Descender for safety ropes

Abstract

A safety descender (10) for mountaineering and suspension activities, comprises a body (12), a channel (20) for the passage of a rope (100), defined on three sides by a first friction element (22) formed in said body 12 and provided with a first friction surface (24) and comprising a second friction element (23) comprising a second friction surface (24') and a movable guard (16) rotatably hinged to said body (12), wherein said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23) define two rotatably hinged rods connected in an articulated manner to a lever arm (14) and a return rod (25), by means of rotation pins (18) in such a manner as to define an articulated quadrilateral (21) wherein said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23) are configured to translate with respect to each other in cooperation with said articulated quadrilateral (21) in order to reduce the distance between said first friction surface (24) and said second friction surface (24') and to reduce a passage cross-sectional area of said channel (20).

Description

[0001] Description of the industrial invention entitled:

[0002] “DESCENDER FOR SAFETY ROPES”; in the name of: VIANINI Matteo

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0005] The present invention relates to a descender for safety ropes.

[0006] More particularly, the present invention relates to a rescue descender or belayer device and safety brake device, for supporting and securing the user against falling for support ropes in mountaineering on walls climbing, or for work at height or work in suspension.

[0007] STATE OF THE PRIOR ART

[0008] Mechanical safety rope devices known as descenders belayers, safety brakes or safety evacuation devices, are widely known and used in the fields of climbing, mountaineering and work at height in suspension in the void or on overhead structures.

[0009] Such descender devices are defined, depending on the type of use, as active and passive safety devices, and in addition to being used as safety devices for the ascending or descending suspended user, they may also be used by an unsuspended user to safely control and regulate, by means of one or more ropes, the descent or ascent of another suspended person, as in the case of use of the devices as belayers.

[0010] These safety descenders or belayers are subject to approvals and certifications and their use is regulated for mountaineering and sport climbing applications as well as for work at height and suspension applications by work safety regulations.

[0011] These well-known devices are generally designed, typically for use in mountaineering and sport climbing, to work with ropes or lines of the dynamic type, i.e. ropes or lines that have a certain degree of elastic elongation that gives the rope itself a shock-absorbing function in the event of a user falling by dissipating the kinetic energy of the user's weight in the fall. In the use of safety descender o belayer devices in mountaineering and sports climbing, the user in the progression of a climb or descent from a vertical wall can be appropriately secured to the wall itself by means of said safety ropes or lines, which must be fixed to the rocky support by means of appropriate fastening means at regular intervals, in such a way as to limit the acceleration of the fall of the secured climber user himself, in the event of a loss of grip or anchorage with the wall.

[0012] Traditional safety descender devices typically consist of a flanged body with a fixed flange and a movable flange or guard connected and hinged to said fixed flange by means of pins. On said fixed flange there is usually an anchor hole for a carabiner connected to the user's safety harness or to the wall belay station, said carabiner being configured for supporting the suspended weight of the user.

[0013] Inside the body of the descender, between the fixed flange and the movable guard, there is a sliding channel, generally with a mixtilinear development with loops, for the passage of the rope and delimited in the passage cross-sectional area by two cams or pulleys, generally a fixed cam or fixed friction element stabilized to the body of the descender and a movable cam or movable friction element pivoted on the body of the descender and having a relative movement with respect to the body of the descender.

[0014] Generally, the user, when in suspension, descending or when belaying another climber in suspension, holds the rope or the ropes taut or under load under the action of the weight of himself or of the climber and locked by friction in the inner, loop-shaped channel of the descender between the fixed friction element and the movable friction element by releasing the compression force between the two friction elements by progressively releasing it by means of an actuating lever, in such a way as to allow the rope to slide for its own descent or that of the suspended climber. In the event of a release or accidental fall of the user, the rapid sliding of the rope generates a rotation of the mobile friction element which, rotating on its own pin, chokes the rope passage channel, blocking the rope between the shaped portion of the mobile friction element and the fixed friction element.

[0015] These traditional safety descenders are generally assisted-braking, i.e., user-conditioned, and do not intervene automatically if not correctly used and if the rope is not held in the correct position. Some types of descenders may be equipped with an anti-panic system that blocks the rope if the operating lever is released or opened too far, so as to prevent the user from suddenly accelerating downwards.

[0016] Some typical examples of these types of assisted-braking descenders and brakes, also known by the trade name Grigri, are described in the prior documents WO 2011 / 124779 Al and EP 3 466 492 Bl.

[0017] Further examples of these well-known devices are described in earlier documents US 6 899 203 Bl, EP 3 496 830 Bl, US 2012 / 279020 Al, US 3 177 544 A, DE 12 33 124 B and CN 103 172 002 A.

[0018] However, these well-known descenders or safety descenders have their drawbacks and operational limitations.

[0019] An important limitation of these well-known safety descenders is due the fact that, when used for mountaineering and climbing, they can only be used with dynamic ropes, typically made of polyamide, i.e. with intrinsic elasticity, and not with static ropes made of other materials, since the instantaneous blocking of the rope without a certain degree of cushioning would have a negative effect on the user.

[0020] A further important limitation of these well-known safety devices is due to the fact that most of them are not automatically operated but must be assisted by the user guiding the rope(s) through the device in the most appropriate way to brake or stop it from sliding. Incorrect use can cause serious or fatal accidents for the user.

[0021] A further important limitation of these well-known descenders is due to the fact that they work by creating a localized bottleneck within the rope's shaped passage channel, which blocks the rope by generating pressure at a single point and which locks the rope with increased wear and risk of damaging it.

[0022] A further limitation of the functioning of these well-known descenders is due to the fact that each descender is made sized and configured to be used typically for certain rope cross-sectional diameters, because the channel and the fixed and movable friction elements of the device do not allow a wide range of rope cross-sectional diameters to be used.

[0023] A further limitation of the well-known descenders is due to the fact that almost all of these devices cannot be used if the rope is even partially under tension, since the rope itself must be left loose in order to fit in the device, which is impossible when the rope is under tension.

[0024] OBJECTSS OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The object of the present invention is to overcome and obviate, at least in part, the above- mentioned drawbacks and operational limitations.

[0026] More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide the user with a descender capable of locking the rope with less wear or damage to the rope itself.

[0027] A further object of the present invention is to provide the user a descender capable of operating both with dynamic shock-absorbing polyamide ropes and with static ropes without shock-absorption made of aramid fiber materials, Kevlar and the like.

[0028] A further object of the present invention is to provide a descender capable of operating with ropes having a wide range of cross-sectional diameters, in particular with dynamic and static ropes having a small cross-sectional diameter, which are less bulky and lighter and thus easier to transport.

[0029] A further object of the present invention is to provide a descender that can also be selflocking with automatic, and not assisted braking with user intervention. A further object of the present invention is to provide a descender device that can also be used on safety ropes that are tensioned or partially tensioned.

[0030] Not the least object of the present invention is to provide to the user a safety ropedescender capable of ensuring, when in operation, a greater torque on the safety rope applied by the weight of the user's load and a more gradual adjustment of the same force.

[0031] A further object of the present invention is to provide a simpler descender device with a limited number of parts and capable of being easily and economically manufactured.

[0032] These and other objects are achieved by the descender subject matter of the present invention in accordance with the independent claim.

[0033] The constructive and functional features of the descender which is the subject matter of the present invention may be better understood from the detailed description which follows, in which reference is made to the enclosed drawings which represent some preferred and non-limiting embodiments, in which:

[0034] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 is an exemplary schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of a possible general embodiment of the descender according to the present invention, with a movable lever arm in the open position for inserting the rope into the sliding channel;

[0036] Figure 2a is an exemplary schematic representation of a side perspective view of the embodiment of figure 1 of the descender subject of the present invention in the working and sliding position of the rope, with a carabiner for anchoring to the harness or anchorage to close the lever arm and the movable guard;

[0037] Figure 2b is an exemplary schematic representation of a lateral perspective view of the embodiment of figure 1 of the descender subject of the present invention in a working position with the rope locked and with a carabiner for anchoring to a harness;

[0038] Figure 3 is an exemplary schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of a variant of the embodiment of figure 1 of the descender subject of the present invention in the working position with the rope sliding with a movable guard to contain the rope itself;

[0039] Figure 4 is an exemplary schematic representation of a partially transparent axonometric perspective view of the descender according to the present invention of figure 2 in a working position with the rope locked, with a carabiner for anchoring and with the movable guard shown in transparency for better clarity; figure 5 is an exemplary functional representation of a partial axonometry perspective view of the embodiments of the descender in figure 2 in the working position without the movable guard shown for better clarity;

[0040] Figure 6 is an exemplary schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the descender according to the present invention, in descending operation with a release handle of the second friction element;

[0041] Figure 7 is an exemplary schematic representation of a partial axonometric perspective view of a variant embodiment of the descender subject matter of the present invention, in the working position with the rope locked where the movable guard is not shown for clarity;

[0042] Figure 8 is an exemplary schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the descender according to the present invention in the working position with the rope locked and with the movable guard in the closed position to contain the rope; figure 9 is an exemplary functional representation of a partial perspective axonometric view of the embodiment of the descender of figure 8 in the working position without the movable guard shown and with the articulated quadrilateral highlighted;

[0043] Figure 10 is an exemplary schematic representation of a lateral view of an alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with an elastic element arranged between the body of the descender and the movable friction element in such a manner as to maintain the same in a stable position in contact with the rope;

[0044] Figure 11 is an exemplary functional representation of a partial perspective axonometric view of the form of the descender in Figures 7 and 10, in the working position with the rope locked and without the movable guard shown for better clarity;

[0045] Figure 12 is an exemplary functional representation of a perspective axonometric view of an alternative partial embodiment of the descender according to the present invention, in a working position with the rope locked and without the movable guard shown for better clarity;

[0046] Figure 13 is an exemplary schematic representation of a partial perspective axonometric view of an alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention without the movable guard and with the first and second friction elements and the channel having a non-linear curvilinear development;

[0047] Figure 14 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective axonometric view of a further embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a pulley arranged on the body and with the movable guard not shown for better clarity;

[0048] Figure 15 is an exemplary and schematic representation of a perspective view of the same embodiment as in Figure 14 of the descender according to the present invention provided with a pulley, in a working position with rope sliding, with the movable guard not shown for better clarity and provided with a carabiner for anchoring;

[0049] Figure 16 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with two pulleys, in a rope-sliding working position and with the movable guard shown in transparency in a dotted line for better clarity;

[0050] Figure 17 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the same variant embodiment of Figure 16 of the descender according to the present invention with two pulleys in a working position with the rope clamped, with the movable guard transparently shown in a dotted line for better clarity, and with a carabiner for anchoring;

[0051] Figure 18 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the embodiment of figure 16 of the descender according to the present invention with two pulleys and in a working position configured as a pulley, with the movable guard shown transparently in a dotted line for better clarity, and with a carabiner for anchoring;

[0052] Figure 19 is an exemplary functional schematic representation of a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 16 of the descender according to the present invention with the movable guard always shown in a dotted line, with a carabiner for anchoring to a fixed structure and in a working position configured as a pulley and locking and braking device in a tackle system;

[0053] Figure 20 is an exemplary and partial schematic representation of a perspective view of a further form of the descender according to the present invention with a pulley attached to the body and a pulley attached to the end of a rocker arm hinged to the same body, in a working position with the rope locked, with the movable guard not shown for better clarity, and with a carabiner for anchoring;

[0054] Figure 21 is an exemplary schematic representation of a further perspective view of the embodiment of figure 20 of the descender according to the present invention with a pulley attached to the body and a pulley attached to the end of a rocker arm hinged to the same body, in a working position configured as a pulley and with the movable guard not shown for better clarity;

[0055] Figure 22 is an exemplary schematic representation of a further perspective view from the opposite side of the same embodiment of figure 20 of the descender according to the present invention with a pulley attached to the body, a pulley attached to the end of a rocker hinged to the same body and with a slot formed on the opposite end of the rocker suitable for engaging in cooperation with a push rod, in a pulley-like configuration and with the movable guard transparently shown in for better clarity;

[0056] Figure 23a is an exemplary and partial schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of a further embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a rotatably hinged movable structural reinforcement member with one end capable of engaging on a striker pin to the same body 12, and with the movable guard not shown for clarity and in a position with the movable guard closed;

[0057] Figure 23a is an exemplary and partial schematic representation of an axonometric perspective view of an embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a movable rotatably hinged structural reinforcing member with one end capable of engaging with a matching portion of the same body 12, and with the movable guard not shown for better clarity and in a position with the member open;

[0058] Figure 23b is an exemplary and partial schematic representation of a perspective view of an embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a rotatably hinged movable structural reinforcement element with one end capable of engaging with a strike portion of the same body 12, and with the movable guard not shown for better clarity and in a position with the movable element closed;

[0059] Figure 24 is an exemplary and partial schematic representation of a further axonometric perspective view from an opposite angle of the same variant embodiment of Figures 23a and 23b of the descender according to the present invention with a movable structural reinforcing member rotatably hinged with one end capable of engaging with a matching portion of the same body, in a working position with the rope locked and without a movable guard shown for better clarity;

[0060] Figure 25 is an exemplary schematic representation of a cross-sectional lateral view of the same embodiment as Figures 23a and 23b of the descender according to the present invention with a rotatably hinged structural reinforcement movable element with one end capable of engaging on a striker pin to the same body, in a position with the movable element closed;

[0061] Figure 26 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with a return lever attached to an articulated quadrilateral element and connected to a slider through an elastic spring element and a screw adjustment element, in a limit configuration of minimum preload of the elastic element;

[0062] Figure 27 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the same alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with a return lever connected to a slider via a spring element and a screw adjusting element, in a maximum preload limit configuration of the elastic element;

[0063] Figure 28 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with the integrated return lever extending from the rod of the articulated quadrilateral and connected to a slider via a spring element and a screw adjustment element, in a limit configuration of minimum preload of the elastic element;

[0064] Figure 29 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of Figure 28 of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with a return lever connected to a slider via a spring element and a screw adjusting element, in a maximum preload limit configuration of the elastic element; Figure 30 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with the return lever connected to a slider via an elastic spring element and an adjusting element defined by a plurality of recesses suitable for housing the slider, in a limit configuration of minimum preload of the elastic element;

[0065] Figure 31 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of Figure 30 of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with the return lever connected to a slider via a spring element and an adjusting element defined by a plurality of recesses capable of accommodating the slider, in a maximum preload limit configuration of the spring element;

[0066] Figure 32 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of a further alternative embodiment of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with the return lever connected to a pivoting slider through an elastic spring element and an adjusting element defined by a rod to be engaged offset manner by the slider, in a limit configuration of minimum preload of the elastic element;

[0067] Figure 33 is an exemplary schematic representation of a perspective view of the alternative embodiment of Figure 32 of the descender according to the present invention with a mechanism for preloading the force applied to the rope, with the return lever connected to a pivoting slider through an elastic spring element and an adjusting element defined by a rod to be engaged in an offset manner by the slider, in a maximum preload limit configuration of the elastic element.

[0068] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0069] With preliminary reference to the Figures 1 to 13, the rescue descender for safety ropes for mountaineering and suspended work at height activities which is the subject-matter of the present invention is described below in some preferred embodiments and indicated as a whole with the reference number 10.

[0070] With initial reference to Figures 1 to 6, in a basic and simplified embodiment, the descender 10 for safety ropes comprises a body 12 and further comprises a channel 20 defined on three sides, for the passage and housing of a rope 100, wherein the variable cross-sectional area passage for a rope 100 is comprised and defined by a first friction element 22 provided with a first friction surface 24 for a rope 100 and a second friction element 23 comprises a second friction surface 24'. Said channel 20 may also be defined in a working position and closed on a fourth side by a movable guard rotatably hinged to the same body 12 and suitable for keeping the rope inside said channel 20.

[0071] The descender 10 presents the innovative features wherein said first friction element 22 and said second friction element 23 define two rods articulately connected to a lever arm 14 provided with an extension 26 having an opening 27 for connecting to a load, and to a return rod 25, by means of rotation pins 18, in such a way as to define a deformable articulated quadrilateral 21, wherein said first friction element 22 and said second friction element 23 are configured to translate with respect to each other in cooperation with said articulated quadrilateral 21 and are configured so that in response to the application of a load F at said opening 27 of said extension 26 of said lever arm 14 corresponds articulated movement such as to bring said first friction element 22 and said second friction element 23 closer together in order to reduce the distance between said first friction surface 24 and said second friction surface 24' reducing the passage cross-section area of said channel 20 without generating localized bottlenecks and progressively distributing the friction force on the rope 100. With particular reference to Figures 2a and 2b, said channel 20 can be defined internally to said articulated quadrilateral 21, between the two rods defining the first and second friction elements 22, 23 which also comprise the first and second friction surfaces 24, 24'.

[0072] With particular reference to the simplified embodiments of Figures 1, 2, 5 and 13, said first friction element 22 can conventionally be considered fixed and also defining said body 12, with respect to which the second friction element 23, the lever arm 14 and the return rod 25 defining the deformable quadrilateral 21 and to which said movable guard 16 is also rotatably hinged, are sliding and rotatably movable.

[0073] With particular reference only to Figures 3, 4 and 8, said movable guard 16 may advantageously and independently be hinged to an extended portion 18' of one of said rotation pins rotation pins 18.

[0074] With reference also to the embodiments of Figures 3, 4 and 6, said body 12 may comprise, in addition to the first friction element 22, a flange 13 to which said first friction element 22 may be attached or integrated.

[0075] With reference also to the embodiments of Figures 3, 4 and 6, 7, said body 12 may comprise, in addition to the first friction element 22, a flange 13 to which said first friction element 22 may be attached or integrated.

[0076] In a preferred embodiment of the descender 10 for safety ropes, with particular reference now to figure 9 and also figures 7, 8, 10 and 11, said channel 20 can be defined externally to said articulated quadrilateral 21, between the body 12 and one of the two rods defining the second movable friction element 23.

[0077] Said body 12 may also comprise said first friction surface 24 located arranged in a distal position from said friction element 22 integrated or fixed to the body 12, while said second friction surface 24' is always defined on said second friction element 23.

[0078] In the preferred embodiment of Figures 8 to 11, said body 12 may comprise said first friction element 22, a flange 13 and said first friction surface 24 fixed to each other or integrated in a single piece. With reference again to Figure 6, said flange 13 can be defined and directly integrated in said movable guard 16.

[0079] With particular reference also to Figures 5 and 6, said movable guard 16 can comprise a conjugate profile copying the outline of said extension 26 and said opening 27 of said lever arm 14 in such a manner as to lock said movable guard 16 in a working position by means of the insertion of a carabiner 50.

[0080] With particular reference to figure 6, in descending operation, the descender may comprise a handle 30, rotatably connected to one of the rotation pins 18 of said first friction element 23. By applying a rotational mechanical torque by means of said handle 30 on said rotation pin 18, in cooperation with said articulated quadrilateral 21, there corresponds a relative translation movement of said first friction element 22 and said second friction element 23 such as to increase the passage cross-section area of the channel 20 allowing the release and sliding of said rope 100 with respect to said first and second friction surfaces 24, 24'.

[0081] In a variant embodiment, not shown, said first friction surface 24 of the first friction element 22 and said second friction surface 24' of the second friction element 23 comprise a surface corrugated by means of knurling, knurled patterns, debossing, or grooves, with a high surface roughness in such away that more friction can be generated on the rope 100.

[0082] Said articulated quadrilateral 21 can advantageously be configured so that the opposite elements thereof such as the first and second friction elements 22, 23 are not perfectly parallel, by varying their lengths and the distance from the rotation pins 18 of the articulated quadrilateral 21 in such a way as to define a conical channel 20 wherein the same first and second friction elements 22, 23 transfer a friction force to the rope 100 varying along the first and second friction surfaces 24, 24'.

[0083] In a further embodiment, the distances between the rotation pins 18 of the opposing elements defining said articulated quadrilateral 21, the lever arm 14 with the return rod 25 and the first friction element 22 with the second friction element 23, may be different for the connected elements in such a way that a variable taper of the channel 20 corresponds to a variable distance between the first friction element 22 and the second friction element 23, with the widest portion towards an aperture of said channel 20 gradually narrowing until it also reverses with the variation of the distance between said first and second friction elements 22, 23.

[0084] In the exemplary embodiment of the descender 10 in the annexed figures, said articulated quadrilateral 21 may be a deformable parallelogram with the rods defining the first and second friction elements 22, 23 opposite and parallel to each other and said channel 20 having a uniform passage cross-section area for the rope 100.

[0085] The descender 10 and its members are preferably made of metallic material such as steel or special aluminium or titanium alloys or equivalent.

[0086] With particular reference to figure 13, in a further variant form of realization, said channel 20, said first friction surface 24 and said second frictional surface 24' can have a curvilinear or mixtilinear development of the first and second friction surfaces 24, 24'.

[0087] With reference to Figures 14 to 25, further embodiments of the rescue descender 10 or safety descender are described below, in particular for work in height with suspended users or loads.

[0088] With initial reference to Figures 14 and 15, in an alternative embodiment, the rescue descender 10 according to the present invention may comprise at least one pulley 60 rotatably arranged at one end of the channel 20, said pulley 60 being hinged on the body 12 by means of a second rotation pin 61, said pulley 60 being configured to engage in rolling with a rope 100 in such a manner as to facilitate its sliding at the point of angulation thereof in order to configure the descender 10 to function as a conventional fixed or movable pulley. With particular reference to the variant embodiment of Figures 16 to 19, the descender 10 may also comprise two pulleys 60 rotatably arranged on the body 12 and hinged by means of second rotation pins 61 at both ends of the channel 20, said pulleys 60 being suitable to engage in rolling with the rope 100 entering and exiting the channel 20 in the stretch between the first and second friction elements 22, 23, in such a way as to facilitate the sliding of the rope 100 by rolling on the pulleys, without sliding friction in the sections of angulation and change of direction of the same rope 100, in such a way as to make the descender 10 suitable and configurable as a fixed or mobile pulley (figure 18) in traditional block and tackle systems and in cooperation with one or more traditional pulleys 63, as in the example of figure 19.

[0089] In a further variant form, now with reference to Figures 20 to 22, the safety descender 10 may comprise a rocker arm 70 rotatably hinged at its end to the body 12 with a third rotation pin 71 and comprising a pulley 60rotatably hinged at the opposite free end of said rocker arm 70 with a second rotation pin61, in such a way as to make the pulley 60 movable with respect to the body 12, so as to enable contact to be maintained with the rope 100 at different angles.

[0090] With particular reference to figure 21 only, said rocker arm 70 may be rotatably hinged at its central portion by means of a third rotation pin 71 and comprise a pulley 60 rotatably arranged at its free end, while at its opposite end it may comprise a slot 72 suitable for engaging in sliding cooperation with a push rod 75 fixed to said friction element 23, in such a way as to bring the pulley 60 closer to or further away from the rope 100 depending on the inclination of the descender 10 and the distance between the first and second friction element 22, 23, thereby always ensuring a smooth sliding and support of the rope 100 on the pulleys 60.

[0091] With particular reference also to Figures 23a to 25, the safety descender 10 can also comprise a movable element 80 of structural reinforcement hinged to the body 12, provided with an end 82 apt to engage in a backing portion 85 formed on said body 12 or on said first friction element 22, said movable element 80 being configured to increase the structural material in correspondence with the side of positioning of the rope 100 in the channel 20 of the descender 10 closed by the movable guard 16. Said movable element 80 is configured to avoid that the closed part of the body 12, opposite to that of housing the rope 100 and perpendicular to the first and second friction elements 22, 23, tends to flex under the action of high loads twisting the device 100, thus keeping the respective first and second friction surfaces 24, 24' facing each other.

[0092] This movable element 80 can be realized on either side of the descender 10.

[0093] Referring again only to Figures 23a to 24b, said movable element 80 can advantageously be held in position by a blocking element 90 capable of being pushed into a housing on the body 12 by means of a spring and allowing the rotation of the same blocking element 90.

[0094] In a further variant embodiment, not shown, said movable blocking element can advantageously be formed in one piece with the movable guard 16.

[0095] With initial reference now t also to Figures 26 to 33, in further possible alternative embodiments, the descender 10 may comprise a preloading mechanism 95 comprising a return lever 23' attached to an articulated quadrilateral element and connected with an elastic element 96 of recall to the first opposing friction element 22, said preloading mechanism 95 being configured in such a way as to keep the first friction surface 24' of the first friction element 22 pushed against the second friction surface 24 of the second friction element 23, in such a way as to keep the descender 10 stabilized on the rope 100 even when the load of the user is not applied to the extension 26 of the lever arm 14 by engaging the carabiner 50 in the opening 27 of the lever arm 14 itself.

[0096] Said preloading mechanism 95 further comprises a movable slider 97 connected to an adjusting element 98 connected to said first friction element 22, opposite the second friction element 23 with the return lever 23'.

[0097] With particular reference to the embodiment of Figures 26 and 27, in a first variant embodiment of the descender 10 comprising a preloading mechanism 95, the adjusting element 98 may comprise a screw rotatably attached to said first friction element 22 by means of an appendix 22' and wherein said screw is engaged screwed with a threaded hole formed in the slider 97 to which one end of the elastic element 96 defined by a traditional coil spring is attached, while the opposite end is connected to the return lever 23' attached to the second friction element 23.

[0098] With particular reference now to Figures 28 and 29, in an alternative variant embodiment of the descender 10 with preloading mechanism 95 said return lever may also be comprised as an extension of the return rod 25 of the articulated quadrilateral.

[0099] With particular reference also to Figures 30 and 31 in a further alternative embodiment of the descender 10 with a preloading mechanism 95 of the rope 100, said elastic element 96 may be fixed at one end to said return lever 23', integral with said second friction element 23 and at its opposite end to a movable slider 97 configured to be engaged in cooperation with an adjusting element 98 comprising a plurality of recesses 99 formed in the second friction element 22 and suitable for housing said movable slider 97.

[0100] With reference also to Figures 32 and 33 in a still further alternative variant form of said descender 10 provided with a rope preloading mechanism 95 of the rope 100, said adjusting element 98 may comprise a rod fixed to said first friction element 22 by means of the appendix 22', wherein said rod is engaged in cooperation with a through hole obtained in a slider 97 of a tilting type to which one end of the elastic element 96 defined by a traditional spiral spring is fixed, while the opposite end is connected to the return lever 23'. The elastic element 96 defined by a traditional spiral spring is fixed to one end of the tilting slider 97, while at the opposite end of the tilting slider 97 beyond its central portion a through hole having a diameter greater than the rod of the adjusting element 98 is provided, in such a way that the recall force of the elastic element tends to bring the hole of the slider in a position not on axis with the rod of the same adjusting element, causing its blocking by friction and allowing the sliding of the same slider manually only by acting on the slider itself by overcoming the force of the elastic element 96 and bringing the hole back on axis with the rod of the adjusting element 98.

[0101] It will be evident, to the person skilled in the art, how the operation of the preloading mechanism 95 is analogous by reversing the arrangement of the return lever 23' and the elastic element 96 with the slider 97 and the adjustment element 98 between the first friction element 22 and the second friction element 23.

[0102] The description of descender 10 for safety ropes which is the according to the present invention shows the operation described below.

[0103] With initial reference to Figures 1 and 3, the descender 10 operates by opening the movable guard 16 so as to accommodate the rope 100 in the channel 20. Once the rope 100 has been housed into the descender 10, the movable guard 16 is rotated to the closed position with its profile conjugated to the lever arm 14 located at the lever arm 14 itself with the openings 27 coinciding for subsequent insertion of a conventional carabiner 50. Referring now also to Figure 2, once the movable guard 16 is closed, the descender 10 is ready to be hooked to the operator by means of said traditional carabiner 50 inserted inside the openings 27.

[0104] Descender 10 functions as an automatic brake and regardless of the type of use, descender, belayer, etc., descender 10 is automatically triggered when the rope begins to run freely between the first friction element 22 and the second friction element 23. with reference still to the embodiment of figure 1, the descender 10 for safety ropes of the present invention, by means of the combined roto-translatory motion of the second friction element 23 in cooperation with the lever arm 14, the return rod 25 and the body 12 rotatably hinged on the rotation pins 18 to define a flat and deformable articulated quadrilateral 21, provides the second friction element 23 with a single degree of freedom in translatory movement, such that the same first friction element 23 can move against the first friction element 22 while maintaining a uniform cross-sectional area for the rope 100 of the channel 20 at all times, without bottlenecks or abrupt changes in cross-sectional area. When the descender 10 is crossed by the rope 100 with the weight of the user applied, the inclination of the body 12 causes the second friction element 23 to close automatically by means of the deformable articulated quadrilateral 21 mechanism, against the first friction element 22 in such a way as to increase the friction pressure and automatically brake the rope 100, thus advantageously without operator assistance.

[0105] These features, in addition to ensuring a greater friction and pressure surface area on the rope, prevent localized variations in the cross-sectional diameter in the passage channel 20 of the rope 100 with bottlenecks that block and brake the rope 100 itself at a single point with an abrupt locking of the rope.

[0106] The second friction element 23 thus ensures a progressive and gradual application of pressure on the rope 100 and on a larger first friction surface 24.

[0107] With particular reference also to Figures 2b and 9, the lever arm 14 of the descender 10 allows a greater force to be applied to the first and second friction surfaces 24, 24' and its more gradual and controllable application, thanks to torque obtained from the length of the arm and obtained according to a user load application scheme shown in Figures 2b, and 9, where the load is applied to the opening 27 on the free end of the lever arm 14, so as to maximize the moment of force acting on the articulated quadrilateral 21.

[0108] The force due to the load of the user is therefore applied and concentrated on a single pin of the articulated quadrilateral 21 as a single fulcrum of rotation and not distributed over several elements, in particular a lever arm is defined with the load applied on a single element and pin of the articulated quadrilateral 21, unlike the technical solution described in the cited documents of known art, where the load is distributed over several elements and several rotation pins to form a double articulated quadrilateral side-by-side with the presence of other structural elements connected to each other.

[0109] The intrinsic features of the descender 10 for safety ropes according to the present invention also make advantageously possible to housing ropes of different diameters and of different materials in the channel 20, especially for mountaineering and climbing applications.

[0110] With particular reference to Figure 6, in use for a safety descent, the descender 10 may advantageously be provided with a handle 30 hinged integrally to one of the rotation pins 18 of the lever arm 14, and suitable for be handled by the operator to separate the second friction element 23 from the first friction element 22 in such a way as to gradually increase the passage cross-sectional area of the channel 20, decrease the friction force and progressively release the rope 100 in sliding.

[0111] With particular reference now to Figure 10 only, the descender 10 can advantageously be provided with an elastic element 35 arranged between the body 12 or the first friction element 22 and the second friction element 23 movable in such a way as to keep the same second friction element 23 pushed against said first friction element 22 and the safety rope 100. In order to move the second friction element 23 away from the rope 100, it is necessary to acting on the handle 30 and overcome the force of the elastic element 35. Said elastic element 35 can comprise a coil spring, a torsion spring, or any other equivalent elastic element.

[0112] With particular reference to Figure 13, the conjugate curvilinear conformation of the first friction surface 24 and the second friction surface 24' defining the passage channel 20, advantageously allows for a more modulable braking and a gradual and controllable release of the rope 100.

[0113] With reference now to Figures 14 to 25, is described the operation of possible further embodiments of the descender, which can advantageously function as a brake or safety lock for work in heigh and for lifting or hoisting suspended loads.

[0114] With reference to the embodiments of Figures 14 to 19, the descender 10 operates by means of one or more pulleys 60 rotatably arranged to the body 12 of the descender 10 in such a manner as to allow the safety rope 100 to slide by rolling over the pulleys 60 even with very tight angles of the rope 100, so that the descender 10 can advantageously be configured as a blocking or braking pulley, fixed or movable, and be used in a traditional block and tackle system with other traditional pulleys 63, as in the examples of Figures 18 and 19.

[0115] In a further variant form of Figures 20 to 22, one of the pulleys 60 operates in such a way that it can advantageously translate on an arc trajectory, being hinged on a rocker arm 70, in such a way as to always maintain contact with the safety rope 100 of the different angles and also act on the lever arm 14 in such a way as to regulate the braking pressure of the first and second friction elements 22, 23 by means of the slot 72 acting on the push rod 75 and the second friction element 23.

[0116] In a further embodiment of Figures 23a to 25, the descender 10 according to the present invention comprises the structural reinforcing movable element 80 which functions in such a way that, when closed on the body 12, it defines a boxed structure around the safety rope 100 slidingly housed in the channel 20 in such a way as to symmetrically distribute the loads suspended on the body 12 of the descender avoiding bending and structural stresses and deformations. With reference to Figures 26 to 33, the descender may also advantageously be provided with a preloading mechanism 95 the force applied by the first and second friction elements 22 and 23 on the rope 100 through the first and second friction surfaces 24, 24'.

[0117] The preloading mechanism 95 allows the descender to be kept engaged on the rope even when the user load is not applied by keeping the first and second friction elements 22, 23 in a monostable position pressed against the rope 100 by means of the elastic force of the elastic element 96, allowing the descender 10 anchored to the safety rope 100 when the movable guard 16 is open and preventing accidental sliding of the descender along the safety rope 100 when the load is not applied.

[0118] The preload force can be adjusted by means of an adjusting element 98 that engages with the slider 97 in various forms as illustrated in the various embodiments of the figures.

[0119] It is evident that in order to move said first friction element 22 away from said second friction element by releasing the safety rope 100, it is necessary to act by overcoming the force of the elastic element 96 of the preloading mechanism 95.

[0120] As can result from the above, the advantages that the safety rope descender 10 of the present invention achieves are obvious.

[0121] The descender 10 of the present invention is particularly advantageous because it provides the user with an automatic, unassisted safety device that automatically brakes by applying pressure and friction to the rope 100 during an accidental fall.

[0122] A further advantage of the descender 10 is that it allows the user, especially for mountaineering and climbing, to be able to use ropes of different cross-sectional diameters; thus, to be able to carry ropes that are thinner and lighter and therefore less bulky, features that also make it particularly advantageous for use for example, in work at height and for tactical military use for example.

[0123] A further important advantage of descender 10, in contrast to devices according to the known art, is that it allows the user, thanks to its straight or slightly curved / mixtilinear conformation, to be able to apply the descender on taut or partially taut safety ropes 100.

[0124] A further advantage of the descender 10 according to the present invention over the prior art aforementioned documents is to provide a descender wherein the user's load is applied directly on the lever arm hinged on a single rotation pin of the articulated quadrilateral in such a way as to have a greater and more easily adjustable clamping torque than if it were distributed over several rotation pins as in the technical solutions described in the known art.

[0125] Although the invention has been described above with particular reference to several preferred embodiments, given as non-limiting examples, numerous further modifications and variations will be apparent to a person skilled in the art in light of the above description. The present invention, therefore, is intended to embrace all modifications and variations falling within the protective scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A safety descender device (10) for mountaineering and works at height, comprising a body (12), a channel (20) for the passage of a rope (100), defined on three sides by a first friction element (22), formed in said body (12) and provided with a first friction surface (24) and comprising a second friction element (23) comprising a second friction surface (24') and a movable guard (16) rotatably hinged to said body (12); characterized in that said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23) define two rotatably articulated rods connected to a lever arm (14) provided with an extension (26) having an opening (27) for connecting to a load, and to a return rod (25), by means of rotation pins (18) in such a manner as to define an articulated quadrilateral (21) wherein said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23) are configured to translate with respect to each other in cooperation with said articulated quadrilateral (21) and are configured in such a manner that in response to the application of a load (F) on said lever arm (14) at said opening (27) corresponds articulated movement such as to bring said first friction element (22) and second friction element (23) closer together in order to reduce the distance between said first friction surface (24) and said second friction surface (24') and to reduce a cross-sectional area of said channel (20).

2. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein said channel (20) is defined internally said articulated quadrilateral (21).

3. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein said channel (20) is defined externally to said articulated quadrilateral (21) and said first friction element (22) is integrated with said body (12).

4. The descender (10) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said movable guard (16)comprises a profile conjugated to said extension (26) and to said opening (27) of said lever arm (14) for locking said movable guard (16) with the insertion of a carabiner (50).

5. The descender (10) according to claim 2 or 3, comprising a handle (30), rotatably connected to one of the rotation pins (18) of said first friction element (23), wherein a mechanical torque applied to said handle (30) on said rotation pin (18) in cooperation with said articulated quadrilateral (21) corresponds to a relative translation movement of said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23) such as to increase the cross-section area of said channel (20) allowing the release and sliding of said rope (100) with respect to said first and second friction surfaces (24, 24').

6. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein said first friction surface (24) of said first friction element (22) and said second friction surface (24') of said second friction element (23) comprise a surface that is corrugated and has a high surface roughness in such a way as to generate increased friction on the rope (100).

7. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein the components thereof are made of metallic material such as steel or special aluminium alloys titanium or equivalent.

8. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein said channel (20) said first friction surface (24) and said second friction surface (24') defining the passage cross- sectional area of said channel (20) comprise a planar and straight development.

9. The descender (10) according to claim 1, wherein said channel (20) said first friction surface (24) and said second friction surface (24') defining the passage cross- sectional area of said channel (20) comprise a curvilinear or mixtilinear development.

10. The descender (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said articulatedquadrilateral (21) is a deformable parallelogram with the opposite rods parallel to each other and said channel (20) has a uniform cross-sectional area for the rope 100.

11. The descender (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising an elastic element (35) arranged between the body (12) or the second friction element (23) in such a manner as to keep the same second friction element (23) in a stable position pushed against said first friction element (22).

12. The descender (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the distances between the rotation pins (18) of said articulated quadrilateral (21) between the lever arm (14) with the return rod (25) and the first friction element (22) with the second friction element (23), are different in such a way that a variable taper of the channel (20) for the passage of the rope (100) corresponds to a variable distance between said first friction element (22) and said second friction element (23).

13. The descender (10) according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising at least one pulley (60) rotatably arranged on said body (12) by means of a second rotation pin (61), said pulley (60) being capable of engaging in rolling with a rope (100) in order to configure the descender (10) to function as a pulley.

14. The descender (10) according to claim 13, comprising two pulleys 60 rotatably arranged on the body (12) and hinged by means of second rotation pins (61) at both ends of the channel (20).

15. The descender (10) according to claim 13, comprising a rocker arm (70) rotatably hinged at its end to said body (12) with a third rotation pin (71) and comprising a pulley (60) rotatably hinged at the opposite free end of said rocker arm (70) with a second rotation pin (61), in such a manner as to make said pulley (60) movable with respect to said body (12) in such a manner as to enable contact with the rope (100) to be maintained at different angles.

16. The descender (10) according to claim 15, wherein said rocker arm (70) is rotatably arranged at its central portion by means of a third rotation pin (71) and comprises a pulley (60) rotatably arranged at its free end, while in correspondence of the opposite end it comprises a slot (72) suitable to engage in sliding co-operation with a push rod (75) fixed to said friction element (23), in such a way as to bring the pulley (60) closer to or further away from the rope (100) depending on the inclination of the descender 10 and the distance between the first and second friction element (22, 23).

17. The descender (10) according to claim 2 or 3, comprising a movable element (80) of structural reinforcement hinged to the body (12), provided with an end (82) configured to engage in a backing portion (85) formed on said body (12) or on said first friction element (22), said movable element (80) being configured to increase the structural material at the rope (100) positioning side in the channel (20).

18. The descender (10) according to claim 17, wherein said movable blocking element (80) is formed in one piece with the movable guard (16).

19. The descender (10) according to claim 1, comprising a preloading mechanism (95) comprising a return lever (23') fixed to an element of said deformable quadrilateral and connected via an elastic element (96) to the first friction element (22) by means of an adjustment element (98), said preloading mechanism (95) being configured in such a way as to keep the first friction surface (24) of the first friction element (22) pushed against the second friction surface (24') of the second friction element (23), in such a way as to keep the descender (10) stabilized on the rope (100). The descender (10) according to claim 19, wherein said return lever (23') is fixed to the second friction element (23).

20. The descender (10) according to claim 19, wherein said return lever (23') iscomprised as an extension of the return rod (25) of the articulated quadrilateral.

21. The descender (10) according to claim 19, wherein said elastic element (96) is a coiled spring.

22. The descender (10) according to claim 19, wherein said adjusting element (98) comprises a screw rotatably attached to said first friction element (22) by means of an appendix (22') and wherein said screw is engaged by screwing a threaded hole in the slider (97).

23. The adjusting element (10) according to claim 19, wherein said adjusting element (98) comprises a plurality of recesses (99) formed in the second friction element 22 and configured to accommodate said slider (97).

24. The descender (10) according to claim 19, wherein said adjusting element (98) comprises a rod fixed to said first friction element (22) by means of the appendix (22') and wherein said rod is engaged in cooperation with a through-hole formed in a slider (97) of a tilting type.

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