EP1294052A1

EP1294052A1 - Reflecting and radar detectable strap

Info

Publication number: EP1294052A1
Application number: EP01830567A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adriano Vignudelli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-09-06
Filing date: 2001-09-06
Publication date: 2003-03-19

Abstract

A strap (10) made of a first reflecting layer (11) and a second metal layer (12), such as fabric comprising metal yarn, a metal lamina, etc. The strap (10), once coupled the two layers (11, 12) to each other, has a side showing the reflecting material (11) and the other side showing the metal layer (12). The light reflecting part (11) is carried out with a desired known reflecting flexible material, as normally used for rescue equipment for catching the eye during the night. The radar detectable part (12), even if made of metal material does not make the strap heavy to carry and to wear and, in addition to making the strap more resistant, has surprisingly the property of reflecting the electromagnetic waves in order to radar detect missing people at several miles distance. A strap portion (10) radar detectable, since it reflects electromagnetic waves coming from a radar and is light reflecting, can be arranged on rescue equipment like traditional reflecting strap portions that are not radar detectable, such as life jackets, life preservers, life rafts, etc.

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of the sea rescue equipment, such as for example life jackets or inflatable life suits, inflatable life boats or rafts, life preservers, etc.
Such equipment can be provided on ships or aircrafts for emergency cases.

Background of the invention

Said rescue equipment, even if capable of preventing people from drowning in case of emergency in the sea, and of giving a certain autonomy, are not always easily found by the rescue teams.
In order to make easier a visual search during the day, the above rescue equipment have vivid colour capable of catching the eye on the water surface. For a search during the night, however, the equipment have a plurality of reflecting strap portions, for example of reflecting material.
However, in case of fog or bad weather, the search for lost people is difficult, causing delay in the rescue. Also the night visual search in case of good weather requires special attention in order to find the missing people in the range of some hundreds of metres.
Radar detectable rescue equipment is also known, for example described in EP 581340, comprising a balloon inflated with a gas lighter than the air capable of rising up to a certain height above the missing person tied by means of a rope. The balloon can be radar-reflecting.
The normal life suits or rescue equipment, even if they have small rates of metal, are not radar detectable.
Life suits are also known made of radar-reflecting metal containing material, which however have the drawback of being heavy to carry and to wear, as well as very expensive.

Summary of the invention

It is therefore object of the present invention to provide a method for making radar detectable rescue equipment, at a cost not higher than normally existing equipment, and without the need of additional devices.
It is another object of the present invention to provide radar detectable rescue equipment obtained with this method.
The above described objects are achieved by the method according to the present invention for making radar detectable rescue equipment, whose characteristic is that the necessary reflecting straps applied on the rescue equipment comprise at least a layer of metal flexible material.
The layer of metal flexible material can be a metal film or a metal yarn fabric, or a mixed metal and not metal yarn fabric, or pressed metal powder.
Preferably, the layer in reflecting material is coupled to the layer of metal flexible material in order to being easily sewn or glued to the rescue equipment.
The coupling step is carried out by means of seaming, gluing, cold or hot pressing. Furthermore the coupling step can be carried out by means of direct application on the layer of metal flexible material of reflecting micro-prisms or micro-spheres covered by a transparent film. The coupling step can be carried out also by means of plating a reflecting strap with metal, for example by electroplating, metal vapour plating, spraying metal based compounds and successive fixing, metal powder pressing, etc. It is also possible to provide directly a strap of reflecting material with reflecting prisms or spheres mixed to metal powder and then covered by a transparent film.
According to the above, under the concepts of the present invention, a reflecting strap is also provided that is radar detectable and that then is easily mounted on a desired existing rescue equipment or device. The strap can be made in rolls or in already cut portions of various dimensions, that can be then applied to rescue equipment during production or packaging.
Advantageously, the strap has the reflecting layer made of one of the possible following material: reflecting micro-prisms or micro-spheres connected by means of a transparent film.
Preferably, the strap has the metal layer made of metal film or metal yarn fabric, or a mixed metal and not metal yarn fabric, or pressed metal powder. The metal used can be steel, silver , aluminium, gold, copper or other radar detectable metal or alloys. In case of oxidizable metal, the metal yarn is coated of an insulating film .
To increase the radar detectable properties of the strap when mounted on the rescue equipment, it can be detached in part from the surface of the equipment same, by means of releasable connecting means, and folded onto itself thus doubling or multiplying its thickness.
Such releasable connecting means can be advantageously snap fasteners, clips, zip-fasteners, portions of Velcro ®.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics of the method and of the strap material according to the invention will be made clearer with the following description of an embodiment thereof, exemplifying but not limitative, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

figure 1 shows a portion of a strap according to the present invention with the respective reflecting and metal layers during a coupling step;
figure 2 shows the strap of figure 1 with reflecting and metal layers coupled;
figure 3 shows the double function of light and electromagnetic waves radar reflection of a strap portion according to the invention;
figure 4 shows a strap portion according to the invention in direct phase of application to a surface of a rescue equipment by means of snap fasteners;
figure 5 shows the strap portion of figure 4 applied to the respective surface of the rescue equipment in an even arrangement;
figure to 6 shows from strap portions of figure 5 applied in a not even arrangement having a greater radar reflection properties;
figures from 7 to 11 show strap portions according to the invention applied to life jackets, life suits and life preservers;
figures from 12 to 17 show strap portions according to the invention applied to various types of life rafts and life boats;
Figures 18 and 19 show a life jacket from a front and rear view wherein strap portions according to the invention are applied at the shoulders height.

Description of the preferred embodiment

With reference to figure 1, a strap portion 10 according to the present invention at the production stage is made with a first reflecting layer indicated with 11 and a second metal layer 12, preferably of metal yarn fabric.
The strap portion 10, once coupled by means of seaming or gluing or hot pressing, has the shape indicated in figure 2, with a side showing the reflecting material 11 and the other side showing the metal fabric 12.
As shown in figure 3, the strap portion 10 is radar detectable, since it reflects electromagnetic waves 21 coming from a radar 20, and is furthermore light reflecting, since it reflects light waves 30.
The light reflecting part 11 is made with a desired known reflecting flexible material, as that normally used on rescue equipment for catching the eye during the night.
The radar detectable part 12, since it is of metal material such as for example metal yarn fabric, does not make the strap heavy and, in addition gives a higher strength, has surprisingly the property of reflecting the electromagnetic waves in order to radar detect its presence at several miles distance.
The metal yarn can be made of inox metal, such as for example steel or noble metal, as well as it can be made of a conducting oxidizable but insulated metal, like for example copper for winding electric motors, which is covered by a thin insulating layer. The fabric in metal yarn can be of mixed weft, synthetic and metal fibre.
Since in even position the strap 10 reflects less that in not even position, advantageously it can be mounted to the surface 40 of a rescue equipment by means of snap fasteners 41, or portions of equivalent but not shown Velcro®. This position is the standard of the known reflecting strap portions.
Then, starting from the position of figure 4, once detached from the surface 40, it can be mounted either in the even position of figure 5, or in the curved position of figure 6, in order to enhance in the second case the radar detectability without reducing substantially the reflection, and doubling the directions of reflection.
Therefore, in case of emergency, the people that are waiting rescue can move very easily the strap portion 10 applied to the life suits, life jackets, preservers (figures 7-11) or to life rafts or boats (figures 12-17), from the position of figures 5 to that of figures 6, thus enhancing the radar detectability of the rescue equipment.
With reference to figures 18 and 19, since the reflecting strap must have radar detectable functions in case of missing people in the sea, it must be arranged in such positions that, in use, it stays over the water, as in particular at the shoulders height. this position coincides with that normally used for the traditional reflecting not radar detectable straps. On other equipment it is mounted so that it can be seen and is over the water when in use.
The foregoing description of a specific embodiment will so fully reveal the invention according to the conceptual point of view, so that others, by applying current knowledge, will be able to modify and/or adapt for various applications such an embodiment without further research and without parting from the invention, and it is therefore to be understood that such adaptations and modifications will have to be considered as equivalent to the specific embodiment. The means and the materials to realise the different functions described herein could have a different nature without, for this reason, departing from the field of the invention. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Claims

A method to provide radar detectable rescue equipment, on said equipment a plurality of portions (10) of reflecting straps being arranged, whose characteristic is that the necessary reflecting strap (11) applied on said equipment comprises at least a layer of metal flexible material (12).
A method according to claim 1, wherein said layer of metal flexible material is chosen among a metal film, a metal yarn fabric, a mixed metal and not metal yarn fabric, a pressed metal powder, an electro-plated metal film, metal vapour plated and fixed film, a metal film obtained spraying and then fixing metal based compounds.
A method according to claim 1, wherein said reflecting material is coupled to the layer of metal flexible material in order to be easily connected to the rescue equipment,
A method according to claim 3, wherein said reflecting material is coupled to the layer of metal flexible material in a way chosen among seaming, gluing, cold or hot pressing, direct application on the layer of metal flexible material of reflecting micro-prisms or micro-spheres covered by a transparent film, plating a reflecting strap with metal, by electroplating, metal vapour plating, spraying metal based compounds and successive fixing, metal powder pressing.
A method according to claim 1, wherein said reflecting material is made with reflecting prisms or spheres mixed to metal powder and then covered by a transparent film, said metal powder forming said layer in metal material in a way integrated to said reflecting material.
A reflecting strap that is radar detectable and that then is easily mounted on an equipment or device, said strap being made of at least a layer of metal flexible material.
A reflecting strap radar detectable according to claim 6, wherein said strap is made in rolls
A reflecting strap radar detectable according to claim 6, wherein said strap has the reflecting layer made of one of the following material:

reflecting micro-prisms or micro-spheres connected by means of a transparent film
A reflecting strap radar detectable according to claim 6, wherein said strap has the metal layer made of one of the following material:

metal film or metal yarn fabric, a mixed metal and not metal yarn fabric, a pressed metal powder, said metal being chosen among steel, silver, aluminium, gold, copper, other radar detectable metal or alloys, in case of oxidizable metal said metal yarn being coated of an insulating film.
A reflecting strap radar detectable according to claim 6, wherein for enhancing the radar detectability of the strap when mounted on the rescue equipment, means are provided for releasably detaching it in part from the surface of the equipment same.