WO2006015443A1

WO2006015443A1 - Detection of fish strike

Info

Publication number: WO2006015443A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/001209
Authority: WO
Inventors: George Robert Braun
Original assignee: George Robert Braun
Priority date: 2004-08-13
Filing date: 2005-08-15
Publication date: 2006-02-16

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention provides a system for providing an alert to a user of a fish striking a lure attached to a line that is retrievable by operation of a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the system including a flex sensor operably connected to the shaft of the fishing rod for sensing flexing of the shaft during use and for providing a flex signal, a high pass filter operably connected to the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output, a comparator operably connected to the high pass filter, said comparator being adapted to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value, and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide the alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication. In yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the fishing rod including an electrical power source attached to the fishing rod, and an illuminating means connectable with the power source such that, during use, at least a segment of the flexible shaft is illuminated during conditions of low light such that any flexing of the shaft is more readily determined by visual observation.

Description

DETECTION OF FISH STRIKE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a system and method of providing users with an alert to provide a warning when a fish has become hooked on a fishing line. More particularly, a system and method of the present invention assists an operator in differentiating between the effect upon the flexing of a fishing rod shaft as a result of the action of a hooked fish as compared with environmental effects such as tidal drag. Another system and method of the present invention relates to providing a user with a visual indication of a fishing rod shaft flexing that can be observed from a distance. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recreational and professional line fishing represent substantial industries and a significant amount of consumer expenditure is devoted toward the purchase of fishing equipment. Improved devices for luring and attracting fish to a hook are continually being developed and consumers currently have a large range of choices available to them when considering the purchase of a device for luring and hooking a fish. However, to date, there are no commercially available systems that effectively detect a fish striking a lure, artificial bait or natural bait to warn or advise the operator of a fishing rod that a fish has been hooked.

When a fish first strikes a lure and becomes hooked, it is usually important to commence retrieval of the fishing line in order to land the fish in a relatively short period of time otherwise the fish may have sufficient time to work itself free from the hook. Accordingly, when a fishing rod is not being manually operated by a user at the point in time that a fish strikes the hook, it is important that the user receive an indication or alert that a fish has been hooked so that the user can divert their attention to operating the fishing rod in order to retrieve the fish. In some instances, inexperienced operators may not be aware that a fish has become hooked as they may not be able to distinguish between the effect upon the fishing rod of a hooked fish as compared with other environmental factors such as wind and/or tidal drag. Further, physically disabled operators sometimes find it difficult to determine when a fish has become hooked as a result of their physical disability such as blindness or their confinement to a wheelchair. In the latter instance, physically disabled people confined to a wheelchair often mount a fishing rod and leave it unattended rather than continually hold the fishing rod for the duration of the fishing experience.

The impact of environmental effects can also make it difficult for experienced operators to distinguish between the effect of a fish strike and a prevailing environment such as when fishing from a moving platform such as a boat or tidal effects when fishing from rocks or from the surf.

Another difficulty arises when an operator is operating a number of rods and cannot devote attention to all the rods simultaneously. This difficulty is exacerbated when fishing outside daylight hours when it is difficult to see the rods as it is usual for people operating numerous rods to visually observe the shaft of the rod for flexing in order to determine when a fish has become hooked.

Known systems and devices for providing alerts or warnings of hooked fish suffer from a high level of false warnings or false alarms as a result of environmental factors. Therefore, there is a need for a system or device that can differentiate between the effect of the fish striking a lure and any other environmental effects to provide an effective warning system to alert operators of a hooked fish.

There is also a need to enable operators of numerous rods to visually observe the shafts of the rods particularly at night time in order to improve their ability to determine when a fish has become hooked.

Known systems and devices for enabling the shaft of a rod to be visually observed, particularly at night time, include light sticks or glow sticks which are typically attached by an operator to the end of the fishing rod shaft. Light sticks usually consist of a glass vial housing two chemical solutions which interact with each other when the vial is broken. The resulting chemical reaction causes a fluorescent dye in one of the solutions to emit light for a period of time, typically 5 to 10 hours. Whilst light sticks are portable and require no batteries, they are expensive and can only be used once. Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material formed part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art on or before the priority date of the claims herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a system for providing an alert to a user of a fish striking a lure attached to a line that is retrievable by operation of a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the system including: a flex sensor operably connected to the shaft of the fishing rod for sensing flexing of the shaft during use and for providing a flex signal; a high pass filter operably connected to the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output; a comparator operably connected to the high pass filter, said comparator being adapted to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value; and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide the alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication.

A system for alerting users according to this aspect of the invention provides operators with an alert of a possible fish strike. Further, the system preferably includes the facility to adjust the comparator thus enabling the operator to adjust the sensitivity of the system to accord with prevailing environmental factors whilst they are fishing. In the event that a set of environmental factors causes the system to generate false alerts, the operator can simply adjust the comparison or reference value of the comparator such that the false alerts cease to be provided thereby enabling the system to effectively differentiate between the effect of a fish becoming hooked and the prevailing environmental conditions. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flex sensor is a resistive element attached to the rod shaft. This is particularly preferred where the system is intended to be attached as a retrofit to an existing fishing rod. Alternatively, the flex sensor could be embedded into the rod shaft during manufacture and would ideally be located on the rod shaft at a position that would usually be subject to a significant degree of flexing as a result of a fish becoming hooked.

In another embodiment, the flex sensor could include an optical fibre strand potentially extending the entire length of the fishing rod shaft with light injected into the optical fibre and any reflected components measured as the reflective index of the optical fibre strand changes during flexing of the fishing rod shaft. In this particular embodiment, the optical fibre strand could also be used to illuminate the shaft.

In yet another embodiment, the flex sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor attached to the fishing rod shaft to detect movement of the tip of the shaft. The high pass filter preferably has a cut off frequency of approximately five Hz. However, the cut off frequency could be anywhere in the range of 0.5 Hz to 50 Hz. In a preferred embodiment, the signal from the flex sensor is amplified before the signal is provided as an input to the high pass filter. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the comparator is adjustable and is a programmable level comparator incorporated in a microcontroller. As previously described, adjustment of the comparator enables operators to effectively avoid false warnings that would otherwise occur as a result of the prevailing environmental conditions. As the environmental conditions associated with fishing are generally not favourable to the operation of electronic devices such as switches, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention adjustment of the programmable level comparator is effected by use of a touch sensor such that repeated touching of the sensor selects different reference values. The touch sensor may also be used to effect other functions such as activating and deactivating the system and activating and deactivating the alerting device. In a preferred embodiment, a user may select between a visible and/or audible warning upon the comparator providing a positive indication. In preferred embodiments, audible alerts are provided for the visually impaired and visual alerts are provided for those with hearing difficulties. Preferably, the system includes both types of alerting devices with a means to select either or both of the different types of alerts. Further, it is preferable that different audible alerts of varying pitch and volume may be selected by an operator to accord with their personal preference. With respect to audible alerts, the alert could be a simple tone or a pre-recorded segment of music or speech. In yet another embodiment the alerting device includes a transceiver which can communicate an RF signal to an operator's transceiver device to alert the operator of a fish strike. In this instance, the operator can move a substantial distance away from the fishing rod (ie. beyond visual or audible range) and continue to receive alerts.

The system is preferably powered by rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMh) batteries as these cells have the ability to retain charge for several months whilst at the same time being relatively environmentally friendly. Recharging of the batteries is preferably effected by an inductive charging system such that the batteries do not require removal from the container in which they are installed. This is particularly useful when considering the harsh environmental conditions that usually prevail in fishing environments. Further, the charging system can be supplied by mains electrical power, battery, solar or wind generated electrical power. In order to reduce the current drain from the rechargeable batteries whilst the system is not in use, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system includes a magnetic switch that provides power from the batteries to the electronic circuit arrangement, the magnetic switch being located in a region of the fishing rod proximate to the usual location of the fishing line reel. In this embodiment of the invention, the fishing reel includes a small magnet mounted in its base such that, upon attachment of the fishing line reel to the rod, the magnetic switch is closed and hence provides power from the battery to the electronic circuit arrangement. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for alerting a user of a fish striking a lure attached to a line that is retrievable by operation of a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the method including the steps of: receiving flex signals from a flex sensor operably connected to the flexible shaft, the flex signals providing an indication of flex of the flexible shaft during use; providing the flex signals to a high pass filter to filter at least low frequency components the flex signal; providing the filtered flex signals to a comparator for comparing the filtered flex signal with a reference value; and activating an alerting device to alert the user in the event that the filtered flex signal reaches or exceeds the reference value.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method also includes the step of adjusting the reference value of the adjustable comparator to suit the prevailing environmental conditions in order to substantially mitigate the instance of false alerts of a fish strike.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of fishing with a fishing rod having a flexible shaft including an arrangement having a flex sensor operably connected to the flexible shaft for sensing flexing of the shaft during use, a high pass filter operably connected to receive signals from the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output, an adjustable comparator operably connected to the output of the high pass filter, the comparator being operable to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value, and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide an alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication, the method including the steps of: activating a touch sensor to supply power from a power supply to the arrangement; and activating the touch sensor in accordance with a predetermined sequence to adjust the reference.

In yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the fishing rod including: an electrical power source attached to the fishing rod; and an illuminating means connectable with the power source such that, during use, at least a segment of the flexible shaft is illuminated during conditions of low light such that any flexing of the shaft is more readily determined by visual observation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the illuminating means is an electroluminescent wire attached to, or contained within, the flexible shaft of the fishing rod. In an alternative embodiment the illuminating means includes one or more light emitting diodes which may be multi-coloured. Between the electrical power source and the illuminating means a rotary switch may be provided to facilitate operational changes to the illuminating means. The rotary switch may be located in an end section of the fishing rod handle with the switch being rotatable about an axis parallel to the shaft of the fishing rod. The rotation of the switch preferably causes adjustment to the intensity of the light emitted by the illuminating means. In this regard, a low, medium and high intensity setting is preferably provided with a further setting to enable flashing of the illuminating means. Alternatively, a touch sensor may be provided instead of the rotary switch with a predefined timed touching sequence used to effect operational settings. Further, in a particularly preferred embodiment, a colour selection means is provided on the fishing rod to enable the colour of light emitted by the illuminating means to be adjusted to any one of a multitude of different colours.

In another embodiment, an inductive charging system is housed within the end section of the fishing rod handle such that charging can occur by placing the end section of the fishing rod handle in the charger. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the switching and inductive charging arrangement is a unitary assembly and housed within the handle section of the fishing rod shaft.

A fishing rod with an illuminated shaft renders the shaft easily distinguishable in low light conditions such that an operator may observe flexing of the shaft that would occur as a result of a fish striking a lure and becoming hooked. Of course, it is preferable for the fishing rod shafts to be sufficiently translucent in order to enable the illumination means to transmit visible light from within the shaft for external observation by a user.

Fishing rods with illuminated flexible shafts are particularly useful for fishing at night time wherein a user may choose to bait lures from different fishing rods with different baits in order to determine which particular bait is the most successful for attracting a particular species of fish that the operator wishes to catch. For example, a user may bait hooks on three separate rods with three separate types of bait and wait to see which particular bait is the most successful at luring the desired species of fish. In this particular example, it is preferred that the shafts of the fishing rods are illuminated with different colours that the operator could easily associate with the different types of bait being used.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, a fishing rod is provided with an illuminated flexible shaft and a system for providing an alert of a fish striking a lure as previously described wherein illumination of the shaft acts as a visual indication of a fish strike activated by the system. Of course, with the flexible shaft of the fishing rod being illuminated at the time of receiving an alert from the system, the operator can visually observe the flexing of the fishing rod shaft to make an assessment with respect to either the presence of a hooked fish or the flexing being a result of some other environmental factor, such as tidal drag.

In an alternative embodiment the flexible shaft of the fishing rod may be illuminated with a specific colour and/or flash at the time of receiving an alert from the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic circuit arrangement detailing the main components required for a fish strike detection system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a flowchart detailing the method steps executed to activate a fish strike detection system, the method steps according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and including adjustment of the reference value;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an illumination circuit arrangement detailing the main components required for an illumination system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 4 is a flowchart detailing the method steps associated with determining the activation of a touch switch according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to Figure 1 , a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of an electronic circuit arrangement is provided detailing a flex sensor that is attached to a portion of a fishing rod shaft that flexes during the process of a fish striking the lure and becoming hooked. In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the flex sensor is a resistive element that has a nominal resistance of 10 Kohms when not flexed which rises to approximately 15 Kohms when the sensor is subject to maximum flex of approximately 90°. In order to detect a small change in resistance, that would most likely occur as a result of flexing of a fishing rod shaft caused by a fish striking a lure, the resistive element of the flex sensor is connected in series with a resistor R1 to form a voltage divider between the voltage supplied by battery B1 and the virtual ground G. A bend in the shaft of a fishing rod with a flex sensor attached will cause a small change in voltage at the junction of the two resistors (i.e. the junction formed between R1 and the flex sensor). This small change in voltage is then amplified by operational amplifier A1 with a gain of approximately 18 to ensure that subsequent stages in the signal processing chain can detect the flex sensor signal.

Once amplified, the flex sensor signal is passed through a high pass RC filter consisting of C4 and R6 in order to filter the low frequency component that will usually exist as a result of environmental factors such as tidal fluctuations. The high pass filter preferably has a cut off frequency of approximately 5 Hz.

Any flex sensor signals with a rate of change higher than 4 Hz will pass through the high pass RC filter. To automatically compensate for any changes in flex sensor resistance due to temperature, manufacturing tolerances or component values, a virtual ground is derived from the flex sensor voltage divider and is filtered by capacitors C1 and C2 which provides a virtual ground for the operational amplifier A1.

Outward signals from the high pass RC filter are provided as an input to the microcontroller Vl which includes an internal programmable level comparator that is used in the circuit arrangement to provide peak detection of signals provided from the high pass RC filter. The comparator provides a positive indication when the flex sensor signal from the high pass RC filter reaches or exceeds a reference value that can be adjusted by the microcontroller. In a preferred embodiment, the reference voltage values of 0.4 V, 0.8 V, 1.2 V or 2.0 V are used. In the event that a positive indication is provided by the programmable level comparator, a signal is provided to the piezo speaker to provide an audible alert. Of course, any alerting device could be used and in alternative embodiments the alerting device could include a device that provides a vibrating motion or some other alert that can be detected by the sensory functions of human beings. In the embodiment detailed in Figure 1 , a visual alerting device is provided by a light emitting diode D3 with a current path to the virtual ground provided by R7 which also acts to limit the current flow through the light emitting diode D3. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a touch sensor is provided to enable users to operate the electronic circuit arrangement. The touch sensor operates on the basis of the capacitor charge principle and is connected through a resistor network to a microcontroller U2. During activation of power to the electronic circuit arrangement, the touch sensor samples the number of cycles required to charge a capacitor C7 using the capacitance in the touch plate. This value is then stored and used as a base line measurement. The threshold is then subtracted from the baseline and used to determine if any subsequent measurement is a smaller value due to capacitance changes in the touch sensor which may occur as a result of a user touching the sensor with one of their fingers. In the preferred embodiment, the baseline is adjusted each second to reflect any drift in capacitance and maintain the sensitivity of the touch sensor.

The power supply is preferably supplied to the electronic circuit arrangement by four NiMh batteries that may be recharged by an inductive charging system. The charging system of the preferred embodiment consists of an emitting transducer that plugs into a mains power supply thus creating a strong magnetic field. A small inductor and capacitor combination is used as a tank circuit to maximise the transfer of the magnetic field into electrical energy. The output from the tank circuit is rectified and provided through a visual indicating device (eg. light emitting diode D2) to the battery B+. The maximum charge that can be obtained from the tank circuit is preferably approximately 10 mA. This value of electrical current is below the maximum trickle charge current for an 800 mAH NiMh battery and therefore, the batteries cannot be overcharged even if allowed to remain connected to the charging system continuously. With reference to Figure 2, a flowchart is provided detailing the method steps executed in order to determine the desired actions of a user. Initially, at step 10, the system determines whether the touch sensor has been pressed by placement of a finger, or any other part of the anatomy, on the touch plate. Once it has been determined that the touch sensor has been touched, the process advances to step 15 wherein it is determined whether the touch sensor has been touched for a long period. If so, the process is diverted to step 20 wherein the power state of the electrical circuit arrangement is toggled. However, if a long press of the touch sensor is not detected, the method proceeds to step 25 wherein it is determined whether or not the press of the touch sensor was only for a short period. If so, the process is diverted to step 30 wherein the reference voltage value of the programmable level comparator is incremented.

However, if a short press is not determined at step 25, the process proceeds to step 35 wherein the microcontroller determines whether or not a positive indication has been provided from the comparator.

Subsequent to executing steps 20 or 30 and in the event that a positive indication from the programmable level comparator is determined at step 35, the method continues to step 40 wherein a visual or audible alert is initiated by the microcontroller. Subsequent to step 40, the method diverts to step 10 and recommences the process again.

As detailed in Figure 2, if there is no positive indication from the comparator determined at step 35, the method diverts back to step 10 and repeats the process again.

In summary, each time the touch sensor is activated for a short period of time, the comparator reference value is incremented to the next pre-defined voltage value. As previously described, in the preferred embodiment the reference voltage values of 0.4 V, 0.8 V, 1.2 V and 2.0 V are used and if a reference voltage value of 2.0 V is incremented, the reference value reverts back to 0.4 V. In preferred embodiments, a short period is defined as any period of less than two seconds. However, if the touch sensor is activated for two or more seconds, the power state of the electronic circuit arrangement is toggled. Accordingly, when seeking to activate the electronic circuit arrangement, a user simply holds a finger or thumb on the touch sensor for a period of two seconds or more.

In the preferred embodiment, each time the touch sensor is activated a visual or audible alert is generated to provide feedback to the user alerting them to the fact that the microcontroller has detected activation of the touch sensor.

This is particularly useful in the event that the touch sensor is inadvertently activated for a short period of time thus altering the reference value of the comparator. In the event that this were to occur, the operator is alerted to the change of the reference value by either a visual or audible alert.

With reference to Figure 3, a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of an illumination circuit arrangement is provided detailing an illumination means that is attached to a portion of a fishing rod shaft that flexes during the process of a fish striking the lure and becoming hooked. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the illumination means is an electroluminescent wire which glows when a voltage of 125VAC is applied.

The voltage can be generated from batteries via a DC-AC step up converter. The illumination circuit arrangement is preferably controlled by an 8 bit RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) microcontroller U3 such as microcontroller 12F675. In another embodiment, the circuit is implemented using a specialised inverter IC such as those made by Maxim or a TL494 switch mode controller and a 555 timer to control the flash rate. The microcontroller applies an out of phase signal to the step up transformer T1 via a network comprising two low VCE saturation transistors Q1 and Q2 and resistors R20 and R21. Dead time is included between pulses to improve the efficiency of the illumination circuit. All timing is controlled by the microcontroller, which uses its own on board calibrated 4MHz oscillator. Timing in the circuit is encoded in firmware to make the most efficient use of running time and maximise battery life.

An intensity switch SW2 having three intensity settings is provided to allow the circuit to change the voltage applied to the electroluminescent wire. As microcontroller U3 cannot operate below 2.1 Volts, due to brown out circuit resetting the controller, variable output voltage is achieved by placing a series diode (D6 or D7) in the path to the output switching transistors (Q3 and Q4). The microcontroller cannot change its mark/space ratio or other pulse width parameters when driving the switching transistors (Q3 and Q4) without a substantial drop in efficiency. A sample of the voltage applied to the output transistors (Q1 and Q2) is used to power up the controller as required.

Extra contacts on the intensity switch SW2 (Flash setting) are used to apply a voltage to one pin of the microcontroller U3. This pin will activate the program to switch off the output transistors (Q 1 and Q2) completely for 1 second every 2 seconds. This has the effect of almost halving the current drawn from the batteries and therefore almost doubling the run time. By enabling flashing of the electroluminescent wire the fishing rod is generally easier to identify against varying backgrounds often found in marine environments. The power supply is preferably supplied to the illumination circuit arrangement by six NiMh batteries, connected in a series or parallel arrangement, that may be recharged by an inductive charging system. The batteries are preferably AAA size and fit inside the handle of the fishing rod. The charging system of the preferred embodiment consists of a transducer that plugs into a mains electrical power supply wall outlet and creating a strong magnetic field. A small inductor and capacitor combination (L2 and C10) is used as a tuned tank circuit to maximize the transfer of the magnetic field into electrical energy inside the base of the rod. The output from the tank circuit is then rectified by D4 and connected through a visual indicating device, (eg. an amber light emitting diode D5) mounted in the handle of the fishing rod to the battery B2. The maximum charge current that can be obtained from the tank circuit is approximately 15 mA. This value is below the maximum trickle charge current for the 2400 mAH NiMh battery and therefore, the batteries cannot be over charged even if allowed to remain connected to the charging system continuously. The batteries should last for approximately 10 to 30 hours of normal use before requiring recharging.

Whilst the electroluminescent wire generates 125V at low current levels, if exposed to water, or contact with humans occurs, the 125V output will drop to safe levels very quickly. Further, no high voltage charge is stored in the capacitors and the illumination circuit cannot deliver more than approximately 2 mA before dropping. Preferably the electroluminescent wire is sealed in a watertight housing within the rod.

In another embodiment, the rotary switch SW2 of the illumination circuit is replaced by a touch sensor circuit arrangement as detailed in Figure 1. The advantage of touch sensor circuit arrangements is their increased immunity to the environmental effects of salt and water. However, such arrangements are relatively more expensive than straight forward switching arrangements such as the rotary switch arrangement detailed in Figure 3. The touch sensor circuit arrangement detailed in Figure 1 may be programmed to effect a range of functions and must also be programmed to detect activations. With reference to Figure 4, a flowchart detailing the method steps associated with detecting activation of a touch sensor is provided. At step 50, charge is moved from the touch plate and the process then proceeds to step 55 wherein a counter is incremented. The process then continues to step 60 wherein a determination is made as to whether or not the capacitor is charged. In the event that the capacitor is charged, the process continues to step 65 wherein a determination is made as to whether the present value of the counter is less than a predefined threshold value. If so, the process proceeds to step 70 wherein it is considered that the touch sensor has been activated and a relevant flag is set within the microcontroller. The process then reverts back to step 50 and the process continues again.

However, in the event that at step 60 or step 65 either the capacitor is determined not to be charged or the counter is not less than the predefined threshold value, then the process immediately reverts back to step 50. CONCLUSION

A system, method or device according to the present invention provides a user of a fishing rod with an effective means by which they can receive alerts warning them of a fish strike and hence providing an indication that they should immediately retrieve the fishing line to land the fish. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a means for a user of a fishing rod to adjust the detection of flex sensor signals in order to further improve the avoidance of false alerts that may be caused as a result of prevailing environmental conditions. The present invention further provides the user of a fishing rod with a means for visually detecting the flexing of a fishing rod that also improves the detection of fish strike.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited in scope to ^• the described embodiments. The scope of the invention will be understood to encompass variations, modifications and equivalents that would be apparent to persons of skill in the relevant field of technology. Various other modifications and variations known in the field of technology will also be apparent to those skilled in the art and should be considered to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for providing an alert to a user of a fish striking a lure attached to a line that is retrievable by operation of a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the system including: a flex sensor operably connected to the shaft of the fishing rod for sensing flexing of the shaft during use and for providing a flex signal; a high pass filter operably connected to the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output; a comparator operably connected to the high pass filter, said comparator being adapted to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value; and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide the alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication.

2. A system according to claim 1 including an adjustment means for the reference value such that the reference value is adjustable by the user to accommodate prevailing environmental conditions.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flex sensor is a resistive element attached to an external surface of the rod shaft.

4. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flex sensor is a resistive element embedded within the fishing rod shaft.

5. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flex sensor is an optical fibre strand extending along a portion of the length of the fishing rod shaft.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the optical fibre strand is embedded within the fishing rod shaft.

7. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flex sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor attached to an external surface of the fishing rod shaft.

8. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the flex sensor is a capacitive acceleration sensor embedded within the fishing rod shaft.

9. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the high pass filter has a cut off frequency of approximately five Hz.

10. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the high pass filter has a cut off frequency between 0.5 Hz to 50 Hz.

11. A system according to any one of the preceding claims including a touch sensor thus providing an interface for a user.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the touch sensor is operated by a user to effect any one or more of the following functions: activate/deactivate the system; select an alerting device; or adjust the comparator.

13. A system according to either claim 11 or claim 12 wherein the touch sensor is used to select available functions, the selection of a required function occurring as a result of a predefined sequence and timing of user contact with the touch sensor.

14. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the alerting device includes both an audible and visual output to provide an alert to a user.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein either or both of the visual and audible outputs are selectable to provide an alert to a user.

16. A system according to either claim 14 or claim 15 wherein a range of audible outputs are provided for selection by an operator.

17. A system according to either claim 14 or 15 wherein a range of visual outputs are provided for selection by an operator.

18. A system according to any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein the volume of the audible output is adjustable.

19. A system according to any one of claims 14, 15 or 17 wherein the colour and/or intensity of the visual output is adjustable.

20. A system according to any one of the preceding claims including a communication means such that, during use, a positive indication from the comparator may be communicated to a remote user suitably equipped with a communication means operable to receive communication of a positive indication.

21. A system according to claim 20 wherein the communication means includes an RF transmitter and the remote user is suitably equipped with a tuned

RF receiver.

22. A method for alerting a user of a fish striking a lure attached to a line that is retrievable by operation of a fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the method including the steps of: receiving flex signals from a flex sensor operably connected to the flexible shaft, the flex signals providing an indication of flex of the flexible shaft during use; providing the flex signals to a high pass filter to filter at least low frequency components the flex signal; providing the filtered flex signals to a comparator for comparing the filtered flex signal with a reference value; and activating an alerting device to alert the user in the event that the filtered flex signal reaches or exceeds the reference value.

23. A method according to claim 22 including the step of adjusting the reference value of the comparator to suit the prevailing environmental conditions in order to substantially mitigate the instance of false alerts of a fish strike.

24. A method of fishing with a fishing rod having a flexible shaft including an arrangement having a flex sensor operably connected to the flexible shaft for sensing flexing of the shaft during use, a high pass filter operably connected to receive signals from the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output, an adjustable comparator operably connected to the output of the high pass filter, the comparator being operable to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value, and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide an alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication, the method including the steps of: activating a touch sensor to supply power from a power supply to the arrangement; and activating the touch sensor in accordance with a predetermined sequence to adjust the reference.

25. A fishing rod having a flexible shaft, the fishing rod including: an electrical power source attached to the fishing rod; and an illuminating means connectable with the power source such that, during use, at least a segment of the flexible shaft is illuminated during conditions of low light such that any flexing of the shaft is more readily determined by visual observation.

26. A fishing rod according to claim 25 wherein the illuminating means is an electroluminescent wire attached to the external surface of the flexible shaft of the fishing rod.

27. A fishing rod according to claim 25 wherein the illuminating means is an electroluminescent wire contained within the flexible shaft of the fishing rod.

28. A fishing rod according to claim 25 wherein the illuminating means includes at least one light emitting diode.

29. A fishing rod according to claim 26 wherein the illuminating means includes a plurality of light emitting diodes of different colours.

30. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 25 to 29 including a switching means operably connected between the electrical power source and the illuminating means to facilitate operational changes to the illuminating means.

31. A fishing rod according to claim 30 wherein the switching means is operable to provide varying amounts of electrical power to the illuminating means thus causing differing intensity of the light emitted by the illuminating means.

32. A fishing rod according to claim 31 including an illumination circuit arrangement operably connected to the switching means the illumination circuit arrangement operable to provide repeated bursts of electrical energy to the illuminating means thus causing the illuminating means to cycle through "on" and "off states repeatedly.

33. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 30 to 32 wherein the switching means is a rotary switch mounted on the base of the fishing rod with the nominal longitudinal axis of the rotary switch substantially aligned with the nominal longitudinal axis of the fishing rod shaft.

34. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 30 to 32 wherein the switching means is a touch sensor operably connected to the illumination circuit arrangement.

35. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 30 to 34 wherein the switching means is operable to select the colour and/or intensity on the light emitted by the illuminating means.

36. A system for alerting a user of a fish striking a lure according to claim 1 including an electrical power source, wherein the alerting device is an illuminating means in electrical connection with the power source such that, during use, at least a segment of the flexible shaft of the fishing rod is illuminated to provide a visual alert to a user in the event of a positive indication from the comparator.

37. A fish strike detection apparatus including: a flex sensor connectable to the shaft of a fishing rod for sensing flexing of the shaft during use and providing a flex signal; a high pass filter operably connected to the flex sensor for filtering at least low frequency components of the flex signal and for providing an output; a comparator operably connected to the high pass filter, said comparator being adapted to provide a positive indication when the output from the high pass filter reaches or exceeds a reference value; and an alerting device operably connected to the comparator to provide the alert in the event that the comparator provides the positive indication.

38. A fish strike detection apparatus according to claim 36 indicating an adjustment means for the reference value such that the reference value is adjustable by the user to accommodate prevailing environmental conditions.

39. A fishing rod including a fish strike detection apparatus according to either claim 36 or claim 37 and an electrical power source to supply electrical power to the fish strike detection apparatus.

40. A fishing rod according to any one of claims 25 to 35 or claim 39 wherein the electrical power source is a rechargeable battery operably connected to an inductive charging circuit arrangement.

41. A fishing rod according to claim 40 when the inductive charging circuit arrangement is subject to an electromagnetic field thus providing electrical energy to the rechargeable battery.

42. A system according to either claim 1 or claim 36 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures.

43. A method according to either claim 22 or claim 24 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures.

44. A fishing rod according to either claim 25 or 37 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures.

45. A fish strike detection apparatus according to claim 37 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures.