LIFTING SYSTEM

Abstract

A lifting system comprises a platform (10) with at least one inflatable body (21, 22) which is connected to a fluid conduit (23, 24) for the purpose of receiving an inflating fluid, particularly a gas under increased pressure such as compressed air. In a first aspect the at least one inflatable body (21, 22) is connected for rotation about a rotation axis (H) relative to the platform (10). The inflatable body (21, 22) bounds here a winding space (40) in which the fluid conduit, when not in use, is received in a state in which it is wound around the rotation axis. In a second aspect the lifting system comprises on or at the platform (10) a fluid system (51, 52) which is remotely controllable.

Claims

1. A lifting system, comprising a platform with at least one inflatable body which is connected to a fluid conduit for the purpose of receiving an inflating fluid, particularly a gas under increased pressure such as compressed air, wherein the at least one inflatable body is connected for rotation about a rotation axis relative to the platform and bounds a winding space in which the fluid conduit, when not in use, is received in a state in which it is wound around the rotation axis.

2. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inflatable body comprises an inflatable cushion which is connected rigidly to a central shaft, and that the central shaft extends from the platform rotatably about a central axis of the at least one inflatable body.

3. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inflatable body comprises a stack of a first inflatable body and a second inflatable body, and that the first inflatable body and the second inflatable body bound the winding space therebetween and are both connected for rotation about the rotation axis relative to the platform.

4. A lifting system, comprising a platform with at least one inflatable body which is connected to a fluid conduit for the purpose of receiving an inflating fluid, particularly a gas under increased pressure such as compressed air, wherein the fluid conduit connects the inflatable body to a fluid reservoir via electronically controllable valve means, that the valve means are coupled to an electronic control device and are controllable thereby, and that an operating device is coupled to the control device in order to enable a user to operate the control device.

5. The lifting system according to claim 4, wherein the operating device is coupled wirelessly to the control device.

6. The lifting system according to claim 4, wherein at least one fluid reservoir, the valve means and the control device are connected optionally directly to the platform together with the at least one inflatable body.

7. The lifting system according to claim 4, wherein the valve means comprise at least one of an electronic proportionally controllable pressure reducing valve and an electronic control valve.

8. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein the platform comprises a rolling and/or sliding platform.

9. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein the platform is coupled to a shaft, wherein the shaft provides a handle at a proximal outer end.

10. The lifting system according to claim 9, wherein the shaft is coupled to the platform in manually releasable manner.

11. The lifting system according to claim 9, wherein the shaft features a control device and/or operating device for a fluid reservoir as well as the fluid reservoir and that said fluid conduit is connected to the fluid reservoir.

12. The lifting system according to claim 9, wherein the shaft is coupled to the platform for pivoting about a pivot axis and can be folded together with the platform with the at least one inflatable body.

Description

[0017] The invention will now be further elucidated on the basis of several exemplary embodiments and an accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of the lifting system according to the first aspect of the invention in an unfolded state;

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the lifting system of FIG. 1 in a ready-to-use state;

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the lifting system of FIG. 1 in an inflated state;

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the lifting system of FIG. 1 in the unfolded state;

[0022] FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of the lifting system of FIG. 1 in a folded-up storage and/or transport state;

[0023] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the lifting system of FIG. 4 in the folded-up storage and/or transport state;

[0024] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of the lifting system according to the first aspect of the invention in a folded-up storage and/or transport state;

[0025] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the lifting system of FIG. 7 in a ready-to-use state; and

[0026] FIG. 9 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of the lifting system according to the second aspect of the invention in a folded-up storage and/or transport state.

[0027] It is otherwise noted here that the figures are purely schematic and not all drawn to (the same) scale. Some dimensions in particular may be exaggerated to greater or lesser extent for the sake of clarity. Corresponding parts are designated in the figures with the same reference numeral.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows an example of a lifting system according to a first aspect of the invention. The lifting system essentially comprises a platform 10 with a stack of two inflatable bodies 21, 22 thereon. Bodies 21, 22 are placed one on the other and are coupled to platform 10 for rotation about a central axis H by means of a steel core body 25, see also FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Extending radially from the platform is a number of handles 31-33 whereby the whole can be handled and positioned in the vicinity of the object to be lifted in practical manner. On an underside the handles 31-33 each comprise a flat bottom 30 which serves, among other things, as resistance-reducing sliding surface when the system is being slid underneath an object to be lifted.

[0029] The inflatable bodies 21, 22 placed on the platform each comprise an inflatable cushion with a (carbon) fibre-reinforced elastomeric outer wall, as described in the above-stated Netherlands patent NL 2013075. The cushions 21, 22 of this example are formed from a synthetic rubber such as EPDM, wherein a reinforcement of wrapped aramid fibres is applied therein. If desired, it is also possible to resort to otherwise embodied inflatable bodies, and more or fewer inflatable bodies can be applied, provided that they are able to support a required loadability. Cushions 21, 22 are connected rigidly to the steel core body 25, which core body 25 is in turn bearing-mounted in platform 10 by means of a suitable ball bearing or slide bearing 11 so that the core can thus be rotated smoothly therein together with the cushions 21, 22 mounted thereon.

[0030] A telescopically extendable shaft 12 is coupled releasably to platform 10 by means of a bayonet 13, or otherwise, and provides a handle 14 at a proximal outer end. At a position where shaft 12 is connected to platform 10, the platform comprises a wheel assembly 15. This wheel assembly 15 supports in rolling manner on a ground surface beyond a smooth, disc-like underside 16 of platform 10 so that the device can be easily carried along by the hand by a rescue worker. At the intended location the wheels 15 are folded in and, using shaft 12, the rescue worker slides platform 10 with cushions 21, 22 thereon under the object to be lifted from a safe distance, making use of the flat underside 16 and the flat bottoms 30 of handles 31-33, which reduce a sliding resistance.

[0031] Shaft 12 is connected together with wheel assembly 15 to the platform for pivoting about a pivot axis Z, so that the shaft can be retracted and folded up into a compact whole with lifting system 10, 21, 22 when not in use, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. A strap 35 keeps the whole together in this position, wherein the handle 14 of the shaft is furthermore closed into a handle 33 of platform 10 and can be secured therein by means of a lock 34. The flat bottom 36 of the whole provides for stability when the system is placed vertically.

[0032] Once in position, the two bodies 21, 22 with a compressed air system (not shown) provided for this purpose can be inflated. For this purpose each of the cushions can be connected to the compressed air system by means of a separate inflation conduit 23, 24.

[0033] The compressed air system comprises for instance a compressed air cylinder with a controller which enables the rescue worker to regulate and control the supply of compressed air to the cushion in question. According to the invention, the conduits 23, 24 are connected beforehand to the inlet of the relevant cushion 21, 22, and in the situation shown in FIG. 1 the conduits lie rolled up in a winding space 40 which is bounded by the two cushions 21, 22. Because cushions 21, 22 are suspended with core body 25 rotatably about the central axis H, they thus form a hose reel from which the two conduits 23, 24 can be unrolled with only a small amount of effort, see FIG. 2. Conduits 23, 24 can for this purpose be gripped at their free outer ends 25, 26 and be pulled by the rescue worker toward the rescue worker to a safe distance from the object to be lifted. The outer ends are there coupled to the compressed air system, and the system is ready to be deployed into the situation shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] FIGS. 7 and 8 show a lifting system according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention in respectively a folded-up storage and/or transport state and an unfolded ready-to-use state. The device is largely the same as that of the first example, and corresponding parts are therefore designated with the same reference numerals. However, not only were the air hoses 23, 24 connected to cushions 21, 22 beforehand and do they lie rolled up in winding space 40 in the device shown here, a whole inflation system is otherwise also accommodated in the device. The inflation system comprises, among other things, two compressed air cylinders 41, 42 and an operating unit 45, with a control device with pressure reducing valve, which are mounted on the releasable shaft 12. The two air hoses 23, 24 are connected to the inlets of air cushions 21, 22 at their distal outer end, while their proximal outer ends were here already coupled beforehand to the operating unit with reducing valve 45.

[0035] Once the system has been slid underneath the object in the above stated manner, the shaft is uncoupled and removed. Because the proximal outer ends of air hoses 23, 24 are now connected fixedly to the control device with reducing valve 45 mounted on the shaft, hoses 23, 24 are here unrolled simultaneously, see FIG. 8. Once at a distance from the object to be lifted with platform 10 with cushions 21, 22 thereunder, the system is now immediately ready to be deployed into the state shown in FIG. 3. Loss of valuable time for mutually coupling the different components 21-24, 41, 42, 45 of the lifting system can be limited to a minimum in this way and thereby the chances of survival of any trapped victim significantly increased.

[0036] An embodiment of a lifting system according to a second aspect of the invention is shown in FIG. 9. The construction of the lifting system is largely the same as that of the first example, albeit that a fluid system is in this case integrated fully on the platform and the two cushions 21, 22 need not be rotatable relative to the platform. Output conduits, such as the first example, which must be coupled to a remote compressed air system, are avoided here. Instead, the platform 10 accommodates a set of compressed air cylinders 51, 52 which are each connected to one of the cushions 21, 22 via an electronically controllable control valve 55, 56 or proportionally controllable pressure reducing valve and a short compressed air conduit 53, 54. Instead, it is otherwise optionally also possible to apply a single, shared compressed air cylinder. The control valve, or pressure reducing valve 55, 56, is controlled by a control device 57, 58 which is provided on or at platform 10 for this purpose and which is coupled wirelessly to an operating unit 60 for the user. Operating unit 60 enables the rescue worker to inflate and/or to deflate the two cushions 21, 22 individually or collectively, so that he/she is able to operate the system completely intuitively by giving each of the cushions more or less air independently of each other.

[0037] Although the invention has been further elucidated above with reference to only a single exemplary embodiment, it will be apparent that the invention is by no means limited thereto. On the contrary, many variations and embodiments are still possible within the scope of the invention for the person with ordinary skill in the art, as will be apparent from, among other things, a justifiably broad interpretation of the following claims.