Dynamic Apparel Padding System for Impact Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing articles of apparel with protective padding struggle to balance flexibility and impact resistance, failing to meet the needs of professional-level sports that require both flexibility and adequate protection from impacts, while also adhering to governing body regulations and player preferences.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic padding system that includes a pad, a spool, and a filament, where the filament is wound around the spool and extends through the pad, allowing the padding system to reversibly change from a flexible state with low protection to a stiff state with high protection in response to impending impacts, triggered by sensors detecting potential collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a more flexible pad is used, then range of motion is improved, but impact protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pad incorporates a dynamic padding system with a spool and filament that can change the pad's stiffness in real-time. The filament, when wound onto the spool, compresses the foam material to increase stiffness and impact protection. When unwound, the pad returns to a flexible state for enhanced range of motion. This dynamic adjustment allows the same pad to provide different levels of protection and flexibility as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameter of stiffness by controlling the amount of filament wound onto the spool. By adjusting the filament tension and compression on the foam, the pad's stiffness parameter can be modified. This allows the pad to transition between a soft, flexible state for comfort and range of motion, and a stiff, protective state for impact resistance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a less flexible (more stiff) pad is used, then impact protection is improved, but range of motion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic padding system allows the pad to be stiff when impact protection is needed and flexible when range of motion is prioritized. The spool and filament mechanism enables real-time adjustment of the pad's mechanical properties, transitioning from a rigid state during high-impact situations to a flexible state during normal movement, thus resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system can be configured to automatically stiffen the pad in advance of anticipated impacts. Sensors or manual activation can trigger the filament winding mechanism to compress the foam before an impact occurs, ensuring maximum protection is ready when needed, while allowing the pad to return to flexible state when impacts are not expected.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a dynamic padding system is added to provide variable flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic padding system is designed to be self-regulating through a simple spool and filament mechanism. The filament naturally tightens when wound onto the spool, automatically compressing the foam to increase stiffness. The system requires no external power source, complex electronics, or additional actuators - the mechanical action of winding and unwinding the filament provides the dynamic adjustment function, minimizing added complexity while achieving adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
An article of apparel includes a padding system that dynamically changes configuration in response to an impending impact. The padding system may change from a state that has a high flexibility and offers low protection from impact to a state that has a low flexibility and offers increase protection from impact. The system may use a filament to constrict a plurality of padding elements together in order to increase the overall stiffness of the pad. The filament may be tightened and loosened by a spool. The spool may receive a signal regarding the impending impact from a sensor that is a part of the article of apparel, or a sensor that is separate from it.