Inflating Neck Strap for Rapid Head-Neck Motion Restriction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing neck protection devices, such as those with inflatable airbags attached to garments, fail to promptly protect the neck during falls due to inflation delays and potential obstruction by clothing, leading to inadequate restriction of head and neck movement.
Innovation Solution
A flexible inflating strap is disposed along the boundary between the neck and head, equipped with an inflation source and activation unit to rapidly inflate and restrict neck movement, integrated with a helmet for direct contact and quick deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an inflatable airbag is attached to the collar of a garment, then the neck area can be protected, but the inflation takes time to reach the boundary between neck and head
Solution Approach 1:
The inflating strap is pre-positioned along the boundary region between the neck and head before operation occurs. This preliminary placement ensures that when inflation is triggered, the protective force is immediately applied to the correct location without delay for positioning or deployment to the head-neck boundary.
2Reliability
If an inflatable airbag is attached to the collar of a garment, then neck protection is provided, but deployment may be obstructed by hood or backpack
Solution Approach 1:
The inflating strap is extracted from the garment collar structure and integrated directly into the helmet system. This separation removes the dependency on garment collars and their associated obstructions (hoods, backpacks), allowing the protection device to function independently of clothing items that could block deployment.
3Speed
If the inflating strap is disposed along the boundary between neck and head, then rapid protection is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inflating strap serves multiple functions: it positions the inflation source at the correct location, provides the structural framework for inflation, and directly applies protective force to the neck boundary. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate positioning mechanisms and simplifies the overall device architecture despite the rapid deployment capability.
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 rapid and effective protection by restricting neck movement, minimizing injury from impacts, and ensuring consistent fit and inflation regardless of the wearer's orientation, with a compact design and detachable components.
Implementation Method 1
an inflating portion configured to be inflated when an inflation source is supplied
Data Source
AI summary
A protection device including an inflating strap having flexibility and configured to be disposed in contact with a skin of a wearer along at least a part of a boundary region between the neck and a head of the wearer in a state before the protection device is operated, the inflating strap including an inflating portion configured to be inflated when an inflation source is supplied at a time of operation of the protection device, an inflation source supply unit configured to supply the inflation source to the inflating portion, and an activation unit configured to inflate the inflating portion by activating the inflation source supply unit, a movement of the neck of the wearer is restricted by inflating the inflating portion at a time of operation.