Rescue device with improved rope-guiding function

Abstract

The invention relates to a rescue device (2) and to a height rescue kit (1) comprising the rescue device (2) and a safety rope (3), said rescue device (2) comprising a housing (5), a rope pulley (4) which is accommodated in the housing (5) and is rotatably mounted relative thereto, and a centrifugal brake operatively coupled to the rope pulley (4), wherein the safety rope (3) can be received in a groove (7) which runs along the circumferential direction (6) of the rope pulley (4) and has a notch base (8), and the rescue device (2) can be used in conjunction with a safety rope (3) which is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid.

Description

[0001] RESCUE DEVICE WITH IMPROVED ROPE GUIDE

[0002] The invention relates to a rescue device and a height rescue kit comprising a rescue device and a safety rope, wherein the safety rope is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid.

[0003] From the documents EP3922316A1, EP2552549A1, DE102011050630B4, and W02015110412A1, different designs of high-altitude rescue kits with a rescue device and a safety rope, as well as different methods for using each of these high-altitude rescue kits, have become known. Such systems can be used in particular for rescuing persons from great heights of up to 1000 m, such as those found in the nacelles of wind turbines. Since a high-altitude rescue kit is preferably carried on the person or must be handled before a descent, it would be advantageous to keep the overall weight of a high-altitude rescue kit as low as possible, while at the same time ensuring that safety is not compromised by weight-reducing measures. To improve the usability of a high-altitude rescue kit, it is proposed to combine a rescue device with a coreless rope as a safety rope.

[0004] The object of the present invention was to improve height rescue kits and rescue devices known from the prior art and to provide a height rescue kit by means of which the handling of the same is simplified for a user, wherein the rescue device is designed to be particularly reliable in conjunction with a coreless rope as a safety rope.

[0005] This problem is solved by solutions according to the claims.

[0006] The rescue device according to the invention is suitable for passive abseiling or for automatic abseiling and for use in conjunction with a safety rope, wherein the safety rope has a rope diameter, and wherein the rescue device comprises a housing, a cable pulley received in the housing and mounted so as to be rotatable relative thereto and a centrifugal brake operatively coupled to the cable pulley and operatively connected to the housing during an abseiling process by means of the rescue device, wherein the safety rope can be received in a groove having a notch base running along a circumferential direction of the cable pulley, can be received in the groove over a wrap angle and can be guided out of the housing and / or into the housing through at least one opening in the housing.In this context, passive or automatic abseiling is understood to mean a descent process in which interaction between a user and the abseiling device is not absolutely necessary in order to be able to carry out the descent process safely and in a controlled manner.

[0007] The rescue device according to the invention is further characterized in that the rescue device can be used in conjunction with a safety rope which is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid.

[0008] In this context, an open weave rope refers to a looser weave of fibers compared to a conventional kernmantle rope, such as a climbing rope, so that the spaces between the individual fibers tend to be larger than in a core-sheath rope used in climbing, for example. This allows a rope with an open weave to be more flexible and lighter than a core-sheath rope used in climbing.

[0009] If a rope is coreless, this means that the rope includes a sheath, possibly a sheath made of an open braid, and in any case, it does not have a core. Such a rope is hollow inside, for example, and the braid of the sheath or sheath braid can be compressed because it is not supported by a core. Such coreless ropes are generally more flexible and lighter than ropes that include a core.

[0010] When using a coreless rope with an open weave as a safety rope in conjunction with a passive rescue device, an average rope diameter in the range 3 mm to 9 mm, in particular in the range 4 mm to 7 mm, and specifically 5.5 mm, has proven particularly advantageous, particularly for height rescue from great heights, as described above. In conjunction with the rescue device according to the invention, an average rope diameter of 5.5 mm results in an advantageous ratio of safety, in terms of the strength of the rope for rescuing people, and the lowest possible weight, so that the weight of the overall system of a height rescue kit is as low as possible. For the purposes of the invention, a passive rescue device is understood to be a rescue device that can be an automatic height rescue device.In any case, a passive rescue device is understood to mean that no active interaction of a user with the rescue device is required during a descent, whereby the descent can still be carried out automatically. For example, such a passive rescue device can also be used to rescue an inert person from great heights. In this sense, however, the present invention is not limited to a purely passive rescue device as defined above. Nor is this intended to imply any restriction on the location of the rescue device with respect to a person being abseiled or descended.Thus, a passive rescue device according to the previous definition can be carried along with a person being abseiled or lowered during a descent or, alternatively, can remain fixed in position at an anchor point, whereby in the latter possible alternative the person moves away from the rescue device during the descent.

[0011] Furthermore, it can be expedient if the rescue device comprises a guide element in the area of ​​the opening which closes the opening in sections, wherein the guide element and the housing interact to form a first guide opening for guiding in and a second guide opening for guiding out the safety rope, wherein the safety rope is displaced by the guide element and optionally in interaction with the housing in the direction of the notch base of the groove, so that the wrap angle is formed from a range comprising 310° to 355°. This achieves a particularly large wrap angle, so that the friction between the safety rope and the cable pulley orthe groove of the rope pulley is high enough to compensate for the special flexibility of a coreless rope as a safety rope in order to enable the lowering of a person using the rescue device reliably and in compliance with the usual standards for rescue devices.

[0012] In this context, it can also be provided that the guide element is designed as an integral section of the housing or a cover of the rescue device that fits the housing.

[0013] In any case, the provision of the guide element ensures that the wrap angle, which can naturally have a maximum value of less than 360° with a simple wrap around the sheave, is increased to the maximum possible, since the guide element guides the safety rope in the groove of the sheave for as long as possible. In this sense, the guide element can also be designed to displace the safety rope toward the notch base of the groove, while still ensuring the rope's entry and exit into and out of the housing.

[0014] The provision of the guide element is particularly advantageous because, during a descent, a first section of the safety rope is always loaded and under tension, whereas a second section of the safety rope is unloaded and the unloaded second section is therefore not actively displaced toward the notch base of the groove. This circumstance is counteracted by the guide element. This improves the clamping effect because the wrap angle is as large as possible. This ensures, or even enables, the safe and reliable use of a coreless rope, and in particular a coreless rope with an open braid.

[0015] In this sense, it can be advantageous if the guide element provides guide openings with a mean diameter ranging between 80% and 150% of the rope diameter or the mean rope diameter. The possibility of the guide openings having a smaller mean diameter than the mean diameter of the safety rope can only be fully exploited with a coreless rope, since a coreless rope is compressible or compressible along its diameter because it lacks a rope core.

[0016] Furthermore, the rescue device can be provided with a displacement element, wherein the displacement element is designed as a hollow-cylindrical mount that partially encompasses the cable pulley in the circumferential direction of the cable pulley, so that the safety rope can be displaced from the mount into the groove. This ensures that the safety rope is displaced toward the notch base of the cable pulley even in a region of the wrap angle that is closest to the unloaded second rope section during a descent, so that the friction between the cable pulley and the safety rope is increased compared to a design without a mount.

[0017] In this context, it can also be provided that the displacement element is designed as an integral subsection of the housing or that the rescue device comprises a cover for the housing, wherein the displacement element is designed as an integral subsection of the cover.

[0018] In this context or alternatively, it can also be provided that the guide element and the displacement element are formed in one piece or that the guide element and the displacement element are each formed as an integral part of the housing or a cover for the housing or that the guide element and the displacement element are formed as an independent and yet one-piece component of the rescue device, wherein this one-piece component can be inserted into the housing or can be positively fixed in position therein.

[0019] Furthermore, it can be provided that a radial distance of 10% to 50% of the rope diameter, in particular 15% to 20% of the rope diameter, is formed between an innermost diameter of the displacement element and an outermost diameter of the rope pulley. This ensures that the safety rope is displaced in an improved manner toward the notch base of the groove of the rope pulley over the entire wrap angle.

[0020] Also advantageous is a design according to which it can be provided that the notch base of the groove, starting from an outermost diameter of the rope sheave, has a depth ranging from 80% to 400%, in particular 100% to 200%, of the rope diameter, so that the safety rope is displaced towards the notch base when the rescue device is used and can be completely accommodated in the groove. In this sense and generally in the sense of the invention, the rope diameter is to be understood as an average rope diameter of the safety rope. The fact that the depth of the groove can be 80% of an average rope diameter is possible when a coreless rope is used as the safety rope. In particular, it can be advantageous if the depth of the groove or the depth of the notch base of the groove is equal to the average diameter of the safety rope.Since the safety rope is compressible as a coreless rope, this interaction with the displacement element ensures that the safety rope is displaced toward the notch base across the entire wrap angle. In addition, the innermost surface of the displacement element, which faces the notch base or the safety rope, can be used or function as an additional friction surface in conjunction with the safety rope during a descent. Generally, with appropriately selected descent lengths, this does not pose a safety risk in terms of potential wear or heating of the safety rope. This is because, on the one hand, the housing of such a rescue device has good thermal conductivity coefficients and, on the other hand, the safety rope in such a rescue device is intended for single use only.

[0021] According to a further development, it is possible for the groove to have a first side flank and a second side flank, wherein the first side flank and the second side flank each have circumferentially alternating depressions in the form of grooves, grooves, dimples, notches, or the like, so that the safety rope can be guided in an approximately meandering or zigzag pattern by means of the depressions. Since this measure forces or forces the safety rope into a meandering or zigzag pattern within the groove of the rope pulley, the friction between the rope pulley and the safety rope can be improved, which has a significantly positive impact on the use of a coreless rope as a safety rope.

[0022] Furthermore, it may be expedient for the recesses to be designed as grooves extending in a radial direction of the pulley and from the outermost diameter to the notch base of the pulley, with the grooves being formed alternately in the circumferential direction of the pulley in the first side flank and in the second side flank. This ensures that the safety rope is increasingly forced into the meandering course of the notch upon further displacement toward the notch radius of the groove.

[0023] In particular, the recesses can be designed as radially extending grooves arranged alternately in the circumferential direction in the respective side flank, with the grooves extending from the outermost diameter of the sheave to the notch base of the groove, so that, for example, a spring is formed between two further grooves on the second side flank opposite a groove on the first side flank. This, in turn, results in improved friction between the sheave and the safety rope and, in particular, allows a coreless rope to be used safely as a safety rope with the rescue device.

[0024] Furthermore, it may be expedient if a first side flank and a second side flank of the groove of the cable pulley have a first angle of inclination relative to a normal plane of a rotational axis of the cable pulley in a radially inner region and a second angle of inclination relative to the normal plane in a radially outer region, wherein the first angle of inclination has a smaller value than the second angle of inclination. As a result, the safety rope is guided or displaced in an improved manner in the direction of the notch root when loaded, wherein the clamping of the safety rope and thus the friction between the cable pulley and the safety rope in the direction of the notch root increases due to the first angle of inclination being smaller than the second angle of inclination.

[0025] Furthermore, it can be provided that the first angle of inclination is selected from a range comprising 5° to 50° and the second angle of inclination from a range comprising 20° to 60°. In particular, it can be advantageous if the first angle of inclination is formed from a range comprising 10° to 20° and the second angle of inclination from a range comprising 35° to 50°, since such a combination of angles of inclination results in an advantageous progressive clamping effect of a coreless rope as a safety rope in the direction of the notch base of the groove.

[0026] Furthermore, it can be provided that the groove of the rope sheave at the radially outermost diameter has a width from a range comprising 80% to 200%, in particular 130%, of the rope diameter. This ensures that an unloaded safety rope can be reliably guided in the direction of the notch radius in the event of sudden loading during an abseiling operation using the height rescue kit, in particular when using a coreless rope as the safety rope, since this can have reduced transverse stability in the unloaded state. In particular, or in a particular embodiment, the width of the groove can also be selected from an even narrower range, such as a range comprising 95% to 105% of the average rope diameter, in order to be able to ensure, in conjunction with the displacement element, a constant tight reception in the radially outer region of the groove even when the safety rope is unloaded.This is particularly useful when using a coreless rope as a safety rope, since such a coreless rope can be compressed in the transverse direction due to the lack of a rope core.

[0027] The invention further relates to a high-altitude rescue kit for passive and / or automatic lowering of a person, comprising a rescue device according to the above description and a safety rope, wherein the safety rope is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid. For a better understanding of the invention, it is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

[0028] They show in a highly simplified, schematic representation:

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a height rescue kit comprising a rescue device and a safety rope inserted therein in a sectional view;

[0030] Fig. 2 a pulley;

[0031] Fig. 3 a cable pulley in a sectional view.

[0032] By way of introduction, it should be noted that in the variously described embodiments, identical parts are provided with identical reference symbols or component designations. The disclosures contained throughout the description can be applied analogously to identical parts with identical reference symbols or component designations. Furthermore, the position information chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., refer to the directly described and illustrated figure, and these position information must be applied analogously to the new position in the event of a change in position.

[0033] In Fig. 1, a highly simplified, schematic representation of a height rescue kit 1 comprising a rescue device 2 and a safety rope 3 inserted therein is shown in a sectional view.

[0034] Fig. 2 shows a cable pulley 4 of the rescue device 2 and Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the cable pulley 4.

[0035] In each of Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the same reference symbols or component designations are used for the same parts. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the illustrations are described together below, or reference is made to the different illustrations.

[0036] The rescue device 2, in conjunction with a safety rope 3, is suitable for passive abseiling or high-altitude rescue. Passive abseiling in this context means that a person abseiling with the high-altitude rescue kit 1 does not have to actively participate in the abseiling process during the abseiling procedure, for example by guiding the safety rope 3 or operating the rescue device 2. The rescue device 2 can comprise a housing 5, wherein the cable pulley 4 can be accommodated in the housing 5. Furthermore, the rescue device 2 can also have a centrifugal brake operatively coupled to the cable pulley 4, for example via a shaft or a gear. The centrifugal brake can be operatively connected to the housing 5 during a abseiling procedure, for example, wherein the housing 5 can function as the brake drum of the centrifugal brake.

[0037] The safety cable 3 can be received in a groove 7 or notch extending along a circumferential direction 6 of the cable pulley 4 and having a notch base 8, wherein the safety cable 3 is received in the groove 7 via a wrap angle 9. The safety cable 3 can be guided out of the housing 5 and / or into the housing 5 through at least one opening 10 in the housing 5.

[0038] In any case, the safety rope 3 can be designed as a coreless rope, and in particular as a coreless rope with an open braid. This provides, among other advantages, that the safety rope 3 has sufficient strength while also having the minimum possible dead weight for use in rescue at heights.

[0039] In order to further improve the use of a coreless safety rope 3 with an open braid in synergistic interaction with the rescue device 2, it can further be provided that the rescue device 2 comprises, in the region of the opening 10, a guide element 11 which closes the opening 10 in sections, wherein in the interaction between the guide element 11 and the housing 5, a first guide opening 12 is formed for leading in and a second guide opening 13 is formed for leading out the safety rope 3. It can also be provided that the safety cable 3 is displaced by the guide element 5 in the direction of the notch base 8 of the groove 7, for example by the guide element 11 protruding into the groove 7 in sections or being shaped in such a way that the safety cable 3 is displaced in the direction of the notch base 8 of the groove 7, so that the wrap angle 9 is formed from a range comprising 310° to 355°.

[0040] In order to further improve the use of a coreless safety rope 3 with an open braid in synergistic interaction with the rescue device 2, it can further be provided that the rescue device 2 comprises a displacement element 14, wherein the displacement element 14 is designed as a hollow cylindrical holder which partially encompasses the cable pulley 4 in the circumferential direction 6 of the cable pulley 4, so that the safety rope 3 can be displaced from the holder into the groove 7.

[0041] In any case, it can be provided that the guide element 11 as well as the displacement element 14 are each designed as independent components of the rescue device 2, or equally that the guide element 11 and / or the displacement element 14 are designed as an integral section of the housing 5 or a housing cover of the rescue device 2.

[0042] In connection with the displacement element 14, it can also be provided that between an innermost diameter 15 of the displacement element 14 and an outermost diameter 16 of the cable pulley 4, a radial distance from a range comprising 10% to 50% of the cable diameter, in particular 15% to 20% of the cable diameter, is formed.

[0043] During a descent using the height rescue kit 1, the safety rope 3 is loaded and thus pulled into the groove 7 along the wrap angle 9. In this context, it can be provided that the notch base 8 of the groove 7, starting from an outermost diameter 16 of the rope pulley 4, has a depth ranging from 120% to 400%, in particular 250% to 300%, of the rope diameter, so that the safety rope 3 can be displaced in the direction of the notch base 8 and can be completely accommodated in the groove 7 when the rescue device 2 is used.

[0044] In any case, it is important for the safety of a person when handling the height rescue kit 1 and for the functionality of the rescue device 2 that the friction between the cable pulley 4 and the safety rope 3 is maximized. Thus, it can advantageously also be provided that the groove 7 has a first side flank 17 and a second side flank 18, wherein the first side flank 17 and the second side flank 18 each have 6 circumferentially alternating depressions 19 in the form of grooves, grooves, dimples, notches or the like, so that the safety rope 3 can be guided in an approximately meandering or zigzag pattern by means of the depressions 19.

[0045] It can also be provided that the recesses 19 are designed as grooves running in a radial direction of the cable pulley 4 and extending from the outermost diameter 16 to the notch base 8 of the cable pulley 4, wherein the grooves are formed alternately in the first side flank 17 and in the second side flank 18 in the circumferential direction 6 of the cable pulley 4.

[0046] In order to further improve the transmission of the rope forces of the safety rope 3, it can also be provided that a first side flank 17 and a second side flank 18 of the groove 7 of the rope pulley 4 have a first angle of inclination 21 in a radially inner region 20 with respect to a normal plane 22 of an axis of rotation 23 of the rope pulley 4 and a second angle of inclination 25 in a radially outer region 24 with respect to the normal plane 22, the first angle of inclination 21 having a smaller value than the second angle of inclination 25. The first angle of inclination 21 can be selected from a range comprising 5° to 50° and the second angle of inclination 25 from a range comprising 20° to 60°.

[0047] In order to further improve the transition of the pressing of the safety rope 3 into the groove 7 starting from a previously unloaded safety rope 3, it can also be provided that the groove 7 of the rope pulley 4 at the radially outermost diameter 16 has a width from a range comprising 80% to 200%, in particular 130%, of the rope diameter.

[0048] The embodiments show possible embodiments, whereby it should be noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated embodiments thereof, but rather various combinations of the individual embodiments with each other are also possible and this possibility of variation lies within the skill of the person skilled in the art in this technical field due to the teaching of technical action by means of the objective invention.

[0049] The scope of protection is determined by the claims. However, the description and the drawings must be used to interpret the claims. Individual features or combinations of features from the various embodiments shown and described can represent independent inventive solutions in themselves. The problem underlying the independent inventive solutions can be derived from the description. All information on value ranges in this description is to be understood as including any and all sub-ranges thereof. For example, the reference 1 to 10 is to be understood as including all sub-ranges starting from the lower limit of 1 and the upper limit of 10. This means that all sub-ranges begin with a lower limit of 1 or greater and end with an upper limit of 10 or less, for example 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1, or 5.5 to 10.

[0050] For the sake of clarity, it should finally be pointed out that, in order to better understand the structure, some elements have been shown out of scale and / or enlarged and / or reduced in size.

[0051] Reference symbol list

[0052] Height rescue kit

[0053] rescue device

[0054] safety rope

[0055] Rope pulley

[0056] Housing

[0057] circumferential direction

[0058] groove

[0059] notch base

[0060] Wrap angle

[0061] breakthrough

[0062] Guide element

[0063] First leadership breakthrough

[0064] Second leadership breakthrough

[0065] Displacement element

[0066] Innermost diameter of the displacement element

[0067] Outer diameter of the pulley

[0068] First side flank

[0069] Second side flank

[0070] Deepenings

[0071] Radially inner area

[0072] First angle of inclination

[0073] Normal plane

[0074] axis of rotation

[0075] Radially outer area

[0076] Second angle of inclination

Claims

P a t e n t a n s p r ü c h e 1. Rescue device (2) suitable for passive abseiling and suitable for use in conjunction with a safety rope (3), wherein the safety rope (3) has a rope diameter (16), the rescue device (2) comprising a housing (5), a cable pulley (4) accommodated in the housing (5) and mounted rotatably relative thereto, and a centrifugal brake operatively coupled to the cable pulley (4), wherein the safety rope (3) can be received in a groove (7) running along a circumferential direction (6) of the cable pulley (4) with a notch base (8), can be received in the groove (7) over a wrap angle (9) and can be guided out of the housing (5) and / or into the housing (5) through at least one opening (10) in the housing (5), characterized in that the rescue device (2) in conjunction with a safety rope (3), which is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid, is, is usable.

2. Rescue device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the rescue device (2) comprises, in the region of the opening (10), a guide element (11) which closes the opening (10) in sections, wherein in the interaction between the guide element (11) and the housing (5), a first guide opening (12) is formed for guiding in and a second guide opening (13) is formed for guiding out the safety rope (3), wherein the safety rope (3) is displaced by the guide element (5) in the direction of the notch base (8) of the groove (7), so that the wrap angle (9) is formed from a range comprising 310° to 355°.

3. Rescue device (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that the rescue device (2) comprises a displacement element (14), wherein the displacement element (14) is designed as a hollow cylindrical holder which partially encompasses the cable pulley (4) in the circumferential direction (6) of the cable pulley (4), so that the safety cable (3) can be displaced from the holder into the groove (7).

4. Rescue device (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that between an innermost diameter (15) of the displacement element (14) and an outermost diameter (16) of the rope pulley (4) a radial distance from a range comprising 10% to 50% of the rope diameter, in particular 15% to 20% of the rope diameter, is formed.

5. Rescue device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the notch base (8) of the groove (7), starting from an outermost diameter (16) of the cable pulley (4), has a depth from a range comprising 120% to 400%, in particular 250% to 300%, of the rope diameter, so that the safety rope (3) can be displaced in the direction of the notch base (8) and can be completely received in the groove (7) when the rescue device (2) is used.

6. Rescue device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the groove (7) has a first side flank (17) and a second side flank (18), wherein the first side flank (17) and the second side flank (18) each have depressions (19) in the form of grooves, channels, dimples, notches or the like, which are alternately formed in the circumferential direction (6), so that the safety rope (3) can be guided in an approximately meandering or zigzag manner by means of the depressions (19).

7. Rescue device (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that the recesses (19) are designed as grooves running in a radial direction of the cable pulley (4) and extending from the outermost diameter (16) to the notch base (8) of the cable pulley (4), wherein the grooves are formed in the circumferential direction (6) of the cable pulley (4) alternately in the first side flank (17) and in the second side flank (18).

8. Rescue device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first side flank (17) and a second side flank (18) of the groove (7) of the cable pulley (4) have a first angle of inclination (21) in a radially inner region (20) with respect to a normal plane (22) of an axis of rotation (23) of the cable pulley (4) and a second angle of inclination (25) with respect to the normal plane (22) in a radially outer region (24), wherein the first angle of inclination (21) has a smaller value than the second angle of inclination (25).

9. Rescue device (2) according to claim 8, characterized in that the first angle of inclination (21) is selected from a range comprising 5° to 50° and the second angle of inclination (25) is selected from a range comprising 20° to 60°.

10. Rescue device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the groove (7) of the cable pulley (4) at the radially outermost diameter (16) has a width from a range comprising 80% to 200%, in particular 130%, of the cable diameter.

11. Height rescue kit (1) for passive and / or automatic abseiling of a person comprising a rescue device (2) according to one of the preceding claims and a safety rope (3), characterized in that the safety rope (3) is a coreless rope, in particular a coreless rope with an open braid.

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