Height-Adjustable Back Brace Plate for Accurate Lumbar Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing back braces often fail to provide optimal fit and support due to varying body sizes, leading to improper placement of support when the plate is deformed by handles/cables and pulleys.
Innovation Solution
A back brace with adjustable belt portions and a contoured plate that uses hook and loop fasteners for secure attachment, along with a cord guide arrangement to enhance support and stability, allowing for customizable fit and improved contact with the lumbar region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-size back brace is used, then manufacturing and inventory are simplified, but it cannot accommodate various body sizes and provides improper support placement
Solution Approach 1:
The back brace is divided into multiple size sections along the belt length, with each section corresponding to a specific size category. Users select and attach the appropriate size section to their needs, enabling customization without requiring complex continuous adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The back brace design incorporates multiple size configurations within a single product framework. The same basic structure can accommodate different body sizes by swapping or adjusting the belt portion, making one product serve multiple size requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the belt is made adjustable to fit various waist sizes, then adaptability improves, but the support plate placement becomes incorrect when deformed by handles and pulleys
Solution Approach 1:
The belt is segmented into multiple fixed size portions, each designed with pre-calculated geometry to ensure that when the plate is deformed by the handles and pulleys, the support placement remains accurate for that specific size category.
Solution Approach 2:
Each size portion is pre-configured during manufacturing with the correct geometric relationships between the belt length, plate position, and deformation characteristics. This preliminary setup ensures that when the user selects the appropriate size, the support plate will be placed accurately without requiring further adjustment.
3Device complexity
If a one-size-fits-all back brace is used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision of support placement deteriorates for individual users
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than creating a completely custom brace for each user, the system segments the belt into discrete size portions that approximate individual user measurements. This provides near-custom precision while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through standardized segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for discrete parameter changes in belt length and plate positioning based on selected size portions. Each size variant has optimized parameters that ensure accurate support placement for that size range, balancing manufacturing simplicity with individualized precision.
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 solution provides a better fit and enhanced support by allowing for individual customization, ensuring proper placement of the support plate when deformed, thereby improving comfort and effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
The first end of the first and second belt members may be configured to removably and repeatedly secure to first and second end portions of the back plate, respectively, using hook and loop fastening materials.
Data Source
AI summary
A back brace includes first and second flexible belt members; a back plate, means for securing the back plate to the belt members, and a height adjustment member. The back plate is contoured on one side to support a first portion of a wearer's back, and has pairs of openings spaced apart in a vertical direction. The height adjustment member is contoured on one side to support a second portion of the wearer's back, and has a plurality of pairs of protrusions configured to releasably couple to a corresponding plurality of the pairs of openings in the back plate at each of a plurality of different height-adjusted positions. The height adjustment member may have four protrusions that engage two pairs of the plurality of series of pairs of openings in the back plate, to provide greater support and stability to the height adjustment member.