Adjustable Backpack Spacing Panel Curvature Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backpacks lack the ability to be easily adjusted to form a curve in the back panel, which limits airflow and comfort during outdoor activities, requiring removal from the back to adjust.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable bag system featuring a back panel, a spacing panel with a lace connection, and an adjustment device that allows the spacing panel to be translated towards the back panel edge, increasing or decreasing the space between them, facilitated by a lace system that can be tightened or loosened using a dial mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the backpack back panel is kept flat against the carrier's back, then the backpack maintains stable contact and support, but airflow is blocked and heat buildup occurs during outdoor activities
Solution Approach 1:
The back panel is designed to transition from a static flat configuration to a dynamic curved configuration. The panel can be adjusted between contacting the carrier's back directly (flat) and forming a curved space (convex) away from the back, allowing the structure to adapt to different thermal and comfort requirements during outdoor activities
Solution Approach 2:
The curvature parameter of the back panel is made variable. By changing the curvature from zero (flat) to a positive value (curved), the panel creates adjustable airflow channels between the bag and the carrier's back, controlling the thermal environment and ventilation characteristics
2Temperature
If the backpack is adjusted to form a curve and create space for airflow, then ventilation and cooling improve, but the backpack becomes difficult to adjust while worn and requires removal for modification
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment system is segmented into independent components: adjustment devices mounted on shoulder straps, connecting elements (laces or straps), and the back panel itself. This segmentation allows the back panel curvature to be adjusted independently from the main backpack structure, enabling on-the-fly modifications while the backpack is being worn
Solution Approach 2:
Connecting elements such as laces or straps act as intermediaries between the adjustment devices on the shoulder straps and the back panel. These intermediaries transmit the adjustment force and allow the carrier to modify the back panel curvature without removing the backpack, facilitating convenient thermal management
3Strength
If the back panel is made rigid to maintain structural integrity, then the backpack provides stable support, but it cannot be easily curved to create airflow channels
Solution Approach 1:
The back panel incorporates dynamic structural characteristics that allow it to maintain rigidity in its flat state for structural support, yet become flexible when adjustment forces are applied. The panel can transition between a rigid flat configuration and a flexible curved configuration, balancing structural integrity with adaptability for airflow channel creation
Data Source
AI summary
A bag, such as a backpack, includes a back panel having an edge portion, a spacing panel having a fixed edge attached to the back panel and a free edge, an adjustment device, and a lace connecting the adjustment device and the spacing panel. The adjustment device can be configured to retract the lace, thereby translating the spacing panel toward the edge portion of the back panel, thereby increasing a space between the spacing panel and the back panel. The space between the spacing panel and the back panel can be smaller in a first configuration than in a second configuration and the back panel of the bag can be curved in the second configuration.