GB2150402A

GB2150402A - Bite indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2150402A
Application number: GB08430287A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Edward Romang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-12-02
Filing date: 1984-11-30
Publication date: 1985-07-03
Also published as: GB8430287D0; GB8332191D0; GB2150402B

Abstract

A bite indicator is described having a pulley over which a line of a fishing rod is guided. An optical coupler and associated circuitry respond to rotation of the pulley to provide an audible and/or visual signal indicative of line movement. To save on the current consumption of the light emitting diode of the optical coupler, the bite indicator further comprises a magnet rotatable with the pulley, a second sensor in the form of a reed switch for sensing rotation of the magnet to provide a priming signal and a latching circuit responsive to the priming signal to energise the light emitting diode only after rotation of the pulley commences.

Description

SPECIFICATION Bite indicator The present invention relates to a bite indicator.

There is already know from Patent No, 1,503,596 a bite indicator for use with a fishing line to indicate line movement. The above specification describes a pulley over which the line guided and which rotates when the line is drawn out by a fish.

A sensor is attached to the pulley to provide a visual and/or audible indication when the pulley turns.

The type of sensor commonly in use consists of a disc disposed between a light emitting diode and a light sensitive cell. The disc has slots or holes so that as it rotates the light is intermittently sensed by the sensor and this in turn is used to provide the audible and/or visual indication of line movement.

A problem experienced with such a bite indicator is that the light emitting diode must be energised at all times when the bite indicator is in use and this severely reduces the lifetime of the batteries used in the device.

With a view to migigating the above disadvantage, the present invention provides a bite indicator having a pulley over which a line of a fishing rod is guided and first sensor means responsive to rotation of the pulley to provide an audible and/or visual signal indicative of line movement, the bite indicator further comprising a magnet rotatable with the pulley, second sensor means for sensing totation of said magnet to provide a priming signal and a latching circuit responsive to the priming signal for energising the first sensor means only after rotation of the pulley commences.

The invention thereby enables an optical sensor to be used as the first sensor means without considerable energy consumption in that the optical sensor is only energised when movement of the pulley has been sensed magnetically.

Advantageously, the magnet is mounted on the axis of the pulley with its magnetisation axis at right angles to the rotational axis, and the means for sensing rotation of the magnet comprises a reed switch disposed adjacent the magnet with the reeds at right angles to the axis of rotation.

This mounting of the magnet and the reed switch ensures that the pulley remains totally free to rotate without any tendency to stop in the same place each time.

The latch circuit may comprise a timing circuit such as a monostable multivibrator serving to maintain the optical sensor energised for a predetermined time after initial rotation of the pulley is sensed.

It will be noted that the sensitivity of the sensor is not determined by the magnet but by the first sensor means, the second sensor means serving exclusively as an energy saving modification.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a block circuit diagram of a bite indicator constructed in accordance with the invention.

The bite indicator need not differ significantly in construction from that of Patent No. 1,503,596. A pulley is freely rotatably mounted within a housing which provides a rest for the fishing rod, The line on the rod engages a groove in the pulley and rotates the pulley as line movement occurs.

On the spindle of the pulley, there is mounted a sector disc which is interposed between the light emitting diode and the photosensitive transistor of an optical coupler. The transistor produces an output signal in the form of pulses as the pulley rotates. A small magnet is mounted on the axial end of the spindle of the pulley, which magnet is arranged with its axis at right angles to the axis of the spindle. Immediately adjacent the magnet, there is mounted in the housing a reed switch the contacts of which extended right angles to the axis of rotation of the spindle of the pulley. Because of the arrangement of the magnet and the reed switch, the contacts of the reed switch open and close as the magnet is rotated.

In the circuit diagram of the accompanying drawing, the light emitting diode of the optical coupler is designated 10, the phototransistor of the optical coupler is designated 12 and the reed switch of the magnetic rotation sensor is designated 14. The magnet rotatable with the line sensing pulley is designated 16 and is arranged adjacent the reed switch 14.

The circuit is drawn between two sets of voltage rails. The circuit elements arranged between the two upper voltage rails 20, 22 are the elements of a line movement sensor responsive to the interruption of the light path of the optical coupler. Assuming that the light emitting diode is energised, as the line sensing pulley rotates, light intermittently falls on the phototransistor 12 and the voltage at the emitter will fluctuate between high and low values as the phototransistor 12 is switched on and off. The NAND gate 26 connected as an inverter inverts this signal and negative going pulses at the output of the inverter are applied by way of a capacitor 28 and a diode 30 to the input of a second inverter 32. The positive going pulses at the output of the capacitor 28 are blocked by the diode 30.

The negative going pulses charge a capacitor 34 which discharges slowly through a resistor 36 so that the low potential should remain at the input to the second inverter 32 for a short time following each negative going pulse passing through the diode 30.

The circuit comprising the inverters 40, 42, 44, the potentiometer 43 and capacitor 46 is an oscillator enabled by a high level signal at the output of the inverter 32, and while enabled produces an oscillatory signal of which the frequency may be varied by the potentiometer 43 to vary the tone of the emitted sound.

A transistor 38 between the inverters 32 and 40 serves to drive a remote slave unit and is not relevant to the operation of the indicator illustrated.The output of the oscillator is applied to an audio power amplification stage which comprises a volume control potentiometer 50, a first power out put transistor 52 which drives a loud speaker 54 and a second power output transistor 56 which is arranged to connect a remote speaker through an external socket 58.

A latching circuit generally designated 60 is connected between the two lower voltage rails 80, 80 and is operative to sense opening and closing of the reed switch 14 in order to energise the light emitting diode 10 the optical coupler.

In the steady state of the circuit, a capacitor 66 of the latching circuit 60 is discharged with the result that the input of an inverter circuit 64 is at zero volts and the output of the inverter 64 is therefore at the high signal level. There being no potentional difference across the light emitting diode 10, the latter does not emit any light and therefore the operation of the sensing circuit as described above is disabled.

When the magnet 16 rotates and closes the reed switch 14, the output of the inverter 62 rises to nine volts and charges the capacitor 66. This change in potential is reinforced by the positive feedback through a resistor 68. The capacitor 66 discharges slowly through the resistor 70 but while is remains charged the output of the inverter 64 is low and current therefore flows through the optical coupler light emitting diode 10 thereby enabling the operation of the line movement sensing circuit arranged between the two upper voltage rails 20, 22. Thus the two inverters 62, 64 together with associated resistors 68, 70 and capacitor 66 constitutes a monostable multivibrator or latch circuit which remains closed for a predetermined length of time with each re-triggering by closing of the reed switch 14.

While the capacitor 66 is charged, a high voltage level is applied to a first input of a further NAND gate 90 which therefore inverts its other input signal received from the capacitor 28. The output of the NAND gate 90 matches that of the inverter 32 and is applied to a light emitting diode 92 indicator. The purpose of this light emitting diode 92 is to indicate that because of line movement the power supply to the light emitting diode has been energised and furthermore the light emitting diode 82 will sense line movement and itself flicker to give a visual indication of line movement in addition to or instead of the audio signal emitted by one of the loud speaker 54.

It may be seen that the latch circuit 60 does not of itself produce a signal for indicating line movement and it merely acts as an energy saving device serving to prevent power consumption by the light emitting diode 10 until such time as some line movement has been sensed.

Claims

1. A bite indicator having a pulley over which a line of a fishing rod is guided and first sensor means responsive to rotation of the pulley to provide an audible and/or visual signal indicative of line movement, the bite indicator further comprising a magnet rotatable with the pulley, second sensor means for sensing rotation of said magnet to provide a priming signal and a latching circuit responsive to the priming signal for energising the first sensor means only after rotation of the pulley commences.

2. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnet is mounted on the axis of the pulley with its magnetisation axis at right angles to the rotational axis, and the means for sensing rotation of the magnet comprises a reed switch disposed adjacent the magnet with the reeds at right angles to the axis of rotation.

3. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the latch circuit comprises a timing circuit serving to maintain the optical sensor energised for a predetermined time after each closing of the contacts of the reed switch.

4. A bite indicator constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.