Back-Mounted Wearable Arm for Overhead Tool Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable manufacturing assistance devices are bulky and impractical for overhead work and narrow spaces, particularly in aircraft or spacecraft manufacturing, where they can cause damage to structural parts and hinder mobility.
Innovation Solution
A wearable manufacturing assistance device with a slender construction, featuring a body unit fastened to the back of a technician and an arm member extending over the shoulder and laterally past the head, allowing the tool to be held in the technician's view field without bulky equipment, with a flexible arm member made of soft materials to prevent damage and accommodate various working positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the arm member extends from the hip or chest of the technician, then the manufacturing tool can be supported, but the device becomes bulky and impractical for overhead work and narrow spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The arm member is repositioned from extending forward from the hip/chest to extending backward from the back over the shoulder, utilizing the spatial dimension behind the technician. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the tool to be positioned overhead without the bulk extending into the technician's working space in front of them.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional forward-extending arm configuration, the invention inverts the arrangement by having the arm member extend backward from the back and over the shoulder. This inversion places the tool support in a location that does not interfere with the technician's movement or create bulk in the working area.
2Ease of operation
If the manufacturing assistance device is mounted to the hip or chest, then the tool can be held, but it hinders mobility when bending or working on knees
Solution Approach 1:
The arm member and tool support function are extracted from the conventional hip/chest mounting location and repositioned to the back/shoulder area. This extraction removes the bulk and fastening requirements from the front torso area, allowing the technician to bend and work on knees without being hindered by equipment in the way.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the arm member is made rigid, then the tool is held stably, but it can cause damage to structural parts during overhead work
Solution Approach 1:
The arm member's mechanical properties are changed by selecting materials with appropriate flexibility characteristics. The arm is designed to be flexible enough to prevent damage to structural parts during overhead work, yet rigid enough to maintain tool stability. This parameter optimization balances the conflicting requirements of softness for safety and stiffness for stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable manufacturing assistance device (1) for supporting a manufacturing tool (3), the manufacturing assistance device (1) includes a body unit (7) including a fastener (11) for fastening the body unit (7) to the back (13) of a technician (5) in a wearing position (15), and an arm member (9) which has an attachment end (19) attached to the body unit (7) and a tool end (21) opposite to the attachment end (19), wherein at the tool end (21) a mounting device (23) for mounting the manufacturing tool (3) to the arm member (9) is provided. While the wearable manufacturing assistance device (1) is fastened to the back (13) of the technician (5) and is in a wearing position (15), the arm member (9) extends from the attachment end (19) at the body unit (7) over a shoulder (17) and laterally past a head (27) of the technician (5).