Inflatable Protection Device Spacer Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inflatable personal protection devices used for fall and impact protection often lack adequate ventilation due to their close contact with the user's body, leading to discomfort and potential heat buildup, while attempts to address this through holes or openings compromise protection by creating unprotected zones.
Innovation Solution
The use of spacers positioned between the inflatable element and the user's body to maintain a spaced relationship, ensuring ventilation without the need for holes or openings in the inflatable element, which can be made continuous, thereby providing enhanced protection and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inflatable element is placed in close proximity to the user's body for protection, then protection effectiveness is improved, but ventilation is worsened causing heat buildup and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (powdered substance such as talc, cornstarch, or silica gel) between the inflatable element and the user's body. This intermediary layer serves dual purposes: it maintains close contact for effective protection while creating air channels that enable ventilation and reduce heat buildup. The powder acts as a mediator that resolves the contradiction between needing close contact for safety and requiring space for airflow.
2Temperature
If through-holes or openings are added to the inflatable element for ventilation, then ventilation is improved, but protection is worsened by creating unprotected zones
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating openings in the inflatable element, the patent uses an intermediary powdered substance that naturally creates ventilation channels when placed between the element and the body. This approach provides ventilation without compromising the integrity and continuity of the protective inflatable surface, thus maintaining protection standards while improving airflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a porous or particulate intermediary material (powdered substance) that creates a porous structure between the inflatable element and the body. This porous layer allows air to pass through while the inflatable element itself remains intact and continuous, providing both ventilation and uninterrupted protection.
Data Source
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AI summary
A protection device (100) for protecting a portion of a user's body, a garment including said device and a protection method are described. The protection device (100) comprises an inflatable element (1) and at least one spacer (2) positioned on a surface (10) of said inflatable element (1) intended to face, during use, the body of the user.