GB2313281A

GB2313281A - Fishing bite indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2313281A
Application number: GB9610976A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Romang
Original assignee: DELKIM Ltd
Current assignee: DELKIM Ltd
Priority date: 1996-05-24
Filing date: 1996-05-24
Publication date: 1997-11-26
Also published as: GB9610976D0

Abstract

An electrically powered bite indicator 10 is described having a housing 10 containing a line movement sensor, and a first light source 18 mounted on the housing 10 which, in use, is energised by the line movement sensor in response to detection of line movement. The bite indicator also has a socket enabling a remote light source 30 to be electrically connected to the line movement sensor and to be energised at the same time as and by the same power supply as the first light source 18. In use, the remote light source is attached to a line indicator to allow movement of the line tension indicator to be monitored at night once line movement has been detected.

Description

BITE INDICATOR The present invention relates to a bite indicator for use by anglers.

Bite indicators are known that respond to line movement. In some such indicators, while the rod rests on a support the line passes over a pulley which rotates when the line moves. In other forms of line movement indicators, while the rod rests on a support the line passes over a vibratable piezoelectric element. In line movement indicators, the sensed line movement gives rise to electrical signals that are used to generate an audible alarm and are often also used to energise a light source, such as an LED. The light source is used because sometimes several line movement sensors are used at the same time and the light allows the angler to identify the sensor that has been triggered. The light commonly also stays on for a period of time after the sensor has been triggered.

It is usual for an additional visual bite indicator to be removably clipped onto the line somewhere between the fishing reel and the electronic bite indicator to provide both tension and further visual indication of line movement when the fish picks up the bait and moves either away from or towards the angler. This will hereinafter be referred to as a line tension indicator. There are various types of these known line tension indicators ranging from the free hanging type to the "monkey climber", the swinging arm and the flexible arm type. It is common for these visual bite indicators to have some means of varying the tension by means of either adding weights, adjusting a sliding counter balance weight or tensioning a spring or flexible arm. This variable tension keeps the line in contact with the line movement bite sensor which is essential in the case of a "drop back bite" where the fish picks up the bait and moves towards the angler.

A problem with the line tension bite indicators is that being purely mechanical devices without their own electrical batteries or power supplies they cannot readily be seen at night. Because of this, it is known to provide such line tension indicators with transparent tubes in which a light source is inserted. One such light source contains a capsule which is broken to allow two chemicals to react with one another and emit a green phosphorescence for a length of time. Another light source that lasts longer but is more costly is filled with a gas (tritium) that glows because it is radioactive. Such light sources are banned in some countries. A still further proposal has been to provide an electrical light source with its own power supply and a control circuit for latching it on in response to a sound being produced by a line movement indicator. The control circuit in this case is connected to a socket that is commonly provided on the housing of a line movement indicator for connection to an extension loudspeaker.

The present invention seeks to provide a more convenient source of illumination to allow movement of a line tension indicator to be monitored at night.

According to the present invention, there is provided an electrically powered bite indicator having a housing containing a line movement sensor, a first light source mounted on the housing, a drive circuit responsive to the output of the line movement sensor for energising the first light source, and means for enabling a remote light source to be electrically connected to the drive circuit of the first light source so as to be energised at the same time as the first light source and to receive its electrical power from the same power supply as the bite indicator.

The invention allows a remote light source on a flexible lead to be connected to the line movement indicator so that it may be fitted to a line tension indicator. The remote light source does not need its own control circuit nor power supply and it is therefore an inexpensive item. As soon as a line movement is sensed, not only is the first light source in the housing of the bite indicator illuminated to identify the triggered bite indicator, but the remote light is also switched on in the line tension indicator so that the angler may immediately monitor changes in line tension even in dark conditions.

If the drive circuit of the first light source has sufficient output current capacity, the housing may simply have a socket with two terminals connected to the terminals of the first light source, so that the remote light source is connected directly in parallel with the first light source. Alternatively, the socket may be connected to a separate relay or transistor amplifier that is activated by the drive circuit upon detection of line movement at the same time as the first light source is energised.

It has been proposed to apply pulses of variable mark to space ratio to the first light source so as to modulate its brightness in accordance with the prevailing ambient light conditions. The same modulation is preferably applied to the extension light source so as to minimise power losses by only supplying sufficient current to allow the extension light source to be seen clearly in the ambient light.

It is preferred for the light sources to be light emitting diodes because they are more robust, require less current and are available in a variety of colours to allow different fishing lines to be distinguished from one another.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of a line movement sensor of the invention connected to a remote light source, and Figure 2 shows the line movement sensor of Figure 1 when in use with a fishing rod.

The battery powered line movement sensor 10 in Figure 1 comprises a housing 16 which in use is screwed onto a tripod or a bank stick that is driven into the ground. At its upper end, the housing 16 has a V-shaped rod rest portion 12 capable of supporting rods of different diameters. The line of the fishing rod supported on the rod rest portion 12 makes contact with a sensing element (not shown) which is conveniently a vibratable piezoelectric element or stylus that produces an electrical output signal when the line moves. This signal is processed to produce an audible alarm generated by a loudspeaker 14 and also acts on a drive circuit to energise an LED 18. The drive circuit at first makes the LED flash at a rate that is indicative of the rate ox line movement and latches on to keep LED illuminated for a fixed length of time.

The housing 16 carries three buttons 20, 22 and 24 that are used to set the indicator. The button 20 is a loudness control, the button 22 controls the pitch of the emitted sound to enable different bite indicators to be distinguished from one another and the button 24 is a sensitivity control. A small fluorescent strip 26 is placed beneath the centreline of the V-shaped rod support portion 12 to assist the angler in locating the rod on the bite indicator in poor lighting conditions.

As so far described, the bite indicator is generally conventional. When the line of the rod resting on the bite indicator moves, the loudspeaker 14 emits a series of bleeps the repetition frequency of which will vary with rate of line movement. The pitch of the bleeps and their loudness are set by the buttons 22 and 20. At the same time, the LED 18 flashes in synchronism with the bleeps and then remains on for a given length of time after the line movement has stopped.

The bite indicator 10 is further provided with a remote LED 30 intended to be attached to a line tension indicator.

To this end, the housing 16 has a socket into which is plugged a flexible lead 32 that is connected at its other end to the LED 30. The socket is either connected directly across the LED 18 or preferably to a relay or transistor amplifier that is connected to the output of the drive circuit so as to be switched on at the same time as the LED 18. The two LED's 18 and 30 therefore always receive current and glow at the same time.

Figure 2 shows the manner in which the LED 30 is used.

In Figure 2, a fishing rod 34 rests in the V-shaped rod support 12 of a line movement indicator 10 screwed to a bank stick 38. A line tensioner 40 is mounted on the bank stick 38 and has an arm 42 that is biased downwards by a spring mounted within the line tensioner 40. The end of the arm 42 is secured by an automatically releasing line clip (notshown) to the line 36 and also carries a transparent tube into which the LED 30 is inserted.

When a fish takes the bait on the line 36, the latter moves relative to the line movement sensor of the bite indicator 10 which then emits a sound as described earlier and its LED 18 is turned on by the internal drive circuit.

At the same time, the LED 30 attached to the line clip of the tension indicator will indicate if the tension in the line changes by moving up or down, depending on whether the tension increases or decreases. Because the remote and internal light sources are always energised at the same time, if pulse width modulation is used by the drive circuit to reduce the brightness of the internal light source during low ambient light conditions, the brightness of the remote light source will also be reduced at the same time.

When the angler believes that a fish has taken the bait on the line, then he strikes by first raising the rod 34 off the rod rest 12. While so doing, the line clip automatically releases from the line so that the rod and the line are in no way encumbered by the bite indicators. Once the line is removed from the line movement sensor, no further line movement can be detected and after a certain time has elapsed both the LED's 18 and 30 will be switched off so as not to draw any further current from the battery of the bite indicator 10.

Claims

1. An electrically powered bite indicator having a housing containing a line movement sensor, a first light source mounted on the housing, a drive circuit responsive to the output of the line movement sensor for energising the first light source, and means for enabling a remote light source to be electrically connected to the drive circuit of the first light source so as to be energised at the same time as the first light source and to receive its electrical power from the same power supply as the bite indicator

2. A bite indicator as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the housing has a socket having two terminals connected to the terminals of the first light source, thereby allowing the remote light source to be connected directly in parallel with the first light source.

3. A bite indicator as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the housing has a socket having two terminals connected to a relay or transistor amplifier receiving an input signal from the drive circuit of the first light source.

4. A bite indicator as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the light sources are light emitting diodes.

5. A bite indicator as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the drive circuit is operative to generate output current pulses of which the mark to space ratio is variable in order to vary the brightness of the light sources in dependence upon the prevailing ambient light conditions.

6. A bite indicator constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.