The present invention relates to an emergency device .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various devices for actuating emergency devices are known . Such systems can be associated with industrial machinery, surveillance/rescue equipment or other applications .

The use of switches or push buttons is very common in industry for stopping machinery in the event of an accident or hazardous situation arising. Such switches are usually located on the machine itself, which hinders access to them if the user is left trapped by the incident . Moreover, in some cases actuation of said devices is not intuitive, which can be especially dangerous in case of emergency. Other types of devices consist in the installation of photoelectric cells or other types of sensors that detect the passing of personnel or the placing of some part of the body inside machine danger zones . This type of device nevertheless has the disadvantage that if the operative needs to make any adjustment in the vicinity of the danger zone of the machine then the machine stops automatically, following which the machine and even the entire work cycle often has to be reset .

Moreover, the installation of these devices can be difficult in some occasions depending on the type of machine which is being used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to

solve the disadvantages presented by the devices known in the art, by providing an emergency device comprising a portable element and means of attachment of the element to a user' s body, with said portable element including actuating means for transmitting a wireless signal from the element in order to activate an emergency system, characterised in that the actuating means comprise a part that , when pulled upon, causes transmission of the wireless signal . Thanks to these characteristics, a portable device is provided that allows an emergency system to be activated quickly and safely from any place . The device actuation movement is carried out more rapidly and instinctively than with any other actuation system. It has been verified that the movement necessary to pull on a piece is faster and more intuitive than the movement necessary to push a button or switch, and that the actuation is more secure .

If the device is situated in the chest zone of the user, it can be pulled upon with one or the other hand .

Whether or not an accident happens often depends on the time taken to actuate the emergency system, so that a delay of only fractions of a second may possibly be sufficient to make the accident unavoidable .

Due to all this, reducing the actuating time of an emergency device such as that described is of vital importance in situations in which its use might be required . Moreover, the device of the invention allows the user to carry out operations on a machine while it is running in cases of extreme necessity without the system actuating automatically, thereby avoiding the need to reset it . Advantageously, the part comprises a transmitter

attached to a terminal, said terminal being attached to the means of attachment , and said transmitter transmitting the wireless signal when the transmitter is pulled.

Also advantageously, the part comprises a pull piece attached to a transmitter, said transmitter being attached to the means of attachment, and said transmitter transmitting the signal when the pull piece is pulled.

According to an embodiment, the means of attachment of the element to the user' s body comprise a collar .

Preferably, the means of attachment of the element to the user' s body comprise a garment of the user .

Advantageously, the element is attached to the garment on the chest zone of the user . According to an embodiment of the invention, the garment comprises a strip for attaching the element to the garment .

According to another embodiment of the invention, the garment comprises a pocket inside which at least part of the element is housed.

Advantageously, the pocket includes means for closing it .

Also advantageously, the garment comprises a shirt or the like . The described embodiments are simple and its use is very comfortable for the user .

Also advantageously, the wireless signal is of the radiofrequency type .

Preferably, the device comprises a seal ( 10 ) which is broken when the part is pulled.

This seal avoids indiscriminate use of the device .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate the description of all that has been set out above, some drawings are attached that show, schematically and solely by way of non- restrictive example, a practical case of embodiment of the in invention, in which :

Figures 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the device of the invention as a pendant, and its mode of actuation;

Figures 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the device of the invention as a pendant, and its mode of actuation;

Figures 5 and 6 show two further embodiments of the device, comprising a garment .

DESCRIPTION QF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As can be appreciated in a first embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 , the device of the invention includes a portable element 1 that includes a transmitter 3 attached to a terminal 4 associated with a collar 2. The transmitter 3 hangs from the collar 2 , at user chest height, so that it is in an easily accessible zone . In order to actuate the transmitter 3, the user has only to pull downwards on it with his hand, as shown in Figure 2. When the user has pulled on the transmitter 3, it detaches itself from the terminal 4 that is attached to the collar 2, provoking transmission of a signal that will be transmitted by the transmitter 3 by means of radiofrequency, infrared or other wireless means towards an emergency system which, once said signal has been received, will halt the machine or device associated therewith, or will activate an alarm system.

Another embodiment is shown in figures 3 and 4 , in which the transmitter 3 is attached to the collar 2. In this case, the element 1 does also comprise a pull piece,

which is a tab 7 , attached to the transmitter 3. When the user pulls on the tab 7 , it is detached from the transmitter 3, and the transmitter 3 transmits the signal .

When the piece that is pulled is the transmitter 3, as in the first embodiment, the transmitter 3 will have a suitable shape that allows pulling on it easily.

The device of the invention could include a clip or Velcro (not shown) which fixes the element 1 to the clothes of the user and that prevents the portable element 1 hanging down when the user leans forward.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which the device comprises a shirt 5, to which the element 1 is attached. In this embodiment, the transmitter 3 is attached to the user' s chest zone of the shirt 5 by means of a strip 11 of Velcro or any other suitable material, although it could also be sewed or attached to the shirt 5 by any other means that provide a secure attachment .

The transmitter 3 is attached to a tab 7 , so that when the tab 7 is pulled, the transmitter 3 is activated and transmits the emergency signal, in the same way than in the second embodiment .

Obviously, another embodiment may have a terminal attached to the shirt 5 , and a transmitter 3 attached to said terminal, said transmitter 3 being activated by pulling on it, as in the first embodiment of the invention .

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the device of the invention . In this case the device comprises a shirt 5 provided with a pocket 6 situated in the user' s chest zone . Inside the pocket 6 is housed a transmitter 3 attached to a tab 7. Said tab 7 emerges from the pocket 6 through a hole 8 made in the lower part of the pocket 6 for the purpose, so that the user can pull upon it to actuate the transmitter 3. The pocket 6 is provided with a Velcro

fastener 9 that prevents the transmitter 3 from falling due to sudden movements or to the user bending down .

Obviously, other garments could be used for the device of the invention apart from a shirt 5. For example, the garment to which the element 1 is attached could consist of a j ersey, j acket, or any other similar garment .

The device of the invention may preferably include a seal 10 which is broken when the transmitter 3 or the pull piece 7 are pulled, with the aim of avoiding indiscriminate use of it .

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, the device may adopt any layout that permits transmission of a signal by means of actuating it by pulling on a part of it . For example, the device of the invention may also be actuated by pulling on the transmitter 3 or the pull piece 7 without any need for the two parts to separate from each other .

Alternatively, the device may also be comprised of an element which consists of a single part that transmits the signal when it is pulled, whether by acting upon means mounted on it for the purpose or even by breaking it .

The transmitter 3 may be of the type which are usually used in the state of the art, and it can be activated by opening an electric circuit of the transmitter 3 when a part of the device is pulled.

For example, the transmitter 3 may be activated by means of breaking a conductive wire which opens an electric circuit when the transmitter 3 or the pull piece 7 are pulled.

In the present invention, a pull piece will be considered as any piece or element which has a suitable shape for pulling on it, as for example, a pull tab or a pull knob. Preferably, the device may include an indicator,

a light signal for example, that indicates the charge level of the batteries of the emitter 3 in order to replace them before they are flat .

The device of the invention may also have alternative means of attachment of the element 1 to the user' s body, for example, a belt or the like .

In the present invention, the device is particularly suitable for the work-related industrial sphere, wherein it would be associated to emergency systems for stopping machines or activating alarm devices when receiving the signal from the device . However, it could also be used in other applications, such as fire warning systems , rescue equipment, sport or security services .