GB2430132A

GB2430132A - Bite indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2430132A
Application number: GB0519094A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Romang
Original assignee: Delkim Products Ltd
Current assignee: Delkim Products Ltd
Priority date: 2005-09-20
Filing date: 2005-09-20
Publication date: 2007-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-20
Also published as: GB2430132B; GB0519094D0

Abstract

A bite indicator is described which comprises a casing 10, a rest 12 on the casing for a rod carrying a fishing line, a stylus tip 14 mounted in the casing 10 for contacting the fishing line of a rod resting on the casing so as to vibrate in response to movement of the fishing line. A sensing element 30 produces an electrical signal indicative of movement of the fishing line in response to vibration of the stylus tip 14. In the invention, the sensing element is mounted in the casing in a manner to permit the stylus tip 14 to move along a translation path generally parallel to the length of the fishing line and means are provided for generating an electrical signal in dependence upon the position of the stylus tip 14 along the translation path to indicate the direction of movement of the fishing line. The sensing element is preferably mounted on a pivoted bracket 32.

Description

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BITE INDICATOR

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a bite indicator for detecting movement of a fishing line.

Background of the invention

There are currently in use two common types of bite indicator. In one type, the fishing line passes over a pulley which rotates when the fishing line moves. In the second type, a stylus in contact with the fishing line vibrates in response to line movement. Bite indicators using a stylus have the advantage of being able to sense small amounts of movement but they have hitherto suffered from the disadvantage of not being able to discriminate between the directions of movement.

Because anglers prize the ability to differentiate between a fish moving away from the fishing rod and one moving towards it, attempts have been made to analyse the electrical output signal of a stylus to determine the direction of line movement. Though some degree of success has been achieved, the determination of the direction of movement of the fishing line was not entirely reliable.

Summary of the invention

With a view to mitigating the foregoing disadvantage, the present invention provides a bite indicator comprising a casing, a rest on the casing for a rod carrying a fishing line, a stylus tip mounted in the casing for contacting the fishing line of a rod resting on the casing, and a sensing element connected to the stylus tip to produce an electrical signal indicative of movement of the fishing line in response to vibration of the stylus tip, characterised in that the mounting of the sensing element in the casing is such as to permit the stylus tip to move along a translation path generally parallel to the length of the fishing line and means are provided for generating an electrical signal in dependence upon the position of the stylus tip along the translation path to indicate the direction of movement of the fishing line.

In the prior art, in order for the stylus to be able to vibrate, it could of course move in the direction of the fishing line but it could only do so by vibrating about a fixed position. By contrast, in the present invention, the central position about which the stylus vibrates is not fixed but is able to move along the translation path and it is the movement of this central position of the stylus along the translation path, as opposed to the instantaneous position of the stylus as it vibrates, that is indicative of the direction of movement of the fishing line.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensing element is mounted on a bracket that is pivotably mounted in the casing, the pivotal axis of the bracket being offset from the vertical plane passing through the fishing line when the bite indicator is in use and extending generally perpendicularly to the fishing line.

Instead of the bracket being pivotable it is possible for it to be flexible so that a part of it on which the sensing element is supported can move while another part is firmly anchored to the casing.

If the bracket is flexible, then the stylus tip will tend to remain in a central position and will move in one direction or the other when entrained by friction with the fishing line. In the case of a pivoted bracket, a spring can be used to achieve the same effect. As an alternative, the hinge may be designed to act in the same way as a rising butt to bias the bracket into a predetermined position by the action of gravity and/or the downward force applied to the tip of the stylus by the fishing line.

Such biasing of the stylus tip into a rest position has the disadvantage that there will be some resistance to the translation movement of the stylus. To maximise sensitivity, it is preferred to use a pivoted bracket that is not spring biased. The bracket will tend to be moved by gravity to one or other of its end position depending on the inclination of the bite indicator and the fishing line. It does not, however, matter which end position the bracket rests in, because the desired information can be deduced from the position of the sensing element or its mounting bracket when the fish takes the bait, as indicated by the vibration of the stylus. Thus regardless of whether the stylus tip rests in its forward or rearward end position, it will remain in or move to the forward end position if a fish moves away from the rod and conversely it will move to or remain in the rearward position by the action of the line tensioner if the fish moves towards the fishing rod.

Any suitable means may be used for detecting the position of the stylus or its mounting bracket within the casing of the bite indicator. Thus, one may for example use a Hall effect sensor interacting with a magnet moved by the support bracket of the vibration sensing element or one may use an optical sensor.

If only a limited degree of translation can be achieved within the confines of the casing, it is possible to use a mechanical lever arrangement to magnify the movement of the mounting bracket. If an optical sensor is used, one may increase sensitivity by, for example, using a mirror to magnify the movement.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a sketch of part of the interior of a bite indicator of the invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

There are many bite indicators currently available having a casing constructed as a clam shell and the single figure shows the interior of one half 10 of such a casing.

The shape of the bite indicator will be recognised by most anglers. At the top of the bite indicator there is a V-shaped support 12 which acts as a rod rest. When a fishing rod is placed on the rod rest 12, its line contacts the right hand side, as viewed, of a stylus 14. The line is guided by the shape of the stylus tip 14 into a gap where it is sandwiched between the stylus tip 14 and spaced guides defined by the body of the bite indicator. The stylus tip 14 is connected to a sheathed piezoelectric vibration sensing element 30 which is vibrated in and out of the plane of the drawing in response to line movement. The sensing element 30 operates in a manner similar to the pick-up of a gramophone record player to produce an output signal when the line moves.

A large aperture 16 is provided at the lower end of the casing to receive a loudspeaker that emits a sound to warn the angler of detected line movement.

A smaller hole 18 is provided to receive a light emitting diode which lights up when line movement is sensed and remains on or flashes for a short time after each detected line movement. Anglers may sometimes use two or more fishing rods and the use of light emitting diodes allows the angler to recognise the bite indicator that detected a line movement when several indicators are in use at the same time.

Bite indicators also often include rotary buttons for adjustment of the volume and pitch of the emitted sound and for setting the sensitivity of the detector. The hole 20 in the casing 10 and the surrounding recess are intended to receive a potentiometer that performs one of these functions.

The interior of the casing will also normally hold a battery and a circuit board connected to the circuit elements previously described but these have been omitted from the drawing in the interest of clarity.

As so far described, the bite indicator is no different from indicators that are currently available and because it is known per se it is not believed necessary to describe it in any greater detail.

In a conventional bite indicator, the base of the piezoelectric vibration sensing element 30 is mounted directly onto the casing 10 so that its tip 14 can vibrate but its base cannot move. By contrast, in the present invention, the base of the sensing element 30 is instead mounted in such a manner that it can move parallel to the fishing line, that is to say along an axis normal to the plane of the drawing.

This is achieved by mounting one end of the sensing element 30 on a pivotable L-shaped bracket 32. The bracket 32 can pivot relative to the casing about an axis defined by two pivot pins 34 and 36. The lower limb 38 of the bracket 32, which is longer than the piezoelectric element 30, carries at its end a small magnet 40. This magnet 40 interacts with a sensor (not shown) mounted on one or other of the halves of the clam shell casing, to indicate the position of the bracket 32 along an axis normal to the plane of the drawing.

The position sensor is preferably a Hall effect sensor but it would alternatively be possible to substitute for the magnet 40 and the magnetic sensor an optical sensor. Even though the total amount of movement of the free end of the lower limb 38 of the bracket 32 may only be a few millimetres, both Hall effect sensors and optical sensors have the ability to resolve this degree of movement and to indicate whether the stylus tip 14 is in a forward or a rearward position.

In use, when the line is at rest, the stylus tip 14 will move to one or other of two ends positions depending upon the attitude of the bite indicator and the fishing rod resting on it. When a vibration of the stylus tip 14 is detected, the circuitry to which the sensing element 30 is connected also initiates analysis of the output of the magnetic or optical position sensor interacting with the free end of the limb 38 of the bracket 32. Such analysis will determine if the bracket 32 and hence also the vibration sensing element 30 and the stylus tip 14 is in its forward or rearward position.

The terms forward and rearward are being used in the same sense as the movements of the fishing line, the forward position corresponding to line being drawn from the fishing reel by the fish and the rearward position corresponding to slack being taken up from the line by a line tensioner as a result of the fish moving towards the fishing rod. Thus, if the bracket 32 is sensed to be in the forward position, it can be deduced that the fish is moving away from the fishing rod. This indication is used either to modify the sound emitted by the loudspeaker or to activate a light emitting fl \ diode, to provide the angler with an audible or visual indication of the direction of line movement.

Modern fishing methods often use heavy semi-fixed leger weights and exposed hooks which automatically prick the fish with the hook as soon as the line tightens between the hook and the weight. However, the angler still needs to drive the hook into the fishes mouth by the action of striking. It is for this reason that the ability to detect the slackening of the line is so important. This is achieved by using some sort of line tensioner in conjunction with a bite indicator that can discriminate between forward and backward line movement. A fish dragging a leger weight towards the angler sometimes gives very little indication at the bite alarm and could be missed altogether, allowing time for the fish to eject the hook from its mouth.

Instead of the bracket 32 being freely pivotable, it would be alternatively possible for it to be flexible so long as it permits the stylus tip 14 to move in and out of the plane of the drawing. Because the resilience of a firmly mounted bracket would present some resistance to translation of the stylus tip 14 in the plane normal to the drawing, it is preferred to use a pivoted bracket and not to spring bias it into any position.

The fact that the lower limb 38 of the pivoted bracket 32 can be made longer than the sensing element 30, results in its end moving by a greater distance than the stylus tip 14 and this magnification of the movement assists in its detection by the associated sensor. It would nevertheless be possible alternatively to detect movement of the end of the sensing element 30 or of the stylus tip 14. The choice will be determined in each case by the internal design of the casing of the bite indicator and the free space available to accommodate the bracket 32.

Claims

1. A bite indicator comprising a casing, a rest on the casing for a rod carrying a fishing line, a stylus tip mounted in the casing for contacting the fishing line of a rod resting on the casing, and a sensing element connected to the stylus tip to produce an electrical signal indicative of movement of the fishing line in response to vibration of the stylus tip, characterised in that the mounting of the sensing element in the casing is such as to permit the stylus tip to move along a translation path generally parallel to the length of the fishing line and means are provided for generating an electrical signal in dependence upon the position of the stylus tip along the translation path to indicate the direction of movement of the fishing line.

2. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing element is supported on a bracket that is pivotably mounted in the casing.

3. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pivotal axis of the bracket is offset from the vertical plane passing through fishing line when the bite indicator is in use and extends generally perpendicularly to the fishing line.

4. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing element is mounted on a flexible bracket that is rigidly secured to the casing at one end.

5. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the bracket is able to move freely between a forward and a rearward end position and the only force acting to bias the bracket into one or other of the end positions is gravity.

6. A bite indicator as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a magnetic sensor is provided to determine the position of sensing element along the translation path.

7. A bite indicator as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, claim, wherein an optical magnetic sensor is provided to determine the position of sensing element along the translation path.

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