GB2440707A

GB2440707A - Bite alarm accessory

Info

Publication number: GB2440707A
Application number: GB0615806A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Derek Romang
Original assignee: Delkim Products Ltd
Current assignee: Delkim Products Ltd
Priority date: 2006-08-09
Filing date: 2006-08-09
Publication date: 2008-02-13
Also published as: GB0615806D0

Abstract

The accessory is used in association with an existing bite alarm to activate a bivvy light. The accessory comprises a unit 18 for receiving a repeater 16. The repeater communicates by a radio link with a remote bite indicator 10 to provide an audible, tangible or visible signal when a bite is detected. A sensor 22 in the unit 18 detects when an audible, tangible or visible signal is emitted by the repeater and activates a bivvy light to provide local illumination.

Description

ACCESSORY FOR USE BY ANGLERS

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an accessory for use by anglers.

Background of the invention

Bite alarm systems are known which allow a remotely located receiver communicating by a radio or hard wired transmission link with a bite indicator to act as a repeater or extension, providing a remote visual and/or audible alarm when a bite is detected on the line of a fishing rod resting on the bite indicator.

More recently, separate accessories have been made which are dedicated to providing local illumination within the angler's shelter, commonly and herein referred to as a "bivvy". These accessories, known as remotely activated bivvy lights, are for the angler's convenience at night and are separately remotely activated by the bite indicator.

Known bivvy lights are relatively expensive, as they commonly rely on a separate radio receiver to communicate with the radio transmitter in the bite indicator. The angler therefore has effectively to purchase two radio receivers. While it would be possible to combine both alarm indication and a bivvy light within one receiving unit, this would make for a complicated system as the bivvy light functions would only be required at night.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention, there is provided an accessory comprising a unit for positioning adjacent a repeater which in use communicates with a remote bite indicator to provide an audible, tangible or visible signal when a bite is detected on the line of a rod resting on the remote bite indicator, a sensor in the unit for detecting when an audible, tangible or visible signal is emitted by the repeater and a bivvy light activated by the sensor for providing local illumination.

The unit may conveniently be designed as a cradle or receptacle in which the repeater is placed, but it may simply be designed to stand or hang immediately adjacent the repeater.

In the present invention, there is no need to duplicate the radio receiver and instead use is made of the signal emitted by the repeater to activate the bivvy light. The accessory is therefore self contained and need not be dedicated to any particular bite indicator.

As the sensor is in a unit that is very close to any sound vibration or light emitted by the repeater, its sensitivity can be set very low, thereby avoiding any risk of interference from extraneous sources of sound or light.

To avoid interference further, it is possible to filter the signal received by the sensor so that only sounds or vibrations of a certain frequency can act to switch on the bivvy light. If light emitted by the LED of the repeater is to be used to activate the bivvy light, then the sensor may be made sensitive only to the wavelengths emitted by the LED or it may be positioned in the unit in such a manner that its angle of vision is restricted so that it receives light from the LED but is shaded from extraneous light sources.

If desired, in addition to the various sensitivity controls to reduce the risk of interference, the accessory may include means for allowing activation of the light source by the angler even when no bite has been detected.

Such means may include a switch or a remote controller. The remote controller may be designed to emit an infra red signal but when the sensor is sensitive to sounds and vibrations, it could be triggered by a hand clap or a whistle.

The accessory may further include an override to inhibit operation of the bivvy light when there is sufficient ambient light, so as to conserve battery life.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a prior art accessory for activating a bivvy light, and Figure 2 is a similar block diagram of an accessory of the present invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 show a conventional bite indicator with a transmitting antenna 12 communicating by radio with a repeater 16 having a receiving antenna 14.

The operation of the bite indicator 10 and that of the repeater 16 are well known and are documented in the prior (see for example GB 2,294,379 and GB 2,373,701 which are imported herein by reference) . The bite indicator 10 is a unit positioned beneath a fishing rod at the stretch of water where the angler is fishing, usually termed the swim.

The bite indicator 10 emits a sound and flashes an LED when a bite is detected in the line of a fishing rod resting on the bite. Because several rods and bite indicators may be in use at the same time, the LED may continue to flash for a time even after the line movement has ceased to inform the angler which of the bite indicators responded to a line movement.

The angler may at the same time be resting in a tent or hivvy, at some distance from the swim, where he would be not be able to hear sounds emitted by the bite indicator nor to see any flashing lights on the bite indicator 10. The purpose of the repeater 16, sometimes termed a command unit, is to duplicate within the bivvy the sounds and visible signals emitted by the bite indicator 10. The repeater 16 may sometimes additionally be able to send signals to the bite indicator 10, for example to set its sensitivity.

The bite indicator 10 and the repeater 16 are no different in the present invention from the prior art and it is therefore not believed necessary to describe the construction of either of these units in greater detail.

Anglers may sometimes fish at night and when a bite is detected the interior of the bivvy may be too dark for the angler to see clearly. To solve this problem, it is already known to provide an accessory which is totally separate from the bite indicator 10 and the repeater 16. The accessory comprises an actuator 30 with its own antenna 32 and radio receiver tuned to the transmissions of the bite indicator 10. When the bite indicator 10 emits a radio signal for sensing by the repeater 13, the same radio signal is picked up by the actuator 30 and used to operate a bivvy light 24.

The disadvantage of this prior art solution to the

problem of ambient illumination in the bivvy is that the actuator requires a radio receiver which is rendered more costly by requiring decoding circuitry to avoid interference from other bite indicator transmitting locally on the same frequency.

To avoid the need for a second radio receiver, the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2 has a unit 18 for positioning adjacent the repeater 16. The unit may desirably be a cradle in which the repeater is receiver but it need not be dedicated to a particular construction of the repeater. The unit 18 includes a battery 20 and a sensor 22 sensitive not to the radio signal emitted by the indicator but to the sounds, vibrations or flashing lights emitted by the repeater 16 on receipt of a radio signal from the bite indicator 10. When the repeater 16 duplicates the sounds, vibrations or lights of the indicator 10, its audible and/or visible signals are sensed by the sensor 22 and used to switch on the bivvy light 24.

In the present invention, there is thus no need to duplicate the radio receiver and instead use is made of the signal emitted by the repeater to activate the bivvy light.

The accessory is therefore self contained and need not be dedicated to any particular repeater or bite indicator.

As the sensor 22 is in a unit 18 positioned very close to any sound, vibration or light emitted by the repeater 16, its sensitivity can be set very low to avoid any risk of interference from extraneous sources of sound or light.

To avoid interference further, it is possible to filter the output of the sensor 22 so that only sounds or vibrations of a certain frequency can act to switch on the bivvy light 24. If light emitted by the LED of the repeater 16 is to be used to activate the bivvy light 24, then the sensor may be made sensitive only to the wavelengths emitted by the LED or it may be positioned in the unit 18 in such a manner that its angle of vision is restricted so that it receives light from the LED but is shaded from extraneous light sources.

Furthermore, if the unit is activated by pulses of light or sound, then it is preferred to inhibit activation of the bivvy light until a preset number of such pulses have been emitted by the repeater.

If desired, in addition to the various fiJters and sensitivity controls to reduce the risk of interference, the unit may include means for allowing activation of the light source by the angler even when no bite has been detected.

Such means may include a switch or a remote controller. The remote controller may be designed to emit an infra red signal but when the sensor is sensitive to sounds and vibrations, it could be triggered by a hand clap or a whistle. 1 h

The accessory may also include an override to inhibit operation of the bivvy light when there is sufficient ambient light, so as to conserve battery life.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. An accessory comprising a unit for positioning adjacent a repeater which in use communicates with a remote bite indicator to provide an audible, tangible or visible signal when a bite is detected on the line of a rod resting on the remote bite indicator, a sensor in the unit for detecting when an audible, tangible or visible signal is emitted by the repeater and a bivvy light activated by the sensor for providing local illumination.

2. An accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is responsive to sound or vibrations emitted by the repeater and means are provided for filtering the output signal of the sensor so that only sounds or vibrations of a certain frequency can act to switch on the bivvy light.

3. An accessory as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is responsive to light emitted by the repeater and means are provided for ensuring that only light a certain frequency incident on the sensor can act to switch on the bivvy light.

4. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the unit includes a manually operable switch to enable activation of the bivvy light even when no bite has been detected.

5. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, :30 wherein a remote controller is provided for allowing remote activation of the bivvy light by the angler even when no bite has been detected.

6. An accessory as claimed in claim 5, wherein the remote controller communicates with the unit by means of infra red radiation.

7. An accessory as claimed in claim 5, wherein the remote controller communicates with the unit by sound or mechanical vibration.

8. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, wheretn accessory includes an ambient light sensor and means for inhibiting activation of the bivvy light when the ambient liqht is above a preset level 9. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the unit is constructed as a cradle or receptacle in which the repeater is placed.

10. An accessory as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the unit is designed to stand or hang adjacent the repeater.