| 摘要 |
Rescue apparatus for rescuing a person in water has a body with inflatable pontoons interconnected by an upwardly bowed upper connector and a downwardly bowed lower connector to provide an opening between the pontoons to receive the person. Thrusters cooperate with the lower connector below the surface, and receive power and control signals to control movement of the apparatus on the surface. A net enclosure encloses the pontoons and connectors and has an opening adjacent one end to receive the person. The upper portion of the apparatus is lighter than the lower portion, to provide a low center of gravity for self-righting if the apparatus becomes inadvertantly inverted. Self-righting can be assisted by providing inflatable flotation cooperating with the upper connector. The connectors are shaped to fit closely adjacent each other to reduce storage volume of the collapsed apparatus when the pontoons are deflated. The apparatus is designed for storage within a helicopter, and can be retrieved from the water by a helicopter with a lifting line positioned so as to permit relatively easy unloading of the person from the apparatus into the helicopter. The apparatus can be used also from ships, oil drilling rigs etc. The folded or collapsed apparatus can be thrown onto water, and it inflates and erects automatically without manual intervention.
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