According to known technology the evacuation of people from a ship in an emergency is effected under the assumption that these people take themselves to an upper deck and out into the open-air where the lifeboats are situated. It has been found that it is this movement from the various deck-s where the people are located, to the upper deck where the rescue stations and lifeboats are situated, that is of decisive significance for whether people can be saved or not. When an emergency suddenly arises there is often no time to carry out this transfer and the transfer may also be greatly complicated by the ship listing or inclining sharply, for instance. People may also be trapped on lower decks by fire or prevented for some other reason from ascending the steps, which may be blocked by items which have fallen down.

Similarly it is often difficult to evacuate people from high buildings since they must often descend a large number of stairs before reaching the ground floor of the building so they can get out and to safety. In the case of buildings this ap- plies particularly when a fire occurs.

As regards ships, the lifeboats themselves have serious deficiencies. This applies to traditional lifeboats kept on an open upper deck and which it is assum- ed can be lowered by means of some form of hoist device. It may be difficult for those in distress to get into the lifeboat, as well as problems possibly occurring while the lifeboat is being lowered and launched. Ships are often equipped with inflatable life rafts which are stored in capsules that are thrown out from the ship in an emergency substantially at random and which inflate upon contact with the water. To make use of these rafts, therefore, the persons in distress must first of all already be in the water-which is in itself a great disadvantage entailing risk of drowning and extreme chilling-and must also be capable of finding a raft and climbing into it. The latter has in many cases proved to be an insurmountable problem. Furthermore, these rafts sometimes land upside down in the water and are thus substantially unusable.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems listed above by providing a method of evacuation in accordance with the characterizing part of

claim 1, and also an arrangement for evacuation as defined in the characterizing part of claim 4.

The method according to the invention thus involves evacuation from the side of the ship/building or the open upper deck of the ship or the roof of the build- ing, via a special evacuation arrangement in accordance with the present inven- tion, said arrangement being recessed in an opening in said side/wall, or placed on the upper deck/roof, so that people on the deck/floor where the arrangement is located can immediately exit via the evacuation arrangement to so called vessels arranged in connection therewith which, when filled with evacuated people, are lowered to the surface of the water or to ground level, by means of a hoist device.

The present invention has the advantage that evacuation arrangements can be arranged in a relatively simple manner at several places on a ship or building, i. e. one or more on each deck or each floor, aa vvell as on the roof of a building. In this way the people who need to be evacuated can reach a rescue station with evacuation arrangements considerably more quickly than with known technology, and without having to climb any stairs, for instance. Children and dis- abled people, e. g. those confined to a wheel chair, therefore have a greater chance of being rescued.

In the case of ships the present invention has the advantage of being able to replace both lifeboats of traditional type that are lowered from an upper deck and also the type of raft that is kept in a capsule and only unfolded upon contact with the water.

Further characteristics and advantages are revealed in the dependent claims.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment the vessels com- prise inflatable life rafts by means of which evacuation takes place from a ship and which, after lowering to the surface of the water, are released so that they can float away from the ship.

It should also be emphasised that the invention has the advantage of a double function. The arrangement according to the invention can be used not only to lower rescue vessels, but also to rescue people who have landed in the water from another ship in distress, for instance. The rafts may then either be released when they reach the water, in order to pick up people in the water at a distance from the launching place, or so that the rafts can remain on the platform and the people in distress can get into the rafts on the platform. This enables them to be safely taken care of since the whote platform is then hoisted up with the rafts and people, so that the people can then walk into the ship. The hoist device is pref- erably provided with a motor for this purpose.

To summarise. therefore, the present invention offers greatly increased safety and opportunity to save life on a large scale.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accom- panying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the arrangement for the evacua- tion of people from a ship. This embodiment shall not, however, be considered limiting but as merely constituting an example.

Figure 1 shows a view in perspective of the side of a ship provided with an evacuation arrangement according to the invention, Figure 2 shows a view in perspective of the evacuation arrangement as it is being swung out from the side of the ship, Figure 3 shows a view in perspective of the evacuation arrangement when it has been swung out and locked in its extended position in rela- tion to the side of the ship, Figure 4 shows a view in perspective of the"dry cassette"of the evacua- tion arrangement when the platforms are about to be unfolded, Figure 5 shows a view in perspective of the dry cassette in Figure 4, with the platforms unfolded and with the protective covers unfolded, Figure 6 shows a view in perspective of the dry cassette in Figures 4 and 5, with inflated life rafts, Figure 7 shows a view in perspective of the dry cassette with the life rafts about to be lowered, and Figure 8 shows a view in perspective of the dry cassette with lowered life rafts.

Figure 1 shows the side of a ship equipped with evacuation arrangements according to the present invention in the form of"dry cassettes"or cassette ar- rangements fully recessed into the side of the ship. Each cassette arrangement is recessed into an opening provided therefore, and is preferably protected by a metal plate 2, when not in use, which covers the opening in the side of the ship.

This plate 2 is removed when the dry cassette is activated in an emergency situa- tion by the plate being released so that it hangs against the side of the ship, below the dry cassette, for instance.

Figure 2 also shows the opening 3 in the side of the ship, where the dry cassette is recessed in its inoperative position. In this figure, however, the dry cassette has been activated by the cover plate having been flapped down and the dry cassette has started its swinging movement out from the side of the ship. The dry cassette is suspended in the opening on a shaft 5 about which it can be swung by means for effecting motion. The means for effecting motion may con- sist, for instance, of one or more hydraulic pistons that push the dry cassette out of the opening in the side of the ship by thrust force. The cassette is thus sus-

pended at one corner by means of said movable shaft. from bottom to top. The shaft is journalled in the ship. The dry cassette can to a certain extent be likened to a crane arm and is preferably a framework construction.

The hydraulic pump and piston used to swing out the dry cassette is pref- erably motor driven. However, manual activation of the hydraulics should also be possible if said motor should fail, preferably by use of the jack principle.

Figure 3 shows the dry cassette swung out to its fullest extent, i. e. at an angle of 90° from the side of the ship, where it is locked, preferably by means of a mechanical locking device. The platforms 8,9, can also be seen here, on which the life rafts will later rest. The platforms are shown here folded up.

Figure 4 illustrates the dry cassette in more detail. The platforms 8,9 are about to be unfolded from their packed positions to a flat, extended position. This unfolding is effected with the aid of an electric motor andTor a worm gear, but may also be achieved by other means. The platforms are preferably in the form of a framework and their surface may be covered by some type of netting. A number of life rafts 12 in packed state can be seen on these platforms and are secured in a suitable detachable manner to the platforms. These life rafts will subsequently be inflated. Inflation may possibly be performed at the same time as the platforms are unfolded. The inflation may then assist in unfolding the platforms. The dry cassette, attached to the side of the ship by the shaft 5, is open at the end facing towards the side of the ship so that people inside the ship can enter the dry cas- sette. The dry cassette is also provided with a number of openings 13, preferably corresponding to the number of life rafts, and these openings 13 are situated on the sides of the dry cassette, facing the life rafts. The outwardly facing end of the dry cassette is closed by a wall or at least by some form of protection against the weather. Protective covers 15 are arranged around the openings 13 and are shown in retracted position in Figure 4. These protective covers can, however, be opened out as illustrated in Figure 5. Figure 5 also shows the platforms when fully extended to their flat position. In the example illustrated here the life rafts have not yet been inflated. It is also clear from this figure that the platform may be provided with wheels or rollers 16 by means of which it is in contact with the side of the ship and which facilitate subsequent lowering of the platform.

Figure 6 illustrates the dry cassette with the life rafts 12 inflated and rest- ing on the platforms 8,9. The protective covers 15 are unfolded and connected to the life rafts. A passageway 14 is thus formed from the opening in the side of the ship to the life rafts and the people to be evacuated move along this passageway from the ship's deck where the evacuation arrangement is installed, out to the life rafts 12 on the platforms 8,9. The dry cassette may possibly be covered, thus

eliminating the need for the people being evacuated to be subjected to the rough weather conditions in all likelihood prevailing in such an emergency situation. This figure also illustrates the hoist device by means of which the platforms carrying the rafts will later on be lowered to the water. In the example shown the hoist de- vice comprises cables or wires 17, each cable being secured to a cable drum 18 and to the outer part of the platform. Each dry cassette has preferably four cables, located in pairs, two inner cables, towards the side of the ship, and two outer ca- bles. The cable pairs with respective cable drum operate independently of each other so that they are controlled by control means that keep the platform horizon- tal all the time, regardless of whether the ship is listing or not. Thanks to the weight of the platform no energy is required for the actual lowering. On the other hand a member of the crew may need to retard the platform in order to achieve smooth lowering to the water. Each cable drum may atso-be provided with a motor by means of which the platforms can be hoisted up again when the rafts have been released. This means that the platforms can also be used to pick up pas- sengers from another ship, for instance, who have landed in the water.

Figure 7 shows how the rafts containing people are lowered towards the water with the aid of the cables 17 and cable drums 18. The inflated rafts may possibly be attached to the lower part of the passageway 14 in some way, in which case this attachment must be released. It is also clear that the two plat- forms 8,9 are connected and form a platform unit.

Figure 8 illustrates the evacuation arrangement after the rafts have been lowered to the water. They are shown here on the surface of the water and are released from the platform there. This can be achieved, for instance, by their be- ing provided with a hydrostatic lock so that all rafts are automatically released from the platform upon contact with the water, or by a member of the crew or some other person accompanying the raft removing the bar from the locking de- vice mechanically. When this has been effected the rafts will float freely away from the platform. Throughout the lowering procedure the part of the dry cassette forming the passageway 14 will be suspended out from the side of the ship.

The invention functions in the following way. In the event of an emergency the dry cassette will be activated, either automatically or manually by a person aboard the ship, by the protective plate 2 being flapped down and the dry cassette 1 being swung out from its resting position. When it has been locked in its end position, preferably approximately 90° from the side of the ship, the platforms will be flapped out and the life rafts inflated automatically. This can be achieved by means of air bottles located in the dry cassette, for instance. The protective cov- ers are then also flapped out so that a connection is obtained between the pas-

sageway comprising the inside of the dry cassette, and the life rafts. People aboard the ship can thus move from an emergency exit arranged in the ship in conjunction with the opening where the evacuation arrangement is installed, out through the passageway in the dry cassette and into the life rafts. When all the people have been evacuated, or when all the life rafts are full, the platforms with the rafts are lowered from the part of the dry cassette forming the passageway, down towards the surface of the water where they are released from the platforms and float away from them and from the ship.

In the example the evacuation arrangement according to the invention is illustrated as applied to rescue operations on a ship. It will be understood that the same arrangement can also be used on the side/wall or roof of a building, or on the open upper deck of a ship. The only difference then is that the life rafts are not necessarily rafts, but may constitute some other form of vessel or container, pos- sibly even an open vessel or container, in which people can take refuge and be lowered from the building. When the platforms with their containers reach the ground, the people leave their places in the containers/vessels.

The invention shall not be considered limited to the details shown in the example illustrated above. A number of modifications are also feasible within the scope of the inventive concept. Thus, instead of hydraulic devices for swinging the dry cassette out from the side of the ship/building, some other type of devices may be used, such as pneumatic devices. tt is also possible for the dry cassette to be placed not in longitudinal direction in the side of the ship/building, but placed in an opening that extends considerably further into the side of the ship/building so that the dry cassette is pushed out in its own longitudinal direction transversely to the direction of the side of the ship/building. When it is to exit from the side of the ship/building, therefore, it will not be turned but will be moved out straight for- wards, with the aid of some type of roller arrangement, for instance. Furthermore, the number of lifeboats and their size can naturally be varied and the number of openings in the passageway in the dry cassette is then suitably adjusted to the number of boats and the number of openings therein. The number of platforms can also be varied. Other modifications and adaptations obvious to one skilled in the art are also feasible.