Interchangeable Vent Accessories for Protective Eyewear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Protective goggles face a trade-off between preventing fogging and allowing moisture escape, while also needing to exclude foreign substances, leading to a variety of designs that are not adaptable to specific hazards, resulting in a proliferation of goggles with different vent structures that are not easily customizable for varying environments.
Innovation Solution
A safety goggle with interchangeable vent accessories located on the interior frame, allowing users to select and install baffles, filters, or plugs based on the hazard, enhancing airflow and protection without compromising aesthetics or durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If vents are added to the goggle frame to allow moisture and heat to escape, then fogging of the lens is reduced, but foreign substances such as dust and liquids can enter the interior of the goggle
Solution Approach 1:
The vent structure is segmented into multiple functional components: a vent opening for airflow, a baffle assembly with multiple baffles to redirect flow, and an optional filter assembly. This segmentation allows the vent to simultaneously achieve moisture escape and foreign substance protection through coordinated action of its parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The baffle assembly acts as an intermediary element between the vent opening and the interior space. The baffles redirect airflow patterns to promote moisture escape while creating a physical barrier that prevents direct entry of foreign substances into the goggle interior.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If different vent structures are designed for different hazardous environments, then protection against specific hazards is improved, but the number of different goggle models increases
Solution Approach 1:
The goggle frame incorporates a universal vent structure that can accommodate multiple types of vent accessories (baffles, filters, plugs) through standardized mounting mechanisms. This allows a single base model to serve multiple hazardous environments by simply changing the accessory assembly, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated goggle models.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent configuration is made dynamic and adaptable through interchangeable accessories. Users can change the vent assembly characteristics based on the specific hazard encountered, transforming a static product line into a dynamic, reconfigurable system that responds to different environmental requirements.
3Speed
If vent accessories are located on the exterior of the goggle frame, then airflow management is improved, but the accessories are vulnerable to external trauma and dislodgement
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing vent accessories on the exterior surface where they are exposed to trauma, the invention inverts the arrangement by locating the interchangeable vent accessories on the interior side of the goggle frame. This internal positioning protects accessories from external impacts while maintaining effective airflow management through the vent structures.
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 customizable and protective eyewear system that adapts to different hazards while maintaining airflow and reducing the risk of foreign substances entering, thus enhancing user safety and reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The vent opening is in fluid connection between the interior portion and the exterior portion of the eyewear
Implementation Method 2
The end-user could install a baffle assembly to redirect airflow through the goggle
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a pair of protective eyewear that includes a frame having a brow portion with a top surface and a bottom portion with a bottom surface. The frame is configured and arranged to be secured against a wearer's face wherein the brow portion conforms to the wearer's forehead and the bottom portion conforms around the wearer's nose and cheekbones. A lens is interfittingly engaged with the frame. The frame and the lens define an interior portion of the eyewear and an exterior portion of the eyewear. The frame includes a number of vent structures, and each of the vent structures has a vent opening. The vent opening is in fluid connection between the interior portion and the exterior portion of the eyewear. The protective eyewear includes at least one vent accessory configured and arranged to releasably couple to at least one of the vent structures.