GB2170382A

GB2170382A - Fish bite indicator

Info

Publication number: GB2170382A
Application number: GB08602361A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Charles Skilton; William D Martindale
Original assignee: D P B Ltd
Current assignee: D P B Ltd
Priority date: 1985-02-01
Filing date: 1986-01-31
Publication date: 1986-08-06
Also published as: GB8602361D0; GB2170382B

Abstract

A bite indicator for a fishing line of a fishing rod includes a device for detecting true movement and for transmitting a sequence of signals conditioned to represent such line movement to a display unit to provide a visual read-out indicative of the extent of line movement detected by the movement detection device.

Description

SPECIFICATION Fish bite indicator This invention relates to bite indicators for use by anglers. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention concerns bite indicators for use by anglers when ledger fishing which provide a visual display of line travel following a bait being taken by a fish.

Bite indicators are useful in rod and line fishing to alert an angler to the fact that a bait has been taken by a fish so that the strike can be timed correctly. A number of species of fish are known to carry a bait for some distance before devouring the same. For such species, an early strike merely removes the bait from the fish. Thus, a knowledge of the distance travelled by a fish can be of importance to an angler in timing his strike.

Previous bite indicators have included ones which include visual and audible prompts to provide an indication of line movement. Thus, such an indicator may include one or more lights and/or audible alarms whose operation increases in frequency in accordance with increasing rates of line movement.

Such indicators suffer from the disadvantage that prompts given are merely indicative of instantaneous line movement and that, once a given rate of movement:has been achieved, the visual and/or audible alarm becomes continuous in nature so negating its ability to provide a true indication of the speed of travel of the line. In addition, these indicators do not inform the angler of the amount of line movement which has occurred following a bait being taken; neither can they provide a summation of line movements occurring over a period of time.

The present invention sets out to provide a bite indicatorwhich overcomes or alleviates the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention, there is provided a bite indicator for a fishing line of a fishing rod including means for detecting line movement and for transmitting a sequence of signals conditioned to represent such line movement to a display unit to provide a visual readout indicative of the extent of the line movement detected by the detecting means.

The visual display may take the form of an LED numeric display unit connected to receive signals conditioned to represent predetermined lengths of line movement. Means may be provided selectively to re-set the display unit to "zero" orto sum line movements spaced in time. Signals representative of line movement may also be transmitted to a transducer operable to provide an audible output indicative of line movement.

The means of detecting line movement may comprise a rotatable member positioned in contact with and driven by the line.

The rotatable member may comprise a wheel, globe or disc mounted freely for rotation within bearing assemblies. The contacting surface of the rotatable member may comprise or be coated with a friction enhancing material. Alternatively, the member may be formed with a recess or groove capable of receiving the line. The rotatable member may be formed with at least one aperture which, on rotation of the rotatable member, periodically places a light emissive diode in communication with signal transmitting means. Where several apertures are formed in the rotatable member, they may be equi-spaced.

The bite indicator may take the form of a single assembly which includes the aforesaid line detection, signal transmitting, signal conditioning means and visual display unit and which is adapted to be mounted on a bank stick or the like.

Alternatively, the bite indicator may comprise separable assemblies comprising a first housing which includes the aforesaid line detection and signal transmitting means and which is adapted to be supported on a bank stick or the like or on the fishing rod itself; and a second housing which can selectively be connected to receive from the signal transmitting means the sequence of signals representative of line movement generated within the first housing and includes the aforementioned signal conditioning means and visual display unit.

The second housing may be adapted to receive signals from a plurality of signal transmitting housings; in this arrangement where signals are received simultaneously from two or more signal transmitting housings means may be provided for automatically selecting which of the signal sequences is to be conditioned for display. In arrangements in which the line detection and/or signal transmitting means are mounted on the fishing rod, the signal transmitting and receiving means may communicate by means of infra red or radio waves.

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of a bite indicator in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the bite indicator in Figure 1; and Figure 3 and 4 are block diagrams illustrating electrical circuits for use with the bite indicator shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a bank stick 1 which supports a housing 2 carrying a "V" shaped support plate 3 for receiving and supporting a fishing rod 4 in an inclined or generally horizontal position in a direction generally transverse to a river bank. The reel is to the right in Figure 1 and the rod tip to the left. The housing 2 is supported on the bank stick 1 by any conventional means.

The line of the rod is indicated by reference numeral 5 and is taken along the rod through a series of rings in a conventional manner.

The bite indicator is housed within the housing 2 and includes a grooved wheel 6 mounted on a spindle 7 freely rotatable within a suitable bearing assembly. The wheel 6 is positioned so that when the rod 4 is supported by the plate 3, the line 5 lies within the peripheral groove formed within the rim of the wheel 6. Thus, movements of the line caused for example by a fish taking a bait, are translated into rotational movements of the wheel. The surface of the wheel may be roughened; alternatively or additionally, the wheel rim surface may consist of or be coated with a friction enhancing material.

Rotational members other than that illustrated may be employed.

The wheel 6 is formed with an aperture 8 and rotates between a light emissive diode 9 and an electrical transistor 10. The components 9, 10 are connected into an electric circuit conditioned to transmit electrical pulses at a frequency dictated by the frequency at which the components are placed in communication with one another by the aperture 8.

The housing 2 includes a numeric LED display 12 encompassed by an annular array often light emitting diodes 13 connected to a counter device.

The display 12 and diodes 13 are activated by electrical pulses received from the transistor 10 in the manner described below with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings. A re-set button 14 is provided on the housing for selectively setting the display 12 to zero. For use on occasions where the housing 2 is inaccessible to the angler a socket 15 is positioned in one face of the housing 2 to receive the plug end of an electrical wire or cable of a remote display-reset unit.

An additional electrical socket 16 is positioned adjacent the socket 15 to enable the housing 2 to be connected electrically to a remote bite indicator.

This particular arrangement is described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Turning now to the block diagram illustrated in Figure 3, the signal generating components 9, 10 form the essential features of a pulse transmitter 20; the transmitter 20 includes a conventional buffer amplifier. The transmitter 20 transmits a sequence of electrical pulses corresponding to the extent of rotational movement of the wheel 6 caused by linear movement of the fishing line 4. A pulse divider network 21 receives and conditions the pulse sequences transmitted by the transmitter 20 such that each output pulse from the network 21 is representative of a predetermined length of line movement; thus, each output pulse from the network 21 equates, for example, to 10 mm of line movement.The train of pulses leaving the network 21 is transmitted to and decoded within decade counter decoders 22,23, 24. Decoder 22 is connected to transmit an electrical pulse to the annular array of light emissive diodes 13 on each occasion that a pulse is received from the network 21. The diodes 13 are lit sequentially by the signals received from the decoder 22 and each light effectively forms one unit count of the counter.

Thus, the array 13 provides a realistic and striking indication of line movement and acceleration.

Decade decoders 23, 24 are operable to advance the units displayed in the right and left hand windows of the display 12 following receipt of, for example, 10 and 100 pulses respectively from the network 21.

Thus, the LED display 12 provides an accurate reading of the length of line taken from a reel at any given time. It is to be understood that the LED display may include any desired number of windows and that the read-out need not necessarily be in numeric form.

The decoders 22, 23, 24, and the LED display 12 may selectively be returned to zero at any given time by means of the re-set button 14. Thus, the LED unit 12 may alternatively provide a display of instantaneous line movement or of the sum of a series of such movements over a period of time.

In a preferred arrangement, a time switch is provided whereby the LED display automatically switches off if the transmitter 20 is dormant for a predetermined time interval to conserve battery power. In this arrangement, the LED display is immediately reactivated to its previous reading upon pulses being transmitted.

Output pulses from the pulse divider network 21 are also transmitted to a one-shot-pulse-generator 25 which operates to activate an oscillator 26 for a predetermined time interval not dependent upon the duration of the pulse train received from the network 21. The oscillator output is in turn connected via a buffer amplifier 27 to an audio transducer 28 to provide an audible alarm of line movement. The oscillator 26 is also connected to receive control signals from an oscillator-frequency controller 29 which uses pulses from the counter decoders 22-24 to vary the frequency of the oscillator output.In this way the frequency of the "bleep" emitted by the transducer 28 is varied as a consequence of the number and/or frequency of pulses received by the controller 29 to give a variation in audible output (e.g. tone) indicative of the extent and/or rate of line movement. Pulses to operate the transducers 28 need not necessarily be received from the network 21. Thus, the generator 25 and controller 29 may be connected to receive signals from decoder 22.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, like integers to those described above have been given the same reference numerals. Figure 4 illustrates features of a bite indicator capable of receiving signals transmitted from one or more transmitters 20 remote from the indicator. As shown, the indicator is capable of receiving signals from three remote transmitters 20.

Each transmitter is mounted on a bank stick and essentially comprises the following features of Figures 1 and 2; a housing 2; a wheel 6; components 9, 10; and socket 16. Additionally, such a transmitter may consist of the entire assembly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, it being connected to the indicator illustrated in Figure 4 by means of a suitable cable through socket 16. One advantage of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4 is that an angler does not necessarily have to be in the immediate vicinity of hits rod in orderto be alerted to a fish taking a bait. Also, the arrangement enables an angler to fish using several rods located at various locations along a river bank.

As shown in Figure 4, the individual transmitters are connected via cables to a pulse precedence switch 30 which operates to direct the first train of signals received exclusively to the divider network 21. An LED light 31 assigned one to each transmitter 20 is operated by the incoming pulses to indicateto the angler which line to strike. The pulses are transmitted via an output 32. Subsequent pulses received from another transmitter 20 are prevented from reaching the network 21 by the switch 30. Such pulses do, however, activate the respective LED light 31 to indicate to the angler that bait on one or more additional rods has been taken. Signals passed through the switch 30 are transmitted to the divider network 21 by the transmitter 33.

Signals received from the transmitter 20 given precedence by the switch 30 will continue to be passed on a continous or periodic basis until operation of the pre-set button 14. Following operation of the pre-set button, precedence will be given to the first pulse sequence received by the switch after operation of the button 14.

In an alternative arrangement, means are provided selectively to operate the switch 30 to enable the angler to select which of several pulse sequences received is to be conditioned and displayed by the display unit 12. In this arrangement, additional means may be provided for summing the pulses received from each transmitter 20.

In an unillustrated embodiment, the wheel 6 is of solid construction .and carries an array of switching devices which sequentially activate a transistor connected to supply a train of pulses to the network 21. Furthermore, the wheel 6 may include a series of equi-spaced apertures.

In a further unillustrated embodiment, the means for detecting line movement and for transmitting signals representative of such movement are located within a housing mounted on the fishing rod itself, the signal receiving, signal conditioning and visual display unit being housed within one or more separate housings physically detached from the rod mounted housing. In this embodiment, the signal transmitting and signal receiving means may communicate one with the other through infra red or radio waves.

Furthermore, a device other than those described may be employed to detect and measure line movement. In one arrangement, a device comprising an endless belt which tracks about two spaced rollers is employed, the line making contact with one horizontal face of the belt. Alternatively, star-shaped rotational devices may be employed. In a still further alternative arrangement, devices which make no or only limited contact with a fishing line may be employed. Thus, a device which optically or electronically reads spaced markers of a fishing line may be employed.

Claims

1. A bite indicator for a fishing line of a fishing rod including means for detecting line movement and for transmitting a sequence of signals conditioned to represent such line movement to a display unit to provide a visual read-out indicative of the extent of the line movement detected by the detecting means.

2. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 1 which is an LED numeric display unit connected to receive signals conditioned to represent predetermined lengths of line movement.

3. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 further including means operable selectively to reset the display unit to "zero" orto sum line movements spaced in time.

4. A bite indicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein signals representative of line movement are also transmitted to a transducer operable to provide an audible output indicative of line movement.

5. A bite indicator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the means for detecting line movement comprises a rotatable member positioned in contact with and driven by the line.

6. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 5 wherein the rotatable member comprises a wheel, globe or disc mounted freely for rotation within bearing assemblies.

7. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the contacting surface of the rotatable member comprises or is coated with a friction enhancing material.

8. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the rotatable member is formed with a recess or groove capable of receiving the line.

9. A bite indicator as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein the rotatable member is formed with at least one aperture which, on rotation of the rotatable member, periodically places a light emissive diode in communication with signal transmitting means.

10. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 9 wherein a plurality of zequi-spaced apertures are formed within the rotatable member.

11. A bite indicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 comprising a single assembly which houses the line detection, signal transmitting, signal conditioning means and visual display unit and which is adapted to be mounted on a bank stick or the like.

12. A bite indicator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 comprising a first housing which houses the line detection and signal transmitting means, and a second housing separate from the first housing which is connected to receive sequences of signals representative of line movement generated within the first housing and which houses signal receiving and conditioning means and the visual display unit.

13. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 12 wherein the second housing is adapted to receive signals generated within a plurality of first housings.

14. A bite indicator as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second housing further includes means for automatically selecting which if the signal sequences received from the several first housing is to be conditioned for display.

15. A bite indicator for a fishing line of a fishing rod substantially as herein described and as described with reference to Figures 1,2 and 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.