Fire-fighting apparatus

Abstract: A fire-fighting apparatus comprises a hose reel (12,13) on which a fire-hose (4) can be rolled up and unrolled. For this purpose the fire-hose is connected to wall-mounting means (5) for rotation on a rotation axis (3). A hollow infeed shaft (16) of the fire-hose is coupled on one side via a valve (6) to a fixed water pipe and on the other side to an outlet (19) connected to an end of the fire-hose (4). The valve (6) comprises a control member (75) for placing the valve (6) in an opened or closed position and which is able to co-act with at least a part (80) of the hose reel (12,13) so that when this latter is rotated the valve (6) is carried into an opened or closed position depending on the rotation direction of the hose reel.

Description: The present invention relates to a fire-fighting apparatus comprising a hose reel which is intended for receiving a fire-hose thereon and which is connected to wall-mounting means for rotation on a rotation axis and provided with a hollow infeed shaft with a cavity which can be coupled on one side via a valve to a water pipe and on the other side to an outlet for connection of an end of the fire-hose, wherein the valve comprises a control member for placing the valve in an opened or closed position. Such an apparatus is usually used in or close to buildings so as to have available an unlimited quantity of extinguishing agent in the case of fire, this in contrast to hand extinguishers which have only a limited store of extinguishing agent. For this purpose the fire-fighting apparatus is connected to a water pipe from which extinguishing water can be drawn. In a known apparatus the connection of the hose reel to the water pipe takes place via a valve in the form of a tap which must be operated manually (see for instance document GB-A-2 262 459). When not in use this tap is closed, so that in the case of fire the tap must first be opened by hand before extinguishing water is available. Time is hereby lost; valuable time in a situation where every second counts. The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of the type stated in the preamble which obviates this drawback. In order to achieve the intended objective, a fire-fighting apparatus of the type stated in the preamble has the feature according to the invention that the control member is able to co-act with at least a part of the hose reel so that when this latter is rotated the valve is carried into an opened or closed position depending on the rotation direction of the hose reel. Other than the tap of the known apparatus, which has to be opened and closed manually, the control member of the valve of the apparatus according to the invention is able to co-act with a part of the hose reel so that when this latter is rotated the valve is opened or closed subject to the rotation direction of the hose reel. The invention is herein based on the insight that unrolling of the fire-hose is easily the most instinctive action when a fire has started. By linking this rotation of the hose reel to the operation of the valve a completely automatic unit is provided which, apart from this instinctive of the valve a completely automatic unit is provided which, apart from this instinctive action of the user, requires no further operation to make the apparatus ready for operation. Conversely, rolling up of the hose reel after use of the apparatus will be the most logical action. The associated rotation of the hose reel will once again result in interaction with the control member, this time to close the valve. Both opening and closing of the valve are thus linked to the rotation of the hose reel so that this is no longer a concern for a user. The valve does not per se have to form part of the apparatus, although a particular embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that the wall-mounting means comprise a wall plate to which the valve is connected. Because the valve is thus fixed onto the wall plate, the mutual adjustment of the control member and the hose reel can take place in advance in the factory, so that the apparatus can be arranged on-site as an already adjusted unit. This not only simplifies fitting but also reduces the chance of installation errors. In a particularly practical mounting method there is provided a further specific embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention which is characterized in that the wall-mounting means comprise a plate part on which the hose reel is received for rotation on the rotation axis, which plate part is provided with an opening, a centre line of which at least practically coincides with the rotation axis, and that the valve comprises a projecting outlet which protrudes through said opening and into an inlet of the cavity of the infeed shaft. The valve thus requires no further mounting means than the coupling thereof to the inlet of the hose reel. A suitable manner of mutual coupling thereof is one by means of a screw connection. A preferred embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention herein has the feature that the outlet bears on an outer periphery thereof a screw thread which engages in at least practically close-fitting manner in a complementary screw thread in an inner wall of the inlet of the cavity. Because the outlet of the valve thus screws into the cavity of the hose reel, a significant part of the outlet disappears therein. Only the remaining part of the valve has to be accommodated behind the wall plate, which saves installation depth. With a view thereto, a further preferred embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that an inlet and the outlet of the valve project at least substantially transversely of each other and that the control member is placed on a side of the valve lying opposite the inlet. Such a right-angled valve requires a minimum of space behind the wall plate. In a particular embodiment the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that the valve comprises an output control shaft which when rotated carries the valve into an opened or closed position depending on the rotation direction, that the control member is directed substantially transversely of the control shaft and that the hose reel comprises a cam which, at least in the case of a complete rotation of the hose reel, is able to contact the control member and to thereby carry the valve into a closed or opened position, depending on the direction of rotation. The intended automatic operation can be obtained by a suitable adjustment of the position of the cam on the hose reel relative to the control member of the valve. In order to prevent the control member obstructing a subsequent rotation of the hose reel or itself being damaged thereby, a further preferred embodiment the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that the control member is at least partially resilient. By thus giving the control member a resilient form, it can spring aside during a subsequent rotation of the hose reel so that the hose reel can be unrolled or rolled up in practically unobstructed manner. A further particular embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature in this respect that the control member comprises an at least practically form-retaining wire which is wound spirally round the control shaft and protrudes with a free end in a direction transversely of the control shaft. The free end of the wire will per se already be resilient to a certain extent, although the spiral winding of the wire round the control shaft provides an additional spring action which avoids the rotation of the hose reel being too greatly impeded by the interaction with the control member. A further particular embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature in this respect that the wire is formed from spring steel. A further preferred embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that the control member is connected to the control shaft via an adapter body, that the adapter body comprises a first part which is connected non-rotatably to the control shaft, that the adapter body comprises a second part in which the control shaft is fixed and that the first and second part of the adapter body are connected for mutual release and adjustment. The adapter body provides the option of fine adjustment of the control member on the valve. Because both parts of the adapter body are connected releasably and adjustably to each other, both parts, and therewith the valve and the control member, can be repositioned relative to each other if desired so as to obtain an optimal positioning of the control member on the valve. Not only is this advantageous during first installation in ensuring that during the one rotation of the hose reel the valve does actually close fully and that during a rotation in the opposite direction it does actually close fully, this also provides the option of later adjustment and modification of the apparatus to possible play and wear. A particularly practical embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature in this respect that the first part of the adapter body comprises a sleeve-like body which on a first side engages along a centre line on the control shaft of the valve and on an opposite side comprises a seat for a round cover which forms the second part of the adapter body and a centre line of which at least practically coincides with the centre line of the control shaft. By turning the cover, and therewith the control member fixed therein, in the seat the angle made by the control member relative to the hose reel can be adjusted as desired. This is found to be in practice the most critical setting and thereby provides the possibility of precisely adjusting the fire-fighting apparatus to its operation. An accurate fine adjustment is thus possible by fixing both parts in this position. For this purpose a further embodiment of the fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention has the feature that at the position of the seat the sleeve-like body and the cover comprise a bore for receiving fixation means therein. The invention will now be further elucidated with reference to an embodiment and a drawing. In the drawing: figure 1 shows a cross-section of an embodiment of a fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention; figure 2 shows a detail view of the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 3A shows a first embodiment of a valve for use in the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 3B shows a top view of a first embodiment of an adapter body applied in the valve of figure 3A; figure 4A shows a second embodiment of a valve for use in the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 4B shows a top view of a second embodiment of an adapter body for use in the valve of figure 4A; figure 5 shows a top view of the valve of figure 3A mounted in the wall-mounting means of the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 6 shows a top view of the valve of figure 3A mounted in the wall-mounting means and on the infeed shaft of the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 7 is a front view of the wall-mounting means of the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 1; figure 8 is a top view of a second embodiment of a fire-fighting apparatus according to the invention; and figure 9 is a rear view of the fire-fighting apparatus of figure 8. The figures are otherwise partly schematic and not drawn to the same scale. For the sake of clarity some dimensions in particular are highly exaggerated. Corresponding parts are designated as far as possible in the figures with the same reference numerals. The fire-fighting apparatus shown in figure 1 comprises a hose reel 1 consisting of two circular flanges 12 of steel plate with a diameter of about 60 cm having therebetween a drum 13 on which can be wound a fire-hose 4, only part of which is shown in the figure. For this purpose hose reel 1 is connected to wall-mounting means 5 for rotation on a rotation axis 3. The wall-mounting means comprise a robust, bent wall plate 5 manufactured from steel plate with a thickness of about 3 mm. As shown in figure 7 in a front view thereof, the wall plate comprises six slotted holes 51 with which the whole can be attached firmly and reliably to a wall of or close to a building by means of a corresponding number of screw bolts. The space between the wall and the central part of wall plate 5 provides space for a valve 6. Valve 6 comprises an inlet 61 with a standard 3/4" thread or squeeze coupling 64, see figure 3A, for fastening to a water pipe (not shown) which will be placed on the wall in the vicinity of the hose reel. Valve 6 also has an outlet 62 which projects in a direction transversely of the remaining part of the valve and herein protrudes through an opening 52 in wall plate 5, a centre line of which coincides with the rotation axis 3 of the hose reel. Via the opening 52 in the wall plate, see figure 7, the outlet 62 of the valve is coupled to and in open communication with an inlet 14 of a cavity 15 in a core 16 of hose reel 1, this being shown in more detail in figure 2. Figure 2 shows an enlargement of the part of the fire-fighting apparatus marked as II in figure 1. Outlet 62 comprises on its outer periphery an external screw thread 65 which engages close-fittingly in a screw thread which is tapped internally in a wall 17 of infeed shaft 16 at the position of inlet 14. Valve 6 thus protrudes along practically the full length of the outlet 62 thereof into the cavity 15 of infeed shaft 16, whereby the space behind wall plate 5 only has to accommodate the remaining part of valve 6 and can thereby be relatively narrow. Figures 5 and 6 further show the manner in which valve 6 and infeed shaft 16 are mutually coupled to form a particularly compact unit via wall plate 5. The cavity 15 is situated partly between wall 17 of reel core 16 and an inner wall 18 of the hose reel drum 13 rotating therearound. A suitable water barrier 8 herein provides a bearing and an efficient sealing between both parts, whereby a smoothly turning and water-tight whole is obtained. On the inner wall 18 of drum 13 the cavity 15 comprises an outlet 19 to which is connected a first end 41 of fire-hose 4. A standard hose clip 43 herein avoids that fire-hose 4 can be pulled off the outlet 19 too easily during operation and prevents leakage. Opposite inlet 61 the valve 6 comprises a control shaft 66 which, when rotated through an angle of about 90 , carries the valve into a fully opened or a fully closed position in accordance with the rotation direction. Mounted on control shaft 66 is an adapter body 70 comprising a sleeve-like body 71 which on its underside engages non-rotatably on control shaft 66 and on its opposite side comprises a seat 73 for a cover 72. Via this adapter body a control member 75 is coupled to control shaft 66 of the valve. Control member 75 here comprises a form-retaining wire of spring steel with a diameter of about 3 mm which is wound spirally round a bush-like core 74 of sleeve-like body 71 with which sleeve-like body 71 engages round control shaft 66. Owing to this winding and the material of the control member the free end thereof springs particularly in sideward direction. A piece of silicone hose or other resilient medium between the winding and the bush-like core 74 of the adapter body enhances this spring action but is not further shown in the figure. With the other end 76 the control member 75 is fixed in adapter body 70. In the embodiment of figures 3A and 3B this is in the cover 72, which is provided for this purpose with a corresponding bore, while in the embodiment of figures 4A and 4B the control member protrudes with the end 76 through a recess in the wall of sleeve-like body 71 and is thus fixed therein. By moving the control member in sideward direction the valve will be closed or opened, depending on the direction of movement. A stop (not drawn) on the body of the valve and cams adapted thereto on the adapter body ensure that control member 75 cannot be carried past these extreme positions. In mounted situation the control member 75 of valve 66 protrudes through a slot 53 provided for this purpose in wall plate 5, see figures 2 and 7. The control member is thus able to co-act with a fixed part of the hose reel to be urged into the one or the other extreme position during a rotation of the hose reel, depending on the rotation direction. For this purpose the hose reel comprises in this embodiment a cam 80 specifically arranged for this purpose, or even a number of such cams 80 on the rear wall of drum 13 spread around its rotation axis 3. During rotation of the hose reel the control member 75 will be engaged by such a cam 80 as it passes by and, as long as control member 75 is not in an extreme position, will be carried along thereby. In the extreme position the control member 75 springs away so that cam 80 can nevertheless pass. When the hose reel is unrolled the valve will thus move into an at least practically fully open position and when the hose reel is subsequently rolled up again it will once again assume a closed position. All in all, this provides a fully automatic operation of the valve which is linked to unrolling respectively rolling up of the hose reel, these being probably the most instinctive actions of the user during and after a fire. In order to enable a precise mutual adjustment of control member 75 and the cam or cams 40 co-acting therewith, the embodiment of figures 3A and 3B is recommended and is therefore also applied in this example. Control member 75 is herein fixed into the cover 72 of adapter body 70, while cover 72 and the remaining part 71 of the adapter body are connected releasably and adjustably to each other by means of a central screw 77 which engages close-fittingly in an internal screw thread of a bore 68 in control shaft 66. Control member 75 can hereby be rotated with the cover round the control shaft and thus be precisely adjusted to the position of the cam(s) 40. In a position wherein the valve is actually fully open once the hose reel has been unrolled and hermetically seals when the hose reel has been rolled up, both parts 71,72 of the adapter body are mutually fixed by means of a continuous bore, which is arranged for this purpose in both parts at the position of seat 71, and a locking pin 79 fitting therein. A number of things can be done beforehand in the factory in respect of the first adjustment of the apparatus, although each of these can be repeated thereafter to enable further adjustment of the apparatus, for instance if play has occurred because of wear or the resilience of the control member has decreased and the operation of the valve is therefore no longer optimal. Instead of a rigid suspension of the fire-fighting apparatus by means of a fixed wall plate 5 as in the above described embodiment, the fire-fighting apparatus can also be suspended movably within the scope of the invention. An embodiment thereof is shown in figures 8 and 9. In this case also the fire-fighting apparatus comprises a hose reel 12 having thereon a fire-hose 4 in rolled-up situation. Other than in the foregoing embodiment however, hose reel 12 can here be mounted on a wall via a swivel arm 50-53. The swivel arm comprises a wall plate 50 which is mounted firmly on the wall by means of bolts or in other manner, and itself comprises two parts 51,52 which are mutually coupled by means of a hinge construction 53. The first part 51 of the swivel arm is in turn also connected to wall plate 50 via a hinge construction 53. Owing to such a construction the reel 12 with the fire-hose 4 thereon can pivot in a horizontal plane relative to the wall so that during operation the reel 12 can be placed in the most favourable possible orientation, particularly for rolling-up and unrolling. When not in use, the whole apparatus can be swung away so that for instance it then hangs as much out of sight or out of the way as possible. The further construction of the apparatus largely corresponds with that of the foregoing embodiment, to which reference is therefore made. In this case also, the valve 6 comprises a control member 75 which is able to co-act with a fixed cam 80 on hose reel 12 in order to open or close valve 6 in accordance with whether fire-hose 4 is being rolled up onto or unrolled from hose reel 12. An adapter body 70 on a control shaft of valve 6 here also provides the option of fine adjustment. What differs is that in this case the valve 6 and the infeed shaft of hose reel 12 are mutually connected via the second part 52 of the swivel arm and that the valve will be coupled to a fixed water pipe by means of a flexible connection 55 and a squeeze fitting 56 so as to permit swivelling of the apparatus. Although the invention has been further elucidated above with reference to only these two embodiments, it will be apparent that the invention is by no means limited to the given examples. On the contrary, many variations are still possible for the skilled person without departing from the scope of the invention. The used materials and diameters, although particularly effective in practice, are thus only an example of many materials and dimensions which can be applied within the scope of the invention. Constructions other than the shown constructions can also be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention generally provides a fire-fighting apparatus with an automatically operating valve, the operation of which is linked to the rotation of the hose reel.

Claims: Fire-fighting apparatus comprising a hose reel (1) which is intended for receiving a fire-hose (4) thereon and which is connected to wall-mounting means (5) for rotation on a rotation axis (3) and provided with a hollow infeed shaft (16) with a cavity which can be coupled on one side via a valve (6) to a water pipe and on the other side to an outlet for connection of an end of the fire-hose, wherein the valve comprises a control member (75) for placing the valve (6) in an opened or closed position, characterized in that the control member (75) is able to co-act with at least a part (80) of the hose reel (1) so that when this latter is rotated the valve (6) is carried into an opened or closed position depending on the rotation direction of the hose reel (1). Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the wall-mounting means (5) comprise a fixed wall plate to which the valve (6) is connected. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the wall-mounting means (5) comprise a swivel arm with at least one arm part on which the valve is arranged and a wall plate for mounting on a wall, wherein the arm part and the wall part are hingedly connected to each other. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the wall-mounting means (5) comprise a plate part on which the hose reel is received rotatably on the rotation axis, which plate part is provided with an opening (52), a centre line of which at least practically coincides with the rotation axis (3), and that the valve (6) comprises a projecting outlet (62) which protrudes through said opening (52) and into an inlet (14) of the cavity (15) of the infeed shaft (16). Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the outlet (62) bears on an outer periphery thereof a screw thread (65) which engages in at least practically close-fitting manner in a complementary screw thread in an inner wall (17) of the inlet of the cavity. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that an inlet (61) and the outlet (62) of the valve (6) project at least substantially transversely of each other and that the control member (75) is placed on a side of the valve (6) lying opposite the inlet (61). Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the valve comprises an output control shaft (66) which when rotated carries the valve (6) into an opened or closed position depending on the rotation direction, that the control member (75) is directed substantially transversely of the control shaft (66) and that the hose reel (1) comprises a cam (80) which, at least in the case of a complete rotation of the hose reel, is able to contact the control member (75) and to thereby carry the valve (6) into a closed or opened position, depending on the direction of rotation. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the control member (75) is at least partially resilient. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the control member (75) comprises an at least practically form-retaining wire which is wound spirally round the control shaft (66) and protrudes with a free end in a direction transversely of the control shaft. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the wire is formed from spring steel. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 7-10, characterized in that the control member (75) is connected to the control shaft (66) via an adapter body (70), that the adapter body (70) comprises a first part which is connected non-rotatably to the control shaft (66), that the adapter body (70) comprises a second part in which the control shaft (66) is fixed and that the first and second part of the adapter body (70) are connected for mutual release and adjustment. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the first part of the adapter body (70) comprises a sleeve-like body (71) which on a first side engages along a centre line on the control shaft (66) of the valve (6) and on an opposite side comprises a seat (73) for a round cover (72) which forms the second part of the adapter body (70) and a centre line of which at least practically coincides with the centre line of the control shaft (66). Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that at the position of the seat (73), the sleeve-like body (71) and the cover (72) comprise a bore for receiving fixation means therein. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the cover (72) comprises a bore for fixing the control member (66) therein. Fire-fighting apparatus as claimed in claim 12, 13 or 14, characterized in that the sleeve-like body (71) comprises at the position of the centre line an opening for receiving the control shaft (66) of the valve (6) therein, that the control shaft (66) is provided at least close to a free end thereof protruding into the sleeve part with a bore with an internal screw thread, that the cover comprises a bore at the position of the centre line to provide passage to screw means which engage close-fittingly in the internal screw thread of the control shaft.

Inventors: DE WILDT BART, DE WILDT, BART
Applicants: AJAX BRANDBEVEILIGING B V, AJAX BRANDBEVEILIGING B.V.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A62C35
IPC codes: A62C35