Abstract:
Disclosed is a rescue system for semi-sealed marine vessels, which includes a rescue unit and a backup rescue machine. The rescue unit is installed in a vessel compartment and includes an air bag, a canister containing compressed gas, a needle valve, and a flow control valve for employing the physical property that air has a specific gravity smaller than water, whereby when water leaks into the vessel compartment, through pressing down the needle valve, the compressed air is supplied into the air bag for inflating and expanding the air bag to get floating on the seawater inside the vessel compartment and occupy the internal space of the vessel compartment. The backup rescue machine includes an air compressor and at least a diversion valve to supplement a great amount of high-pressure gas to the vessel compartment for preventing water leaking into the vessel compartment.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a rescue system for marine vessels, and more particularly to a rescue system for semi-sealed marine vessels. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Traditional marine rescue operation is generally dependent on rescue devices and rescue teams. For rescue of vessels, water pumps are relied upon for removing seawater leaking into the vessel compartment. A disadvantage is that it cannot stop leaking and consequently, the water pump must be kept in operation to remove the invasion seawater. In case the capacity of the pump for removing water is less than water invasion rate, then the rescue will fail. The time that is available for rescue is thus short. In addition, there needs sufficient supply of electrical power and fuel and skilled operators. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a rescue system for semi-sealed marine vessels that provides excellent effectiveness, has a simple structure, is easy to install, and unlimitedly extends the available rescue awaiting time and is capable of fast restoring the floating power of the vessel. 
     To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises, structurally, a rescue unit and a backup rescue machine. The rescue unit is arranged in a vessel compartment of a marine vessel. The rescue unit comprises at least an air bag, a canister, a needle valve, a flow control valve, and a safety clip. The canister contains therein high-pressure gas. The flow control valve is arranged at a sealed opening of the canister. The needle valve is coupled to and partially extends into the flow control valve. The flow control valve is in communication with the air bag. The safety clip is mounted between the needle valve and the flow control valve to constrain movement of the needle valve, wherein when the safety clip is removed, the needle valve is allowed to move for pierce through and break the sealed opening of the canister. The backup rescue machine assists the rescue unit and supplies high-pressure gas to the vessel compartment of the marine vessel. The backup rescue machine comprises an electric motor, an air compressor, a pressure buffering box, and at least a diversion valve. The electric motor, the air compressor, and the pressure buffering box are connected. The diversion valve is connected to the pressure buffering box and is also connected to a blower piping line and a backup rescue piping line so that the diversion valve switches communication of the blower piping line and the backup rescue piping line with the vessel compartment of the marine vessel. 
     The needle valve can be used to pierce through and break the sealed opening of the canister to allow the high-pressure gas to flow into the air bag, whereby the air bag is inflated and occupies the interior space of the vessel compartment. Seawater is subjected to a pressure induced by the gas and becomes hard to further leak into the vessel compartment or is even forced to flow in a reversed direction to get out of the vessel compartment. 
     The backup rescue machine can be used to assist the rescue unit by supplying high-pressure air provided by the air compressor into the vessel compartment to take the place of the rescue unit to prevent invasion of seawater and to restore the floating power of the marine vessel for awaiting external rescue so as to achieve the purposes of preventing sinking of the marine vessel and being capable of long awaiting external rescue. 
     The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. 
     Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating the installation of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a view schematically illustrating the structure of a rescue unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is another view schematically illustrating the structure of a rescue unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view illustrating a high-pressure gas piping line network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is another schematic view illustrating a high-pressure gas piping line network according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a rescue unit according to the present invention with an external casing open; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the rescue unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the rescue unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a view showing a rear side of the external casing of the rescue unit according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating an intermediate rescue machine according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic view illustrating a semi-sealed vessel compartment according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , the present invention is applicable to a marine vessel  90  and comprises, structurally, a rescue unit  10  and a backup rescue machine  20 . 
     The rescue unit  10  is installed in a lower vessel compartment  91  of the marine vessel  90  and is generally not allowed to install in a vessel compartment above a deck  92  of the marine vessel  90  and a ballast tank  93  of the marine vessel  90 . The rescue unit  10  comprises a plurality of air bags  11 , a canister  12 , a needle valve  13 , a flow control valve  14 , and a safety clip  15 . The canister  12  is filled in advance and stores therein high-pressure gas. The flow control valve  14  is mounted to a sealed opening of the canister  12 . The needle valve  13  is coupled to and partially received in the flow control valve  14 . The flow control valve  14  is in communication with the air bags  11 . The safety clip  15  is mounted between the needle valve  13  and the flow control valve  14  to constrain movement of the needle valve  13 , whereby when the safety clip  15  is removed, the needle valve  13  is allowed to move to pierce through the sealing of the opening of the canister  12 . The safety clip  15  functions to prevent unexpected piercing of the opening seal of the canister  12  by the needle valve  13 . To use in rescue, the safety clip  15  is first removed and then the needle valve  13  can be pressed down to allow air to be filled into the air bags  11 . 
     When not inflated, the air bags  11  are kept in a flat form for easy folding and after being inflated, they turn into a form of a cluster of inflated balloons to be spread on the surface of water flowing into the interior space of the vessel compartment  91 . The air bags  11  are connected in a parallel arrangement so that each is independent of the others. Breaking of any one of the air bags  11  does not affect the others. 
     The canister  12  can be of a shape similar to a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher and contains a high-pressure gas  121  therein, such as ordinary air or a no-toxicant gas, such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The sealed opening of the canister  12  is arranged to oppose a tip of the needle valve  13  and is made of a material that is piercingly breakable by the tip of the needle valve  13 . 
     The tip of the needle valve  13  is sharp and opposes the sealed opening of the canister  12 . The tip of the needle valve  13  is movable toward the sealed opening of the canister  12  to pierce through and break the opening sealing of the canister  12  in order to allow the high-pressure gas  121  contained in the canister  12  to automatically discharge. The needle valve  13  comprises a stop  131  fit thereon in such a way that the stop  131  is located in the flow control valve  14  for preventing the needle valve  13  from separation when the needle valve  13  is moved in a direction away from the flow control valve  14 . 
     The flow control valve  14  comprises a gas tube  141  and a gas chamber  142 . The gas tube  141  is mounted to an external surface of the flow control valve  14  and the gas tube  141  is connected to the air bags  11 . The gas chamber  142  is arranged to fit to the sealed opening of the canister  12  and is in communication with the gas tube  141 . The high-pressure gas  121  contained in the canister  12  can flow through the gas chamber  142  and the gas tube  141  to fill into the air bags  11 . The flow control valve  14  functions to control the flow rate of the high-pressure gas  121  discharging from the canister  12  in order to prevent excessively fast inflation of the air bags  11  that might cause people to be trapped in the vessel compartment  91 . 
     A check valve  16  is arranged between the flow control valve  14  and the air bags  11 . The check valve  16  functions to prevent reverse flow when the high-pressure gas  121  of the canister  12  is released into the air bags  11 . 
     An elastic body  17  is arranged between the needle valve  13  and the flow control valve  14 . The elastic body  17  can be a spring. The elastic body  17  has two ends respectively supported on the needle valve  13  and the flow control valve  14 . When the safety clip  15  is removed and the needle valve  13  moves to pierce through and break the sealed opening of the canister  12 , the elastic body  17  provides an elastic force to have the tip of the needle valve  13  withdrawn out of the opening of the canister  12  and returned to the original position, whereby the opening of the canister  12  is set in a wide open condition to allow the high-pressure gas  121  of the canister  12  to smoothly flow into the air bags  11 . 
     The backup rescue machine  20  functions for assisting the rescue unit  10  and supplies a high-pressure gas  121  into the vessel compartment  91  of the marine vessel  90 . The backup rescue machine  20  comprises an electric motor  21 , an air compressor  22 , a pressure buffering box  23 , and a plurality of diversion valves  24 . The electric motor  21 , the air compressor  22 , and the pressure buffering box  23  are connected. The diversion valves  24  are connected to the pressure buffering box  23  and are connected to a blower piping line  30  and a backup rescue piping line  40 . The diversion valves  24  function to switch the connection of the blower piping line  30  and the backup rescue piping line  40  with the vessel compartment  91  of the marine vessel  90 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the backup rescue machine  20  is installed on the deck  92 . In a shut-down condition, the diversion valves  24  close the backup rescue piping line  40  and cut off the communication thereof with the blower piping line  30 , so that only the blower piping line  30  is operative. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the air compressor  22  of the backup rescue machine  20  may generate high-pressure gas and in a rescue operation, the diversion valves  24  close the blower piping line  30  and at the same time, open the backup rescue piping line  40  to establish communication thereof with the blower piping line  30 , whereby the high-pressure gas generated by the air compressor  22  is allowed to flow through the pressure buffering box  23 , the backup rescue piping line  40 , and the diversion valves  24  so as to pump the high-pressure gas into the vessel compartment  91  to supplement and maintain the pressure inside the vessel compartment  91 . 
     The high-pressure gas flow supplied from the air compressor  22  flows through the diversion valves  24 , the backup rescue piping line  40  (being opened), the blower piping line  30  (being closed), for being pumped into the vessel compartment  91 . The backup rescue piping line  40  and the blower piping line  30  are connected to each other and are switched through the diversion valves  24 , this being the shared piping line. 
     The pressure buffering box  23  functions to absorb pressure shock waves, protecting the electric motor  21  from overloading and preventing burning down by high starting current. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 9 , the rescue unit  10  can be arranged in a suspension device  50  to facilitate the installation of the rescue unit  10 . The suspension device  50  comprises an openable external casing  51  and external cover  52 , which collectively show a cabinet like configuration when not opened to receive and hold the rescue unit  10  therein. The external casing  51  has a rear side on which a plurality of magnets  511 , such as permanent magnets, are mounted so as to make use of the attraction forces of the magnets  511  to attach to a steel wall of the vessel, or alternatively, attachment can be realized through screwing or welding. 
     The external cover  52  comprises a snap fastener  521 . The external cover  52  uses a spring force of the snap fastener  521  to set up snap engagement with the external casing  51  for closing with the needle valve  13  exposed outside the external casing  51 . As such, when the external cover  52  is not opened, the needle valve  13  can be accessed and pressed down to pierce through and break the sealed opening of the canister  12  in order to inflate the air bags  11 . With the inflation and expansion of the air bags  11 , the expansion force is sufficient to overcome the spring force of the snap fastener  521  to thereby open the external cover  52 . Thus, no manual intervention for opening is necessary. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3, 5, 7, and 11 , for rescue of a vessel, ventilation openings that allows for great flow rates, such as a vessel compartment door  81 , are closed, ventilation holes  82 , air-conditioner airflow outlets  83 , and waste gas outlets  84  can be combined with the shared piping line of the backup rescue piping line  40  and the blower piping line  30 . As to minute leaking sites, such as leaking gaps of such as wall water pipe passages  85  and wall electrical cable passages can be compensated by the air compressor  22 . 
     Immediately after a peril occurs, the rescue unit  10  is activated. After the air bags  11  have been completely inflated, if the effectiveness is not sufficient, then the backup rescue machine  20  is activated. If the effectiveness is still insufficient, then inspection of air leaking of the vessel compartment should be done and repaired or remedied. 
     The top priority for rescue is to operate the rescue unit  10 , where a responsible crew member pulls off the safety clip  15  and then presses down the needle valve  13  to break the opening seal of the canister  12  to release the pre-stored the high-pressure gas  121  for inflating the air bags  11  and the crew member, before the air bags  11  have been completely inflated, must leave the compartment door  81  and positively close the compartment to prevent overflow of seawater. In a second instance, the crew member activates the backup rescue machine  20  to pump high-pressure gas into the vessel compartment  91  to supplement and maintain the inside pressure of the vessel compartment  91 . 
     The present invention provides the following advantages: 
     (1) Easy use: The operation of the rescue unit requires only one action of pressing down the needle valve. 
     (2) Fast inflation: The compressed gas contained in the canister is under a high pressure and can be of a great flow speed and a large flow rate to instantaneously fill up the air bags, providing sufficient time for the backup rescue machine to warm up and start up. 
     (3) Small occupation space: The air bags are in the form of a flat piece when not in use so that the occupation space required for storage is small. 
     (4) Extended rescue awaiting time: The backup rescue machine uses the air compressor to supply compressed air in a non-interrupted manner so that the marine vessel can long maintain floating power, not getting sinking, and the time that is available for awaiting rescue can be extended. 
     When the rescue unit and the backup rescue machine are operated to effect, invasion of seawater can be stopped (the amount of water leaking into the vessel being less than the supply of compressed air), and the rescue operation is completed to overcome the peril. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
     While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.