Fire-fighting monitor
View Patent ↗A fire-fighting monitor includes a base, an outlet, and a plurality of jointed hollow members forming a flexible body. The hollow members are pivotably coupled together and extend between the base and the outlet to provide a flexible fluid path. A base-end hollow member is coupled to the base, and an outlet-end hollow member is coupled to the outlet. Each of the hollow members has a ball portion and a socket portion, with the socket portions adapted to receive the ball portions and form a seal therebetween. Optionally, a drive unit may be incorporated into the base for rotatably driving the fire-fighting monitor.
1. A fire-fighting monitor comprising:
a rotatable base;
an outlet;
a plurality of hollow members connected in series between said base and said outlet to provide a flexible fluid path;
one or more joints at said hollow members;
wherein each of said hollow members has a ball portion and a socket portion, said socket portions being adapted to receive said ball portions; and
wherein said base provides a fixed axis of rotation for said hollow members, and wherein said hollow members are repositionable to thereby reconfigure said fluid path from a substantially straight fluid path extending through said base substantially along said axis of rotation and through said outlet to a curved fluid path extending from said base to said outlet.
2. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 1 , wherein said joints comprise hinges or ball-joints.
3. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 1 , further comprising a seal at each of said socket portions of said hollow members for sealingly engaging said ball portions of said hollow members for a substantially fluid-tight seal between adjacent hollow members.
4. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator adapted to pivot said hollow members relative to one another at said joints.
5. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 4 , wherein said actuator comprises a first end coupled to said base and a second end coupled to said outlet, wherein said actuator is actuatable to move said outlet relative to said base.
6. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 5 , wherein said actuator comprises a linear actuator.
7. A fire-fighting monitor comprising:
a base;
an outlet;
a plurality of hollow members connected in series between said base and said outlet to provide a flexible fluid path; and
one or more joints at said hollow members;
an actuator adapted to pivot said hollow members relative to one another at said joints;
wherein each of said hollow members has a ball portion and a socket portion, said socket portions being adapted to receive said ball portions; and
wherein said actuator is coupled between adjacent ones of said hollow members.
8. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 7 , wherein said base comprises a rotatable base.
9. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 8 , wherein said base comprises a drive unit for rotatably driving said monitor.
10. A fire-fighting monitor comprising:
a flexible body forming an inlet and an outlet, said flexible body comprising a plurality of joints, said joints adapted to limit movement of said flexible body to substantially parallel pivot axes;
an actuator coupled between said inlet and said outlet;
a base at said inlet of said flexible body, said base comprising a fixed portion for mounting said flexible body;
a nozzle at said outlet; and
wherein said actuator is operable to pivot said flexible body to reposition said nozzle relative to said inlet between a configuration defining a substantially straight fluid path extending through said fixed portion of said base and through said nozzle, and a configuration defining a curved fluid path extending from said base to said nozzle.
11. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 10 , wherein said flexible body comprises a plurality of hollow members pivotally connected to one another in series between said inlet and said outlet.
12. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 10 , wherein said actuator is extendable and retractable.
13. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 12 , wherein said actuator is extendable to form the substantially straight fluid path through said monitor.
14. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 12 , where said actuator is retractable until said outlet is oriented at least about 135 degrees from said inlet.
15. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 10 , wherein said base comprises a rotatable portion coupled to said flexible body.
16. A fire-fighting monitor comprising:
a base comprising a fixed portion and a rotatable portion;
a flexible body extending from said base and forming an inlet and an outlet, said flexible body comprising a plurality of substantially parallel pivot axes and defining a fluid path;
an actuator coupled between said inlet and said outlet; and
a nozzle at said outlet;
wherein said rotatable portion of said base provides an axis of rotation for said flexible body, and wherein said actuator is operable to pivot said flexible body and reposition said nozzle relative to said inlet to thereby reconfigure said fluid path from a substantially straight fluid path extending through said fixed and rotatable portions of said base and through said nozzle to a curved fluid path extending from said base to said nozzle.
17. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 16 , wherein said flexible body comprises a plurality of hollow members pivotally connected to one another in series between said inlet and said outlet.
18. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 16 , wherein said actuator is extendable to generally increase the radius of the curved fluid path and retractable to generally decrease the radius of the curved fluid path.
19. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 16 , wherein said actuator is operable to pivot said flexible body to thereby define a fluid path having two or more curves.
20. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 1 , wherein said base comprises a drive unit for rotatably driving said monitor.
21. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 7 , wherein said actuator is operable to pivot said flexible body and reposition said outlet relative to said inlet to thereby reconfigure said fluid path from a substantially straight fluid path extending through said base and through said outlet to a curved fluid path extending from said base to said outlet.
22. The fire-fighting monitor of claim 7 , wherein said actuator comprises a plurality of actuators coupled between respective adjacent ones of said hollow members, and wherein said actuators are operable to pivot said hollow members relative to one another to configure the flexible fluid path to define one or more curves.