Carabiner Confinement Element for Stable Belay Device Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carabiners used in climbing and work at height often flip during belaying, affecting the operation of the belay system due to the relative movement of safety devices, and existing solutions with separating bars are either bulky, impractical, or weaken the carabiner, leading to issues with device fitting and stability.
Innovation Solution
A carabiner design featuring a removable confinement element with distinct fasteners and a joining part that defines a work area without creating a bar, allowing greater freedom of movement and secure fitting of safety devices without compromising the carabiner's integrity, using a monolithic fastener and anti-rotation mechanisms to prevent unintended opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separating bar is fitted in fixed manner to the carabiner to prevent movement of safety device, then the safety device is confined to a predefined area, but the carabiner structure is weakened and manufacturing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The separating bar is divided into two independent ends that can be separately fitted to the carabiner body through distinct fastening mechanisms. This segmentation allows the bar to be secured without requiring holes through the entire body, thereby maintaining structural integrity while achieving device confinement.
Solution Approach 2:
The ends of the separating bar are inserted into recesses or cavities within the carabiner body, creating a nested structure where the bar fits within the body's internal geometry. This nesting approach provides secure confinement without compromising the external strength of the carabiner.
2Reliability
If a bar is fitted to rotate with respect to the carabiner body to act as a lock, then unintentional opening is prevented, but the device becomes bulky and space separation is lost when open
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted from a rotating bar mechanism and implemented through separate fastening elements that secure the separating bar ends to the carabiner body. This extraction eliminates the need for a bulky rotating bar while maintaining the locking function through simpler fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a bar that rotates to provide locking, the invention uses fixed separating bar ends that are secured through fastening mechanisms. The approach is inverted from a moving locking bar to a fixed confined structure, achieving locking without bulk.
3Reliability
If a hole is made in the carabiner body to house the end of the bar, then the bar can be secured, but the carabiner is weakened and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening mechanism is designed to engage with the carabiner body at specific local regions without requiring through-holes. The separating bar ends are secured through localized fastening structures that maintain the overall strength of the carabiner body while providing secure attachment points.
4Ease of operation
If the bar is secured via one end only to make device connection easier, then connection is simplified, but the safety device may inadvertently come out of the predefined area
Solution Approach 1:
The separating bar is divided into two ends that are both secured to the carabiner body. This segmentation ensures that the predefined area is properly confined from both sides, preventing the safety device from inadvertently leaving the designated zone while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The carabiner comprises a body associated with a gate able to rotate on a first end of the body between a closed position and an open position of the carabiner. A confinement element is configured to form a first stop and a second stop salient from the body. The confinement element is fitted removable with respect to the body. The confinement element is fixed to the body by a first fastener and a second fastener. A joining part connects the first fastener to the second fastener to define the space separating the first stop and the second stop. The joining part is pressed against the body. The body, the gate and the joining part define a carabiner with a single central ring.