Ventilated Equine Protective Boot for Limb Cooling and Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective boots for animals, particularly horses, trap heat and insulate the lower limbs, leading to excessive heating and potential tissue damage, which can require prolonged rest, therapy, or retirement from competition.
Innovation Solution
A protective boot design featuring a cage structure with struts and reinforcing members that allow air permeability and convection cooling, reducing the continuous surface area to minimize heating and weight, while providing impact resistance and protection against traumatic forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective boot is designed to fit tightly to the hoof to prevent slippage and provide protection, then protection and stability are improved, but the boot becomes difficult to put on and take off
Solution Approach 1:
The boot incorporates an elastic member that can dynamically change the state of the fastening system. When the elastic member is in its extended state, the boot is loose and easy to apply. When compressed, it creates a tight fit for protection. This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to serve both ease of application and protection functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member is pre-loaded or pre-positioned to automatically engage with the hoof upon application. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for complex fastening operations during application, while still providing the tight fit necessary for protection once applied.
2Ease of manufacture
If the protective boot is made from a single piece of material to simplify construction, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different hoof shapes and sizes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The boot is divided into multiple segments or components including a main body portion, an elastic member, and a fastening element. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured using simple processes, while the combination of segments provides adaptability to different hoof shapes and sizes through adjustable positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the boot have different material properties and structural characteristics optimized for their specific functions. The main body may be made from a rigid protective material, while the elastic member provides flexibility and the fastening element provides adjustability. This local differentiation enables both simple manufacturing of each component and overall adaptability to various hooves.
Data Source
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AI summary
A protective boot (200) for an equine has a proximal end and a distal end and comprises a cage (202) configured to contour to a distal limb of the equine, the cage (202) including a palmar strut (226c); a medial strut (226d, 226e); a lateral strut (226a, 226b); a proximal connecting member (209a) connecting the palmar, medial and lateral struts (226a-e) at the proximal end of the protective boot (200); a distal connecting member (209b) connecting the palmar, medial and lateral struts (226a-e) at the distal end of the protective boot (200); a proximal fastener (218a) at the proximal end of the cage (202); a distal fastener (218b) at the distal end of the cage (202); a plurality of openings (208) defined between the palmar, medial and lateral struts (226a-e), wherein the cage (202) defines a surface area of the protective boot (200), and wherein at least 20% of the surface area of the protective boot (200) has an air permeability of at least 100 cm3 /cm2 /s at a 200 pascal (Pa) pressure drop.