HARNESSES

Abstract

 Apparatus for carrying equipment on a harness is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a connecting component (10), typically U-shaped, of resilient elastomeric material to which equipment to be carried can be connected and mounting arrangements. The mounting arrangements include a ferrule (20) and a bolt whereby the connecting component can be releasably connected to a substrate of a harness. The mounting arrangement is configured to permit rotation between the connecting component (10) and a substrate about an axis of the bolt. The connecting component can rotate with respect to the mounting arrangement Embodiments of the invention are suitable for use with a harness that includes a flexible semi-load-bearing substrate through which multiple mounting holes are formed

Description

[0001] This invention relates to harnesses. Particularly, but not exclusively, it relates to harnesses used by people working at height and climbers for work support, positioning and fall-arrest

[0002] Climbers and people working at height are often required to with carry a large amount of equipment, such as carabiners, ropes, slings, pulleys, saws and tools. Normally, such equipment is carried on a worker's harness during work at height The harness structure includes load-bearing retention points for suspension of equipment, traditionally being formed from sewn-in gear textile loops, metal or polymer hooks, or small carabiners. These traditional arrangements are fixed to the harness so are relatively inflexible in use, which can result in some parts of the harness becoming cluttered and items of equipment becoming entangled.

[0003] One form of harness incorporates a waist band that has a structural assembly that is constructed as a combination of elongate primary load bearing elements (typically formed from textile webbing) and a semi-loadbearing flexible substrate sheet. The primary load bearing elements and the substrate sheet are interwoven to create a composite construction that is load bearing, flexible and supportive to the user. The waist band also includes various hardware components to which other components of the harness are connected and padding to provide a comfortable interface between the structural assembly and a user's waist/back. This form of construction can be seen in, for example, EP-A-3 138 608. Multiple holes are formed through the substrate, the holes being arranged in a line or a 2-dimensional square grid. These holes can be used to mount a range of accessories such as swivel mounts, and brackets to which items of equipment can be secured. Typically, items of up to 10kg in weight can be carried, but this carrying arrangement does not contribute (or offers a secondary contribution) to supporting or positioning of the user of a harness.

[0004] An aim of this invention is to provide a system whereby items of equipment can be carried on a harness in a versatile manner that a user can configure to their individual needs.

[0005] To this end, from a first aspect, this invention provides apparatus for carrying equipment on a harness comprising a connecting component to which equipment to be carried can be connected and mounting arrangements whereby the connecting component can be releasably connected to a substrate of a harness, wherein the connecting component is formed from resilient elastomeric material, and the mounting arrangement includes rigid threaded fasteners, and is configured to permit rotation between the connecting component and a substrate about an axis of the fastener.

[0006] The resilient material of the mounting arrangement minimises the risk that it can be sufficiently flexible to allow the loop to flex out of the way of passing objects and not create a rigid fixing to the harness. The permitted rotation ensures that distortion of the mounting arrangement does not cause torsion loads to be applied to the substrate.

[0007] To achieve rotation, the connecting component may freely rotate with respect to the mounting arrangement. For example, the mounting arrangement may include a ferrule and a bolt, which bolt can clamp the ferrule to a substrate, and wherein the connecting component can rotate with respect to the ferrule.

[0008] Alternatively or additionally, the connecting component may be able to rotate with respect to a substrate to which it is connected. For example, the mounting arrangement may include fastener components that are in threaded interengagement, which fastener components have engagement surfaces surrounding an axis of the thread, and in which the engagement surfaces are spaced apart by a distance greater than the thickness of a substrate when the fastener components are fully tightened. In this arrangement, the fastener components are not clamped to the substrate. There may be a spacer between the fastener components, disposed such that the size of the spacer can be selected to provide a specific spacing between the engagement surfaces.

[0009] In embodiments of the invention, the connecting component may be shaped as an open curve, having a mounting arrangement close to each end of the curve. Thus, the connecting component forms a completed loop with the substrate. For example, the connecting component may be U-shaped. The connecting component may alternatively or additionally include one or more apertures.

[0010] From a second aspect, the invention provides a harness that includes a flexible semi-load-bearing substrate through which multiple mounting holes are formed, the harness having one or more pieces of apparatus embodying the first aspect of the invention having its mounting arrangement secured to the mounting holes of the harness.

[0011] From a third aspect, the invention provides a storage installation for articles comprising one or more pieces of apparatus embodying the first aspect of the invention having one or more mounting arrangement secured to a solid body.

[0012] It will be understood that references in the description of the first aspect of the invention and to the associated claims, refer to the substrate of the harness upon which the apparatus is mounted.

[0013] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an equipment carrier, being an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows the equipment carrier of Figure 1 mounted on an outer surface of a substrate;

Figure 3 shows the inner surface of the substrate of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the equipment carrier of Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a mounting boss and ferrule of the equipment carrier of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross-section of a mounting boss and ferrule of the equipment carrier of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a detailed cross-section of an alternative boss and mounting fastener for securing the equipment carrier in Figures 2 and 3;

Figures 8 and 9 show components of the fastener of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a cross-section through an alternative arrangement of the fasteners of Figures 8 and 9;

Figure 11 shows a substrate component of a harness upon which the equipment carrier of Figure 1 is mounted;

Figure 12 shows an equipment carrier that is an embodiment of the invention and is smaller than the example of Figures 1 to 10;

Figure 13 shows a partially-assembled harness having a substrate on which the equipment carrier of Figure 1 and other components are mounted;

Figure 14 shows a solid support upon which the equipment carrier of Figure 1 is mounted; and

Figure 15 shows an equipment carrier, being an alternative embodiment of the invention.

[0014] With reference to Figure 1, an equipment carrier 10 embodying the invention comprises a U-shaped elastomeric polymer loop 12. The loop has mounting arrangements that include bosses 14 at opposite ends. Each mounting boss 14 has a through-hole 16, the axes of the through-holes 16 being parallel and offset at an angle to the length of the loop 12 that interconnects the bosses 14. A radial step 18 is formed in the peripheral wall of the through hole 16. An annular recess 17 in the boss 14 surrounds an outer end of the through hole 16.

[0015] A metal ferrule 20 is retained in each of the through-holes 16. The ferrule 20 is rotationally symmetrical about an axis that is, when the ferrule is installed, coaxial with the axis of the corresponding through-hole 16. An internally-threaded bore 22 extends axially through the ferrule 20. An annular flange 24 projects radially at one axial end of the ferrule 16. An end surface remote from the flange 24 serves as a contact surface 26 and is formed with a multiplicity of radially extending serrations 28. The ferrule has an outer cylindrical wall which has a tapered end portion 30 axially opposite the flange 24 that ends in a radial step 32 that faces towards the flange 24.

[0016] The ferrule 20 is installed by passing the tapered end portion 30 into the through hole 16 from the outer end. The material of the loop 12 deflects, allowing the diameter of the through hole 16 to increase to allow the ferrule 20 to pass. When the ferrule 20 is completely installed, the flange 24 is received within the recess 17 and the radial step 32 of the ferrule bears against the radial step 18 in the through-hole 16, which resists removal of the ferrule 20 from the mounting boss 14. The sizes of the through holes 16 and the outer diameter of the ferrule 20 are chosen to allow the ferrule 20 to rotate within the mounting boss 14 about the axis of the ferrule.

[0017] The equipment carrier 10 is intended to be mounted upon a semi-load-bearing substrate 40 that is a component of a harness. For example, the substrate 40 may be a flexible sheet formed, for example, as a PVC/Polyester laminate. Multiple mounting holes 42 are formed through the sheet. In this example, the mounting holes are 5mm in diameter and have centres spaced apart by 15mm. The substrate 40 is semi-load-bearing in that contributes significantly to maintaining the correct disposition of harness components, but is typically not a component that is responsible (or is at least only partially responsible) for transmission of the weight of a user of the harness to an anchor such as a climbing rope.

[0018] The equipment carrier 10 is installed using two bolts 44. A threaded shank of each bolt 44 is passed through a respective one of the mounting holes 44 and tightened into the bore 22 of one of the mounting bosses 14, a head of the bolt 44 bearing against an inner surface of the substrate 40. Tension in the bolt 44 pulls the contact surfaces 26 of the ferrules 20 into contact with an outer surface of the substrate 40. The serrations 28 on the contact surfaces resist rotation of the ferrule with respect to the substrate 40. The offset angle of the loop with respect to the axes of the through-holes 16 causes the loop 12 to stand clear of the substrate, rather than lying against it. This provides a loop on the harness upon which items of equipment can be easily connected and carried.

[0019] The material from which the loop 12 is formed is selected to be sufficiently flexible to allow the loop to flex out of the way of passing objects and not create a rigid fixing to the harness, but not so flexible that it cannot support its own shape or resist deforming under low loads. For example, the loop is intended to support loads of up to 5kg but will have a breaking strength of approximately 100kg.

[0020] If a transverse load is applied to the loop 12, elastomeric distortion of its material may cause a turning moment to be applied to the mounting bosses 14. As noted above, the ferrules 20 can rotate within the bosses 14 which prevents the turning moment being transmitted to the substrate 40.

[0021] An alternative arrangement of an equipment carrier is shown in Figure 7. In this embodiment, the loop 12 is the same as the first embodiment As with the first embodiment, a ferrule 120 is retained in each of the bosses 14.

[0022] Outwardly, the ferrule 120 is substantially the same shape and size as that of the first embodiment. A blind drive bore 123 extends axially into the ferrule through the flange 124. The drive bore 123 has a section shaped and dimensioned to engage with a drive tool to allow the ferrule 120 to be held in place while a bolt is being tightened into it (see below). In this embodiment, the drive bore 123 has a hexagonal cross-section to engage with a hex key. A blind, internally-threaded bore 122 extends axially into the ferrule 120 towards the drive bore 123 through a contact surface 126.

[0023] The equipment carrier 10 is installed using two bolts 144. A threaded shank 146 of each bolt 144 is passed through a respective one of the mounting holes 44 and tightened into the threaded bore of the ferrule 120. The shank of each bolt 144 has a flat end surface 150 (shown hatched in Figure 8) which comes into contact with a floor (shown hatched in Figure 9) of the threaded bore 122, which determines the spacing between a head 148 of the bolt and the contact surface 126 of the ferrule 120 when the bolt 144 is fully tightened in the ferrule 120. A drive socket 152 is formed in the bolt 144, opening at the head 148, which can be engaged by a tool to rotate the bolt 144 about its axis.

[0024] The spacing between the head 148 of the bolt 144 and the contact surface 126 is specified as being a small amount greater than the thickness of the substrate 40. This allows the bolt 144 and ferrule 120 to rotate together in the mounting hole 42 with respect to the substrate 40, without transmitting any torque to the substrate 40.

[0025] It will be understood that the spacing between the head 148 of the bolt 144 and the contact surface 126 is determined by the exact dimensions of the bolt 144 and the ferrule 120. Therefore, particular examples of the bolt 144 and the ferrule 120 are specific to a particular substrate material. In the embodiment of Figure 10, the bolt 164 has a comparatively shorter shank 166 that does not reach to the floor of the threaded bore 122. A spacer 168 is inserted into the bore 122 before the bolt 164 is screwed into the ferrule 120. The size of the spacer is selected to provide the correct spacing when the shank 166 is tightened onto it. This allows one size of bolt 164 and ferrule 120 to be used on a range of thickness of substrate by selection of a suitably sized spacer 168.

[0026] The elasticity of the loop 12 provides flexibility if use of the equipment carrier 10, since it can be flexed to align its ferrules with the mounting holes 42 in the substrate 40. For example, in the arrangement shown in Figure 11, the equipment carrier 10 is mounted between two holes that are spaced apart at a distance that is not exactly an integral multiple of the hole spacing, but there is sufficient flexibility in the loop 10 to accommodate this.

[0027] An equipment carrier embodying the invention can be made is a range of sizes, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. The example carrier 100 shown in Figure 12 has a smaller spacing between the bosses 114 and therefore occupies less space on a harness when compared with the embodiments of Figures 1 to 10. This can be seen from Figure 13.

[0028] Figure 13 shows a sub-assembly that can be used in the construction of a harness in a manner that will be understood by those skilled in the technical field. For example, this may be a harness of the type disclosed in EP-A-3 138 608, in the co-pending application of the present applicant PCT/GB2021/053256, or in many other alternative configurations of harness that incorporate a suitable substrate.

[0029] As shown in Figure 14, an equipment carrier embodying the invention 10 can be fastened by bolts 60 through the ferrules 20 onto substrate constituted by a fixed, solid body 62. Holes are formed in the solid body to receive the ferrules.

[0030] An arrangement of ferrules and fasteners as described above can be used to secure a variety of items onto a substrate. For example, Figure 15 shows an alternative configuration of a carrier (being a connecting component) that has a body formed as a plate through three apertures 216 are formed, the body extending between bosses 214. Each aperture 216 forms an eye upon which items can be connected for carrying. Similar embodiments may include a smaller number of apertures (one or two) or a greater number (four or more).

[0031] Further embodiments may include a combination of the features disclosed above. For example, including a plate having one or more apertures and one or more loops disposed between or otherwise connected to the mounting arrangements. The above embodiments show a body extending between connection arrangements; in alternatives, part or parts of the body may extend beyond one or more of the connection arrangements.

[0032] Removal of an equipment carrier embodying the invention from a harness is achieved by a straightforward reversal of the installation process. This allows worn or damaged carriers to be replaced or for the number, size and position of a carriers on a harness to be reconfigured as required.

Claims

1. Apparatus for carrying equipment on a harness comprising a connecting component (10) to which equipment to be carried can be connected and mounting arrangements whereby the connecting component can be releasably connected to a substrate (40) of a harness, wherein the connecting component (10) is formed from resilient elastomeric material, and characterised in that the mounting arrangement includes rigid threaded fasteners (20, 44) and is configured to permit rotation between the connecting component and a substrate upon which it is mounted about an axis of the fastener.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the connecting component (10) can rotate with respect to the mounting arrangement.

3. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the mounting arrangement includes a ferrule (20) and a bolt (44), which bolt can clamp the ferrule to a substrate (40), and wherein the connecting component (10) can rotate with respect to the ferrule (20).

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the connecting component (10) can rotate with respect to a substrate (40) to which it is connected.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the mounting arrangement that includes fastener components (1240,144) that are in threaded interengagement, which fastener components have engagement surfaces (126, 148) surrounding an axis of the thread, and in which the engagement surfaces are spaced apart by a distance greater than the thickness of a substrate (40) when the fastener components are fully tightened.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 which further includes a spacer (168) between the fastener components (1240,144), the spacer being disposed such that a dimension of the spacer can be selected to provide a specific spacing between the engagement surfaces.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the connecting component (10) is shaped as an open curve, having a mounting arrangement close to each end of the curve.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the connecting component (10) is U-shaped.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim in which the connecting component includes one or more apertures.

10. A harness that includes a flexible semi-load-bearing substrate (40) through which multiple mounting holes are formed, the harness having one or more pieces of apparatus according to any preceding claim having its mounting arrangement secured to the mounting holes of the harness.

11. A harness according to claim 10 that includes multiple pieces of apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, which pieces of apparatus are of various different sizes, shapes or configurations.

12. A storage installation for articles comprising one or more pieces of apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 having one or more mounting arrangement secured to a solid body.

Drawing