DE29720410U1 - Rotatable bird protection mark for overhead lines - Google Patents

Description

Description

Rotating bird protection marking for overhead power lines that can be set in rotation by the wind and creates a black and white flashing effect

Birds often collide with overhead power lines (e.g. HEIJNIS, R. (1980): Bird deaths due to wire collisions with high-voltage power lines. In: Wiring of the landscape: Effects on bird life. Ecology of birds 2, special issue. 111 -129.; HOERSCHELMANN, H., A. HAACK & F. WOHLGEMUTH (1988): Losses and behavior of birds on a 380-kV overhead power line. Ecology of birds 10: 85-103.) To prevent birds from being endangered by high-voltage and other power lines, these must be made visible to them by attaching marking objects. So far, spirals, plates, rags, flags, rods, stars, plastic strips and hanging silhouettes of birds of prey have been hung up as bird protection markings. These were usually white and/or red. However, the color red is difficult to see in low light.

The invention specified in claim 1 is based on the problem of creating a bird protection marking that is clearly visible to flying birds both during the day in bright light and at night in low light conditions. Birds, like all vertebrates, have reduced color perception in low light conditions (ECKERT, R. (1986): Animal Physiology. Stuttgart, New York: Thieme). However, birds mostly migrate at night (e.g. SCHÜZ, E. (1971): Grundriß der Vogelzugskunde. Parey, Berlin - Hamburg.) and are then particularly at risk (HOERSCHELMANN, H., A. HAACK & F. WOHLGEMUTH (1988): Losses and behavior of birds on a 380-kV overhead line. Ökol. Vögel 10: 85-103.) The color red, which is often used for conventional line markings, does not improve the perceptibility of the marking for birds flying at night, but can even reduce its visibility in twilight when red is only seen as a gray value, and this may correspond to the gray value of the background. White is only clearly visible when the background is dark. Against a gray sky, however, it is difficult to see.

This problem is solved with the features listed in claim 1. The invention makes use of three facts:

a) the colour combination of black and white gives the marking a colour that contrasts with any possible background brightness

b) by shaping the touching colors black and white, in twilight, where white is seen as a gray value, the contour of the marking is sharpened by the contrast effect (ECKERT, R. (1986): Animal Physiology. Stuttgart, New York:

Thieme) strengthened.

c) European birds themselves use the color combination black and white to make themselves visually conspicuous, i.e. they perceive this color combination particularly well. 88% of all large birds, 85% of all medium-sized birds and 63% of all small birds in Europe have black coloring on their bodies. In all three size classes, birds have white coloring in addition to these black colorings in 75% (large birds), 70% (medium-sized birds) and 60% (small birds). They prefer to wear these color combinations on exposed parts of the body (head and neck area, wings, tail) and thus mark themselves visually (HAACK, CH. T. (1997): Plumage colors and flight behavior of European bird species as a model for the marking of high-voltage power lines to avoid bird strikes. Bird and Environment, special issue Dec. 1997).

The invention ensures that the markings

a) during the day under clear skies and direct sunlight with maximum possible contrast,

b) during the day when the sky is bright but overcast, by the black part of the markings,

c) in twilight by combining enclosing black and white shapes that exploit the contrast-enhancing effect,

d) at night, through the white part

very well, or still clearly visible to flying birds.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention is given in claim 2. The further development according to claim 2 for use in bird protection markings increases the optical effect of the marking through the flashing effect that occurs in the wind. The effectiveness of the flashing effect is based on the regular recurrence of the conspicuous feature, similar to waving in humans or the flashing of lights in motor vehicles (directional signs, blue lights). Flashing and waving is also used in nature (rhythmically flashing tropical fireflies (Lampyridae, genus Photinus); waving fiddler crabs (Ocypodidae, genus Ucä)). Many European bird species create a flashing effect when flying through black upper wing coloration and white lower wing coloration. 51% of large birds, 36% of medium-sized birds and 19% of small birds produce this effect (HAACK, CH. T. (1997): Plumage colours and flight behaviour of European bird species as a model for the marking of high-voltage power lines to prevent bird strikes. Bird and Environment, special issue Dec. 1997.)

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is given in claim 3. The further development according to claim 3 enables plate-shaped

Bird protection markings are protected from the wind and therefore reduce the additional wind load on the supporting cable. A joint on the supporting cable ensures that the marking can always hang downwards, even when the cable is subject to torsional movements. A rod-shaped spacer ensures that the marking can move freely when the wind deflects and does not hit the supporting cable.

An embodiment of the invention is explained using Figures 1 to 3. They show:

Fig. 1 the bird protection marking from the front

Fig. 2 the back of the bird protection marking in side view Fig. 3 the bird protection marking from above.

In the figures, the bird protection marking is shown as a plate bent in an S-shape (Fig. 3) which is attached to the overhead line cable (2) with a rod-shaped spacer (1). The arrangement of three joints (3, 4, 5) enables the plate to rotate around the vertical axis and to avoid the wind in all directions. The rotational movement is caused in windy conditions by the unequal air resistance on the edge pointing in the direction of the wind and the edge facing away from the wind (6). The rod-shaped spacer (1) is at least half as long as the plate is long along its longitudinal axis. The joint on the attachment of the bird protection marking to the cable (3) only allows a circular movement, the axis of which is the cable. This always causes the device to hang vertically downwards, even when the cable is subject to torsional movements, and enables the structure to avoid a wind that blows across the cable axis. At the other end of the rod-shaped spacer there is a joint (4) whose axis of rotation is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the joint (3) on the rope. It allows the plate to evade when the wind direction is parallel to the rope. The joint (5) directly on the plate allows the plate to rotate around its transverse axis. The length of the rod-shaped spacer, in conjunction with the joint on the rope (3), prevents the rope from touching when the plate rotates and simultaneously evades the wind. The plate has a wide black colored ring (7) on one side that surrounds a white field (8). On the back, a white ring (9) borders a black field (10). The ring and field have the same dimensions as on the front. When there is no wind, a black and white color is always visible. The strong S-shape of the plate ensures a flat view even when viewed from the side (Fig. 3). When the panel rotates in the wind, the complementary coloring of the front and back of the panel creates a flashing effect, which is further enhanced by the fact that the colored areas expand and contract in a pulsating manner when viewed horizontally.

Claims (3)

Protection claims 1. Rotating bird protection marking for overhead power lines, which can be set in rotation by the wind, creating a black and white flashing effect, characterized in that the colouring of the marking consists of the colours white and black which touch each other. 2. Bird protection marking according to protection claim characterized in that it is rotatable and produces a flashing effect in windy conditions. 3. Bird protection marking according to protection claim characterized in that the bird protection marking hangs from a rod-shaped spacer (4) which has three joints (3, 4, 5) which allow an evasive movement from the wind in all directions without the bird protection marking coming into contact with the carrier cable