Climbing partner check system and related method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for improving climbing safety by providing climbing athletes and enthusiasts with cognitive and sensory assistance during the mutual check phase between climber and belayer (partner check) prior to starting climbing. The climbing partner check system according to the invention comprises a first and a second short-range transceiver device each having a power source, an on / off button, an action selection command, a plurality of status selection buttons, a plurality of illuminated status indicators and an audible status indicator. The action selection command is switchable between a position corresponding to a climbing action and a position corresponding to a belaying action. The status selection buttons are each associated with a corresponding control operation to be performed on one of the safety devices provided to the climbing partners and are configured to provide cognitive and sensory support for guiding a user in the sequential execution of a set of control operations. Each of said status selection buttons is operable by the user to confirm that the corresponding control operation associated with the status selection button has been performed and has been successful.

Description

[0001] “CLIMBING PARTNER CHECK SYSTEM AND RELATED METHOD” DESCRIPTION Technical Field The present invention relates, in general, to the field of climbing safety systems and devices and concerns, in particular, a system capable of providing indoor and outdoor rock climbing athletes and enthusiasts with cognitive and sensory assistance during the mutual check phase between climber and belayer (partner check) prior to starting climbing, in order to increase climbing safety by reducing the risk of accidents due to inattention, fatigue, or overconfidence. The invention also relates to a method for increasing climbing safety with the system of the invention. Background Art The partner check phase, or partner check, is important, from a safety point of view, because it is the only time when the climber and belayer are still on the ground and there is still time to check and notice any irregularities or errors in the set-up of equipment and personal safety devices. The partner check is a fundamental activity for ensuring the safety of climber and belayer. The main reasons for its importance include the following: • Identification of errors: The partner check allows the identification of any errors or problems in the belaying system and in the preparation of the climbing equipment and personal safety devices. The partner check activity includes checking harnesses, knots, belay devices, and rope-end knots. Identifying any errors in the preparation of the belaying system and equipment before starting climbing reduces the risk of accidents. • Prevention of human error: Even the most experienced climbers can make mistakes. Partner checking provides an opportunity for the climber and belayer to check each other, in order to identify any errors or oversights that could jeopardize safety. • Human factor: Climbing is an activity that requires concentration and attention. However, distractions can occur, especially in situations of fatigue or stress (up to 20 "climbs" can be performed in a day). The partner check acts as an important reminder to focus on the importance of safety and proper execution of procedures. • Sharing responsibility: Climbing is a discipline that requires a great deal of mutual trust between climbing partners. Performing partner checks involves sharing responsibility for safety between climber and belayer. This helps to create an environment of trust and cooperation between climbing partners. • Strengthening safety habits: Partner checking is part of good climbing safety practices. Performing it consistently and rigorously helps to consolidate the habit of conducting thorough checks before each climb. This promotes a culture of safety among climbing athletes and enthusiasts, where attention to detail and mutual assistance between climbing partners become a priority. In summary, the partner check is an essential step in ensuring a responsible and conscious climbing activity, and its importance should always be held in high regard, as the incorrect execution of even one of the steps in the preparation of climbing equipment can have fatal consequences. Currently, climbers perform the partner check by bearing the procedure’s steps in mind. The Internet page https: / / www.oliunid.it / blog / come-effettuare-il-partner-check-controllo-del- compagno-in-falesia-sicurezza-verticale / contains a detailed illustration of the partner check while a brief description of its main steps is presented below. There are at least four control steps to which climbers must devote their full attention. These four steps relate specifically to checking the harness, the tie-in knot, the belay device and the rope- end knot, as explained below. I) Checking the harness Each of the climbers must check that their own harness and that of their partner are correctly fitted and not damaged. II) Checking the tie-in knot The next step is to check the knot (figure of eight, bowline, or other types) securing the person about to climb and, again, the check must be done by both climbing partners. The knot must be well executed, above all it must be finished and well tightened. It is particularly important that it passes in the two tie-in points of the harness and not through the belay loop or, even worse, through a single tie-in point (or other points not intended for this purpose). III) Checking the belay device The third step concerns the person who is belaying. It is checked that the rope has been passed in the correct direction through the belay device and that the device is securely closed and connected to the belay loop via a locking carabiner, which itself has been closed and locked. If in doubt, one again checks that the correct branches of the rope come out of the correct part of the device and performs a locking test by simulating a fall with a tug on the rope. If the device locks, one may proceed to the last step.

[0002] IV) Checking the rope-end knot Lastly, one checks that the other end of the rope has an end knot. Many accidents happen precisely because the rope is not long enough, because it has been cut beforehand or because it has not been 'closed' at the end. There may be several reasons why the partner check in climbing is not performed correctly or is neglected. These include the following: • Overconfidence: climbers may be overconfident in their own abilities or the competence of their climbing partner, believing that it is not necessary to carry out a thorough partner check. This overconfidence can lead to an underestimation of risks and an increased potential for mistakes or accidents. • Need to hasten due to lack of time: In situations where there is a hurry or one is running late, climbers may feel tempted to skip the partner check or to perform it in a superficial manner to save time. Hastiness can compromise safety and increase the risk of mistakes. • Complacency: Experienced or regular climbers may fall into the trap of complacency, believing that they are familiar with the procedures and do not need to perform the partner check every time. However, even experienced climbers can make mistakes, and it is therefore important that they do not neglect to perform the partner check. • Distractions: Distracting situations, such as conversations, noise or the presence of other people around, can affect concentration and safety procedures. Climbers may not devote the necessary attention to partner check because of such distractions, putting safety at risk. • Social pressure: In some cases, climbers may feel under social pressure to start climbing quickly, without devoting adequate time to partner check. This social pressure may come from other climbers on the climbing wall or rock face, or from external expectations. However, personal safety should always be paramount. From the foregoing, it is apparent that the traditional procedure for carrying out the partner check is burdened with at least three serious drawbacks. The first drawback is the fact that the procedure is carried out 'mentally' by the most diligent climbers, even though in many cases it is still not adopted as practice for a variety of reasons (e.g., lack of experience, fatigue, etc.). The second drawback is that the procedure is prone to errors since, being repetitive, it may lead to it being carried out superficially after a certain number of times (e.g., in one day, the procedure may be repeated up to 20 times). Finally, the third drawback is that the procedure does not allow 'external supervisors', e.g., instructors of a climbing course, managers of indoor climbing gyms, etc., to know whether the necessary checks have all been carried out correctly by the persons participating in the climbing course or using the climbing facilities of the gym. These drawbacks do not appear to be satisfactorily solvable with devices known in the art. For example, published patent applications US 2009305651 A1 and US 20200250940 A1 describe communication systems and devices that aim to make rock climbing safer by improving communication methods between climbing partners. Published patent application US 2014378786 A1 describes a biometric monitoring device comprising one or more sensors that provide sensor output data including information about a user's activity level when the biometric monitoring device is worn by the user. However, these devices are not capable of providing climbers with cognitive and sensory assistance when checking each other's personal climbing equipment prior to starting the climbing activity. Disclosure of Invention The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above-described problems of the traditional methods of performing the partner check, and a primary object of the invention is to make available a system and method for improving climbing safety by providing climbing athletes and enthusiasts with cognitive and sensory assistance in the mutual check phase between climber and belayer (partner check) prior to starting climbing, in order to minimize the risk of serious accidents resulting from the lack, incompleteness or incorrectness of the checks on the set-up of the climbing equipment. According to the invention, this object is achieved by a system and method configured to provide a guided procedure that allows climbers to systematically verify that the equipment check and belaying operations have been carried out completely and correctly. In particular, the invention provides a climbing partner check system comprising a first and a second short-range transceiver device, each of which having a power source, an on / off button, an action selection command, a plurality of state selection buttons, a plurality of luminous state indicators and an audible state indicator, wherein said action selection command is switchable between a position corresponding to a climbing action and a position corresponding to a belaying action, and wherein said state selection buttons are each associated with a corresponding checking operation to be performed on one of the safety devices provided to the climbing partners and are configured to provide cognitive and sensory support for guiding, in turn, each climbing partner through a sequential execution of a set of checking operations, each of said state selection buttons being operable by said climbing partners to confirm that the corresponding checking operation associated with said state selection button has been performed and has been successful, characterized in that in the event of failure to operate one or more of said status selection buttons, said audible status indicator emits an audible alarm signal to warn that the checking operation associated with said one or more status selection buttons has either not been performed or has failed, when the distance between said first and second short-range transceiver devices is equal to or greater than a preset maximum safety value. The term 'short-range' is understood here to mean that the transceiver devices have a transmission and reception range sufficient to cover the distance corresponding to the length of the climbing ropes used in a single pitch, typically around 40 meters. The partner check system according to the invention enables a pair of climbing partners, each equipped with its own short-range transceiver device, to systematically and comprehensively check each other’s status of their respective equipment and belaying operations before commencing the climbing activity. In particular, the partner check system according to the invention is configured to provide climbers with a cognitive and sensory stimulation that maintains their attention while carrying out checks and is capable of signaling to the climbers, or any other persons responsible for safety, a dangerous situation due to a check that has either not been performed or has failed. Providing climbers with a system of short-range transceiver devices that allows them to perform the partner check correctly is important for several reasons. Firstly, the system provides support for the correct execution of the partner check by helping climbers to remember the order of the check operations and to confirm whether each step has been performed correctly. Secondly, the system is able to signal the presence of a potentially dangerous condition, alerting climbers with visual and acoustic signals so that they can be made aware of an error in the check procedure and correct it before they start climbing. Thirdly, the system allows the standardization of the partner check operation, thus reducing the possibility of oversights or errors due to misinterpretation of the check procedures. Last but not least, the use of the short-range transceiver system not only makes climbers more aware of the importance of the partner check and, more generally, of safety in climbing activities, but also contributes to and fosters a culture in which mutual control between climbing partners is considered fundamental. Climbers thus develop the habit of using the short-range transceiver system as an integral element of climbing activities, enhancing awareness and attention to detail to ensure safe climbing conditions. As mentioned above, the use of the partner check system by climbers also provides additional help to safety supervisors, e.g., safety supervisors of sport climbing gyms. Today, sport climbing has become an extremely popular activity, and the number of sport climbers and climbing enthusiasts accessing climbing gyms is constantly increasing. The growing number of enthusiasts to this activity, however, is matched by an increase in the risk of accidents. Indeed, whereas a few decades ago, sport climbing was practiced by a small number of people who tended to be experts, today this is no longer the case, and a considerable proportion of people who practice sport climbing are generally less aware of the risks inherent in this activity. Potentially, anyone can access gyms and engage in climbing without necessarily knowing safety techniques. In fact, no specific skill is required, nor is there a certificate of fitness for climbing to access climbing gyms. Therefore, while the number of people practicing sport climbing in gyms may be remarkably high, the number of safety supervisors in climbing gyms who check that gym-goers comply with safety regulations is extremely limited. That being said, it is clear that the risk of accidents occurring at a gym is high, and the partner check system according to the present invention, because of the alarm which is triggered in the event of uncompleted or unsuccessful checks, helps the safety supervisors to have a more extended control and to react more quickly with emergency actions. The partner check system may also be useful for climbing guides and instructors who, even though they have a smaller number of clients, but can still number up to a dozen people, find themselves playing the dual role of instructor and also safety supervisor. In this case, they would benefit from the use of the system according to the invention, not only with regard to the possibility of risk mitigation, but also from an educational perspective, as the partner check system according to the invention helps climbers to assimilate, or increase, their safety consciousness. Brief Description of Drawings The partner check system according to the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplary, and not limiting, embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the sole figure of which shows one of the two identical short-range transceiver devices that are included in the partner check system according to the invention. Detailed Description of the Invention The short-range transceiver devices of the partner check system according to the invention are used in pairs, with one transceiver device being used by the person who is climbing (hereinafter, for brevity, referred to as the "climber") and the other transceiver device being used by the person who is belaying (hereinafter, for brevity, referred to as the "belayer"). Since the short-range transceiver devices are identical in themselves, only one of them will be referred to in the following description, it being understood that the other short-range transceiver device will have the same structural and functional characteristics. The short-range transceiver device, generally denoted by 10 in the figure of the drawing, comprises a shell, made conveniently of a plastic, rigid or semi-rigid, impact- and weather-resistant material, and having a body enclosing the electronic components of the transceiver device, said shell body having rounded edges so as to avoid impairing the climbing equipment or injuring climbers themselves. The electronic components, which are known per se, are suitable for enabling each transceiver device to transmit and receive synchronizing signals from another transceiver device coupled via conventional wireless communication protocols known in the art. Advantageously, the electronic components have low power consumption and can be powered by a battery housed inside the shell 11 of the transceiver device or by one or more solar or photovoltaic cells applied to the shell 11. Each short-range transceiver device 10 is provided with an on / off button, an action selection command, a plurality of status selection buttons, a plurality of illuminated status indicators, and an audible status indicator. The action selection command is switchable between a first position corresponding to a climbing action and a second position corresponding to a belaying action. The status selection buttons are each associated with a respective check to be performed on the safety devices and belaying procedures of a pair of climbing partners. The short-range transceiver device 10 is small in size and weight, so that it is portable and does not interfere with or endanger the user in any way during climbing activity. Conveniently, the short-range transceiver device 10 has a webbing 12 for securing to a carabiner or the like 13 intended for attachment to a harness or other supports worn by the user. In the following, the operation and mode of use of short-range transceiver devices 10 will be described. I) Initialization phase Prior to climbing, the short-range transceivers 10 are placed next to each other and initialized based on each individual's role in the climb: the climber will set his or her transceiver to "climb" mode, while the belayer will set his or her transceiver to "belay" mode, using the appropriate action selection command on the respective transceiver. The short-range transceivers thus enter a state of waiting for control by the climber and belayer, signaling this state through specific-colored LEDs and acoustic indications. II) Partner check phase of the climber in respect of the belayer Once the climber and belayer have carried out all belaying operations prior to climbing, the partner check phase begins between the two climbing partners with the help of the short-range transceiver devices. The climber, guided by the controls signaled by the device worn by the belayer and set to "belay", visually checks that each of the belaying safety operations (listed below) have all been done correctly. The climber will then press the status selection button corresponding to each successfully performed check on the belay device and the LED corresponding to the performed check will indicate with a green light that the check has been successfully performed. The checks provided by the belay device set to "belay" and suggested to the climber are as follows and are generally denoted by "Check-1", "Check-2", "Check-3" and "Check-4" in the figure of the drawing: 1. check that the harness is worn correctly, that it is positioned correctly, that the leg loops are in the right direction and not reversed, and that the straps pass into the buckles and then through the loops; 2. check that the belay device is attached to the belay loop via a locking carabiner and that the locking carabiner is closed and locked; 3. check that the climbing rope is inserted inside the belay device in the correct direction; 4. check the presence of the rope-end knot, which prevents accidents from occurring if the length of the rope used is not long enough for the chosen route. III) Partner check phase of the belayer in respect to the climber Using the same procedure as described above, the belayer checks the status of the belaying operations carried out by the climber, under the guidance of the transceiver which is worn by the latter and has been set to "climb". The checks provided by the climber's transceiver set to "climb" and suggested to the belayer are as follows and are generally denoted by "Check-5", "Check-6", "Check-7" and "Check-8" in the figure of the drawing: 5. check that the harness is worn correctly, that it is well positioned, that the leg loops are in the right direction and not reversed, and that the straps pass into the buckles and then through the loops; 6. check that the belay knot is a figure-of-eight knot or a bowline knot and derivatives; 7. check that the climbing rope is passed through one of the two tie-in points of the harness to which the belay loop is anchored; 8. check that the climbing rope is passed through the other of the two tie-in points of the harness to which the belay loop is anchored. IV) Synchronization and verification phase between the two transceivers After the climbing partners have carried out their respective guided checks, the two short-range transceivers synchronize with each other and emit a flashing green light, accompanied by an acoustic sound to warn that the check has been successfully completed and that climbing can begin. In the event, however, that one or both of the devices have not yet received all the confirmations of the outcome of the checks made by the climbing partners, a colored (e.g., yellow) warning light will flash indicating that the checks need to be completed. If the checks have not been completed and climbing begins, the climber's device will emit an emergency sound to indicate that the checks have not all been completed correctly and that there is therefore a safety risk. Preferably, the event that triggers the alarm is the distancing of the two devices about 3 meters from each other (a distance beyond which it is considered that a fall could be fatal). Short-range transceiver devices 10 may include additional functional features to enhance safety and sports performance during the climbing phase. For example, the transceiver devices can be configured to record data on the climber's movement and the state of rope wear and transmit this data wirelessly via an associated application that can be installed on any commercially available and known portable or fixed device, e.g., smartphone, tablet or PC. This application, once associated with the aforementioned devices, can be used at times other than the climb itself, in order to interpret the data recorded during the climb, providing suggestions for improving sports performance and protecting climbers from other types of serious accidents, such as rope failure due to too many hard falls. Once the climber has started climbing, the transceiver set to the 'climb' action starts to record the climber's body movement data via special motion sensors. The data is then saved in a memory integrated in the transceiver for later use and transfer to the associated application. In practical use, the association of the transceiver device with the application takes place as follows. After registering on the application, the user proceeds to associate the two transceiver devices with the registered account by specifying their serial numbers or via a wireless communication protocol, e.g., Bluetooth® or other known standardized protocols. The transceiver devices, after the connection with the application, can thus start downloading data. Subsequently, this data can be processed by the application to provide useful information to the climber, particularly in one or more of the following scenarios: • provide statistics relating to sporting performance (e.g., time spent climbing a certain route); • provide suggestions for improving sports performance (e.g., limb shaking is often a symptom of non-optimized use of the muscles, and it may therefore be useful to stretch them as much as possible); • preventing the occurrence of further serious accidents by calculating the climber's fall rate, in order to keep track of the 'condition of healthiness' of the climbing rope and advising to replace it once a certain preset maximum value has been reached. From the foregoing it is apparent that the invention achieves its intended purposes. In particular, as mentioned above, the advantages of the invention are for the benefit not only of climbing athletes and enthusiasts, but also for other persons in one or more of the following non-limiting exemplifying scenarios: • Climbing instructors holding courses with two or more people. In this case, the benefits are manifold, as the device becomes an additional educational tool with regard to climbing safety, and the instructor can always know, even from a distance, whether his or her students have carried out all the necessary checks: if, for example, a pair of students start climbing without having carried out all the checks, the instructor will realize in good time what has happened through the corresponding acoustic and / or luminous status indicators of the short- range transceiver. • Supervisors and owners of outdoor or indoor climbing gyms, for the same reasons as above, may also adopt the partner check system as a mandatory tool for the benefit of their gym- goers. • Climbing mates who can help in the event of an uncompleted check. Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it is understood that this is purely illustrative, and not limiting, and that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations thereto, without thereby departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A climbing partner check system comprising a first and a second short-range transceiver device (10), each of which having a power source, an on / off button, an action selection command, a plurality of state selection buttons, a plurality of luminous state indicators and an audible state indicator, wherein said action selection command is switchable between a position corresponding to a climbing action and a position corresponding to a belaying action, and wherein said state selection buttons are each associated with a corresponding checking operation to be performed on one of safety devices provided to the climbing partners and are configured to provide a cognitive and sensory support for guiding, in turn, each climbing partner through a sequential execution of a set of checking operations, each of said state selection buttons being operable by said climbing partners to confirm that the corresponding checking operation associated with said state selection button has been performed and has been successful, characterized in that, in the event of failure to operate one or more of said state selection buttons, said acoustic state indicator emits an acoustic alarm signal to warn that the checking operation associated with said one or more state selection buttons has either not been performed or has failed, when the distance between said first and second short-range transceiver devices (10) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

2. Climbing partner check system according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said short- range transceiver devices (10) includes a motion sensor and an acceleration sensor.

3. Climbing partner check system according to claim 2, characterized in that each of said short- range transceiver devices (10) includes a memory for recording the motion data detected by said motion sensor and the acceleration data detected by said acceleration sensor.

4. Climbing partner check system according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said short- range transceiver devices (10) is configured to be connected to and exchange data with a portable or fixed computing device via a wireless communication network.-1-5. Climbing partner check system according to claim 1, characterized in that said power source is a battery or a solar or photovoltaic cell.

6. Climbing partner check system according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said state selection buttons, upon its actuation, causes a change of state of a corresponding luminous state indicator to indicate that the checking operation associated with the state selection button has been performed and has been successful.

7. A method for performing climbing partner check by means of a partner check system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: - providing a short-range transceiver device (10) to a first and a second component of a pair of climbing partners each equipped with a plurality of safety devices to be checked, - initializing said short-range transceiver devices (10) provided to the first and the second component, respectively, of said pair of climbing partners, by activating said short-range transceiver devices (10), arranged in proximity to each other, and by the first component of said pair of climbing partners switching the action selection command on the corresponding short-range transceiver device (10) into the climbing action position and the second component of said pair of climbing partners switching the action selection command on the corresponding short-range transceiver device (10) into the belaying action position, - checking the state of the safety devices of the second component of said pair of climbing partners, wherein each safety device that is subject to a checking operation is visually indicated on the short- range transceiver device (10) provided to the second component of said pair of climbing partners, and wherein, in performing the checking operation, the first component of said pair of climbing partners is cognitively and sensorially guided by said short-range transceiver device (10) provided to the second component of said pair of climbing partners and at each successful checking operation-2-presses a corresponding state selection button on said short-range transceiver device (10), thus causing a change of state of a luminous state indicator associated with said checking operation, - checking the state of the safety devices of the first component of said pair of climbing partners, wherein each safety device that is subjected to a checking operation is visually indicated on the short-range transceiver device (10) provided to the first component of said pair of climbing partners, and wherein, in performing the checking operation, the second component of said pair of climbing partners is cognitively and sensorially guided by said short-range transceiver device (10) provided to the first component of said pair of climbing partners and at each successfully performed checking operation presses a corresponding state selection button on said short-range transceiver device (10), thus causing a change of state of a luminous state indicator associated with said checking operation, - synchronizing the checking data and verifying the operation state of said short-range transceivers (10), wherein said short-range transceivers (10) synchronize with each other and provide a light and sound signal dependent on the outcome of the synchronization and verification step, and in the event of failure to operate one or more of said status selection buttons, said first and second short- range transceiver devices (10) warn by means of an acoustic alarm signal that the check associated with said one or more status selection buttons has either not been performed or has failed, when the distance between said first and second short-range transceiver devices (10) is equal to or greater than a preset maximum safety value.

8. Method for performing the climbing partner check according to claim 7, characterized in that said step of checking the state of the safety devices of the first component of said pair of climbing partners comprises verifying that:-3-- the harness is worn in a correct manner, that it is properly positioned, that the leg loops are in the correct direction and not reversed, and that the straps pass into the buckles and then through the loops, - the belay knot is a figure eight knot or a bowline knot or derivatives thereof, - the climbing rope is passed through one of the two tie-in points of the harness to which the belay loop is anchored, and - the climbing rope is passed through the other of the two tie-in points of the harness to which the belay loop is anchored.

9. A method for carrying out the climbing partner check according to claim 7, characterized in that said step of checking the state of the safety devices of the second component of said pair of climbing partners comprises checking that: - the harness is worn in a correct manner, that it is properly positioned, that the leg loops are in the correct direction and not reversed, and that the straps pass into the buckles and then through the loops, - the belay device is attached to the belay loop via a carabiner and the carabiner is closed and locked, - the climbing rope is inserted into the belay device in the correct direction, and - the rope-end knot is present.-4-

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