EP4260913A1 - Strap system for fall protection - Google Patents

Abstract

A system (1) for protecting a person equipped with the system (1) from falling includes - a restraint device (2) for the upper body, in particular a shoulder area, of the person - a restraint device (3) for the thighs and / or the buttocks of the person and - a coupling device (6), by means of which the restraint device (2) for the upper body and the restraint device (3) for the thighs and / or buttocks can be connected in a manner that transmits tensile force. In order to create a system (1) with the smallest possible number of In order to create components, it is proposed that the system (1) contains a textile item of clothing (16) for enclosing at least part of the person's upper body and that the restraint device (2) for the person's upper body is formed by the textile item of clothing (16). , wherein the textile item of clothing (16) has a neckline (30) which has a circumference of a maximum of 90 cm, wherein a textile material, preferably consisting of several layers, of the textile item of clothing (16), preferably a layer of the textile item of clothing (16) formed by an outer fabric Material has a tensile strength of at least 300 N.

Description

Introduction

• eine Rückhalteeinrichtung für den Oberkörper, insbesondere eine Schulterpartie, der Person
• eine Rückhalteeinrichtung für die Oberschenkel und/oder das Gesäß der Person und
• eine Kopplungseinrichtung, mittels der die Rückhalteeinrichtung für den Oberkörper und die Rückhalteeinrichtung für die Oberschenkel und/oder das Gesäß in Zugkraft übertragender Weise verbindbar sind.

The invention relates to a system for protecting a person equipped with the system from falling, comprising

• a restraint device for the upper body, in particular a shoulder area, of the person
• a restraint device for the person's thighs and/or buttocks and
• a coupling device by means of which the restraint device for the upper body and the restraint device for the thighs and / or the buttocks can be connected in a manner that transmits tensile force.

Such systems, which typically contain at least one or more belts or belt pieces and coupling and/or connecting elements connecting them to one another, are used to catch a person in the event of a fall and thus to protect them from a fall that is too high. It is necessary that the person is held securely in the system in every conceivable orientation of the body, in particular the body's vertical axis, and in every conceivable position, in particular of the extremities in relation to the torso and also any curvature of the torso, and that slipping, sliding or The person is safely prevented from falling. Such systems therefore have to “wrap around” the body in many places in order to ensure the safety of the restraint function. In particular, the restraint function must be guaranteed both in an upright position of the body's vertical axis with the head upwards (standing position) but also in a position in which the person "hangs" in the system with their head downwards (head-first position).

State of the art

Classic fall protection devices according to EN 361 typically consist purely of belts and belt pieces as well as coupling elements that connect them to one another. In order to ensure the functionality of the known systems, it is necessary to correctly place the various components on the correct parts of the body and carefully close them at the respective coupling points, of which there are often a large number. In any case, due to the many pieces of belt, the known systems are often quite complicated in their structure and sometimes give the impression of one Tangles with an incomprehensible structure and many "confusions" that are difficult to straighten out and organize. In addition, they pose a risk of incorrect or incomplete donning, particularly by people who are not sufficiently familiar with the system or if donning has to be done in stressful situations. The mostly single-colored webbing on all system components makes it even more difficult to recognize the functions of certain belt sections. Such a system is sold, for example, by SKYLOTEC GmbH, Neuwied, Germany, under the name CS2 ( https://www.skylotec.com/eu de/industrie/applications/stahlbau-montage/cs-2-g-0902.html ).

In other known systems, parts or sections of the belts are guided in jackets, vests or trousers in order to make it easier to put on the fall protection quickly and reliably. A system of this type is also offered by SKYLOTEC GmbH under the name ARG 2 W (https://www.skylotec.com/eu de/industrie/produkte/gurte/arg-E2-wg-0002-w-or.html ).

A system of the type described above is, for example, from EP 3 704 978 A known. This document describes protective clothing, in particular for firefighters, in which the restraint device for the upper body is formed by a chest strap that has two shoulder straps and two armpit straps that are connected to one another. The restraint device for the person's thighs and/or buttocks is formed by the combination of trousers and a seat belt, the latter being arranged within the trousers. The seat belt consists of at least one hip belt and at least two leg loops connected to the hip belt in a force-transmitting manner.

There is a coupling device between the restraint device for the upper body and the restraint device for the thighs and / or buttocks DE 3 704 978 A now in suspender sections that run between the pants and the chest strap and releasably connect them to each other. In addition, the known belt system also has at least one left and at least one right armpit belt, both of which are connected to the shoulder belt. In practice, the aforementioned belt system has proven to be complicated in its structure and difficult to put on. Particularly in emergency situations in which there is little time to put on a fall protection system and a person using the system quickly makes mistakes when putting on various components of the system due to stress, the known system lacks simplicity.

In order to make it easier to wear seat belts, according to the US 6,035,440 A intended to arrange the seat belts for the waist, shoulders and legs between two layers of a safety vest so that the seat belts are always in a predefined position. When the seat belts are not needed, they can be stored in the designated pockets in the vest. Accordingly, the vest only serves as an “organization system” for the various straps.

The document EP 1 537795 A2 describes a combination of vest and harness, whereby it is essential that the vest can be removed during an operation without the harness also having to be removed. The harness includes shoulder straps, a chest strap and a seat, with the harness in an initial state connected to the vest. For this purpose, the harness is connected in the area of the shoulder straps by means of loops on the inside of the vest and on the inside of the back part of the vest by means of a loop that opens automatically when pulled. In its initial state, the seat is stored in a pocket in the back of the vest. In the case of use, the known combination is put on by a person in the initial assembled state described above, with the harness being closed in the chest area via a snap hook, which is guided through two corresponding belt rings. The seat, which is first removed from the bag, is also put on. If necessary, the person can loosen the two loops in the shoulder area and the loop opens automatically so that the vest can be removed. The harness then remains unchanged on the person and secures them.

The document US 6,233,740 B1 reveals a safety vest that is also constructed in two parts. The entire belt system should be detachable from the vest.

The ones in the FR 2 697 412 A1 The fire jacket described is constructed in two layers, with safety straps being detachably integrated to make it easier to put on the safety straps. The safety function is therefore carried out exclusively by the safety belts and the jacket in turn serves to protect against external influences such as fire and heat.

The document US 2003/0213043 A1 describes a combination of protective jacket and belt system, whereby the leg loops of the belt system can be stored in pockets of the protective jacket when not in use.

In the EP 0 235 154 B1 discloses a protective garment in the form of a vest or coverall consisting of two layers between which tunnels for straps are arranged.

Ultimately, it deals with US 6,101,631 B1 with a camouflage suit for hunters that includes a harness system for securing to an elevated vantage point, such as a tree.

The aforementioned documents each deal with an organization system for seat belts, the organization system being formed by a piece of clothing on which the seat belts run in a predefined manner. When you put the item of clothing on, the seat belts should already be in the desired location.

Task

The invention is based on the object of providing a system for fall protection that can be easily put on, is very comfortable to wear and has as few components as possible in order to make operation as simple and intuitive as possible, even in stressful situations.

Solution

Starting from a system of the type described at the outset, the underlying object is achieved in that the system contains a textile item of clothing for enclosing at least part of the person's upper body and in that the restraint device for the person's upper body is formed by the textile item of clothing, whereby the textile item of clothing has a neckline which has a circumference of a maximum of 90 cm, preferably a maximum of 80 cm, more preferably a maximum of 75 cm, wherein a textile material of the textile item of clothing, preferably consisting of several layers, preferably a layer of the material formed by an outer fabric , has a tensile strength of at least 200 N, preferably of at least 300 N, more preferably of at least 400 N and even more preferably of at least 450 N.

The invention is based on the knowledge that the restraint device for the person's upper body can also function entirely without straps, that is, in particular without shoulder straps, and can be formed solely by a textile item of clothing if the following two minimum requirements for this textile item of clothing are met: On the one hand, the material of the clothing item must have the minimum tensile strength mentioned above, which corresponds to the Test methodology is measured according to EN 469. This minimum tensile strength ensures that the textile material does not tear in the event of a fall and a sudden large force acting on the restraint device. On the other hand, the textile item of clothing must have a sufficiently small neckline, the maximum circumference of which may be as described above. This ensures that when the person to be secured using the system is in an overhead position, the shoulder area, and thus the entire body in case of doubt, cannot fall or slip out of the "inside" of the garment through the neckline. It is understood that the item of clothing must be designed in such a way that it fits sufficiently closely to the person's body, in particular that it cannot be pulled up so far in the direction of the vertical axis of the person's body that the head is completely in the Neck section dips so that the neckline can be moved and in this way the person's shoulder area is free and unsecured. When the textile item of clothing is put on, it must be secured to the person's body in such a way that the neckline or the material of the item of clothing surrounding it can perform the restraint function for the person's shoulder area.

In addition, it goes without saying that the textile item of clothing is connected or connectable to the coupling device sufficiently firmly, that is to say in such a way that sufficiently large tensile forces can be transmitted, and that - typically at another end of the coupling device - it is sufficiently rigid, that is again in such a way that a sufficiently large tensile force can be transmitted, is connected or connectable to the restraint device for the thighs and / or buttocks of the person. According to the present invention, a restraint device for the person's upper body can thus be formed by a jacket, in particular a protective jacket, or a vest, in particular a protective vest, or a poncho and is therefore characterized by a particularly high level of comfort. In particular, within the scope of the invention, it is possible to completely dispense with straps on the restraint device for the upper body, ie straps do not have to be worn inside or on the outside of the restraint device for the upper body. This increases the wearing comfort of the fall protection system according to the invention, reduces the production costs and makes it unnecessary to put it on under stressful conditions, at least of certain components, since the textile item of clothing is already being worn and fulfills its fall protection function without the need for any special additional measures in the upper body area of the person requirement. In addition, the elimination of all or at least certain belt parts or sections eliminates the need for regular, typically annual, maintenance. One A further increase in wearing comfort arises from the elimination of the duplication of material that would otherwise occur due to the presence of belt sections in the item of clothing and the potentially increased pressure load on the relevant body parts of the person wearing the system due to such sectional thickening and, as a result, of chafing marks. This applies in particular to those parts of the body that, when firefighters wear additional equipment, are in the area of, for example, belts of such equipment components (compressed air breathing apparatus, suspenders, etc.). Furthermore, the service life of the components of the system, especially the item of clothing contained therein, is extended because there is no friction between the textile item of clothing and the belt components and thus less wear.

In concrete terms, this means: All fall protection devices available today in accordance with EN 361 have straps that run over the shoulder so that the person carrying them cannot slip upside down out of the fall protection device. The solution described here is the first solution that completely dispenses with shoulder straps. The lack of straps in the shoulder area means there is less friction. All other components worn in the shoulder area, such as clothing and other protective equipment, last longer. Putting on the safety system becomes much easier: With integrated belt systems, you never know whether the belts are inserted correctly because you cannot see them from the outside. Solutions worn outside are difficult to put on because they often look like the tangle described above. With the solution described here, you can't forget anything in the shoulder area, nor can you put it on incorrectly because it isn't there. For all other solutions, the shoulder straps must be inspected regularly. After inspection, belts can be reinserted incorrectly. All of this is completely eliminated here. The elimination of components also significantly improves wearing comfort. The word comfort indicates a CAN solution: i.e. a solution that does not necessarily have to be implemented and that must be implemented. But for example: in the fire department it is not a CAN solution. The standards for firefighting protective clothing require a certain level of comfort as a minimum requirement. The elimination of belts therefore supports the achievement of minimum requirements.

• Das feste Material der Jacke übernimmt die Funktionen der Schultergurte.
• Dadurch wird auf Schultergurte verzichtet, die zum Inspizieren herausgenommen werden müssten.
• Auf zusätzliche Materialien im Schulterbereich wird verzichtet, so dass auch die Herstellungskosten reduziert werden.
• Es besteht erhöhter Tragekomfort.
• Das Gewicht wird deutlich reduziert.
• Reibung zwischen Bekleidungsstück und Schultergurten wird im Schulterbereich vermieden, so dass die Alterung, Scheuerstellen und der Verschleiß des Bekleidungsstücks reduziert werden.
• Die Schultergurte sind nicht vorhanden und können auch nicht falsch angelegt werden. Das ist z.B. das Risiko bei herkömmlichen Gurtsystemen: es ist schwer zu erkennen, wie die Gurte im Inneren liegen und es besteht die Gefahr, dass eine falsche Lage der Gurte nicht bemerkt wird.

It becomes clear that the restraint device for the person's upper body does not include shoulder straps, which in summary results in the following advantages:

• The solid material of the jacket takes over the functions of the shoulder straps.
• This eliminates the need for shoulder straps that would have to be removed for inspection.
• There are no additional materials in the shoulder area, which also reduces manufacturing costs.
• There is increased wearing comfort.
• The weight is significantly reduced.
• Friction between the item of clothing and the shoulder straps is avoided in the shoulder area, so that aging, chafing and wear on the item of clothing are reduced.
• The shoulder straps are not available and cannot be put on incorrectly. This is, for example, the risk with conventional belt systems: it is difficult to see how the belts are positioned inside and there is a risk that an incorrect position of the belts will not be noticed.

It is particularly advantageous if the textile item of clothing can be worn independently by the person, i.e. in particular without it being combined with a restraint device for the person's thighs and/or buttocks. In this case, the textile item of clothing alone would initially not be sufficient to ensure fall protection. However, achieving this fall protection function would be possible simply by additionally putting on the restraint device for the person's thighs and/or buttocks before certain activities or when certain situations occur and in this way the fall protection function is achieved in a second step. However, according to the teaching of the present invention, this would not necessarily require any actions or manipulations on the restraint device for the upper body, since this can already be achieved beforehand simply by wearing the textile item of clothing and only by means of the coupling device a coupling between the restraint device for the upper body Upper body and the restraint device for the thighs and/or buttocks of the person must be supplemented for fall protection.

A detachable coupling device is particularly easy to operate if the textile item of clothing, in particular the jacket or vest, is on a front part assigned to the abdominal side of the person with a preferably centrally openable closure, preferably in the form of a zipper, a Velcro fastener or snap fasteners. is provided, which further preferably extends from a lower edge of the jacket or vest to the neckline. In this case, the textile item of clothing can be opened in the front area by opening the So to speak, "divide" the closure and put it on without pulling the item of clothing with the neckline over your head from above.

A particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the restraint device for the thighs and/or the buttocks is a thigh strap, by means of which the person's thighs can be wrapped around. The thigh belt can have a wide variety of geometries and courses, such as wrapping around the thighs with a single or by means of a plurality of belt sections or belt pieces. The thigh strap can also be guided further in the direction of the person's upper body and take on the function of the coupling device, so that these two components are merged into a functional unit.

In order to be able to achieve the shortest possible length of the coupling device and to be able to operate it as simply and safely as possible, the coupling device should be connected or connectable to a lower edge region of the textile item of clothing, preferably in an edge region arranged on the person's abdominal side.

According to a further development of the invention, the textile item of clothing is provided, preferably in an edge region arranged on the abdominal side, with a coupling element which can be coupled to the coupling device and which transmits tensile force with the textile material, preferably consisting of several lengths, of the textile item of clothing, preferably at least with a layer of the material formed by an outer fabric, connected, preferably sewn, glued and / or connected by means of metallic connecting elements. In this case, at least in the area of the textile item of clothing, there is a detachable coupling point between the coupling device on the one hand and a coupling element connected to the item of clothing on the other. After this coupling point has been removed, the restraint device for the thighs and/or the buttocks of the person and the textile item of clothing (as a restraint device for the person's upper body) can be separated from one another and thus worn independently of one another.

• in einer Zugkraft übertragenden Weise mit einem Hüftgurt verbunden ist, der vorzugsweise Bestandteil der Rückhalteeinrichtung für die Oberschenkel und/oder das Gesäß, weiter vorzugsweise Bestandteil des Oberschenkelgurts, ist,
• mindestens einen vorzugsweise in einem Schrittbereich der Person befindlichen Abschnitt der Rückhalteeinrichtung für die Oberschenkel und/oder das Gesäß, vorzugsweise des Oberschenkelgurts, vorzugsweise gleitend umschlingt und
• in einer Zugkraft übertragenden Weise mit dem textilen Bekleidungsstück verbunden ist.

Further developing the invention, it can be provided that the coupling device

• is connected in a manner that transmits tensile force to a hip belt, which is preferably part of the restraint device for the thighs and / or buttocks, more preferably part of the thigh belt,
• preferably slidably wraps around at least one section of the restraint device for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, which is preferably located in a crotch area of the person and
• is connected to the textile item of clothing in a manner that transmits tensile force.

According to this embodiment, the restraint device for the person's thighs and/or buttocks consists of a hip belt and a thigh belt, which can be separate from one another and can also be put on at different times. A connection to the entire system that fulfills the fall protection is then achieved in that the coupling device can be connected to the hip belt at a first coupling point and slidably wraps around the thigh belt at a second coupling point in the crotch area, and is finally connected to the textile item of clothing at a third coupling point in a manner that transmits tensile force to be or to become.

It is particularly advantageous if the textile item of clothing has a chest strap, which is preferably either firmly or detachably connected to the textile item of clothing, and that the coupling device is connected or connectable to the chest strap in a manner that transmits tensile force. If the connection between the item of clothing and the chest strap is detachable, it can be achieved by means of internal or external loops or by means of a tunnel for the chest strap running on the inside or outside of the textile material of the item of clothing. In a way that is very surprising even for an expert, the requirements for a full body harness as personal fall protection in accordance with the EN 361 standard can be met with a protective jacket with a chest strap as a restraint device for the upper body.

Even if the coupling device can basically be made of a metallic material or can be formed by a rope or the like, it is particularly preferred if the coupling device is a belt which is connected to the restraining device at at least one end by means of a coupling element, preferably a snap hook the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, preferably a hip belt, and/or the textile item of clothing is connected, further preferably the retaining device for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, and/or the textile item of clothing in each case at a coupling point with a coupling element Coupling device is or are provided with a further coupling element that can be coupled in a manner that transmits tensile force.

In order to increase wearing comfort and to achieve an optimal protective effect even with different body sizes of the people to be secured, it makes sense if a length of the coupling device can be adjusted by means of an adjusting element, preferably by means of a buckle, and preferably a free end of the coupling device can be wound up and can be fixed in a wound, roll-shaped state by means of a fixing device, preferably a fixing device connected to the coupling device and located between two winding layers in the wound state of the free end of the coupling device. In order to reduce the danger caused by a long, freely dangling end section of the coupling device, even with a large adjustment range and thus a theoretically very large free length of the coupling device (in the case of a particularly small person with a very small effective length of the coupling device), the procedure described above is used very simple wrap fixing device proposed.

Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous if the textile item of clothing or a chest strap and/or the restraint device for the thighs and/or the buttocks, in particular the thigh strap, and/or the hip belt is in a central region located on the abdominal side of the person with a coupling element, preferably provided with an eyelet, more preferably in the form of a D-ring.

A particularly simple form of restraint device for the thighs and/or buttocks, preferably for a thigh belt, consists of a self-contained leg loop with which both of the person's thighs can be wrapped around the outside. In order to achieve sufficient fixation of the individual thighs, a rear middle section of the leg loop and a stomach-side middle section of the leg loop should be able to be brought together on the person's stomach side. On the abdominal side, connection and coupling measures can be carried out particularly easily by the person, even under stress, and with full eye contact. To complete the application of the retaining device for the thighs and/or the buttocks, the two middle sections described above are wrapped together by a wrapping section of the coupling device, preferably in a sliding manner. The production of such a sliding loop does not require the hooking or coupling of coupling elements, but simply the passing of them, so that such a coupling point can be implemented very easily for the person securing themselves.

In order to ensure that the system is put on correctly even under high stress situations and to ensure this even in poor visibility conditions, such as in darkness or smoke, the rear middle section, the abdominal middle section and the wrapping section should be designed in the same color, whereas the remaining sections of the leg loop and/or the coupling device are designed in a different color. Color coding is particularly helpful in situations of great urgency and stress and provides intuitive instructions for the person securing themselves.

In principle, the coupling device can be designed as a completely independent component of the system. In the context of the present invention, however, it is preferred if one end of the coupling device is firmly connected to the restraint device for the thighs and / or the buttocks, preferably the thigh strap, or to the hip belt or to the textile item of clothing or a chest strap. This reduces the number of components required and avoids accidental misplacing of parts. In addition, there is less need to create a coupling point during use than in the case of a separate coupling device.

To further develop the invention, it is proposed that the restraint device for the thighs and / or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, and / or a hip belt is integrated into protective trousers or can be integrated into them or is arranged loosely on the outside of protective trousers or are, and/or that a chest strap is integrated into the protective jacket or protective vest or can be integrated into it or runs loosely on the outside of a protective jacket or protective vest.

In addition, a coupling element of the coupling means and a coupling element of the textile item of clothing or a chest strap or the restraint device for the thighs and / or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, or a hip belt that can be connected thereto, can be designed in the same color, whereas remaining sections of the textile item of clothing or a chest strap or the restraint device for the thighs and / or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, or a hip belt are designed in a different color. Here too, the advantages mentioned above can be achieved through color coding.

Example embodiment

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment which is shown in the drawing.

Figur 1:

eine Vorderansicht einer Rückhalteeinrichtung für den Oberkörper einer Person,

Figuren 2 und 3:

einen Hüftgurt bzw. eine Beinschlaufe jeweils einer Rückhalteeinrichtung für die Oberschenkel der Person,

Figur 4:

die Beinschlaufe vor dem Anlegen im Bereich der Füße der Person,

Figur 5:

den angelegten Hüftgurt,

Figur 6:

ein Zwischenstadium beim Koppeln der Kopplungseinrichtung,

Figur 7:

die Kopplungseinrichtung im gekoppelten Zustand und

Figuren 8 und 9:

jeweils das vollständig angelegte System in einer Vorderansicht und einer Rückansicht der Person

It shows:

Figure 1:

a front view of a restraint device for a person's upper body,

Figures 2 and 3:

a hip belt or a leg loop, each with a restraint device for the person's thighs,

Figure 4:

the leg loop in the area of the person's feet before putting it on,

Figure 5:

the hip belt on,

Figure 6:

an intermediate stage when coupling the coupling device,

Figure 7:

the coupling device in the coupled state and

Figures 8 and 9:

the fully laid out system in a front view and a rear view of the person

A system 1 for protecting a person from falling consists of one in the Figures 1 , but also that Figures 8 and 9 shown restraint device 2 for an upper body of the person and one in the Figures 2 and 3 only partially shown restraint device 3 for the person's thighs. While Figure 3 only shows a component of the restraint device 3 in the form of a leg loop 4 is in Figure 2 the second component of the restraint device 3 is shown in the form of a hip belt 5. In Figure 2 but a coupling device 6 can also be seen, with which the restraint device 2 for the person's thighs can be connected in a force-transmitting manner to the restraint device 2 for the person's upper body.

The the Figure 2 Removable coupling device 6 comprises a belt 7, which is connected to the hip belt 5 in a force-transmitting manner with the aid of a loop 8 formed by folding and sewing an end section of the belt 7. In order to prevent the coupling device 6 from slipping or moving along the hip belt 5, the latter is provided with a further loop 9 sewn thereto, through which the loop 8 of the belt 7 is passed. The loop 9 also serves to connect the hip belt 5 to a closing element 10, which can be coupled in a force-transmitting manner to a further closing element 11 which is firmly connected to the hip belt 5 on the opposite side. The closing elements 10 and 11 together form one by simply plugging them into one another closable and pressure on two unlocking elements with one hand releasable quick-release fastener 12, which is in Figure 2 is shown in the open state.

The coupling device 6 also includes a buckle 13, by means of which the effective length of the belt 7 and thus the coupling device 6 can be adjusted. At a free end of the coupling device 6 there is a coupling element 14 in the form of a snap hook, which is connected to the buckle 13 by means of a sewn loop 15 made of belt material.

In the Figure 1 The restraint device 2 shown for the person's upper body consists, on the one hand, of a textile item of clothing 16 in the form of a protective jacket for firefighters in accordance with EN 469 and a chest strap 17 running around in a tunnel (not visible) inside the item of clothing 16, of which in Figure 1 Only part of a quick-release fastener 18, a short section 19 of the actual chest strap 17 and a further short section 20 of a safety device 21, which is not of interest here, are visible, with which a firefighter can, for example, rope himself up to a basket when using a turntable ladder. The safety device 21, which is housed inside a depot bag 22 that cannot be seen from the outside as long as it is not needed, consists of a belt material, at the end of which a carabiner hook 23 is arranged and which has a steel ring 24 integrated into the belt along its course.

The in Figure 1 Visible quick-release fastener 18 and the sections 19 and 20 of the chest strap 17 are normally protected behind a cover flap 25 and are therefore not visible from the outside. Further sections 26 and 27 of the chest strap 17 are - although they run within the tunnel and are not visible - shown in faint lines in the figures in order to improve the clarity of the belt route.

The textile item of clothing 16 in the form of the protective jacket has a closure in the form of a zipper which is covered by a central flap 28 and is therefore not visible and which extends from the lower edge 29 of the item of clothing 16 to the neckline 30 for the person's neck. Above the neckline 30 there is a stand-up collar 31, which can be closed by means of its own closure 32 (e.g. Velcro or snap fasteners). When the zipper is closed, the neckline 30 defines the only opening in a shoulder area 33 of the item of clothing 16, so that a shoulder area of the person covered by it cannot slip out through the neckline 30 if the person is in an overhead position and the shoulder area bears the entire weight the person rests on the shoulder area 33 of the item of clothing 16. The guarantee of this Retention function is independent of whether the stand-up collar 31 is closed with the help of the closure 32 or not. Shoulder straps and/or armpit straps and/or harness straps are neither present on the textile item of clothing itself nor anywhere else in the entire system 1 and are not necessary to meet the requirements of EN 361.

The circumference of the neckline 30 is between approximately 56 cm and 68 cm, depending on the size of the item of clothing 16. The item of clothing 16 consists of a three-layer textile material with an inner layer in the form of a lining, an outer fabric in the form of a fabric made of highly tear-resistant yarns, in particular aromatic polyamide, and a layer located between the outer fabric and the lining in the form of a moisture barrier made of a breathable membrane material . The tensile strength of the upper material is 450 N (measured according to EN 469), so that the textile material of the item of clothing 16 can absorb sufficiently large forces without the risk of tearing, even in the event of a fall, in order to ensure the restraint function for the upper body. In addition, the item of clothing 16 has a tensile strength in the area of the zipper that exceeds that of the item of clothing 16 in other areas, so that the zipper in no way represents a weak point of the textile item of clothing 16. This must also apply to any alternative types of closures in the person's abdominal area. In addition, the seams of the textile item of clothing 16, which connect the individual cut parts not shown in the figures, in particular those of the outer fabric, are sufficiently tear-resistant in order to reliably prevent the textile item of clothing 16 from failing due to seam tearing in the event of a fall.

In the Figure 3 Leg loop 4 shown forms together with the one in Figure 2 Hip belt 5 shown is the restraint device 3 for the person's thighs. The leg loop 4 is formed by a self-contained belt 34, which is brought into a rolled-up, more round cross-sectional shape in a rear middle section 35 and in a belly-side middle section 36 with the aid of a sheathing piece 37. In addition, the covering pieces 37 give the two middle sections 35, 36 a shape that is curved in the same direction, so that the leg loop 4, due to its certain rigidity and inherent elasticity, has the in Figure 3 shown shape with a constricted central region 38 and two edge regions 39, 40 provided for the thighs, whereby the "entry process" - as shown in Figure 4 is hinted at - is made easier.

The process of creating the individual components of the system 1 and establishing the backup state is explained in more detail below, assuming that that the person is already wearing the textile item of clothing 16 in the form of the protective jacket with the integrated chest strap 17 and the closure of the jacket on the stomach side is completely closed:
First, the person places - as in Figure 5 illustrates - the hip belt 5 in that it comes to rest in a hip area of the person above the textile item of clothing 16, ie on its outer fabric, and thereby wraps around the person's body in the hip area. The hip belt 5 is closed using the closure 12. The coupling device 6 is firmly connected to the hip belt 5 and is therefore ready for use.

As already mentioned before, the person then steps into the area with their feet Figure 4 Leg loop 4 lying on the floor and then pulls the leg loop 4 upwards until it is in the crotch or buttocks area of the person.

Out of Figure 6 It can be seen how the rear middle section 35 of the leg loop 4 is pulled forward between the person's thighs and is arranged there in the immediate vicinity of the front middle section 36. The sheathing pieces 37 defining the length of the middle sections 35, 36 have a signal color at least on their outside, which should contrast as well as possible with the color of the remaining leg loop 4 and makes these middle sections 35, 36 particularly easy to recognize. With the coupling element 14 in the form of the snap hook located at the free end of the coupling device 6, the belt 7 of the coupling device 6 is slid below the two middle sections 35, 36 with a wrapping section, which should also be in the same signal color as the middle sections 35, 36 guided and then guided upwards again after completing an approximately 180 ° turn, ie wrapping around the two central regions 35, 36. As a result of this wrapping, the two middle regions 35, 36 are pressed together and thus two "partial leg loops" 40, 41 are formed from the leg loop 4 which wraps around both thighs, each of which wraps around one thigh individually. Only the wrapping section of the belt 7 is in the said signal color in order to clearly stand out from the remaining part of the belt 7.

In Figure 7 is shown how the snap hook forming the coupling element 14 is connected to a further coupling element 42 in the form of a D-ring present on the closure 18 of the chest strap 17. The coupling device now forms a connection that transmits tensile force between both components of the restraint device 3 for the person's thighs, namely the hip belt 5 and the leg loop 4 on the one hand, and the restraint device 2 for the person's upper body, which is supported by the protective jacket (textile). Garment 16) and the circumferential chest strap forms. For the sake of easier recognition and intuitive operation, the coupling elements 14 and 42 again have a signal color that stands out well from the rest of the chest strap 17 and the rest of the coupling device 6, the signal color of this pairing being sufficiently different from the signal color of the middle sections 35, 36 of the Leg loop 4 and the wrapping section of the coupling device 6 should differ.

To use the coupling device in the in Figure 7 In order to place the coupling position shown under a slight tensile force, ie to adapt it to the individual body conditions of the person wearing the system 1 in the sense of a tight fit, the effective length of the belt 7 is reduced and adjusted appropriately by pulling on the free end of the belt 7. The previously mentioned coupling element 42 in the form of the D-ring also serves to connect the securing device 21 described above with the chest strap 17, the securing device 21 being housed in the depot pocket 22 specially provided for this purpose and separate from the tunnel for the chest strap 17.

In the Figures 8 and 9 the entire system 1 is shown again with all its components in the applied state. According to the rear view Figure 9 Only the chest strap 17 running (invisibly) within the tunnel (in faint lines), the rear sections 43 of the hip belt 5 and the rear sections 44, 45 of the leg loop 4 can be seen.

Reference symbol list

1

system

2

Restraint device (for the upper body)

3

Restraint device (for the thighs)

4

Leg loop

5

Hip belt

6

Coupling device

7

belt

8th

loop

9

loop

10

Closing element

11

Closing element

12

Quick release

13

buckle

14

Coupling element

15

loop

16

textile item of clothing

17

Chest strap

18

Quick release

19

Section

20

Section

21

Security device

22

Depot bag

23

Carabiner hook

24

Steel ring

25

Cover plate

26

Section

27

Section

28

Medium patte

29

edge

30

Neckline

31

Stand-up collar

32

Clasp

33

Shoulder area

34

belt

35

Middle section

36

Middle section

37

Covering piece

38

Middle range

39

Edge area

40

Partial leg loop

41

Partial leg loop

42

Coupling element

43

Section

44

Section

45

Section

Claims (16)

System (1) for fall protection of a person equipped with the system (1), comprising - A restraint device (2) for the upper body, in particular a shoulder area, of the person - a restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or buttocks of the person and - a coupling device (6), by means of which the restraint device (2) for the upper body and the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks can be connected in a manner that transmits tensile force, characterized in that
the system (1) contains a textile item of clothing (16) for enclosing at least part of the person's upper body and that the restraint device (2) for the person's upper body is formed by the textile item of clothing (16), wherein the textile item of clothing (16) a neckline (30) which has a circumference of a maximum of 90 cm, preferably a maximum of 80 cm, more preferably a maximum of 75 cm, wherein a textile material, preferably consisting of several layers, of the textile item of clothing (16), preferably one of an outer fabric formed layer of the material has a tensile strength of at least 200 N, preferably of at least 300 N, more preferably of at least 400 N and even more preferably of at least 450 N. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the textile item of clothing (16) can be worn independently by the person, preferably a jacket, a vest or a poncho, more preferably a protective jacket or a protective vest. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the textile item of clothing (16), in particular the jacket or vest, on a front part assigned to the abdominal side of the person with a preferably centrally extending, openable closure, preferably in the form of a zipper, a Velcro fastener or snap fasteners, which further preferably extends from a lower edge (29) of the jacket or vest to the neckline (30). System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks is a thigh belt, by means of which the person's thighs can be wrapped around, System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coupling device (6) is connected or connectable to a lower edge region of the textile item of clothing (16), preferably in an edge region arranged on the abdominal side. System according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the textile item of clothing (16), preferably in an edge region arranged on the abdominal side, or a chest strap (17) connected to the textile item of clothing (16) with a connection to the coupling device (6 ) connectable coupling element (42) is provided, which is connected in a tensile force-transmitting manner to the textile material, preferably consisting of several layers, of the textile item of clothing, preferably at least to one layer of the material formed by an outer fabric, preferably sewn, glued and / or by means of metallic connecting elements. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the coupling device (6) - is connected in a manner that transmits tensile force to a hip belt (5), which is preferably part of the restraint device (3) for the thighs and / or the buttocks, more preferably part of the thigh belt, - at least one section of the restraint device (3), preferably located in a crotch area of the person Thigh and/or the buttocks, preferably of the thigh strap, preferably a leg loop (4) forming the latter, preferably slidably wrapped around it and - Is connected to the textile item of clothing (16) in a manner that transmits tensile force. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the textile item of clothing (16) has a chest strap (17), which is preferably connected either firmly or releasably to the textile item of clothing (16), and that the coupling device (6) with is connected or connectable to the chest strap (17) in a manner that transmits tensile force. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the coupling device (6) is a belt (7) which is connected at least at one end by means of a coupling element (14), preferably a snap hook, to the retaining device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, preferably a hip belt (5), and/or the textile item of clothing (16), is connected, further preferably the retaining device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, and/or the textile item of clothing (16) is or are provided at a coupling point with a further coupling element (42) which can be coupled to the coupling element (14) of the coupling device (6) in a manner that transmits tensile force. System according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a length of the coupling device (6) can be adjusted by means of an adjusting element, preferably by means of a buckle (13), wherein further preferably a free end of the coupling device (6) can be wound up and in one wound, roll-shaped state can be fixed by means of a fixing device, preferably a fixing device connected to the coupling device (6) and located between two winding layers in the wound state of the free end of the coupling device (6). System according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the textile item of clothing (16) or a chest strap (17) and/or the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, in particular the thigh strap, and/or the Hip belt (5) is or are provided in a central region located on the person's abdominal side with a coupling element (42), preferably an eyelet, more preferably in the form of a D-ring. System according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the restraint device (3) for the thighs and / or the buttocks, preferably the thigh strap, has or is formed by a self-contained leg loop (4) with which both thighs The person can be wrapped around the outside, wherein a rear middle section (35) of the leg loop (4) and a stomach-side middle section (36) of the leg loop (4) can be brought together on the stomach side of the person and can be wrapped together and preferably slidably by a wrapping section of the coupling device (6). . System according to claim 11, characterized in that the rear middle section (35), the belly-side middle section (36) and the wrapping section are designed in the same color, preferably in a signal color, whereas remaining sections of the leg loop (4) and/or the coupling device (6 ) are designed in a different color. System according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that one end of the coupling device (6) is firmly connected to the retaining device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, or to the hip belt (5) or to the textile item of clothing (16) or a chest strap (17) is connected. System according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, and/or a hip belt (5) is integrated into protective trousers or can be integrated into them. are or are loosely arranged on the outside of protective trousers, and/or that a chest strap (17) is integrated into the protective jacket or protective vest or can be integrated into it or runs loosely on the outside of a protective jacket or protective vest. System according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that a coupling element (14) of the coupling device (6) and a coupling element (42) which can be connected thereto of the textile item of clothing (16) or a chest strap (17) or the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably of the thigh strap, or a hip belt (5), are designed in the same color, preferably in a signal color, whereas remaining sections of the coupling device (6) and the textile item of clothing (16) or a chest strap (17) or the restraint device (3) for the thighs and/or the buttocks, preferably the thigh belt, or a hip belt (5), are designed in a different color.

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