GB2611022A

GB2611022A - An improved interchangeable entity location device

Info

Publication number: GB2611022A
Application number: GB2112874.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bishop Marcus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-09-08
Filing date: 2021-09-09
Publication date: 2023-03-29
Also published as: GB202112874D0; GB202112802D0

Abstract

A real time location system (RTLS) device is attachable to an item of apparatus or equipment (such as a ski or snowboard) and used to transmit a radio signal, via a transducer 64/66, representative of the location of the item following loss of the item. The device is provided with an integral source electrical energy in the form of piezo-electric generator including piezoelectric fibres 18 & 20. The electrical energy to be stored is created as a result of the flexure of the piezoelectric fibres 18 & 20 so that when the item is in use, the piezo-electric fibres are deformed in unison with the flexure of the device and item. The device may be detachable from the item and reused on a different item.

Description

AN IMPROVED INTERCHANGEABLE ENTITY LOCATION DEVICE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to entity location devices with particular emphasis on alpine sports equipment and associated hardware. More specifically, the invention discloses an improved detachable location tacking device which allows for the retrieval of expensive sports equipment, such as skis, which may have been misplaced, lost, stolen, buried or otherwise separated from the individual. This device is intended, but not solely, for application in mountainous environments, including but not limited to ski resorts, ski pistes and ski-able off-piste areas.

For the purposes of this specification a location service device is to be considered as an entity, wherein the user can track and thereby locate an item of importance.

Review of the Background Art Known to the Applicant With the rise of a wide variety of real-time locating systems (RTLS), such as Global 30 Positioning System (UPS), RTLS devices are a well-known feature of modern life. Devices, such as previous known art US2012/0249798, have used such RTLS devices to track a mobile object, such as a lost child. This prior art uses the constant applied pressure by said child to a device located in the heel of a shoe to activate piezoelectric fibres which generates the energy required to power the RTLS RTLS's also have a use in the location of sports items. A device of this particular type is known from EP3144909. In this invention piezoelectric fibres run the internal length of the winter sports item, along with an energy recovery system. A person can directly or indirectly harness and store the electrical energy which has been generated through normal use of said item by the participant causing the flexing of the piezo-electric fibres. The electrical current can either be stored in an energy storage system which directly or indirectly powers a radio transceiver which is capable of both receiving and transmitting signals representative of an items location and thereby allowing the user to find their lost item.

In the detailed figure description seen in the prior art of EP3144909, you can see that the invention shows housing devices are enclosed within the item itself, i.e. in the main body of the board, in this case a snowboard, along with the piezoelectric fibres which run the length of the board. As stated in the patent EP3144909, alpine equipment is often expensive and requires regular upkeep and replacing. It is recommended, for example, that skis should be replaced after 13-20 weeks of intensive use/after 100-125 full days of use. Rental companies also replace their skis each year after the seasons heavy usage has worn out the equipment. By adding piezo electric fibres and an RTLS device entrapped within the skiboard, this too will be thrown out and discarded. These devices can be an expensive addition to customer's winter hire/their own personal items and also throws question to environmental concern, for example disposing of say the piezoelectric fibres if they are made from ceramics, such as lead zirconate titanate, or, as stated in the patent, a SIM card is integrated into the board which requires Silicon, a finite resource.

Winter sports items, such as skis and snowboards, are designed to be ductile in order to ease a user's passage over contours and gradient changes found on mountainous terrain highlighting the suitability of such items for the use of piezoelectric fibres. However, the equipment described also relies on a thin edge (<5 cm) to allow for smooth 'carving' into the snow, and henceforth snapping and damage to equipment can occur. Again, this adds to the disposability of the device described previously in patent EP3144909 This leads to the progressive step of this invention which encompasses the RTLS, i.e. which is powered by creating storable electrical energy from the flexing of piezoelectric fibres described in EP3144909, but which is now incorporated into a detachable and reusable housing 'plate'. The overall problem solved by the present invention is that providing a detachable housing apparatus allows for its attachment and reattachment to different worn items. None of the prior art documents above has seen let alone solved this issue in the way now claimed by the Applicant.

Summary of Invention

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a detachable item which is directly affixed to a piece of equipment or clothing which, under normal use, is worn either directly or indirectly by a person. The motion required to drive the piece of equipment forward, and thereby causing the flexing of said equipment or article of clothing, is directly attributable to the efforts of said person; thereby making the detachable item possess no independent source of power for moving the equipment. Said item in one presently preferred form is characterised by including: * an integral source of stored electrical energy, and * an electrically powered radio transceiver capable of both receiving signals representative of a location, or from which a location can be derived, and transmitting signals representative of said location, * a detachable housing chamber encompassing the electronic components described above, which can be independent of the equipment or article of clothing, and further characterised in that the radio transceiver and source of stored electrical energy are directly or indirectly connected within a detachable housing chamber and such that the transceiver is at least partially powered by the source of stored electrical energy. The integral source of stored electrical energy further comprises, either internally or at least partially internally within the detachable housing chamber, to an integral energy recovery system and characterised in that the electrical energy stored is created as a result of the flexure of piezoelectric fibres, of which are internally retained and extend within the detachable housing chamber, so that when the apparatus is in use, the piezoelectric fibres are deformed with the flexure of the item The scope of the invention is defined in the claims.

Further to the description of the invention, the electrical components may also include: * electrical energy recovery unit * radio transceiver * micro processing module with SIM card * rechargeable battery * either all the piezoelectric fibres, or parts of the piezoelectric fibres which then extend throughout the rest of the equipment.

These will be housed in a device that encompasses all, or some of, the electrical parts described above. In a most preferred embodiment, the housing device will be made of a waterproof material to stop internal damage to the integral electrical components The waterproof material and shape of the detachable housing item itself can be kept broad due to the many aspects to which this item can functionally be used In a most preferred embodiment, the housing device would be made from a material which is durable and protective, but still facilitates the flexing of the piezoelectric fibres, enabling the RTLS device to be maintained and therefore increase the lifespan of said product.

By incorporating the main electronics unit into the detachable housing chamber, it allows for users to attach, and reattach, the device to multiple pieces of equipment for the primary aim of location. For example, it is common for skiers to also utilise snowboards or during the summer months it is common in alpine regions to partake in mountain biking activities. By creating a reusable device that can be attached to any piece of equipment it means the wearer will be able to keep track of the location of multiple items, consecutively, whilst only having to make a one-off purchase. Sport's equipment also has a depreciating life span, and by having a detachable housing mechanism, the wearer can update their equipment without having to incur the cost of a new RTLS. The invention described also has environmental benefits to consider due to the reusability of the RTLS device it helps conserve materials which are difficult to mine. For example, the components required to make a SIA/I card include high purity Silicon to make the chip which is then coated in Gold to form the outer layer. These compounds are finite, which raises environmental concerns where consumers are being encouraged to reuse items where possible In another embodiment envisaged, the invention could be incorporated to have multifunctionality for certain pieces of equipment or apparatus e.g. such as racer plates for skis. Skis, snowboards, and other winter sports devices such as ski blades, use complex bindings which not only improve safety but also performance. In some designs, the electronic components would be incorporated into a detachable housing device which also acts as a racer plate, also known as riser plates, lifter plates and binding shims. These plates are situated between the bindings and the ski board, elevating the skier's boots, and thereby enabling more pressure to be directed to the edges of the board. By encompassing the electronical components within the detachable race plate fixture would allow for greater pressure to be placed across the width of the board and thereby allowing greater flexing of the piezoelectric fibres. This will, in turn, allow for greater electrical generation which can be used to power up the location device quicker and more efficiently.

A specific embodiment of the invention is now described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure I shows a perspective view of a conventional ski in which embodiments of the present invention may be integrated.

Figure 2 shows a sectional elevation of the ski in Figure 1 illustrating how the internal 30 components may be integrated within the ski, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 shows the placement of said housing device over the part of the ski with the most flexing available to improve energy generation Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the integrated electronic components and how they may be situated, in relationship with each other, contained by the detachable housing device, in this case the racer plate

Detailed Description

The Applicant foresees the present invention, although displayed solely on a ski board in the attached figures, to have a wide range of suitable items or pieces of equipment that the device could be housed. For the sake of brevity and clarity, the following specific description is limited to downhill skis.

Figure 1 shows a conventional downhill ski (10) to the upper surface of which are secured conventional bindings (12). A skier (not shown) secures themself to the board by clipping their specially designed boots into the bindings, thus rigidly fixing the boots, and therefore the wearer/skier, to the skis. To disassemble, the skier must release their boots from the bindings by forcing the heel lever (14) down. As the skier begins to ski, whether within a groomed piste or not, the waxed underside of the ski slides over the snow, the pressure is applied to the surface of the snow causes the top layer of snow to melt thereby reducing the friction. Using a rhythmic motion to shift one's weight from one leg, and therefore the ski, to the other depending on which ski is facing downhill, the skier is able to navigate oneself across undulating and irregular downhill terrain.

In terms of the present invention, it is vital that the skis are flexible to a certain degree, and supple deformations occur during use. Natural such deformations take place from the ski crossing the uneven terrain of a piste, however, the general use by the rider also exerts force on the ski, such as jumping down from chairlifts, fastening the boots into the bindings, as well as the increased turns a particular skier may make on the downhill, can all attribute to the flexing of such an item. By adding extra height under the bindings in the form of race plates can also increase the efficiency at which a skier's weight is distributed across the board by allowing for pressure to be exerted right to the edges. This comprehensiveforce can usefully be converted from pressure into electrical energy by the use of piezoelectric fibres (18, 20) situated within the racer plates (16) and allow for greater electrical generation. Figure 2 shows a sectional view of one of the racer plates (16) from Figure 1.

The attachment of a such a racer plate (16) can be seen situated underneath the bindings (12). From the zoomed circular callout (22), one can see a cross-section (24) showing inside this plate the two sets of integrated piezoelectric fibres (18, 20) which extend from their base ends (26, 28) both forwardly and rearwardly and most preferably to both extremities of the racer plates (30, 32) terminating at the defining boundary of the plates, however the fibres could also extend into the board itself, if so desired (not depicted here). The fibres are electrically connected to the respective electronics modules (34, 36) by the connectors (38, 40) said modules in turn being electrically connected at (42, 44) to a rechargeable battery (46).

Referring to Figure 3, the side profile of the ski (10) depicted in Figure 1 and 2 shows the idea of the positive camber (48) which is directly below the ski binding (12), and therefore racer plate (16). The camber is a section where the ski arches into the air supported by point at each end (50, 52) where the ski touches the snow. This positive camber is actively pushed into the snow when weighted down by a skier. The flexure provided is greatly heightened due to this positive camber and allows for a constant exertion enabled to flex the piezoelectric fibres which extend from either end of the racer plates (30, 32) housed in the racer plates (16) and thereby creating a more efficient mode of energy generation.

Figure 4 depicts an alternate view of the electronics modules (34, 36) housed within a boundary which portrays a version of the detachable housing device (54) described in the summary. The electrical component module may comprise of an (or multiple) electrical recovery module(s) (56, 58), a (or multiple) microprocessing module(s) (60, 62), and a (or multiple) radio transceiver module(s) (64, 66) which can receive incoming radio or other frequency signals (68) and transmit radio or other frequency signals (70) remotely.

When in use, the device would be attached to a piece of equipment, for example a downhill ski whereby the flexure of the ski would cause the reversible and non-detrimental deformation of the piezoelectric fibres (18, 20) which creates an electrical charge which can be harvested by the recovery module(s) (56, 58) and delivered to the rechargeable battery (46) When the rider/wearer is separated from the skis, either (or both) of the fibres (18, 20) and the rechargeable battery (46) which provide the electrical power required to power the one or more processing modules (60, 62) and one or more transceiver modules (64, 66). It is important to note that although the figure depicts two electronics modules (34, 36) with their corresponding components (56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66), the invention described may have more or less, although no less than one, as these components are vital for the functionality of the invention.

Claims

Claims A device that is attachable to an item of apparatus or equipment which, in use, is directly or indirectly worn by a person and henceforth causes flexure in said item and therefore device wherein said flexure is initiated by, controlled by, or directly attributed to the motion of said person, said device and item being passive in that other than its wearer, the device and item possess no independent source of power for moving the item, and in which said device is provided with * an integral source of stored electrical energy in the form of piezo-electric fibres which extend internally or at least partially internally within the device, and * an electrically powered radio transceiver capable of both receiving signals representative of a location, or from which a location can be derived, and transmitting signals representative of said location.the radio transceiver being directly or indirectly connected to the item, such that the transceiver is at least partially powered by the stored electrical energy source in use; wherein the integral source of stored electrical energy further comprises, and/or is connected at least partially internally within the item to an integral energy recovery system and characterised in that the electrical energy to be stored is created as a result of the flexure of the piezoelectric fibres which extend internally or at least partially internally within the device so that when the item is in use, the piezoelectric fibres are deformed in unison with the flexure of the device
2. A device according to Claim 1 which is characterised in that the housing chamber which harbours the electrical components can be detached from the item described in Claim 1 and can be reattached at any time to the same piece of equipment or clothing, or a new piece of equipment/clothing.
3. A device which according to Claims 1 and 2, said housing chamber may have multifunctionality associated with it, which may or may not increase the performance of the device.