Safety system for a traction kite with releasable adjustable bar stopper

Abstract

A safety system for a traction kite comprises a central load bearing line and sliding control bar arrangement comprising a connection loop for connection to a harness hook, a system hub connecting the loop to the central load bearing line and a bar stopper located along the load bearing line towards the kite relative to the control bar. The bar stopper is retained to the system hub by a retainer which can be released by a primary safety quick release mechanism in such a way, that engaging the primary safety mechanism allows the control bar to slide along the central load bearing line towards the kite to reduce the power of the kite to a safe level.

1 . A safety system for a traction kite comprising a central load bearing line and sliding control bar arrangement said safety system comprising a connection loop for connection to a harness hook, a system hub connecting said connection loop to said central load bearing line and a bar stopper located along the load bearing line towards the kite relative to the control bar, wherein the bar stopper is retained to the system hub by a retaining means releasable by a primary safety quick release mechanism in such a way that engaging the primary safety mechanism allows the control bar to slide along the central load bearing line towards the kite to reduce the power of the kite to a safe level. 
     
     
         2 . The safety system according to  claim 1  wherein the safety quick release mechanism is built in to the system hub for easy access. 
     
     
         3 . The safety system according to  claim 1  wherein the bar stopper can be placed in different positions along the retaining means. 
     
     
         4 . The safety system according to  claim 3  wherein the retaining means features an array of two or more ridges for locking the stopper position. 
     
     
         5 . The safety system according to  claim 4  wherein the retaining means is an oblong element arranged along the central load bearing line. 
     
     
         6 . The safety system according to  claim 5  wherein the retaining means is a tubular element arranged about the central load bearing line. 
     
     
         7 . The safety system according to  claim 6  wherein the retaining means has a retaining block which is locked in a receiving pocket inside the system hub by a releasable latch. 
     
     
         8 . The safety system according to  claim 7  wherein retaining means release system can be set to automatically release when the pulling force of the bar against the bar stopper reaches a certain threshold load. 
     
     
         9 . The safety system according to  claim 8  wherein the retaining means is provided with an alignment boss that aligns the connection loop with a corresponding slot in the control bar when the kite is flown un-hooked. 
     
     
         10 . The safety system according to  claim 9  wherein the connecting loop can be opened by a secondary safety quick release mechanism. 
     
     
         11 . The safety system according to  claim 10  wherein the system hub features a trim system to adjust the length of the central load bearing ling relative to the control lines. 
     
     
         12 . The safety system according to  claim 11  wherein the system hub features a trim system to adjust the length of the central load bearing ling relative to the control lines. 
     
     
         13 . The safety system according to  claim 12  wherein the retaining element is formed like a turning knob that allows the pilot to manually untwist the central load bearing line.