Fall Detection Alert Device for Harness Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall protection equipment, such as fall harnesses, do not effectively alert other personnel when a worker has experienced an arrested fall, leading to potential delays in rescue and increased risk of injury or death.
Innovation Solution
A fall detection/fall indicator device is integrated into the fall harness, which automatically senses an arrested fall and triggers an alarm or alert to other personnel via an electrical connection and alert device, such as a siren, strobe light, or wireless signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a traditional fall indicator with label/indicia is used, then the harness can indicate that a fall has occurred, but it cannot alert other personnel that a worker has experienced an arrested fall and may be suspended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical label/indicia system with an active electronic alert system comprising electrical contacts, circuitry, and audible/visual alarm devices. When the strap unfolds during a fall, electrical contacts break the circuit to trigger alarms that actively notify other personnel of the worker's condition, transforming information communication from static to dynamic and immediate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary alert system between the fall event and the personnel response. The electrical connection and alarm devices serve as intermediaries that automatically detect the fall condition through strap movement and communicate this information to other personnel, bridging the gap between the worker's condition and external awareness without requiring direct human observation.
2Reliability
If the electrical connection is integrated into the folded strap, then the circuit remains closed during normal use, but the circuit opens automatically when the strap unfolds during a fall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical connection directly into the folded strap structure itself, rather than attaching it as a separate component. The electrical contacts are positioned on adjacent portions of the folded strap, so that the natural unfolding motion during a fall automatically breaks the circuit. This integration reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining reliable automatic detection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The strap structure itself serves the dual function of both mechanical restraint and electrical circuit carrier. The unfolding motion that is inherent to the fall indicator's operation automatically triggers the electrical circuit break, eliminating the need for separate sensors or detection mechanisms. The system uses its own operational movement to activate the alert function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device enables timely assistance for workers suspended in fall harnesses by automatically alerting others to the occurrence of an arrested fall, thereby reducing the risk of serious injury or death.
Implementation Method 1
a connection that breaks in response to the harness experiencing an arrested fall
Implementation Method 2
an alert device operably connected to the electrical connection and responsive to the open circuit to provide an alert to other personnel
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A fall detection/fall indicator device (20) that automatically senses when a user (14) of fall protection equipment, such as a fall harness (10), has experienced an arrested fall, the fall harness (10) having an electrical circuit (45) that is a closed circuit (46) in a first state and an open circuit (48) in a second state after an arrested fall, and an alert device (62) that is automatically responsive to the open circuit (48) to emit an alert/alarm to other personnel that an arrested fall has been experienced.