Lattice Support Structure for Protective Apparatus Impact Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional protective apparatuses, such as shin guards, face challenges in effectively distributing impact forces and providing structural strength while minimizing material usage, as they often rely on rigid impact shells and separate impact attenuating structures that do not efficiently work together.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a lattice structure on the posterior side of the impact shell allows the impact attenuating structure to be offset, providing improved impact attenuation and structural strength while reducing material usage, with the lattice protruding more in the middle portion and less in the medial and lateral portions, enhancing force distribution and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid impact shell is used to resist punctures and distribute impact force, then structural strength is improved, but material usage increases and impact attenuation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The shell is segmented into a lattice structure consisting of multiple interconnected struts or beams forming a grid-like pattern. This segmentation allows the shell to maintain structural strength while using less material, as the lattice configuration distributes loads across multiple pathways rather than requiring a solid continuous structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The lattice structure creates a porous or open framework within the shell. This porous configuration reduces material usage while maintaining structural integrity through the geometric arrangement of the lattice elements, which can effectively distribute and dissipate impact forces across the structure.
2Strength
If a rigid impact shell is used to resist punctures and distribute impact force, then structural strength is improved, but impact attenuation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective apparatus uses a composite structure combining a rigid lattice shell with a compliant impact attenuating structure. The lattice shell provides puncture resistance and initial impact distribution, while the compliant material (such as foam) absorbs and dissipates impact energy through deformation, creating a synergistic system that improves overall impact attenuation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmentation of the shell into a lattice structure creates multiple load pathways and stress distribution zones that work together with the compliant impact attenuating material. This segmented design allows for more effective energy distribution and absorption compared to a solid rigid shell.
3Quantity of substance
If the impact attenuating structure is positioned directly against the posterior surface of the shell, then material usage is reduced, but impact force distribution effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The lattice structure extends in the third dimension (perpendicular to the shell surface), creating a protruding framework that positions the impact attenuating material at multiple distances from the shell. This dimensional extension allows the material to engage with impact forces at different depths, improving force distribution effectiveness without requiring additional material quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lattice structure acts as an intermediary between the shell and the impact attenuating material. It provides a framework that distributes impact forces across multiple points before they reach the compliant material, enhancing the material's effectiveness in absorbing and dissipating energy while using less material overall.
Data Source
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AI summary
Aspects of the present invention relate to a protective apparatus that is comprised of an impact shell and an impact attenuating component. In particular, the impact shell is comprised of a lattice structure on the posterior side of the shell that protrudes from the shell and allows the impact attenuating structure to be offset or spaced from the posterior surface of the shell in at least a middle portion of the shell. The amount of protrusion of the lattice from the posterior surface of the shell reduces as the lattice extends from a middle portion of the shell outwardly towards a medial and/or lateral portion. The lattice structure provides improved impact attenuation characteristics and increased structural strength while reducing materials.