Animal Restraining Device with Spherical Contact for Traction Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal restraint devices experience frequent malfunctions and breakage due to stress concentrations caused by repeated tractions, especially when used with powerful animals like intervention dogs, leading to reliability issues.
Innovation Solution
A device with first and second attachment means featuring a spherical mutual contact surface and a ball joint connection, allowing for increased contact area and rotational freedom, reducing stress concentrations and enabling easy release and reattachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If repeated tractions are applied to the restraining device, then the animal can be effectively restrained, but stress concentrations occur leading to matting of surfaces and malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by designing the contact surfaces of the attachment means as spherical zones rather than flat or point contacts. This curvature distributes the stress over a larger area, preventing stress concentrations that would otherwise cause matting and malfunction. The spherical contact zone allows for gradual load distribution during repeated tractions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from point or line contact to surface contact by introducing a spherical zone in three-dimensional space. This dimensional change increases the contact area from zero or one dimension to two dimensions, thereby reducing stress concentration and improving device reliability under repeated loading.
2Device complexity
If very reduced contact surfaces are used in the restraining device, then the device structure is simplified, but stress concentrations lead to frequent malfunctions and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical contact zone provides a naturally optimized surface that distributes stress uniformly. This curved geometry achieves high strength resistance to failure without requiring complex structural reinforcements, maintaining simplicity while improving durability.
3Reliability
If the contact surface is increased to reduce stress concentrations, then reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical contact zone is achieved through a simple geometric shape that can be manufactured as a standard component. This curvature provides the necessary stress distribution without requiring complex multi-component systems, maintaining relatively simple device structure while improving reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Device (1) for restraining an animal, comprising first reversible attachment means (3) intended to be selectively attached to second attachment means (4), in which: - the first attachment means (3) comprise a plurality of jaws (3a, 3b) arranged concentrically around a longitudinal direction (II), capable of being arranged in a first so-called retaining position and a second so-called release position such that the second attachment means (4) can escape from the first attachment means (3) by a simple translational movement, - the first (3) and second (4) attachment means are shaped so as to have, in the retaining position, a mutual contact surface at least substantially in the form of a spherical zone (ZS).