Method for manufacturing a guide element for a fishing rod line

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a guide element (GEL) for a fishing rod line, which element includes a ring (CRG) integral with a guide body (GDY) intended to be fixed to said rod. The method according to the invention is characterized in that it includes: - a step of coating said ring (CRG) with a set of reinforcing fibers; - a step of shaping said set of reinforcing fibers; - a step of coating said ring (CRG) thus coated with a resin; and - a step of hardening the guide element thus formed. The method according to the invention does not require machining of material containing carbon fibers, nor mechanical insertion or gluing of the ring into a hole previously made in the guide body. Reference: Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Method for manufacturing a guide element for a fishing rod line

[0001] The invention relates generally to a method for manufacturing a guide element for a fishing rod line, which element includes a ring attached to a guide body intended to be fixed on said rod. technical field

[0002] The present invention falls particularly, but not exclusively, within the general field of the manufacture of fishing rods, and more particularly within the field of the manufacture of fishing rods with shafts constructed at least partially using reinforcing fibers.

[0003] Such reinforcing fibers can in particular be made using carbon, glass, aramid, basalt, or other materials known to those skilled in the art.

[0004] In the prior art, it is common practice to equip the shaft of a fishing rod with a series of rings designed to guide at least one fishing line extending in a direction parallel to the shaft of the fishing rod, hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction, in order to facilitate, on the one hand, the casting operations and, on the other hand, the operations of reeling in any fish that has taken the hook. Prior art

[0005] For many years, fishing rod blanks were made of fiberglass, with the guide elements themselves made of metal and then glued or bound to the blank. However, these techniques were unsatisfactory because, firstly, the metal guide element had a surface finish that tended to be abrasive, causing premature wear of the line, and secondly, through friction, even a slightly abrasive line would eventually cut through the insufficiently hardened metal reinforcement. Furthermore, the metal body of the guide element and the fiberglass body of the fishing rod blank to which it was attached had different deformation and corrosion resistance characteristics, tending to cause premature separation of the guide element from the fishing rod blank.

[0006] To remedy these drawbacks, it was conceived to make the guide element in the form of an assembly of a ceramic ring within a guide body made of carbon fibers, said guide element being intended to be fixed on a fishing rod shaft also made of carbon fibers.

[0007] Such a process is described in particular in document EP342243 IB 1.

[0008] The inventor of the process claimed in this patent application has, however, observed that, if the process described in the document mentioned above allows While providing some solutions to the drawbacks of the previous technique, the implementation of this known process raises other problems that remain to be solved.

[0009] Indeed, the process known from document EP3422431B1 involves first producing a guide body constructed on the basis of a stack of pre-impregnated carbon fiber sheets with resin, then baked, thus obtaining a pre-form from which the guide body itself is extracted by machining allowing, on the one hand, to define the outer perimeter of the guide body, and, on the other hand, to insert an orifice intended to receive by clipping a ceramic ring whose internal annular surface must also be coated with an adhesive paste in order to ensure its retention in position within the orifice made in the guide body.

[0010] Such machining is complex and costly to implement, especially in the context of mass production of numerous guide rings for equipping fishing rods, which are also intended to be manufactured and delivered in series. Principle of the invention

[0011] The inventor has devised a solution to all the problems described above, and has developed a simple and inexpensive process allowing for easy and rapid implementation of this solution. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention thus proposes a method in accordance with the introductory paragraph, characterized in that it includes: - a step of coating said ring by means of at least one set of reinforcing fibers; - a shaping step of said assembly of reinforcing fibers; and - a coating step using a resin on said ring thus coated; and - a hardening step of the guide element thus formed.

[0013] Unlike the known prior art method, the method according to the invention does not require the implementation of a stack of reinforcing fiber layers, but uses a set of fibers which can be optimally oriented according to their direction of maximum resistance, considered in both tension and bending.

[0014] Moreover, unlike the known process, which includes three successive manufacturing operations, the process according to the invention includes only one, and does not require machining of material containing carbon fibers, nor mechanical insertion or gluing of the ring into a hole previously made in the guide body.

[0015] This process allows for considerable savings in terms of time and manufacturing costs. Indeed, since it does not involve any cutting operations, the Implementing this process will not generate wear on cutting tools or material waste from machining operations that have become unnecessary, which would otherwise require costly recycling. Furthermore, machining operations described in the prior art typically generate dust that is difficult to capture, and therefore will not occur when implementing the process according to the invention.

[0016] Furthermore, the fact that the guide body is made of a composite material, its outer surface is mainly composed of resin, preferably Epoxy resin, which gives it a homogeneity of mechanical and physicochemical behavior with respect to the fishing rod barrel to which it is intended to be attached.

[0017] The method according to the invention can be carried out manually, for example by inserting a plastically deformable thread into the reinforcing fiber assembly, then winding this assembly around a ceramic ring and subsequently shaping one end of said assembly to create a base with a shape adapted to securing the guide element to the fishing rod shaft for which it is intended. The entire assembly thus shaped can then be coated with a resin for rigidification, which resin can be hardened at room temperature or by baking.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the process described above, the shaping and coating steps include respectively: - a step of inserting the ring coated with the assembly of reinforcing fibers into a mold having an annular groove connected to at least one effluent groove intended to accommodate at least one additional length of fibers beyond that used to coat the ring; - a step of filling said mold with a resin.

[0019] Such an implementation method makes it possible to obtain, in addition to the advantages of the invention described above, the possibility of choosing the section of the guide body, beyond the constraints imposed by known technologies.

[0020] In this embodiment of the invention, it is possible to let the resin harden at room temperature, but, according to an advantageous embodiment of the process described above, the hardening step will include a heating step of said mold thus filled.

[0021] This will reduce the manufacturing time of the guide element obtained through the invention, and reduce the risk of deformation of said guide element occurring during the curing stage. Furthermore, a heat-cured resin will exhibit superior performance in terms of mechanical strength.

[0022] According to a variant of the invention described above, said effluent groove leads to a straight groove intended to form the base of the guide body, which groove rectilinear being substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the circular groove is inscribed.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said assembly of reinforcing fibers intended to coat the ring includes a hollow braid.

[0024] This embodiment makes it possible to create a bead that completely envelops the periphery of the ring, thus optimally strengthening the connection between the ring and the guide body. Furthermore, the fact that the braid is hollow allows for the longitudinal insertion of additional fibers, resulting in even greater rigidity for the guide element.

[0025] According to a particular embodiment of the invention described above, the straight groove is intended to accommodate a removable cylinder embedded in at least a hollow portion of a set of reinforcing fibers before the filling step.

[0026] Such a variant makes it possible to create a cylindrical sheath attached to the guide ring suitable for receiving the end of the rod, which will allow the ring called "head ring" to be positioned perfectly and with great robustness, which is intended to withstand the intense forces generated during casting or by a struggling prey, while being fixed to the thinnest end of the fishing rod.

[0027] According to a variant of this preferred embodiment of the invention, the process described above includes a step of inserting one end of the assembly of reinforcing fibers left free after coating the ring, within a hollow portion of said assembly intended to be placed in the vicinity of the junction between the annular groove and the effluent groove.

[0028] This variant allows for a doubling of the thickness of the base of the guide element and therefore a considerable increase in its robustness.

[0029] Furthermore, according to one of its material aspects, the invention also relates to a guiding element for a fishing rod line obtained by implementing a process as described above.

[0030] Furthermore, according to another of its material aspects, the invention also relates to a mold intended for implementing a process in accordance with the preceding description. Brief description of the drawings

[0031] Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, and with reference to the accompanying figures: Fig. 1

[0032] [Fig.1] is a perspective view illustrating a guide element of a fishing rod line obtained by implementing the invention; Fig. 2

[0033] [Fig.2] is a perspective view illustrating a manufacturing step of such a guiding element; Fig.3

[0034] [Fig.3] is a perspective view illustrating a detail of the manufacturing step represented in the previous figure; Fig. 4

[0035] [Fig.4] is a perspective view illustrating an advantageous embodiment of a guiding element according to the invention; Fig. 5

[0036] [Fig.5] is another perspective view illustrating a half-mold intended to to be assembled with a complementary half-mold for the purpose of implementing a process according to the invention. Description of the embodiments

[0037] Fig. 1 represents a GEL guide element of a fishing rod line including a CRG ring, for example made of ceramic material, attached to a GDY guide body intended to be fixed on said rod by means of an FTN base connected to the guide body via arms (LG1, LG2).

[0038] Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a manufacturing step of the guide element shown in the previous figure, which includes: - a step of coating said CRG ring by means of at least one braid of CTR reinforcing fibers; - a shaping step of said CTR reinforcement fiber braid.

[0039] According to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown here, said CTR reinforcing fiber braid surrounding the CRG ring is a hollow braid.

[0040] This method of implementation makes it possible to create a bead that completely envelops the periphery of the CRG ring, and thus optimally consolidates the connection between the CRG ring and the GDY guide body.

[0041] This manufacturing step is intended to be followed by the following steps, not shown here: - a coating step using a resin on said CRG ring thus coated; and - a hardening step of the guide element thus formed.

[0042] Unlike the known prior art method, the method according to the invention does not require the implementation of a stack of reinforcing fiber layers, but uses a set of reinforcing fibers, formed here by the CTR fiber braid, which can be oriented in an optimized way according to their direction of maximum resistance, considered in both tension and bending.

[0043] In the manufacturing process described here, an LG2 end of the CRT braid left free after coating the CRG ring was inserted into a portion of the hollow body of said CTR fiber at the level indicated by the arrow INT and extracted from the hollow body of said CTR fiber at the level of the arrow OUT.

[0044] Figures 4 and 5, considered together, represent an advantageous implementation of the process described above, in which the shaping and coating steps include respectively: - a step of inserting the ring coated with the reinforcing fiber braid into an MLD mold having an annular groove ANGR connected to at least one effluent groove (EGR1, EGR2) intended to accommodate at least one additional length of braid beyond that used to coat the ring; - a step of filling said MLD mold with a resin.

[0045] In the embodiment of the MLD mold, of which only half is shown here, the effluent grooves (EGR1, EGR2) lead to a straight groove RGR intended to form the base of the guide body, which straight groove RGR being substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the circular groove is inscribed.

[0046] In another embodiment of the MLD mold, the straight groove will have a cylindrical section intended to accommodate a removable cylinder embedded in at least a portion of reinforcing fiber braid before the filling step.

[0047] Such a variant makes it possible to create a cylindrical sheath attached to the guide ring and suitable for receiving the end of the rod, which will allow the ring called "head ring" to be positioned perfectly and with great robustness, which is intended to withstand the intense forces generated during casting or by a struggling prey, while being fixed to the thinnest end of the fishing rod.

[0048] In an unillustrated variant of this embodiment of the invention, the process described above advantageously includes a step of inserting one end of the braid left free after coating the ring into a portion of the hollow body of said fiber intended to be placed in the vicinity of the junction between the annular groove and the effluent groove.

[0049] This variant will allow a doubling of the thickness of the base of the guide element and therefore a considerable increase in its robustness.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for manufacturing a guide element (GEL) for a fishing rod line, which element includes a ring (CRG) secured to a guide body (GDY) intended to be fixed to said rod, method characterized in that it includes: - a step of coating said ring (CRG) by means of a set of reinforcing fibers (CTR), including a step of winding at least a portion of the set of reinforcing fibers (CTR) around said ring (CRG), in contact with the latter; - a step of shaping said set of reinforcing fibers (CTR); - a step of coating said ring (CRG) thus coated with a resin; and - a step of hardening the guide element thus formed.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the shaping and coating steps respectively include: - a step of inserting the ring (CRG) coated with the set of reinforcing fibers (CTR) into a mold (MLD) having an annular groove (ANGR) connected to at least one effluent groove (EGR1, EGR2) intended to accommodate at least one length of fibers additional to that used to coat the ring (CRG); and - a step of filling said mold (MLD) using a resin.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the hardening step includes a step of heating said mold (MLD) thus filled.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said effluent groove ends in a rectilinear groove intended to form the base of the guide body, which rectilinear groove is substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the circular groove is inscribed.

5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said set of reinforcing fibers (CTR) includes a hollow braid.

6. Method according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that said rectilinear groove is intended to accommodate a removable cylinder coated in at least one hollow portion of a set of reinforcing fibers before the filling step.

7. Method according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that it includes a step of inserting one end of the set of reinforcing fibers left free after coating the ring, within a hollow portion of said set intended to be placed in the vicinity of the junction between the annular groove and the effluent groove.

8. Guide element (GEL) for a fishing rod line obtained by implementing a method according to one of claims 1 to 7.

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