Dual-Axis Hinged Leg Guards With Floating Knee Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional leg guards for baseball and softball catchers have limited range of motion and tend to shift on the player's leg during movement, requiring frequent readjustment during play.
Innovation Solution
A leg guard design featuring a hinge mechanism with two rotation axes that allows the knee and thigh guard assemblies to articulate, incorporating a floating knee guard assembly to maintain coverage over the user's anterior knee and thigh regions, even when the leg is bent or straightened.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional leg guards are used, then the structure is simple, but the range of motion is limited and the guard shifts on the player's leg during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The leg guard is divided into multiple segments (thigh guard assembly, knee guard assembly, shin guard assembly) connected by hinges, allowing each segment to move independently and follow the player's leg motion throughout the full range of motion
Solution Approach 2:
The leg guard transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one with hinges that allow rotation, enabling the guard to adapt to various leg positions and movements rather than remaining fixed in one configuration
2Ease of operation
If conventional leg guards are used, then the device is simple, but the guard shifts on the player's leg requiring frequent readjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged connection allows the leg guard to dynamically follow the player's leg motion, maintaining proper positioning without requiring manual readjustment during play
Solution Approach 2:
The leg guard system automatically adapts to the player's movements through the hinge mechanism, eliminating the need for the player to manually readjust the equipment during gameplay
Data Source
AI summary
Protective equipment for protecting a portion of a user's body (such as an articulating leg guard for protecting part of a user's leg) may include a knee guard assembly for covering at least a portion of a user's anterior knee region, a thigh guard assembly for covering at least a portion of a user's anterior thigh region, and at least two connection elements positioned to connect the knee guard assembly to the thigh guard assembly. The connection elements may be rotatably attached to the knee guard assembly at a first rotation axis and rotatably attached to the thigh guard assembly at a second rotation axis that is spaced apart from the first rotation axis. The leg guard may further include a floating knee guard assembly for covering at least a portion of a user's leg when a gap forms between the knee guard assembly and the thigh guard assembly.