GB2321691A

GB2321691A - Fire escape device

Info

Publication number: GB2321691A
Application number: GB9701787A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wen Tsai Tseng; Min Jui Tseng
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-01-29
Filing date: 1997-01-29
Publication date: 1998-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 2017-01-29
Also published as: GB2321691B; CA2200649A1; GB9701787D0

Abstract

A fire escape device for lowering people from a high-rise, includes a casing 2 having a harness adapted for securing to the user's body, a driving pulley 41 mounted inside the casing, a cable 7 wound round the driving pulley and adapted for securing to a support in the high-rise, a friction disk 50 having a corrugated track, a chain transmission turned by the driving pulley to rotate the friction disk, and spring-supported damping means 6 installed in the casing and pressed on the corrugated track of the friction disk to impart a damping resistance to the driving pulley through the friction disk when the user goes down from a high-rise.

Description

FIRE ESCAPE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to fire escape devices, and relates more specifically to a fire escape device for lowering people from a high-rise.

Various fire escape devices have been developed for individual use for lowering the user from a high-rise on fire.

However, these fire escape devices are commonly heavy and inconvenient to operate. Because the transmission mechanism of these fire escape devices has a complicated structure, the manufacturing cost of these fire escape devices is relatively thigh.

Furthermore, while lowering from a high-rise on fire, the descending speed of these fire escape devices cannot be positively buffered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been accomplished to provide a fire escape device which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide a fire escape device which is compact, and can be conveniently fastened to the users body for lowering the user from a high-rise on fire. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fire escape device which has a simple structure, and is inexpensive to manufacture. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fire escape device which intermiftently buffers the descending speed when in use. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, there is provided a fire escape device which is comprised of a casing having a harness adapted for securing to the user's body, a first axle and a second axle respectively mounted inside the casing, a first sprocket wheel and a driven chain wheel respectively mounted around the second axle at two opposite ends, a driving pulley mounted around the first axle inside the casing, a cable wound round the driving pulley and adapted for securing to a support in the high-rise, a driving chain wheel and a second sprocket wheel respectively mounted around the first axle at two opposite ends, a first chain mounted on the driving chain wheel and the first sprocket wheel, a second chain mounted on the driven chain wheel and the second sprocket wheel, a friction disk mounted around the second axle and turned with the driving chain wheel and the second sprocket wheel and the driving pulley, having a corrugated track, and spring-supported damping means installed in the casing and pressed on the corrugated track of the friction disk to impart a damping resistance to the driving pulley through the friction disk when the user goes down from the high-rise on fire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a cutaway view of a fire escape device according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a part of the fire escape device shown in Figure 1; Fig. 3 is a side plain view of a part of the fire escape device shown in Figure l; and, Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the fire escape device shown in Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to Figures from 1 to 4, a fire escape device in accordance with the present invention is generally comprised of a casing 2, a back cover 10, a top cover 1, a harness 3, a driving pulley 41, a driving chain wheel 42, a first shaft 4, a second shaft 5, a first sprocket wheel 51, a driven chain wheel 52. a second sprocket wheel 43, a friction disk 50. two damping devices 6 a cable 7, a first chain 8, and a second chain 9.

The back cover 10 is fixedly fastened to the back side of the casing 2 by fastening elements 101. The top cover 1 is fixedly fastened to the top side of the casing 2 by fastening elements 11, having two parallel locating plates 12 raised from the inside wall thereof, a guide pulley 80 pivotably mounted between the locating plates 12, and a cable hole 13 adjacent to the locating plates 12.

The cable 7 has one end wound round the driving pulley 41 and fixedly connected thereto, and an opposite end 71 wound round the guide pulley 80 and then inserted through the cable hole 13 to the outside of the casing 2 and then fixedly mounted with a hanging ring 711 for hanging. The casing 2 is injection molded from plastic, having a first side wall 21, a second side wall 22, a plurality of lugs 20 in the corners of a front wall thereof for the installation of the harness 3. The first side wall 21 has two seats 213, 214 adapted for holding the damping devices 6. The harness 3 is fixedly fastened to the lugs 20 of the casing 2, having buckles 33, 34 and a hook 32 for securing to the user's body. The driving pulley 41 comprises an axial axle hole 411, and a bearing 412 mounted in the axial axle hole 411. By means of the bearing 412. the driving pulley 41 is revolvably mounted around the first axle 4.. The first axle 4 has two opposite ends 48 and 49 respectively mounted in a respective bearing 481, 491 and installed in the first side wall 21 and second side wall 22 of the casing 2. The second axle 5 has two opposite ends 58 and 59 respectively mounted in the first side wall 21 and second side wall 22 of the casing 2. The first sprocket wheel 51 and the driven chain wheel 52 are respectively mounted around the two opposite ends 59 and 58 of the second axle 5. The driving pulley 41 and the second sprocket wheel 43 are respectively mounted around the two opposite ends 49 and 48 of the first axle 4. The driving chain wheel 42 is fixedly fastened to one side of the driving pulley 41, and turned with it about the first axle 4. The first chain 8 is mounted on the driving chain wheel 42 and the first sprocket wheel 51. The second chain 9 is mounted on the driven chain wheel 52 and the second sprocket wheel 43. The friction disk 50 is mounted around the first axle 4 and turned with the second sprocket wheel 43, having a plurality of concave surface portions 503 and convex surface portions 504 alternatively disposed at the top around the border. The concave surface portions 503 and the convex surface portions 504 form a track. The damping devices 6 are respectively mounted in the casing 2, and adapted for imparting a damping resistance to the friction disk 50. Each damping device 6 comprises a barrel 60 having a first end 601 fastened to the seat 213 or 214 and a second end 602 facing the friction disk 50 a compression spring 63 mounted inside the barrel 60, a steel ball 61 mounted in the barrel 60 and forced by the compression spring 63 out of the second end 602 of the barrel 60 into contact with the track 503. 504 of the friction disk 50, and a packing piece 62 mounted within the barrel 60 between the compression spring 63 and the steel ball 61 (see Figure 3). When the friction disk 50 is rotated, the steel balls 61 are moved in the track 503, 504 of the friction disk 50. When the steel balls 61 are moved to the concave surface portions 503, less damping resistance is imparted to the friction disk 50, and the friction disk 50 can be turned at a relatively higher speed; on the contrary when the steel balls 61 are moved to the convex surface portions 504, much damping resistance is imparted to the friction disk 50, and the revolving speed of the friction disk 50 is relatively reduced.

When in use, the hanging ring 711 of the cable 7 is fastened to a support, and the harness 3 is fastened to the user's body, and the user can then come down from the high-rise. When the user descends, the cable 7 is pulled out of the casing 2, and at the same time the driving pulley 41 is driven by the cable 7 to turn the first sprocket wheel 51 through the first chain 8. When the first sprocket wheel 51 is rotated, the driven chain wheel 52 is synchronously rotated, thereby causing the second sprocket wheel 43 to be turned by the second chain 9. When the second sprocket wheel 43 is rotated, the friction disk 50 is synchronously turned, causing the steel balls 61 of the damping devices 6 to move over the concave surface portions 503 and convex surface portions 504 of the friction disk 50. therefore the descending speed of the user is intermittently buffered.

Further, the number of teeth of the driving chain wheel 42 as well as that of the driven chain wheel 52 are 30, and the number of teeth of the first sprocket wheel 51 as well as that of the second sprocket wheel 43 are 12. Therefore, when the driving chain wheel 42 is turned with the driving pulley 41, the friction disk 50 receives resisting force from the periphery 611 of the steel balls 61 of the damping devices 6 125 times (l0x2x6.25) per each run.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications and changes could be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed.

Claims

1. A fire escape device for lowering people from a highrise, comprising: a casing injection molded from plastic, having a first side wall, a second side wall, a front wall , a bottom wall, a back opening, a top opening, and a plurality of lugs in corners of said front wall on the outside, said first side wall having two seats adapted for holding two damping devices; a harness fastened to the lugs of said casing and adapted for securing said casing to the users body; a back cover fixedly covered on the back opening of said casing; a top cover fixedly covered on the top opening of said casing, having two parallel locating plates raised from the inside wall, a guide pulley pivotably mounted between said locating plates by pivot means, and a cable hole adjacent to said locating plates; a first axle having two opposite ends respectively supported on a respective bearing installed in the first side wall and second side wall of said casing; a second axle having two opposite ends respectively mounted in the first side wall and second side wall of said casing; a driving pulley mounted around said first axle; a cable having one end wound round said driving pulley and fixedly connected thereto, and an opposite end wound round said guide pulley and then inserted through the cable hole of said top cover and terminating in a hanging ring outside said casing for fastening to a support; a first sprocket wheel and a driven chain wheel respectively mounted around the two opposite ends of said second axle; a driving pulley and a second sprocket wheel respectively mounted around the two opposite ends of said first axle, said driving pulley being fixedly fastened to one side of said driving chain wheel and turned with it about said first axle; a first chain mounted on said driving chain wheel and said first sprocket wheel; a second chain mounted on said driven chain wheel and said second sprocket wheel; a friction disk mounted around said first axle and turned with said second sprocket wheel, having a circular track at one side, said circular track comprised of a plurality of concave surface portions and convex surface portions alternatively arranged together; two damping devices respectively mounted in said casing and adapted for imparting a damping resistance to said friction disk, each of said damping devices comprising a barrel having a first end fastened to one seat of the first side wall of said casing and a second end facing said friction disk, a compression spring mounted inside said barrel, a steel ball mounted in said barrel and forced by said compression spring out of the second end of said barrel into contact with the track of said friction disk so as to impart a damping resistance to said friction disk when said friction disk is turned with said second sprocket, and a packing piece mounted within said barrel between said compression spring and said steel ball.

2. Fire escape device and apparatus constructed and arranged to function substantially as described herein and exemplified with reference to the drawings.