Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
-~ 11417Z4
Field of the Invention :
The present invention refers to a life saving apparatus
fo- roping clown persons.
Background of the Invention :
It is knolm that in case of fire accidents, persons staying
in higher floors can frequently not be secured in time. Rescue
hoses, safety nets and air cushions are not readily applicable for
higher floors and subject to the known risks.
Summary of the invention :
It is an objec-t of the invention to provide a simple apparatus
for rescueing persons cap-tured in higher stories of a building
wit.hout any problems in case of a fire accident or other dangerous
si-tuations. It is a further object of the invention to make such
an apparatus more reliable in operation. It is another object of
the invention to improve an apparatus of the kind described above
such that the person roping down can adjust the velocity of this
roping down. It is another object of the invention to avoid an
accident if the rope is too short to allow the person roping down
to reach the road level. It is still another object of the invent-
Z0 ion to provide means to avoid that the velocity of roping do~m can
increase beyond a predetermined value.
~n apparatus according to the present in~ention comprises a
rack being passed by a rope to be connectod to the person to be
roped down, and a rope pulley rotatably supported within said rack
2~ and being provided on its sircumference with a groove within which
thQ rope is guided for a looping angle of more than 180 , at least
one brake member for being pressed against the rope pulley, a set-
ting mechanism for adjusting the braking foroe by the person to be
roped do.~, and a monitoring device checking the presence of the
rop~Q wi-thin said rack and having a sensor member being movably sup-
por-ted and pressed against the rope, which sensor member is opera~-
r~
~L17Z4
ively connected to a rope clamping device in case of a rope shor-tage.
Such a device is imm2diately ready for operation and one can start
~ -'h roplng down persons (optionally also ar.imals or goods) without
ha~r:i~g 1:o wait the arrival of the fire brigade or other auxiliary
persol-~el. The equipmen-t can easily be operated and can be used re-
peatedl~J because it can always be brought back to the site of use,
for exa~ple by means of a backhaul cable. The person to be rescued
c~n i-.aself adjus-t the braXing action on the rope pulley in the
desired manner so that varying body weights of differen-t persons to
be ~oped dot~ can be taken in consideration. If the rope is too short
or if the rope has a dangerous constriction, the monitoring device for
the rope does gi~e a response for interrupting the progress of roping
do~ bv actuating the rope clamping device. Accidents are thus avoided.
It is of additional advantage that one end of the rope is downwardly
depending and can be pulled off the building by an auxiliary pe~son,
so that roping down need not be effected in vertical direction and
he person to be roped down can be brought out of the influence
of -,he flames, smoke and so on.
Preferably the rope monotoring device is arranged at that area
of the rack where the rope enters the rack for providing ample space
Ior arranging the rope clamping device. Further, it is convenient
to press the sensor member against the rope by means of at least
one spring so that the sensor member will reliably engage the rope
also wlth inclined posi-tions of the life saving equipment. For still
further i~proving blocking of the life saving equipment in case of a
response of the rope monitoring device, the rope monitoring device
r.a-J- also ac5 on a lock pawl engaging a serration of the rope
pulley and fixing the rope pulley. Thus, in case of a response o~ -
the -ro~e moni-toring device, not only the rvpe becomes clamped by
-- 2 --
2~
by the rope clamping device but also the rope pulley becomes
blOclr;erl so tha-t the rope, in view of the great looping angle
~olveniently exceeding 345 , is also retained by the rope groove
o:r -t.he rope pulley.
A partlcularly favourable embodiment of the invention results
if -tne setting mechanism varying the bra~ing force is provided with
a cl ~mp bol-t extendlng ou-twardly from the rack and pressing on
movement in a~.ial direction brake lining discs against a brake disc
non - ~otata~ly connected to the rope pulley, noting that for moving
the clamping bolt a nut is provided screwed onto a thread of the
cl~p bolt and being supported on an abutment connected to the rack,
said nut bQ,ing coupled to a constructional part being movable relat-
ive to the L ack and being acted upon by the weight of the person to
be roped do~ against the action of a spring.
Short description of the figures of the drawings :
Various embodiments o~ apparatus according to the invention
are sho-~n schematically and by way of examples in the accompanying
dra.l,sill~gs .
Figure 1 shcws a first embodiment, partially in a section,
~rith the housing cover removed.
Fi~ure 2 is a vertical cross section through figure 1
with the r~pe removed.
Fi~lre 3 shows, partially in a section, a detail seen
Z4
from the r2ar .side of ~'igure 1.
l'igur~ 4 shows a brake shoe suitable for braking the
rope pu~ r.
l!igure 5 is a section along line V-V of ~igure 4.
~'igllre 6 shows the setting mechani~m for aajusting the
~raking force in a view taken from the outer side.
~'igure 7 3how~, similar to Figure 2, a second embodiment
in a gleater scale and in a vertical cross section.
~ligure 8 show~, ~imilar to ~'igur 1, a view of the second
~bodiment, partially in a section.
Figllre 9 i9 a side-vicw of the rack, partially in a
section.
~ igure 10 shows a view of the setting de~ice for the
braking force.
~'igure 11 8hows~ similar to ~'igure 2, a third em~odiment
in a vertical cross section.
~ 'lgure 12 i~ a view of the setting device, partially in
a section, for adjusting the braking force.
~ 'igure 13 shows a side view of ~'igure 11, partially in
a section.
h'igure 14 show3 a centrifugal force brake with it~
housing re~o~ed.
~'igure 15 shows a detail of this centrifugal force
~ra~e in a ~.rertical cross section.
l~igure 16 i~ a top plan view of ~igure 15.
Figures 17 and 18 show the housing for the centrifu~al
force brake in a view and in a section, respectively, of
.'igure 17,
-- 4 --
1~4~7Z4
~igure 19 shows a detail in a side view.
'l'he rope 1 is guided within a wedge-shaped rope
groo~e 3 of a rope pulley 2 for a looping angle of more than
180 and the rope pulley 2 can be subjected to a braking
action. ~'or gui~ing the rope 1, ~uide pulleys 4, 5, 6 and 7
are pro~i(ied which are, a3 is the rope pulley 2, rotatably
auppDrted on a base plate 8 of a rack. r~he base plate 8 i~
connee~ed with a cover plate 10 of the rack by means of a
hinge 9 so that the plates 8 and 10 enclo~e and protect the
constructional parts located therebetween. Said both plate~
and 10 can be locked in closed position by ~ean~ of a locking
lever i1 and are carrying guiding blocks 12, 1~ which, in pairs,
define a lower inlet opening 14 and an upper outlet opening 15
for ~he rope 1. The rope pulley 2 i8 given the shape of a ring
which is rotatably supported on the base plate 8 by means of
seven supporting rolls 16. ~he greater number of supporting
roll~ 16 is arranged on the looping side of the rope pulley
~or better co~teracting the pressure exerted by the rope 1.
~or braking the rope pulley 2, two brake shoes 17 are arranged
within the rope pulley 2 and facing one another with their rear
sideO ~hese brake shoe~ 17 are facing one another with
flanges 1~ (~igures 1, 4 and 5) rivetted to the brake 3hoes.
Four screw bolts 6~ extend through elongated holes 19 for
guiding the brahe shoes and maintaining ~ame in the des~red
po~ition. ~he axes of the supporting rolls 16 extend laterally
of the br~ke ~hoes 17. Thus, the brake shoes 17 can be moved
one from the other but a ~ivotal movement of each of the
-- 5 --
~4~'~24
brake shoes 17 is impossible. Said both brake shoes 17 are
moved one from the other by means of two compression spring~ 20
interpositioned between the flan~ee 18 suc~ that the brake
linin~s ~ igure~ ~ and 5) of these brake shoes are brou~ht
in engagement wi-th the inner circumference of the rope pulley 2.
Thls results in a braking action on the rope pulley 2 in
dependence on the pressure exerted by the sprirLg~ 20. ~o be
in the position to increa~e the brakin~ action at will, two
eccentrics or ca~s 22 are positioned between said both flanges 1
1Q and connected with their axes in a rigid manner with levers 23
linke~i one with the other by means of a connecting link 24 such
that both levers 23 can only be pivo~ed in the s~me sense OL
rotation and for the s~me extent. This results in a ~iform
outward movement of both brake chnes 17 by engaging said brake
shoe~ 17 at two points such that both flanges 18 always a&~ume
a relative parallel position and canting of the brake shoes 17
is pr~ented.
An adju~ting lever 25 (~1~ure 2) is connected to the
axis of one of the eccentric~ or cams 22, said adjustin~ lever 25
~0 being arranged at the outer side of the base plate 8 ~nd bein~
actuable by the pres~ure of a finger of the person to be roped
do~n. '~hjs does result in a more or less braking action of the
brake shoes 17.
~dditionally thereto, a pre-adjusting mean~ for the
c5 braking force of the brake shoes 17 is provided. ~or t~is
plrpose a pivotal lever 26 (~'igure~ 2 and 6) i~ non-rotatably
connected with the axis of one of the eccentric~ or cam 22.
-- 6 --
11~17~9L
~his pi~otal lever 26 can be adjusted through a window 28
pro~icied in the corer plate 10 and has its end 26' formed L~8
a~ inclex cooperating with the graduation 27 graduated in kilo-
grams 0 For adju3tin~ the minimum braking force corresponding
'o the body weight of t~e per~on to be roped down, a cam
plate 30 is pivotally su~ported on an axis 31 provided on a
L~upporting plate 29 which can be seen through the window 28
proYided in the cover plate 10. An actuating knob 32 is non-
-rotata.bly connected to the cam plate 30. The cam plate 30 i8
engaging the pivotal lever 26 so that by adjusting the actuating
~;nob 32 the pi~otal position of the pivotal lever 26 can be
selected and the spreading force acting on the brake shoe317
can be adjusted.
- If the person to be roped down i8 not in the position to
perform the above de~cribed operation, a centrifugal force
~rake 33 becom~ operative at a predetermined speed of roping
do~,.m movement~ 'l'his centrifugal foree brake has a brake shoe 34
cooperating with the outer circumference of the rope pulley 2
and being located on an auxiliary brakelever 35 whlch i8
cO pivotall~ supported on an axis 37 positioned on the base plate 8
and which is pressed against the rope pulley 2 by a strong
tens~on sr,ring 36 fixed to the base plate at 38. On normal
operation, said auxiliary brake lever 35 is preven*ed from
exerting a braking action by means o~ a protrusion 39 engaging
a diser~gageable release nose 40. The release nose 40 is formed
of a rcller provided with a flattened area and laterally
carrying a disc 41 having a protrusion 420 This protrusion 42
7Z9~
ca.r pass past an abutment 43 formed of a half-ring pivotally
arranged on an axis 44 at the side face of the guide roll 5 and
be m~.intained in a po~ition near to the axis by means of a
. tension spring 4.5, and this protrusion 42 can pa~s said
abut~ent 43 a3 long a~ the speed of roping down ~ovement is
relatively low. On attaining high numbers of revolution of the
guide roll 5, the centrifugal force acting on the abutment 4~
becomes so great that said abutment is moved against the action
of the tension .Qpring 45 in radially outward direction to such
an extent that this abutment does engage the protrusion 42 of
the disc 41 and does thus swivel the release nose 40 to such an
extent that a flattened nrea 46 is facing the protrusion 39 of
t.he auxiliary brake le~ffr 35. The auxiliary brake lever 35 can
now perIorm a pivotal movement in direction to the rope pulley 2
so that the brake shoe 34 carried by the lever 35 can be pressed
into the tapering rope groove 3 of the rope pulley 2 with a
pressure de~ined by the spring 36 and can perform the desired
braking action~
Should, unexpectedly, the rope 1 be damaged over more than half
of its dia~eter or even be torn or too short, further ropi~g
down is immediately interrupted as soon as the damaged ~ope
portion or the rope end i~ within the area of the inlet
opening 14. ~'or this purpose a rope nonitoring device 46 i8
proviAed comprising a sensing lever 48 pivotally supported on
the base plate S around an a~is 47 at a position above the inlet
opening 14~ This sensing lever 48 has the shape of a crank lever
and carries on one of its er.ds a sensing roller 49 being pressed
11~172~
against the rope 1 by means of a spring 50. The other end of
the sensing lever 48 is given the shape of a lock pawl 51
eng~g~ng a ~erration or coggir~ 52 of the rope pulley 2
(~igure ~) thus preventing any further rotation of the rope
pulle~ 2 a~ ~oon as the sensing lever 58 can in case oY a rope
shortage perform a rotating movement. Thi~ rotating movement 1~
tran~mitted on a wedge-like cla~ping piece 55 vi~ a tran~mittlng
piece 54 pivotally supported on the a~is ~3 of the guide roll 7,
. ~aid clamping piece 55 being movably supported within guideways
56 of the base plate 8 and clamping the rope 1 aB 900n aa it
becomes shilted by means of t~e transmitting piece 54 (~'igure 3).
~onveniently, a leaf spring 58 is interpositioned between the
tr~nsmit-ting piece 54 and the clamping piece 55 and pivotally
arran~ed on a bolt 57 of the base plate 8. To improve the action
e~er~ea on the rope 1, the clamping piece 55 can be provided
with t--ansve~se grooves, clamping nose~ 59 or the like.
~~'or preventing an~ slip of the rope 1 on the rope pulley 2,
the wedge-shaped groove 3 of the rope pulley 2 i8 provided with
radially directed roughenings or rib~.
.The base plate 8 and the cover plate 10 each are carrying
2 ha~dle 60 on the outer side, which handle can be gripped by
the person to be roped down. At least one of both plates 8 and 10,
preferably the stronger base plate 8, 1~ pro~ided with an ear 61
~or hooking therein a epring safety hook connected to a sus-
pension b~nd, for example a usual triple suspension band. ~he
racX is .Lurther provided with rollers 62 (~'igure 1) protruding
o-rer t.~-.e contour of the rack and being arranged at both sides
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11~17Z'~
of both plates 8, 10 and serving the purpose of passing the
eqllipmcnt over protrusion~ of the brick work in a ~hock-free
manner .
It is convenient to fix on at least one of the handles 60
a loop into which the person to be roped dowm is putting its
hand and ~i-hich, after ha~ing grasped the handle 60, is tensioned
and fi~;ed to the upper end of the equipment.
'l'he be~ring bolts for the rope pulley 2 and for the guide
pUlle~3 4 to 7 are arranged on threaded bolts, the pitch directio~
of ~hich i~ the same as is the direction of rotation of the
corresponding pulley on roping down operation. ~'or inst~nce,
the rope pulley 2 i8 rotating on roplng down operation (~'igure 1)
in counter-clock-direction and is running on the supporting roll 1
~upported on threaded bolts 16', in their turn fixed in the base
plate 8 by a left-hand thread. l'his prevents the bearing bolts
from leaving the base plate 8.
~i~he operation of the equipment is as follows~
In case OI' a fire accident, the rope 1 i~ ~tationarily
fixed with one of its ends, for e~ample tied to the window frame.
r~he other en~ of the rope i~ lowered through the window opening
or the like or thrown therethrough. q'he rope shall contact with
its free end the gro~md, noting that any surplus length is of
no importc~nce. The person to be rescued applies now the ~afety
band and connect~ this band by me~ns of the spring safety hook
to the ear 61 of the equipment. After having opened the equip-
ment by unloc~ing the locking lever 11, the rope 1 is gripped
at that point contacting the edge of the o~ltermost area of the
window protrusion, the railing of a balcony or the like. With
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~1417Z4
an additionAl length of approximately 0.5 m (measured i~ down~wa-rd direction), this rope portion is put into the equip~ent
e,.t ths exit opening 15, whereupon the rope is put on the guide
pulle~s 4, 5, the rope pulley 2 and the guide pulley 6,7 in t~e
~anner ~ho~rn in h'i gure 1 and pas~ed out of the equipment through
the i~let opening 14. Introducing the rope is facllitated by
the weclge-~haped groove 3 o~ the rope pulley 2 and by the guide
pulleys 4 to 7 which are equally given a groove profile. When
putting the rope into the inlet opening 14, the sensing roller 49
must correspondingly b~ swivelled out of the path of the rope.
After having checked correct positioning of t~e rope, the cover
plate 10 i~ ~losed and locked by means of the locking lever 11.
Prior to use, the equipment i8 as exactly as po~ible adjusted
to the bod~r weight of the per~on to be roped aOwn by correspan-
din~ly rotating the actuating knob ~2 and the pivotal movemento~ -the pivotal lever 26 resulting thereby. ~he life saving
equipment 13 now ready for operation and the person to be roped
down can allow himsel~ to slide downwardly. If the speed of
reping down movement i~, according to the opinion of said person,
20 too high this per~on can reduce this ~peed by exerting finger
pressure to the adjusting lever 25. ~oo high a speed of roping
down i~ prevented by the centrifugal force brake 3~ and a torn
rope or too short a rope has no con~equences in view of the
rope monitoring device 46. It i~ however adviseable to provide
a l;not at the lower end of the rope 1 which prevents at any rate
that t~le ro~e 1 doe~ completely pa~ through the equipment.
In the e~bodiment shown in the ~'igures 7 to 10, the rope 1
~41~
is pas~ed over the rope pulley 2 for an angle of approximately
345. On the ~ide face of the rope pulley 2,which is remote
from the base plate 8, a brake~disc 64 for br~Xin~ the rope
pulley 2 is connected by means o:f screw~65~ ~ach screw 65 is
passed through the br~k.e di~c 64, a ~pacer disc 66 as well as
the rope pulley ~ and i8 screwed into a toothed locking disc 67
located ~etween the rope pulley 2 and the base plate 8 and
contacting the rope pulley 2. ~'urther1 a flange 68 of a bushing 6
is screwed onto the inner side of the base plate 8 by mean~ of
79
10 BiX 3v.pporting ~crews which simultaneously serve as guide means
for conpression springs 71 pressing an inner brake lining disc 72
a~ainst the br~ke di~c 64. ~ns of reduced diameter of the
suppcr-ting screws70 are introduced into positioning bores of
the brak~ lining disc 72 such that the brakb lining disc 72 i8
free for limited movement in ~Yial direction. This result~ in
a certain pre-braking action on the brake disc 64 and:thus
also on the rope pulley 2.
r~he bushing 69 is guiding a tension bolt 73 which i9
~ecured against rotation by a transverse bolt 25 engaging a
milled groo~e 74 within the bu~hing 69. The tension bolt e~tends
through the bra~ lining di~c 72 and its brake lining 72',
through the brak~ di~c 64 and through a further bra~: lining 76'
which i~ applied onto an outer brak~ li~ing disc 76 which i~ its
turn is screwed onto an extension 73', which i8 of reduced
dianetcr and pro~ided with a thread, o~ the tension bolt 73,
noting that the brake lining disc 72 can be shifted in axial
direction OI the ten~ion spring. A supporting disc 77 is equally
- 12 -
11~1'724
screwed onto sald exten~ion 73' and locked in position by a
locking nut 78. Rotation of a nut 79, which is screwed onto a
thread 8~ of the tension bolt 73 and i8 ~upported on the front
:~ace of the bushins 69 by mean~ of an anti-friction bearing 81,
in clockwise direction (~igure 10) by means of a handle 82
connscted to thi~ nut results therefore in a longitudinal shift
of the ten~ion bolt 73 whereby the brake lining disc 76 i~
firml~ pre~ed with its brake lining 76' against the brake
di~c 64.
On a flange 79' of the nut 79 a carrier plate 83 (~'igure
10~ for two ears 84 carrying the handle 82 is fixed with inter-
po~ition of spacer discs. ~y mean~ of a swing ~olt 85 there i~
hingedly connected one end of a joint plate 86 between the
flange '19' ~nd the carrier plate 83, said joint plate ~6 being
h~in~edly connected with it~ other end via a swing bolt 87 to a
~lide 88 which i~ guided in guideways 89 on the outer side of
the ba3e plate 8 and i~ at the outer side of the rack 90 ~
g~lre 9) pro~ided with the lug 61 for hooking therein the spring
~afety hook not ~hown of Q six-fold suspension band. A strong
tension spring 91 is fixed to the slide 88 and further fixed
with it~ other end at 92 on the upper portion of the base plate 8.
A fur-ther tension spring 93 forms an auY.iliary spring which i8
fixed with one of its ends on the base plate 8 and with the
other of its ends on the slide 88. A further au~iliary spring 94
i.~ fixed ~ith one of it8 end~ to the base plate 8 and with the
other o its end~ to a ten~ion flap 95.hingedly connected to the
earrie.r plate 83. The arr~ngement i~ such that with non-loaded
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~1~17Z4
slide 88, i.e. ~ith the slide 88 not extracted from the ca~ing,
the axis of the e,pring 94 and th~ ax~s of the tenslon flap 95
are not in line with each other but include an obtuse angle.
~'or preventing o~cillation of the tension flap 95, a further
æpring 9~ is provided and fixedly arran~ed on the base plate 8.
~he spring 91 intends to pull the 31ide 88 and the handle 82
positively connected therewith in a predetermined position so
that the braking force is alwayæ brought to a predetermined
value if t~le equipment is not in use. If~ however, the ~lide 88
is loaded by the body weight of the person to be roped do~m,
~he auxiliary spring 93 becomes at first active at a certain
load a~d later on there becomes active the further auxiliary
spring 94. The braking force acting on the rope pulley 2 iæ
thus automatically adjusted according to the body weight of the
person to be roped down.
'~he rope monitoring device 46 i8 also in this case pro-
vided with a sensing lever 48 pivotally supported on an ax~s 47
(~`igure ~), the sensing roller 49 of the sensing lever 48 being
pressed against the rope 1 by means of a spring not ~hown.
A locking pin rivetted to the sensing lever 48 in upright posit1on
i9 on normal rope diameter and during roping down oper~tion
within the path of movement of an upstanding bolt 98 which is
pivotally supported for pivotal movement around an axis 99 on
the base plate 8 or on the cover plate 10. As soon as the
sensing lever 48 is allowed to perform around the axi~ 47 a
pivotal movement in clockwiæe direction (Figure 8), the locking
pin '~7 is sliding off the upstanding bolt 98 80 that the locking
~ 14 -
11417Z~L
pawl 51 i~ equally allowed to perform around axis 99 a pivotal
mo~emellt in clockwise direction and said locking pawl can with
it~ locki~ teeth engage the ~erration 52 of the locking disc 67
~o that the rope pulley 2 i~ immediately 6ecured again.~t rotation.
S1.multaneou~ly, the locking pawl 51 i8 shifting with it~ cnd 99'
tlle transmi~sion piece 54 slideably guided on the base plate 8
again~t a release lever 100 and is swivelling this release
le~.rer .to such an extent that a nose 101 of thi~ release lever 100
iaing off a protrusion 102 of a locking disc 103 of the
0 rope clampiIl~ device 110 so that said locking disc i8 given free
and is allowed to perform a plvotal movement around an axi~ 10
unter the action of a spring 104 and can thus automaticall~r
exert a pre~sing t'orce on the rope 1 which in its turn i3
pressed again~t the guide 56 ~o that the rope 1 i8 retarded.
l'he guide pulley 6 can be subject to a ~light braking
Qction for more firmly pressing the rope 1 lnto the wedge-
~haped groove 3 of the rope pulley 2. In addition, a roll 106
can be provided which is rotatably supported on a crank lever 107
in it~ turn pivotally co~nected to the sensing lever 48 around
an ~xi~ 108 and being swivelled by means of a spring 10~, which
i9 fixed to the bass plate 8, such that the roll 106 i8 pressed
against the guide pulley 7', whereby the rope 1 is pressed into
the wed~e-shaped groove of thi~ guide pulley 7'. Ihis will
increase the reduction of ~lip of the rope 1.
~5 I~ the person to be roped down intends to chang~ the
speed of ropin~ down movement, this can be effected ~y rotating
the handle 82, notin~ that rotat~on in clockwise direction will
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1~gL1'72~
x~duce and rotation in counter-clockwise direction will
increa~e said speed. The rope pulley 2 can even be braked
down to complete stand-still.
r~'he rope need not be a hemp rope at any rate and a steel
cable or optionally even a chain could be u~ed in place thereof.
In the embodiment according to ~igures 11 to 18, the rope
pulley 2 i~ provided with two adjacent wedge-shaped groo~es 3
and 3' which are passed by the rope 1 one after the other. ~he
rope 1 is entering the rack 90 through t~e entra~ce opening 14,
i~ passing the ~ensing roll 49 contacting the rope circumference
and is, relative to Figure 1~, pas~ing over the right-hand side
of the guide pulley 7 from where the rope i~ running in direction
of the arrow to the guide pulley 6 whic~ i8 passed by the rope 1
at the left-hand ~ide. Subsequently the rope is running past
the rope cl~mping device 110 and i8 then running o~er a further
guide pulley 111 which iB bearingly supported on the ba~e
plate 8 in an oblique po~ition. ~he rope 1 i8 running over the
guide pulley 111 for one half right-hand revolution and is then
guidea to the outer wedge-shaped groove 3' of the rope pulley 2.
The rope i~ running ln this wedge-shaped groove 3' with a
looping angl~ o~ approximately 270 and is then running from
the rope pulley 2 to the guide pulley 5 which i~ designed a~
twin guide pull~ over which the rope i~ running twice in
right-hand rotation. ~he rope is running from the guide pulley 5
to the wedge-shape~ groo~e 3, which is more inwardly located,
of the rope pulley 2 and i~ running over this rope pulley 2
agaln for a looping angle of approximately 270. Subsequently,
1724
the rope 1 is running off the rope pulley 2 and is guided by
mea-s OL' the guide pulley 4 to a guide block 12 provided with
four rolls. ~he scre~s65, which fix ~h~.brake disc 64 to the
. bas2 plate 8,simultaneously serve as fixing means for the
toothed locking disc 67 and a further ring gear~112. lhe
sllpportin~ screw~ '70 for fi~ing t~e flange 68 of the bushing 69
simultaneously serve as axes for the supporting rol~ 16. ~he
inner brake lining disc 72 iB pressed ag2inst the brake disc 64
by mean~ of one single helical compression spring 71 which is
s~ith this embodiment seated in a reces~ of the bushing 69. ~he
outer brake lining disc 76 ha~ a hexagonal recess 113 at its
out.er side accommodating as locking nut ~_hexagonal flange 78
of the tension bolt 73. The nut 79 screwed onto the thread 80
of the tension bolt 73 is supported against the base plate 8
and the bushing 6~, respectively, with interposition of an
anti-friction bearing 81. ~he slide 88 coupled to the nut 79
i~ alao with this enbodim2nt loaded by a spring 91, one end of
which is fixed to the base plate 8 by means of a hinged joint 91'
and the other end o.f which is connected via a hinged joint 115
with a flexible tension member 114 which has the shape of a
roller chain. l'he tension member 114 is guided over part of the
(~igure 1~)
circu~ference of the nut 79, said circumference being provided
wi.th a cogging 116 engaging the individual chain links of thc
tension member 114. ~xtracting the slide 88 from the guideway 89
~5 of tr.e rack 90 against the force of the spring 91 will thus
~f~ect rotation of the nut79. The tension bolt 73 can, however,
no-t follow this rotAtional movement in view of it~ being guided
-- 17 --
11~81724
w.ith lt~ hexa.gonal circumference (~ligure 1-~) within an equally
~-~xa~3~lal central opening of the bushing 69 for being shifted
i.n longi4udin3l direction~ ~aid bushing 69 being ~crewedly
flxed on the rack 90. Rotatlon of the nut 79 in clockwi~e
direction (~igure 12) during extracting the sli~e 88 from the
rack 90 will thus effect a longitudinal shift of the ten~isn
bolt 7~3 in left-hand direction (~ligure 11), whereby the brake
lining~ 72' und 76' rivetted on the con~tructional parts 72 and
75 are pre~sed against the brake disc 64. l'hi~ does result in a
~rlaki.rlg force which is automatically adjusted according to the
body weight of the pereon to be roped down because thi~ br~king
force become~ the greater the greater i8 the ~eight of said
per~on and the more the slide 88 i8 extracted from the rack 90
a~ain~t the force of the spring 91, respectively. With the
extracting force ceasing, the ~lide 88 is retracted into the
rack gO and it~ guideway 89, re~pectivelg, under the influence
of the spring 91 until an abutment 88' of the ~lide 88 i8 con-
tacting the lower rim 90' of the rack 90.
~he circumference of the nut 79 doe~ not wholl~ follow
the arc of a circle but ha~ a flattening 117 re~ching.till near
the ~xis 118 of the nut 79. ~his flattening 117 i8 not.provided
with a co~ging 116 (Figure 12) and has as an effect that with
great extracting strokes of the slide ~8, i.e. with great body
weight o~ the per~on to be roped down, the distance h (~igure 12),
of the circumference of the nut 79 from its rotational center
(axis 118), i.e. the lever arm v1a which the ~pring 91 tend~ to
rotate the nut 79 oppo~ed to clockwi~e direction, becomes smaller.
~ 18 -
7Z9L
With high loads to be roped down, the spring 91 is thus
acting on the nut '~9 withL a shorter lever arm h. In this ca~e,
the arrangement is such that even with the maximum extracting
position of the slide 88, which extracting position is delinited
by a further abutment 88" of the ~lide 88, the braking force
generat2d on rotating the nut 79 and acting on the brake di~c 64
will only amount to 95 % of the braking force required for
completely stopping the roping down equipment. ri'hus it ~s pre-
vented that the equipment i~ u~voluntarily brought to stand-
-still with high loads to be roped down. A centrifugal force
brake 33 (~igure~ 12 ~Ld 14 to 18) i8 provided to avoid in thi~
case that with high loads to be roped down the speed of roplng
do~ becomes too high, said centrlfugal force brake 33 being non--
~rotationally connected with the rope pulley 2 and being in the
position to effect complete stand-still of the roping do~m
equipment. ~his centrifugal force brake 33 is driven by the
gear 112 (~'igure 11) which is non-rotationally cor~Lected with
'che rope pulley 2 and i8 meshing with a spur gear 119, the shaft
of which e~tends through the ba~e plate 8 and carries on its
2~ outside a further ~pur gear 120 which forms the first ~tage of
a multiple-.stage tran~mi~sion gear to high numbers of revolution.
- ~'or this purpose, the ~pur gear 120 meshes with a smaller
spur gear 121 arranged on the shaft of a greater spur gear 122
whic~ in its turn meshes with a ~maller spur gear 12~ (~'igure 12)
arra~ged on the shaft of a greater spur gear 124. The last
r.entior.c~d spur gear is dri~ving via two furthcr spur gears 125,
125, thc a~is 127 of the centrifugal force brake 33. All spur
~1417Z4
gear~ 120 to 126 arc bearingly supported on the base plate 8
to which al~eo the axi~ 127 i5 screwed b~ means of a nut 128
~ ^ure 16). 'rhe ~pur ~ear 126 i~ free for rotation on the
a~.is 127 and i~ in engagement not only with the 6pur gear 125
nul. e.l~o, via a notched rim 129 (~igureC3 15 and 16), with t~o
lock. pawls l30 pivotally supported on a carrier plate 131
rotQtably arranged on the axi8 127 and pre~ed by mean~ of
~prings in+,o the notche~ or rest~ of the notched rim 129.
~'urther, two braXe lining carriers 132 (Figures 14, 15 and 16
10 are pivotlally su~ported for pivotal movement around axes 13
on the carrier di~c 131 and two trcansmi~aion lever~ 134 are
pi~otally au~ported around axe~ 135 on the carrier disc 131.
Said tr~nsmi~ion levers 134 are provided adjacent to their
pivo+Jal poi nt on the corresponding c~xis 135 with ~ roundea
protrusion 1~6 contacting the rear side of the ad~acent braXc
linin~ c~.rri~r 132 c~nd being shaped such that on pivoting the
t,r~3missio~ lever 134 around its pivotal axis 135 in clockwi3e
direction the brc~ke lining of the respective brake li~ing
carrier 132 i~ pre~sed against the inner circumferencc 137 of
2G an annular hou~ing 138 ~igllres 17 and 18)) ~aid annular
housing 138 being ~crewed onto the ba~e plate 8 by means of
~crews extending through a flange 139 and being laterally pro-
~iided with c~n opening 1~0 through which the spur gear 125 can
e~tend into the interior of the annular hou~ing 138 for me~ing
25 ~A.-~.th the sp~r gear 126.
~52
~ ach brake lining carrier i~ further hingedly connected
tc a ter~ion sprinF 141, the other end of which is hung into an
- 20 -
11~1724
opening o~ a disc 14~ rotatably put on the axis 127, A circlip
lock ring 143 prevents the dis~ 142 from leaving the shaft 127
and simultaneousl~ the nxi~ 127 from any axial s~ift.
~ili.th rormal body weight of the per~on to be roped down
th~ hraking force automatically exerted on the brake di~c 64
is suffici~nt to attain the desired speed of roping down move-
ment. If~ however, the load to be roped down i~ too great, the
tension spring 91 become~ effective with a shorter lever arm h
~o that there remains even with completely extracted slide 88
a residual .force which i~ automatically assisted by the centri-
fug&l force brake 33 such that the desired ~peed of roping down
movement will be adjusted. If, in this case, the rotational
3peed of the carrier disc 131 on the axis 127 becomes greater,
both brake lining carriers 132 are rotated around their pivotal
axes 13~ in outward direction under the influence of the centri-
fugal forco so that the brake linings begin to contact the inner
wal' o~ the hou~ing against the action of the springs 141. ~his
is assi~-ted by the fact that the transmission levers 134, which
may be provided wlth load weight~ 144, are beginnin~ with their
pivotal movement around their pivotal axes 135 and thu~ aro
pressing their protrusions 136 against the rear surfaces of the
~rake lining carriers 132 and thus are also actuating the brake
lirlings. On increa~ing pivotal movement of the transmission
le~rer3 13~ the brake lining~ o~ the brake lining carriers 132
are still stronger pre~sed against the braking surface of the
a~.nular housing 138.
~f the move~ent of the life aaving equipment in longi-
- 21 _
24
tudinal direction of the rope is ~uddenly interruptea, for
example because the rope monitoring derice 46 detects the end
ol the rope entering the equipment or detects a rope con~triction,
rotational movement o~ the rope pulley 2 is interrupted what
has as a consequence the interruption of the rotational ~ove-
ment of the ~.p~lr gear 126 and thus al~o of the notcnedrim 129.
In view of the inertia of the carrier plate 131 and of the
con3tructional parts carried by this disc$ the carrier disc 131
fllrther rotateQ in direction of the arrow 145 (~'igures 14 and
15), noting that the chamferred teeth of the lock pawl 130 are
lift~d out of the notc~sof thenot~ea rim 129 again6t the
action of the pressing ~pring~ acting on said locking pawl~ 130.
~he carrier disc 131 and the constructional parts carried by
this di~c are thus allowed to freely rotate till standstill 80
that neither the centrifugal force brake 33 can be damagea nor
any teeth of the transmis~ion gear 11~ to 1~6 can be sheared
of~.
In this embodiment, the rope monitoring device 46 hQs
i-t~ f~nction derived from the sensing roll 49 rotatably supported
2Q on a slide 146 in its turn being slidably guided by means of a
bolt 148 engagin~ 8 longitudinal slot 1~7 of the base plate 8
and being pulled in left-hand direction (~'igure 13) by me~ns
o~ a ~pring 149 fixed at 150 to the bottom of the rack 80 that
the sensing roll 49 i8 at any time pres~ed against the rope 1.
~he slide 146 carries a bolt 151 contacting a leg of a loc~ing
le~er 152 in its turn pi~otally supported on t'ne base plate 8
around an axis 153 and loaded by a spring 154 fixed to tne base
- 22 -
11~17~
pla-te 8 in ~ ~ense of rotating in counter-clockwi~e direction
aro-~d the axis 153 90 that the leg of the locking lever 152
i~ contacting the bolt 151 under pre-stres~ rThe locking
1.e-,er 1~2 iF.~ provided with a nose 155 whlch, on normal operation,
is slipplng behind a protrusion 98 of a locking pawl 51 in its
tu~n beir.g pivotally supported on the base plate 8 around the
axir, ~3 and being loaded b~ a spring 51' in the sense of clock-
wise rotation around the a~is 53. The locking pawl 51 carries
'&~0 teeth 51~ engaging the cogging 52 of the locking alsc 67
c~nnected ~o the rope pulley 2 ~nd can thus block rotation of
the rope pulley 2.
~ e pivotal ~o~erent of the lock pawl 51 resulting by
blocking the rotation i9 transmitted via a release lever 156
which surround~ with an elongated hole a bolt 157 of the lock
pawl 51 and is pivotally supported on the base plate 8 arovnd
thc axis of the guide pulley 7. This release le~er 156 i6, via
a flap 158 hingedly connected to this release le~er, in
connection with a further locki~g lever 159 pivotally ~upported
on the ~ase plate ~ around an a~is 160 and loaded by a spring 161
anchoxed on the base plate in the sen3e of pivotal movement in
clockwise direction around the axis 160. ~his locking le~er 159
block~ with a nose 162 the end of a wedge skifting lever 163
being pivotall~J supportedon ~e base plate 8 around an axis 164
and being loaded by a spring 165 in the sense of a pivotal -
2~ ,.o~rement in counter-clockwise direction around this axis. ~'he-
edgc shifting le-~er 163 i3 connected with a wedge-shaped
cla.r.r.ping piece S~ b~ means of a flap 166 and said clamping piece
~ O
- 23 -
11 ~17Z4
can be shifted along a wedge-like tapering wall 168 of the
~uideways 56 fi~ed to the base plate 8 such that the clamping
piece 55 i~ pres~ed with a ~erration 169 again~t the surf~ce
cf the rope 1 and is thus clamping the rope which i8 supported
by a sllpporting wall 170 of the rope clamping device 110. To
allow to restore the origin~l position of the rope clamping
device aftsr any re~ponse thereof, the wedge ~hifting lever 163
i~ hin~edly connected to a flap 171 in it~ turn hingedly
connected to a restoring lever 172 pivotally Qupported on the
base pl~te ~ around an axiQ 173. As soon a~ the rope clamping
device 110 has gi~en a response, thi~ restoring lever 172
extends through a 8iot (not shown) of the cover out of the
hou~ing. If it is intended to release the rope clamping de.vice
after the roped down per30n is savedit i~ only required to
a.gain pres~ into the housing of the equipment the portion of
the restoring lever 172 which protrudes from said ~lot.
The equipment i8 further designed such that on opening
the cover plate, which contact~ the base plate 8 along the
gap 187, the whole rope monitoring device, i.e. the construc-
-tional part~ actuate~-by~the sen~ing roll 49,are automatically
returned in their ~tarting posit~on. ~or this purpose, a
wind-up curve 175 is connected with the cover plate 10
(~ig1lre 19) pivotable around the axi~ of the hinge 9. A bolt 176
of a two-arm piYotal lever 177 i~ guided within the slot-shaped
2~ opening of the wind-up curve 175, ~aid pivotal lever 177 being
pivotaliy supported aro~d an axis 17~ oX a bearin~ block 178
of the base plate ~ and oarrying on its other arm a bolt 1~0
- 24 -
1141724
which can slid.c within an elongated ~lot of a tension piece 181.
~he tension ~iece 181 i9 resiliently seatea on a bolt 182
(~'igure 19) of a wind-up slide 18~ (i'igure 13), noting that
between this wind-up slide 183 and the tension piece 181 a
~ind-up curve 184 i8 provided which i5 fixed to the wind-up
slide 18~, If the pivotal lever 177 pulls the ten~ion piece 181
in ri~ht-hand direction (~igures 13 and 19), the wind-up curve 184
rive~ted onto t~le wind-up slide 183 pu118 with it, and this with
its protruding nose, a tension roll 185 (which in just this
moment a3~umes the po~ition 185' shown in dashed lines, P'igure 13
and rotate~ the lock pawl 51 around it~ pivotal axis 5~ out of
i.ts locking position. During this mo~ement the protrusion 98
of the lock pawl 51 is sliding on the chamferred front face of
the nose 155 of the locking lever 152 until this nose 155 can
,snap behind the protrusion 98 under the action of the ~pring 154
~ntil the locking pawl 51 i8 blocked in it~ po~ition removed
from the cogging 52. ~imultaneously, on shifting the wind-up
~lide 1~3,this ~lidc i~ pressing with a stepped portion 186
against the left-hand ~ide surfaco (~igure 13) of the ~lide 146
beGau~e both slides 146, 183 are located in the same plane. ~he
slide 146 1~ thu~ returned in the wind-up po~ition against the
force of the ~pring 149 and maintained in this position as long
a5 the co~er plate 10 as~umes open position. After having put
the rope in positi.on, the pivotal lever 177 i8, during closing
the co-ver plate 10 and prior to locking ~ame, returned by the
wind-up curve 174 in its rest position shown in P'igure 19,
~:iher~by the tension piece 181 and t~lerewith also the wind-up
- 25 -
~1~17Z4
curve 1~4 and the wind-up slide 183 are ~hifted in left-hand
direction to such an extent that the slide 147 can be moved
under the action of the spring 149 in left-hand direction
~ntil ~he sensing roll 49 contacts the rope circ~ference. lhe
bolt 1'jt of the sliae 146 is alway~ located at t~e right-hand
sid~ (~'igure 13) of the locking lever 152 80 that the locking
lever 152, which prevent~ the lock pawl 51 from engaging the
cogging 52, is not swivelled out of it~ locking position. ~hi~
1s, however, only effected when the sen~ln~ roll 49 can move
for a corre~ponding distance in left-hand direction, for example
when the rope end has entered the equipment or when a rope
con3triction has been detected. The sensing roll 49 doe~ thus
not form an obstacle for positioning the rope becau~e ~aid
~enslng roll is retracted by the slide 146 on mo~ing the cover
17 plate in open position.
rl'he running path of the rope through the equipment is
indicated by arrow3.
I~ the rope ~hould be too short for allowing the person
to be roped down to reach the ground, it is immediately detected
t~at the lower end of the rope enters the inlet opening or
passes past the sensing roll 49 so that, on the one hand, the
rope cla~ping device 110 gives a respon~e and reliably clamp~
the ro~e end and1 on the other hand, and simultaneously there-
~Yith~ further rotation of the rope pulley 2 and of t~e brake
~i8c cor~ect~d therewith is prevented by the lo~k pawl 51. In
view of the rcpe pulley 2 c~rrying two winding~ of t~e rope 1
an~ ~lip o f the rope within the wedge-shaped groo~es 3, 3' is
i~po~sible. ~he per~on to be roped down i~ thus reliably secured
- 26 -
7Z4
against precipitation. In view of the equipment not requiring
nny ~allipulation by the person to be roped down if the equip-
~ent has been correspondingly pr~pared for operation (correct
positioning of t'Le rope), ftmctional def~cts re.Qulting from a
wron~ action i8 i~.possible. In view of t~e correct speed of the
roping down movemen~ being automatically ad~ustea, t~e equipment,
which i~ primarily intended for roplng down persons in dangerous
si-tuation~, is al~o suitable for roping down goods oY any Xind.
