Fire-fighting ventilation device

Abstract

The invention relates to a ventilation device (1), the device comprising a first ventilation module (2) and a second ventilation module (3), each ventilation module comprising two main faces opposite one another, and each ventilation module being configured to generate an air flow; the device comprises a deployment mechanism configured to allow the ventilation device (1) to adopt either a stowed position or a deployed position, the stowed position being a position wherein the ventilation modules are stacked in a direction perpendicular to their main faces, whereas the deployed position is a position wherein one of the main faces of the first ventilation module (2) lies in the continuation of one of the main faces of the second ventilation module (3). Advantageously, the ventilation device (1) further comprises wheels (8) intended to allow for the displacement thereof.

Description

ventilation device for fire fighting FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of firefighting. In particular, the present invention relates to a ventilation device intended to be used for the evacuation of smoke formed when a fire breaks out. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Entering a building damaged by a fire generally requires evacuating the resulting smoke. This smoke generally includes gases and hot particles that may be toxic, explosive and / or opaque.

[0003] The evacuation of fumes can in particular be carried out by the use of a ventilation device. Such a ventilation device comprises a propeller mounted coaxially in a tubular casing. The ventilation device further comprises an air flow guiding means provided in the casing to obtain a concentrated air jet with a substantially oval cross-section.

[0004] In practice, the installation of the fan is associated with the creation of the inlet and an outlet. In particular, the inlet, for example the opening of a door, is intended to allow access to the building, while the outlet allows the fumes to be evacuated to the outside. The ventilation device, for its part, is placed outside the building, so as to generate an air flow towards the inlet. This air flow, by entering the building through the inlet, imposes an overpressure in said building, and thus allows the fumes to be evacuated through the outlet.

[0005] Smoke evacuation thus helps to limit the risks of generalized fires ("Flash-over" in Anglo-Saxon terminology), to improve the visibility of people likely to intervene in the building, but also to limit the risks of poisoning of the latter.

[0006] Thus, a ventilation device known from the state of the art is described in patent application FR 2 890 569 A1.

[0007] In particular, this application discloses a ventilation device, and in particular a propeller fan which comprises a means for guiding the air flow produced by said propeller. The guiding means is, in this regard, in the form of a tubular casing mounted coaxially with the axis of rotation of the propeller. The ventilation device further comprises deflectors arranged in the tubular casing to straighten and concentrate the air flow produced by the propeller of the fan.

[0008] Generally, this type of fan (1) as shown in the, comprises a propeller (2) and a tubular casing (3) for channeling and axially guiding the air flow (4) of truncated cone shape produced by the latter, shown in the.

[0009] However, such a ventilation device placed in front of a rectangular-shaped entrance, and in particular a door, cannot effectively cover the entire extent of said entrance unless the propeller size is increased. This latter aspect is not without consequences, on the one hand, on the size of the ventilation device, the mobile and transportable nature of which remains a selection criterion, and on the other hand, on the power required to drive a larger propeller.

[0010] Thus, in order to overcome this problem, it was possible to propose, in patent application FR 3 033 501 A1, a fan for fire fighting comprising a propeller mounted coaxially in a tubular casing to produce an axial air flow, characterized in that it comprises an air flow guide device provided in the casing to obtain a concentrated air flow with a substantially oval cross-section.

[0011] However, ovalization of the airflow alone only partially addresses the above-mentioned problem.

[0012] Thus, an aim of the present invention is to propose a ventilation device capable of producing an air flow capable of covering a rectangular-shaped inlet while limiting the power required for the operation of said device.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to make the ventilation device easily transportable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The aims of the present invention are, at least in part, achieved by a ventilation device for fighting fires, the device comprising two ventilation modules called, respectively, first ventilation module and second ventilation module, each ventilation module comprising two main faces opposite one another, and is configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called the rear face, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face;

[0015] the device further comprises a deployment mechanism configured to allow the ventilation device to adopt one or other of a storage position and a deployed position, the storage position being a position for which the ventilation modules are stacked in a direction perpendicular to their main faces, while the deployed position is a position for which the first ventilation module has one of its main faces in the extension of one of the main faces of the second ventilation module, advantageously the ventilation device also comprises wheels intended to allow its movement.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the deployment mechanism comprises a first hinge connecting, in a pivot connection, the first ventilation module with the second ventilation module.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the deployment mechanism comprises a single pivot connection, substantially perpendicular to the main faces between the two ventilation modules, said pivot connection being arranged to allow the pivoting of the first ventilation module around the single pivot connection when passing between the storage position and the deployed position.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the deployment mechanism comprises a sliding connection, arranged to allow the deployment by translation of the first ventilation module around when passing between the storage position and the deployed position.

[0019] According to one embodiment, said ventilation device also comprises a base module provided with two main faces opposite one another, said base module being arranged so that when the ventilation device is in its storage position, the first ventilation module is interposed between the second ventilation module and the base module, the base module having one of these main faces opposite one of the main faces of the first ventilation module.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the deployment mechanism also comprises a second hinge connecting, in a pivot connection, the first ventilation module and the base module, advantageously, the ventilation device further comprises a module of angular adjustment means configured to adjust the angle between the ventilation modules and the base module between 10° and 180° when the ventilation device is in its deployed position.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the base module is also connected to the first and second ventilation modules by means of the single pivot connection.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the base module is also connected to the first ventilation module by means of another sliding connection, the deployment of the ventilation device involving an extraction of the first ventilation module from between the second module and the base module.

[0023] According to one embodiment, each ventilation module comprises a tubular casing and a propeller mounted coaxially to the tubular casing, and in which the propeller of the first ventilation module is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the propeller of the second ventilation module, each ventilation module is provided with a motor intended to drive in rotation the propeller carried by the ventilation module in question.

[0024] According to one embodiment, said ventilation device comprises one or more batteries intended to power the motors.

[0025] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows with reference to the appended figures in which:

[0026] This is a schematic representation of a ventilation device in accordance with the general principles of the present invention, in particular, on the ventilation device is arranged, in its deployed position, outside a building B and opposite an entrance E of said building B;

[0027] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in particular, this represents the ventilation device in its deployed position;

[0028] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device of the, said device being deployed;

[0029] The is a schematic representation of the ventilation device of the, said device being in its storage position;

[0030] Laest is a schematic representation of the laet ventilation device provided with wheels;

[0031] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device according to a first variant of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device according to a second variant of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] The figure represents the ventilation device according to a third variant of another embodiment of the present invention and in the storage position;

[0034] The figure represents the ventilation device according to the third variant of the other embodiment of the present invention and in an intermediate position;

[0035] The figure represents the ventilation device according to the third variant of the other embodiment of the present invention and in the deployed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] The present invention relates to a ventilation device provided with three modules, including a base module and two ventilation modules, respectively called the first ventilation module and the second ventilation module.

[0037] This ventilation device is notably configured to adopt one or the other of a storage position and a deployed position.

[0038] The storage position is in particular a position which makes it possible to limit the size of the device, and in particular allows storage in a reduced space, such as an emergency vehicle, in particular a firefighting vehicle, intended to intervene at the scene of a disaster. This storage position also makes it easier for operators, for example firefighters, to move the ventilation device.

[0039] The deployed position is a position in which the two ventilation modules are arranged so that the air flows generated by each of said two modules are superimposed in a vertical direction.

[0040] Such a configuration makes it possible to obtain an extended air flow compared to that formed by a single ventilation device. Furthermore, the inventors were able to observe that the air flow obtained by two fans each having a given power P was greater than the air flow imposed by a single fan with a power equal to twice P.

[0041] Thus, the present invention relates to a ventilation device for fighting fires, the device comprising three modules including a base module, and two ventilation modules called, respectively, first ventilation module and second ventilation module, each module comprising two main faces opposite one another, each ventilation module being configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called the rear face, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face;

[0042] The device further comprises a deployment mechanism configured to allow the ventilation device to adopt either a storage position or a deployed position, the storage position being a position for which the modules are stacked in a direction perpendicular to their main faces, the first ventilation module being interposed between the second ventilation module and the base module, while the deployed position is a position for which one of the two ventilation modules has one of its main faces in the extension of one of the main faces of the other of the two ventilation modules.

[0043] The present description refers to a basic module. However, it is understood that this basic module as described does not form an essential characteristic of the present invention. More particularly, those skilled in the art may consider a ventilation device without the basic module, or replace the latter with a frame, and in particular a tubular frame.

[0044] The is a schematic representation of a ventilation device 1 in accordance with the general principles of the present invention. In particular, the ventilation device 1 is arranged, in its deployed position, outside a building B and opposite an entrance E of said building B.

[0045] The arrows A1 and A2 represent the respective flows of two ventilation modules called, respectively, first ventilation module 2 and second ventilation module 3 of the ventilation device. These two flows A1 and A2 are in particular superimposed in a direction Z and add up to form a resulting flow A covering the surface of the inlet E.

[0046] La, laand laare schematic representations of the ventilation device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In particular, larepresents the ventilation device in its deployed position, larepresents the ventilation device in its stowed position, and larepresents the ventilation device 1 during deployment.

[0047] In particular, as illustrated in the, the and the, the ventilation device may comprise three modules including a basic module 4 (non-essential), and two ventilation modules called, respectively, first ventilation module 2 and second ventilation module 3.

[0048] In particular, each module 2, 3 and 4 comprises two main faces opposite one another. More particularly, each ventilation module 2 and 3 is configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called the rear face, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face.

[0049] More particularly, the first ventilation module 2 is configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called the rear face 2b, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face 2a.

[0050] Equivalently, the second ventilation module 3 is configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called the rear face 3b, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face 3a.

[0051] According to the embodiment illustrated in 1a, 1b and 1c, the ventilation device 1 further comprises a deployment mechanism configured to allow the ventilation device 1 to adopt one or the other of a storage position and a deployed position.

[0052] In particular, the storage position, illustrated in, is a position for which the modules 2, 3 and 4 are stacked in a direction perpendicular to their main faces, the first ventilation module 2 being interposed between the second ventilation module 3 and the base module 4.

[0053] In other words, in this storage position, the rear face 2b of the first ventilation module 2 is opposite a main face of the support module 4, while the front face 2a of the first storage module 2 is opposite the front face 3a of the second storage module 3.

[0054] As illustrated in, the deployed position is a position in which one of the two ventilation modules has one of its main faces in line with one of the main faces of the other of the two ventilation modules.

[0055] More particularly, according to this embodiment, the first ventilation module 2 and the second ventilation module 3 are superimposed, for example in an essentially vertical direction (or approaching the vertical direction within plus or minus 10°), by their contour surface, the contour surface of a ventilation module being a surface joining the front face and the rear face of the ventilation module in question.

[0056] Still according to this embodiment, the base module 4 rests by one of its main faces, called the contact face, on the ground.

[0057] It is understood, without it being necessary to specify it, that all the modules remain linked together, whether they are in their storage position, () in their deployed position () or in an intermediate position ().

[0058] In this regard, and according to this embodiment, the deployment mechanism may comprise a first hinge 6 and a second hinge 7. The first hinge connects, in a pivot connection, the first ventilation module 2 with the second ventilation module 3, the second hinge connects, in a pivot connection, the first ventilation module 2 with the base module 4. Thus, and according to this embodiment, the deployment mechanism is configured so that when the ventilation device 1 is in its deployed position, the front face 2a of the first ventilation module 2 is in the continuity of the front face 3a of the second ventilation module 3.

[0059] As illustrated in, the ventilation device 1 may be provided with wheels 8, for example integral with one or the other of the first ventilation module 2 or the base module 4, in order to facilitate its transport. In particular, the transport may involve a partially deployed position of said ventilation device, said partially deployed position being a position for which the two ventilation modules have their front face in the extension of one another while the rear face of the first ventilation module remains opposite a main face of the base module 4, opposite the contact face.

[0060] Each ventilation module 2, 3 may comprise a tubular casing 9 and a propeller 10 mounted coaxially to the tubular casing 9 ().

[0061] Each ventilation module is provided with a motor 11 intended to drive the rotation of the propeller carried by the ventilation module in question ().

[0062] Advantageously, the propeller of the first ventilation module is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the propeller of the second ventilation module. This configuration makes it possible to limit the risks of conflict between the air flows generated, respectively, by the first ventilation module and by the second ventilation module.

[0063] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device according to a first variant of another embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] This first variant of this other embodiment differs from the embodiment described in relation to the, in that the deployment mechanism comprises at least one slide.

[0065] According to this first variant, the at least one slide is in particular arranged to allow the deployment by translation of the first ventilation module. More particularly, the at least one slide is arranged to allow the sliding of the first ventilation module relative to the base module and to the second ventilation module. This sliding makes it possible to extract, in a direction of a plane carried by one of the main faces, the first ventilation module from between the second ventilation module and the base module.

[0066] This is a schematic representation of the ventilation device according to a second variant of the other embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] This second variant differs from the first variant in that the deployment mechanism comprises a single pivot link between the three modules, said pivot link being arranged to allow the first ventilation module to pivot about the single pivot link when passing between the stowed position and the deployed position.

[0068] La, laet laare schematic representations of the ventilation device according to a third variant of the other embodiment of the present invention. This third variant differs from the first variant and the second variant in that the deployment means comprise levers 10 allowing deployment by translation of the first ventilation module.

[0069] This variant does not consider the implementation of the basic module.

[0070] It represents in particular the ventilation device in the storage position.

[0071] It represents in particular a ventilation device in an intermediate position.

[0072] It represents in particular the ventilation device in the deployed position.

[0073] Regardless of the variant considered, deployment is carried out by leaving the base module and the second ventilation module immobile.

[0074] The various embodiments make it possible to give an elongated shape to the profile of the air flow generated by the ventilation device, so that said flow allows better coverage of a rectangular-shaped inlet.

[0075] Furthermore, the inventors observed experimentally, and counter-intuitively, that the implementation of two identical fans and a power P, within the framework of the present invention, offered a gain, in terms of air flow, greater than simply considering ventilation with a power P' equal to twice the power P.

[0076] Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and variant embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

Ventilation device (1) for fighting fires, the device comprising two ventilation modules called, respectively, first ventilation module (2) and second ventilation module (3), each ventilation module comprising two main faces opposite one another, and is configured to generate an air flow in a direction going from one of its main faces, called rear face, towards the other of its main faces, called its front face;the device further comprises a deployment mechanism configured to allow the ventilation device (1) to adopt one or the other of a storage position and a deployed position, the storage position being a position for which the ventilation modules are stacked in a direction perpendicular to their main faces, while the deployed position is a position for which the first ventilation module (2) has one of its main faces in the extension of one of the main faces of the second ventilation module (3), advantageously the ventilation device (1) also comprises wheels (8) intended to allow its movement.; Ventilation device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the deployment mechanism comprises a first hinge (6) pivotally connecting the first ventilation module (2) with the second ventilation module (3). Ventilation device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the deployment mechanism comprises a single pivot connection, substantially perpendicular to the main faces between the two ventilation modules, said pivot connection being arranged to allow the pivoting of the first ventilation module (2) around the single pivot connection when passing between the storage position and the deployed position. Ventilation device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the deployment mechanism comprises a sliding connection, arranged to allow the deployment by translation of the first ventilation module (2) around when passing between one and the other of the storage position and the deployed position. Ventilation device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said ventilation device (1) also comprises a base module (4) provided with two main faces opposite one another, said base module (4) being arranged so that when the ventilation device (1) is in its storage position, the first ventilation module (2) is interposed between the second ventilation module (3) and the base module (4), the base module (4) having one of these main faces opposite one of the main faces of the first ventilation module (2). Ventilation device (1) according to claim 5 and claim 2, wherein the deployment mechanism also comprises a second hinge (7) connecting, in a pivot connection, the first ventilation module (2) and the base module (4), advantageously, the ventilation device (1) further comprises a module of angular adjustment means configured to adjust the angle between the ventilation modules and the base module (4) between 10° and 180° as soon as the ventilation device (1) is in its deployed position. Ventilation device (1) according to claim 5 and claim 3, wherein the base module (4) is also connected to the first and second ventilation modules by means of the single pivot connection. A ventilation device (1) according to claim 5 and claim 4, wherein the base module (4) is also connected to the first ventilation module (2) by means of a further sliding connection, the deployment of the ventilation device (1) involving an extraction of the first ventilation module (2) from between the second module and the base module (4). Ventilation device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, in which each ventilation module comprises a tubular casing (9) and a propeller mounted coaxially to the tubular casing (9), and in which the propeller of the first ventilation module (2) is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the propeller of the second ventilation module (3), each ventilation module is provided with a motor (11) intended to drive in rotation the propeller carried by the ventilation module in question. Ventilation device (1) according to claim 9, wherein said ventilation device (1) comprises one or more batteries for powering the motors (11).

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