Climbing wall and securing system therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety system for a climbing wall (1) on which a climbing route (5) runs via a concave region (6) of the climbing wall (1), having a safety rope (7) leading upwards, a running gear (13), which hangs on the safety rope (7) by means of a retainer (15) and forms a fastening (16) for a safety belt (8), and a linear guide (14) for the running gear (13), which linear guide can be attached along the climbing route (5) and has a bend (17) for adaptation to the concave region (6), wherein the safety system (2) has at the bend (17) a rope deflection means (18), which deflects safety rope (7) around the bend (17), and wherein the retainer (15) is arranged at the end of a gripping arm (21) which protrudes from the running gear (21) and engages behind the rope deflection means (18) on passing through. The invention also relates to a climbing wall (1) equipped with such a safety system (2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety system for a climbing wall on which a climbing route runs over at least one concave area of ​​the climbing wall. The invention further relates to a climbing wall equipped with such a safety system.

[0002] To secure climbers on a climbing wall, it is common practice to mount a pulley near the top of the climbing wall or, if the climbing wall is set up in a hall, on the hall ceiling above the climbing wall. This pulley is used to deflect a safety rope. This pulley is used to secure a climber while climbing the wall, e.g., by a person standing on the ground in front of the climbing wall or by a ground-mounted automatic belay (also known as an "auto belay"). Alternatively, such an automatic belay, which initially blocks the safety rope under the sudden impact load of a climber falling and then slowly releases the safety rope for the climber to abseil, can be mounted at the top of the climbing wall or on the hall ceiling instead of the pulley.

[0003] Particularly in the case of a climbing route that runs over a concave section of the climbing wall and / or an overhanging climbing wall, even when using such a safety system, there is generally a risk of injury. Namely, the risk of a pendulum fall, in which a falling climber swings so far on the safety rope that a collision with other people, the climbing wall or other walls, or contact with the ground, cannot be ruled out. To prevent injury resulting from a pendulum fall, a safety system is known from US 2002 / 0046903 A1 in which a carriage hangs from the safety rope. This carriage is guided in a slotted tube behind the correspondingly slotted climbing wall. The safety rope also runs in the tube. The carriage is connected to the climber's safety harness through the slot.If the climber falls, they swing around the carriage on the relatively short safety harness, preventing a wide swing and the associated risk of injury. However, such a safety system is not suitable for all climbing walls. Especially when a climbing route runs over a concave section of the wall, there is a risk that the safety rope will become stuck in the slot or protrude through it, hindering or even trapping the climber or another climber.

[0004] The present invention aims to create a safety system and a climbing wall that can be used flexibly and at the same time offer the climber unhindered and reliable safety.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the invention, this aim is achieved with a safety system for a climbing wall of the type mentioned at the outset, which is equipped with an upwardly guided safety rope, a carriage which hangs from the safety rope by means of a holder and forms an anchorage for a climber's safety harness, and a linear guide for the carriage which can be attached to the climbing wall along the climbing route and has at least one bend for adaptation to the said at least one concave region, wherein the safety system is characterized in that it has a rope deflection at the at least one bend which is designed to deflect the safety rope around the bend of the linear guide, and in that the holder is arranged at the end of a gripping arm which projects from the carriage and which, when passing the rope deflection, engages behind it from the perspective of a climber.

[0006] Thanks to the combination of the carriage, the linear guide, the guidance of the safety rope using the dedicated rope deflection, and the specially shaped gripping arm, the safety system can be adapted to climbing walls and climbing routes of any shape. Furthermore, since the rope deflection and gripping arm are designed in such a way that the gripping arm reaches behind the deflection when passing it, from the climber's perspective, any obstruction to the climber caused by the safety rope, deflection, and gripping arm can be eliminated. All of this makes the safety system reliable and flexible, regardless of whether a self-belaying device or manual belay is provided, and offers the climber maximum safety on any shaped climbing wall and climbing route, even on steeply overhanging climbing walls.

[0007] The linear guide can be implemented in different ways, e.g. by a single rail with undercuts, such as a T-shaped rail, which the carriage grips like a pair of pincers, by two or more rails between which the carriage is clamped, or the like. In an advantageous embodiment, the linear guide is formed by a pair of C- or U-shaped rails with openings facing one another. This enables secure mounting of the carriage on the rails, as the carriage engages in the openings. Furthermore, such rails are readily available and can be adapted relatively well to the at least one concave area of ​​the climbing wall, e.g. by bending or by gluing or welding rail segments.

[0008] The drive can be mounted on the linear guide, for example, using plain bearings. It is particularly advantageous if the drive is mounted on rollers. This reduces the resistance and wear of the drive when moving along the linear guide, thus reducing maintenance effort and increasing the durability, availability, and reliability of the security system.

[0009] It is advantageous if the gripper arm is bent in an approximately L- or C-shape when viewed in the direction of the linear guide. This allows the gripper arm to securely engage behind and pass through any rope deflection of the safety system without collision. This allows the linear guide to bend in any direction, e.g., if the climbing wall has more than one concave and one or more convex areas over which the climbing route runs, and / or if the climbing route on the climbing wall describes one or more curves.

[0010] It is particularly advantageous if the rope deflection is formed by a support and at least one pulley mounted on it. This allows for the safety rope to be deflected with particularly low resistance, thus increasing safety. At the same time, such rope deflections are particularly flexible in their use.

[0011] In an advantageous variant, the drive has a parallelogram-shaped sheet metal body with roller axles running transversely through it. The safety belt can be anchored to one of its sharp corners, and the other of the sharp corners serves as the aforementioned gripping arm. This makes the drive particularly space-saving and simple in design, increasing the usability and reliability of the safety system.

[0012] According to a second aspect, the invention provides a climbing wall on which a climbing route runs over at least one concave area of ​​the climbing wall. This climbing wall is characterized by being equipped with a safety system of the aforementioned type, wherein the linear guide is attached to the climbing wall along the climbing route such that its at least one bend corresponds to the at least one concave area. Regarding the advantages of such a climbing wall, reference is made to the above explanations regarding the safety system.

[0013] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the climbing wall has a slot running along the climbing route, penetrating the climbing wall from its front to its back. The safety rope of the safety system is guided along the back, and the linear guide runs along the slot. The safety rope thus cannot obstruct the climber at all, as would be the case with conventional safety systems. This further reduces the risk of falling and thus increases the climber's safety.

[0014] The linear guide could be mounted at the front of the climbing wall; however, it's particularly advantageous if it's mounted at the back of the back wall. This way, the linear guide doesn't pose any obstruction to the climber, simplifying climbing and increasing safety. The safety system is thus barely noticeable to the climber.

[0015] If the safety rope is routed along the back of the climbing wall, the safety rope near the bracket, or the safety belt near the anchor, passes through the slot. However, it is particularly advantageous if the drive unit passes through the slot. This allows the drive unit to hang from the safety rope via its bracket at the back of the climbing wall, while also allowing easy access to the anchor for the climber's safety belt at the front of the climbing wall. This also prevents friction between the safety rope or the safety belt and the slot, further increasing the reliability of the safety system.

[0016] If the rope deflection of the safety system is formed by a support and a pulley mounted on it, an advantageous variant is a portal spanning the slot, the supports of which are attached to the climbing wall. Such a portal support provides additional reinforcement to the climbing wall in the area of ​​its slot; the climbing wall's strength increases and its construction is simplified.

[0017] It's also particularly advantageous if the climbing wall has reinforcements on both sides of the slot. These reinforcements give the climbing wall additional strength and protect the edges of the slot from wear, e.g., from contact with the running gear or similar. This allows the slot to be designed to be particularly narrow.

[0018] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: the Fig. 1a und 1b a climbing wall with a safety system according to the state of the art in a side view ( Fig. 1a ) or a front view ( Fig. 1b ); the Fig. 2a und 2b a climbing wall with a safety system according to the present invention in a side view ( Fig. 2a ) or a front view ( Fig. 2b ); the Fig. 3a bis 3c Details of the climbing wall and the safety system of the Fig. 2a und 2b , etc. Fig. 3a an enlargement of section A of Fig. 2a , Fig. 3b an enlargement of section B of Fig. 3a und Fig. 3c an enlargement of a cross section along the section line C - C of Fig. 3b ; and the Fig. 4a bis 4d different variants of a rope deflection of the safety system of the Fig. 2a und 2b each in a view in the direction of a linear guide of the safety system.

[0019] The Fig. 1a und 1b show a climbing wall 1' with a safety system 2' according to the prior art. The climbing wall 1' is provided with a plurality of grips 3, which offer a climber 4 one or more climbing routes 5, each of which optionally describes one or more curves. In the example shown, the climbing route 5 of the climber 4 runs on the climbing wall 1' over a concave area 6 of the climbing wall 1'.

[0020] The climber 4 wears a safety harness 8, which he anchors to the end 7' of a safety rope 7 of the safety system 2' before climbing. The safety rope 7 is tensioned from above, e.g., from the upper end of the climbing wall 1' or, if the climbing wall 1' (as here) is set up in a hall, from a hall ceiling 9 above the climbing wall 1' or from the floor 10 if a pulley is attached to the climbing wall 1' or the hall ceiling 9, which deflects the safety rope 7. In the example shown, a so-called "automatic belay device" 11 (also known as "auto belay") is mounted on the hall ceiling 9 to operate the safety rope 7, which automatically holds the safety rope under slight tension and is self-locking in the event of a sudden impact load, i.e. in the event of a climber falling, whereupon it slowly releases the safety rope 7 to lower the climber 4, so that the climber 4 is lowered to the ground 10 without injury.Alternatively, the safety rope 7 can be operated manually.

[0021] In the example of Fig. 1a und 1b Due to the shape of the climbing wall 1', in particular its concave area 6, the safety rope 7 drags on a convex area 12 of the climbing wall 1'; in the concave area 6, the climber 4 is thereby pulled out of the climbing wall 1' by the taut safety rope 7, which makes climbing even more difficult. As in Fig. 1b The safety rope 7 can be used when climbing on individual handles 3 (in Fig. 1b for a hold 3* shown), which impairs the securing effect and / or hinders the climber 4.

[0022] If the climbing wall 1' has a concave area 6 and / or is overhanging, as in the example of Fig. 1a , the climber 4 swings widely in the event of a fall - this is known as a "pendulum fall" - and could injure himself, e.g. on the climbing wall 1', on the ground 10 or on an opposite wall or other persons.

[0023] Based on the Fig. 2a bis 4d In the following, a novel climbing wall 1 with a novel safety system 2 is explained in more detail, with the same elements having the same reference numerals as in the Fig. 1a und 1b and not be described again.

[0024] According to the Fig. 2a bis 3c The safety system 2 comprises the upwardly guided safety rope 7, a carriage 13 and a linear guide 14 for the carriage 13. The carriage 13 hangs on the safety rope 7 by means of a bracket 15 and forms an anchorage (e.g. an eyelet) 16 for the safety belt 8 of the climber 4. The linear guide 14 is attached along the climbing route 5 on the climbing wall 1, ie it follows both the shape of the climbing wall 1 and the course of the climbing route 5 on the climbing wall 1 ( Fig. 2b ).

[0025] In order to adapt to the said concave region 6, the linear guide 14 has at least one bend 17, so that the at least one bend 17 corresponds to the concave region 6 in the state of the linear guide 14 attached to the climbing wall 1.

[0026] It is understood that the climbing wall 1 can optionally have more than one concave area 6 and one or more convex areas 12; the linear guide 14 is adapted to the shape of the climbing wall 1 and accordingly has several bends 17, 17', which correspond to concave and convex areas 6, 12, respectively. Furthermore, the linear guide 14 optionally also has bends 17" in order to follow any curves in the plane of the climbing wall 1 during the course of the climbing route 5, see Fig. 2b . In the context of the present disclosure, the term "linear guide" therefore does not necessarily refer to a guide that runs completely straight over its entire length, but rather to a guide that limits movement of the drive 13 at any point in two of three translational degrees of freedom possible in space, so that the drive 13 is guided translationally, i.e. linearly, at any point along the linear guide 14 in its local direction of extension.

[0027] According to Fig. 3a The safety system 2 has a rope deflection 18 at a bend 17 corresponding to a concave area 6 of the climbing wall 1, which deflects the safety rope 7 around the bend 17 of the linear guide 14. To deflect the safety rope 7, the rope deflection 18 has, for example, a sliding shoe on which the safety rope 7 slides. In the example shown, the rope deflection 18 is formed by a support 19 and at least one deflection pulley 20 for the safety rope 7 rotatably mounted thereon.

[0028] As in the Fig. 3b und 3c The bracket 15, by means of which the carriage 13 hangs from the safety rope 7, is shown arranged at the end of a gripping arm 21 projecting from the carriage 13. The gripping arm 21 projects from the carriage 13 in such a way that when passing the aforementioned rope deflection 18, it engages behind the rope deflection 18 from the perspective of the climber 4; thus, from the perspective of the climber 4, the bracket 15 passes behind the deflection pulley 20, as will be explained below with reference to Fig. 4a will be explained in more detail. Furthermore, the safety system 2 has corresponding optional additional rope deflections 18 at each of the optional additional bends 17', 17", see later the Fig 4b bis 4d .

[0029] The linear guide 14 is formed, for example, by a rail, e.g., an undercut rail, which grips the carriage 13 like a pair of pincers or, conversely, is gripped by the carriage 13 like a pair of pincers, so that the carriage 13 is guided linearly thereon. Alternatively, the linear guide 14 is formed by two or more parallel rails, between which the carriage 13 is clamped. In the Fig. 3c In the example shown, the linear guide 14 is formed by a pair of parallel C- or U-shaped rails 14', 14", which have mutually facing openings 22', 22". The drive 13 is linearly guided in the C-shaped rails 14', 14" by means of rollers 23. Alternatively, the drive 13 can be slide-mounted on the linear guide 14.

[0030] Returning to Fig. 3b The running gear 13 optionally has a parallelogram-shaped sheet metal body 24, which is transversely penetrated by (here: two) roller axes 25 of the rollers 23; alternatively, more than two or only one roller axes 25 could penetrate the sheet metal body 24. The safety belt 8 is anchored to one of the two pointed corners 24 S1 of the parallelogram-shaped sheet metal body 24 of the running gear 13 (here: via the eyelet 16), and the other of the pointed corners 24 S2 is formed into the aforementioned gripping arm 21. In the example of Fig. 3b Furthermore, the roller axes 25 are located at the blunt corners 24 T1, 24 T2 of the sheet metal body 24. It is understood that the drive 13 can have a different shape, in particular without the sheet metal body 24.

[0031] In the example of Fig. 3c The gripping arm 21 is approximately L-shaped when viewed in the direction of the linear guide 14. Alternatively, the gripping arm 21 can be C-shaped or otherwise curved in this direction, or, depending on the arrangement of the rope deflection 18 in relation to the linear guide 14 and the carriage 13, even straight, as long as it engages behind the rope deflection 18 when passing it from the perspective of the climber 4.

[0032] Coming back to the Fig. 2a, 2b and 3c The climbing wall 1 optionally has a slot 26, which runs along the climbing route 5. The slot 26 penetrates the climbing wall 1 from its front side 1 V to its back side 1 R, ie the entire climbing wall 1 in the thickness direction. The safety rope 7 is guided on the back side 1 R of the climbing wall 1 and the linear guide 14 runs along the slot 26, ie from the perspective of the climber 4 in front of, in or (as in Fig. 3c ) behind the slot 26. According to Fig. 3c Furthermore, the climbing wall 1 has an optional reinforcement 27 in the slot 26 on both sides, e.g. a profile or a strip made of plastic, composite material or metal.

[0033] If the climbing wall 1 does not have a slot 26, the linear guide 14 could be attached to the front 1 V of the climbing wall 1 and the safety rope 7 could be guided on the front 1 V of the climbing wall 1.

[0034] The Fig. 4a bis 4d show, by way of example, various variants of the rope deflection 18 of the safety system 2, each of which is formed by a support 19 and a deflection pulley 20 mounted thereon. The support 19 optionally has the shape of a portal that spans the slot 26, so that each of the two supports 19', 19" of the portal is attached to a different side of the slot 26 on the climbing wall 1 (here: on its rear side 1 R ). Alternatively, the support 19 can have a single support, i.e., not be portal-shaped, and / or be attached to the climbing wall 1 via the linear guide 14 or the reinforcement 27.

[0035] In the examples of Fig. 4a bis 4d The drive 13 passes through the slot 26, so that only a small part of the drive 13 protrudes from the slot 26 at the front 1V of the climbing wall 1, where the anchorage 16 for the safety harness 8 is provided. Except for this part, the entire safety system 2 is thus out of the reach of the climber 4.

[0036] Fig. 4a shows the variant of a rope deflection 18 at a bend 17 in a concave area 6 of the climbing wall 1, in which case the gripping arm 21, when passing the rope deflection 18, reaches behind it from the perspective of the climber 4, so that the holder 15 passes the rope deflection 18 behind the deflection pulley 20, as explained above. Fig. 4b shows the opposite case of a convex area 12 of the climbing wall 1 and a corresponding bend 17' of the linear guide 14, whereby the bracket 15 passes the deflection pulley 20 in front of the rope deflection 18 (although here behind the climbing wall 1). Due to the special (here: L-shape) of the gripping arm 21, it passes the deflection pulley 20 without collision; the same could be achieved, for example, with a gripping arm 21 bent in a C-shape in the direction of the linear guide 14. The other examples show, from the perspective of the climber 4, a bend 17" of the linear guide 14 to the right ( Fig. 4c ) or to the left ( Fig. 4d ). In the case of the 17" turn to the left ( Fig. 4d ), the safety rope 7 is lifted out of the pulley 20 by the gripping arm 21 and the holder 15 when passing the rope deflection 18, so that the rope deflection 18 is passed without contact. The same lifting and contactless passing would also be possible in the variants of Fig. 4a bis 4coptionally possible.

[0037] The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but includes all variants, modifications and combinations thereof that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A belay system for a climbing wall (1) on which a climbing route (5) runs over at least one concave area (6) of the climbing wall (1), with an upwardly guided safety rope (7), a running gear (13), which suspends from the safety rope (7) by means of a holder (15) and forms an anchorage (16) for a safety harness (8) of a climber (4), and a linear guide (14) for the running gear (13), which is attachable along the climbing route (5) on the climbing wall (1) and has at least one bend (17) for alignment with said at least one concave area (6), characterized in that that the belay system (2) has a rope deflection (18) at the at least one bend (17), which is configured to deflect the safety rope (7) around the bend (17) of the linear guide (14), and that the holder (15) is arranged at the end of a gripping arm (21) projecting from the running gear (13), which, when passing the cable deflection (18), passes behind the cable deflection when viewed from a climber (4).

2. The belay system according to claim 1, characterized in that the linear guide (14) is made up of a pair of C- or U-shaped rails (14', 14") with openings (22', 22") facing each other.

3. The belay system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the running gear (13) is mounted on the linear guide (14) via rollers (23).

4. The belay system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the gripping arm (21) is bent in an approximately L- or C-shape when viewed in direction of the linear guide (14).

5. The belay system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cable deflection (18) is made up of a support (19) and at least one deflection pulley (20) mounted thereon.

6. The belay system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the running gear (13) has a parallelogram-shaped sheet metal body (24) through which roller axes (25) traverse transversely, wherein the safety harness (8) is anchorable at one of its pointed corners (24S1) and the other of the pointed corners (24S2) is configured to form said gripping arm (21).

7. A climbing wall on which a climbing route (5) runs over at least one concave region (6) of the climbing wall (1), characterized in that the climbing wall (1) is equipped with a belay system (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the linear guide (14) is attached to the climbing wall (1) along the climbing route (5) such that its at least one bend (17) corresponds to the at least one concave region (6).

8. The climbing wall according to claim 7, characterized in that the climbing wall (1) has a slit (26) which runs along the climbing route (5) and traverses the climbing wall (1) from its front side (1V) to its rear side (1R), wherein the safety rope (7) of the belay system (2) is guided at the rear side (1R), and wherein the linear guide (14) runs along the slit (26).

9. The climbing wall according to claim 8, characterized in that the linear guide (14) is attached to the rear side (1R) of the climbing wall (1).

10. The climbing wall according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the running gear (13) traverses the slit (26).

11. The climbing wall according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the rope deflection (18) of the belay system (2) is made up of a support (19) and a deflection pulley (20) mounted thereon, characterized in that the support (19) is a portal which spans over the slit (26) and whose support columns (19', 19") are attached to the climbing wall (1).

12. The climbing wall according to one any of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the climbing wall (1) has a respective reinforcement (27) on each side of the slit (26).

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