 (e.g. by providing a hook at the terminal end of outward end 63 of spring 61, as visible in Fig. 6). Main casing portion 65, and thus the outward end 63 of spring 61 and most of spring 61 excepting its inward end 62, are rotatable (with dmm 30) relative to housing 10. Thus in this arrangement, motor spring 61 (excepting its radially -inward end 62) is disposed within a main casing portion 65 that rotates in concert with drum 30. That is, as drum 30 rotates e.g. due to the movement of a person wearing a harness to which the SRL is connected, main casing portion 65 will rotate (with drum 30) about bushing 74. The outward end 63 of motor spring 61 being fixed to main casing portion 65 and the inward end 62 of spring 61 being (indirectly) fixedly connected to shaft 20 via bushing 74, this rotation of main casing portion 65 will cause spring 61 to be wound or unwound (depending on the direction of rotation). Such arrangements can be contrasted with conventional arrangements in the art in which a motor spring is disposed within a casing the entirety of which casing is fixed in position (i.e. is not rotatable) relative to the housing of the SRL. That is, in such conventional arrangements, a motor spring casing will remain stationary while the motor spring winds and unwinds inside it, in contrast to the present arrangements.

[0050] The arrangements disclosed herein are also distinguished from arrangements in the art in which a radially -inward end of a motor spring is connected to a rotatable shaft and in which the radially -outward end of the motor spring is fixed in position relative to the housing of the SRL. In such a conventional case, rotation of the shaft (commensurate with rotation of the drum thereon) causes the inward end of the motor spring to rotate while the outward end of the motor spring remains fixed. Such a spring will thus wind and unwind from the inside. In contrast, in the present arrangements, a radially-inward end of a motor spring is (indirectly) fixedly connected to a non-rotatable shaft, with a radially -outward end of the motor spring being connected to a casing portion that is rotatable relative to the shaft and to the SRL housing. Such a spring will thus wind and unwind from the outside.

[0051] The mating of main casing portion 65 of casing 64 to drum 30 so that main casing portion 65 cannot substantially rotate separately from, or independently of, drum 30, can be performed in any suitable way. In the depicted embodiment this is achieved by providing an axially -inward-facing side (i.e., the side facing dmm 30) of first casing piece 66 with a plurality of bosses 67 that extend at least generally axially toward dmm 30, as evident in Fig. 2. Bosses 67 are circumferentially spaced along a generally circumferential pathway 69 along the axially -inward face of main casing portion 65, with gaps 68 being provided between bosses 67. In the depicted embodiment, motor spring module 60 is located on an axially -opposite side of drum 30 from the previously -described centrifugal brake 7, and faces the axially -outward side 42 of second sidewall 41 of drum 30. As visible in Figs. 3 and 9, side 42 of second sidewall 41 of drum 30 comprises features that operate in concert with the above-described bosses 67 of the motor spring module, to mate the main casing portion 65 with drum 30 so that main casing portion 65 cannot substantially rotate separately from, or independently of, drum 30. In the depicted embodiment, side 42 of sidewall 41 comprises a plurality of axially-outwardly-open-ended cavities 43 that face toward motor spring module 60. These cavities 43 are configured so that when casing 64 is axially mated to drum 30, at least some of the circumferentially-spaced bosses 67 the radially-outward main portion of the casing reside within the axially -outwardly -open-ended cavities of the drum, so that the radially-outward main portion 65 of casing 64, and drum 30, cannot substantially rotate relative to each other. Specifically, ribs 44 that separate the various cavities 43 of sidewall 41 from each other, can fit into gaps 68 between bosses 67 of main casing portion 65, to achieve this result.

[0052] Inspection of Figs. 5 and 9 reveal that the above-described axial mating of main portion 65 of casing

[0053] 64 to second sidewall 41 of drum 30 does not depend on main casing portion 65 and drum 30 being in one specific rotational orientation that allows the mating to be performed. Rather, it is evident that the mating can be performed with main casing portion 65 in any of sixteen rotational orientations relative to drum 30. Any of these orientations will allow the ribs 44 of drum 30 to reside in any of various gaps 68 of main casing portion 65. (In other words, it will be necessary to rotate main casing portion 65 at most approximately 22.5 degrees relative to drum 30, in order to put main casing portion 65 into an angular configuration relative to drum 30 that allows casing portion 65 to be axially mated to the drum). This will be referred so as casing 64 and drum 30 exhibiting sixteen-way mating symmetry. It will be appreciated that such arrangements can allow for easier mating of casing 64 and drum 30 and thus for easier assembly of SRL 1. In various embodiments, casing 64 and drum 30 may exhibit two-way, four-way, six-way, eightway, twelve-way or sixteen-way mating symmetry.

[0054] The above arrangements can allow a very slight rotational movement (e.g. less than 5, 2, or 1 degree) of main casing portion 65 relative to dmm 30, depending on the width of gaps 68 of the casing portion relative to the width of ribs 44 of the drum. The width of gaps 68 can be set slightly wider (e.g. by no more than 5, 10, 20, or 40 %) than the width of ribs 44 in order to ensure ease of fitting ribs 44 into gaps 68; the resulting fact that casing portion 65 is able to very slightly rotate relative to drum 30 is of no consequence. (However, this slight ability to rotate is why the above-described arrangements are characterized as the radially-outward main portion 65 of casing 64, and drum 30, being unable to “substantially” rotate relative to each other.)

[0055] The above arrangements can achieve a configuration in which the radially-outward main portion

[0056] 65 of casing 64 will substantially rotate (or remain stationary) in lockstep with drum 30, while not actually attaching the casing (or any part of the motor spring module) to drum 30. (In other words, in at least some embodiments, no screws, bolts, or in general, fasteners of any kind, will be used to attach casing 64 to drum 30.) Rather, casing 64 and drum 30 are axially mated and are held together in the desired abutment with each other (i.e. so that bosses 67 reside in cavities 43) in the SRL housing as assembled.

[0057] Proximal end 3 of safety line 2 can be permanently connected to drum 30 in any suitable manner. In some embodiments this can be achieved by way of a fitting 4 that is permanently mounted on proximal end 3 of safety line 2 as visible in Fig. 2. Spool 45 of dmm 30 may be provided with a chamber 46 that is configured to receive fitting 4, as illustrated in Figs. 7-9. To manufacture such an arrangement, proximal end 3 of safety line 2 may be threaded into passage 47 and thence into chamber 46; the terminal end of proximal end 3 may then be temporarily extended outward of chamber 46 through open end 48 so that fitting 4 can be permanently attached to this terminal end e.g. by swaging. Safety line 2 can then be retracted so that fitting 4 resides within chamber 46 in the general location outlined by dashed-line box 49 of Fig. 8. Safety line 2 is now permanently connected to drum 30 since fitting 4 is too large to be retracted through passage 47, as evident from Fig. 8.

[0058] As evident from Figs. 7 and 9, in some embodiments chamber 46 may not be centered within spool 45; rather, chamber 46 may be axially offset toward first sidewall 31 of drum 30. This can advantageously provide room for the previously-described plurality of axially-outwardly-open-ended cavities 43 in the second, opposing sidewall 41 of drum 30, as can be seen inFig. 9. In this manner, the permanent connecting of safety line 2 to drum 30 can be achieved, without interfering with the previously-described ability to axially mate motor spring module 60 to drum 30.

[0059] In some embodiments, chamber 46 of drum 30 may be cylindrical in shape as will complementary fitting 4 of safety line 2. In some embodiments chamber 46 may be configured (shaped and sized) so that fitting 4 is held within chamber 46 quite tightly. This will be characterized as chamber 46 “circumscribing” fitting 4, by which is meant that when fitting 4 is seated in chamber 46, at least 90 % of the area of the radially-outward surface of fitting 4 is closely abutted by a complementary cylindrical inward-facing surface of chamber 46 of drum 30. In various embodiments, at least 95 or 98 % of this area of fitting 4 will be so abutted. Such arrangements can hold fitting 4 more tightly than, e.g., a chamber that is only partly cylindrical and is closed (after the inserting of a fitting of a safety line thereinto) by way of a flat closure plate, so that the resulting chamber is defined in part by semicylindrical surfaces and in part by flat surfaces.

[0060] In some embodiments, housing 10, e.g. as formed by the assembling together of two major housing pieces 11 and 13, may be load-bearing. By an item being load-bearing is meant that the item is configured so that in the event of a user fall, the item bears the static load of the user’s weight as well as bearing any temporary, dynamic forces that arise from arresting the user’s fall. By housing 10 being load-bearing is meant that in the event of a user fall, a load that is developed in arresting the fall is transmitted from loadbearing connector 15 to shaft 20 (and thus to drum 30 and to safety line 2 connected thereto) via housing 10. The housing pieces that collectively provide housing 10 may be formed of such materials, and may be connected to each other in such manner, as to achieve this. In some embodiments, such housing pieces may be made of metal such as e.g. steel or aluminum. In some embodiments, such housing pieces may be made of organic polymeric materials, e.g. reinforced with fillers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and the like. Load-bearing housings and materials that may be suitable for use in such housings are described in U.S. Patent 8,430,206, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In some embodiments, an SRL 1 as disclosed herein that comprises a load-bearing housing, will not comprise an “anchor plate” of the general type described in U.S. Patent 8,430,206.

[0061] An SRL 1 in which the SRL housing is load-bearing can be contrasted with conventional arrangements in which an SRL housing is not load-bearing. Such conventional arrangements often rely on a load-bearing member (which may be variously referred to e.g. as a bracket, clevis, or stirrup) that is generally U-shaped with a load-bearing connector being attached to the “base” of the U and with a drambearing shaft being installed in the gap between the “arms” of the U-shaped member. (A representative example of such a member is bracket 124 depicted in Fig. 1 of U.S. Patent 10,792,523.) In such a case, any load that develops is primarily transmitted via the load-bearing member, with the housing of the SRL not bearing any significant load but rather serving mainly to protect the internal components of the SRL from rain, dirt, environmental hazards, and so on.

[0062] Housing 10 of SRL 1 will include a through-opening 17 via which safety line 2 extends out of housing 10. In some embodiments, through-opening 17 may be an elongated slot as evident in Fig. 10. (For ease of presenting slot 17, the spherical bumper of safety line 2 that is visible, unnumbered, in various other Figures, is omitted from Fig. 10.) In the art, housing openings in the form of elongated slots have been used e.g. with a safety line that has a high cross-sectional aspect ratio (e.g. is in the form of a flat webbing, e.g. as with safety line 155 as depicted in Fig. 1 of U.S. Patent 10,792,523). In such cases in the art, the elongate slot is oriented and sized to accommodate the crossweb width of the safety line. The herein-disclosed arrangements, in contrast, can use an elongate slot 17 in combination with a safety line 2 that has a generally circular cross-section, with the elongate slot being sized and oriented to enhance the ability of the SRL to accommodate a variety of angular orientations of the safety line relative to the SRL housing. Thus as evident from Fig. 10, in some embodiments a through-opening 17 for a safety line 2 may take the form of an elongate slot that subtends an angle of from 20 to 50 degrees when viewed along an axial direction of the housing of the SRL. By way of a specific example, the exemplary slot 17 depicted in Fig. 10 will exhibit an angle of approximately 40 degrees when viewed in this manner. In contrast, a crossweb-accommodating elongate slot as typically used for a high aspect ratio safety line such as flat webbing, will only subtend an angle of a few degrees, e.g. 4 degrees or less, when viewed in this manner. If the herein-disclosed SRL does use a safety line in the form of a flat webbing, any such elongate slot as conventionally used to accommodate such flat webbing, may be present in the housing.

[0063] An SRL 1 as disclosed herein can be used with any suitable fall-protection safety harness. In many embodiments, such a harness will be a full-body fall-protection safety harness as exemplified by harness 90 as depicted in Fig. I L A full-body fall-protection safety harness will comprise at least shoulder straps 94 and leg straps 95. In many embodiments such a harness may additionally comprise a hip pad 96, shoulder pads 97, and / or various ancillary items such as buckles, strap adjusters, lanyard keepers, trauma straps, and so on. Regardless of the specific design, a full-body fall-protection safety harness will be distinguished from harnesses such as SCBA-support harnesses, climbing harnesses, general-purpose backpack harnesses, and so on. In particular, a full-body fall-protection safety harness will by definition meet the requirements of ANSI / ASSP Z359.l l, as effective May 2022.

[0064] Any such harness 90 will comprise one or more items by which SRL 1 (e.g., housing 10 of the SRL) can be connected to the harness. In many embodiments, such a connection may be conveniently performed in the dorsal area 91 of the harness. In some embodiments, such a connection may be occur by way of a dorsal D-ring 92. In some embodiments, a suitable auxiliary connector (itself load-bearing) may be used to facilitate the connecting of load-bearing connector 15 of SRL housing 10 to a dorsal D-ring 92 (or, load-bearing connector 15 itself may be configured to attach directly to a dorsal D-ring). Such arrangements may also be used to connect housing 10 to some other D-ring of a harness, e.g. to a hip- located D-ring.

[0065] However, the connection of housing 10 of SRL 1 to a harness 90 does not necessarily have to be accomplished by way of a D-ring of the harness. Thus in some embodiments, a harness may comprise a special-purpose connector (indicated in general by reference number 93 in Fig. 12) that is not a D-ring. Such a special-purpose connector may be provided at any location on the harness; in many convenient embodiments, it will be located in the dorsal area 91 of the harness. Representative examples of such special-purpose connectors are found in U.S. Patent 9,174,073 and in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020 / 0129790, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.) In some embodiments, loadbearing connector 15 of SRL housing 10 may be connected to such a special-purpose connector 93 of a harness 90 in the general manner depicted in Fig. 12. In some embodiments, such a connection may be direct (as in the exemplary arrangement of Fig. 12); in other embodiments, a suitable auxiliary connector may be interposed between connector 15 of SRL housing 10 and a special-purpose connector of harness 90.

[0066] In some embodiments, a shock absorber / energy absorber may be interposed between SRL housing 10 and harness 90 (e.g., rather than being installed or otherwise incorporated into a safety line of the SRL in the general manner of shock absorber 156 as depicted in Fig. 1 of U.S. Patent 10,792,523). Such a shock absorber may be of any suitable type, e.g. the previously -described shock absorbers comprising one or more tear webs or the like. Such a shock absorber may be inserted at any desired location, including but not limited to: between load-bearing connector 15 and a D-ring or a special-purpose connector of harness 90; between connector 15 and a suitable auxiliary connector that is itself connected to a D-ring or specialpurpose connector of harness 90; and, between an auxiliary connector and a D-ring or special-purpose connector of harness 90. In some embodiments, a shock absorber that is interposed between housing 10 and harness 90 may be of the general type disclosed in U. S. Patent 9, 174,073, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0067] The discussions so far herein have primarily concerned self-retracting lifelines that are sufficiently compact and lightweight (and can meet all applicable specifications and requirements) so that they can perform as a “personal” self-retracting lifeline that comprises a housing that is connectable to a harness of a human user and that comprises a safety line with a distal end that can be attached to an anchorage. In many such embodiments, such a personal SRL will meet the requirements of ANSI / ASSP Z359.14 for SRL-P (Personal SRL) Class 1 and / or Class 2 Devices, as effective August 2023. This general type of SRL usage arrangement is depicted in Fig. 12 herein and is exemplified by the product line available from 3M Fall Protection under the trade designation 3M DBI-SALA NANO-LOK EDGE PERSONAL SELF RETRACTING LIFELINE. However, in some embodiments an SRL as disclosed herein may be used in a “reverse” configuration, in which the housing of the SRL is connected to an anchorage (e.g. an overhead anchorage) and the distal end of the safety line is connected to the harness of a human user. In other words, even if e.g. an SRL meets all requirements for serving as a “personal” SRL, in some embodiments it may nevertheless be used in a reversed, e.g. overhead-mounted, configuration. This type of SRL usage arrangement is exemplified by the product available from 3M Fall Protection under the trade designation 3M DBI-SALA NANO-LOK ORDER PICKER SELF RETRACTING LIFELINE.

[0068] Various concepts have been disclosed herein. These include for example (the following are paraphrased, capsule descriptions; the various sections earlier in this document should be consulted for detailed descriptions of these concepts): pawl-support infrastructure may be provided that is integral with a drum sidewall; major components of a drum (e.g. both sidewalls, a spool, and pawl-support infrastructure) may be integral; pawl-support infrastructure may include multiple pawl-stops that are isolated from each other; a pawl may comprise a radially -outwardly -open-ended concave recess, portions of which are defined by contact surfaces of the pawl; a motor spring may be provided that is in a casing portion that rotates with a safety -line-bearing drum, with an inward end of the motor spring being indirectly fixedly connected to a non-rotatable shaft; a casing portion may be axially mateable to a drum in a variety of rotational orientations; a safety line fitting may reside in a drum chamber that circumscribes the fitting and / or that is axially offset within the drum; and, a housing may comprise an elongate slot that subtends a relatively large angle.

[0069] While various of these concepts may be used in combination e.g. to provide an SRL that is lightweight, compact, more straightforward to assemble, and so on, it is emphasized that these concepts are independent and that any one such concept is not necessarily required to be used in combination with any or all of the other concepts. Thus for example, pawl-support infrastructure that is integral with a drum sidewall is not necessarily required to be used in combination with a pawl that comprises an outwardly- open-ended concave recess; a pawl that comprises an outwardly-open-ended concave recess is not necessarily required to be used in combination with a motor spring module that has a rotatable major casing portion; a motor spring module with a rotatable major casing portion is not necessarily required to be used with a load-bearing housing; a load-bearing housing is not necessarily required to have an elongate slot that subtends a relatively large angle, and so on. While an exhaustive list of all such possible combinations will not be provided herein for purposes of brevity, it is emphasized that any of the herein-disclosed concepts can be used independently; and, any such concept or concepts can be used in combination with one or more of the other concepts, in any combination.

[0070] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific exemplary elements, structures, features, details, configurations, etc., that are disclosed herein can be modified and / or combined in numerous embodiments. All such variations and combinations are contemplated by the inventor as being within the bounds of the conceived invention, not merely those representative designs that were chosen to serve as exemplary illustrations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific illustrative structures described herein, but rather extends at least to the structures described by the language of the claims, and the equivalents of those structures. Any of the elements that are positively recited in this specification as alternatives may be explicitly included in the claims or excluded from the claims, in any combination as desired. Any of the elements or combinations of elements that are recited in this specification in open-ended language (e.g., comprise and derivatives thereof), are considered to additionally be recited in closed-ended language (e.g., consist and derivatives thereof) and in partially closed-ended language (e.g., consist essentially, and derivatives thereof). Although various theories and possible mechanisms may have been discussed herein, in no event will such discussions serve to limit the claimable subject matter. To the extent that there is any conflict or discrepancy between this specification as written and the disclosure in any document that is incorporated by reference herein but to which no priority is claimed, this specification as written will control.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A self-retracting lifeline (SRL) comprising: a housing; a shaft that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing; a drum that is rotatably mounted on the shaft; a safety line that is permanently connected to the drum; and, a centrifugal brake comprising at least one centrifugally -actuated pawl; wherein the centrifugal brake comprises pawl-supporting infrastructure that is integral with a first sidewall of the drum and that includes at least one post that is integral with a first sidewall of the drum and upon which the at least one pawl is pivotally mounted.

2. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the pawl-supporting infrastructure that is integral with the first sidewall of the drum, further includes at least one pawl-stop that is integral with the first sidewall of the drum.

3. The SRL of claim 2 wherein the at least one integral pawl-stop exhibits a first pawl-contacting surface that faces at least in a generally trailing direction of a direction of rotation of the drum and that is configured to be contacted by a first contact surface of the pawl when the pawl is in a disengaged position; wherein the at least one integral pawl-stop further exhibits a second pawl-contacting surface that faces at least in a generally leading direction of the direction of rotation of the drum and that is configured to be contacted by a second contact surface of the pawl when the pawl is in an engaged position; and, wherein the pawl exhibits a radially-outwardly-open-ended concave recess, portions of which are defined by the first and second contact surfaces of the pawl.

4. The SRL of claim 3 wherein the at least one centrifugally -actuated pawl comprises first and second centrifugally -actuated pawls and wherein the at least one integral pawl-stop comprises a first integral pawlstop that serves the first pawl and a second integral pawl-stop that serves the second pawl, and wherein the first and second integral pawl-stops are separate, isolated pawl-stops.

5. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the drum comprises a second, opposing sidewall that is integrally connected to the first sidewall by an integral spool, with the first and second sidewalls, the spool, and the pawl-supporting infrastructure, all being portions of a single, machined piece.

6. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the centrifugal brake of the SRL further comprises a radially -inward- facing ratchet with at least one tooth that is engageable by an engaging portion of the at least one centrifugally -actuated pawl.

7. The SRL of claim 6 wherein the ratchet and the at least one tooth of the ratchet are fixed relative to the housing of the SRL, wherein the SRL includes a shock absorber, and wherein the SRL does not include an internal friction brake within the housing of the SRL.

8. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the SRL comprises a motor spring that is biased to wind the safety line onto the drum, the motor spring being a coil spring with a radially -inward end that is fixedly connected to the shaft that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing.

9. The SRL of claim 8 wherein the motor spring is part of a motor spring module that includes a casing within which the motor spring resides, the casing having a radially -outward main portion that is rotatable relative to the shaft and relative to the housing of the SRL, and the casing being mounted on the shaft and being axially mated to the drum so that the radially-outward main portion of the casing, and the drum, cannot substantially rotate relative to each other.

10. The SRL of claim 9 wherein the casing of the motor spring module comprises a bushing on which the radially-outward main portion of the casing is rotatably mounted, with the radially -inward end of the motor spring being fixed to the bushing and with the bushing being non-rotatably fixed to the shaft, so that the radially -inward end of the motor spring is indirectly fixedly connected, by the bushing, to the shaft that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing.

11. The SRL of claim 10 wherein the motor spring module is located on an axially -opposite side of the drum from the centrifugal brake, and wherein the radially-outward main portion of the casing comprises a drum-facing major side from which a plurality of circumferentially-spaced bosses axially extend toward the drum.

12. The SRL of claim 11 wherein the drum comprises a second, opposing sidewall that faces toward the motor spring module, and wherein the second, opposing sidewall of the drum comprises a plurality of axially -outwardly -open-ended cavities that face toward the motor spring module and that are configured so that when the casing of the motor spring module is axially mated to the drum, at least some of the circumferentially-spaced bosses of the radially-outward main portion of the casing reside within the axially - outwardly -open-ended cavities of the drum, so that the radially-outward main portion of the casing, and the drum, cannot substantially rotate relative to each other.

13. The SRL of claim 12 wherein the plurality of axially -outwardly -open-ended cavities of the drum, and the plurality of circumferentially-spaced bosses of the casing, are configured so that the casing and the drum exhibit at least 4-way mating symmetry.

14. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the shaft is non-rotatably fixed to the housing by way of the shaft comprising a first end that is non-rotatably fixed to the housing, and further wherein the shaft comprises a second, opposing end that is rotatably fixed to the housing.

15. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the drum comprises first and second opposing sidewalls integrally connected by a spool, and wherein the spool comprises a cylindrical chamber configured to receive, and to circumscribe, a complementary cylindrical fitting of a proximal end of the safety line of the SRL, in order to permanently connect the safety line to the drum.

16. The SRL of claim 15 wherein the chamber is axially offset within the spool of the drum, toward the first sidewall of the drum, and wherein the second, opposing sidewall of the drum comprises a plurality of axially -outwardly -open-ended cavities that face toward a motor spring module of the SRL.

17. The SRL of claim 1 with the proviso that the SRL does not comprise any load-bearing member that connects a load-bearing connector of the SRL to the shaft of the SRL, so that a load-bearing path from the load-bearing connector of the SRL to the shaft of the SRL passes only through the housing of the SRL, so that the housing is a load-bearing housing.

18. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the safety line is a wire cable with a generally circular cross-section, and wherein the housing of the SRL comprises an elongate slot through which the safety line extends out of the housing, the elongate slot subtending an angle of from 20 to 50 degrees when viewed along an axial direction of the housing of the SRL.

19. The SRL of claim 1 wherein the SRL is a personal SRL that meets the requirements of ANSI / ASSP Z359.14 for SRL-P (Personal SRL) Class 1 and / or Class 2 Devices, as effective August 2023.

20. A fall-protection apparatus comprising a full-body fall-protection safety harness to which a loadbearing connector of the SRL of claim 1 is disconnectably connected, with a distal end of the safety line of the SRL comprising a hook that is configured to be detachably connected to an anchorage.

21. The fall-protection apparatus of claim 20 wherein the fall-protection apparatus comprises a shock absorber interposed between the load-bearing connector of the SRL and the full-body fall-protection safety harness.

22. A method of using the fall-protection apparatus of claim 20, the method comprising detachably attaching the hook of the SRL to the anchorage.

23. A method of using the SRL of claim 1, the method comprising attaching a load-bearing connector of the SRL to an anchorage and attaching the hook of the SRL to a full-body fall-protection safety harness.

Images