Hose handling tool

Abstract

 The present invention refers to a hose handling tool (10) for handling a fire hose, comprising a gorge-shaped guide conduct (14) to be attached laterally to the outer surface of the hose (12), a handling portion (16) disposed opposite to the guide conduct (14) and a remote control for controlling a motor-driven hose reel, wherein the remote control comprises an operating switch (28) disposed at or near the handling portion (16) opposite to the guide conduct (14).

Description

[0001] The present invention refers to a hose handling tool for handling a fire hose.

[0002] After use in a fire fighting operation, each fire hose must be stored in the fire fighting vehicle from which it has been taken. Fire hoses are wound upon a motor driven hose reel usually disposed in a corresponding compartment within the vehicle. For storing the fire hose properly, the hose must be wound within need adjacent coils on the surface of the hose reel. Care must also be taken to prevent dirt from entering the hose reel compartment, so the hose must be cleaned after use at the same time.

[0003] Because this restoring operation must be carried out with great care, two operating persons are necessary for this operation. One of these persons operates the drive of the hose reel, while the other person guides the hose to be wound onto the reel. During guiding the hose, its surface can be cleaned at the same time. For this purpose the second operating person uses a piece of cloth to hold the fire hose and lets it slip through the cloth while it is drawn upon the hose reel. Because two persons are necessary in this operation, it is labor intensive and consumes man power that might be necessary in other service operations in the maintenance of the fire fighting vehicle.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means to save time and man power in storing a fire hose after use.

[0005] This object is achieved by a hose handling tool comprising the features of claim 1.

[0006] The hose handling tool according to the present invention comprises a trough-shaped guide conduct to be attached laterally to the outer surface of the hose. Within this guide conduct, the fire hose can slide while being pressed into the guide conduct manually at the same time. For this purpose the guide conduct should be provided with a smooth surface to decrease the friction between the guide conduct and the surface of the hose. The hose handling tool is further provided with a handling portion to hold the tool that is disposed opposite to the guide conduct, and a remote control for controlling the hose reel. This remote control comprises an operating switch that is disposed at or near the handling portion opposite to the guide conduct.

[0007] The arrangement of the operating switch relative to the handling portion enables an operator to seize the hose handling tool with one hand, with the hose being slidably guided within the trough-shaped guide conduct and pressed into this guide conduct, while the operating switch can be operated with one finger of this hand, for example, with the index finger or with the thumb, at the same time. The manual pressure applied to the hose to press it into the guide conduct is adjusted such that the hose is securely guided within the conduct but can slide along the conduct at the same time, to be pulled to the hose reel. When the person operates the operating switch, the motor driven hose reel is controlled via the remote control. With other words, the person holding and guiding the hose by means of the hose handling tool controls the turning operation of the hose reel at the same time. No other operating person is necessary in this operation. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the handling portion comprises a handling surface opposite to the guide conduct and a U-shaped guard bracket disposed over the handling surface.

[0008] Preferably the operating switch is disposed next to one of the ends of the guard bracket opposite to the guide conduct. In this arrangement the operation of the operating switch is facilitated because it is still in reach of one of the fingers of the hand holding the hose handling tool at its handling portion.

[0009] More preferably, the operating switch is provided as a push button, and the remote control is provided to transmit an operation signal in the pushed state of the push button. In this case the push button can be provided as a monostable switch, i. e. an output signal is only transmitted when the push button is pressed actively. Without an active pressing operation, no operating signal is transmitted to the hose reel.

[0010] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the remote control comprises a flexible cable to be connected to the hose reel. This cable serves to transmit an operation signal.

[0011] According to another preferred embodiment, the remote control comprises a radio transmitter to transmit an operation signal to a receiver connected to the motor driving the hose reel.

[0012] The present invention is further directed to a fire fighting vehicle, comprising a fire hose, the hose reel for receiving the hose, a motor operationally connected to the hose reel to drive the hose reel, and a hose handling tool as described above, wherein the remote control connects the hose handling tool to the motor to operate the motor according to the state of the operating switch.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of this fire fighting vehicle, it comprises a reception for storing the hose handling tool in a non-use state.

[0014] These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from and elucidated with the reference to a preferred embodiment described hereinafter.

Fig. 1

is a schematic view of a hose handling tool according to one embodiment of the present invention, shown in use together with a fire hose;

Fig. 2

shows the embodiment of the hose handling tool of Fig. 1 in a non-use state from a lateral direction;

Fig. 3

shows the hose handling tool of Fig. 2 in a front view;

Fig. 4

is a perspective view of the hose handling tool of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5

is a top view of the hose handling tool of Fig. 2.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a hose handling tool 10 in use together with a fire hose 12. The hose handling tool 10 comprises a trough-shaped guide conduct 14, formed as a strip of metal sheet with a groove-shaped cross section (see also Fig. 3). Within this guide conduct 14 the fire hose 12 is received to lie within this gorge or groove. With other words, a trough-shaped guide conduct 14 is attached laterally to the outer surface of the hose 12. The inner surface of this guide conduct 14 is smooth and has a low friction resistance with respect to the outer surface of the hose 12, so that the hose 12 can slide in its longitudinal direction (arrow A) along the guide conduct 14. However, because of the trough-shaped cross section, it cannot slide laterally from the guide conduct 14.

[0016] On the opposite side of the bent metal strip forming the guide conduct 14, a handling portion is provided generally designated by reference number 16 in Fig. 1. This handling portion 16 comprises a handling surface 18 opposite to the guide conduct 14. On this handling surface 18, the hand of a user can rest to support the hose handling tool 10 from below. To both longitudinal ends of the metal strip forming the guide conduct 14, the handling surface 18 is delimited by the ends 20,22 of a U-shaped guard bracket 24 that spans along the length of the handling surface 18 to protect the hand of the user when holding the hose handling tool 10. It also prevents the hose handling tool 10 from slipping from the user's hand in the slipping direction A of the fire hose 12.

[0017] Next to a first end 20 of the guard bracket 24 that is disposed closer to the end of the hose handling tool 10 in the slipping direction A of the fire hose 12, a push button 28 is provided on the surface opposite to the guide conduct 14. In this position the push button 28 is within reach of an index finger of the hand resting on the handling surface 18 supporting the hose handling tool 10. That is, the push button 28 can be pressed while holding the hose handling tool 10 in use. At the same time, the fire hose 12 can be pressed into the guide conduct 14 to let is slip along the guide conduct 14, i. e. seizing both the hose handling tool 10 and the fire hose 12 so that the guide conduct 14 is laterally attached to the outer surface of the hose 12 but the friction is low enough to let the fire hose 12 slide along the guide conduct 14.

[0018] The push button 28 serves as an operating switch comprised within a remote control for controlling a motor driven hose reel (not shown) of a fire fighting vehicle. When the hose reel is driven, it pulls the fire hose 12 in the direction A to be wound upon the surface of the hose reel. In this winding operation, the fire hose 12 has to be guided to be wound up properly. This guiding operation is performed by means of the hose handling tool 10, as described as an embodiment of the present invention. Holding and guiding the fire hose 12 and controlling the operation of the hose reel at the same time, as synchronized operations to store the hose properly, can be carried out by one operator, holding the hose handling tool 10 with the fire hose 12 lying within the guide conduct 14, and operating the push button 28 accordingly.

[0019] According to the present embodiment of the present invention, the remote control described above comprises a flexible cable 26 connected to the hose reel to transmit an operation signal issued by the push button 28 to the drive of the hose reel. According to another embodiment, a radio connection is provided to connect the portion of the remote control implemented into the hose handling tool 10 with the drive of the hose reel. In this case the remote control may comprise a radio transmitter to transmit an operation signal to a receiver connected to the motor driving the hose reel.

[0020] The fire hose 12 shown in Fig. 1 and the hose reel for receiving the hose 12 can be disposed within a fire fighting vehicle (not shown), together with a motor operationally connected to the hose reel to drive the hose reel. The hose handling tool 10 according to the present invention can also form a part of this fire fighting vehicle. The remote control connects the hose handling tool 10 to the motor to operate the motor according to the state of the operating switch 28. The hose handling tool 10 can be stored within a suitable reception forming part of the fire fighting vehicle, for storing the hose handling tool 10 in a non-use state, from which it can be taken easily.

[0021] In the side view of Fig. 2, the hose handling tool 10 is shown without the fire hose 12 and the cable 26, with the U-shaped guard bracket 24 disposed on top of the hose handling tool 10, and the guide conduct 14 formed on its bottom. The front view of Fig. 3 shows the cross section of the gorge-shaped guide conduct 14, comprising a flat bottom surface 30 and lateral guiding surfaces 32,34 delimiting the guide conduct 14 in the lateral direction and being inclined with respect to the bottom surface 30.

[0022] The remaining Fig. 4 and 5 show the hose handling tool demonstrated in the preceding figures, showing other details of the arrangement of the U-shaped bracket 24 on the surface opposite to the guide conduct 14.

Claims

1. Hose handling tool (10) for handling a fire hose, comprising a gorge-shaped guide conduct (14) to be attached laterally to the outer surface of the hose (12), a handling portion (16) disposed opposite to the guide conduct (14) and a remote control for controlling a motor-driven hose reel, wherein the remote control comprises an operating switch (28) disposed at or near the handling portion (16) opposite to the guide conduct (14).

2. Hose handling tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the handling portion (16) comprises a handling surface (18) opposite to the guide conduct (14) and a U-shaped guard bracket (24) disposed over the handling surface (18).

3. Hose handling tool according to claim 2, characterized in that the operating switch (28) is disposed next to one (20) of the ends of the guard bracket (24) opposite to the guide conduct (14).

4. Hose handling tool according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating switch (28) is provided as a push button, and the remote control is provided to transmit an operation signal in the pushed state of the push button.

5. Hose handling tool according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the remote control comprises a flexible cable (26) to be connected to the hose reel.

6. Hose handling tool according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the remote control comprises a radio transmitter to transmit an operation signal to a receiver connected to the motor driving the hose reel.

7. Fire fighting vehicle, comprising a fire hose (12), a hose reel for receiving the fire hose (12), a motor operationally connected to the hose reel to drive the hose reel, and a hose handling tool (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the remote control connects the hose handling tool (10) to the motor to operate the motor according to the state of the operating switch (28).

8. Fire fighting vehicle according to claim 7, characterized by a reception for storing the hose handling tool (10) in a non-use state.

Drawing