Rehabilitation Boot Leg Supports with Embedded Metal Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rehabilitation walking boots with plastic leg supports face issues of insufficient rigidity, leading to potential injury from external forces due to the reduced thickness and width of these supports, which cannot withstand strong side forces.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating metal strengthening pieces within the plastic leg supports, with the upper part located in the stretch support range and the lower part in the insert range, enhances the structural rigidity and ability to withstand side forces, while maintaining a lightweight design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If plastic leg supports with reduced thickness and width are used to achieve lightweight design, then weight is reduced and comfort is improved, but rigidity is insufficient and the boots cannot withstand strong side forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines plastic material with metal strengthening pieces to create a composite structure. The plastic leg supports maintain lightweight properties while embedded metal pieces provide the necessary rigidity and strength to withstand external forces, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The strengthening pieces are strategically positioned at specific locations within the leg supports where additional strength is needed most. This localized reinforcement approach allows the majority of the structure to remain lightweight plastic while providing targeted strength enhancement at critical areas to resist side forces.
2Strength
If metal leg supports are used to achieve high rigidity, then strength is improved, but weight increases and comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using entirely metal leg supports, the patent creates a composite structure where plastic serves as the primary lightweight material and metal strengthening pieces are embedded only where needed. This approach provides the necessary rigidity while maintaining overall lightweight characteristics, avoiding the weight penalty of fully metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
Metal strengthening pieces are applied locally only at specific positions within the leg supports where high rigidity is required, rather than constructing the entire leg support from metal. This localized approach delivers the necessary strength improvement while minimizing weight increase.
3Weight of moving object
If plastic leg supports with reduced thickness are used to achieve lightweight design, then weight is reduced, but the inserts become prone to breaking under external force
Solution Approach 1:
The embedding of metal strengthening pieces within the plastic leg supports creates a composite structure that enhances the durability and resistance to breaking of the insert parts. The metal reinforcement provides structural integrity that prevents the reduced-thickness plastic sections from failing under external forces, thereby improving reliability while maintaining lightweight design.
Solution Approach 2:
The strengthening pieces are pre-positioned within the plastic leg supports to provide protective reinforcement before external forces are applied. This beforehand strengthening prevents the insert parts from breaking under sudden falls or external forces, ensuring reliability is maintained even with reduced thickness.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a kind of high-rigidity light-weight rehabilitation walking. The boots include a foot support, two leg supports and two strengthening pieces. The foot support is made of plastics, having a bottom surface and two lateral edges. The two lateral edges are configured with slots, and there is a contact surface on top of the slots. The leg supports are made of plastics, having a stretch support, an insert and a restriction edge between the stretch support and the insert. The restriction edge can push against the contact surface on top of the slot. The strengthening pieces are buried inside the leg supports with its upper part within the range of the stretch support and its lower part within the range of the insert to strengthen the leg support structure and increase capacity of the rehabilitation walking boots to withstand side force.