EP4294717A1

EP4294717A1 - Handle for a shaft, of the oar shaft type, and oar comprising such a handle

Info

Publication number: EP4294717A1
Application number: EP22704543.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Philippe JEHL; Sébastien BEL; Gérome GAUCHARD; Thierry Bastogne; David GRISVARD; Paul DEHANI
Original assignee: Caremosim; Federation Francaise D'aviron; Universite de Lorraine
Current assignee: Caremosim; Federation Francaise D'aviron; Universite de Lorraine
Priority date: 2021-02-19
Filing date: 2022-02-15
Publication date: 2023-12-27
Also published as: FR3120050A1; WO2022175237A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a handle (22) for a shaft (3), of the oar shaft type, comprising a hollow body (1) extending longitudinally along an axis X and having: - an outer wall (4) for handling; - an inner wall (5) defining a cylindrical cavity (6), the inner wall (5) being able to come into contact with a shaft (3) and comprising distortion means for mounting on the shaft (3). These distortion means consist of helical grooves (10) made in the inner wall (5) and extending from one end to the other of the body (1).

Description

Handle for a handle, of the oar handle type, and oar comprising such a handle

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to a handle for a shaft, of the rowing shaft type.

The invention also relates to a pair of handles, namely a port handle and a starboard handle, for a port oar and a starboard oar respectively.

Finally, the invention relates to an oar comprising a handle to which such a handle is fitted.

Rowing is a sport of speed and sliding in a long boat. The rower sits above water level on a rolling seat with his back to the direction of the boat. The oars ("oars") are used to propel the boat. Depending on the type of boat, the rower uses:

a single so-called point oar (total length from 3.5 m to 4 m)
or two so-called scull oars (about 3 m long each), called port oar and starboard oar.

Technical background

We know the scull oar comprising a handle whose first end is coupled to a shovel intended to be put in the water, and whose second end is coupled to a handle for a better grip of the oar. The handle is usually tubular and hollow.

This handle is fitted around the second end of the handle and tightened to the handle via a screw clamp.

Optionally, there may be a plastic shim sunk tight inside the second end of the handle, and having an internal thread into which a screw fits. The handle fits around the second end of the handle until the screw abuts against the bottom of the handle. The adjustment of the fitting depth of the handle on the handle is achieved by playing on the length of the screw insertion. This makes it possible to adjust the total length of the oar which must be adapted to the size of the rower. A hole is provided in the bottom of the handle to access the screw with a screwdriver when the handle is mounted on the handle. It is then necessary to loosen the clamp, in order to then be able to adjust the length of insertion of the screw and translate the handle accordingly, then retighten the clamp.

The disadvantage with this scull oar is that one must have a tool to be able to adjust the size of the oar.

Another disadvantage is that the tapping of the wedge is often damaged, and the screw then turns in a vacuum. Since the wedge cannot be repaired, it is no longer possible to adjust the size of the oar without replacing it.

These oars whose hold is damaged are then unfortunately put aside and are no longer operational, even if the handle and the blade are still in good condition.

The change of handle between users being long, individual use is currently impossible (single handle per oar).

The object of the present invention is to overcome the various drawbacks stated above, by means of a handle for a handle, of the rowing handle type, making it possible to fit easily around the handle and to be held there in position. , tool-free, by any rower. This handle offers the possibility of adjusting the length of the oar. This handle can also be used on old oars whose hold is degraded, in order to be able to reuse them.

The handle according to the invention consists, in a conventional manner, of a hollow body extending longitudinally along an axis X and having:

- an outer grip wall;

- an inner wall defining a cylindrical cavity, said inner wall being adapted to come into contact with a handle and comprising distortion means for its mounting on the handle.

This handle is mainly characterized in that said distortion means consist of helical grooves made in the inner wall and extending from one end to the other (of the longitudinal extension) of the body.

The main idea of this invention is to provide a handle that can be fitted around the handle by a general screwing movement. Concretely, the rower comes to cover the free end of the handle with the handle while turning the handle. The helical grooves facilitate the insertion of the handle inside the handle during rotation. These grooves tend to move apart, or widen, or expand during rotation, and thus allow the inner wall of the handle to deform when screwing. Concretely, the raised parts located between the grooves can easily be deformed by torsion.

The grooves have a helical orientation corresponding to the helical movement of screwdriving.

Once the handle is in place, the grooves tighten or retract to grip the oar. The handle is then clamped onto the shaft and held in position.

To remove the handle, simply unscrew it from the handle.

There is no translational movement possible during assembly, nor during use of the oar, nor during disassembly.

This type of handle can be mounted on any type of oar, even those with a damaged hold.

According to the different embodiments of the invention, which may be taken together or separately:

the handle is soft and deformable;
the inner wall of the handle is flexible and deformable.
the handle is made of a polymer material.
the inner wall has at least 50% of surface in contact with the handle.
the body has a first open end for its fitting with a handle, and a second closed end.
The handle includes wedging means arranged inside the body against its second closed end.
the outer wall has a geometry resembling the imprint of a hand squeezing the handle.
the outer wall is polygonal;
the outer wall has at least three sections conforming to the shape of a user's fingers;
the second closed end of the handle has a central through hole, used as a vent hole.

The invention also relates to a pair of handles as described above. This pair includes a first so-called “port” handle and a second so-called “starboard” handle. The helical grooves of the port handle have a reverse winding direction to that of the helical grooves of the starboard handle.

Advantageously, the helical grooves of the port handle have a clockwise winding direction while the helical grooves of the starboard handle have a counterclockwise winding direction.

Indeed, when the rower holds the two oars, he exerts an opposite force on the two handles since the oars are arranged symmetrically on either side of the rower. The effort exerted by the rower on each handle during the activity must be such that it must favor the depression of the handle, therefore it must be in the direction of screwing of the handle, in order to avoid that it does not unscrew during the activity. The natural gesture made by the sportsman when he rows is a movement which must tighten the handle on the handle.

Thus, the starboard handle, located to the right of the boat in relation to the direction of travel, which is held by the rower's left hand, is screwed to the handle counterclockwise, and its helical grooves then present a direction of counter-clockwise winding.

The port handle, located to the left of the boat in relation to the direction of travel, which is held by the right hand of the rower, is screwed to the handle in a clockwise direction, and its helical grooves then present a winding direction hourly.

Finally, the invention relates to an oar comprising a handle and a handle as described above, fitted to one end of said handle by screwing.

the oar comprises wedging means arranged inside the body of the handle, between the second closed end of the body and the handle.
said wedging means consist of a wedge comprising a wedging section delimited by a first bearing surface against the end of the handle and a second bearing surface against the second closed end of the body.
said wedging section has a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the handle;
said wedging section has a diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the body measured at the bottom of a groove.
the wedge is cylindrical.
the wedge has a centering sleeve that fits inside the handle.
the wedge has an external shoulder between the sleeve and said wedging section.
this shoulder corresponds to said first bearing surface of the wedge.
the outside diameter of the wedging section is between the minimum inside diameter of the body measured at the level of the surface in contact with the handle and the maximum inside diameter of the body measured at the level of the bottom of a groove.
the distance between the two support surfaces of the wedge defines the length of the wedge.
the oar has air vent means consisting of a central through hole provided in said wedge and a central through hole provided in the second closed end of the body.
the inner wall of the handle and the outer wall of the handle comprise means for indexing in rotation with respect to one another.
said rotational indexing means consist of two diametrically opposed longitudinal grooves provided in the inner wall of the handle and cooperating with two longitudinal protrusions provided for this purpose on the outer wall of the handle.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which will follow for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

the is an exploded perspective view of an oar end according to the invention;

the is a longitudinal sectional view of an assembled oar end according to the invention;

the is a sectional and perspective view of a port handle and a starboard handle for sculler oars;

the is another sectional view of the port handle and the starboard handle according to the ;

the is a perspective view of the port handle and the starboard handle according to the ;

the is a side view of the port handle and the starboard handle according to the ;

the is a perspective view of a port hand grip for a peak oar;

the is a side view of the port handle according to the .

Detailed description of the invention

In the remainder of the description, elements having an identical structure or analogous functions will be designated by the same references.

The shows the end of an oar in exploded view, in this case the end of a handle 3 and a handle 22.

The illustrates these same elements once the assembly is complete.

The handle 3 of an oar conventionally corresponds to a cylindrical hollow tube,

whose first end is coupled to a shovel (not shown) intended to be put in the water, and whose second end 23 is coupled to a handle 22 for a better grip of the oar.

The handle 22 mainly comprises a hollow body 1, a first end 8 of which is open for fitting around the handle 3, and the second end 7 of which is closed.

Optionally, the handle 22 includes a wedge 2 arranged inside the body 1 and resting against the second end 7 of the handle 3. It allows the total length of the oar to be extended according to the needs of the rower.

The body 1 extends longitudinally along an axis X, as shown in the . This axis X also corresponds to the mounting axis of the handle 22 on the handle 3.

Body 1 presents:

an outer wall 4 for handling;
an inner wall 5 defining a cylindrical cavity 6, said inner wall 5 being adapted to come into contact with the outer wall 15 of the handle 3.

The inner wall 5 of the body 1 comprises distortion means for mounting it on the handle 3. These distortion means consist of helical grooves 10 made in the inner wall 5 and extending from one end of the handle to the other. longitudinal extension of the body 1.

In other words, the inner wall 5 of the body 1 is hollowed out by these helical grooves 10. These grooves 10 allow the inner wall 5 to deform when screwing the handle 22 onto the handle 3.

Indeed, the handle 22 is mounted on the handle 3 by a screwing movement, therefore helicoidal. The helical grooves 10 have an orientation which follows the screwing movement of the handle 22, in order to contribute to the screwing. The inside diameter of the body 1 is very slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the handle 3 (tight fit), and without these grooves 10, it would be complicated to succeed in fitting the body 1 around the handle 3, and this while ensuring a tightening of the body 1 around handle 3 at the end of assembly.

The helical grooves 10 allow the inner wall 5 of the body 1 to deform gradually during screwing.

More specifically, the inner wall 5 is cut into strips (or parts in relief), each strip being delimited on either side by a groove 10. Thus, when the inner wall 5 of the body 1 rubs against the handle 3 during the fitting, the strips can easily deform and tilt by encroaching into the free space created by the grooves 10. Thanks to this deformation by torsion during screwing, the internal diameter of the body 1 (measured at the level of the parts in relief) can be slightly increased, making fitting possible. Once the body 1 is fully positioned on the handle 3, the inside diameter of the body 1 returns to its nominal value because the bands return to their initial shape and come to exert a grip against the outer wall 15 of the handle 3.

The helical grooves 10 thus make it possible to create a kind of operating clearance helping with fitting. The bands defined by the grooves 10 constitute means of adhesion to the handle 3 at the end of assembly.

To remove body 1 from handle 3, simply turn body 1 in the opposite direction to unscrew it.

It is not possible to mount this body 1 on the handle 3 by translation. Moreover, if the translation were possible, this would mean that the inside diameter of the body 1 (measured at the level of the parts in relief) is too large, and there would then be no tightening at the end of assembly, which would be problematic. because the handle 22 would stop rotating or come off when using the oar.

The inner wall 5 of the handle 22 is flexible and deformable, in order to be able to easily expand the grooves 10 during screwing, and that they can retract at the end of assembly so that the bands can ensure the tightening on the handle 3.

More generally, the entire body 1 of the handle 22 is made of a flexible and deformable material.

For example, the handle 22 is designed in a polymer material.

The handle 22 is obtained by molding or additive manufacturing.

Preferably, the inner wall 5 has at least 50% of surface in contact with the handle 3. This surface corresponds to said bands (that is to say the parts in relief) mentioned above. The remaining 50% of the surface corresponds to the bottoms of grooves 10.

The percentage of surface in contact with the handle 3 is important in order to be able to ensure intense tightening of the handle 3 at the end of assembly. Similarly, the percentage of remaining surface corresponding to the grooves 10 is important to provide sufficient free space to allow distortion of the strips during assembly and disassembly.

Thanks to the internal grooves 10 and the flexibility of the inner wall 5, it is possible to mount this handle 22 on a classic rowing handle 3 without tools.

In scull rowing, each rower has two oars, one in each hand. The rowers are positioned with their backs in relation to the direction of advancement of the boat. Thus, each rower holds a starboard oar with his left hand, and a port oar with his right hand. Thus, when rowing, the rower exerts opposite forces on the oars. In this case, he tends to perform a rotation/twisting movement of the handles he holds in his hand. When it comes to a movement that promotes the screwing of the handle, there is no problem and the handle 22 remains correctly in place on the handle 3. On the other hand, when it comes to a movement which favors the unscrewing of the handle, there is a risk that the handle 22 will gradually unscrew during the activity and come off. To prevent such a situation from occurring, the present invention provides for the creation of a pair of handles, with a specific port handle 22a, and a specific starboard handle 22b. The difference between these two handles is characterized by the winding direction of the helical grooves. Indeed, the helical grooves 10 of the port handle 22a have a winding direction opposite to that of the helical grooves 10 of the starboard handle 22b.

More specifically, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the helical grooves 10 of the port handle 22a have a clockwise winding direction while the helical grooves 10 of the starboard handle 22b have a counterclockwise winding direction. Port handle 22a is shown on the left in Figures 3 and 4, while starboard handle 22b is shown on the right in Figures 3 and 4.

Thus, the movement of the rower will always favor the screwing of the handle, whether it is a port oar or a starboard oar because the handle 22 is in correspondence with the type of oar.

Whether it is a port handle 22a or a starboard handle 22b, the outer wall 4 of the handle 22 is conventionally cylindrical in shape.

Advantageously, the outer wall 4 of the handle 22 has a complex geometry resembling the imprint of a hand squeezing the handle. This allows the rower to have a better grip on the handle.

For example, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the outer wall 4 can be polygonal and has at least three sections matching the shape of the three phalanges of the fingers of a user. The rest of the contour can simply be rounded to match the shape of the pasterns of the user's hand.

Optionally, on each panel 16, 17, 18 there may be a first zone 16a, 17a, 18a with a slight wave to affix the index, middle, ring finger and little finger, ^and a 2nd zone 16b, 17b, 18b in the vicinity of the closed end 7 to affix the thumb.

In the same way as for the helical 10 grooves, the port and starboard handles are not identical but are symmetrical since they are arranged symmetrically with respect to the rower.

Port handle 22a is shown on the left in Figures 5 and 6, while starboard handle 22b is shown on the right in Figures 5 and 6.

The sides 16, 17, 18 are oriented to the right for the port handle 22a of the , while they are oriented to the left for the starboard handle 22b of the .

Other shapes of handle 22 could be envisaged within the scope of the present invention.

It is also possible to provide a handle 22 whose external shape is individualized by the reproduction of the scanned surface of the user's hand on the handle. In this case, the handle 22 has a grip surface molded according to the imprints of the user's hand. The handle 22 thus has a shape complementary to the shape of the hand in action.

Advantageously, the inner wall 5 of the handle 22 and the outer wall 15 of the handle 3 comprise means for indexing in rotation with respect to each other. Indeed, it is important that the user can correctly orient the handle 22 with respect to the handle 3, and in particular with respect to the shovel located at the other end of the handle 3. The shovel must be in a certain position when the rower takes handle 22 in hand. This indexing between the handle 22 and the shovel is very important to ensure optimal efficiency of rowing in motion.

More specifically, said means for indexing in rotation consist of two diametrically opposed longitudinal grooves 11 provided in the inner wall 5 of the handle 22, particularly visible in Figures 4, and cooperating with two longitudinal protrusions 12 provided for this purpose on the outer wall 15 of handle 3, particularly visible in . The grooves 11 and the protrusions 12 thus extend parallel to the axis X.

Grooves 11 intersect helical grooves 10.

At the end of mounting the handle 22 on the handle 3, the user turns the handle 22 until the protrusions 12 fit inside the longitudinal grooves 11.

It is also possible to use a handle 22 according to the invention for a point oar where the rower places his right hand on a starboard oar, or his left hand on a port oar. It is therefore the opposite of scull rowing.

In this case, the starboard tip handle 22b will have helical grooves 10 reversed from the starboard torque handle 22b.

The peak port handle 22a will have reverse helical grooves relative to the torque port handle 22a.

The starboard and port edge handles 22 will also have an inversion of the first zones 16a, 17a, 18a and second zones 16b, 17b, 18b on each side 16, 17, 18 of the outer wall 4, because the thumb will be oriented towards the open end 8 of the handle 22, and no longer towards the closed end 7 of the handle 22. An example of a port edge handle 22a is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

Whether it is a port or starboard oar, tip or torque, the handle 22 according to the invention can include wedging means in order to increase the length of the oar according to the needs of the rower.

These wedging means consist of a wedge 2 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 for example.

Preferably, wedge 2 is cylindrical.

The wedge 2 is placed inside the body 1 of the handle 22. More specifically, it is interposed between the second closed end 7 of the body 1 and the handle 3.

In this example, the wedge 2 comprises a wedging section 13 delimited by a first bearing surface 19 against the free end 23 of the handle 3 and a second bearing surface 20 against the second closed end 7 of the body 1. The distance between these two bearing surfaces 19, 20 defines the length of wedge 2. Thus, the length of wedging section 13 increases the total length of the oar accordingly.

For each handle 22, it is possible to provide a set of wedges 2 with different lengths of wedging section 13, so that the rower chooses the one that suits him best.

The wedging section 13 has a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the handle 3 so that it can bear against the end 23 of the handle 3.

Furthermore, the diameter of the wedging section 13 is between the minimum inside diameter of the body 1 measured at the level of the surface in contact with the handle 3 and the maximum inside diameter of the body 1 measured at the level of the bottom of a groove 10 The wedge 2 is thus correctly held in the hollow body 1 of the handle 22.

The handle 22 equipped with its wedge 2 can be used on an oar whose old wedge is damaged. Indeed, it is quite possible to add the new wedge 2 which will then be interposed between the old wedge 2 and the closed end 7 of the handle 22.

Thus, it will be possible to reuse the oars whose old hold is damaged.

For new oars, it is possible to provide a wedge 2 with a centering sleeve 21 inserted inside the handle 3 so as to center it relative to the handle 3 during assembly, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

An external shoulder is formed between the sleeve 21 and the said wedging section 13. This shoulder corresponds to the said first bearing surface 19 of the wedge 2.

Advantageously, the oar has air venting means consisting of a central through hole 14 provided in said wedge 2 and a central through hole 9 provided in the second closed end 7 of the body 1. This prevents the appearance of an overpressure at the bottom of the body 1 during assembly of the handle 22, making fitting difficult.

The configurations shown in the figures cited are only possible examples, in no way limiting, of the invention which, on the contrary, encompasses the variants of shapes and designs within the reach of those skilled in the art.

Claims

Handle (22) for a shaft (3), of the rowing shaft type, comprising a hollow body (1) extending longitudinally along an axis X and having:

an outer wall (4) for gripping;

an inner wall (5) defining a cylindrical cavity (6), said inner wall (5) being adapted to come into contact with a handle (3) and comprising distortion means for mounting on the handle (3),

said distortion means consisting of helical grooves (10) made in the inner wall (5) and extending from one end of the body (1) to the other, the handle being characterized in that it comprises wedging means arranged inside the body (1) against its second closed end (7).
Handle (22) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the inner wall (5) is flexible and deformable.
Handle (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it consists of a polymer material.
Handle (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner wall (5) has at least 50% of surface in contact with the handle (3).
Handle (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (1) has a first open end (8) for its fitting with a handle (3), and a second closed end (7).
Handle (22) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer wall (4) has a geometry resuming the imprint of a hand squeezing the handle.
Pair of handles (22) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a first so-called "port" handle (22a) and a second so-called "starboard" handle (22b), characterized in that the helical grooves (10) of the handle (22a) port have a reverse winding direction to that of the helical grooves (10) of the handle (22b) starboard.
Pair according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the helical grooves (10) of the port handle (22a) have a clockwise winding direction while the helical grooves (10) of the starboard handle (22b) have a winding direction. counterclockwise winding.
Oar comprising a handle (3) and a handle (22) according to one of claims 1 to 6 fitted to one end (23) of said handle (3) by screwing.
Oar according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the said wedging means consist of a wedge (2) comprising a wedging section (13) delimited by a first bearing surface (19) against the end (23) of the handle ( 3) and a second bearing surface (20) against the second closed end (7) of the body (1).
Oar according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said wedging section (13) has a diameter greater than the inside diameter of the handle (3) and less than the inside diameter of the body (1) measured at the level of the bottom of a groove (10 ).
Oar according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it has air venting means consisting of a central through hole (14) provided in said wedge (2) and a central through hole (9) provided in the second closed end (7) of the body (1).
Oar according to one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the inner wall (5) of the handle (22) and the outer wall (15) of the handle (3) comprise means for indexing in rotation of the one relative to the other.
Oar according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the said means for indexing in rotation consist of two diametrically opposed longitudinal grooves (11) provided in the inner wall (5) of the handle (22) and cooperating with two longitudinal protrusions (12) provided for this purpose on the outer wall (15) of the handle (3).