Adjustable Body Brace Slider Locking for Length Customization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional body braces are unable to adjust their total length, leading to inadequate support for varied body sizes and requiring multiple purchases due to changes in injury conditions or disease progression, causing inconvenience and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable body brace with an adjusting assembly featuring a base, slider, and fixing module that allows for adjustable total length through a locking mechanism, enabling the brace to fit different body sizes and conditions without needing multiple purchases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional body brace is designed with a fixed total length, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot adapt to varied body sizes of different users
Solution Approach 1:
The body brace is divided into multiple segments including a first board unit, a second board unit, and an adjusting assembly with base and slider. This segmentation allows each component to be independently adjusted or replaced, enabling the overall length to be customized for different body sizes while keeping individual component designs relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting assembly introduces dynamic adjustability through the slider mechanism that can move along the base. The fixing module with engaging unit allows the length to be changed from a static fixed value to a dynamic adjustable range, enabling adaptation to various body sizes while maintaining structural integrity through the locking mechanism
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional body brace is designed with fixed support positions, then the manufacturing cost is low, but the user must purchase multiple braces when injury conditions change
Solution Approach 1:
The adjusting assembly with its movable slider and adjustable fixing module enables a single body brace to serve multiple functions - it can be configured for different support positions and length requirements. This multi-functionality allows one brace to replace what would traditionally require multiple specialized braces for different injury conditions or body sizes, reducing overall manufacturing costs for institutions
3Adaptability or versatility
If an institution prepares body braces in different sizes for varied body sizes, then all users can be accommodated, but the cost and inventory complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing the adjustable slider mechanism, a single brace design can dynamically adapt to serve multiple size categories. Instead of maintaining static inventory of multiple fixed-size braces, the institution can maintain a smaller inventory of adjustable braces that are configured for different users through simple length adjustments, reducing the quantity of different brace sizes needed
Solution Approach 2:
The adjusting assembly transforms a single brace model into a universal solution that can accommodate various body sizes. This multi-functionality allows one brace design to replace multiple specialized designs, significantly reducing the number of different sizes that need to be manufactured and inventoried while ensuring all users can be properly fitted
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable body brace includes an adjusting assembly and two board units. The adjusting assembly includes a base, a slider, and a fixing module. The base has a limit groove and two wall surfaces. The limit groove extends along a length direction; two wall surfaces are located at two opposite lateral sides of the limit groove. The slider is movably mounted on the base. The fixing module is connected to the slider, and includes an engaging unit and an elastic unit connected to each other. The engaging unit has an engaging portion located in the limit groove and engaging with the two wall surfaces to fix a position of the slider with respect to the base. The two board units are respectively connected to the base and the slider. With the engaging unit engaged in different positions of the limit groove, the position of the slider is adjustable