ES2739538A1 - Climbing marker and route marking procedure (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Climbing marker and route marking procedure. Climbing marker with a magnet (4) attachable on a bolt or screw (3) for fixing a dam or grip (2) to a climbing wall (1), and a semi-rigid rod (6) aligned with the axis of the magnet (4). The marker (4) may have retainers (7) on the stem (6) configured to place a detachable visibilizer (8). The method of marking routes in climbing, which includes placing markers (4) on the grips (2) that form the route, capturing an image of the grips (2) by means of a portable device, recognizing by means of a recognition system images the position of the grips (2) that carry markers (4) and store it in memory. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Climbing marker and route marking procedure

SECTOR OF THE TECHNIQUE

The present invention relates to a climbing marker and the method of marking routes or routes in climbing walls, especially for sharing these with other climbers.

It is applicable in the field of sport and physical activity.

STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

In climbing walls and climbing facilities, walls with different inclinations are arranged, depending on the difficulty, with a series of grips or dams fixed to the wall or panel for the climber to use for a tour.

In gyms and places where there are climbing panels with hundreds and hundreds of dams, it is sometimes difficult to design and memorize the designed routes, and although every day climbers create a multitude of routes, over time (usually in a very short time) you are Routes are forgotten, and climbers are forced to design new routes in practically every training session, with the slowdown and improvisation of this factor.

There are different ways to mark a route in a climbing wall, with US5732954 being one of the most complex. This system includes a series of lights next to each dam and a computer that turns on and off lights depending on the route to be taken. This system is complex and requires a complicated and expensive installation. Therefore, it is only installable during the construction of the sports venue and at great cost.

On the other hand, if the athlete wishes to mark a route to a second athlete, for example a student, in a facility that does not have this system, he must make the tour by touching the dams and wait for the second athlete to remember this one properly. An alternative is that of ES2145468T3, which also requires expressly prepared dams.

Finally, a third solution is that of US7419457, which is considered the closest solution to the invention. This is based on the most common constitution of dams, which consist of an irregular body fixed by a metal screw or bolt to the wall. One end of the bolt or screw is accessible from the outside to place a cloth tape using a magnet. However, the cloth tape can annoy the climber, who becomes entangled with it, and also, when falling vertically, the tape is not very visible, since any bulky grip that is in front of it can cover it. In addition, it is necessary to pull the tape to remove the magnet, with the risk of breakage.

The applicant does not know of any solution to these problems that can be considered as effective as claimed.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a marker for climbing and a marking process according to the claims. Its different embodiments solve the problems mentioned above.

The invention corresponds to simple personal climbing devices for marking routes, which allow to design, mark, store and share climbing routes designed for training or competitions. Avoid cumbersome, confusing and sometimes even dirty solutions such as chalk, masking tape, etc ...

The invention is a system that, by means of magnetic junction points, is fixed in the screws of the grips and thanks to its striking color the route is perfectly signposted so that each user who wants it can scale it without any type of setback.

Thanks to the characteristics of the material, preferably soft, flexible and adherent silicone, the markers are not at all annoying, since when pressed they yield and then return to their original form, so that they do not curl in the user and in turn , its display is possible without any difficulty from any point, since its original position protrudes from the panel.

The invention allows training to be planned more quickly and effectively, since it allows the routes to be designed more efficiently and clearly and then tested and repeated avoiding any confusion, as many times as desired over time.

With the procedure, generally in the form of a telephone application (App), routes or routes can be stored and shared with other users, whether in the gym, the user group, or with all users of the application. It allows to choose the routes or routes of the training using the inventiveness of the community, and to be able to compare the time with other users who will use the same route at another time. It allows to filter the routes or routes according to tastes or needs, being able to choose by style (routes of power, resistance, etc ...), by difficulty, by number of movements, etc ...

The application that manages the procedure will also allow us to point and share both our achievements in the gym and rock and observe our evolution over time as climbers.

Apart from its use for training, the invention also has a high recreational component that will allow to create fun games for children and first-time climbers, thus allowing them to enter the fascinating world of climbing in a simple and fun way.

In summary, the climbing marker is of the type that has a magnet that can be attached to a pin or screw that fixes a dam or grips a climbing wall. In addition, it comprises a semi-rigid rod aligned with the axis of the magnet. The rod will be rigid enough not to deform by its own weight (including possible visibilizers), but deformable enough to be easily crushed by the climber.

If it is desired to place a detachable visibilizer, such as a reflective, colorful surface, or numbers or codes that define the order of the grips, it will be convenient for the rod to have retainers

In a preferred embodiment, the rod comprises in its interior a resistant, flexible core, attached to the magnet. For example a wire or metallic wire of small diameter.

In a second preferred embodiment, the marker comprises an extender, magnetic or ferromagnetic to transmit the magnetism, detachably attached to the magnet on the side opposite the stem.

For its part, the procedure for marking climbing routes, which starts with the placement of the previous markers, includes capturing an image of the wall with the grips by means of a portable device and recognizing by means of an image recognition system the position of the grips They carry markers. Is list of grips and their position are stored in the device memory or on an external server to be consulted by the user or other users with access to the server.

The procedure may include placing visibilizers on the stems of the markers. Visibilizers can be reflective surfaces, which are detected especially well if the device uses the flash; bright colors; etc. They can also carry an identification number or code to indicate the order of passage through the corresponding grip. The code or number can be recognized by the image recognition system to store and display that order to users.

If the route or route is very long or large, the image capture may include the taking of several images that cover that route. To facilitate subsequent mounting, the wall will preferably have identifying signs of the area, which may be standard.

The image recognition system may comprise an analyzer for automatic detection of the type of displacement and / or the number of grips. For example, detecting if the grips are in horizontal lines, in walls of different inclination, etc.

This tour is marked for the use of any user with the appropriate application and permissions. You can recreate it at all times, manually or with a lighting system similar to that existing in the state of the art. In your case, you will be able to verify that the recreation is exact by means of the same steps (marking, image capture and recognition) by adding a comparison stage of the marked route with the route you are looking to recreate, previously defined and stored in a memory.

The invention also relates to the computer program comprising instructions for performing the steps of the procedure, when said program is executed in a computer equipment. It also refers to the readable data carrier for the computer that has the computer program stored.

Other particular solutions are included in the dependent claims and are described in detail below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the features of the invention, a set of drawings is attached, where the following is illustrated and not limiting.

Figure 1: Side view of an example marker that has a display attached.

Figure 2: Schematic section of a second marker example, with an extender, inside a grip or dam.

Figure 3: Schematic perspective view of an example wall with grips where a series of markers have been applied to define a route or route.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Next, an embodiment of the invention will be briefly described as an illustrative and non-limiting example thereof.

The climbing route marker is applicable to a wall (1) with a series of dams or grips (2) such as those installed in climbing walls. These grips (2) are formed by an irregular body, with a suitable shape for the placement of the fingers or toes, fixed to the wall (1) by means of metal bolts or screws (3). For the introduction of the screws (3) through the grip (2), it has a straight hole aligned with the screw (3).

The marker (4) therefore consists of a magnet (5) with a cylindrical, tubular or disk shape (circular, hexagonal or any other section), with the poles on opposite bases, defining a first direction, perpendicular to both bases . This ensures that one of the poles is oriented towards the screw (3) when placed in the hole of the grip (2). The marker (4) also comprises a semi-rigid rod (6), for example of silicone, which protrudes in the first direction. The rod (6) is rigid enough to support its own weight, so that it does not bend when placed horizontally. Thus, in use it is aligned with the screw (3) when it is in the grip (2) (figure 2). In return, it is elastic enough so that the climber can pass over and deform it so that it does not obstruct his movements, returning to the starting position once the climber has passed. In the most extreme case, it will be crushed by the climber.

Thus, in use, the marker (4) is perfectly placed in the grip (2) and does not hang, affecting the movements of the climber, as in the prior art.

In the most preferred version, the rod (6) has retainers (7), which in the embodiment correspond to two widenings. These retainers (7) serve to detachably place a visibilizer (8), such as a reflective plate, colored, etc. The display (8) can have an identification number or code to indicate, for example, the order of passage through the grips (2). It is especially interesting to point out the starting grip (2).

The body of the rod (6) can include, inside, a resistant cable or core (9), solidly attached to the magnet (5). The core (9) ensures that the marker (4) does not break when the rod (6) is pulled out of the grip hole (2).

Finally, the marker (4) can have an extender (10) in the form of an auxiliary magnet or ferromagnetic body that is placed between the magnet (5) and the screw (3) if the hole is very deep. The union between the marker (4) and the extender (10) will be strong enough to remove both at the same time. It will also be removable.

The marking procedure corresponds to the capture of an image of the wall (1) with the grips (2) of the route to be made, in which the markers (4) have been placed. The capture is done with a portable device, such as a “smartphone” type phone, a tablet or other similar system. If desired, the markers (4) carry the viewers (8) to facilitate their recognition in the image. The image can really correspond to several images that cover the entire route, in which case it is recommended that the wall (1) includes signs (11) that identify the photographed area (figure 3). A second solution is that the image is panoramic or, as usual in many smartphones, corresponds to a scan. An image recognition system processes the image to identify the position of the grips (2) or dams that have a marker (4). Where appropriate, the identification will include the order of passage through the grip (2).

The user of the procedure will be able to associate to each tour an identifying name, a difficulty, a recommended time, maximum or corresponding to the record. Other variables are the type of displacement (transverse, vertical, mixed), the number of steps or distance, ... Some of these variables can be detected by the image recognition system. In general, you can associate any desired feature. You can also share the routes you want with other users, as is common in social networks. This requires the transmission of the identified route to a common server. This server can understand the image recognition system.

It is beneficial to associate a position, for example by GPS or other geolocation system to the route, to identify the place where it has been defined. A second user can easily locate which routes have been designed for the gym or facility where it is located.

The server or portable device may include a facility repository, with photos of its walls (1) and grips (2). These photos facilitate the recognition of the grips (2) that have been marked for the image recognition system, since you can compare the images before and after marking. The photos can be preserved before or after their mathematical treatment for the image recognition system, or in both states.

Once the route to be taken has been selected, the second user can place the markers (4) on the dams or grips (2) on a first, leisurely lap, before taking the tour in the conditions. The second user can also take advantage of the marking procedure to compare whether the markers (4) are in the correct position, asking them to compare the route they have just marked with the route already in memory.

Claims (15)

1- Climbing marker, of the type that has a magnet (4) attachable in a bolt or thyme (3) for fixing a dam or grip (2) to a climbing wall (1), characterized in that it also comprises a rod (6) semi-rigid aligned with the axis of the magnet (4). 2- Climbing marker according to claim 1, which has retainers (7) in the rod (6) configured to place a detachable visibilizer (8). 3- Climbing marker according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a flexible resistant core (9) attached to the magnet (5) inside the rod (6). 4- Climbing marker according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an extender (10), magnetic or ferromagnetic, detachably fixed to the magnet (5) on the side opposite to the rod (6). 5- Method of marking routes in climbing, which includes the placement of markers (4) according to one of the preceding claims in the grips (2) of a wall (1) that form the route, characterized in that it further comprises: capture an image of the wall (1) with the grips (2) by a portable device; recognize by means of an image recognition system the position of the grips (2) that carry markers (4) keep in memory the position of said grips (2). 6- Method, according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises placing visibilizers (8) on the stems (6) of the markers (4). 7- Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the displays (8) carry an identification number or code to indicate the order of passage through the corresponding grip (2). 8- Method, according to any of claims 5-7, whose image capture includes the taking of several images (1) covering the path, and where the wall (1) has signals (11) identifying the area. 9. Method according to any of claims 5-8, comprising automatic detection of the type of displacement and / or the number of grips. 10. Method according to any of claims 5-9, which includes sending the route to an external server. 11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the server has a repository of facilities, with photos of its walls (1) and grips (2). 12- Method according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises the association of a position to the path by means of a geolocation system. 13. Method according to any of claims 5-12, characterized in that it comprises comparing the marked route with a previously defined route. 14. Computer program comprising instructions for performing the steps of the procedure of any of claims 5-13 when said program is run on a computer equipment. 15. Computer readable data carrier that has the computer program of claim 14 stored.