Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63K—RACING; RIDING SPORTS; EQUIPMENT OR ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
  • A63K3/00—Equipment or accessories for racing or riding sports
  • A63K3/04—Hurdles or the like
  • A63K3/043—Athletics hurdles

Definitions

• the present invention is in the field of sports equipment. It relates more particularly to a hurdle for obstacle courses in athletics, for example for indoor races.
• a problem in the field of athletics competitions is the fall of hurdles during obstacle races. Indeed, in some competitions, notably indoor athletics races, athletes may find themselves on the same lane, for example because the number of rows of hurdles is limited (by the size of the hall by example and because of the regulation of the 400 meters hurdles indoors) and that these hedges can be arranged only on restricted portions of the course (portions in a straight line). Thus, as soon as a hedge falls, it is no longer in place for the following riders who are then forced to simulate a jump by imagining an obstacle, which has the particular disadvantage of biasing the competition between the athletes since the fall of a hurdle leads to a penalty when it is difficult to estimate whether the rider simulating a hurdle would have made it fall.
• GB622 052 discloses a dog run hedge, with a spring disposed in the vertical frame, which produces its recovery after overturning.
• the spring is equipped with a spring force adjusting nut.
• this provision does not allow a fine adjustment, and does not ensure a strength of resistance to the reversal of the hedge.
• pivoting hedges can be aligned and stabilized at their base so that the tilting of a hedge does not interfere and does not involve movements on adjacent hedges.
• the present invention aims to overcome at least in part these drawbacks by providing a hedge comprising a spring configured to return the hedge in its stroke position after pivoting, and a means for adjusting the force of said spring.
• a hedge for obstacle course comprising at least one frame comprising a horizontal bar connecting the upper end of two feet parallel to each other, and substantially vertical members in a racing position, the lower end of said two legs being pivotally mounted on a base around a horizontal axis, said hedge comprising at least one spring configured to return the hedge to its stroke position after pivoting, and means adjusting the force of said spring.
• said adjustment means comprises at least one slideway disposed in a foot, and in which one end of said at least one spring can slide.
• the force required to tilt the hedge, as well as the speed at which the hedge returns to position after such a tilting can be adjustable.
• the hedge may comprise at least one second slide, in which the other end of said at least one spring can slide, and disposed on said base, which increases the possibilities of refining the adjustment of the force necessary to tilt the hedge and the speed at which it returns in position,
• said second slide can be arranged inclined with respect to the foot in the race position, on the upstream side in the direction of travel, and away from said foot upwards, the inclination of the second slideway making it possible to obtain a length of greater spring up the slide, which makes it possible to make a choice in the ratio maximum length / minimum length of the weaker spring, and therefore to adjust the straightening effort, and therefore its speed, regardless of the threshold pressure ,
• the hedge may comprise at least one stop disposed on said base, and configured to prevent movement of the frame in the opposite direction to the race, on the one hand to reduce the discomfort suffered by the following runners, and secondly to accelerate the return of the hedge in a stable position, in particular by preventing oscillation movements, - said stop may comprise a damper that can be adjustable position, which absorbs the energy of the impact between the foot and the stop, and therefore to limit the wear of the parts on the one hand and the rebound of the foot on the stop, which would delay the return of the hedge in a stable position,
• said damper may comprise a viscoelastic material, typically rubber, which is an efficient and inexpensive embodiment of the invention
• said base may comprise anti-slip means for stabilizing it, in order to reduce the risk of displacement of the base after an impact on the hedge, such a displacement being able to disturb the runners and to falsify the race
• said base may comprise horizontal arms perpendicular to the horizontal axis of pivoting of the frame, and fixing means, configured to secure said arms with parallel arms of an adjacent hedge, which allows to pool the weight of several adjacent hedges to improve the stability of each of 'between them during the shocks they undergo.
• the present invention also relates to an assembly comprising at least two hedges according to the invention, adjacent and aligned along the same horizontal axis of pivoting, a beam disposed downstream of the bases of the at least two hedges, and provided with arms and a cross member adapted to connect the arms of the beam to the arms of the hedges, so as to consolidate the at least two hedges.
• the weight of several adjacent hedges can be pooled in order to improve the stability of each of them during the shocks they undergo.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hedge according to a preferred embodiment of the invention
• Figure 2 is a view of a detail of the hedge of FIG. 1,
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a set of two hedges according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
• bar is used in the present description in its meaning meaning "transverse hurdle constituting the obstacle for the runner” and should not be interpreted in a limiting manner.
• the bar may be a beam or a batten.
• the dimensions of the slats are standardized with a thickness of 20 millimeters and a height of 70 millimeters.
• threshold pressure is used in the present description in its meaning meaning "force, substantially horizontal, applied to the bar in the direction of the race and necessary to tilt to simulate a fall of hedge when a rider misses his jump And should not be interpreted in a limiting way. Indeed, it is not usually a pressure value, but a force.
• tilting is used to indicate that the hedge yields under the threshold pressure and thus pivots on its base. In general, the amplitude of this tilting or pivoting will be provided to best mimic the fall of a conventional hedge or at least to prevent the rider from getting injured.
• the present invention aims to provide a hedge which returns in a vertical position at a speed satisfactory for the needs of the race.
• the hedge according to the invention comprises a frame 1 comprising a horizontal bar 3 connecting the upper end of two feet 2 parallel to each other and substantially vertical stroke position.
• the lower end of the two legs 2 is pivotally mounted on a base 4 about a horizontal axis 5.
• the hedge also has a spring 6, preferably located at the base of the feet 2, configured to raise the hedge in its vertical position of travel after the hedge has tilted down in the direction of the race following a contact of a runner on the bar 3.
• the force of the spring 6 is determined by the choice of spring 6, or for example by changing the number of active turns by joining certain turns.
• the hedge further comprises means for adjusting the force of the spring 6, to adjust the threshold pressure at which the frame 1 switches when a rider touches the obstacle and / or the speed at which the frame 1 returns to its initial position vertical.
• the adjustment means comprises a slide G1 disposed in a foot 2. The slide G1 makes it possible to adjust in height the position of one end of the spring 6 close to the base of the hedge. The other end can be fixed at a point of the base 4.
• the means for adjusting the force of the spring 6 may comprise a second slide G2, disposed on the base 4, in which the other end of the spring 6 may slide.
• the slide G2 may for example be arranged in a plate 9, which can for example be triangular (Fig. 1) or trapezoidal (Fig. 2). It can be arranged inclined relative to the foot in race position, the upstream side in the direction of travel, and away from said foot upwards.
• the slide G2 adjusts the distance separating the foot 2 from the second end of the spring 6, and the height of this end.
• the adjustment means thus makes it possible to fix the spring 6 at a height and / or at a variable distance with respect to the horizontal axis 5 of pivoting. This makes it possible to adjust the tipping threshold pressure and to modulate the return speed by positioning the tension springs at a variable distance from the horizontal pivot axis.
• the means for adjusting the position of the springs 6 with respect to the horizontal pivot axis 5 makes it possible to adjust the lever arm and therefore the restoring force.
• the inclination of the second slide G2 makes it possible to obtain a longer length of the spring towards the top of the slideway, which makes it possible to obtain a ratio maximum length / minimum length of the weaker spring.
• the inclination of the second slide G2 thus makes it possible to adjust the straightening effort, and thus its speed, independently of the threshold pressure.
• the invention thus allows the pivoting of the frame 1 (sometimes called here tilting of the hedge in reference to conventional hedges that rock, even if it is understood that it is in fact rather the frame which pivots in the present invention) takes place only when the contact of the runner on the bar is with a force or a contact pressure exceeding a threshold.
• the possibility of adjusting the threshold pressure advantageously allows the adjustment of this value during the wear of the spring 6 in time.
• This adjustment is necessary in particular to bring the hedge device of the invention into international standards of athletics imposed in competition which are of the order of 3.6 kg to 4 kg, although these values are not well understood. limiting and may vary according to the standards or uses referred to by various embodiments of the invention.
• the greater the spring restoring force the higher the threshold pressure for tilting the bar, and in general the higher the return / righting speed.
• the advantage of having two slides is that it allows to partially uncouple the two settings, as indicated above.
• the person skilled in the art by performing routine measurements and adjustments, will select and adjust the spring 6, via the position of at least one of its ends, in the ranges of pressure and / or speed of recovery. which will be necessary for him, for example according to the constraints imposed during the competitions.
• Those skilled in the art will arrange the spring 6 according to its nature and / or its structure, to straighten the frame 1 in the normal position, preferably at a chosen satisfactory speed, which can advantageously be adjustable.
• the hedge may comprise a stop 7, disposed on the base 4, for example at the feet 2 when the hedge is in a standing position.
• the stop 7 is configured to prevent the movements of the frame 1 in the opposite direction to the race.
• the stop 7 thus makes it possible to prevent the tilting of the frame 1 in the opposite direction or a back and forth movement of the frame in both directions when it returns to normal until stabilization, which could hamper the runner next by hitting him during his jump.
• the stop 7 may comprise a damper. The damper absorbs the energy of the impact of the feet 2 against the stop 7, and thus to slow down the wear due to the shock of the frame 1 on the stop 7.
• the damper also prevents any movement of oscillation of the frame by damping its return to the normal position, and thus to prevent the frame 1 from bouncing against the stop 7 and then takes time to stabilize in a vertical position.
• the damper may be made of an elastic material such as rubber.
• the damper can be adjustable, for example mounted on a threaded rod for adjusting its position vis-à-vis the feet 2.
• the base 4 may include anti-slip means for stabilizing it.
• the base 4 comprises horizontal arms 8 perpendicular to the horizontal pivot axis 5 of the frame 1, in order to stabilize the hedge to the ground. Weights can advantageously be added to these arms 8 to improve the stability.
• the base 4 which constitutes the base of the hedge does not contribute to impose a threshold value of the force ("pressure") necessary for the tilting of the hedge, but the base 4 must still allow the hedge to remain fixed to the ground despite the pivoting and straightening of the frame 1, preferably without requiring fixing in the ground. Indeed, although we can provide a removable attachment of the base in the ground, it is generally preferable not to depend on fixing means provided on the ground.
• the base 4 is fairly stable, usually due to its weight, to avoid any untimely movement.
• the weight of the base 4 itself and / or means added to the base thus makes it possible to respond to this problem. It is thus possible to use additional ballasting means such as counterweights to provide a setting that compensates the adjustment of the return force of the spring 6. Indeed, since the force of the spring 6 is adjustable, the force against which it is necessary to fight to ensure the stability of the hedge varies and it is therefore advantageous to provide at least one counterweight on the base 4 and prevent tipping during the race.
• These weighting means can be distributed along the arms 8 of the base mounted at adjustable positions to promote ground stabilization of the hedge.
• the fact that the base and the weights are independent entities makes it possible to limit the weight of the hedges, which has the advantage of facilitating their transport, independently of the means of stabilization on the ground.
• the arms 8 of the base 4 may comprise fastening means F for securing them with other parallel arms of an adjacent similar hedge.
• these fixing means F may be clips.
• the fastening of the two arms 8 will allow to share the counterweight of the two hurdles and stabilize the whole advantage against tilting without the need to burden the system with weights. Hedgerows can be easily transported, set up and aligned.
• the invention also proposes an assembly comprising at least two adjacent hedges aligned along the same horizontal axis 5 of pivoting and comprising a beam 10 of a length multiple of the width of a hedge and disposed downstream of the bases 2 of the hedges.
• the assembly also comprises two arms 1 1 and a cross member 12 adapted to connect the arms 1 1 of the beam 10 to the arms 8 of the hedges, so as to consolidate the hedges.
• This set represented in FIG. 3, easily mountable and removable, allows to secure the bases 2 hedges according to the invention at their base. This joining is made possible by the fact that the hedges of the invention fall back but do not fall unlike conventional hedges and does not require calibrated counterweights at their base to set the threshold threshold of overturning of the frame of the hedge. This set allows to align the hedges in the corridors and to prevent them from dissociating during the race to come to annoy the athletes in the adjacent corridors.
• the feet 2 may include a device for adjusting their length and thus to vary the height of the hedges.
• the height of the hedges is defined according to competition standards. This height may vary depending on the distance of the run, the age, the gender or the level of training of the runner. By way of nonlimiting examples, the height adjustment values vary from 0.65 meters to 1.06 meters. Devices for varying the height of sports equipment are well known in the prior art. This height depends, in a general way, on the regulation of athletics practice defined by the IAAF Athletics Federation.

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Citations (5)

• 2017
  • 2017-07-25 EP EP17305994.0A patent/EP3434343A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2018
  • 2018-07-20 WO PCT/EP2018/069828 patent/WO2019020533A1/fr unknown
  • 2018-07-20 EP EP18759031.0A patent/EP3658248A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (5)

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