Animal Support Harness with Integrated Leash for Movement Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support harnesses for convalescing four-legged animals lack precise control and stability, particularly in controlling the speed of movement, and often require multiple points of contact that can disrupt natural walking motion.
Innovation Solution
An animal support harness with a padded sling under the abdomen, featuring adjustable primary support straps and a leash strap that attaches to the collar, allowing simultaneous control of lift support and forward movement restraint, forming a triangular shape for balanced support and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional bath towel method is used to support the animal, then the support harness is simple and easy to make, but precise control and stability are not capable of being obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into separate functional components: a support member for lifting, a leash assembly for control, and a collar for attachment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall simplicity of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The leash assembly acts as an intermediary between the support member and the animal's collar, providing a mechanism for simultaneous support and control without requiring the owner to manually adjust or stabilize the animal during movement.
2Reliability
If multiple points of contact are used in the harness, then support and control are improved, but the natural walking motion may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The harness design extracts and eliminates unnecessary contact points, using only the collar and support member as primary contact points. This minimal contact approach provides adequate support while allowing the animal to walk naturally without disruption from multiple restraining points.
3Reliability
If the harness provides strong support for the animal, then the animal's movement control is improved, but the strain on the owner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support member is designed to bear the animal's weight, providing upward support force that counteracts the downward gravitational force. This distributes the load away from the owner's body, reducing strain while maintaining movement control through the leash assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
An animal support harness and method of supporting and restraining movement of an animal is provided. The apparatus includes a sling that can be routed around the abdomen of the animal, and a plurality of primary support straps extend and are joined at a handle. A leash strap is integrated with the handle, and extends to connect to the collar of the animal. The integral leash strap along with the primary support straps enables an owner to control not only an upward supporting force for the animal, but also provides an inherent restraint to prevent an animal from walking too quickly or lunging, which might otherwise harm the animal.