According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a lifeboat deployment unit configured for launch and retrieval of a lifeboat. The lifeboat de- ployment unit is configured for installation outside and/or on or above the boundaries of a structure accommodating the lifeboat. The lifeboat deployment unit includes a casing accommodating within its interior a winch arranged for winding and unwinding one or more falls from one or more drums also arranged within the interior of the casing.

The structure accommodating the lifeboat may constitute scaffold or equivalent.

The lifeboat deployment unit may be configured for winding and unwinding two falls suspending a twin fall lifeboats from its ends.

The winch accommodated within the lifeboat deployment unit may be adapted for; at a rotational speed, winding and unwinding one or more falls, ropes or wires connected to the lifeboat, and further, the winch may comprise brake means configured for controlling the rotational speed, or the rotational speed of unwinding, of the winch.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the lifeboat deployment unit may constitute a deployment unit including lifeboat support structure and, optionally, a lifeboat.

It is understood that the expressions ship, boat or vessel, throughout this specification is meant to denote any kind of floating structure suitable for carrying either persons, cargo or a combination thereof. It is further understood that the expression fall, throughout this specification is meant to denote any kind of wire or rope which is capable of being wound up on, or wound from, a drum. It is further and finally understood that the expression davit, throughout this specification is meant to denote any kind of crane, preferably arranged on a ship or the like, that is used to raise, or crane, and lower small boats, such as lifeboats. Background

Larger ships and rigs are required to accommodate lifeboats. There are generally two types of lifeboats in use, one being the so called free fall lifeboat and the other being the conventional lifeboat which is to be lowered to the surface of the sea by means of two falls, one connected to each end of the lifeboat. The conventional lifeboat is often called a twin-fall lifeboat.

The falls of the twin-fall lifeboat is typically operated by means of a dedicated launch and retrieval system comprising one or more winch systems provided with brake systems configured to secure controlled descent and launch of the lifeboat.

The winch systems are, in order to secure safe launch of the lifesaving equipment, required to work flawlessly under various loads as well as under any imaginable environmental condition. Therefore, today's launch systems are required to undergo regular inspection and service which, due to the present arrangement and configuration of the systems, are considered inconvenient and expensive, e.g. because the means for lifesaving may have to be removed from its stowed position in order to gain sufficient access to the launch systems. For these and other reasons, designers strive in setting forth a lifeboat launch system configured for providing the necessary means for effectuating deployment and retrieval of a lifeboat as an easily accessible unit configured as to allow for easy service or even replacement without deployment or removal of a the means for lifesaving to be operated by the launch system.

Further, designers strive in setting forth a lifeboat launch system requiring minimum service and maintenance, preferably by way of protecting or sheltering sensitive parts of the system from the environments.

Even further, designers strive in setting forth a lifeboat launch system provided as a modular system configured for easy installation onboard new or existing units, possibly as a retrofit. Background art

WO 10092127 A discloses a launch and retrieval device for handling means for lifesaving to be lowered to the surface of the sea from inside of an encasement. The device includes a winch comprising a drum, one or more pul- leys and a structure configured for accommodating the winch and the one or more pulleys. The structure is provided with coupling means adapted to provide a releasable connection between the structure and an interior part of an encasement adapted to accommodate means for lifesaving. The structure accommodating the winch etc. is removable only upon removal of the life- boat. The boat itself can be "hanged off" with so-called maintenance pennants. This makes it possible to keep the lifeboat in position while e.g. servicing the winch system.

WO 09153240 A1 discloses lifesaving system for rescuing crew on board ships or rigs and the like. The system includes a lifeboat and an encasement configured to accommodate the lifeboat. The encasement including the life- boat forms part of a modular system. According to the disclosure, the modular system is beneficial because the modules are interchangeable. By this, maintenance may be carried out on modules located off the site of application.

US 5671912 A discloses a safety brake system applied directly to a hoisting drum adapted to facilitate launch or retrieval of lifesaving equipment. According to the document, the system is able to stop the load from falling in the event of a drive line failure. The load can be lowered or raised by applying sufficient torque to the drum in order to overcome the braking force and thus lower or raise the load.

WO 07125549 A discloses a winch for handling lifeboats etc., where the winch is operated by means of a fluid dynamic system. The system com- prises a brake configured for hydraulically controlling of the outlet speed from the winch.

DE 4213290 A discloses a holder for a dinghy configured for use on a boat or a ship provided with a diving platform. The diving platform includes a cham- ber for the dinghy, and the chamber is accessible from outside via an opening in the diving platform. The holder inter alia comprises a cable which is removable fastened to a mount on the dinghy and configured for drawing the dinghy into the chamber. A winch, mounted inside the chamber, is provided for driving the cable. The winch is mounted inside the chamber on a wall op- posite to the opening, whereby, according to the disclosure, unobtrusive, quick and simple stowing/hoisting of dinghy is rendered possible.

Examples of common drawbacks of prior art launch systems are: - That service, repair and maintenance has to be carried out on the

equipments site of operation or application, - That the unprotected installation lead to increased degradation of the equipment,

- That the systems tend to be too complex,

- That the systems tend to extend over a substantial area of the remain- ing equipment such as davits etc., and thereby impede maintenance and paintwork etc,

Brief description of the invention One object of the present invention is to reduce the required manpower as well as burdens of the personnel performing maintenance and repairs to life- saving systems.

Another object of the present invention is to set forth a lifeboat deployment system which is simple and easy to install at its site of application.

Another object of the present invention is to set forth a lifeboat deployment system configured protect its hoisting means from weather exposure. Another object of the present invention is to set forth a lifeboat deployment system configured for easy replacement.

Up to this day, prior art has failed to teach a simple, reliable and inexpensive lifeboat deployment unit which in a safe and reliable manner, without sub- stantially increasing the weight, cost and particulars of the system, is configured to satisfy the above objects.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the invention constitutes a lifeboat deployment unit as per the introductory part of this specification. Upon configuring the unit such that the casing is provided with means allowing for releasable interconnection with an outer face of a structure accommo- dating a lifeboat, and upon providing the casing provided with at least one opening configured such that the one or more falls may extend into a structure accommodating a lifeboat, a lifeboat deployment unit which may be easily installed, replaced and maintained is obtained.

According to one embodiment, the releasable interconnection may be provided in a lower face of the casing.

According to one embodiment, wherein said opening may be provided in a lower face of the casing.

According to one embodiment, the casing may include a hatch configured to provide access to the interior of the casing through an upper face of the casing. The hatch may constitute a door such as a slide door. The slide door may be operative to slide horizontally, parallel to a plane defined by a lower face of the casing, by means of slide support means.

According to one embodiment, the winch may be arranged for winding and unwinding two falls from two drums arranged within the interior of the casing.

According to one embodiment, the casing does not accommodate means for lifesaving, i.e. the lifeboat deployment unit may constitute a self contained lifeboat crane unit. According to one embodiment, the lifeboat deployment unit further may include a lifeboat support structure, or scaffolding, configured to support the casing above a lifeboat. The lifeboat support structure further may be configured for supporting the lifeboat. According to one embodiment, the lifeboat support structure may, in an upper portion and in one end, be configured for receiving a lower face of the casing. In the opposite end, the lifeboat support structure may include a pulley configured for guiding a fall emanating, possibly from an opening arranged in a vertical face of the casing, from the casing from an essentially horizontal orientation between the casing and the pulley to an essentially vertical orienta- tion between a lifeboat and the pulley.

According to one embodiment, the lifeboat support structure may constitute an assembly kit comprising three main components: a bridge and two opposed end portions defining legs of the lifeboat support structure.

According to one embodiment, the lifeboat support structure further may include a ladder allowing for easy access to the casing.

According to one embodiment, the winch may be powered by hydraulic power or electricity. The casing further may include and accommodates means for storing electric or hydraulic power.

According to one embodiment, the one or more openings allowing the falls to emanate or extend from the casing may be provided in different or opposed faces of the hatch.

According to one embodiment, the lifeboat deployment unit may be configured for hoisting and lowering a twin fall lifeboat to or from the surface of the sea.

According to one embodiment, the lifeboat deployment unit may form part of a modular system comprising a plurality of lifeboat deployment units or a plurality of casings. By this, onsite service and repair is avoided as service and repairs may be carried out simply by replacing a casing due for service and inspection with a "fresh" casing and returning the due casing to a specialized facility or workshop. According to one embodiment, the casing may be configured for installation in the vicinity of a davit configured for launch and retrieval of a lifeboat.

According to one embodiment, the casing may be configured for installation behind a davit configured for launch and retrieval of a lifeboat. By this, the davit may be positioned in-between a stowed lifeboat and the casing.

According to one embodiment, the davit may be arranged on a deck. The davit may be configured for moving a lifeboat from a stowed position on deck to a suspended position from where the lifeboat may be launched or retrieved essentially vertically.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of a part of a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention wherein the casing is open.

Figure 4 is a top view of a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention.

Figure 5 is an end view of a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of a lifeboat support structure. Detailed description of the invention with reference to the figures

Figure 1 illustrates a lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the present invention. As can be seen, a casing 50, or an enclosure, is arranged above a lifeboat 100 via, or supported by, the lifeboat support structure which in its entirety is referred to under reference no. 75. The lifeboat support structure may constitute a scaffolding or equivalent.

The casing 50 may constitute a box having essentially parallel sides and the interior volume of the casing may be adapted to accommodate the lifting means including one or more winches etc.

The casing 50 preferably may be made of a weather resistant material such as steel, aluminium or fibre glass.

The casing 50 accommodates at least a part of the necessary means for effectuating hoisting or lowering of the lifeboat 100 via one or more falls 20 through a not shown opening in a deck or equivalent. The lifeboat deployment unit may be configured for fail safe and/or no-power operation. Fail safe and/or no-power operation may be enabled by providing the lifeboat deployment unit with one or more emergency power sources such as batteries and/or pressure tanks etc. The lifeboat support structure 75 may, as shown in figure 2, constitute an assembly comprising a number of sub components. The structure may be divided into a bridge 77 and into two opposed end portions 78, 79 defining legs of the lifeboat support structure. The components may be configured for assembly by means of screwed connections, such as shown in figure 2, or by means of welding or equivalent. It is considered convenient to assemble the structure by means of screwed connections as the structure may easily be dismantled and moved to another site of application.

The legs of the structure preferably should be rigidly fixed onto its site of ap- plication, e.g. by means of a screwed connection or by means of welding etc.

The legs may, as shown in figure 6, include shock absorbing means such as one or more Belleville springs or washers 74, coil springs or equivalent. The shock absorbing means may allow for reduction in the units scantlings as shocks or pulses transferred through the entire mechanism are dampened.

According to one embodiment, the legs may constitute suspension legs configured to protect the structural integrity of the equipment by avoiding or mitigating peak loads occurring e.g. during launch and retrieval of the lifeboat. The peak loads may occur for instance on entry or re-entry of the lifeboat where a loaded boat enters a wave top and rides down the wave until there is no more wire "slack" left leading to structural impact forces.

The legs may further be provided with adjustment means allowing for level- ling and alignment of the structure. This is particularly relevant in case the receiving surface of the site of application is not perfectly level.

Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view wherein the casing is open. The opening is, in the depicted embodiment, provided by way of sliding a top cover 51 , or a slide door, along slide support means such as tracks or guides 52 configured for supporting or bracing the hatch 51 in its open position. The opening may also be provided by way of a not shown lift away hatch or by way of a not shown hinged hatch. Although not shown in the figures, service hoisting means such as a service crane or equivalent may be provided in, or arranged within, the casing 50 to facilitate lifting and lowering of components needed for emergency or onsite servicing or repairing the equipment within the casing 50.

As further can be seen in figure 3, the casing accommodates a winch 10 including drums and falls 20.

Upon applying the lifeboat deployment unit according to an aspect of the pre- sent invention to a twin fall type lifeboat, a dual drum winch 10 may be preferred over single drum winches.

One end of the falls 20 is connected to the drums and the opposite end of the falls 20 is connected, and possibly guided by one or more pulleys, to the life- boat.

Upon suspending a lifeboat from falls emanating from the lifeboat deployment unit, the weight of the lifeboat is transferred from the falls through the lifeboat deployment unit and to an upper face of the lifeboat support struc- ture.

The means allowing for releasable interconnection between an outer and/or upper face of the structure 75 and the casing 50 may constitute one or more quick release couplers or screwed connections or similar. The casing 50 may be provided with brackets or fittings arranged for facilitating installation on the structure 75. The lifeboat deployment unit according to the present invention this way may constitute a modular lifeboat crane unit configured for easy replacement and off site servicing. The terms "including/comprises/comprising/comprised of" when used in this specification incl. claims must be taken to specify the presence of stated fea- tures, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.