FOLDABLE RIM ASSEMBLY FOR AN AERIAL FIRE-FIGHTING BUCKET

Abstract

A foldable rim assembly for an aerial fire-fighting bucket, the bucket including a collapsible body, the body having an upper rim surrounding an open upper end of the body, the rim assembly including; a) a plurality of spokes about a central hub, the spokes extending radially outwardly from the hub, each outer end of a spoke being pivotably connectable to the upper rim of the body, and each inner end of a spoke being pivotably connected to the hub; and b) at least one spoke locking member which is engageable when the spokes are deployed to lock the inner ends of the spokes with the hub in an uppermost position and the body expanded;
wherein, in use, when the at least one spoke locking member is disengaged, the hub is movable to a lowermost position, with the spokes folded and the body collapsed.

Claims

1. A foldable rim assembly for an aerial fire-fighting bucket, the bucket including a collapsible body, the body having an upper rim surrounding an open upper end of the body, the rim assembly including: a) a plurality of spokes about a central hub, the spokes extending radially outwardly from the hub, each outer end of a spoke being pivotably connectable to the upper rim of the body, and each inner end of a spoke being pivotably connected to the hub; and b) at least one spoke locking member which is engageable when the spokes are deployed to lock the inner ends of the spokes with the hub in an uppermost position and the body expanded; wherein, in use, when the at least one spoke locking member is disengaged, the hub is movable to a lowermost position, with the spokes folded and the body collapsed.

2. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 1, wherein the hub is generally disc-shaped, such that when the spokes are deployed and the hub is locked in its uppermost position by the spoke locking member(s), the hub and the spokes are generally co-planar and approximately level with the upper rim.

3. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 1, wherein the spoke locking members are associated with the central hub.

4. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 1, wherein a single spoke locking member is provided that is capable of interacting with the inner ends of all spokes at the same time to provide the engagement and disengagement.

5. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 4, wherein the central hub is a dual plate central hub, having upper and lower hub plates.

6. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 5, wherein the lower hub plate is fixed, and includes pivotable connection to the inner ends of the spokes, such that the inner ends of the spokes can be positioned between the plates

7. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 5, wherein the upper hub plate is rotatable relative to the lower hub plate, to allow for movement of the upper hub plate into and out of positions where the inner ends of the spokes are either locked in the deployed position or are unlocked and in the folded position.

8. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 5, wherein the upper rotatable plate includes a plurality of radial slots about the periphery of the upper plate, opening at the outer edge of the plate and configured to pass completely through the thickness of the plate, each slot positionable above the inner end of a respective spoke, and being sized so as to be capable of receiving the inner end of a spoke when folded

9. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 8, wherein when the upper plate is rotated to move the radial slots away from the spokes, the inner ends of the spokes are caught between the upper and lower plates and are held in their deployed position, which renders the hub and the spokes held so as to be generally co-planar

10. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 8, wherein the central hub includes a means of locking the upper rotatable plate in a position where the spokes are deployed.

11. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 8, wherein the upper rotatable plate includes a plurality of circumferential slots that each extend for a short distance about the periphery of the plate reasonably close to its outer edge.

12. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 11, wherein each circumferential slot is configured to pass completely through the thickness of the plate, so as to be capable of receiving a respective lockable guide pin extending upwardly from the lower plate.

13. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 12, wherein the interaction of a lockable guide pin in a circumferential slot is preferably such as to hold the upper plate adjacent to the lower plate, with the inner ends of the spokes therebetween, and to guide and permit rotation of the upper plate relative to the lower plate.

14. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 13, wherein each lockable guide pin is able to be locked in any position in a respective circumferential slot so as to lock the upper plate relative to the lower plate and thus lock the spokes either in their deployed or folded positions.

15. A foldable rim assembly according to claim 8, wherein the upper rotatable plate includes a plurality of slot pairs spaced equally thereabout, each slot pair being for engagement with an inner end of a respective spoke, the slot pairs including the radial slots and the circumferential slots.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Having briefly described the general concepts involved with the present invention, a preferred embodiment of a foldable rim assembly will now be described that is in accordance with the present invention. However, it is to be understood that the following description is not to limit the generality of the above description.

[0033] In the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a collapsible, aerial fire-fighting bucket having a foldable rim assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assembly being shown with its spokes deployed, its central hub in its uppermost position and generally co-planar with the spokes and the upper rim of the bucket body, and with the bucket body expanded;

[0035] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the spokes folded, the central hub in its lowermost position, and the bucket body collapsed;

[0036] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a disassembled two part central hub of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[0037] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the central hub of FIG. 3 when assembled and with the spokes deployed; and

[0038] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the central hub of FIG. 3 when assembled and with the spokes folded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0039] Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a foldable rim assembly 10 for an aerial fire-fighting bucket 12, the bucket 12 including a collapsible body 14 having an upper rim 16 surrounding an open upper end of the body 14. Also evident in FIG. 1, although visible in more detail in FIGS. 3 to 5 (as described below), is a hub and spoke assembly that includes a plurality of spokes 20 about a central hub 22. The spokes 20 extend radially outwardly from the hub 22, with each outer end of a spoke 20 being pivotably connected to the upper rim 16 of the body 14, and each inner end of a spoke 20 being pivotably connected to the hub 22.

[0040] The rim assembly 10 is shown in FIG. 1 with its spokes 20 deployed, its central hub 22 in its uppermost position, and with the bucket body 14 expanded and ready for use. In contrast, in FIG. 2, the spokes 20 are shown folded, the central hub 22 is in its lowermost position, and the bucket body 14 is shown collapsed.

[0041] A preferred form of foldable rim assembly 10 will now be described in relation to FIGS. 3 to 5. In this embodiment, the central hub 22 is formed in two parts, being upper and lower hub plates 30 and 32, both of which are annular and generally disc-shaped, providing the central hub 22 with its advantageously low profile such that when the spokes 20 are deployed (FIGS. 1 and 4) and the hub 22 is locked in its uppermost position, the hub 22 and the spokes 20 are generally co-planar and approximately level with the upper rim 16.

[0042] In this embodiment, the upper hub plate 30 forms a spoke locking member in combination with the lower hub plate 32. The spoke locking member is thus associated with the central hub 22, forming a part of the central hub 22, as opposed to being formed as a part of the rim 16 or the cable system 40 (shown in FIG. 1) used to suspend the bucket 12 below an aircraft (not shown).

[0043] The lower hub plate 32 is fixed in that it cannot rotate about its longitudinal axis relative to the spokes 20, and includes pivotable connections 42 in the form of spigots (preferably stainless steel spigots) at the upright flange 41 to the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20. In this form, the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 rest upon the lateral flange 43 of the lower hub plate 32, preventing downward movement of the spokes 20 beyond that level, but the spokes 20 are obviously able to pivot upwardly away from the lower flange 43 to a vertically upright position.

[0044] The upper hub plate 30 on the other hand is configured so as to be rotatable relative to the lower hub plate 32, to allow for movement of the upper hub plate 30 into and out of positions where the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 are either locked in the deployed position (FIG. 4) or are unlocked and in the folded position (FIG. 5). The upper rotatable plate 30 thus becomes a single spoke-locking member, able to lock all spokes 20 at the same time, although it functions as such together with the lower plate 32.

[0045] The outer ends of the spokes 20 attach with the same type of spigot used at the inner ends of the spokes 20, namely a solid stainless steel spigot. The outer ends may be set between the inner faces of two vertical brackets (not shown) bolted through the rim 16 of the bucket 12, with backing plates (not shown) for support and compressive attachment via multiple bolts to the bucket 12, spreading the load across a larger surface area. In this form, the two brackets and the spigot have a similar horizontal aperture therethrough to accept the pin of a stainless steel shackle to which each rigging line 40 may be attached,

[0046] The upper rotatable plate 30 includes a plurality of radial slots 50 about the periphery of the upper plate 30, opening at the outer edge 53 of the plate 30, extending inwardly towards the central axis of the plate 30, and passing completely through the thickness of the plate 30. Each of the radial slots 50 are positionable above the inner end 44 of a respective spoke 20 with rotation of the upper plate 30, as illustrated in FIG. 5, to permit the folding of the spokes 20 upwardly for the collapse of the bucket body 14, being sized so as to be capable of receiving the inner end 44 of a spoke 20 when folded. In this position (FIG. 5), the spokes 20 may be folded and unfolded, with their inner ends 44 moving into and out of a respective slot 50, such that the central hub 22 can move from its uppermost position (FIG. 1) to its lowermost position (FIG. 2), with the body 14 thus moving from expanded to collapsed, during that folding movement.

[0047] In this respect, and with regard to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the radial slots 50 extend far enough inwardly to permit the spokes 20 to fold upwardly slightly past vertical, permitting the folded spokes 20 to over-centre slightly towards the centre of the hub, ensuring that the bucket can be stowed as small as possible for loading inside a helicopter.

[0048] When the upper plate 30 is rotated to move the slots 50 away from the spokes 20, such as movement from the configuration in FIG. 5 to the configuration in FIG. 4, the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 are held between the upper and lower plates 30,32 and are held in their deployed position (FIG. 4), which renders the hub 22 and the spokes 20 held so as to be generally co-planar (FIG. 4).

[0049] The central hub 22 also includes a means of locking the upper rotatable plate 30 in position when the spokes 20 are deployed, which in the illustrated embodiment sees the upper rotatable plate 30 having a plurality of second slot in the form of circumferential slots 52 that extends for a short distance about the periphery of the plate 30 reasonably close to the outer edge 53. Thus, the upper rotatable plate 30 can be seen to include a plurality of slot pairs 50,52 spaced equally thereabout, each slot pair 50,52 being for engagement with an inner end 44 of a respective spoke 20, the slot pairs 50,52 including the radial slots 50 and the circumferential slots 52.

[0050] Each circumferential slot 52 is again configured to pass completely through the thickness of the plate 30, so as to be capable of receiving a respective lockable guide pin 54 extending upwardly from the lower plate 32. The interaction of a lockable guide pin 54 in a circumferential slot 52 is such as to hold the upper plate 30 adjacent to the lower plate 32, with the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 therebetween, and to guide and permit rotation of the upper plate 30 relative to the lower plate 32. This rotation allows movement of the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 into and out of alignment with a respective radial slot 50 of the upper plate 30 to permit the following folding movement of the spokes 20, In this respect, each lockable guide pin 54, here shown in the form of a simple nut and bolt arrangement, passing through suitably sized holes 56 in the lower plate 32, is of course also able to be locked in any position in a respective circumferential slot 52 so as to lock the upper plate 30 relative to the lower plate 32 and thus lock the spokes 20 either in their deployed or folded positions.

[0051] With regard to movement of the spokes 20 from the deployed position (FIG. 4) to the folded position (FIG. 5), such movement will occur in conjunction with: [0052] 1) the unlocking of the lockable guide pins 54, followed by rotation in a first direction of the upper hub plate 30 relative to the fixed lower hub plate 32 until the inner ends 44 of the spokes 20 align with respective radial slots 50; [0053] 2) then the folding of the spokes 20 to their vertical position (FIG. 5), and the collapsing of the body 14 of the bucket with the lowering of the central hub 22 to its lowermost position; and [0054] 3) the subsequent locking of the lockable guide pins 54 with the hub 22 in its lowermost position, with the spokes 20 folded and the body 14 of the bucket collapsed (FIG. 5).

[0055] With regard to the reverse movement of the spokes 20 from the folded position to the deployed position, such movement will occur in conjunction with: [0056] 1) the unlocking of the lockable guide pins 54; [0057] 2) then the unfolding and deployment of the spokes 20, and the expansion of the body 14 of the bucket, with the raising of the hub 22 to its uppermost position (FIG. 4); and [0058] 3) the subsequent locking of the lockable guide pins 54 with the hub 22 in its uppermost position (FIG. 4), which occurs with the rotation in the opposite direction of the upper hub plate 30 relative to the fixed lower hub plate 32, with the spokes 20 deployed and the body 14 of the bucket expanded.

[0059] As can be seen, when in their deployed position (FIG. 4), the spokes 20 are clamped between the upper hub plate 30 and the lateral flange 43 of the lower hub plate 32, providing a rigid and strong hub and spoke arrangement. Ideally the spokes 20 and the upper hub plate 32 will be made of a composite material to provide strength yet save weight, and to avoid corrosion through electrolysis, with stainless steel bolts being used for the lockable guide pins 54 and the lower hub plate 30. However, it will be appreciated that any suitable material, or combination of materials, may be used for the spokes 20, such as using a hollow metal sleeve with a composite fibre internal reinforcing shaft.

[0060] The spokes 20 ideally have a rectangular cross-section and are pivotably connected to the lower hub plate 32 and the rim 16 on their narrow edges, again to assist with providing strength and rigidity.

[0061] Finally, it will be appreciated that it may be desirable to add the upper surface of the upper hub plate 30 one or more handles or knobs or the like to assist with rotation of the upper plate 30 and the deployment of the hub and spoke arrangement. This will allow an operator to keep hands away from pinch points and to more easily actuate the hub and spoke arrangement.

[0062] In conclusion, it must be appreciated that there may be other variations and modifications to the configurations described herein which are also within the scope of the present invention.