BE1019336A4 - ALIGNMENT OF FLAG HAMPS IN MARKET FORMATIONS. - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for maintaining a flag in a desired position and comprising a position transducer is disclosed. A bracket mounts the position transducer to a flag pole. An alarm indicates a deviation of the transducer position from the desired position. The alarm has an audio output. The alarm audio output optionally indicates the direction of the deviation of the deviation, which allows a user to correct the position of the flag. The position transducer may include a central conductive element and a plurality of contacts surrounding this central conductive element. More particularly, the central conductive element can be a conductive ball resting on a concave conductive electrode (Figure 2).

Description

Alignment of flagpoles in market formations TECHNICAL DOMAIN

Devices and methods for maintaining the alignment of a flag carried by a walker or a plurality of flags each carried by individuals in a group of walkers, for example in a parade, within an acceptable angular range . BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many parades include the carrying of flags or colors by one person or a plurality of people, often at the head of a particular unit. Especially when a number of people each carrying a flag are relatively close to each other, the appearance of the color holders depends on the fact that they hold their respective flags at an angle with an orientation in an acceptable range. In addition, poles supporting flags very close to each other should be oriented at approximately the same angle and inclined in the same direction.

It can be difficult to get there because the flag bearers are required to look forward and are not free to take a look up at others' flags to determine if the desired alignment has been achieved .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, devices and methods are provided to allow persons, for example persons in a flag guard, to accurately control the orientation and angle of the flags. According to another aspect of the invention, different persons in a flag guard are provided with a device to ensure that all flags held by the members of the flag guard are held in the same orientation.

According to the present invention, a device for maintaining a flag in a desired position and comprising a position transducer is provided. A bracket mounts the position transducer on a flagstaff. An alarm indicates a deviation of the transducer position from the desired position. The alarm has an audio output. The audio output of the alarm optionally indicates the direction of the deviation, which allows a user to correct the position of the flag. The position transducer may include a central conductive member and a plurality of contacts surrounding this central conductive member. More particularly, the central conductive element may be a conductive ball resting on a concave conductive electrode.

The central conductive element may optionally be housed in a transparent element, which makes it possible to visually determine its position.

The position transducer can be attached to the flagstaff by a collar and a ball and knee joint assembly.

Optionally, the position transducer has an audio output whose pitch may vary and has bursts whose repetition rate may vary to indicate the position of the flagstaff to allow a user to correct the position of the flag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The operation of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a synoptic perspective view of the position transducer device and the alarm according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a walker using a flagpole alignment device according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a synoptic cross-sectional view of the position transducer according to the invention;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 in a sectional view illustrating the transducer according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4 illustrating the concavity of the transducer base;

Fig. 6 illustrates a flag with the device according to the invention correctly aligned;

Fig. 7 illustrates a flag with the device according to the invention inclined forwards;

Fig. 8 illustrates the flag with the device according to the invention inclined towards the rear;

Fig. 9 is a synoptic view illustrating a flag with the device according to the invention inclined backwards revealing its internal mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a synoptic view illustrating a flag with the device according to the invention inclined forward revealing its internal mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a synoptic view illustrating a flag with the device according to the invention inclined to the left revealing its internal mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a synoptic view illustrating a flag with the device according to the invention inclined to the right revealing its internal mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a schematic flowchart illustrating the electrical circuit of the flag position transducer according to the invention;

Fig. 14 is a schematic representation of the location of the transducer components according to the invention;

Fig. 15 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the orientation of a flag can be adjusted;

Fig. Fig. 16 is a view similar to that of Fig. 15 showing the flag in a vertical position with the transducer according to the invention aligned in a calculated manner to assist the flag carrier in maintaining the vertical position;

Fig. 17 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention in the vertical position;

Fig. 18 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention in a forward inclined position;

Fig. 19 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention in a rearward inclined position;

Fig. 20 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention in a position inclined to the left; and FIG. 21 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention in a position inclined to the right.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, an orientation device 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown mounted on a flagstalk 12. The orientation device 10 includes a conical transducer housing 14 which houses a mechanism for determining the position . The orientation device 10 according to the invention also comprises an alarm circuit housing 16 which houses the circuitry for receiving the output of the mechanism for determining the position and providing an appropriate alarm for providing guidance to the flag carrier on the how to place the flagstaff in the proper position. A band 18 is attached to the housing 14. The band 18 is mounted tightly on the flagstaff 12. The band 18 is sufficiently tight to be frictionally engaged with the flagstaff 12 and maintain its position unless subjected to to a force. It is possible to rotate the band 18 in the directions indicated by the arrows 20 to achieve the desired operation, as will be described in detail below.

As can be seen with reference to Figure 2, a flag carrier 22 typically carries the flagstaff 12 using an arm 24 or two arms. Typically, the flag carrier 22 is assisted in its task by a flag support belt 26 which incorporates a sleeve 28 which accommodates the lower end of the flagpole, thereby helping to support the flag without an unduly fast start. fatigue in the arms.

In this context, it should be noted that fatigue can be due to various factors. For example, the weight of a flagpole 12 and a flag can be considerable. In addition, sustained winds can result in applying relatively large forces on a flag. One can get an idea of the force in question when one knows that a fabric being a surface which is not much larger than that of many flags is sufficient to serve as a sail in a small sailboat or a windsurfer. Furthermore, as can be seen in Figure 2, such a force is exerted at the end of a relatively large torque arm that functions as a lever, multiplying the perceived force by, perhaps, a factor of three or four, depending on the configuration of the flag and the flagstaff concerned.

According to the invention, it is envisaged that, when the flag is oriented in the appropriate angular position, the device 10 emits no sound. However, in the case of a deflection of the flagstaff 12 with respect to the appropriate angular position, the angular orientation of the device 10 will vary with the movement, due to the change of roll, pitch and / or yaw. Such deviation is detected by the device 10 and an alarm is triggered. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the alarm will vary in a manner that will indicate to the flag bearer the appropriate correction action to take to restore the desired angular position of the flag and the flagstaff.

For example, if the flag leans forward with respect to the desired position, the device may emit a high-pitched sound. On the other hand, if the flag is tilted backward from the desired position, the device may emit a loud sound. In the event that the flag tilts to the left, the device may emit a series of clicks at a relatively fast rate. In the event that the flag is tilted to the right, the device may emit a series of clicks at a relatively slow rate.

Similarly, if in addition to tilting to the left or right, the flag also tilts forward or backward, clicks may be replaced by beeps, with the beeps indicating a forward tilt and bass beeps indicating backward tilt. So, by listening to the frequency of the sound, if there is, and the speed of clicks or beeps, the flag bearer is instructed on how to return the flag to the appropriate position.

Although a number of mechanisms can be employed to detect changes in orientation, such a mechanism is illustrated in Figure 3. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, the transducer housing 14 includes a bottom 30 and An electrical bottom contact 32. A plurality of sidewall electrical contacts 36 are positioned at regular intervals along the inner wall of the transducer housing. According to the preferred embodiment, sixteen sidewall contacts 36 of this type are provided, although fewer contacts, e.g. four or eight, will work well as will a larger number of contacts. The bottom 30 and the electrical contact 32 are both concave.

The transducer housing 14 also houses a conductive ball 38 as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 4. When the flagstem 12 is properly aligned, the ball is at the center of the electrical contact 32. Because the contact 32 is concave, when the flagstaff is in the proper position, the ball 38 tends to roll in the center of the contact 32. This may be easier to understand in Figure 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, the variation of the angular orientation of the flagpole 12 will cause the ball 38 to change position.

However, if the flag is angularly displaced relative to the desired position, the ball 38 will tend to roll towards the inner side wall of the conical housing 14 in the direction which indicates the direction of the deflection and with a displacement which indicates the extent of this deviation. For example, if the flagstaff 12 is pulled back, the ball 38 will move to the position shown in FIG. 9. On the other hand, if the flagstaff 12 is pulled forward, the ball 38 will move in the position shown in Fig. 10. Similarly, if the flagstaff 12 is pulled to the left, the ball 38 will move to the position shown in Fig. 11, whereas if the flagstaff 12 is pulled to the right, the ball 38 will move to the position shown in Figure 12.

When the flagstaff 12 is pulled backward, the ball 38 moves and comes into contact with the electrical contact 36a, as shown in FIG. 9. As the ball 38 rests on the electrical contact 32 and is in contact with the the electrical contact 36a, it completes an electrical circuit between these two electrodes, resulting in the detection of the position of the ball 38. Therefore, the application of a voltage present on, for example, the contact 32 to the contact 36a indicates a tilting back of the angular position of the flagstaff 12.

Similarly, when the flagstaff 12 is pulled forward, the ball 38 moves to the contact 36b as shown in FIG. 10. Similarly, if the flagstaff 12 is pulled to the left, the ball will move in the position shown in Figure 11, pressing against the electrical contact 36c which, when it receives the voltage of the ball 38, indicates an inclination of the flag to the left. It will be understood from the discussion above that if another electrode is activated, other orientations of the flagstaff 12 will be indicated. For example, the contact of the ball 38 with the electrode 36d would indicate an inclination forwards and to the left.

Referring to FIG. 13, the translation of the individual electrode activations into an audio index to be interpreted by the flag bearer is performed by a circuit 40 illustrated in FIG. 13. Voltage activations on an electrode are detected by the detector 42 which, in turn, operates an audio generator 44 to produce the desired audio signal, e.g., clicks and beeps of different pitch as described above. The signal is then sent to the amplifier 46 which operates a loudspeaker 18.

As can be seen in FIG. 14, the control circuit 40 is contained in the housing 16. The housing 16 also houses the loudspeaker 48 and a power supply such as a battery 50.

According to the method of the present invention, because of the fixed position of the sleeve 28, the use of a sleeve is desirable but not mandatory. Nevertheless, the combination of the sleeve and the position detection device according to the invention is particularly advantageous.

It is also contemplated according to the invention that an orientation device 10, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 14 (to which a particular flagstop orientation is associated) can be replaced by a device 110 capable of accommodating a series of flagpole orientations.

Referring to Figure 15, this object is achieved through the use of a hinge 152 comprising a ball joint 154 and a toggle joint 156 which allows orientation with three degrees of angular freedom, namely roll, pitch and yaw.

When it is desired to use an adjustable device as in Fig. 15, the flagstaff 12 is positioned in the desired angular orientation and the device 110 is oriented until no sound is heard. This can be facilitated by making the conical housing 114 transparent. This makes it possible to see the ball 138 and to position it in the center of the bottom contact 132. The transparency can be obtained by making the conical housing 114 in a transparent material such as plastic or by incorporating a large number of holes in a housing otherwise opaque, for example by forming a mesh or a cage. For example, a number of cake slice-shaped holes may be incorporated into the housing, the cone being defined by a plurality of crosspieces each with an end at the top of the cone and its other end at the base of the cone. .

For example, if a flag is oriented in the upright position as shown in Fig. 16, the collar 118 may be rotated in the direction of the arrows 120 and the patella 154 will move relative to the toggle 156 until the ball 138 is in the center of the bottom contact 132.

Yet another possibility for an angular position transducer according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 21. In general, the transducer 210 is arranged in the manner of a pendulum, with a pendulum lens 238 connected to a conductive cord 260. A tension is applied to the bead 260 and is conducted to the lens 238 which in turn applies the voltage to the contact electrodes 236 performing an operation substantially similar to that of the transducers illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 16.

Figure 17 shows the transducer 210 in the standing or vertical position. Figure 18 shows the transducer 210 on a flagpole inclined in the forward position. Figure 19 shows the transducer 210 on a flag pole inclined backwards. Figure 20 shows the transducer 210 on a flagstand inclined to the right. Figure 21 shows the transducer 210 on a flagstand inclined to the left.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in this specification, and several variations have also been described, modifications of the disclosed embodiments and other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a malleable element or a liquid conductor such as mercury or water may be substituted for the ball joint and toggle joint of FIG. 16, a pendulum may be substituted by a quantity of conductive liquid with a wire ( which takes the place of the conductor wire supporting the pendulum) or a plurality of son extending therein, for example at different points of the liquid. Likewise, the arrangement of the pendulum illustrated in Figs. 17 to 21 can be realized using a spring pendulum line 260. Such modifications are within the scope of the invention as limited and defined solely by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

A device for maintaining a flag and a desired position, comprising: (a) a position transducer; (b) an element supporting said position transducer on a flagstaff; and (c) an alarm to indicate a deviation of the transducer position from said desired position. 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm has an audio output. Device according to claim 2, wherein the audio output of said alarm indicates the direction of the deviation, which allows a user to correct the position of the flag. The device of claim 1, wherein said position transducer comprises a central conductive member and a plurality of contacts surrounding said central conductive member. 5. Device according to claim 4, wherein said central conductive element is a conductive ball resting on a concave conductive electrode. 6. Device according to claim 4, wherein said central conductive element is housed in a transparent element, which makes it possible to visually determine its position. The device of claim 1, wherein said member supporting said position transducer comprises a ball and knee joint assembly or a malleable member. 8. Device according to claim 7, wherein said element comprises a sliding collar. 9. Device according to claim 1, wherein said element comprises a non-sliding collar. 10. Device according to claim 1, wherein the member comprises a collar and a ball joint and knee joint. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position transducer has an audio output whose pitch varies and has bursts whose repetition rate varies to indicate the position of the flagstaff. 12. Device according to claim 4, wherein said central conductive element is a conductive ball suspended on a pendulum arm. The device of claim 4, wherein said central conductive element is an amount of a conductive liquid. The device of claim 13, wherein a conductive member extends from above said conductive liquid into said conductive liquid, the amount of said liquid providing contact between said conductive member and one or more of said contacts.