Method for forming fasteners and anchors

Abstract

This invention provides a fastening device that allows anchors to be moved without having to untie and re-tie knots in climbing ropes when performing work at height. [Solution] The fastener 1 comprises a single belt 20, a ratchet-type buckle 10 having a fixed shaft 11 that secures one end of the belt while it is wrapped around it, and a rotating shaft 12 that rotates intermittently in one direction to wind up the other end of the belt, a belt pass-through portion 31 that is flat and has a pair of insertion holes (first insertion hole 34, second insertion hole 35) that extend in a direction perpendicular to the length of the belt, through which the belt is inserted in opposite directions, and an annular portion 32 that is flat and integral with the belt pass-through portion 31, whose position on the belt is adjusted by the belt pass-through portion, and which has at least one through hole (first through hole 37, second through hole 38).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener for fastening to a tree, a utility pole, a steel column, etc. to form an anchor during high-altitude work, and a method for forming an anchor using the fastener.

Background Art

[0002] When performing high-altitude work using a rope, an anchor (anchor point, fulcrum) is formed to support the body of the worker to prevent falling. There are bottom anchors and canopy anchors. Taking the case of pruning or felling a tree as an example of high-altitude work, a bottom anchor is formed by tying one end of a climbing rope to the root or trunk of a tree. The middle of the rope is hung on a tree branch, folded back to the ground side, and then climbed towards the branch where the rope is hung. A canopy anchor is formed by tying one end of a rope to a high place such as a tree branch and climbing towards the anchor.

[0003] In addition, for bottom anchors, there are cases where the climbing rope is directly tied to the root or trunk of a tree to form an anchor, and cases where the climbing rope is indirectly tied to the root or trunk of a tree via another rope to form an anchor. In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 5, a rope 91 other than the climbing rope is wound around the trunk 80 of the tree, passed through a ring 93, and then tightened around the trunk 80 by making a figure-eight knot 94. Further, it is attached to a descender 70 via a connecting ring 95 such as a carabiner. Inside the descender 70, there is a guide for changing the direction while bending the rope. By passing the rope through the guide, the rope is slidably attached to the descender. By attaching the climbing rope 75 to the descender 70 in this way, the climbing rope 75 and another rope 91 are connected, and an anchor A is formed.

[0004] However, whether it's a canopy anchor, a bottom anchor formed solely by a climbing rope, or a bottom anchor formed by a climbing rope and another rope, they are all the same in that they form an anchor by tying ropes together. Therefore, if a knot is damaged during the process of moving the anchor, causing it to be untied and retied, there is a risk that the knot will come undone during subsequent work, potentially causing the worker (climber) to fall.

[0005] In particular, the position of the bottom anchor may need to be moved when moving to a different work area while working at a height. Also, when pruning or felling trees, if it is anticipated that the climbing rope will be damaged by the cut branches, the position of the bottom anchor needs to be moved. In such cases, the worker at height instructs the ground worker to untie the knot in the rope, move to a different location, and then tie the rope again to move the anchor. At this time, it is essential for the safety of the worker at height that the newly created knot is tied accurately and without looseness. Repeating the process of untieing and tying the rope knot each time the anchor is moved is not only cumbersome, but also increases the likelihood of human error, such as mistakes in knot tying, during such repetitive work. In high-altitude work, where the operator's life depends on the rope, it is recommended to use knotless methods (eliminating or reducing the number of knots) to reduce such human errors. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a fastener that allows an anchor to be moved without having to untie and re-tie the knot in the rope when performing work at height using a climbing rope, and a method for forming an anchor using the fastener. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the fastener according to the present invention is "A single belt, A ratchet-type buckle comprising a fixed shaft that secures one end of the belt in a wound position, and a rotating shaft that rotates intermittently in one direction to wind up the other end of the belt, A belt pass-through portion having a flat plate shape and a pair of insertion holes extending in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the belt, through which the belt is inserted in opposite directions, A flat plate-shaped annular portion, which is integrated with or separate from the belt pass-through portion, is positioned on the belt by the belt pass-through portion, and has at least one through hole, It is "equipped with."

[0008] According to the fastening device of the present invention, the belt is fixed to the anchor object by winding the other end (free end) of a belt, one end of which is fixed to the fixed shaft of a ratchet-type buckle, onto the rotating shaft of the ratchet-type buckle. The belt has an annular portion attached to it, which is positioned on the belt by a belt pass-through portion, and the annular portion has at least one through hole. Therefore, by directly or indirectly attaching one end of a climbing rope to the through hole of the annular portion, an anchor can be formed when performing work at height using a climbing rope.

[0009] When moving the anchor, the belt that was wound around the rotating shaft of the ratchet buckle simply needs to be loosened or detached. Therefore, there is no need to untie and retie the rope knot when moving the anchor. This eliminates concerns that workers at heights may fall due to problems with the rope knot during the anchor's movement.

[0010] The method for forming an anchor according to the present invention is: "A method for forming an anchor for working at heights using the fasteners described above, The belt is wrapped around the object to be anchored, and the belt is then wound up on the rotating shaft of the ratchet-type buckle to secure it to the object to be anchored. The method involves directly or indirectly attaching one end of a climbing rope used by a worker to ascend to a high place to the at least one through-hole.

[0011] This is a method for forming an anchor using the fastener configured as described above, and it exhibits the effects described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, the present invention provides a fastener that allows an anchor to be moved without having to untie and re-tie the knot in the rope when performing work at height using a climbing rope, and a method for forming an anchor using the fastener. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the fastener according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view of the fastener, showing the integrated belt loop and annular portion. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which an anchor is formed using the fastener shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the fastener according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing how anchors are formed on a tree trunk using conventional methods. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The fastener 1, which is the first embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The fastener 1 comprises a ratchet-type buckle 10, a belt 20, a belt loop 31, and an annular portion 32. In this embodiment, the belt loop 31 and the annular portion 32 are integrated.

[0015] Belt 20 is flat and long, made from synthetic resin fibers such as nylon or polyester, which have excellent strength and abrasion resistance, and is woven in plain weave or twill weave. Belt 20 has a width of 35mm to 55mm and a length of 1mm to 10mm.

[0016] The ratchet buckle 10 comprises a fixed shaft 11, a rotating shaft 12, a gear 15 that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 12, and a lever 13 that is rotatable around the axis of the rotating shaft 12. The fixed shaft 11 is non-rotatably attached to one end of the base portion 10b, and one end of the belt 20 is fixed to the fixed shaft 11 while wrapped around it. The rotating shaft 12 is for winding up the free end of the belt 20 and is rotatably attached to the other end of the base portion 10b. The rotating shaft 12 has two axially long slits S that open opposite each other. The gears 15 are attached to both ends of the rotating shaft 12 and have teeth that are inclined in one direction.

[0017] The ratchet buckle 10 also includes a pawl portion 16 that is attached to the lever 13 and rotates integrally with it, and a stopper 17 supported by the base portion 10b. The stopper 17 is pressed toward the gear 15 by the biasing force of the spring 19 and engages between the teeth. When the lever 13 is rotated around the axis of the rotating shaft 12 away from the fixed shaft 11, the pawl portion 16 engages with the teeth of the gear 15, causing the rotating shaft 12 to rotate together with the gear 15. At this time, the stopper 17 slides along the inclined teeth of the gear 15 against the biasing force of the spring 19, allowing the rotation of the rotating shaft 12. Conversely, when the lever 13 is rotated around the axis of the rotating shaft 12 toward the fixed shaft 11, the pawl portion 16 slides along the inclined teeth of the gear 15. At this time, the stopper 17 engages with the teeth of the gear 15, preventing the rotation of the gear 15 and the rotating shaft 12. Therefore, by gripping the handle 18 of the lever 13 and reciprocating the lever 13, the rotation shaft 12 can be rotated intermittently in only one direction.

[0018] The ratchet buckle 10 further includes a release lever 14 that separates the claw portion 16 from the gear 15 and releases the state where the claw portion 16 is engaged with the teeth of the gear 15. Further, the lever 13 includes a protrusion 13b at an end close to the rotary shaft 12.

[0019] The belt passing portion 31 is a flat plate-like body and has a pair of insertion holes (first insertion hole 34, second insertion hole 35) extending in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the belt 20. The lengths of the first insertion hole 34 and the second insertion hole 35 (the lengths extending in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the belt 20) are larger than the width of the belt 20, and the width length orthogonal to this length is larger than the thickness of the belt 20. The belt 20 is inserted into each of the first insertion hole 34 and the second insertion hole 35 in opposite directions. By lifting and bending the portion of the belt 20 passing through the first insertion hole 34 and the second insertion hole 35, the belt passing portion 31 can be slid in the longitudinal direction of the belt 20, and the position on the belt can be adjusted. Further, by preventing the belt 20 from bending between the first insertion hole 34 and the second insertion hole 35, the positioning of the belt passing portion 31 on the belt 20 can be achieved.

[0020] The annular portion 32 is a flat plate integrated with the belt passing portion 31 and has at least one through hole. Here, the case of having two through holes (first through hole 37, second through hole 38) is illustrated.

[0021] Next, a method of forming the anchor A using the fastener 1 having the above configuration will be described. Here, a case where an anchor, which is a bottom anchor, is formed on a tree trunk 80 close to the root will be exemplified. In the belt 20, a portion near the end fixed to the fixed shaft 11 of the ratchet buckle 10 is inserted through the first insertion hole 34 and the second insertion hole 35 of the belt passage portion 31 in opposite directions. After winding the belt 20 in this state around the tree trunk 80, the free end of the belt 20 is inserted into two slits S provided in the rotation shaft 12 of the ratchet buckle 10 in the direction of the fixed shaft 11, and then folded back outward. In this state, when the handle 18 is gripped and the lever 13 is reciprocally rotated around the axis of the rotation shaft 12, as described above, the rotation shaft 12 rotates only in one direction, and the belt 20 is wound around the rotation shaft 12. When the tree trunk 80 is tightly wound by the belt 20 with sufficient fastening force, the lever 13 is tilted toward the fixed shaft 11 side. Thereby, the state in which the belt 20 tightly winds the tree trunk 80 with sufficient fastening force is maintained.

[0022] In this state, a connecting ring 50 such as a carabiner is passed through both one of the through holes of the annular portion 32 (here, the first through hole 37) and the through hole 71 provided in the descender 70. Then, by attaching the climbing rope 75 to the descender 70 as described above, the climbing rope 75 and the belt 20 are connected, and the anchor A is formed. In this state, the climbing rope 75 is indirectly connected to the through hole of the annular portion 32 (here, the first through hole 37) via the descender 70 and the connecting ring 50.

[0023] Note that a backup rope can be attached to the other of the two through holes of the annular portion 32 (here, the second through hole 38), or another climbing rope may be attached.

[0024] To move anchor A, the release lever 14 is pulled up to disengage the teeth of the gear 15 from the pawl 16, and the lever 13 is rotated significantly in the opposite direction to the fixed shaft 11. This rotation causes the projection 13b located at the end of the lever 13 closest to the pivot shaft 12 to press against the stopper 17, disengaging the teeth of the gear 15 from the stopper 17 against the biasing force of the spring 19. As a result, the rotating shaft 12 becomes freely rotatable, and the belt 20 that was wound around the rotating shaft 12 can be loosened or removed. After moving anchor A, the free end of the belt 20 is again passed through the slit S of the ratchet buckle 10 as described above, and the lever 13 is rotated back and forth to tighten the anchor object with the belt 20 with sufficient fastening force.

[0025] As described above, with the fastener 1 of the first embodiment, when performing work at height using a climbing rope, there is no need to untie and re-tie the knot in the rope when moving anchor A. Therefore, unlike conventional methods, the concern that workers at height may fall due to abnormalities in the rope knot during the repeated movement of anchor A can be eliminated. Since the rope knot is not affected during the repeated movement of anchor A, it is sufficient to tie the rope correctly at the start of work at height.

[0026] Since the fastener 1 uses a ratchet-type buckle 10 to tighten the belt 20, it can be easily, quickly, and with little force to fasten it to an anchoring target such as a tree trunk by simply gripping the handle 18 and rotating the lever 13 back and forth.

[0027] In this embodiment, the belt loop portion 31 and the annular portion 32 are integrated, resulting in a simple configuration. By attaching the belt 20 to the belt loop portion 31, the annular portion 32 can be attached to the belt 20 at the same time. Furthermore, since the annular portion 32 is integrated with the belt loop portion 31, adjusting the position of the belt loop portion 31 on the belt 20 by sliding the belt loop portion 31 relative to the belt 20 simultaneously adjusts the position of the annular portion 32 on the belt 20.

[0028] Next, the fastener 2 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted. The difference between the fastener 2 and the fastener 1 of the first embodiment is that the belt pass-through portion 41 and the annular portion 42 are separate. The belt pass-through portion 41 is flat and has a pair of insertion holes (first insertion hole 44, second insertion hole 45) extending in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the belt 20. The lengths of the first insertion hole 44 and the second insertion hole 45 are greater than the width of the belt 20, and the width-length is greater than the thickness of the belt 20. The belt 20 is inserted through the first insertion hole 44 and the second insertion hole 45 in opposite directions. The position on the belt 20 can be adjusted by sliding the belt pass-through portion 41 in the longitudinal direction of the belt 20, and positioning on the belt 20 is achieved in the same way as the belt pass-through portion 31 of the first embodiment.

[0029] The annular portion 42 is flat and has a first through hole 47, a second through hole 48, and an elongated hole 46 extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the belt 20. The annular portion 42 can be attached to the belt 20 by passing the belt 20 through the elongated hole 46, but the belt 20 is passed through in the order of the first insertion hole 44, the elongated hole 46, and the second insertion hole 45. As a result, by sliding the belt threading portion 41 in the longitudinal direction of the belt 20, the annular portion 42 can also be slid in the longitudinal direction of the belt 20, and the position of the annular portion 42 on the belt 20 can be adjusted together with the belt threading portion 41.

[0030] The fastener 2 can also form an anchor in the same way as the fastener 1, and the anchor can be moved in the same way.

[0031] In the second embodiment, since the belt loop portion 41 and the annular portion 42 are separate, the entire load, such as that from the connecting ring and backup rope, is not concentrated on a single component, and the load can be distributed. Furthermore, the fastener 2 can be constructed using commercially available components for the belt loop portion 41 and the annular portion 42.

[0032] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and design changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention, as shown below.

[0033] For example, in the above embodiment, the climbing rope 75 is indirectly attached to one of the through holes of the annular sections 32 and 42 via the connecting pipe 50 and descender 70. However, the climbing rope 75 may also be directly tied to one of the through holes of the annular sections 32 and 42. Even in this case, it is not necessary to untie the knot of the climbing rope 75 when moving the anchor.

[0034] Furthermore, although the above embodiment illustrates a case where the annular portions 32 and 42 of the fasteners 1 and 2 have two through holes, the number of through holes is not limited to this, and there may be one or three or more through holes. One of the through holes is used to attach a climbing rope indirectly or directly, but if there are multiple other through holes, multiple backup ropes can be connected.

[0035] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates a case where the anchoring target is a tree trunk and the formed anchor A is a bottom anchor, a canopy anchor can also be formed using the upper branches of a tree as the anchoring target, and in that case as well, there is no need to untie the knot in the rope when moving the anchor. In addition, the anchoring target of the fastener of the present invention is not limited to trees, but can also be a utility pole, a steel column, etc.

[0036] Furthermore, while Figure 3 illustrates the use of a descender 70 when indirectly connecting the climbing rope 75 to the fastener 1, a figure-eight descender may be used instead of the descender 70. A figure-eight descender is a component that has a large through-hole and a small through-hole arranged in a constricted section, forming a figure-eight shape in plan view. The ends of the rope wrapped around the constricted section are passed through the large through-holes and pulled out, while the small through-hole is connected to the through-holes of the annular sections 32 and 42 via the connecting tube 50, allowing it to be used in this way.

[0037] Furthermore, if the annular section has only one through-hole, the same effects as the annular section with multiple through-holes can be obtained by connecting that single through-hole to a rigging plate having multiple through-holes using a connecting ring such as a carabiner. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1 Fasteners 2 Fasteners 10 Ratchet buckles 11 Fixed axis 12 Rotation axes 20 belts 31 Belt loop 32 Ring section 34 First insertion hole 35 Second insertion hole 37 First through hole 38 Second through hole 41 Belt loop 42 Ring section 44 First insertion hole 45 Second insertion hole 47 First through hole 48 Second through hole 50 connecting rings 75 Climbing Rope Anchor

Claims

1. A single belt, A ratchet-type buckle comprising a fixed shaft that secures one end of the belt in a wound position, and a rotating shaft that rotates intermittently in one direction to wind up the other end of the belt, A belt pass-through portion having a flat plate shape and a pair of insertion holes extending in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the belt, through which the belt is inserted in opposite directions, A flat plate-shaped annular portion, which is integrated with or separate from the belt pass-through portion, is positioned on the belt by the belt pass-through portion, and has at least one through hole, A fastener characterized by having the following features.

2. A method for forming an anchor for working at height using the fastener described in claim 1, The belt is wrapped around the object to be anchored, and the belt is then wound up on the rotating shaft of the ratchet-type buckle to secure it to the object to be anchored. One end of a climbing rope used by a worker to ascend to a high place is attached directly or indirectly to the at least one through hole. A method for forming an anchor characterized by the features described above.

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