WO2013050695A1

WO2013050695A1 - Device for assisting archery

Info

Publication number: WO2013050695A1
Application number: PCT/FR2012/052228
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dominique LAVISSE
Original assignee: Universite De Lorraine
Priority date: 2011-10-04
Filing date: 2012-10-02
Publication date: 2013-04-11
Also published as: FR2980841B1; FR2980841A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for assisting archery comprising a gripping means capable of holding a bow (3) in a fixed position relative to a frame characterised in that it further comprises a means for vertical translation and a means for horizontal translation of the bow (3) in such a way as to allow the aim to be adjusted. The invention also concerns the use of a device according to the invention to enable people with motor disabilities to practise archery independently.

Description

Archery assistance device

The present invention relates to an assistance device for archery.

More particularly, it relates to an assistance device for archery, allowing people with motor disabilities to exercise this discipline in autonomous conditions.

The discipline of archery has been very old used for its therapeutic virtues in rehabilitation center. Today, the practice of archery is relatively common within the handisports clubs. There are competitions organized by the FFH (French Handisport Federation) based on special regulations, allowing some shooting aid equipment. These competitions mainly concern compound arcs, but also exist in recurve arch.

However, due to lack of technical means, this activity is unfortunately not accessible to people with motor disabilities who can not hold the bow with one hand, and stretch the rope with the other or using the mouth.

GB 237 5719 discloses a disabled archery device, with a laser for aiming assistance, a bow holder, and a triggering mechanism.

US 619 6210 discloses an archery device provided with a device for maintaining the tension of the tensioned bow, thereby preventing the archer from exerting an effort while waiting for the Timely moment to shoot.

US 515 6138 discloses an arcing device provided with a tensioning device, a tensioning device for tensioning the tensioned bow, and a firing triggering device.

Nevertheless, these devices have significant drawbacks, since they are content to reduce the efforts to be applied by the shooter, but provide no solution for a disabled motorist who can not hold the bow with his hands.

The present invention aims to overcome at least some of these disadvantages. For this purpose it proposes a device for assisting archery comprising a gripping means adapted to maintain an arc in a fixed position relative to a frame. The device is particular in that it further comprises a horizontal translation means, and a means of vertical translation of the arc so as to allow adjustment of the sight. This translation is performed on the handle of the arc.

Thanks to these provisions, a motor handicapped person can seize the rope of the bow, and stretch the bow by rolling back his wheelchair. Then the vertical and horizontal translation means can adjust the aim, as does a valid archer who to adjust the his, move his bow hand and not his rope hand. The disabled person does not have the possibility of making lateral or vertical movements with his hand, the device according to the invention performs sighting movements in the same conditions as the bow hand of the valid archer. As soon as the person considers that the aim is good, it releases the rope. According to other characteristics:

said device may comprise a casing fixed relative to said frame and said vertical translation means may be a vertical carriage movable in vertical translation relative to said casing, and said horizontal translation means may be a horizontal carriage movable in horizontal translation relative to said carriage vertical; these arrangements make it possible to obtain a robust, precise and reliable device,

said vertical translation means may comprise a screw fixed relative to said housing and a movable nut integral with said vertical carriage; this arrangement facilitates the control of the vertical translation,

said horizontal translation means may comprise a fixed screw relative to said vertical carriage and a movable nut integral with said horizontal carriage; this arrangement facilitates the control of the horizontal translation,

said vertical translation means may comprise a vertical guide column, to guarantee the proper operation of the vertical translation,

said horizontal translation means may comprise two parallel guide rails, to guarantee the proper operation of the horizontal translation,

said device may comprise a motor adapted to rotate said fixed screw, so that the disabled person can control the vertical and horizontal translation movements autonomously,

said device may comprise a release device provided with a fastening means for example a wheelchair, so as to allow the use of the device without the aid of an arm, thus giving access to the discipline to a quadriplegic person, myopath, cerebral palsy or all types of motor impairment,

said gripping means can be disposed offset from said frame, so as to provide sufficient space for a wheelchair archer near the bow,

- Said gripping means may comprise a sleeve fixed on said shaft by means of a ball joint, thus allowing a choice of position of the arc freely.

The present invention also relates to an archery assistance kit comprising a device according to the invention, and a cord configured to be fixed directly or indirectly to said arc and to be placed on an arrow during a tension phase of the bow, so that the cord falls off the arrow when the end of the arrow reaches the desired position; such a cord is much more tolerant than a clicker of the state of the art.

The present invention also relates to an archery assistance kit comprising a device according to the invention, and an adaptation piece configured to fix a viewfinder support in the vertical position when the bow is in the firing position. Said vertical position of the viewfinder support makes it possible to lower the position of the viewfinder, which is then better adapted to the position of a seated person, for example in a wheelchair.

Finally, the present invention relates to the use of a device according to the invention by a disabled person with a motor vehicle equipped with a wheelchair, to practice archery. This use is particular in that the bow is fixed on the device, an arrow is notched on the rope of the bow and a trigger connected to the chair is fixed on the bow string, the disabled person drives back his wheelchair for stretching the arc, performs the translations vertically and horizontally by means of said device, either by a remote controlled actuator, or with the help of a third person performing said translations at his request and actuates the release.

The advantage of the present invention is to make accessible to people in wheelchairs archery discipline in conditions identical to those of valid persons.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention which follows and which refers to the appended figures in which:

Figures 1 and 2 show two perspective views of the device in a preferred embodiment according to the invention,

FIG. 3 represents a perspective view of the casing of the device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 represents a perspective view of the vertically movable carriage of the device of FIG.

FIG. 5 represents a perspective view of the horizontally movable carriage of the device of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 represents a sectional view of the control of a vertically movable carriage, of the device of FIG. 1,

The device makes it possible to fix a right-handed or left-handed bow indifferently. Simply place the system on the right (left-handed arc) or left (right-handed arc) of the table. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, a device 1 according to the invention is intended to be fixed on a support such as a table 10, and comprises a sleeve 2 adapted to support an arc 3. The sleeve 2 is offset relative to to the device 1 in the embodiment shown, so that the arc 3 is fixed next to the table 10, so that the person who wants to shoot can have proper access to the arc 3, even if it is in wheelchair.

The device 1 comprises a housing 4, a vertical carriage 15 movable in vertical translation relative to the housing 4, and a horizontal carriage 19 movable in horizontal translation relative to the vertical carriage 15. The housing 4 is composed of a base plate 5 , two side plates 6, and a front plate 7.

The recesses 8 on the side plates 6 are present to lose the mass of the device 1 while maintaining an acceptable rigidity. Two openings 9 on the front plate 7 make it possible to embed aluminum profiles to accommodate clamps January 1 and thus be able to fix the assembly to said table 10.

A vertical opening 12 is disposed in the front plate 7, and allows to pass a shaft 13, having said sleeve 2 on which we position the arc 3 allowing users to shoot the arc.

The plates of the housing 4 will for example be welded, and made of a weldable aluminum. The thickness of the base plate 5 and the front plate 7 is for example 12 mm. The side plates 6 may have a thickness of 8 mm. Indeed, the side plates 6 are present only for the purpose of strengthening, to stiffen the assembly.

Two vertical guides 14 are arranged on the front plate 7. These vertical guides 14 allowing vertical guidance of a vertical carriage 15. The vertical guides 14 are fixed on the front plate 7 by means of pads 16. The surfaces 17 where the pads 16 are fixed are machined, so that the flatness of the vertical guides 14 is ensured.

The axes of the vertical guides 14 are therefore in a plane parallel to the machined surface 17 on the one hand, and parallel to each other on the other hand. This arrangement avoids bad guiding and complete blocking of the mechanism. During the assembly phase, it will be necessary to ensure that the axes of the vertical guides 14 are parallel to one another so as to avoid the jutting of the vertical carriage 15. Experience shows that a lack of coaxiality of the vertical guides 14 of 2/10 mm, is acceptable.

The vertical carriage 15 according to the embodiment shown is guided by three self-lubricated smooth bearings 18, two bearings 18 on a vertical guide 14, and the third bearing 18 on the other vertical guide 14. Said vertical carriage comprises guide rails 20 of the horizontal carriage 19, as well as a screw 21. This screw 21 is for example trapezoidal thread, which gives it good mechanical strength. The screw 21 is guided relative to the vertical carriage 15 by means of a bearing 22 arranged in a support 23. It is also disposed in a nut 24 integral with the horizontal carriage 19, which nut 24 is housed in an aluminum block 25.

A vertical screw 21 is likewise arranged between the casing 4 and the vertical carriage 15 to control the vertical movement of the vertical carriage 15.

The horizontal carriage 19 comprises pads 26, adapted to slide along the guide rails 20, as well as two flanges 29 able to firmly hold the support shaft 13 of the sleeve 2. The sleeve 2 is fixed on a not shown ball joint. -even adapted on the shaft 13, which allows to obtain all the desired degrees of freedom for the position of the arc 3 relative to the device 1.

The width of the vertical carriage 15 is that of the spacing between the vertical guides 14, to which a little material is added on each side so as to accommodate the bearings 18. The length of the carriage as for it depends on the horizontal run of the horizontal carriage 19 which must be satisfied. In the example shown, 70 mm of stroke is provided. To this must be added the length of the horizontal carriage 19 which will translate horizontally. This length must be consistent, as indicated below, because this is what will partially allow to compensate for the torque generated by the traction of the archer.

The role of the recesses 27 is simple: reduce the mass of the whole.

To ensure proper operation of the horizontal translation the flatness of the surface on which are positioned the guide rails 20 is particularly neat.

The central opening 28 of the vertical carriage 15 allows to pass the flanges 29 which will maintain the support shaft 13 because to increase the space saving the shaft 13 is disposed below the horizontal carriage 19 and the trapezoidal screw 21 of motion transmission will be positioned above the horizontal carriage 19.

The device 1 can be motorized by several motors and / or belts (not shown). Oblong holes 30 disposed on one side of the vertical carriage 15 are present to allow adjustment of the positioning of the motor according to the spacing of the belts and to tension the belts. In non-motorized versions, two cranks 32 are provided for actuating screws 21. Another version with a battery power supply can replace a die motor and make the device usable outside (without power supply). According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the entire structure of the housing 4 on the one hand and each of the two carriages on the other hand can be welded.

Holes have been drilled and chamfered in the guide rails 20 in order to fix them on the vertical carriage 15.

For the guide rails 20, a very inexpensive turnkey solution can be used: the "dry linen" solution. The important constraint to be respected is the distance between the two rails which must be at least of the order of two times greater than that of the race for a force exerted at the end. We therefore dimension the carriage accordingly.

The nut 24 is positioned in a machined block 25 whose surface must be perfectly flat, because the coaxiality between the nut 24 and the screw 21 must be perfect otherwise the nut 24 is skewed and it makes the translation impossible.

Pulleys 33 are held by clamping rings 31 between the axes of the motors or screws 21. The belts run around these pulleys 33.

The oblong adjustment holes 30 are dimensioned as a function of the length of the belts so that the belts can be tensioned when the motors are fixed.

A locking system is provided for the bearing 22 so that it can not translate into its housing.

The device is the same for the vertical translation screw 21 as for the horizontal translation screw 21.

The screw 21 is reinforced by a guide block 34 visible in FIG. 6. This figure represents a vertical translation screw, but the design of the horizontal translation screw is similar.

The diameter of the screw 21 is 5 mm or preferably more.

The axis of the motor and the axis of the screw 21 must be in the same plane. It is therefore necessary to ensure the flatness of the motor support plate.

The entire device 1 is covered, in order to protect it from environmental dust. The device 1 is thus protected and the assembly becomes almost hermetic.

The hood is fixed on the casing 4. It can be provided rounding on the hood, to avoid injury in contact with the device 1. The hood is preferably made of a polymer.

An opening is provided in the cover to allow the shaft 13 to translate vertically and a hole is provided to be able to connect the crank 32 to the vertical translation screw 21 on top. The use of the device 1 is as follows: the arc 3 is fixed to the sleeve 2 of the device 1. The person in a wheelchair is positioned near the bow 3, next to the device 1, and grasps the string of the bow 3 with his valid hand, with the arrow slotted on the rope. When the defective person stretches the rope with his hand (s), he blocks his chair at a distance comparable to his reach. It is then enough for the person to let go of the rope to make the arrow go away. By rolling back the wheelchair, the bow 3 is stretched, and it is sufficient for the person to release the rope so that the arrow goes away. She then asks another person to perform the appropriate horizontal and vertical translation movements until she considers that the aim is correct. He then has to free the rope. If the device 1 is motorized, the person can itself control the movements of vertical and horizontal translation, for example by a remote control. For this purpose it is possible to have commands in the form of joysticks, fixed or not on the wheelchair, as well as a radio or infrared transmitter, and a corresponding receiver on the device 1, for receiving the signals, and transmitting the command for that the motors make the movements requested. The connection can of course also be made by cables.

To allow persons who do not have the use of their hands to also practice archery, the device may further comprise a means for gripping the boom and the rope, as well as a not shown unmanned on the drawings. Thus, the arc 3 is fixed to the device 1. The arrow is notched on the rope which is attached to the gripping means secured to the wheelchair. The person moves back his chair which tends the bow. It then performs the appropriate movements of vertical and horizontal translation until the aim seems right. It then triggers the thrower, and thus made a shot.

The bow can receive a clicker rope 5 to 30 cm away from the bow handle to allow the archer to always stretch the rope with the same length. Such a clicker can also be replaced by a cord slightly offset and perpendicular to the arrow, for example 15 to 20 cm long, placed on the arrow. The cord falls when the bow is stretched to the desired length and the tip of the arrow passes at the cord; it allows much greater tolerance than a clicker, making exercise more affordable for a disabled shooter. The rope can be attached to a sight or stabilizer, fixed on the bow.

A suitable sighting system placed on the bow or the bow device increases the accuracy of the shot. The viewfinder, usually fixed on a horizontal support deporting it forward for the arches of the state of the art, can be arranged on a vertical support deporting it upwards, for greater ease of use by a shooter disabled. A viewfinder and a standard stand can be used, the stand being rotated upward, and attached to the bow by means of an adaptation piece. Such a position offset upward is more suitable for a sitting shooter using the device according to the invention.

The arch attachment (ball and rubber surrounding the axis) allows the arrow to leave in the same conditions as that of a valid archer. The bow is balanced and tilts forward. The attachment with an elastic on the sleeve allows to place or remove it quickly

It should be noted that the invention has a considerable advantage since it makes it possible to broadcast the device 1 to persons with reduced mobility as part of the improvement of access to a recognized sport, in order ultimately to achieve trivialization of the device 1.

Although the invention has been described according to a particular embodiment, it is not limited thereto, and variations may be made thereto, as well as combinations of the variants described, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device (1) for assisting archery comprising a gripping means adapted to maintain an arc (3) in a fixed position relative to a chassis characterized in that it further comprises a means of vertical translation (15). ), and a means of horizontal translation (19) of the arc (3) so as to allow adjustment of the sight.

2. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, comprising a housing (4) fixed relative to said frame and said vertical translation means is a vertical carriage (15) movable in vertical translation relative to said housing (4), and said means horizontal translation is a horizontal carriage (19) movable in horizontal translation with respect to said vertical carriage (15).

3. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said vertical translation means comprises a screw (21) fixed relative to said housing (4) and a nut (24) movably secured to said vertical carriage (15).

4. Device (1) according to one of claims 2 or 3, wherein said horizontal translation means comprises a screw (21) fixed relative to said vertical carriage (15) and a nut (24) movable integral with said horizontal carriage ( 19).

5. Device (1) according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said vertical translation means comprises a vertical guide column (14), and / or said horizontal translation means comprises two parallel guide rails (20). .

6. Device (1) according to one of claims 2 to 5, comprising a motor adapted to rotate said screw (21).

7. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a release with a hooking means for example a wheelchair, so as to allow the use of the device (1) without the aid of an arm.

8. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said gripping means is disposed offset relative to said frame, so as to provide sufficient space for a wheelchair archer near the arc (3) .

9. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said gripping means comprises a sleeve (2) fixed on a shaft (13) via a ball joint.

0. Archery assistance kit comprising a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, and a cord configured to be fixed directly or indirectly to said arc (3) and to be placed on an arrow during a phase of tension of the arc, so that the cord falls from the arrow when the end of the arrow reaches the desired position.

1. An archery assistance kit comprising a device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, and an adaptation piece configured to fix a viewfinder support in a vertical position when the bow is in the position of shoot.

2. Use of a device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9 by a motorized handicapped person with a wheelchair, for practicing archery, characterized in that the bow (3) is fixed on the device (1), an arrow is notched on the rope of the bow (3) and a trigger connected to the chair is fixed on the bow string, the disabled person pushes back his wheelchair to stretch the arc (3) carries out the vertical and horizontal translations by means of said device (1), either by a motor driven remotely, or with the help of a third person carrying out said translations at his request and actuates the release aid.