Fall Arrest Energy Absorber With Controlled Deployment Exit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing energy absorber devices in fall protection systems, such as those used in horizontal safety line and safety block systems, face challenges in efficient deployment and risk of damage or exposure due to hard shell casings, which need to fracture or be forced open, and soft-shell casings that do not securely clamp the elongate flexible elements.
Innovation Solution
An energy absorber device with a containment structure that securely clamps one end of the elongate flexible element and provides a lightly gripped deployment exit for the other end, using a flexible skirt to facilitate easy deployment during a fall event, minimizing water ingress and damage risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard shell casings are used to contain the energy absorber arrangement, then protection and structural strength are improved, but deployment difficulty and risk of damage increase due to the need to fracture or force the casing open
Solution Approach 1:
The containment structure is divided into two distinct parts: a hard shell casing for protection and a separate soft-shell deployment mechanism. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other - the hard shell provides strength while the soft-shell enables easy deployment through the deployment exit.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment exit is extracted as a separate functional element from the hard shell casing. The soft-shell containment structure is positioned to allow the elongate flexible element to pass through this exit, separating the protection function (hard shell) from the deployment function (soft-shell with exit).
2Ease of operation
If soft-shell casings are used to contain the energy absorber arrangement, then deployment ease is improved, but security of clamping and protection against damage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the advantages of both hard shell and soft-shell containment structures into a single hybrid system. The hard shell casing provides structural strength and protection, while the soft-shell containment structure provides easy deployment capability. Both structures work together to contain the energy absorber arrangement, combining their complementary strengths.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the containment structure securely clamps the elongate flexible element, then protection and stability are improved, but deployment difficulty increases due to excessive gripping force
Solution Approach 1:
The containment structure applies different clamping forces at different locations: the hard shell casing provides strong secure clamping at the first end to ensure stability and protection, while the soft-shell containment structure provides light gripping at the second end near the deployment exit to facilitate easy deployment. This local differentiation of clamping quality resolves the contradiction between stability and ease of deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
An energy absorber device for use in a fall protection system has an energy absorber in the form of an elongate flexible element having first end spaced apart from and a second end. A containment structure (such as a housing or jacket) contains the energy absorber in an un-deployed state and has a first end secured with respect to the elongate flexible element near the first end of the elongate flexible element. The second end of the containment structure has a deployment exit such that in the event of deployment of the energy absorber arrangement, the elongate flexible element is pulled through the deployment exit. The device provides for easier deployment of the elongate flexible element than other designs employing hard shell casings or housings. Movement on the elongate flexible element is also highly resisted.