Flexible Panel Head and Neck Support for Overhead Work
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head and neck support devices for overhead tasks are either too restrictive or require active effort to maintain position, failing to provide adequate support throughout a range of motion without causing fatigue or injury.
Innovation Solution
A neck and head support apparatus featuring a flexible panel supported by a frame with risers and transverse members, allowing for tension-adjustable harnesses that maintain the frame's position on the wearer's back, providing cradling support without restricting head movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid head and neck support device is used to provide stable support, then support stability is improved, but head movement freedom deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible panel made of fabric or similar material that is tensioned between risers to create a supportive surface. This flexible panel can conform to the wearer's head and neck while allowing movement, replacing rigid structures with a flexible yet supportive alternative that maintains both stability and movement freedom
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses a tensioned flexible panel system that dynamically adapts to head and neck movements. The panel is tensioned between risers to provide continuous support while allowing the wearer to move their head freely within the support area, creating a dynamic support system rather than a static rigid structure
2Stability of the object's composition
If a restrictive support device is used to maintain head position, then position stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible panel provides position stability through tensioning while maintaining ease of operation by allowing natural head movements. The panel's flexibility enables the wearer to move their head without fighting against a rigid structure, making the device easy to use while maintaining stable positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to passively provide support without requiring active effort from the wearer. The tensioned flexible panel automatically maintains head and neck support as the wearer moves, eliminating the need for the wearer to actively adjust or fight against the device
3Strength
If a rigid frame structure is used to provide structural support, then support strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex rigid frame structures with a simpler tensioned flexible panel system. The flexible panel, when tensioned between risers, provides adequate support strength without requiring complex rigid framing, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining support functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from rigid structural support to tension-based support. By changing the support mechanism from rigid geometry to tension parameters, the system achieves adequate support strength with simpler components, reducing overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A neck support apparatus has a frame with a pair of risers spaced apart from each other and each having a bottom end and a top end. The frame is positioned on the back of a wearer. A harness maintains the frame in position. A flexible panel spans between the two risers. The shape of the two risers, the initial tautness of the flexible panel, and the material of the flexible panel, and other factors, contribute to the shape of the support surface that the flexible surface presents to the head and neck of a wearer of the apparatus. The flexible panel provides support to the head and neck of a wearer when the head of the wearer is tilted back, such as when a person is doing overhead work.