Safety harness with a locking part for positively immobilising fastening buckles of a strap closure and adjustment system
11040228 · 2021-06-22
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
A44B11/266
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A44B11/2588
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A62B35/0031
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
Abstract
A safety harness comprises at least one strap, at least one attachment member for connecting the safety harness and a system for closing and adjusting the strap provided with a stationary fastening buckle secured to a first strand of the strap and a movable fastening buckle secured in such a way as to be adjustable along a second strand of the strap. The movable fastening buckle can cooperate with the stationary fastening buckle in an interlocking configuration in which the strap is closed on itself so as to form a closed loop having a perimeter that can be adjusted by adjusting the position occupied by the movable fastening buckle along the second stand. The safety harness comprises a locking part separate from the stationary and movable fastening buckles, secured to the first strand or the second strand of the strap and capable of varying between an active state urging the two, stationary and movable, fastening buckles relative to each other so as to positively immobilise the stationary and movable fastening buckles in the interlocking configuration, and an inactive state in which the two, stationary and movable, fastening buckles can freely adopt and come out of the interlocking configuration.
Claims
1. A safety harness comprising at least one strap and a closure system for closing the strap, with the closure system including a first fastening buckle secured to a first strand of the strap and a second fastening buckle secured to a second strand of the strap, the second fastening buckle being able to cooperate with the first fastening buckle in a mutual fastening configuration in which the strap is closed on itself to form a closed loop, wherein the safety harness comprises a locking part independent of the first and second fastening buckles, the locking part secured to the strap and adapted to vary between a first configuration in which the locking part occupies an active state in which the locking part biases the first and second fastening buckles relative to each other in a manner ensuring a positive blocking of the first and second fastening buckles in the mutual fastening configuration, and a second configuration in which the locking part occupies an inactive state in which the first and second fastening buckles can freely adopt or leave the mutual fastening configuration.
2. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein the locking part comprises mechanical elements that bias the first and second fastening buckles relative to each other when they are in the mutual fastening configuration by exerting a mechanical tension thereon that opposes a relative displacement between the first and second fastening buckles.
3. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein the first fastening buckle is fixed by being fixedly secured to the first strand of the strap and the second fastening buckle is movable by being adjustably secured to the second strand of the strap so that the closure system enables an adjustment of the strap such that the closed loop formed when the strap is closed on itself in the mutual fastening configuration of the first and second fastening buckles has an adjustable perimeter by adjusting a position occupied by the second fastening buckle relative to the second strand of the strap.
4. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein the safety harness further comprises fixing means that provide a positive blocking of the locking part in the active state by fixing on at least one of the first and second fastening buckles.
5. The safety harness according to claim 4, wherein the fixing means comprise mechanical snap-fitting elements and/or magnetic elements.
6. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein a transition of the locking part from the first configuration to the second configuration and vice versa results from a change of position of the locking part relative to the strap.
7. The safety harness according to claim 6, wherein the locking part is mounted on the strap in a sliding manner, the change of position of the locking part being performed by sliding along the strap.
8. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein one of the first and second fastening buckles includes a male buckle made of a rigid material and the other of the first and second fastening buckles includes a closed loop-shaped female buckle made of a flexible material, the male buckle being provided to be inserted through the female buckle and to be gripped with the female buckle after insertion.
9. The safety harness according to claim 8, wherein the locking part includes a link formed of a flexible and elastically deformable material and arranged as a closed loop whose ends are fastened to the one of the first and second strands of the strap to which the male buckle is secured and/or to the male buckle, said link being adapted, when in the first configuration corresponding to the active state of the locking part, to trap the female buckle in combination with the male buckle and to exert a mechanical tension on the male and female buckles, thereby preventing the male buckle from leaving the female buckle.
10. The safety harness according to claim 1, wherein the first and second fastening buckles are constituted respectively by first and second attachments adapted to cooperate with each other when the first and second fastening buckles adopt the mutual fastening configuration by simple bearing against each other where the second attachment is superimposed on the first attachment, the first attachment being secured to a free end of the first strand of the strap, the second attachment enabling the second strand of the strap to pass through the second attachment thereby forming a bend in the form of a simple ring, the first and second attachments causing a pinch of the second strand of the strap at a level of said bend between the first and second attachments, a pinch force increasing with a tension applied on the first and second strands of the strap.
11. The safety harness according to claim 10, wherein in the active state, the locking part biases the first and second attachments so as to exert thereon a mechanical tension opposing a relative displacement between the first and second attachments in a manner ensuring a positive blocking of the pinch of the second strand of the strap between the first and second attachments and preventing the second attachment, when in the superimposed position on the first attachment, from passing through an opening of the first attachment through which it has passed to occupy said superimposed position.
12. The safety harness according to claim 10, wherein the locking part delimits a slider mounted in a sliding manner on the second strand of the strap to which the second attachment is secured and a housing in which a portion of the first attachment and/or of the second attachment, when the first and second attachments adopt the mutual fastening configuration by simple bearing, is adapted to be inserted, the slider and the housing being superimposed so that when said portion of the first attachment and/or of the second attachment is inserted into the housing, the locking part, via a connection between the second attachment and the slider of the locking part, opposes the lifting of the second attachment from the first attachment.
13. The safety harness according to claim 10, wherein the locking part can be placed in the first configuration and in the active state if a first face of the second attachment bears against the first attachment and that the locking part cannot be placed in the first configuration and in the active state if a second face of the second attachment, opposite to said first face, bears against the first attachment.
14. The safety harness according to claim 10, wherein the first and second attachments are permanently secured to each other.
15. The safety harness according to claim 10, wherein the locking part is formed of a rigid material.
16. A safety harness comprising at least one strap and a closure system for closing the strap provided with a first fastening buckle secured to a first strand of the strap and a second fastening buckle secured to a second strand of the strap, the second fastening buckle being able to cooperate with the first fastening buckle in a mutual fastening configuration in which the strap is closed on itself to form a closed loop, wherein the safety harness comprises a locking part independent of the first and second fastening buckles, the locking part secured to the strap and adapted to vary between a first configuration in which the locking part occupies an active state in which the locking part applies a biasing force to the first and second fastening buckles that biases the first and second fastening buckles to the mutual fastening configuration, and a second configuration in which the locking part occupies an inactive state in which the biasing force is removed.
17. The safety harness according to claim 16, wherein one of the first and second fastening buckles includes a male buckle made of a rigid material and the other of the first and second fastening buckles includes a closed loop-shaped female buckle made of a flexible material, the male buckle being provided to be inserted through the female buckle and to be gripped with the female buckle after insertion.
18. The safety harness according to claim 17, wherein the locking part includes a link formed of a flexible and elastically deformable material and arranged as a closed loop whose ends are fastened to the one of the first and second strands of the strap to which the male buckle is secured and/or to the male buckle, said link being adapted, when it adopts the first configuration corresponding to the active state, to trap the female buckle in combination with the male buckle and to exert a mechanical tension on the male and female buckles, thereby preventing the male buckle from leaving the female buckle.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The invention will be better understood using the following description of particular embodiments of the invention provided as non-limiting examples and represented in the appended drawings, in which:
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
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(7)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(8) Referring to the appended
(9) In general, the safety harness is intended to be used in mountaineering, climbing, work at height, canyoning, skiing, or even speleology.
(10) The strap 10, once closed over itself by means of the closure system so as to form a closed loop, is intended to form for example, a tie-in belt (as is the case in the two embodiments represented in
(11) The attachment member is in particular arranged at the front of the tie-in belt to ensure the tie-in of the belt and therefore of the harness. The attachment member is for example constituted by an annular buckle, formed in a rigid material or in a flexible material, secured to the belt by being fixedly mounted along the latter or conversely by being mounted in a sliding manner along the front portion of the belt.
(12) The nature of the strap 10 and that of the attachment member are not per se an important part of the invention. However, the nature of the closure system is an important aspect, and will be the object of a detailed description of two conceivable embodiments, both of which correspond to the same inventive concept which. will. be presented later, in support of three examples, respectively in
(13) For reasons of simplicity of understanding and reading, elements having a similar function from one embodiment to another will keep the same reference numerals in all
(14) In general, the closure system is intended to be able to close the strap 10 on itself in order to form a closed loop, or on the contrary, to be able to completely open the buckle. This may be very interesting, for example, when the strap is intended to constitute a thigh buckle in order to facilitate the clip-in. The closure and the opening of the strap 10 must be very easy and fast, in order to offer optimal user-friendliness to the safety harness. The weight of the closure system must be as large as possible. Finally, the closure system is configured to prevent any inadvertent opening of the closed loop defined by the strap 10, for safety reasons.
(15) In the two embodiments described later on with reference to
(16) Essentially, the two embodiments respectively of
(17) In addition, in the two embodiments described later on with reference to
(18) Locking pan 13 comprises mechanical elements, which will be detailed later on, allowing biasing the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12 relative to each other when these adopt their mutual fastening configuration, by exerting a mechanical tension thereon opposing the relative displacement of the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12. The nature of the mechanical elements thus mentioned and the manner of forming them structurally vary between the first embodiment and the second embodiment, even though the general principle is common to both embodiments.
(19) The two embodiments of
(20) By positive «blocking in the mutual fastening configuration», it should he herein understood that the mutual fastening configuration is definitely guaranteed by the locking part 13 as long as no action specifically required to place the locking part in its inactive state is applied to the locking part 13 by the wearer of the safety harness.
(21) In a non-limiting manner, it is advantageous to provide for the first fastening buckle 11 being fixed by being fixedly secured to the first strand 101 of the strap 10 and the second fastening buckle 12 being movable by being adjustably secured on the second strand 102 of the strap 10 so that the closure system enables an adjustment of the strap 10 such that the closed loop formed when the strap 10 is closed on itself in the mutual fastening configuration of the first and second fastening buckle 11, 12 has an adjustable perimeter by adjusting the position occupied by the second fastening buckle 12 relative to the second strand 102 of the strap 10. Regardless of the concerned embodiment, it remains quite possible to consider that each of the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12 is fixed by being fixedly secured to the strand 101,102 on which it is mounted.
(22) According to a particular embodiment, the safety harness comprises fixing means that provide a positive blocking when the locking part 13 is in its active state by fixing on at least one of the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12. Thus, it is possible to provide for the locking part 13, when it occupies its active state itself ensuring the positive blocking of the fastening buckles 11, 12 in their mutual fastening configuration, being fixed by means of a positive blocking to the first buckle 11 and/or to the second buckle 12 by these fixing means. An example of such fixing means is described below and illustrated in
(23) By «positive blocking in the active state», it should be herein understood that the active state of the locking part 13 is definitely guaranteed by the fixing means as long as no action specifically required to unlock the fixing means is applied to the fixing means by the wearer of the safety harness.
(24) The passage of the locking part 13 from the first configuration in which it occupies its active state to the second configuration in which it occupies its inactive state, and vice versa, results from a change of position of the locking pan 13 relative to the strand 101, 102 of the strap 10 to which the locking part 13 is secured. In particular, in the second embodiment of
(25) Referring now more specifically to the first embodiment of
(26) In the illustrated example, the male buckle is in the form of a plastic part provided with two lateral projections 14a, 14b for gripping to the female buckle which is made herein by a closed loop 15 made of a flexible synthetic material.
(27) For example, the male buckle acts as a movable fastening buckle whereas the female buckle in the form of a closed loop 15 constitutes a fixed fastening buckle, even though an inverted arrangement may be considered depending, on the design of the strap 10. Still alternatively, the two male and female buckles may constitute two tried fastening buckles 11, 12 in the ease where the closure system is not intended to enable a perimeter adjustment.
(28) Moreover, in the first embodiment of
(29) In order to pass the link 16 constituting the locking pat 13 in the active state, all it needs, once the male buckle is in a mutual fastening position with the female buckle (this being previously obtained by insertion of the male buckle throughout the closed loop 15 until gripping of the lateral projections 14a, 14b on the closed loop 15), is to displace the link 16 by tilting relative to the strand of the strap 10 whose link is secured so as to make the male buckle pass through the link 16 until gripping of the lateral projections 14a, 14b on the link 16. The link 16 then traps the closed loop 15 in combination with the part constituting the male buckle and, at least by its elasticity, exerts a mechanical tension on the male buckle and on the closed loop 15 preventing any disengagement of the male buckle from the closed loop 15 as long as the link 16 is in place. Hence, a positive blocking is obtained because it will be maintained as long as the link 16 is not specifically removed from the lateral projections 14a, 14b by a reverse tilting, regardless of the tension exerted on the strands 101, 102 of the strap 10.
(30) It is therefore herein understood that the mechanical elements provide a biasing of the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12 relative to one another when these adopt their mutual fastening configuration, by exerting a mechanical tension thereon opposed to the relative displacement of the first and second fastening buckles 11, 12. The biasing is obtained by the link 16 in a closed loop by its ability to enclose the female buckle in combination with the male buckle and by a length of the link 16 adapted so that when it traps the female buckle, the link is elastically deformed in order to exert reciprocally the mechanical tension that biases the male and female buckles in the manner ensuring their positive blocking in the mutual fastening configuration.
(31) Referring now more specifically to the second embodiment of
(32) In a variant as represented in
(33) In other words, in the second embodiment, the kicking pan 13 biases in its active state the first and second attachments so as to exert thereon a mechanical tension opposing the relative displacement between the first and second attachments. This mechanical tension exerted by the locking part 13 on the one hand ensures a positive blocking of the pinch 18 of the second strand 102 of the strap 10 between the first and second attachments and on the other hand prevents the second attachment, in its position superimposed on the first attachment (
(34) In
(35) Therefore, according to a non-limiting embodiment, the locking part 13 is equipped with a foolproof system ensuring that the locking part 13 can be placed in its first configuration and in its active state if the first face 19 of the second attachment bears against the first attachment and ensuring that the locking part 13 cannot be placed in its first configuration and in its active state if the second face 20 of the second attachment bears against the first attachment.
(36) In
(37) In a variant which is not represented, the first and second attachments are secured to one another permanently, in particular by being pivotally mounted relative to each other.
(38)
(39) As already described, the slider 26 allows for the change of state of the locking part to be performed by a sliding position change of the locking part along the strand 102 of the strap 10.
(40) It is herein specified that the housing 25 may be provided to receive, in addition to the portion of the second attachment which is inserted therein or in substitution, a portion of the first attachment. The previously described operation would be identical.
(41) The safety harness represented in
(42) It is therefore herein understood that, in the second embodiment as represented with the example of
(43) The two embodiments described in this document correspond to the same inventive concept and the locking part 13 in both cases corresponds to the same general principles, in particular as regards the mechanical elements that it comprises, even though the structural means for filling its function are different from one embodiment to another.
(44) The safety harness that has just been described has the advantage of being light, simple and economical to manufacture, of enabling a full opening of the strap and a quick adjustment, and of enabling a completely safe harness, by avoiding any risk of accidental opening of the strap 10.
(45) Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments represented and described hereinabove, but covers all variants thereof.