DE20010287U1 - Position reporting system for alpine winter athletes - Google Patents

Description

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LAW FIRM MAXIMILIANSTRASSE 58 D-80538 MUNICH GERMANY

Applicant:

STEFAN ROECKL

SOLLNER STRASSE 62 81479 MUNICH LAWYERS

MUNICH

HELMUT EICHMANN

GERHARD BARTH

DR. ULRICH BLUMENRÖDER, LLM.

CHRISTA NIKLAS-FALTER

DR. MAXIMILIAN KINKELDEY. LLM.

SONJA SCHAEFFLER

DR. KARSTEN BRANDT

ELISABETH RUSCH

MICHAEL J. FRANKE, LLM.

UTE STEPHANI

DR. BERND ALLEKOTTE

OF COUNSEL

PATENT ATTORNEYS

AUGUST GRÜNEECKER
DR. GUNTER BEZOLD
DR. WALTER LANGHOFF

DR. WILFRIED STOCKMAIR (-1996)

PATENT ATTORNEYS

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

MUNICH

DR. HERMANN KINKELOEY

PETER H.JAKOB

WOLFHARD MEISTER

HANS HILGERS

DR. HENNING MEYER-PLATH

ANNSLIE EHNOLD

THOMAS SCHUSTER

DR. KLARA GOLDBACH

MARTIN AUFENANGER

GOTTFRIED KUTZSCH

DR. HEIKE VOGELSANG-WENKE

REINHARD KNAUER

DIETMAR KUHL

DR. FRANZ-JOSEF ZIMMER

BETTINA K. REICHELT

DR. ANTON K. PFAU

DR. UDO WEIGELT

RAINER BERTRAM

JENS KOCH, M.S. (U of PA) M.S. (ENSPM)

BERND ROTHAEMEL

OR. DANIELA KINKELDEY

DR. MARIA R. VEGA LASO

COLOGNE

DR. MARTIN DROPMANN

CHEMNITZ
MANFRED SCHNEIDER

YOUR REF.

OUR REF.

DATE

G4317-25/SÜ 07.06.00

Position reporting system for alpine winter sports enthusiasts

MAXIMILIANSTRASSE 58
D-80538 MUNICH

TEL 089/21 23 50

FAX (Gr.3) 089 / 22 02 87, (Gr.4) 089 / 21 8fc 92J9J.. http://www.grunecker.de Y JJ

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KAISER-WILHELM-RING D-50672 COLOGNE ANNABERGER STRASSE 73
D-09111 CHEMNITZ

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DEUTSCHE BANK MUNICH NO. 17 51734
Bank code 700 700 10 SWIFT: DEUT DE MM

Position reporting system for alpine winter sports enthusiasts

The invention relates to a position reporting system for alpine winter sports enthusiasts, in particular snowboarders, alpine skiers, ski tourers and the like.

The most reliable and probably most widely used search system for snowboarders and skiers is the so-called avalanche beacon; it is a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes and weighs around 300 g. The avalanche beacon consists of a transmitter, search part and power supply, and can be switched between transmission and search mode. It is relatively expensive to buy or rent and is carried in a pocket of clothing or on the body using a strap, although its size, hardness and weight can cause considerable interference, for example for a snowboarder. Using the avalanche beacon transmitter is easy; it only needs to be set to transmission mode. Using it as a search device, however, requires basic knowledge and considerable skill. Not every alpine winter sports enthusiast who has an avalanche beacon with them would therefore be able to carry out a search correctly and quickly enough. In most cases, a search is carried out by several specially trained people who are familiar with the search method, because the average alpine winter sports enthusiast is overwhelmed by it. These are some of the reasons why, in practice, most individual sports enthusiasts such as snowboarders do not use avalanche transceivers and have no protection. It is almost exclusively ski tourers who use avalanche transceivers.

Given the high cost, size and weight of the conventional avalanche transceiver, the fact that several trained people will be on site to search anyway, and the potential danger for a single searcher, which reduces the attractiveness of the conventional avalanche transceiver for some alpine athletes, there is a significant need for a cost-effective and convenient position reporting system for alpine winter sports enthusiasts, especially snowboarders, for their own safety. Such a position reporting system should not undermine the invaluable advantage of the avalanche transceiver, but should be a sensible alternative for athletes, which is used by significantly more athletes than the conventional system due to its low price and greater ease of use.

conventional avalanche transceivers, but on the other hand offers the same chances of being found. The last three winters have claimed an extremely high number of victims, especially among snowboarders. This underlines the need for a position reporting system that already meets the requirements for widespread use.

There are also systems for locating buried persons, but these are rarely used due to a lack of reliable practical suitability. According to DE 24 37 981 C, the power supply of a transmitter is operated by wetting with human sweat in the manner of an electrolysis cell, with the power supply being housed in the ski boot with an oscillator. According to DE 31 09 283 C, a transmitter-receiver with antenna and power supply is integrated into a ski boot, with a battery being charged by inductive coupling between loops positioned in the soles of the boots and the ski running surfaces and primary loops in the floors of means of transport or where skiers rest. According to DE 27 07 793 A, a miniature radio transmitter is integrated into a belt, which also contains an antenna. According to DE 75 00 177 U, a permanent or electromagnet inserted into the shoes is proposed for locating buried persons, which generates a magnetic field that can be located with a probe.

The stated problem is solved with the features of claim 1.

The transmitter, which is designed as a compact unit and is housed in a piece of clothing, is more cost-effective and convenient to use than the conventional avalanche beacon. This creates a basis for significantly more alpine winter sports enthusiasts to use this compact unit than the avalanche beacon. On the one hand, athletes are more likely to use this cost-effective and convenient option for their personal safety. On the other hand, clothing manufacturers can indirectly contribute to significantly increasing the number of athletes who can be searched for by providing appropriately equipped clothing. Overall, this can increase the rate of buried victims found early enough and also expand the field of application for conventional avalanche beacons. Snowboarders in particular are not hindered by the compact unit when practicing their sport. Since the transmitter uses the standardized snow emergency frequency

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uses a transmitter, a buried person can be found just as effectively and quickly by a search party or by a single searcher equipped with a conventional avalanche beacon as a buried person equipped with an avalanche beacon. In addition, the manufacturers or distributors of the clothing already specify optimal storage of the compact unit, thus also contributing to the comfort of the athlete. The compact unit can be stored in any item of clothing worn during sport, but preference is given to outer clothing or especially gloves, which also offer good storage conditions. On the other hand, the compact unit is freely available for use by the athlete as required. The compact unit with only the transmitter requires a weaker power supply than the avalanche beacon, which either enables particularly small and comfortable dimensions, or allows the compact unit to be kept activated for an entire vacation or even a season. For psychological reasons, individual sports enthusiasts in particular are encouraged to use the position reporting system because they are not under the pressure of having to carry out a search that may be too much for them. Overall, the search system opens up a path to a more comprehensive, improved safety standard for athletes, especially for the many snowboarders, in alpine terrain.

The transmitter is designed to operate on one of the two snow emergency frequencies, or both at the same time, or either of them, so that a search party or a single searcher can proceed as usual.

The compact unit is particularly practical when housed in a glove. In open terrain, where the greatest danger exists, practically no alpine winter sports enthusiast goes out without gloves. In addition to its protective and warming function, the glove offers enough options to store the compact unit in an optimally comfortable manner, as the compact unit is small enough. The glove usually stays on the hand in the event of an accident and enables the targeted search for the buried person. Both gloves could contain a compact unit to increase search efficiency with a spatial effect.

Gloves worn during alpine winter sports, e.g. snowboarding, usually have a cuff area to cover the wrist and prevent snow from getting in. The cuff area above the wrist offers an ideal way to accommodate the compact unit without hindering the athlete. The gloves have at least one fastening system so that they cannot be pulled off during sport, which increases the likelihood that an accident victim will keep the gloves on. Snowboard gloves usually have a Velcro fastener and a self-retaining pull-fit system. This ensures a good fit and also that the compact unit is kept in the correct position.

The compact unit is conveniently arranged in a lockable pocket in the glove so that it can be removed if necessary for drying the glove and for maintenance (battery replacement, function testing, etc.), or can be inserted from one glove into another.

It is advantageous if either the bag and/or the compact unit are provided with a shock- or pressure-absorbing lining or casing, which serves to protect the compact unit on the one hand and the athlete on the other. A suitable material is known as "Memory" or "Flex-Form".

For safety reasons and to avoid the risk of injury, the compact unit should have a rounded outline without corners and, if necessary, without sharp edges.

It is also possible that a function indicator for the compact unit or the transmitter is provided or visible on the glove, e.g. on the outside of a fingertip or on the back of the hand, so that the athlete knows that the transmitter is working.

The function display, preferably an optical function display, can be conveniently provided on the compact unit and viewed through a prepared area on the glove.

Furthermore, the glove should have a visible indication of the compact unit so that the athlete is more likely to be encouraged to use the compact unit if he intends to move around in open terrain or to check that the transmitter is functioning properly.

Embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are explained with reference to the drawing. They show:

Fig. 1 a perspective view of a commercially available avalanche transceiver,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a compact unit of a position reporting system containing only one transmitter,

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of an alpine winter sportsman, on which several storage options for the compact unit of the position reporting system are indicated,

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a glove as the position reporting system,

and

Fig. 5 is a cross-section in the section plane V-V in Fig. 4.

A conventional avalanche beacon L in Fig. 1, e.g. the ORTOVOX VS-F2 buried person search device, contains a receiver E and a transmitter S in a housing 1. The housing 1 has dimensions of approx. 20/80/120 mm and a weight of approx. 300 g. A carrying strap 3 can be attached to a connection 2 and a switch-on connection 4. The housing 1 has a direction arrow 5, an adjusting knob 6 for setting the search sensitivity or for switching between transmission mode and search mode, and an optical function display 7. A controller 8 enables additional settings if necessary. The housing 1 also contains a battery B for powering the receiver and the transmitter E, S. The avalanche beacon L transmits and searches on at least one international snow emergency frequency (457 kHz and/or 2,275 kHz).

The avalanche beacon L is worn on the body, either using the carrying strap 2 or in a pocket. In transmission mode, the transmitter S emits a preferably directed signal (e.g. in elliptical field lines). In search mode, a transmitting avalanche beacon L is searched for using the receiver and the directed signal, using special search methods and reducing the search sensitivity as the transmitter approaches. The search can be carried out using the optical display, an acoustic search signal or headphones.

Fig. 2 shows a compact unit K which contains only one transmitter S which is compatible with the avalanche beacon L in that it is designed for one, optionally one or both snow emergency frequencies. The compact unit K has a housing 9 with a rounded contour without corners or sharp edges, which is, for example, the size of a matchbook or a small pocket lighter, and whose weight is only a fraction of the weight of the avalanche beacon L. An optical function display 11, e.g. a light-emitting diode, is visibly attached to the compact unit K, and if necessary an on or off switch 10. A directional antenna 14 can also be accommodated in the housing 9. The compact unit K has its own power supply, e.g. a battery B, if necessary one or more button cells or an AA battery (which is replaceable). If necessary, the on and off switch 10 is omitted and the transmitter is kept permanently activated. The compact unit K is part of a position reporting system P (Fig. 3) for alpine winter sports enthusiasts A, and is stored for this purpose in an item of clothing (anorak 12, ski pants 13 or in a glove H, i.e. a mitten or finger glove). The transmitter is permanently activated or only when exercising. In the anorak 12, the compact unit K can be stored, for example, on the chest or in the collar area or in the sleeve area (indicated by dashed lines). In the ski pants 13, the compact unit could be stored, for example, in the knee area, in the belt area or in the hem area above the ski boot. However, preference is given to storing the compact unit K in a glove H. In any case, the compact unit K should be stored in such a way that it is not perceived as a nuisance by the alpine winter sports enthusiast A when exercising, but can be easily checked for functionality.

In Fig. 4, the position reporting system P is explained using a glove H, here a finger glove with a cuff area 16, e.g. a snowboard glove. The cuff area 16, which extends well over the wrist in the direction of the elbow, can be fixed, for example, by a closing element 17, for example a Velcro or snap fastener, and if necessary additionally with a pull-fit system F, which cannot come loose accidentally. In the cuff area 16, outside a gripping area 15 of the glove, a pocket T with a closure 18 is provided, in which the compact unit K is accommodated. The optical function display 11 of the compact unit K can expediently be inspected from the outside. As an alternative, an optical function display 11' could be provided, for example, on the outside of a fingertip of the glove H, which is connected to the compact unit K via a corresponding line. It is also advantageous to provide an indication 21 on the glove H indicating the presence of the compact unit or the design of the glove as a position reporting system P, in a clearly visible place, for example on the back of the hand or on the closing element 17. A favorable position of the compact unit K would be, as indicated at K', at the top on the inside of the forearm approximately in line with the base of the thumb.

In the section in Fig. 5 it can be seen that the compact unit K is securely stored in the pocket T in the cuff area 16 in a predetermined position, namely between layers 22 of the glove and in such a way that it can be removed if necessary after opening the fastener 18. C indicates a lining or covering made of a suitably tough-elastic, shock-absorbing or point-elastic material (memory or formflex material), which is either arranged on the compact unit K and/or provided inside the pocket T. Alternatively, the layers 22 in the area of the pocket T could consist of such a material or have a corresponding lining. If an on/off switch 10 is provided on the compact unit K, this can even be operated by pressing a conveniently marked point on the outside of the cuff area 16. The switch 10 could even be operated with a push button of a push button locking latch 17 of the glove H. The optical function display 11 of the

Compact unit K can be seen through a cutout 19 of the casing C and a translucent area 20 of the glove H. The area 20 could be formed, for example, by an integrated plastic film, preferably with a magnifying glass effect. When activated, the transmitter S transmits on one of the two snow emergency frequencies or even on both, so that an alpine winter sports enthusiast equipped with the position reporting system can be located and searched for using any commercially available avalanche beacon L, just as if the alpine winter sports enthusiast were carrying the usual avalanche beacon L as shown in Fig. 1.

Although not shown, the glove H with the stored compact unit could be designed in such a way that the transmitter is always activated as soon as the glove is in contact with the wearer's skin. For this purpose, a simple sensor that responds to skin contact could be integrated into the glove, which only switches off the transmitter if, for example, a predetermined time has elapsed without skin contact. The time period is selected so that it is in any case longer than short-term interruptions in skin contact caused by use. In order for the position reporting system P to be used as widely as possible, e.g. by the majority of snowboarders, the compact unit K should not only be supplied integrated into items of clothing or gloves, but should also be available on its own so that it can then be stored in one of the items of clothing being worn.

Claims (10)

1. Position reporting system (P) for alpine winter sports enthusiasts (A), characterized in that a transmitter (S) designed for at least one standardized snow emergency frequency, which is compatible with commercially available avalanche search devices (P), is designed as an independent, self-powered active safety compact unit (K) and can be stored in an item of clothing ( 12 , 13 ) of the athlete. 2. Position reporting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmitter (S) of the compact unit (K) is designed for a transmission frequency of 457 kHz and/or 2275 kHz. 3. Position reporting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the compact unit (K) is arranged in at least one glove (H). 4. Position reporting system according to claim 3, characterized in that the glove (H) has a cuff area ( 16 ) extending well beyond the wrist, and that the compact unit (K) is accommodated in the cuff area between the wrist and the elbow of the athlete, and that the glove (H) is equipped with at least one locking system ( 17 , F). 5. Position reporting system according to claim 3, characterized in that the compact unit (K) is arranged in a closable pocket (T) of the glove (H) in the extension of the base of the thumb in the direction of the elbow. 6. Position reporting system according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pocket (T) and/or the compact unit (K) is/are provided with a tough-elastic, i.e. shock-absorbing or point-elastic, lining or casing (C). 7. Position reporting system according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the compact unit (K) has a rounded outline at least free of corners and optionally without edges. 8. Position reporting system according to claim 3, characterized in that a function display ( 11 , 11 ') for the transmitter (S) of the compact unit (K) is provided on the glove (H), preferably an optical function display integrated in the glove (H) or the compact unit (K). 9. Position reporting system according to claim 9, characterized in that a translucent or recessed area ( 20 ) is provided on the glove (H), behind which the optical function display ( 11 ) provided on the compact unit (K) is positioned. 10. Position reporting system according to claim 3, characterized in that the glove (H) has a visible indication ( 21 ) of the compact unit (K) or the pocket (T).