Neck Collar Breakable Rear Plate for Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective collars for sporting activities, such as motorcycle riding, pose risks due to rigid side hinges and rear plates that can deform or break during accidents, potentially causing catastrophic neck injuries.
Innovation Solution
A neck collar design featuring two pivotally hinged half-collars with a rear plate structure made of breakable plastic that absorbs impact energy by collapsing parallel to the spinal column, allowing for easy replacement of the breakable parts if damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid rear plate is used to transfer loads away from the spine, then protection against spinal loads is improved, but the risk of deformation or break during accidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning the rear plate from a completely rigid structure to a selectively flexible structure. The plastic material is designed with specific mechanical properties that allow it to remain rigid under normal conditions for spine protection, but to deform controllably under extreme impact forces to absorb energy and prevent catastrophic failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining a plastic material with specific mechanical characteristics in the rear plate structure. This composite approach allows the plate to exhibit both rigid behavior for normal spine loading and flexible behavior for impact absorption, resolving the contradiction between protection reliability and failure risk.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid side hinge is used to connect half-collars, then structural stability is improved, but the risk of deformation or break during accidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes to the side hinge by using a plastic material that can transition between rigid and flexible states. The hinge maintains structural stability during normal use through its rigid characteristics, but can deform controllably during accidents to absorb impact energy, thereby reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.
3Reliability
If breakable plastic structure is used to absorb impact energy, then safety against catastrophic injuries is improved, but the complexity of the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the disposable principle by designing the breakable plastic structure as a sacrificial component that can be easily replaced after impact. The structure is intentionally designed to fail in a controlled manner to absorb impact energy, protecting more critical components, and can be readily replaced if damaged without requiring complex repair procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the impact absorption function from the main structural components and isolates it in a dedicated breakable plastic structure. This extraction allows the primary structure to remain simple and rigid for normal operation, while the separate plastic component handles impact energy absorption through controlled deformation or breakage.
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 collar effectively reduces the risk of catastrophic neck injuries by absorbing impact energy and enabling easy replacement of damaged components, enhancing user safety and reusability.
Implementation Method 1
a structure (38) made of breakable plastic, designed to break or collapse in a programmed manner in a direction parallel to the spinal column of the user following an impact
Data Source
AI summary
A collar for protecting the neck of a user, useful in particular for motorcycle riders, is envisaged, said collar comprising two half-collars which are pivotably hinged together at one end so as to be rotatable in a substantially horizontal plane and which can be connected together by means of a fastening and release lever, a safety structure which at the rear extends downwards from the bottom edge of the collar so as to be centered with respect to the spinal column of the user, and a protective shield which extends downwards at the front. The safety structure has a breakable structure made of the material with an impact strength lower than the material forming the collar so as to break in a programmed manner in the event of impacts following falls.