Inflatable Bag Support Structure for Cervical Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal protection devices with inflatable bags often fail to provide adequate protection for the cervical zone and leave other areas uncovered, particularly during motorbike falls and impacts, where the air bag is housed inside a garment portion that does not reach the cervical zone effectively.
Innovation Solution
A personal protection device with inflatable bags of annular or 'C'- or 'U'-like shape, housed in a garment, featuring a support structure that connects two inflatable bags to provide comprehensive protection for the cervical, thoracic, and spinal regions, along with overlapping flaps for enhanced coverage and freedom of motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air bag is housed inside a conventional garment portion, then the device is compact and easy to wear, but the cervical zone is not adequately protected
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bag is designed with a three-dimensional annular configuration that extends vertically along the garment, transforming from a simple two-dimensional patch into a volumetric protective structure that reaches the cervical zone while maintaining compact storage
2Reliability
If the air bag is designed to cover the cervical zone, then protection is improved, but the garment becomes less ergonomic and more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable bag is divided into multiple functional zones with overlapping flaps that can inflate independently or collectively, allowing selective protection of different body regions while maintaining flexibility and freedom of motion in non-protected areas
Solution Approach 2:
The garment incorporates dynamic inflation capability where the bag transitions from a compact flexible state during normal movement to an expanded rigid protective state during impact, allowing full range of motion when not activated
3Reliability
If the inflatable bag is designed for comprehensive coverage, then protection is improved, but the device becomes harder to manufacture and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The annular inflatable bag serves multiple protective functions simultaneously - protecting the cervical zone, thoracic region, and sides - with a single integrated structure, eliminating the need for multiple separate air bags and reducing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The garment integrates the inflatable bag, support structure, and anchoring system into a unified construction where the bag's annular form naturally provides both structural support and protective coverage, simplifying assembly and production
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 offers optimal protection for the cervical and thoracic areas while allowing remarkable freedom of motion for the user's upper limbs, providing excellent spinal, thoracic, and cervical protection, and is ergonomically designed for convenience and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the air bag has a shape and configuration such that, once developed, it provides an optimal protection both of the cervical zone and of the trunk-thoracic portion
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~3A
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
A protection device (1) for the personal protection of a user, apt to be contained in a garment (4) wearable on by said user, the inflatable device (1) comprising at least one inflatable bag (11), a support structure (2) arranged at the user's spinal portion and connected with that inflatable bag (11), and means (3) for inflating said at least one inflatable bag (11), characterized in that said at least one inflatable bag (11) has an operative configuration apt to provide an active protection both at the user's cervical region and at the chest region, as well as at the user's sides (Figure X).