Device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes

Abstract

A device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes, characterised in that it comprises two guides (1) of essentially any lateral profile, both preferably more or less similar to the lateral profile of a ski jumping hill, positioned with a spacing (a) with respect to each other, on which guides (1) there are two carriages (2) seated opposite to each other, one on each guide (1). Each carriage (2) is provided with two booms (3) in the form of essentially rigid rods directed upwards and situated forkwise with respect to each other, at an acute angle, from the outwardly directed ends (3a) of which extend cables (4) forming a sling (5) supporting a jumper (6) who is training and / or performing jumps in a recreation and leisure and / or professional mode in a suspended state for the duration of the jump.

Description

[0001] Device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes

[0002] The object of the invention is a device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes.

[0003] From Japanese publication JP2000014860A, there is known a solution for recreational performance of ski jumping, an essential element of which is a rail extending and situated at a certain distance above the in-run of the hill ending with a take-off table, above the knoll, and finally above the landing slope. Therefore, the rail is a guide with a profile that essentially corresponds to the profile of a ski jumping hill, the ends of which are rested on two supports. One of the supports is situated at basically the highest point of the hill, with the other at the end of the landing slope of the hill. On the rail there is a mounted carriage, to which a harness is attached to support the jumper.

[0004] This solution presents multiple inconveniences, but the most serious one is that it does not allow for a wide range of application, that is both for professional jumpers and complete beginners in ski jumping, basically because the rail is seated at a fixed height above the hill profile.

[0005] In addition, this type of the jumper suspension, as an essentially rigid suspension, does not allow the jumper to feel free and / or swinging suspension during the jump. The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the inconveniences of using the known solution, and the task is to develop a device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreational / entertainment purposes, allowing professional ski jumpers as well as complete amateurs an experience almost or entirely analogical to that possible on the existing ski jumping hills. The purpose of the invention is also to provide a varying degree of the flight autonomy offered to the jumpers-users, from none at all, when a jumper by means of a rigid frame either uses a completely rigid connection to the device or a flexible connection using a mechanically active articulated suspension system, or the jumper’s soft connection to a loose attachment system with the system of ropes for belaying, through to a fully free flight autonomy, when the only way to protect the jumper would be the possibility of using a safety net.

[0006] According to the invention, a device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes, which uses a rigid frame, contains two guides of essentially any lateral profile, both preferably more or less similar to the lateral profile of a ski jumping hill, positioned with a spacing with respect to each other, on which guides two carriages are seated opposite to each other, one on each guide. Each carriage is provided with two booms in the form of essentially rigid rods directed upwards and situated fork-wise with respect to each other, at an acute angle, from the outwardly directed ends of which extend cables forming a sling supporting a jumper who is training and / or performing jumps in a recreation and leisure and / or professional mode in a suspended state for the duration of the jump.

[0007] The sling is provided at the ends of the cables with a rigid frame, or it turns into a conventional soft frame of a rope system situated above the back of the person who is training or performing jumps.

[0008] The cables are wound onto spools fixed in the housings of the carriages.

[0009] The opening angle of the booms is adjustable.

[0010] Preferably, the guides along at least one selected segment are situated convergently / divergently with respect to each other.

[0011] Also preferably, the guides are positioned with variable spacing relative to each other.

[0012] The length of the booms is adjustable. The device using a rigid-frame is characterised by the solution of providing a frame that has attached thereto elements of the harness to secure the jumper, either directly or by means of a mechanically active articulated suspension system, constituting a controlled assembly of hinges, actuators and arms provided with motors, the upper cross hinge of which is connected to the rigid frame, and the lower cross hinge — to the jumper's harness.

[0013] The device using a soft suspension system is characterised by the solution of providing a rope system, that has the primary support ropes permanently connected to a connecting and disconnecting control module, having the lower ends of each of the four cables of the sling also attached to it, the primary ropes being connected on the other side to the jumper's harness.

[0014] The device allowing for complete lack of interference with the jumper's flight is characterised by the solution of positioning the lateral guides of a profile similar to the profile of a ski jumping hill opposite of each other, and having mounted thereon two driven carriages with booms in the form of rods and cables, placed on both sides of the knoll and the take-off table of the ski jumping hill, forming a sling for a frame holding a net the latter being rolled up or concertinaed, unfolding under the jumper in the phase of the occurrence of a disturbance in the jumper's flight.

[0015] The term: sling is meant as an assembly that is fitted into any device used for suspending, strapping or supporting a load to be lifted, for example in gantry cranes / boom cranes.

[0016] The object of the invention will be described in embodiments shown by the attached drawings, of which fig. 1 presents the device for the implementation of ski jumping training and / or ski jumping simulation for the purposes of recreation / leisure during the performance of a ski flight in a perspective side view, fig. 2 — the device of fig. 1 in the position of starting a jump at the beginning of the in-run, fig. 3 — the device of fig. 1 in a position after the jumper has left the take-off table of the hill, fig. 4 — the device of fig. 1 in the flight phase when the jumper harnessed directly to the rigid frame is in the highest position in relation to the hill, fig. 4a — the device of fig. 1 in the flight phase when the jumper attached to the rigid frame via the mechanically active articulated suspension system is in the highest position in relation to the hill, fig. 5 — the hill in a schematic perspective top view highlighting the segments of the in-run, the take-off table, the knoll and the landing area as well as the out-run as the locations of specific phases of the jumper's flight, fig. 6 — the hill in a schematic top view when the guides along the knoll and landing slope sections are divergent with respect to each other, while being parallel along the out-run section, fig. 7 — connection of the jumper’s harness via the mechanically active articulated suspension system in a perspective view, fig. 7a — connection of the jumper’s harness via the mechanically active articulated suspension system in a close-up, fig. 8 — the jumper in a perspective view, positioned in the sling with the instrumentation shown by figs. 7 and 7a, fig. 9 — the jumper in essentially free flight secured by a folded belay rope as an emergency soft suspension element, fig. 10 — the jumper in controlled flight as a result of a flight disturbance, with a view of the unfolded support and auxiliary ropes of the emergency soft suspension attached to the harness, fig. 11 — the jumper in controlled flight as a result of a flight disturbance with a view of the unfolded support, auxiliary and stabilising ropes of the emergency soft suspension, fig. 12 — the jumper of fig. 9 in essentially free flight secured by a folded emergency belay rope, fig. 13 — the device during the first phase of the jumper's disturbed flight in the state of full tightening of the folded belay rope, fig. 14 — the device during the next phase of the jumper's disturbed flight with the soft suspension unfolded (with the belay rope unfolded), fig. 15 — a portion of a folded belay rope in magnification and a segmental cross-section, fig. 16 — a magnified section of the belay rope, fig. 17 — a jumping device in an embodiment with belaying, with a net in a perspective side view, fig. 18 — the device of fig. 17 in a top view, whereas fig. 19 and fig. 20 — the device of fig. 17 and fig. 18 in the phase of unfolding the net directly below the jumper.

[0017] As shown by the drawings, the device has two guides 1. Fig. 1 shows the rectilinear sections of these guides, parallel to each other and with spacing a with respect to each other. Each of guides 1 has two carriages 2 situated opposite to each other, one on each guide. Two booms 3 protrude at an acute angle from the housings of each carriage 2, directed upwards and situated fork-wise with respect to each other. They have the form of essentially rigid rods, made of metal or any other materials, for example carbon fibre. These booms can be of telescopic design, with an adjustable length. The outwardly directed ends 3a of the booms 3 have attached thereto cables 4 forming a sling 5 that supports in a suspended state the harness of the training jumper or a person performing jumps in a recreation and leisure mode 6. As shown by fig. 2, the device additionally comprises actuators 17 defining the opening angle of the booms 3, with control cables 4a mounted between the booms 3 and the cables 4.

[0018] Fig. 3 shows the jumper in a position after leaving the take-off table of the hill and above its knoll, when the cables 4 hold the jumper essentially in the highest position, being coupled to the corners of a frame 7 connected to a harness 8.

[0019] Fig. 4 presents the situation of fig. 3 in magnification, wherein the cables 4 are coupled by control cables 4a to the booms 3.

[0020] The device shown in the drawings can be used by being installed in an existing facility constituting a ski jumping hill. In this case, the guides 1 mounted on both sides of the hill, as shown in fig. 5, have lateral profiles essentially similar to the lateral profile of a ski jumping hill, and they are placed with essentially equal spacing with respect to each other over the entire length of the hill, including the in- run R ending with the take-off table P, the knoll and the landing slope B , meaning the topside of the hill, and the out-run O, as shown in fig. 5. To increase the safety of performing jumps, along out-run segment O the guides 1 may slant toward each other, meaning that the distance a may gradually decrease, so that the distance between the carriages would also decrease, ensuring smoother descent of the jumper onto the surface of the out-run O.

[0021] The guides 1 can be installed on a suitable platform situated obliquely to the ground, or on a platform situated as horizontally as possible.

[0022] The guides 1_ can also be situated directly on the ground, configured horizontally or obliquely, according to a natural elevation.

[0023] For the device to function effectively, further conditions of a functional nature must be met, which will be included in the manual. The relevant ones are essentially summarised below.

[0024] In addition to basic regular clothes, the jumper 6 should wear a ski suit adequately adapted to the circumstances, integrated with straps, tight but flexible with increased strength, allowing for the reduction of a wind drag, and above all wear a harness 8 in safety parameters like those used by jumpers in other fields, such as paragliding. It can constitute a flexible H-shaped structure with several rope attachment points

[0025] Preferably, the harness 8 on the jumper’s back should have an interface ensuring the temporary fixing connection of rigid suspension elements, together with the harness interface enabling forming a rigid quadrilateral in the shape of a frame, whose vertices have attached thereto the four cables 4 extending from the vertices of the booms 3 located on the two carriages 2.

[0026] The design of the harness interface should consider the breaking forces created because of gravity in the suspended state and protect the jumper's back according to the circumstances.

[0027] Before being able to jump, the jumper will undergo the procedure of checking the body balancing, with the use of a specialised workstation and equipment, therefore the interface should be meant to allow for the adjustment of the attachment point of the elements making up the quadrilateral of the sling system.

[0028] Moreover, a more general physiological profile could be required for an individual jumper before the jump.

[0029] In terms of effective and safe operation of the device according to the invention itself, it is crucial to install IT or artificial intelligence software to control and monitor the parameters of the device.

[0030] As a result of programming, the carriages 2 will move in a mutually synchronised manner. Preferably, the carriages are driven either by internal electric stepper motors or by a pulling rope, with propulsion at one end of the track (similarly to a ski lift), preferably using solutions used for the propulsion and braking of a device commonly known as a “roller coaster”, but installed over the entire length of the track, alternatively using an adapted solution used for propulsion, known in the relevant state of the art as a “magnetic levitation”, or carriages for moving cameras during the transmission of jumps. The function of the software, which uses the position of the ropes to determine the jumper's position in space, is to make sure that the jumper's centre of gravity is located directly above the carriages. Preferably, each carriage is provided with four stepper motors (including two for protection) controlling the spools of the two main cables 4, as well as four additional motors (including two for protection) controlling the spools of the two additional control cables 4a which facilitate control over the slings.

[0031] Each of the two cables 4 on the carriage extends to the tops of two several- metre-long (approx. 6-9 m) booms 3 directed upwards above the front of the carriage 2 and upwards above the back of the carriage in the shape of the letter V.

[0032] The ends of the ropes are attached to a frame 7 with four vertices, situated on the jumper's back by means of a suitable harness, since a jumper's back is always and invariably kept in an approximately horizontal position while on the in- run and while jumping.

[0033] The tracks of the carriages 2 are designed to withstand appropriate torque, that is, to resist the torsional forces that can “tip” the carriages (rotate them around the track axis). This obviously applies to a situation when the track is to resist the force transmitted to the track by the carriages and caused by the weight of the person supported on the ropes when stationary, but also when moving and when braking.

[0034] For reasons of safety and flight control, the tops of the booms 3 must reach a specific calculated height, greater by a certain margin than the assumed top height attainable for the jumper's back above the landing slope on a given hill.

[0035] The software controls the length of the cables 4, as well as the cables 4a via stepper motors, which serve as propulsion for the said spools, and carriages 2, via a drive-brake assembly according to selected preferable solutions known from the relevant state of the art. As a certain benchmark for performance characteristics could be the head of a CNC machine tool or a 3D printer operating in at least two axes (horizontal) out of three.

[0036] The software must undergo a calibration process, which is done by driving carriages of different mass suspended in the jumper’s place over the entire length of the path (the in-run and out-run) and recording the collected “height” parameters as zero. The aim is to define appropriate safety margins for specific segments of the path (especially if the booms 3 are carbon and may bend slightly; alternatively, some necessary flexibility may be provided by the spool movement tolerance or the rope itself).

[0037] In commercial applications, previous tests and simulations using monitoring and control software will identify patterns of automatic correction of errors and their consequences for inexperienced persons, for example wrong position, reaction to wind, change in speed, etc. It is necessary to identify such procedures so that the consequences of such events are maximally neutralised, and the device has at its disposal a set of procedures for an adequate response. The function of the software managing the cables and carriages on the basis of the identified patterns is to achieve a gentle, smooth and synchronised process of performing the jump, including the making of real-time corrections while on the in-run, during take-off and flight, so that, e.g. a first-time jumper would also perform a safe and reasonably distant jump, even with the possibility of making corrections with the ropes during take-off, in order to reach a higher flight path and be able to perform an optimal jump.

[0038] To deal with the occurrence of an erroneous approach to the take-off table, an extremely bad take-off, an abnormal flight path, etc., the service personnel monitoring the performance of the jump has at its disposal a safety button switching between a flight belaying mode and an emergency landing mode already directly at the out-run of the hill.

[0039] The device according to the invention is designed to be installed on normal, and also large or giant hills, to provide for a higher level of excitement.

[0040] Another way to offer a strikingly similar service is to build an indoor jumping simulator, which would be available regardless of the weather or the competitions that take place on the hills. A moveable platform that looks like a segment of the in- run with a bar start would constitute an element of the whole. It would move according to a planned pattern intended to exert appropriately selected g-forces on a user additionally provided with Virtual Reality goggles, with simultaneous use of fans and a small wind tunnel as well as a (four-corded) mechanism for holding the jumper in the air, similar to the one presented in this solution.

[0041] In a basic embodiment for the implementation of ski jumping training and / or the performance of ski jumping for recreation, leisure and / or professional purposes, the aim is to implement the actual strapping of the jumper in the device. The frame 7 is rigid and is attached directly to the jumper's harness 8 in an essentially rigid manner, the main attachment of the rigid frame 7 directly to the jumper's harness being near the centre of gravity, i.e. the lower back, with two auxiliary attachments on the shoulders and two on the thighs, so that the device maintains an impact on the jumper's body while performing the jump, from start to stop. The rigid frame 7 is suspended from four cables 4 hanging from the booms 3 and attached in the ending points of two diagonals that intersect at the very centre of the frame. These diagonals optimally lie on the straight lines connecting the vertices of the opposite booms, but this is not a critical requirement.

[0042] In an alternate embodiment, the aim is to reduce the feeling of a jumper’s bondage and increase the feeling of flight autonomy by means of a system of mechanically active flexible articulated suspension of the jumper, in particular like in figs. 7 and 7a, placed between the frame 7 and the jumper’s harness 8, constituting an assembly of hinges, actuators and arms provided with motors, also fixed at several points on the jumper's body.

[0043] In a portion of the frame 7 next to a system controller module for power and propulsion 16, there is an attachment slot 28a of the upper cross hinge 18a. Two upper motors of the upper hinge 19a are attached as hinge pins, fixed by the casing to two upper arms 22, the arms and the hinge being combined by an upper hinge connector 20a, and two system battery power and control modules 24 are attached on the arms 22, one on each arm. Each of the arms is fixedly connected to one of two main stepper motors 21 , each of them having the form of a horizontal pin, responsible primarily for correcting the up and down movements of the jumper, and these in turn to four lower arms 23, two essentially parallel and two essentially opposite. The lower arms are connected to a lower hinge connector 20b, which constitutes an upper slot base of the lower cross hinge 18b. The hinge 18b comprises two lower motors of the lower hinge 19b, and it is combined with the attachment slot 28b of the lower cross hinge 18b, which are temporarily fixedly connected to the jumper’s harness 8. Four movable annular hinges 29 are mounted along the axis on the four lower arms 23, in their lower portion, on a friction bearing. Their position in relation to the lower arms 23 is controlled by motors inside the arms (no symbol), and with the assistance of a total of four stepper micromotors 25, each of them having the form of a horizontal pin, transmitting a swinging motion to the four tension cable arms 26 connected to the micromotors 25. Inside the tension cable arms 26, essentially parallel to the jumper's harness, there are four ropes functioning as a tension cable (no symbol), one in each arm, also functioning as loosening cables, extending from roller elements along the extension of the rotor shafts of the four pulling micromotors (no symbol), also mounted inside the arms 26, one in each arm, via four angular connectors 30 of the tension cables with an average opening of 45 degrees, and via four sets of loosely stacked annular elements 27, essentially constituting a kind of a temporarily movable and flexible but temporarily rigid bracket, to their four attachment points 31 on the harness 8 next to the shoulder blades and along the jumper's thighs.

[0044] In this embodiment of the device, control of the jumper's flight is still potentially retained, but the frame above the jumper-user's back, like in fig. 8 suspended on the cables 4 which remain under the effect of the control cables 4a, does not essentially interact with the jumper directly, since at the only mounting point it is only connected to the hinge 18a constituting an upper element of the flexible suspension assembly.

[0045] This assembly, seen in more detail in fig. 7a, is intended to maintain the jumper's feeling of a considerable freedom of movement in the air, enhanced by the swinging movements up and down. In an obviously confined space, ultimately limited by the maximum and minimum length of the connection and the maximum angles / tilts that can occur between the frame and the jumper's back, the aim is for the jumper not to basically feel attached to the rigid frame 7. The jumper's movements during the flight, either forced or not, are absorbed and / or cushioned by the interaction of the two hinges 18a and 18b, the arms 22 and 23, as well as the movable brackets 27 and arms 26, activated as necessary by dedicated motors. They are generally not transmitted directly to the frame 7, and thereby the jumper may not feel the resistance of the frame 7 moving along with them above their back, suspended on the cables 4. Through the motors, which simultaneously act as pins, primarily via 19b, as well as through the main motors 21 powered and controlled from the control module 24, the arms and the upper and lower hinges operate synchronously, with an important function of the tension cable arms 26, in order to essentially allow for natural correlation of the jumper's flight with the wind drag, and to a certain extent allow for external signalling of the need to change the position of the jumper's body (to accommodate for the air impact angle), or even for intentional interference correcting this position when on the in-run, in flight and during landing, to ensure safety and optimisation of the jump. A key role in this respect is played by four auxiliary mounting points 31 and their distribution; two are near the shoulders, and two on the thighs, through which the position of the jumper's body is influenced by the tension cable arms 26.

[0046] The flight control offered by this solution through introduction of flexibility of the essentially fixed connection requires appropriate software to activate mechanical support of the jumps during their performance. This solution may have a commercial application for recreational purposes. However, it can be particularly useful for professional training and coaching, as it enables ongoing precise flight correction and the elimination of bad habits.

[0047] Furthermore, as the carriages descend and the distance between the carriages increases, it is possible to point to the gradual divergence of the booms while maintaining a constant angle between the cables (forming the shape of the letter X as seen from above). This configuration is optimal, albeit not necessary. Deviations from the optimum (variable or constant) are permissible in a structurally favourable direction (especially in the very case when the jumper is flying closer to one of the side boards).

[0048] The soft suspension solution serves the implementation of ski jumping training and / or the performance of ski jumping for recreation, leisure and / or professional purposes at an advanced level, by connecting the jumper to a loose attachment system with belaying by a rope system, such as, e.g. in fig. 12.

[0049] The essence of this solution is in that the jumper leaves the take-off table P of the hill on their own, as well as descends and lands also with external interference. The jumper is not actively supported by anything, however, is guarded by an assembly of ropes provided for flight disruptions, attached to a harness on the jumper's back (a portion of the harness on the jumper's back is a flexible H-shaped structure with several attachment points for the ropes).

[0050] As shown by fig. 12 and fig. 13, the lower ends of the cables of the sling 5 are fixedly attached in the upper part of a four-piece connecting and disconnecting control module 9, each cable to one element of the module, in the space above and behind the jumper. Attached to the module is a belay rope conventionally marked as 10, attached by its other end to the harness 8 on the body of jumper 6. The rope 10 is in fact a bundle of ropes, consisting of several ropes of various lengths and with different connection points, held over most of its length by a mounting rope (in other words, the belay rope itself) 10, provided with several fixedly attached unilaterally open clamping collars IT Fig. 16 shows this bundle in a close-up in the middle and lower parts, at the point of connection with the harness 8 of the jumper 6; fig. 15 shows a schematic cross-section of the bundle in a gathering place for all the ropes, meaning the mounting rope 10, four support ropes 10a, four auxiliary ropes 10bi and, typically, two shorter stabilising ropes 10bi I. two longer stabilising ropes 10bi II, and the clamping collars IT

[0051] Each of the support ropes 10a is fixedly connected to one of the four elements of the connecting and disconnecting module 9, and to the jumper’s 6 harness 8 interface, and, at a certain height, to one of the four auxiliary ropes 10b, which are crossed in pairs, and which are connected by the other end to the jumper's harness. One of the support ropes 10a has loosely attached thereto a sliding hook end with a closing spring of the mounting belay rope 10, provided with several fixedly attached unilaterally open clamping collars 11., spaced by certain distances from each other, connected by its other end to the jumper's harness. The support ropes 10a are connected by four stabilising ropes 10bll and 10blll, placed at a certain height of the support ropes 10a and fixedly attached thereto.

[0052] The presented system for supporting flight safety is based on a soft connection between the jumper and the booms, it replaces an earlier system with a rigid frame on the back, giving the device stable control over the jumper, with a soft suspension, being an assembly of ropes. Like in fig. 16, before any use, such soft suspension is incorporated into the bundle of ropes, constituting in its entirety a single rope approximately 1.5-2 m in length, connecting the harness interface worn in the area of the jumper's lower back, via the connecting and disconnecting module, with the assembled four ends of the cables extending from the tops of the booms. If this bundle is not tight during flight (i.e. it does not take on the shape of an essentially straight line, like in fig. 13), but it remains loose, in a basically arcuate shape, like in fig. 9 or fig. 12, then the device obviously does not assist the jumper in any way during the flight, and said bundle of ropes is only a guarding connection that would become useful if the jumper were to lose control over the flight.

[0053] The bundle of ropes must have a specified amount of clearance, so that the jumper feels like flying freely, not feeling as being directly belayed.

[0054] The ropes used are comparable in functionality, size and flexibility to ropes used in parachutes, which in their folded form behave like a single rope, belaying but not interfering with the flight. In contrast, in the unfolded form, the ropes take on the shape of a rectangular frame, ensuring that the device takes control over the jumper and is controllable.

[0055] By means of the cables 4, the jumper's flight remains under control of the software, acting by controlling the motors of the spools placed inside the carriages, so that the length of the cables hanging from the booms 3 can be shortened or extended individually, as required. This happens especially when the jumper is not flying along the axis of the hill, but closer to one of the boards. To increase the degree of manoeuvrability of the sling 5, and thereby the degree of controllability of the device in any form of use, additional control cables 4a are provided, connected to the cables 4 of the sling 5 along their length, preferably at a certain distance from the ends of the cables 4. Through their tension, they influence the position of the sling 5 and its change. There are four provided attachment points of the cables 4 to the slings 5, each cable to a different sling rope, hanging from the tops of the booms 3.

[0056] The drawings of fig. 10 and fig. 11 illustrate the effect of the device activating in an emergency. In such a situation, the spools of the cables 4 cause the cables 4 to shorten and cause upward movement of the elements of the connecting and disconnecting control module 9. On the other hand, the spools of the auxiliary control cables 4a in the carriages cause the cables 4a to shorten, and cause disengagement of the control elements of the connecting and disconnecting module and a downward movement. The elements of the module are disconnected, and all the ropes 4 and 4a as well as the ropes 10a and 10bi are tightened, like in fig. 10, and additionally also 10bll and 10blll, like in fig. 11. The jumper's flight is stabilised.

[0057] When the ropes are folded, the cables 4 essentially serve the function of controlling the connecting and disconnecting module 9, and indirectly the stability of the jumper's flight. The device does not directly interfere with the flight; it provides clearance in the jumper's suspension, albeit ensuring protection of the jumper during training, recreation or competition, with no direct interference understood as the jumper being assisted by the device. In the folded state, the belay rope 10 attached to the jumper's harness has some effect on the jumper, but it is the same for everyone.

[0058] Switching to the unfolded form of the ropes means that interference with the flight is taking place, and control over the jumper is taken over by the rope system entirely. It means that the device has worked to protect the user against falling.

[0059] At the software level, the device must monitor the position of the jumper in space and in time via the software in order to be able to track possible rotation and their flight trajectory; through the use of at least three sources of information the actual position of the jumper — rope positions and spool load, cameras, and echolocators can be determined, as well as their the predicted position. By locating the jumper’s position, the software coordinates the course of the flight via propulsion of the carriages and spool-based adjustment of the length of the cables 4 and the auxiliary control cables 4a. When a jumper loses control over their flight (e.g. due to wind or a ski popping off), the software will detect the problem (such as shortening of the flight trajectory, loss of balance before the take-off table, rotation of the body around its axis after leaving the take-off table, loss of lift of one ski, etc.) and initiate an adequate intervention procedure according to the developed standards. The procedure involves selecting deliberately maintained clearance between the device and the jumper and, through the effect of the four elements of the connecting and disconnecting control module moving away from each other, tightening the ropes, releasing them from the collars holding them in the bundle and spreading them; this puts the jumper in a fully controlled suspension state. If the disruption were to occur while still on the in-run, it is assumed that, despite the interference of the device, the connection and disconnection module should not be immediately disengaged due to the limited space.

[0060] The time when the protection is activated will be determined by the software.

[0061] An additional solution for protecting the jumper while using this device is suspension (fig. 17 to fig. 20) on a set of four cables 4 and four cables 4a via the sling frame 7 of a special module 12 with a net 13, in place of the jumper in another application. A module that can provide protection from the beginning of the flight phase, when the most severe falls can occur.

[0062] The module 12 consists of two side beams 14 and a rear beam 15 combined into a wide “U” shape. At about 6.5 m, the rear beam 15 is the longest, and like the side ones, it conceals therein two sections, one storing the net 13, and the other a preferably chosen propulsion mechanism which, through the use of accumulated energy, is capable of rapidly spreading the net 13 over the full length of the side beams (meaning approx. 5-5.5 m) and introducing it from behind into the area under the flying jumper. This is achieved by guides resembling curtain rods, incorporated in the net section of the side beams, and mountings transmitting propulsion from the drive section of these beams to the front of the net, as well as the absence of a front beam.

[0063] An important task is to calculate where the jumper is to be intercepted and to prepare the module to receive a specific, calculated force, also with a known direction in which it acts (the system knows the jumper's weight and tracks the movement). Essentially, the point is to create conditions to achieve the shortest response time between the moment of deciding and the placement of the module under the jumper.

[0064] The purpose of using the net is to prevent a hard fall and to transport a jumper who has lost control during the jump and is in a phase after taking off from the takeoff table or up to a certain point in flight to an already horizontal segment of the outrun. In order for this solution to be applicable, the device must have propulsion for immediate deployment of the net into an operating position, gaining significant acceleration and the ability to start moving from under the take-off table just before the jumper takes off from the take-off table, in order to match the jumper’s speed immediately and finally slide the frame under the jumper in a manner in which the front ends of the side beams would end up slightly in front of the jumper, that is approx. 1-1.5 m. It is preferable for the frame to be outside the jumper's field of view, but this is not necessary.

[0065] The net is not used to protect the jumper from falling during the landing phase and immediately before it.

[0066] Once the net is deployed, the whole module can be additionally raised by a certain distance (approx. 1-1.5 m), which will be derived from the jumper's descent speed, the distance to the ground, the flexibility of the net, the trajectory characteristics of the jumper’s flight as observed by the system, which will be provided with cameras / acoustic sensors. Regardless of the system control software, the system will be provided with emergency manual start-up.

[0067] Such a safety solution for the jumper does not interfere with currently used technological solutions related to the jumpers and their clothes / equipment, but it protects them from those most dangerous falls related to losing control over the jump immediately after leaving the take-off table P and falling from a greater height. The solution also considers a situation in which the net would not have to be used.

Claims

Claims1 . A device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes, characterised in that it comprises two guides (1) of essentially any lateral profile, both preferably more or less similar to the lateral profile of a ski jumping hill, positioned with a spacing (a) with respect to each other, on which guides (1) there are two carriages (2) seated opposite to each other, one on each guide (1), each of the carriages (2) being provided with two booms (3) in the form of essentially rigid rods directed upwards and situated forkwise with respect to each other, at an acute angle, from the outwardly directed ends (3a) of which extend cables (4) forming a sling (5) supporting a jumper (6) who is training and / or performing jumps in a recreation and leisure and / or professional mode in a suspended state for the duration of the jump.

2. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the sling (5) is provided with a frame (7) situated above the back of the jumper (6) who is training or performing jumps, with elements of a harness (8) attached thereto.

3. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that an attachment slot (28a) of an upper cross hinge (18a) of a flexible articulated suspension system for the jumper £6) is permanently attached to the frame (7) of the sling (5) situated above the back of the person (6) who is training or performing jumps.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterised in that the flexible articulated suspension system for the jumper in a mechanical system consists from top to bottom of a power supply and drive controller module (16). two upper hinge pin motors (19a), two upper arms (22), an upper hinge connector (20a), two battery power and controlmodules (24), two main stepper pin motors (21 ), four lower arms (23), a lower hinge connector (20b), an attachment slot (28b) for a lower cross hinge (18b) temporarily fixedly attached to the harness (8), two lower hinge motors (19b), four movable annular hinges (29), four arm stepper micromotors (25), four tension cable arms (26), four tension cables (no symbol) and four small pulling motors (no symbol) inside the arms (26), four angular connectors (30), four sets of annular elements (27), four temporarily fixed tension cable attachment points (31 ) to the harness (8) of the jumper(6).

5. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the ends of each of the four cables (4) of the sling (5) are permanently connected, each one individually, to one of four temporarily connected modular elements of the connecting and disconnecting control module (9), and in that each of the four temporarily connected elements of the connecting and disconnecting module is permanently connected by one of four support ropes (10a) to the harness (8) of the jumper (6).

6. The device according to claim 5, characterised in that each of the support ropes (10a) has permanently attached thereto at a certain height one of four auxiliary ropes (1 Obi) crossing in pairs at a slight distance above the harness (8), connected by its other end to the harness (8) of the jumper (6).

7. The device according to claim 5, characterised in that one of the support ropes (10a) has attached thereto a mounting belaying rope (10), provided with a sliding spring-loaded hook end and with a number of fixedly attached unilaterally open clamping collars (1 ), spaced by certain distances from each other, connected by its other end to the harness (8) of the jumper (6).

8. The device according to claim 5, characterised in that the support ropes (10a) are connected by four stabilising ropes, shorter 10bll and longer 10bi IL placed at a certain height of the support ropes and fixedly attached thereto.

9. The device according to claim 5, characterised in that, by means of the fixedly attached clamping collars (H), four support ropes (10a), four auxiliary ropes (1 Obi) and four composite stabilising ropes (1 Obi I and 10blll) are temporarily attached to the mounting belaying rope (10).

10. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the cables (4) are wound onto spools fixed in the housings of the carriages (2).11 . The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the opening angle (a) of the booms (3) is adjustable.

12. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the guides (1) along at least one selected segment are situated convergently / divergently with respect to each other.

13. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the guides (1 ) are positioned with variable spacing (a) relative to each other.

14. The device according to claim 1 , characterised in that the length of the booms (3) is adjustable.

15. A device for implementing ski jumping training and / or performing ski jumping for recreation and leisure and / or professional purposes, characterised in that it comprises two guides (1) of essentially any lateral profile, both preferably more or less similar to the lateral profile of a ski jumping hill, positioned with a spacing (a) with respect to each other, on which guides (1.) there are two carriages (2) seated opposite to each other, one on each guide (1), each of the carriages (2) being provided with two booms (3) in the form of essentially rigid rods directed upwards and situated forkwise with respect to each other, at an acute angle, from the outwardly directed ends of which extend cables (4) forming a sling (5) for a frame module (12) holding a net (13) unfolded during the phase of occurrence of a disturbance in the flight of the jumper (6) underneath said jumper.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterised in that the frame (12) consists of two side beams (14) and a rear beam (15), constituting a container accommodating the net (13) rolled up or concertinaed when a jump proceeds without disturbance, and unfolded out of the container when a jump is disturbed.

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