Extensible aerial boom having two independently operated fluid nozzles

• US 20070034389A1
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Original Assignee: Crash Rescue Equipment Service Inc.
• Inventors: Relyea, Robert, North, Grady
• Granted Patent: US 7,611,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 169/24
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/02 Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/22 specially adapted for piercing walls, heaped materials, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/24 attached to ladders, poles, towers, or other structures with or without rotary heads
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/28 Accessories for delivery devices, e.g. supports

Abstract

A novel aerial boom system for use atop a vehicle and having linear movement sensors associated with hydraulic cylinders for moving lower and upper booms such that a microprocessor associated with the system can determine the instantaneous position of each boom and coordinate movement of the booms with respect to each other and with the vehicle to prevent undesired contact and to gradually decelerate boom movement as the boom approaches its limits to avoid shock from sudden stop of boom movement. When the novel system is used with a fire fighting vehicle, two variably spaced, independently controllable, fluid discharge nozzles can be used to fight one or two separate and distinct fires simultaneously. A piercing nozzle can be associated with the outer end of the upper boom that is independently controllable in both the vertical plane and in the horizontal direction to enable piercing of a wall independent of boom movement to assist penetration.

Claims

1. An aerial boom system for mounting atop a fire fighting vehicle and having an inner end and an outer end and comprising:

a first individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle located at the outer end of the aerial boom for fighting a first fire; and

a second individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle associated with the aerial boom and spaced at a predetermined distance from the outer end of the aerial boom for at least simultaneously fighting a separate second fire reachable by the fluid from the second nozzle.

2. The aerial boom of claim 1 wherein:

the first individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle is a low fluid volume nozzle; and

the second individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle is a high fluid volume nozzle.

3. The aerial boom of claim 1 wherein the aerial boom further comprises:

a lower boom having an outer end and an inner end and pivotally coupled at the inner end to the fire fighting vehicle;

an upper boom having a longitudinally extensible portion with an outer end and a stationary portion with an inner end an outer end;

the inner end of the stationary portion of the upper boom being pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower boom; and

a high fluid volume discharge nozzle located proximate the outer end of the stationary boom portion as the first individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle;

4. The aerial boom of claim 3 further comprising:

a second moveable portion of the aerial boom extendible longitudinally in relation to the fixed portion of the aerial boom; and

a low fluid volume discharge nozzle located proximate the outer end of the moveable boom portion as the second individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle thereby enabling the individually controlled first and second high and low fluid volume discharge nozzles to fight two separate fires simultaneously.

5. An aerial boom as in claim 1 further comprising:

a piercing nozzle associated with the outer end of the aerial boom and independently moveable in the vertical plane; and

a power system coupled to the piercing nozzle for enabling independent movement of the piercing nozzle in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle without respect to the boom position to enable the piercing nozzle to penetrate a wall at a desired angle in the vertical plane to inject fire fighting fluid into an area behind the wall.

6. An aerial boom for mounting atop a fire fighting vehicle comprising:

an outer end on the aerial boom;

a piercing nozzle associated with the outer end of the aerial boom for piercing a wall and enabling fire fighting fluid to be injected into an area behind the wall; and

a hydraulic system coupled to the piercing nozzle for enabling independent movement of the piercing nozzle along both its longitudinal direction without regard to the boom position to enable the piercing nozzle to penetrate the wall.

7. An aerial boom for mounting atop a fire fighting vehicle comprising:

a lower boom having an outer end and an inner end and being pivotally coupled at the inner end to the fire fighting vehicle;

an upper boom having an extensible portion with an outer end and a stationary portion with an inner end;

the inner end of the stationary portion of the upper boom being pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower boom;

the extensible portion extending longitudinally with respect to the first stationary portion.

a first hydraulic cylinder having a first end connected to the vehicle and a second end connected to the lower boom to move the lower boom in the vertical plane; and

a second hydraulic cylinder having a first end connected directly to the vehicle and a second end connected directly to the pivotal inner end of the stationary portion of the upper boom to move the upper boom, including the outer end, in a vertical plane.

8. The aerial boom of claim 7 further comprising:

a first linear sensor having first and second ends respectively coupled to the corresponding first and second ends of the first hydraulic cylinder for generating electrical signals that determine the distance of travel of the first hydraulic cylinder,

a second linear sensor having first and second ends respectively coupled to the corresponding first and second ends of the second hydraulic cylinder for generating electrical signals that determine the distance of travel of the second hydraulic cylinder; and

a microprocessor electrically coupled to the first and second linear sensors for receiving the electrical signals generated by the first and second linear sensors and calculating the instantaneous positions of the upper and lower booms with respect to each other and with respect to the vehicle and to allow gradual deceleration of not only the vertical movement of the booms but also the gradual deceleration of the booms as they near predetermined limits of movement.

9. An extensible aerial boom for a liquid discharging vehicle comprising:

a lower boom having an outer end and an inner end, the inner end being pivotally connected to the vehicle for movement in a vertical plane;

an upper boom having an extensible portion and a stationary portion;

an inner end on the stationary portion of the upper boom being pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower boom for enabling movement of the upper boom in the vertical plane;

an outer end on the stationary portion of the upper boom;

an outer end on the extensible portion of the upper boom that is moveable longitudinally with respect to the outer end of the stationary portion of the upper boom;

a first fluid discharge nozzle, independently controlled in position and in fluid flow, associated with the outer end of the stationary portion of the upper boom; and

a second fluid discharge nozzle, independently controlled in position and fluid flow, associated with the outer end of the extensible boom thereby enabling simultaneous discharge of fluid to two separate locations in a given area.

10. An aerial boom for mounting atop a vehicle comprising:

a lower boom having an outer end and an inner end and pivotally coupled at the inner end to the vehicle for movement in a vertical plane;

an upper boom having a longitudinally extensible portion with an outer end and a stationary portion with an inner end, the inner end of the stationary portion of the upper boom being pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower boom for movement of the upper boom in the vertical plane;

a first linear sensor associated with movement of the lower boom for generating electrical signals that represent the distance of travel of the lower boom in the vertical plane;

a second linear sensor associated with movement of the upper boom for generating electrical signals the represent the distance of travel of the upper boom in the vertical plane; and

a microprocessor electrically coupled to the first and second linear sensors for receiving the electrical signals from the first and second linear sensors and calculating the positions of the upper and lower booms with respect to each other and with respect to the vehicle to allow gradual deceleration of not only the vertical movement of both the upper and lower booms but also the gradual deceleration of each of the booms as they near predetermined limits of movement.

11. The aerial boom of claim 10 further comprising:

the extensible portion of the upper boom extending longitudinally with respect to the first stationary portion.

a first hydraulic cylinder having a first end connected to the vehicle and a second end connected to the outer end of the lower boom to move the lower boom in the vertical plane;

a second hydraulic cylinder having a first end connected to the vehicle and a second end connected to the inner end of the stationary portion of the upper boom to move the upper boom, including the outer end, in a vertical plane; and

the first and second linear sensors being associated with respective ones of the first and second hydraulic cylinders for determining hydraulic cylinder movement and generating the corresponding electrical signals.

12. A method of fighting two fires simultaneously with an aerial boom having an outer end and an inner end and positioned atop a fire fighting vehicle comprising the steps of:

discharging a first fire fighting fluid from a first individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle located in a first position proximate the outer end of the aerial boom for fighting a first fire; and

discharging a second fire fighting fluid from a second individually controllable fluid discharge nozzle located at a second position on the aerial boom and spaced at a predetermined distance from the first fluid discharge nozzle for at least simultaneously fighting a second separate fire reachable by the fire fighting fluid from the second fluid discharge nozzle.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

using a low volume fluid flow nozzle as the first fluid discharge nozzle in the first position proximate the outer end of the aerial boom; and

using a high volume fluid flow nozzle as the second fluid discharge nozzle spaced the predetermined distance from the first fluid discharge nozzle.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

forming the aerial boom with an upper boom and a lower boom, each boom moveable in a vertical plane;

forming the upper boom with a stationary portion having an outer end and an extensible portion having an outer end,

locating the low volume fluid flow nozzle proximate the outer end of the extensible boom portion; and

locating the high volume fluid flow nozzle proximate the outer end of the stationary portion of the upper boom such that the spacing between the low volume fluid flow nozzle and high volume fluid flow nozzle is variable with the amount of extension of the extensible portion of the upper boom.

15. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of:

locating an elongated surface piercing nozzle proximate the outer end of the extensible portion of the upper boom with the low volume fluid flow nozzle; and

independently controlling the movement of the piercing nozzle with respect to the upper boom in the vertical plane; and

independently causing the piercing nozzle to move in its longitudinal direction and pierce a surface independent of boom movement.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

coupling a hydraulic power source to the piercing nozzle to independently cause the piercing nozzle to move in its longitudinal direction and pierce a surface.

17. A method of fighting fires in an inner compartment formed by a wall comprising the steps of:

locating a piercing nozzle on the outer end of an aerial boom;

independently moving the piercing nozzle in the vertical plane; and

independently moving the piercing nozzle along its longitudinal axis without respect to the boom position to enable the piercing nozzle to penetrate the wall and inject fire fighting fluid into the inner compartment.

18. A method of controlling the positions of at least upper and lower booms forming an aerial boom atop a vehicle comprising the steps of:

moving the upper and lower booms in a vertical plane with first and second hydraulic cylinders, each hydraulic cylinder having a first end connected to the vehicle and a second end connected to its respective boom;

a linear sensor associated with and connected between each end of each hydraulic cylinder for generating electrical signals representing continuous boom position of the respective booms; and

a microprocessor coupled to each linear sensor for receiving the generated electrical signals and controlling the respective positions of the booms relative to each other and to the vehicle to prevent undesirable contact and to enable gradual deceleration of not only the vertical movement of the booms but also the gradual deceleration of the booms as they near predetermined limits of movement.