Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ WO96101136 71 9~ ~ 4 6 r~ >1
? s Rescuing system for evacuation from high building construction~
The present invention relates to a rescue system for use when evacuating
high buildings or the like. The rescue system consists of a rope and a lowering
, a fastening device to the building, and a housing.
In case of fire in high buildings from which escape may be ~Jlul/lellldli., due
to the height, means of escape cam be provided either by ladders put up by people
outside the buildmg, or ladder trucks, or ladders mounted on the building itself,
and which can be released from the desired height by the people preparing to
evacuate the building. Another common piece of equipment is a rescue rope
consistmg of a lowering ' a harness which the person cam slip into, and a
suspension system. This type of rescue rope is normally hanging on a hook by a
window on the inside of the building, amd it can be let out of the window when
needed.
Norwegian Patents 24,690, 41,639 and 43,650 give the description of
lowering .,.~ ' for rescue ropes consisting of a friction pulley in which the
rescue rope runs. Thereafter, the rope runs between several smaller guide pulleys
placed on a board which is itself positioned so as to move around a shaft, and thus
effect a controDed swing motion. The board and the friction pulley are arranged m
such a manner that the friction pulley will stop a number of times per rotation. This
confers mertia to the system and acts as the necessary friction and brake
mechanism for the system. Such devices comprise a large number of moving parts
which are expected to function when needed in a rescue situation, even after long
storage when not in use. They require ,~ and are entirely deprived of a
mechanism which could provide friction as a function of weight. Only some of
those devices feature the possibility of lowering people alternately from both ends
3û of the rope.
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WO96/01136 P~ ,5.'~ 121 o
In yet other devices currently available, the rescue rope runs over a puOey.
A rotating arm presses the rope against the puUey and thus provides the desired
S braking effect. The arm also acts as suspension system between the building and
the lowering . ' , and is designed in such a manner that the weight of the
person being rescued provides the required braking moment. Such devices are
described in Norwegian Patent 35,095 and in U.S. Patent 659,093. Those devices
also require to ensure reliable working order in an emergency after
10 long storage when not in use. Those lowering ' allow rescue at one end
of the rope only.
In Norwegian Patent 168,807 a solution was proposed, reducing the
number of moving parts to one single friction pulley in which the rescue rope runs.
The friction pulley has a large diameter centre hole. A circular knob is provided in
15 the centre hole, and a .,u~ r ' . knob is provided on the outer edge of the
friction pulley so that the pulley slides like a flat ring between the knobs. Before
and atter rumling over the friction pulley, thc rescue rope is threaded between two
other knobs placed under the puOey in such a way that a vertical line drawn
through the centre of the knob positioned inside the centre hole will pass between
20 the two knobs placed under the pulley. When a force is exerted on one end of the
rope, the effect of the large centre hole of the pulley relative to the diarneter of the
knob around which it rotates wiO create a force which causes the puOey to rotateand press against the two knobs under it. This action provides a braking force.
However, this device is also composed of moving parts, and is
25 required to keep it in working order at all times. With this device, the rope must be
drawn up again before a new person can be lowered. Rescue ropes of this type
have therefore a reduced capacity in an emergency.
The t~,ullJ~,laLul~" inside and outside a building being rarely equal and the
air having different humidity content, airing the bedroom will cause r~"~
30 to occur on the friction parts of the device mentioned. This wiO result in corrosion
~ WO96101136 ~ 1 9 ~ 3 ~ 6 p~ s~ cl~l
and reduce the mobility of the pulley, with the subsequent risk of jamming when in
use, and the person being rescued remaining hanging against the wali and unable to
get down. Another factor to be taken into account is that the person who uses a
rescue rope of the type proposed in NO-168,807 must hold the opposite part of the
rope to be able to slow down their descent with their hands. Letting go means
ending up in free fali towards the groumd. The device is therefore relatively difficult
to use, and the purpose of such a rescue rope is defeated. The corrosion risk insuch devices argues in disfavour of the use of moving parts in rescue rope systems.
One object of the present invention is to provide a complete rescue system
with a secure mounting to the building, free storage after "
and a reiiable lowering and braking function. It is a further object of the present
invention to combine a free device with the possibiiity of iowering
people aiternately at both ends of the rope for optimum capacity.
This is achieved with a rope housmg in which a pulley is mounted and held
fixed by a locking pin. The pulley is aiso fixed in relation to a rope which is
threaded into the rope housing, over the pulley, and out again through am opening,
and where the incoming and outgomg lengths of rope through the wails of the ropehousing are ~ parailel.
Further details of this invention will become apparent from the following
description of an e ~ - " of the invention.
Fig. I is a cross-sectional view of the lowering and braking, '
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionai view of the same mechanism taken aiong the
iine A-A of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 iiiustrates the principle of a loop rope between harnesses.
Fig. 4a is a front view of the fastening bracket for the rope housing.
. Fig. 4b is a cross-sectionai view of the fastening bracket of Fig. 4a.
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WO 96/01136 PCT/NO95/00121
This invention is composed of a rope housing I containing a braking
' ~ The rope housing I acts also as suspension device for the entire
5 system, its upper extremity being provided with a suspension hole 2 which is used
to suspend the device of this invention to a wall.
Inside the rope housing 1, a space 3 for the mechanism is provided, having
am upper part of a semi-circular shape and a lower part ~ in the shape
of a rect~mgle. In the side of the rectangle which is furthest removed from the
10 suspension hole 2, an opening 4 is provided p~ di~,ulol to that side. Inside the
space 3 for the ' , a circular pulley 5 is provided, the centre axis 6 of
which is part of the rope housing I . A locking pin 7 is placed between the pulley 5
and the centre axis 6 to prevent the pulley S from rotating.
The pulley 5 is designed with a V-groove 8 in which a rope 9 lies. The
15 surface of the groove 8 is corrugated o} has any other appropriate surface
providing the necessary roughness to increase friction. The rope 9 is threaded into
the space 3 for the mechanism through the opening 4, runs over the pulley 5, andruns out again through the opening 4 parallel with the incoming length of rope.
The opening 4 is funnel shaped and its inside face can be provided with a rough
20 surface. Moreover, the narrowest end of the r ~ ~ap~rl opening has such a
diameter that the incoming and outgoing lengths of the rope 9 will be somewhat
squeezed together, amd a further friction effect is therefore obtained in addition to
the friction between the rope 9 and the pulley 5, thus giving further braking effect.
When one end of the rope 9 outside the rope housing I is pulled down, or
25 when it is weighed down by a person evacuatirig the building, the rope will slide
down into the groove 8 amd the friction between the side walls of the groove amdthe rope 9 will determine how deep down the groove 8 the rope 9 will slide.
The force with which the rope 9 is being pulled upon determines the depth
of the rope 9 inside the groove. A friction mechanism is therefore obtained where
30 the amount of friction is determined by the person's weight, and the velocity of
descent will be the same for any person, regardless of their weight.
~ WO96/01136 2~ 94 1 46 PCI/N09S~00121
When a person has reached the ground with the help of the rope 9, the next
person cam use the other end of the rope to lower themselves. The device of the
5 present invention can therefore be used at optimal capacity when a harness is
attached at each end of the rope 9.
The device of the present invention also offers the possibility of attaching a
baby harness or a carrying bag for babies to the adult harness, thus rncreasing the
capacity.
The device of the present invention comprises no moving part requiring
to ensure reliable function.
Fgure 3 shows the principle by which the rope 9 is prolonged between
harness Sl and harness S2 to give a person lowering himself or herself in one ofthe harnesses the possibility to regulate and decrease their speed of descent by15 holdrng the rope on the opposite side of the pulley 5. Holding the opposite
extremity of the rope 9 will cause the rope 9 to slide deeper into the groove 8 of
the pulley 5 and thus incrcase the braking effect.
Figure 2 iDustrates also a housing cover 10 placed in front of the rope
housing 1, covering the pulley 5, and slightly wider than the rope housing 1. The
20 wider edges are used to attach the outer cover so that the rescue system becomes a
closed unit.
As illustrated rn figure 1, a suspension hole 2 is provided in the rope
housing 1. This aDows the rope housing I to be connected to a fastening bracket
11 illustrated on figures 4a and 4b. A COI~t~lJUlll].llg rope housing hoie 12 is25 provided in the lower half of the fastenmg bracket 11. Such a comnection permits
the rope housmg I to effect a sideways swinging motion about the suspension
point for the fastening bracket 11.
The upper half of the fastening bracket 11 has several types of holes for
mounting the bracket itself and the rescue system to a wall or the like. The
30 mounting holes 13 are provided for mounting the fastening bracket 11 to a timber
wall or structure. The position ofthe mounting holes 13 relative to one another
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WO 96/01136 PCT/N095/00121
prevents the timber from splitting during mounting, as a vertical alignment of the
holes is thus avoided.
The central fastening hole 14 is used to suspend the rescue system from a
hook when such a hook is available.
The upper and the lower halves of the fastening bracket 11 are positioned
in such a manner that they stand each in their individual plane, both planes being
parallel to each other. These planes are also ~ , parallel to the plane of
any wall on which the rescue system may be mounted.
