Compact Descender With Passive Friction Braking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing descenders for works at height, mountaineering, and speleology are bulky and hinder user movement due to their large dimensions, making them difficult to use and remove safely and efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A compact descender device with a cam mechanism housed in a casing, featuring a hinged actuating lever and half-shells that allow for easy rope insertion and removal without disconnecting from the harness or anchoring point, incorporating a return element and locking mechanism for controlled descent and panic prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cam mechanism with lever is used to provide safety and controlled descent, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and dimensions increase making it bulky and hindering user movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex cam mechanism from the traditional design and replaces it with a simplified passive friction-based braking system. The core safety function is retained through the friction element that automatically engages with the rope, while removing the cam, lever, and associated complex components that caused bulk and operational difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The descender is designed to automatically engage and disengage the braking mechanism without requiring manual operation of a lever or cam. The friction element self-adjusts based on rope tension, providing controlled descent and emergency stopping capabilities through passive mechanical response to load conditions rather than active user control.
2Reliability
If a cam mechanism with lever is used to provide anti-panic functionality, then reliability is improved, but the device becomes excessive in dimensions and harder to use
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-panic function is achieved through the passive friction-based system that automatically responds to rope tension changes. When panic pull occurs, the friction element naturally engages without requiring the user to operate any lever or mechanism, providing instinctive safety response that is both reliable and easy to use.
3Reliability
If traditional descender design is used to ensure safety functionality, then reliability is improved, but the device hinders user movements and is difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex cam mechanism and lever system that created bulk and operational difficulty. The simplified friction-based design reduces the device size and eliminates components that hindered user movement and made removal difficult.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction element is designed to dynamically adjust its engagement with the rope based on load conditions. During descent, it provides controlled friction; during emergency stops, it automatically increases grip; and during removal, it naturally disengages when tension is released, making the device adaptive and easy to operate throughout its lifecycle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides a safe, user-friendly, and compact solution that facilitates easy operation, allowing for controlled descent and preventing uncontrolled falls, while being lightweight and easy to use during both insertion and removal maneuvers.
Implementation Method 1
The descender uses the friction which is created between the body of the tool (generally metallic) and the rope to dissipate the kinetic energy that the user's body would acquire if it were to free-fall
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 2
Figure 4A~4D
AI summary
The present invention relates to a descender which can be used for works at height, climbing, mountaineering, speleology or any other practice which envisages access by using a textile rope. More in particular, the present invention relates to a descender device for a textile rope (F), comprising a casing in which a cam mechanism (10) and an actuating lever (3) for the cam mechanism (10) are housed, wherein the casing (2) comprises a return element (13) for the rope (F), characterized in that the cam mechanism (10) comprises a lever pin (29) that can be actuated in rotation by the actuation lever (3) and a movable cam (25) which is rotatably movable in an activation direction between a deactivation position and a lock position in which the movable cam (25) presses on the rope (F) against the return element (13), and in which the lever pin (29) is configured so as to act on a rocker member (32) which is integral with the movable cam (25) during a first rotation step of the lever pin (29) in a direction opposite to the activation direction of the movable cam (25) .