Deployable Armor Panel Extraction and Chest Securing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current protective armor solutions, such as bulletproof vests and backpacks, are cumbersome for everyday civilian wear and often provide inadequate protection against rifle fire, requiring users to choose between limited protection options or inconvenient conversion between back and front protection.
Innovation Solution
A deployable armor panel system that can be extracted from a concealed compartment in a carrier bag-pack using distal loops or handles, allowing users to quickly secure the panel over their chest using hook and loop fasteners and tethers, providing maximum protection against rifle fire without visible armor until needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional bulletproof vests or plate carriers are worn for everyday civilian wear, then protection is provided, but the armor is cumbersome and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The armor system is divided into a concealed compartment (backpack) and a deployable armor panel. The panel can be extracted from the compartment when needed, allowing the user to have protection available without wearing bulky armor during everyday activities. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by separating the storage function from the protection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployable armor panel is nested within the concealed compartment of the carrier bag-pack. The panel can be extracted from the compartment and deployed over the chest when protection is needed. This nesting approach allows the armor to be concealed during normal activities while remaining accessible for rapid deployment.
2Reliability
If ballistic plates are used for maximum protection against rifle fire, then protection level is improved, but the bulk and visibility of armor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ballistic plates are extracted from the concealed compartment and deployed only when protection is needed. This allows the user to carry maximum protection without the constant bulk and visibility of wearing armor. The extraction principle enables the armor to be removed from its storage position and applied only in tactical situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The armor panel uses a flexible carrier bag-pack design with thin fabric shells that can be worn comfortably during everyday activities. When deployed, the ballistic plates provide maximum protection without the rigid bulk of traditional armor. The flexible carrier allows the armor to be concealed while maintaining protection capabilities.
3Ease of manufacture
If armor is concealed in a carrier bag-pack, then visibility is reduced, but extraction and deployment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The armor panel is pre-positioned within the concealed compartment and attached to extractors with distal loops or handles. This preliminary arrangement allows for rapid extraction and deployment when needed, eliminating the need for complex assembly or search during tactical situations. The panel is ready for immediate deployment while remaining concealed during normal activities.
Solution Approach 2:
Extractors with distal loops or handles serve as intermediary components that facilitate rapid extraction of the armor panel from the concealed compartment. These intermediaries provide easy grasping points and mechanical advantage for quick deployment, resolving the contradiction between concealment and rapid extraction.
4Ease of operation
If soft flexible armor is used for quick movements, then ease of movement is improved, but protection against lethal rounds is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The armor system transitions from a static concealed state to a dynamic deployed state. When deployed, the armor panel provides hard ballistic plate protection against high caliber rounds. The flexible carrier allows for quick movements during deployment and when worn in the concealed state. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt its protection level based on the operational requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a deployable armor panel is disclosed with steps as; grasping a pair of extractors with a pair of handles or distal loops by inserting a thumb and/or finger of a user into said pairs of distal loops; extracting said deployable armor panel up and out by stretching said pair of extractors through said pair of distal loops connected therewith; stretching said deployable armor panel over head of said user by pulling said pair of extractors through said pair of distal loops from said internal compartment of said carrier; positioning said deployable armor panel in front of a chest of said user by draping said pair of tethers over said shoulders of said user; and securing said deployable armor panel in front of said chest by attaching said panel, to a belt disposed at both sides of said carrier, by a pair of adjustable fasteners.