Firefighter training unit

A firefighter training unit for simulating use of a fire extinguishing system, the unit including: a reel; a user-manipulable nozzle; a hose having opposite ends attached respectively to the reel and the nozzle and being partially wound around the reel, wherein rotation of the reel in a first rotational direction allows the hose to be unwound from the reel; a motor configured to drive the reel in a second rotational direction which causes the hose to be wound onto the reel; one or more devices for providing one or more output signals corresponding to one or more simulated operating conditions of the fire extinguishing system; and a controller configured to drive the motor in response to the one or more output signals so as to apply torque to the reel in the second rotational direction to simulate forces applied to the hose during operation of the fire extinguishing system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2016/050115, filed Feb. 19, 2016, which claims the priority of Australian Patent Application No. 2015900587, filed Feb. 20, 2015, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to equipment for training fire fighters and more particularly to firefighter training equipment that simulates real world conditions experienced by fire fighters in hazardous environments.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Firefighter training is typically an expensive and potentially dangerous task. Often the realism experienced in a training environment is significantly limited due to the inability of an instructor to recreate fire activity in a safe manner.

Expensive hot fire training props are often in high demand and are limited to recreating the one scenario that they were developed for. Firefighter training is therefore limited in the variety of different scenarios that can be presented to trainee firefighters so that the value of training can diminish as the trainee becomes accustomed to the scenario that has been created. Such props also require the use of training vehicles, known as ‘pumpers’, to supply water to the training area, so that overall, significant man power is required to provide training opportunities to the fire fighters who are at the front line nozzles of firefighting equipment.

The use of breathing apparatus for front line fire fighters in an internal, structural fire fight, combined with dragging a hose line, carrying break and entry gear and other firefighting tools is made significantly more complex by the addition of smoke, fire activity and potential full structural collapse. The physical exertion and exhaustion felt by the firefight after a period of activity cannot often be experienced in a training environment.

There currently exists a need to develop firefighter training equipment that is relatively low cost, easy to deploy and adaptable to a number of training environments which nevertheless provides a high degree of realism in order to optimise the simulation experience. It would also be desirable to provide training equipment that ameliorates or overcomes one or more disadvantages or inconveniences of known firefighter training equipment.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a fire fighting training unit for simulating use of a fire extinguishing system that includes a hose and a liquid spray outlet connected to one end of the hose, for dispensing a fire extinguishing liquid, the firefighting training unit including

a reel;

a flexible and elongate member having opposite ends attached respectively to the reel and the nozzle and being at least partially wound about the reel, wherein rotation of the reel in a first rotational direction allows the elongate member to be unwound from the reel;
a motor configured to drive the reel in a second rotational direction, opposite to the first rotational direction which causes the elongate member to be wound onto the reel;
one or more devices for providing one or more output signals corresponding to one or more simulated operating conditions of the fire extinguishing system; and
a controller configured to drive the motor in response to the one or more output signals so as to apply torque to the reel in the second rotational direction to simulate forces applied to the hose during operation of the fire extinguishing system.

In one or more embodiments, a first operating condition is liquid flow rate through the nozzle, and a first device is a flow rate selector for selecting the liquid flow rate.

In one or more embodiments, a second operating condition is liquid spray pattern, and a second device is a liquid spray pattern selector for selecting the liquid spray pattern.

In one or more embodiments, a third operating condition is nozzle actuation to dispense a fire extinguishing liquid, and a third device is a nozzle actuation detector.

Conveniently, any one or more of the above mentioned devices may be fitted to the user manipulable nozzle.

In one or more embodiments, a fourth operating condition is rotational unwinding of the reel, and a fourth device is a rotational speed detector for detecting the rotational unwinding speed of the reel. Conveniently, the detector may be an encoder coupled to the reel.

In one or more embodiments, the torque caused to be applied to the motor by the control is dependent on configuration data accessible by the controller. This configuration data may include any one or more of:

fluid pressure, elongate member construction, elongate member length, floor surface and maximum force.

In one or more embodiments, a fifth device is mounted to the nozzle for capturing image data during use of the firefighter training unit.

In one or more embodiments, the elongate member is a flexible hollow tube, and may be made from canvas, plastic, rubber or other material typically used in the construction of firefighting hoses.

In one or more embodiments, the firefighter training unit further includes electrical cabling extending within the tube between the one or more devices and the controller, for the purpose of transmitting data between the one or more devices and the controller.

In one or more embodiments, the fighting training unit may further include a fluid supply, and at least one inflation device coupled to the fluid supply for inflating at least a portion of the tube to simulate pressurization of the hose of the fire extinguishing system. Conveniently, the fluid supply may be a pressurised air container. In this case, the inflation device may be, for example, an air line extending within at least a portion of the tube.

In one or more embodiments, the firefighter training unit includes one or more clamps to clamp the unit to a support surface, such as a floor.

In one or more embodiments, the controller may include a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing program instructions to cause the processor to compute to the torque to be applied to the motor and to apply that computed torque.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of operating a firefighter training unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, the method including the steps of:receiving one or more output signals from the one or more devices, the output signals corresponding to one or more simulated operating conditions of the simulated fire extinguishing system; anddriving the motor in response to the one or more output signals so as to apply torque to the reel in the second rotational direction to simulate forces applied to the hose during operation of the fire extinguishing system.

The fighting training unit can comprise a base station at which the reel, the motor and the controller are located and from which the elongate member and nozzle can be unwound from the reel. The base station can further include the fluid supply and the inflation device if provided.

The motor can be an electric motor, AC or DC, or it can be a petrol or diesel motor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now toFIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a firefighter training unit10for use in training firefighters in simulated hazardous conditions. The firefighter training unit10includes a housing12in which is mounted a reel14. A flexible hose16, or other flexible hollow tube or other flexible elongate member is wound around the reel14. In the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 1 and 2, the hose is made from material identical to hoses typically used by firefighters in extinguishing fires. However, in this embodiment water or other fire extinguishing fluid is not required to be pressurised within and expelled from the hose, and therefore in other embodiments of the invention different hollow or solid elongate members may be used.

The firefighter training unit10further includes a motor18configured to drive the reel14in one rotational direction as well as a servo control circuitry20configured to drive the motor18. The firefighter training unit10also includes a user manipulable nozzle22attached or fixed to one end of the elongate member16.

Depending on the environment in which it is used, it will be convenient to clamp the firefighter training unit10to the support surface upon which is rests by means of magnetic clamps23or like fixation devices in order to prevent lateral movement of the firefighter training unit10during simulation.

The firefighter training unit10also includes a container24of pressurised air as well as a compressor26. As can be best seen inFIG. 3, in this exemplary embodiment an airline28extends within the hollow space inside the hose16between the nozzle22and reel14. The pressured container24and compressor26act to supply pressurised air to the interior of the hose16to inflate the hose during firefighting simulations. In that regard, the airline28may include a series of apertures (not shown) running along its length in order to enable the pressurised air to be expelled from the airline to the interior of the hose16.

The firefighting training unit10also includes one or more devices for providing one or more output signals corresponding to one or more simulated operating conditions of the simulated fire extinguishing system.

One or more of these devices may be user operable selectors for selecting the liquid flow rate, desired spray pattern of water or other fluid to be expelled from the simulated fire extinguishing system. In addition, one or more of the devices may detect another user action, for example, user actuation of a gate valve located on the nozzle22to expel liquid. In a real world fire extinguishing system, user actuated movement of a gate valve (see the gate valve34ofFIG. 3) from a closed to an open position will cause water to be expelled from the hose of the fire extinguishing system.

Conveniently, such devices are mounted in the exemplary embodiment shown inFIGS. 1 to 3on the nozzle22. Both the flow rate selector30and the spray pattern selector32can be formed from rings mounted around the barrel of the nozzle22with encoders or industrial analogue potentiometers attached to the rings so as to detect the angular position in which each ring is placed by an operator. The gate valve position detector40(seeFIG. 4) can be a simple switch housed within the nozzle22and operable when the gate valve34or like mechanism is moved in the direction of the arrow36from an off to an on position. Electrical cabling38extends within the hose16between the spray pattern selector32, flow rate selector30and gate valve position detector40, and the controller20for data transmission.

As can be seen inFIG. 4, the spray pattern selector30and flow rate selector32provide output signals corresponding—respectively to the spray pattern selected by an operator and the flow rate selected by an operator—to a controller39. The gate valve position detected by a gate valve position detector40is provided as another output signal to the controller39. A dead man switch or other actuation detector42may also be included in the nozzle22to provide a further output signal to the controller38, in this case being indicative of the grasping of the nozzle by a user.

As can be also seen inFIG. 4, the motor20is connected to a hub43of the reel14, the hose16being wound around that hub43. Operation of the motor20is controlled by current from a servo amplifier44, which is in turn controlled by the controller39. An encoder46is coupled to the motor20to provide a position feedback signal to the controller indicative of the rotational speed of the reel, to the controller39. In that regard, a counter48is provided as part of the controller39, the frequency with which pulses are received from the encoder46being indicative of the rotational speed of the reel14.

In one or more embodiments, a dynamic load47may be coupled to the motor20to restrict advancement of the elongate member16out of the reel14. The dynamic load47assists in the delivery of step up or advancement forces at the hardware level and reduces the likelihood of damage to the electronics if a user pulls too fast on the elongate member16, which would otherwise create a generator-like effect that could introduce damaging voltages into the system. The dynamic load47may include a resistance connected in shunt across the motor20.

Similarly, the air compressor26is coupled to one end of the hose16in order to pressurize air within the airline28and thereby inflate the hose16. The air compressor26is controlled by current from a servo amplifier50, which is in turn controlled by the controlled by the controller39.

Input/output circuitry52is provided as part of the controller39in order to receive the output signals from the gate valve position detector40, flow rate selector32, spray pattern selector30and handle actuation detector42. In addition, a digital communication link54is provided as part of the controller39in order to send control signals to the servo amplifiers44and50.

The controller39includes a processor56, read only memory or other non-transitory computer readable medium58storing program instructions to cause the processor to perform various computations described herein and to generate control signals to be transmitted to the servo amplifiers44and50from the digital communication link54. In performing its various operations, the processor56uses data stored in a volatile memory60, including configuration data62and one or more look up tables64.

It will be appreciated that the gate valve position detector40, flow rate selector32, spray pattern selector30, handle actuation detector42and encoder46and merely examples of devices that may form part of the firefighter training unit10to provide one or more output signals corresponding to one or more simulated operating conditions of a real world fire extinguishing system.

Another exemplary such device is a camera66(best seen inFIG. 6), that may be conveniently mounted to the nozzle22, which provides an output signal to the controller39corresponding to images captured from the environment surrounding the firefighting training unit. This captured image data together with other data from the various devices forming part of the firefighter training unit10(such as the selected spray pattern) may be provided to a virtual reality system for incorporation into a display presented to a firefighter undergoing training in order to provide a more immersive training experience. As is the case with the detectors32,30,40and42, a connection between the nozzle mounted camera66and the controller39may be provided by means of the electrical cable38extending between the nozzle22and the controller38inside the hose16.

Other exemplary devices include an inertial measurement unit67and infra-red tracking unit69. The inertial measurement unit67includes using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes, and possibly magnetometers, to track the pose and orientation of the user manipulable nozzle22during simulation so that an accurate representation of a jet of water coming from the user manipulable nozzle22can be generated by a virtual reality system.

The infra-red tracking unit69includes a head with infra-red reception and transmission capacities. Such a unit enables a trainer to use simple active markers on walls or other surfaces in a training environment, for example, to differentiate different types of fires.

In some embodiments, rather than relying upon the electrical cable38, wireless transmission/reception devices71and73may be provided to enable communication between the controller39and the various nozzle-mounted devices.

In use, when a user grasps the nozzle22and moves away from the firefighter training unit10, the force applied by the hose16to the reel14causes rotation of the reel14in one rotational direction so as to unwind the hose from the reel. The controller acts to drive the servo motor20in response to the various output signals received at the controller39, taking into account configuration data (defining operational parameters of a fire extinguishing system to be simulated and various other parameters that may be required) to apply to torque to the reel14in the opposite rotational direction thereby to simulate the sum of one or more forces applied to the hose16during operation of the real world fire extinguishing system.

FIG. 5depicts a flow chart showing various steps performed by the controller39in the computation and application of a suitable torque to the reel14in order to simulate the sum of those various forces applied to the hose of the real world fire extinguishing system. After the firefighter training unit10and controller38are enabled at step80, the controller39initially accesses configuration data62, at step82. The configuration data62may include any one or more of fluid pressure, hose construction, hose diameter, hose length, floor surface properties (in order to determine a frictional force that may be experienced by a firefighter) and a maximum force/torque that may be generated by the servo motor20as a safety parameter.

This configuration data62can be set up via an operator control panel (not shown). All selections can be made from one or more different groups of configuration data in order to simulate different types of fire extinguishing systems.

At step84, the controller39interprets the presence of a firefighter by detecting handle actuation from an output signal provided by the dead man's switch42. When handle actuation is detected the controller39acts at step86to cause the air compressor36to inflate the hose16by means of the airline28.

Before determining the value of the torque to be applied to the reel14, the controller39firstly detects the position of the encoder or industrial analogue potentiometer forming part of the spray pattern selector30fitted about the nozzle22, as well as the position of the encoder or analogue potentiometer of the flow rate selector32which is also fitted about the nozzle22(step88). Once these two selections have been made at step88, the controller39accesses information stored in the look up table64and, at step90, computes a jet reaction force (also called nozzle reaction force) that would be applied to the nozzle of a real fire extinguishing system.

In addition, at step92, the controller39determines whether the firefighter holding the nozzle22is moving away from the reel14. If this is the case, the controller38access the look up table64to determine the dragging (set up) force that would be required to drag a full hose over a floor surface of the type identified by the configuration data at step94. Once the jet reaction force90and the drag/friction force94have been computed, these two forces are summed by the controller39, and signals sent to the servo amplifier44in order to cause the servo motor20to apply a torque to the reel14in the opposite rotational direction to that caused by the firefighter moving away from the reel14, at step96.

When the firefighter stops, and the controller39detects from the pulses provided by the encoder46that the reel rotational velocity has reduced to zero, the controller38will remove the drag/friction force computed at step94from the force applied by the motor20.

It will be appreciated that the flow rate and spray pattern selected will have an effect on the jet reaction force calculated. In simple terms, a directional jet of fluid will generate more jet reaction force than will a fog or more dispersed spray pattern, whilst a higher flow rate will provide more jet reaction flow rate than a lower flow rate. A higher pump pressure (part of the configuration data) will also affect the jet reaction force, a higher pressure generating more force. A larger hose diameter will also allow for higher flow rates which will also affect the calculation of the jet reaction force.

In various embodiments, a supervisory computer100may be connected by USB, Ethernet, wireless or other suitable connection means to the controller20to enable a trainer to control the real-time experience of a user of the firefighter training unit10.

Finally it is to be understood that various modifications and/or additions may be made the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.