Patent ID: 12246807

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS.1to4show the basic structure of a simple shelter for flood evacuation (hereinafter referred to as a shelter)1according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown inFIGS.1to4, the shelter1includes a floating body10having a substantially cylindrical shape composed of a plurality of (four) floats10ato10dstacked in the vertical direction, and partition plates20,20provided on the inner peripheral side of the uppermost float10aand the lowermost float10d, respectively, and the inner peripheral surface of the floating body10and the two partition plates20and20form a closed accommodation space SP in which water is prevented from entering from the outside and an evacuee EH is accommodated.

Vertically adjacent floats of the plurality of floats10ato10dconstituting the floating body10are connected to each other.

Partition plates20,20are each formed in a disc shape, the outer peripheral edge portions are connected to the inner peripheral surfaces of the uppermost float10aand the lowermost float10d.

Each of the plurality of floats10ato10dis formed of, for example, a rubber material, and has a structure similar to that of a tire tube. The outer peripheral portions of the floats10ato10dare provided with respective gas injection valves11, and when a gas such as air is injected and filled into the floats10ato10dthrough the gas injection valves11, the floats10ato10dwill each have a hollow doughnut-shaped form as shown inFIGS.1to4.

The partition plates20each includes a substantially annular fixing portion22fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the float10aor the float10d, and a door24for opening and closing an entrance22aformed in the fixing portion22.

The fixing portion22and the door24are made of a resin such as polyester. The detailed structure of the partition plate20will be described later.

The door24is connected to the fixing portion22by a hinge25, and the door24is adapted to be opened toward the outside. As will be described later, the door24is provided with a window26and an air hole28for taking air into the accommodation space SP.

FIG.5shows an example of a connection method of the floats10ato10d.

A cloth member fb is attached to a part of the outer peripheral surfaces in the circumferential direction of the floats10aand10badjacent to each other in the vertical direction with an adhesive. The cloth member fb is made of a material such as chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and a portion shown in the region R1where the cloth members fb come into contact with each other are bonded by suturing. Thereby, the float10aand the float10bare connected to each other, and water does not enter from the portion where the float10aand the float10bare connected to each other. The other floats are connected in the same way.

The fixing portions22of the partition plates20and the floats10aand10dcan also be connected by bonding using the cloth members fb.

FIGS.6A and6Bshow an example of the structure of the partition plate20.

As shown inFIGS.6A and6B, a recess22cis formed on the upper surface side of the fixing portion22of the partition plate20, and a groove22bsurrounding the periphery of the entrance22ais formed on the bottom surface of the recess22c.

A seal member SL is provided on the lower surface of the door24, and when the door24is closed, the seal member SL fits into the groove22bof the fixing portion22to form a seal between the door24and the entrance22a. As shown inFIG.6A, the door24is adapted to fit into the recess22cwhen the entrance22ais closed.

The window26made of a transparent resin is fitted in the door24, and light L enters from the outside through the window26. That is, the light L is incident into the accommodation space SP of the shelter1, and the evacuees in the accommodation space SP can grasp the external situation through the window26.

In the present embodiment, the window26is provided on the door24, but instead of providing the window26, the door24can be formed of a transparent material.

Handles29for gripping when opening and closing the door24are provided on both sides of the door24.

A towing hook hole30is provided on the upper surface of the fixing portion22of the partition plate20. The towing hook hole30is used when towing the drifting shelter1by ship or when lifting it by helicopter.

A hand grip31is provided on the lower surface of the fixing portion22of the partition plate20. The hand grip31is provided for the evacuees in the accommodation space SP to grasp.

Incidentally, the installation position and number of the towing hook hole30and the hand grip31can be appropriately changed.

A locking mechanism40is installed on the lower surface of the door24. The locking mechanism40is provided to lock the door24so as not to open the door24which closes the entrance22a. The locking mechanism40includes an operation lever41which is supported on the support member44pivotally about a shaft44provided on the door24, and a locking member42provided on tip end portion of the operation lever41. In the state shown inFIG.6A, the locking mechanism40is in a state in which the locking member42is engaged with the lower end surface22dof the fixing portion22, and the door24is in a locked state. The lock is released by turning the operation lever41to release the engagement of the locking member42with the lower end surface22dof the fixing portion22as shown in6C. In this state, the door24can be opened as shown inFIG.6B.

Incidentally, in order to prevent wear of the lower surface22dof the door24, a thin metal plate made of stainless steel or the like can be provided at a portion of the lower surface22dof the door24where the locking member42of the locking mechanism40comes into contact.

The locking mechanism40is provided on both the upper and lower doors24,24, and the evacuee EH may unintentionally hits the operation lever41of the locking mechanism40located on the lower side to release the lock state of the locking mechanism40to cause unintentional opening of the door2. To prevent this, a safety mechanism such as a stopper made of a protrusion or the like can be provided on the door24so that the locking member42does not move until a certain large force acts on the operation lever41.

FIG.7shows an air hole28formed in the door24and a blocking plug50for closing the air hole28. The blocking plug50is connected to the lower surface of the door24by a chain51. The air hole28is a hole formed in a tapered shape, and as shown inFIG.7(a), by inserting the blocking plug50formed in a tapered shape into the air hole28, it is possible to reliably prevent the intrusion of water. When it is necessary to take air into the accommodation space SP of the shelter1, the blocking plug50is manually pulled out from the air hole28of the door24on the non-submerged side, and as shown inFIG.7(b), air can be taken in through the air hole28.

In the present embodiment, the air hole28is provided in the door24, but the construction is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to provide the air holes28in the respective fixing portions22of the two partition plates20.

FIG.8Ashows a safety belt101provided to enhance the safety of evacuees EH evacuated in the accommodation space SP of the shelter1.

The safety belt101is composed of two belts101aand101bhaving flexibility, the two belts101aand101bextend between the upper and lower two partition plates20, and they are arranged in parallel and apart from each other. One end of each of the belts101aand101bis fixed to the fixing portion22of the partition plate20on the upper side, and the other end of each of the belts101aand101bis fixed to the fixing portion22of the partition plate20on the lower side.

As shown inFIG.8A, the evacuee EH places his/her body between the inner peripheral surface of the floating body10and the two belts101aand101b, and holds the two belts101aand101bfrom the outside, or grasps the two belts101aand101bwith both hands, thereby avoiding the evacuee EH from falling in the accommodation space SP due to the shaking of the shelter1. The evacuee EH does not need any special operation, and does not need any operation for releasing the safety belt101when escaping from the shelter.

The safety belt101, as shown inFIG.8B, is preferably provided at a plurality of places (two places). As a result, the evacuee EH can select the safety belt101in an easy-to-use position according to the situation.

FIG.9schematically shows the outer shape of the shelter1in the storage state. As shown inFIG.9, when each of the floats10ato10dis not filled with gas, each of the floats10ato10dis stacked in a flat state, and the shelter1has a substantially disk-like shape. Since the shelter1is not provided with a heavy object such as a high-pressure cylinder, it is extremely light and compact in a storage state. Therefore, it is unnecessary to occupy a large storage space, and transportation is easy.

When storing the shelter1, it is preferred to store it together with a device that fills the gas into each float10ato10d, such as a foot pump, a hand pump, a conduction pump, or an air compressor.

When a tsunami or flood is detected, the evacuee transports the shelter1from the storage location to an appropriate location, where each of the floats10ato10dis filled with gas using the pump, air compressor, or the like described above, and the floats10ato10dare inflated.

The evacuee opens one of the two doors24and enters into the accommodation space SP. Since the shelter1is provided with doors24on each of the upper and lower partition plates20,20, even when one of the partition plates20is submerged, it is possible to grasp the external situation through the door24provided on the other partition plate20, and it is also possible to escape from the shelter1by opening one of the two doors24depending on the situation.

The shelter1is provided with a gas injection valve11in each of the plurality of floats10ato10d, and since the gas inside is independent, even if any of the floats is broken and gas is released, the floating body10can be floated on the water surface by the remaining float, so that the entire shelter1can be prevented from being submerged.

While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such particular embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1Simple shelter for flood evacuation10Floating body10ato10dFloat11Gas injection valve20Partition plate22Fixing portion22aEntrance22bGroove22cRecessSL Seal member24Door25Hinge26Window28Air hole29Handle30Towing hook hole31Hand grip40Locking mechanism50Blocking plug51Chain101Safety belt10a,101bBelt