Backpack Mount With Front-Accessible Control Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backpack adjustable mounts require removal from the wearer to adjust the vertical position, making it time-consuming and inconvenient, especially when changing clothing or adjusting for different garments.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable mount with a rotatable control element accessible from the side, allowing vertical position adjustment of the shoulder straps while wearing the backpack, using a ball-coupling drum and chain mechanism with a spring-locked control element for secure and intuitive operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the control element is placed on the outside of the adjustable mount facing the back of the wearer, then the backpack can be adjusted for vertical position, but the adjustment cannot be performed while wearing the backpack
Solution Approach 1:
The control element is inverted from its conventional position on the back-facing side to the front-facing side of the adjustable mount. This allows the wearer to access and operate the control element while the backpack is worn, enabling adjustment without removing the pack. The control element protrudes through the base plate from the front, making it accessible to the wearer's hand.
Solution Approach 2:
The control element acts as an intermediary mechanism that transfers the wearer's manual input to the locking mechanism. By positioning this intermediary at the front of the mount, it becomes accessible while maintaining its function of controlling the slide's locking and release, thus enabling adjustment during wear.
2Ease of operation
If the control element is accessible from the front, then adjustment can be made while wearing the backpack, but the control element must pass through the base plate
Solution Approach 1:
The control element is segmented into distinct functional parts: a control portion accessible from the front, a passing portion through the base plate, and an actuating portion on the rear side. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function while simplifying the overall structure and making the control element easier to manufacture and install.
Solution Approach 2:
The control element extends in multiple spatial dimensions - protruding forward from the front surface of the base plate for accessibility, passing through the thickness of the base plate, and extending rearward for actuation. This multi-dimensional arrangement enables front accessibility without compromising structural integrity or adding excessive complexity.
3Reliability
If a ball-coupling drum and chain mechanism is used, then secure locking is achieved, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The ball-coupling drum and chain mechanism is designed to be self-locking through the interaction between the balls, coupling drums, and chain links. The mechanical geometry of these components creates inherent friction and interlocking that maintains the locked position without additional active components, providing secure locking while limiting the increase in complexity to only the essential elements needed for the function.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable mount usable with backpack having a rear wall and shoulder straps has a base plate attached to the rear wall of the backpack, a cover on the base plate and forming therewith a housing, guide rails in the housing on the base plate and extending in an adjustment direction, and a slide in the housing and movable along the guide rails in the direction between end positions. A support plate outside the housing is attached to the shoulder straps and connected through the cover with the base plate for joint movement therewith in the direction. A control element coupled to the slide is movable between a locking position arresting the slide on the base plate and a release position allowing the slide to move steplessly in the direction on the rails relative to the base plate. The control element is accessible by a wearer of the backpack.