EQUIPMENT CONCERNING A BRAKE FOR MOORING SYSTEM FOR FLOATING UNITS

Abstract: A reel (5) for coiling a mooring line rotating on a reel axle (6) and meshing with the latter, a shock absorber device (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21) and spring box (8).

Description: EQUIPMENT CONCERNING A BRAKE FOR MOORING SYSTEM FOR FLOATING UNITS The present invention relates to a brake for mooring device for floating units such as boats which are moored to a quay or the like. The brake affects the pull out of a line from a reel. Boats moored at quay will often have a mooring line from the bow and a line from the stem, each attached to a mooring point on the quay. When mooring a boat, it is either the length of the mooring lines which is adjusted in such a manner that the boat can move with the tide, or the lines are kept taut and crew members stay on board to adjust the length of the line as the tide changes. Large vessels have a windlass with automatic monitoring of the slack or tautness of the line to take up slack and give rope as needed. Using a mooring line of non-adjustable length has the drawback of, at times, allowing the boat too much movement in relation to the quay, with the consequences this may have for the traffic of goods and crew between the boat and the quay. A solution involving crew members to monitor the slack or tautness of the lines as necessary is an expensive solution. Automatic tightening and releasing equipment on the windlass is relatively costly and therefore only warranted for large vessels. Some existing solutions need power put in from an external source as a hydraulic unit. Such solutions are described in SE-300.289 and US-5.365.872. NO- 149.348 refering to a solution for a brake for a line consisting of a chamber with to rooms and a piston drive by a the rotation of the drum and by that suppress the movement of a line at the drum. A spring system kees the line tight and withdraw the slack. This solution needs a person in one end to make it function which this solution is not usable for mooring and adjusting mooring line for boats. Norwegian Patent Application No . 19981181 concerning a solution with a reel for coiling a mooring line. The rotating axle of the reel is equipped with a system of tight and moving castors/wheels where the force from these to the axle SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) ISA/SE is adjustable and the movement of axle is slowed down to obtain a force controlling the pull out of the line. This force make a braking effect which is equal to the reel around one turn. The does not make any absorbing effect for fast changes of the force in the line. The object of the present invention is to make an absorbing effect to a line which is fast and strongly pulled out of a reel and at the same time tights up the line and keep it taut. This is obtained by that at the mesh point with the reel axle, a shock absorber device and a spring box are provided. Further details of the invention appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment and from the claims. Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of the invention. Figure 2 shows the horizontal cross section of the figure 1. The device of the invention consists of a base 1 and a top 2 fastened to the base 1 with the help of spacers 3. A reel 5 is rotating on a reel axle 6. The reel 5 is composed of a wheel consisting of two plates held together by a core of lesser diameter, thus forming between the plates a groove 7 in which a mooring line 22 is coiled. One extremity and contact point of the reel axle 6 is placed in the base 1 and the other in the top 2. A spring box 8 is attached between the reel 5 and the base 1 and its content a spring is strained when the mooring line 22 is pull out of the reel 5 to be able to tighten up the mooring line 22. A house for the device consists of a bottom 9 and cover 10. The cover 10 is able to open. A roller 11 works together with the spacers 3 for guiding the mooring line 22. A beam 12 is revolving and attached to the top 2 close to the reel axle 6 by a first peg 13. The beam 12 is positioned in direction to the edge of the reel 5 and ends up before reaching the edge. The beam 12 is provided at the side of the top 2 which is opposite of the reel 5. At the end of the beam 12 opposite from the peg 13 there is provided a flap 14 revolved around a second peg 15 to the beam 12. The second peg 15 is vertical provided and approximately parallel to the reel axle 6. Opposite from the flap 14 of the second peg 15 there is attached a releaser 16, tight to the flap 14 . When the releaser 16 are moved as shown in figure 2 then the flap 14 is turned out against the edge of the reel 5. A shock absorber 17 is in one end revolving and attached to the top 2 by a third peg 18, and in its other end to the beam 12 by a fourth peg 19. A castor 20 is attached at the same side of the reel 5 as the top 2 and revolving and attached to the reel 5 by a fifth peg 21. An other possibility is to attach a corresponding castor 20 at the same side of the reel 5 at the other side of the reel axle 6 at a diameter of the reel 5. The castor 20 rotates free and in no contact with the top 2. Functional description of the device. We suppose that some of the length of the mooring line 22 is coiled up at the reel 5 and when the mooring line 22 is pulled out by the tide or waves, rotation of reel 5 is in the direction of the arrow as shown in figure 2. The flap 14 lies at the beam 12 in such a way that the castor 20 is pushing the beam 12 and the movement is influenced by the shock absorber 17. Because of the revolving point of the beam 12 to the top 2 is provided out of the centre of the reel 5, the castor 20 will roll along the beam 12 for parts of a turn of the reel 5, in this situation about % of one turn before the castor 20 is passing by the end of the beam 12 and the influence from the shock absorber 17 at the reel 5 is finish at this turn ( with two castors 20 the castor 20 will slip the beam 12 after Vz of one turn). The beam 12 is brought back to the start position and is ready to be influenced by the castor 20 when it comes around on its second turn. If the releaser 16 is operated the flap 14 is turned aside and the castor 20 is passing under the beam 12 and there will be no influence from the shock absorber 17 at the beam 12 for this turn of the reel 5. This function because there is no need for a too big force to pull out the mooring line 22. The content of the spring box 8 is strained trough the whole movement more and more by each turn. If the tide is falling, the weight of the boat will cause the mooring line 22 to be pulled out of the reel 5, but the spring box 8 will keep it tight because the spring unit inside the spring box 8 will be strained by the turning of the reel axle 6. If the tide is raising, then the strained spring moment in the spring box 8 will draw in the superfluous part of the mooring line 22.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Device concerning a brake for mooring system for floating units with a reel (5) for a mooring line rotating on a reel axle (6) supported on either side of the reel (5) to a base (1) and a top (2) respectively characterized by that at the mesh point with the reel axle (6) , a shock absorber device (12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 20,21) and a spring box (8) are provided. 2. Device concerning a brake for mooring system for floating units of claim 1 characterized by a beam (12) is revolving provided to the top (2) and to a shock absorber (17) and a castor (20) provided to the reel (5). 3. Device concerning a brake for mooring system for floating units of claim 1 and 2, characterized by a flap (14) provided at the beam (12) and a releaser (12) is revolving provided to the beam (12). 4. Device concerning a brake for mooring system for floating units of claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by that two castors (20) are provided to the reel (5) at each side of the reel axle (6) at a diameter of the reel (5).

Inventors: PEDERSEN TOR A, SANDBUKT JAN, PEDERSEN, TOR, A., SANDBUKT, JAN
Applicants: JUFO AS, PEDERSEN TOR A, SANDBUKT JAN, PEDERSEN, TOR, A., SANDBUKT, JAN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B63B
IPC codes: B63B21