Backpack Safety System with Shoulder Strap Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backpack designs that incorporate both emergency breathing devices and air-bag systems for avalanche safety face challenges in minimizing space usage, ensuring reliability, and maintaining simplicity and safety, often compromising the storage of additional safety tools.
Innovation Solution
A backpack design that integrates an emergency breathing device and an air-bag system with the air-bag device's inflatable cushion and inflation unit within the storage volume, using a manually operable control cable in a shoulder strap and strategically positioned air intake and discharge openings to minimize space and enhance usability, while keeping the devices separate and easily operable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If both emergency breathing device and air-bag device are incorporated in the same backpack, then avalanche safety is improved, but the storage volume for other safety tools is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency breathing device is integrated into the backpack structure by routing its service pipe through the inner cavity of the shoulder strap and positioning its discharge pipe within the backpack body. The air-bag device is positioned in the lower portion of the backpack, utilizing otherwise wasted space. This nesting approach allows multiple safety devices to coexist within the limited backpack volume without significantly reducing storage capacity for other essential safety tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the three-dimensional space of the backpack more efficiently by distributing devices across different zones: the emergency breathing device components are routed through the shoulder strap cavity and positioned in the upper body, while the air-bag device occupies the lower portion. This spatial distribution across different dimensions maximizes the use of available volume while maintaining adequate storage space.
2Reliability
If both emergency breathing device and air-bag device are incorporated in the same backpack, then avalanche safety is improved, but the operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backpack safety system is segmented into two independent functional units: the emergency breathing device and the air-bag device. Each device operates independently with its own activation mechanism - the breathing device is activated by opening the shoulder strap cavity and grasping the service pipe, while the air-bag device is activated by pulling the control cable. This segmentation allows the user to operate only the necessary device during an avalanche event, reducing operational complexity compared to a integrated system.
3Volume of stationary object
If the air-bag device is positioned in the lower portion of the backpack, then space utilization is improved, but the accessibility of control cable may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control cable of the air-bag device is pre-routed through the shoulder strap cavity and extends to the outer surface of the backpack, making it accessible before any avalanche event occurs. This preliminary positioning ensures that even though the inflation mechanism is located in the lower portion of the backpack, the user can quickly grasp and pull the control cable from an easily accessible position on the shoulder strap, maintaining rapid response capability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A backpack provided with a safety system operable in case of an avalanche comprises a body (12) having a back wall (14), a casing (16) adapted to delimit a storage volume for storing objects, and a harness (24) including a pair of shoulder straps (26) at least a first one of which has an inner cavity (30) connected to the storage volume of the backpack (10). The backpack (10) is provided with an emergency breathing device (36) including a service pipe (42) that extends into the inner cavity (30) of the first shoulder strap (26), and which is connected to a valve unit (40) to selectively allow the user to discharge carbon dioxide into a zone (46) spaced from the intake zone (44), through a discharge pipe (48). The backpack (10) comprises an airbag device (54) which includes an inflatable cushion (56) and an inflation unit (58) operable via a control cable (60), which are arranged within the storage volume of the backpack (10), the control cable (60) extending into the inner cavity of a second shoulder strap (26).