Helmet Chinstrap Latching Device with Locking Pawls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chinstrap buckles on sports helmets, particularly football helmets, often become unsnapped during impact or game play, leading to helmets coming off, posing a safety risk, especially for youth players who lack the strength to properly engage the buckles and may unsure of the secure attachment.
Innovation Solution
A latching device with a buckle and clasp assembly featuring locking pawls and a release mechanism, including a cylindrical receiving member with an annular rim and a threaded shaft, ensures secure attachment and easy release of the strap to the helmet, utilizing a pair of opposing buttons and biasing members to engage and disengage the buckle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ordinary snaps are used in current chinstrap buckles, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability is poor as they become unsnapped during impact or game play
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a body portion with slots and teeth, a clasp assembly with cylindrical receiving member, and locking pawls with claw members. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking pawls are designed to dynamically engage with the annular rim of the cylindrical receiving member, creating a positive locking mechanism that actively resists disengagement during impact. The release mechanism with opposing buttons and biasing members provides dynamic control over the locking state.
2Strength
If current buckles are designed for simple engagement, then the ease of operation is high, but the strength is insufficient for youth players to properly snap
Solution Approach 1:
The locking pawls act as intermediary elements between the user's engagement action and the final locked state. The pawls with claw members provide mechanical advantage, allowing youth players to engage the buckle with insufficient strength by leveraging the pawl's engagement with the annular rim.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing members automatically urge the locking pawls into the engaged position with the annular rim, creating a self-locking mechanism. Once the clasp assembly is inserted, the biasing members ensure positive engagement without requiring additional force from the user.
3Measurement precision
If ordinary snaps are used, then the device complexity is low, but the definitive engagement indication is poor as a definitive snap is often unattainable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs visual indicators (such as color changes or positional indicators) on the locking mechanism to provide definitive feedback to the user about engagement status. When the locking pawls engage with the annular rim, the indicator changes to clearly show proper engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The release mechanism with opposing buttons provides tactile and visual feedback when the locking pawls are engaged or disengaged. The buttons' position and the mechanism's audible click provide clear feedback about the engagement state, eliminating uncertainty for the user.
Data Source
AI summary
A latching device configured to secure a first piece of material to a second piece of material. For example, the first piece of material is a boat tarp and the second piece of material is a boat hull. The latching device includes a locking buckle and clasp assembly. The locking buckle has a main body portion and a release mechanism. The release mechanism has locking pawls with claw members. The locking pawls engage the clasp assembly to releasably retain the locking buckle on the clasp assembly.