Personal Protective Equipment Comprising an Information Display Area

Abstract

Personal protective equipment includes an information display area, wherein the information display area comprises an information carrier for displaying information of a first application and a second application of the personal protective equipment, wherein the information display area in a first of at least two states exclusively displays information relating to the first application and in a second state exclusively displays information relating to the second application, and wherein the display of the information display area is switchable back and forth between the at least two states a plurality of times. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for changing a state of an information display area of a personal protective equipment.

Claims

1. Personal protective equipment comprising an information display area, wherein: the information display area comprises an information carrier for displaying information of a first application and a second application of the personal protective equipment, the information display area displays, in a first of at least two states, exclusively information relating to the first application, and displays, in a second state, exclusively information relating to the second application, and the display of the information display area is switchable back and forth between the at least two states a plurality of times.

2. Personal protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the information carrier is a non-electronic information carrier, and/or wherein the information carrier is configured as a non-electronic display, and/or wherein the display of the information display area is switchable between the two states without supplying electrical energy.

3. Personal protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the information carrier provides information relating to the first application on its front side and provides information relating to the second application on its rear side, and/or wherein it is possible to switch back and forth between the at least two states a plurality of times by a rotational movement of the information carrier about an axis of rotation which extends in a plane of the information carrier.

4. Personal protective equipment according claim 3, wherein the information carrier is detachably connected in the information display area to a housing or a surface of the personal protective equipment by means of a clamping connection, wherein the information carrier is connected in the information display area to the housing or the surface of the personal protective equipment by means of a hinge connection, or wherein the information carrier is detachably connected in the information display area to the housing or the surface of the personal protective equipment by means of a screw connection.

5. Personal protective equipment according to claim 3, wherein the information carrier has a mirror-symmetrical shape, wherein the information carrier comprises clamping lugs for clamping the information carrier to the housing or the surface of the personal protective equipment, and/or wherein the information carrier comprises a recess for receiving a screw connection.

6. Personal protective equipment according to claim 1, wherein the information carrier provides on its front side information relating to the first application and information relating to the second application, and wherein the personal protective equipment comprises a cover, which comprises a viewing window, for the information carrier in the information display area.

7. Personal protective equipment according to the preceding claim 6, wherein a change between the at least two states a plurality of times can be realized by a rotational movement of the information carrier about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to a plane of the information carrier or by an axial movement of the information carrier along an axis extending in a plane of the information carrier, and/or wherein a change between the at least two states can be realized by a rotational movement or an axial movement of the cover comprising the viewing window.

8. Personal protective equipment according to any one of the two preceding claim 6, wherein the information carrier is axially displaceable or rotatably mounted in the information display region-P relative to the viewing window of the cover, or wherein the information carrier is configured as a disc rotatably mounted relative to the viewing window.

9. Personal protective equipment according to claim 7, wherein the viewing window of the cover and the information carrier are configured in such a way that either the information relating to the first application or the information relating to the second application is visible through the viewing window.

10. Personal protective equipment according to claim 1, configured as a retractable-type fall arrester, a harness, a protective helmet, a connector, a descender or rescue device, a fall arrest device, a carabiner, a rescue device, a power ascender and/or a load securing system.

11. Method for changing a state of an information display area of a personal protective equipment, wherein the personal protective equipment comprises the information display area, the information display area comprises an information carrier for displaying information of a first application and a second application of the personal protective equipment, the information display area in a first of at least two states exclusively displays information relating to the first application and in the second state exclusively displays information relating to the second application, and the display of the information display area is switchable back and forth between the at least two states a plurality of times, comprising the steps of: providing the personal protective equipment comprising the information display area in the first or second of the at least two states; changing the state of the information display area by rotating or axially displacing the information carrier; or changing the state of the information display area by rotating or axially displacing a cover, which comprises a viewing window, for the information carrier.

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the information carrier provides on its front side information relating to the first application and on its rear side-P information relating to the second application, and wherein the information carrier is detachably connected in the information display area to a housing or a surface of the personal protective equipment by means of a clamp connection or screw connection, and wherein the step of changing the state of the information display area comprises rotating the information carrier about an axis of rotation-H extending in a plane of the information carrier.

13. Method according to claim 12, comprising the steps of: detaching the information carrier from the housing or the surface of the personal protective equipment, preferably by means of a screwdriver, and attaching the rotated information carrier to the housing or surface of the personal protective equipment by clamping or screwing the information carrier to the housing or surface.

14. Method according to claim 11, wherein the information carrier provides on its front side-P information relating to the first application and information relating to the second application, and wherein the personal protective equipment comprises a cover, which comprises a viewing window, for the information carrier in the information display area, and wherein the step of changing the state of the information display area comprises rotating the information carrier about an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to a plane of the information carrier.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the step of rotating the information carrier about an axis of rotation comprises rotating a screw by means of a screwdriver.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of preferred exemplary embodiments.

[0061] In the figures:

[0062] FIG. 1 shows a personal protective equipment designed as a retractable-type fall arrester, according to a first preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention;

[0063] FIG. 2 shows an information carrier of the retractable-type fall arrester of FIG. 1;

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a method for changing the state of an information display area of a personal protective equipment designed as a retractable-type fall arrester, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a personal protective equipment also designed as a retractable-type fall arrester, according to another preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0066] In the following, with reference to the figures, the principle of the invention is explained based on the example of a personal protective equipment designed as a retractable-type fall arrester 10. However, the personal protective equipment is not limited to retractable-type fall arresters 10, but can also be designed as a harness, a safety helmet, a connector, a descender or rescue device, a fall arrest device, a carabiner, a rescue device, a power ascender and/or a load securing system. The following description based on the example of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 will enable a person skilled in the art to understand the analogous application to other types of personal protective equipment.

[0067] FIG. 1 shows schematically an exemplary embodiment of a retractable-type fall arrester for vertical and horizontal use. The retractable-type fall arrester 10 is designed as a fall arrester and in this preferred exemplary embodiment comprises a connector 12 in the form of a steel rope 12 and a carabiner 14 attached thereto. In addition, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 comprises a pulley integrated in a housing 16 and a rope hoist (neither of which can be seen in the figures). In addition, an energy-absorbing pull-in damper 18 prevents the carabiner 14 from hitting the housing 16 without braking when the connector 12 is pulled in.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 1, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 further comprises an information display area 20 comprising an information carrier 22 for displaying information. The information display area 20 is configured in such a way that in a first of at least two states exclusively information relating to the first applicationin this case the vertical applicationis visible (in FIG. 1 the first state is not shown), and in the second state exclusively information relating to the second applicationin this case the horizontal applicationis visible (as shown in FIG. 1). The information display area 20 is designed in such a way that it is possible to switch back and forth between the two states a plurality of times.

[0069] In the present exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 comprises two information display areas 20, each with an information carrier 22 in the form of a plate 24, wherein the information carriers still being shown in FIG. 2. The plates 24 provide information on the front side 26 relating to the vertical use and on the rear side 28 information relating to the horizontal use, in particular the maximum permissible weight with which the retractable-type fall arrester can be loaded in the specific application. It is possible to switch back and forth between the two states of the information display area 20 a plurality of times by a rotational movement of the information carrier 22 about a rotational axis 30, which extends in a plane of the information carrier 22.

[0070] In the present exemplary embodiment, one of the plates 24 is detachably connected to the housing 16 of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 by means of a screw connection 32. As can be seen in FIG. 2 a), this plate 24 is provided with a screw hole 34. In the present exemplary embodiment, the other plate 24 is detachably connected to the housing 16 of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 by means of a clamp connection 36. For this purpose, as can be seen in FIG. 2 b), this plate 24 comprises clamping lugs 38 which can engage into recesses in the housing 10. The plate 24 also has a mirror-symmetrical shape, wherein the mirror plane 40 is perpendicular to the plane of the plate 24.

[0071] With reference to FIG. 3, a method for changing the state of the information display area 20 of the retractable-type fall arrest device 10 is explained below. Analogous to the retractable-type fall arrester 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the information carrier 22 shown in FIG. 2b), the retractable-type fall arrester in FIG. 3 comprises a housing 16 and an information carrier 22 in the form of a plate 24. The information carrier 22 is detachably connected to the housing 16 by means of a clamping connection 36. In a first step of the method, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 is provided, wherein in the present case the information display area 20 is in the second state and thus exclusively provides information relating to the horizontal use.

[0072] In a further step, the information carrier 22 is detached from the housing 16 of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 by means of a screwdriver 42 by levering the information carrier 22 out of its clamping with the housing 16 in order to move the first clamping lugs 38a out of the recess. After the second clamping lugs 38b have been moved out of the recess and the information carrier 22 has been rotated exactly by 180 degrees about the axis of rotation 30, the rotated information carrier 22 is reattached to the housing 16 of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 by clamping. For this purpose, the second clamping lugs 38b of the information carrier 22 are first guided into recesses at the housing 16. After subsequent tilting of the information carrier 22 in the direction of the housing 16, during which the second clamping lugs 38b introduced into the recesses act as a joint, the opposite first clamping lugs 38a are clipped into the recesses on the housing 16 by temporarily deforming the information carrier 22.

[0073] FIG. 4 schematically shows a further exemplary embodiment of a retractable-type fall arrester 10 for vertical and horizontal use. Analogous to the retractable-type fall arrester 10 of FIG. 1, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 comprises a connector 12 in the form of a steel rope 12 and a carabiner 14 attached thereto. In addition, the retractable-type fall arrester 10 comprises a pulley integrated in the housing 16 and a rope hoist (neither of which can be seen in the figures).

[0074] The retractable-type fall arrester 10 shown in FIG. 4 comprises the information display area 20, which comprises the information carrier 22 shown in FIG. 4b) and designed as a disk 44 for displaying information. The information display area 20 is designed in such a way that in the first of two states only information relating to the vertical use is visible and in the second state, which is shown in FIG. 4a), only information relating to the horizontal use is visible.

[0075] For this purpose, the information carrier 22 provides on its front side information relating to the vertical use and information relating to the horizontal use, and the retractable-type fall arrester 10 comprises a cover 48 comprising a viewing window 46 for the information carrier 22 in the information display area 20. The cover 48 is connected to the housing 16 of the retractable-type fall arrester. The information carrier 22 is arranged between the housing 16 and the cover 48 comprising the viewing window 46. In the present case, the cover 48 comprises two viewing windows 46.

[0076] It is possible to switch back and forth between the two states of the information display area 20 a plurality of times by rotating the information carrier 22 about an axis of rotation 50 extending perpendicular to a plane of the information carrier 22. For this purpose, the information carrier 22 is connected to the housing 16 in the information display area 20 of the retractable-type fall arrester 10 in such a way that the information carrier 22 is movable relative to the cover 48. In particular, the information carrier 22 is rotatably mounted at the housing 16 via a screw connection 32 in such a way that the information carrier 22 is partially covered by the cover 48 comprising the viewing window 46. Furthermore, the size and shape of the viewing window 46 correspond to the size and shape of the information displayed on the information carrier 22. Thus, by rotating the information carrier 22 configured as a disk by 90 degrees, the state of the information display area 20 can be changed.

[0077] The described exemplary embodiments are merely examples, which may be modified and/or supplemented in a variety of ways within the scope of the claims. Any feature that has been described for a particular exemplary embodiment may be used individually or in combination with other features in any other exemplary embodiment. Any feature that has been described for an exemplary embodiment of a particular category can also be used in a corresponding manner in an exemplary embodiment of another category.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0078] 10 Retractable-type fall arrester [0079] 12 Connector, steel cable [0080] 14 Carabiner [0081] 16 Housing [0082] 18 Pull-in damper [0083] 20 Information display area [0084] 22 Information carrier [0085] 24 Plate [0086] 26 Front side [0087] 28 Rear side [0088] 30 Axis of rotation extending in the plane of the information carrier [0089] 32 Screw connection [0090] 34 Screw hole [0091] 36 Clamping connection [0092] 38 Clamping lugs [0093] 40 Mirror plane [0094] 42 Screwdriver [0095] 44 Disc [0096] 46 Viewing window [0097] 48 Cover [0098] 50 Axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plane of the information carrier