Backpack Harness with Flexible Spine and Wands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rucksacks fail to accommodate the wearer's movements effectively, leading to weight distribution shifts, muscle fatigue, and discomfort due to inadequate shoulder strap design and restricted back movement, exacerbated during fast movements like running.
Innovation Solution
A harness design featuring adjustable chest straps with flexible wands that allow rib cage expansion and a strut mechanism connecting the hip belt to the support structure, enabling vertical force transmission and accommodating spinal movement, while the hip belt supports the load to reduce shoulder strain and enhance mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shoulder straps are connected directly to the waistband to provide vertical load support, then the load-bearing function is improved, but the harness cannot accommodate wearer movements and causes weight distribution shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between waistband and shoulder straps is divided into two independent functional segments: a flexible waistband portion that accommodates body movements and a rigid strut mechanism that provides vertical load support. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specialized function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
A strut mechanism acts as an intermediary component between the waistband and shoulder straps. This mediator transfers vertical forces from the shoulder straps to the waistband while allowing the waistband to remain flexible for body movement accommodation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the chest straps are made rigid to prevent pack bouncing, then load stability is improved, but the wearer's breathing and body movements are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The chest straps incorporate a dynamic strut mechanism that can extend and compress to accommodate breathing movements and body flexion while maintaining load stability. The struts provide controlled resistance rather than rigid constraint, allowing natural body dynamics.
Solution Approach 2:
The strut mechanism changes its mechanical parameters (length, stiffness) in response to applied forces. During breathing or movement, the struts compress or extend, altering their geometric parameters to accommodate body changes while maintaining load support.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the shoulder straps are tightened to reduce bouncing, then load stability is improved, but shoulder muscle fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hip belt with waistband acts as a counterweight system that transfers the majority of the load from the shoulders to the hips. This counterbalancing arrangement reduces the burden on shoulder muscles while maintaining overall pack stability through the rigid waistband structure.
4Strength
If the back panel is drawn tightly against the wearer's back to improve load support, then load transfer is improved, but wearer movement and comfort are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The back panel connection system is segmented into a rigid waistband portion for load transfer and flexible components that allow back movement. The waistband provides structural support while the connection to the pack allows relative movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The waistband and its connections incorporate flexible elements that can deform to accommodate back movements while maintaining load transfer capability. The flexible waistband portion acts as a compliant interface between the rigid pack structure and the moving human body.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design ensures secure, comfortable load distribution primarily on the hips, reducing muscle fatigue and bouncing, allowing for unrestricted movement and improved breathing, while maintaining load support during various activities.
Implementation Method 1
the attachment points of the lower flexible portions are laterally displaceable towards and away from each other by flexure of at least one of the wands
Implementation Method 2
the attachment points of the lower flexible portions are laterally displaceable towards and away from each other by resilient pivoting of at least one of the wands
Implementation Method 3
whereby the strut mechanism transmits vertical forces from the support structure to the hip belt
Data Source
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AI summary
A harness for a back-pack comprises a chest harness (A), a strut mechanism in the form of a flexible spine (B) and a hip belt (C). The flexible spine (B) provides a sprung, damped connection between the chest harness (A) and the hip belt (C), so that the load of the backpack is transferred through the flexible spine (B) to the hip belt (C), while the flexible spine can extend to accommodate movement of the wearer's body. The chest harness (A) comprises straps (12, 15) which are interconnected at the front of the wearer by a buckle (14). Abdominal straps (15) are connected to the buckle (14) by flexible wands (16) which flex under the breathing action of the wearer to retain the load securely against the wearer's back without restricting breathing.