Composite Backpack Frame with Upper Stays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backpack frames face challenges in achieving a balance between strength and flexibility, with external frames being heavy and internal frames being difficult to manufacture effectively, while also needing to cushion the user from load shifts and properly support the backpack load.
Innovation Solution
The development of resin-impregnated composite backpack frames with a sandwich construction, featuring upper and lower layers of fiber material and selectively placed reinforcing layers, along with elongate stays and open tracks for adjustable shoulder strap attachment, providing both flexibility and strength through controlled energy storage and release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If external backpack frames are made of metal tubes, then they are simple to construct, but they are very heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining fiber reinforcement layers with resin matrices to create a unitary composite frame structure. This replaces traditional metal tubes while maintaining construction simplicity through integrated manufacturing processes, thereby reducing weight without sacrificing structural integrity or ease of fabrication.
2Strength
If internal backpack frames use different materials for different parts, then strength and flexibility can be optimized, but the frame becomes complex and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by strategically placing fiber reinforcement layers at specific locations within the frame structure where strength is most needed. The resin-impregnated composite construction allows varying degrees of reinforcement in different regions, optimizing both strength and flexibility without requiring multiple distinct materials or complex assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of multiple frame components into a single unitary composite structure. By combining reinforcement layers, resin matrices, and structural elements into one integrated construction, the design achieves optimized mechanical properties while simplifying manufacturing compared to assemblies of separate parts made from different materials.
3Ease of operation
If backpack frames are made flexible to cushion the user, then comfort is improved, but the frame cannot properly support the backpack load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the resin content, fiber orientation, and reinforcement distribution within the composite frame structure. These parameter adjustments allow the frame to exhibit appropriate flexibility for user comfort while maintaining sufficient strength and stiffness to properly support the backpack load, resolving the contradiction between comfort and load-bearing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Resin-impregnated sandwich composite backpack frames are disclosed. The frames may, for example, be made of a carbon fiber twill with a foam core. The frames have an upper portion that includes upwardly-extending, elongate stays to support a backpack and mechanically decouple its load from the wearer. Open, generally vertically extending tracks in the upper portion provide points of attachment for shoulder strap assemblies. The lower portion is contoured to follow the typical lumbar-sacral curvature of the human back and terminates in a generally U-shaped tongue. Openings and unreinforced areas in the frame are provided to reduce weight and increase flexibility.