Method and system for preventing pole vault fall injuries

Abstract

A method for preventing serious injuries to a person participating in a physical activity, such as pole-vaulting, which occurs at least partially over a hard surface. The method includes: detecting predetermined criteria indicative of a condition which requires deployment of the material into the deployed position; and moving a material from a retracted position to a deployed position upon detection of the predetermined criteria, wherein the material substantially does not impede the physical activity while in the retracted position and cushions the person from falling onto the hard surface while in the deployed position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates generally to safety and accident prevention, and more particularly, to methods and systems for preventing injuries associated with pole vault falls. [0003] 2. Prior Art [0004] As shown in FIG. 1, in the sport of pole-vaulting, a jumper 10 runs to pick up speed, plants a pole 12 in a vault box 14 located just before a bar 16, gets to as great a height as possible with the aid of the pole 12, and attempts to clear the bar 16 and land on the relatively soft mat 18 positioned passed the bar 16 and its supporting posts 20. Pole-vaulting is an inherently dangerous sport since the athlete may not clear the bar 16 and may land on hard surfaces 22 around the vault box 14 and the running path. Landing on these hard surfaces 22 is most dangerous if the athlete lands on his or her head. Landing on the shoulder or side is less dangerous, but may cause serious injuries since it may be from heights of...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] The basic method of this invention for preventing fall injuries in pole vault is based on deploying a safety soft landing material such as a net over the hard surface areas once the athlete has planted the pole in the vault box and is gaining height. The deployed safety soft landing material must obviously not interfere with the action of the pole while being handled by the athlete or with the athlete him or herself. In one embodiment of the present invention, the triggering mechanism that initiates the deployment of the safety soft landing material is located in the vault box and is activated by the pole. In another embodiment of the present invention, a sensor, for example an optical based sensor located near the bar posts senses an approaching athlete and triggers the deployment mechanism. In this and the previous embodiment, a delay is built into the deployment mechanism to allow enough time for the athlete to gain a certain height before deploying the safety soft landing means. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a vision system tracks the athlete, and triggers the deployment mechanism once the athlete has gained a certain height. The vision system may also be programmed to only deploy the safety soft landing material if the athlete is about to or may fall over the hard surface areas. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a trained observer who can foresee a fall over the hard surfaces would manually trigger the deployment of the safety soft landing material. In addition, other sensors may be positioned before and / or after the bar to check for the clearing of the hard surface area, and in case of failure to clear these areas to trigger the deployment of the safety soft landing material. The preferred triggering mechanism consists of more than one of the aforementioned triggering mechanisms in order to provide redundancy and minimize the possibility of malfunction or one of the triggering mechanisms missing a dangerous landing situation.

[0008] A similar safety soft landing material may be provided for deployment over the landing mats to prevent injuries during falls by the head. The preferred triggering mechanisms for deployment for such safety soft landing material are the aforementioned trained observer and / or the computer vision system.

[0009] Accordingly, an apparatus for preventing serious injuries to a person participating in a physical activity at least partially over a hard surface is provided. The apparatus comprising: a material being movable between deployed and retracted positions, wherein the material substantially does not impede the physical activity while in the retracted position and cushions the person from falling onto the hard surface while in the deployed position; detection means for detecting predetermined criteria indicative of a condition which requires deployment of the material into the deployed position; and deployment means for deploying the material over the hard surfaces upon detection of the predetermined criteria.

[0021] Still provided is a method for preventing serious injuries to a person participating in a physical activity at least partially over a hard surface. The method comprising: detecting predetermined criteria indicative of a condition which requires deployment of the material into the deployed position; and moving a material from a retracted position to a deployed position upon detection of the predetermined criteria, wherein the material substantially does not impede the physical activity while in the retracted position and cushions the person from falling onto the hard surface while in the deployed position.

Problems solved by technology

Preferably, the physical activity is pole-vaulting and the condition is a likelihood that the person will be injured by falling onto the hard surface.

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