Segmented Groove Flexure System for Athletic Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current protective apparatuses for athletes are often bulky, heavy, and do not conform to the specific anatomy they are designed to protect, restricting movement and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A sports accessory featuring a flexure system with intersecting grooves and segments that allow the apparatus to flex and conform to the body, providing impact protection while maintaining mobility and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protective apparatuses are made bulky and heavy to provide proper protection, then protection capability is improved, but freedom of movement and speed are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The protective apparatus is divided into multiple segments separated by grooves, allowing each segment to move independently while maintaining overall protection. This segmentation enables the apparatus to flex and bend with body movements without compromising protective coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective apparatus incorporates a flexible shell structure with grooves that allow bending and conforming to body anatomy. This flexible design eliminates the bulkiness and stiffness of traditional rigid protectives while maintaining protection capability through the distributed segment structure.
2Reliability
If protective apparatuses are made rigid to provide proper protection, then protection capability is improved, but flexibility to bend and conform to body is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid protective structure is segmented into multiple sections by grooves, creating a series of rigid segments that can flex relative to each other. This maintains the protective rigidity of each segment while enabling overall flexibility through the articulated segment configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective apparatus transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic segmented structure where segments can move relative to each other. The grooves create hinge-like joints that allow the rigid segments to adapt to changing body positions while maintaining protective integrity.
3Reliability
If protective apparatuses are made heavy to provide proper protection, then protection capability is improved, but speed of movement is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy protective apparatus is segmented into lighter individual segments connected by grooves. This distributes the weight across multiple smaller components, reducing the overall mass that must be moved while maintaining protective coverage through the coordinated movement of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective apparatus uses a flexible shell construction that eliminates the need for heavy internal bracing and support structures. The grooves create inherent flex points that provide structural integrity without adding weight, allowing the apparatus to move freely with the body at athletic speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
A sports accessory is provided to be worn by a user during a sport activity. The accessory includes a flexure system. The flexure system includes a support structure including a plurality of intersecting grooves disposed along a surface of the support structure, where a plurality of segments are defined along the surface of the support structure between the intersecting grooves such that the support structure is configured to flex along the grooves with segments moving in relation to other segments during use of the sports accessory.