Device for Rescuing a Person from a Wind Turbine, and a Wind Turbine

Abstract

A device (1-1b) for rescuing a person (33) from a wind turbine (5), which comprises a parachute and a harness (9; 9b), which can be or is connected to the parachute, and which can be donned by the person to be rescued (33). Advantageously, a static line (2) is provided for connecting the rescue device (1-1b) to the wind turbine (5). Advantageously, rescuing maintenance personnel in an evacuation by jumping from the nacelle or an opening in the wind turbine is possible.

Claims

1. Rescue device (1-1b) for rescuing a person (33) from a wind turbine (5), which comprises a parachute and a harness (9; 9b), which can be or is connected to the parachute, and which can be donned by the person to be rescued (33), characterized in that a static line (2) for connecting the rescue device (1-1b) to the wind turbine (5) is provided.

2. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9, 9b) comprises two leg straps (10, 11; 10b, 11b) and a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b), which can be connected to the two leg straps.

3. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) comprises two leg straps (10, 11; 10b, 11b), each of which has a loop (37), through which the preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b) is passed.

4. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) can be adjusted to the body of the person to be rescued (33), in particular to their body shape and/or size.

5. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) comprises two leg straps (10, 11; 10b, 11b), which can be moved in the proximal direction (36) to adjust the harness to the body of the person to be rescued (33), in particular their height.

6. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) has a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b) with two body strap sections (27, 28; 27b, 28b), which intersect on a dorsal side.

7. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) comprises a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b), which is connected to the parachute at the point of intersection of two body strap sections (27, 28; 27b, 28b) of the body strap (12; 12b), which intersect on a dorsal side.

8. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) comprises a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b), the end sections of which (31, 32; 31b, 32b) can be moved to adjust the harness to the body of the person to be rescued (33), in particular their girth and their height, preferably in a direction which has a ventral and/or a lateral movement component.

9. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) has a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b), which comprises a connecting means (29; 29b), through which the chest strap sections (27, 28; 27b, 28b) can be connected to and detached from each other.

10. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the parachute is packed such that it is airtight and/or impermeable to liquid, preferably vacuum-packed.

11. Rescue device according to claim 1, characterized in that the harness (9; 9b) and/or a packing bag (14), in which the parachute is located, is/are made of a fire-resistant or at least fire-retardant material.

12. Wind turbine (5), comprising a rescue device (1-1b) according to claim 1.

13. Wind turbine according to claim 12, characterized in that the nacelle (4) or a hollow rotor blade of the wind turbine has a means (7) which is designed for the attachment of a static line (2).

14. Wind turbine according to claim 13, characterized in that the attachment means (7) is placed in the area of an opening (3) of the nacelle (4) or of the rotor blade.

15. Use of a parachute, which is connected to a preferably one-piece body strap (12; 12b) and can be connected to a wind turbine (5) by means of a static line (2), for the emergency rescue of a person (33) from the wind turbine (5).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention is explained in more detail below using example embodiments and the accompanying drawings relating to the embodiments. The drawings show the following:

[0032] FIG. 1A wind turbine with a rescue device according to the invention,

[0033] FIG. 2 A top-down view of the rescue device according to the invention,

[0034] FIG. 3A Details for donning a rescue device according to the invention—body straps shown,

[0035] FIG. 3B Details for donning a rescue device according to the invention—pulling straps,

[0036] FIG. 3C Details for donning a rescue device according to the invention—buckling straps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] A rescue device 1 according to the invention, schematically shown in FIG. 1, com-prises a static line 2, through which a parachute, not shown in FIG. 1, can be pulled out in the case of a jump by a person wearing the rescue device 1 through an opening 3 in a nacelle 4 in a wind turbine 5, which is schematically shown in FIG. 1. For this purpose, one end 6 of the static line 2 facing the nacelle 4 is connected to a ring 7, which is attached to a wall 8 of the nacelle 4, for example by a carabiner.

[0038] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, where identical parts or parts with the same ef-fect are designated with the same reference numbers as in FIG. 1 and the respec-tive reference number is accompanied by the letter a.

[0039] A rescue device 1a, schematically shown in FIG. 2, in a top-down view of a side facing the back of a person wearing the rescue device 1a comprises a harness 9, which has two leg straps 10, 11 and one body strap 12, which is a single piece in this example embodiment. The body strap 12 is connected by four loops 13 to a packing bag 14, in which a parachute is located. The parachute has a connecting line 15, which is connected to the body strap 12 by a formed and forged metal connecting element 16. Dorsal body strap sections 17, 18 cross at a point of inter-section formed by the connecting element 16. The connecting element 16 comprises in particular two eyelets, not shown in detail in FIG. 2, the first of which is intended for connecting to the connecting line 15 and the second of which is intended for connecting to the dorsal body strap sections 17, 18 of the body strap 12.

[0040] To better display the other elements, no static line is shown in FIG. 2.

[0041] The course of the one-piece body strap 12 around the body of a person wearing the rescue device 1a is explained below, starting from a centerline 19 placed on the body strap 12, which divides the body strap 12 into two equally large belt sec-tions, as well as two route lines marked with arrows 20 and 21.

[0042] Starting from the centerline 19, a third dorsal belt section 22 extends on both sides of the centerline 19 in the direction of loops, not shown in FIG. 2 and marked in FIG. 3a as number 37, into the leg straps 10, 11, through which this third dorsal belt section 22 runs and leads into the two intersecting dorsal body strap sections 17, 18, which in turn, in the area of the connecting element 16, lead into two shoulder belt sections 23, 24 on both sides, which are each intended to wrap around a shoulder from a dorsal to a ventral side of the body of a person using the rescue device 1b. The two shoulder strap sections 23, 24 extend on the ventral side up to two belt sliders 25, 26, which are set up to guide the body strap 12, through which the two shoulder strap sections 23, 24 lead into two chest strap sections 27, 28. The chest strap sections 27, 28 can be both connected to and detached from each other using a two-piece metallic buckle 29. The buckle 29 also has a belt slide 30 on each plug-in part of the buckle. The belt sliders 30 form a transition from the chest strap sections 27, 28 to the end sections 31, 32 of the body strap 12, which extend in pairs parallel to each other, that is, they are arranged one after the other in the top-down view shown in FIG. 2.

[0043] The end sections 31, 32 have an excess length, by which means the body strap 12 can be adjusted to different body sizes and shapes of a person using the rescue device 1a.

[0044] It is understood that the individual belt sections 17, 18, 23, 24 and 27, 28 may be of different lengths, depending on the body dimensions of the person using the rescue device 1a.

[0045] Reference is now made to FIG. 3, where identical or parts with the same effect are designated with the same reference numbers as in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the respective reference number is accompanied by the letter b.

[0046] A person 33 schematically shown in front view in FIG. 3A has attached a body strap 12b of a rescue device 1b, that is, their legs 34 are in leg loops 10b, 11b and the shoulder belt sections 23b, 24b are on the shoulders of the person 33.

[0047] By simultaneously pulling up two chest strap sections 27b, 28b and the parallel end sections 31b, 32b, which are gripped by the hands 35 of the person, in the direction of the arrows 36, the two leg straps 10b, 11b move in the proximal direction, that is, in the direction of the shoulders of the person 33. Thus, the length can be adjusted to their height until the position shown in FIG. 3A is reached, in which the leg straps 10b, 11b are tight to the legs, and the straps are on the shoulders of person 33.

[0048] During this movement, the one-piece body strap 12b is pulled through loops 37 in the leg straps 10b, 11b as well as belt sliders, not shown in FIG. 3A, labeled in FIG. 2 as 25 and 26. This reduces its effective length, i.e. the strap length that is wrapped around the body of the person 32 is shorter.

[0049] The position shown in FIG. 3A can be fixed by means of the belt sliders labeled in FIG. 2 as 25, 26.

[0050] A person 33 schematically shown in front view in FIGS. 3B and 3C has attached the body strap 12b of a rescue device 1b and has adjusted the length as shown in FIG. 3a. The adjustment of the body strap 12b to the girth of the person 33 is carried out in two steps. In a first step, two chest strap sections 27b, 28b and end sections 31b, 32b are moved towards each other on the ventral side medially in the direction of arrows 38 in such a way that a buckle 29b can be inserted.

[0051] In a second step shown in FIG. 3C, only the end sections 31b, 32b are pulled laterally in the direction of arrows 39, as a result of which the body strap 12b is adjusted in the circumferential direction to the body of the person 33 and the chest strap sections 27b, 28b are tight to the upper body of the person 33.

[0052] After the body strap 12b has been adjusted to the girth, the rescue device 1b is ready for use, that is, the body strap 12b is sufficiently tight to the body of the person 33, such that the person 33 cannot slip out of the rescue device 1b during a jump from a wind turbine, for example from a nacelle.

[0053] It is possible to fix the body strap 12b in the position shown in FIG. 3C using the belt slider 30b of the buckle 29b.

[0054] The belt sliders labeled in FIG. 2 as 25, 26 hold the body strap 12b, which has been adjusted to the height of the person to be rescued, in the position shown in FIG. 3A, while the belt sliders 30b of the buckle 29b hold a body strap adjusted to the person's girth in the position shown in FIG. 3C.

[0055] The invention creates a rescue device 1-1b, which can be adjusted to the body 33 of a person using the rescue device in only three steps: [0056] 1) Adjusting the length (arrows 36, FIG. 3a) [0057] 2) Inserting the buckle 29; 29b (arrows 38, FIG. 3b) [0058] 3) Adjusting the circumference (arrows 39, FIG. 3c)

[0059] It is understood that the rescue device 1-1b according to the invention is also suitable for a jump out of a hollow rotor blade of a wind turbine.