NFC Screwgate Connector for PPE Traceability and Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal protective equipment connectors, such as those used in mountaineering and occupational safety, lack comprehensive and reliable information regarding their identification, use, and maintenance status, which can lead to safety risks due to potential misuse or misidentification, especially as they age or deteriorate over time.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a radio-frequency electronic device, specifically an NFC tag, into the connector's screwgate, allowing for secure and reliable computerized recognition and information exchange, including unique codes, usage history, and other data, via proximity communication, thus enhancing traceability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If comprehensive information is stored on the connector, then safety and reliability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The NFC tag is integrated within the screwgate assembly, nesting the electronic information storage component inside the existing mechanical structure. This allows comprehensive safety information to be stored without adding external complexity to the connector system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces potential mechanical or physical information storage methods (such as engraved plates or attached labels) with an electronic NFC tag system. This substitution enables comprehensive data storage while maintaining a clean, integrated design without mechanical complexity.
2Reliability
If the connector is made durable to withstand environmental stresses, then reliability is improved, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The NFC tag is positioned on the screwgate surface, utilizing the existing geometric parameters and surface features of the connector. This approach allows durable information storage without requiring changes to the fundamental manufacturing parameters or material properties of the connector itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The information storage function is extracted as a separate NFC tag component that can be independently manufactured and then integrated into the connector. This separation allows the connector to be manufactured using standard durable materials and processes, while the electronic tag is added through a simpler attachment process.
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 NFC tag provides a secure and durable means to associate critical information with the connector, enhancing safety and reliability by enabling easy data access and updating, reducing the risk of misidentification and misuse, while withstanding environmental stresses.
Implementation Method 1
a radio-frequency electronic device, specifically an NFC tag, into the connector's screwgate, allowing for secure and reliable computerized recognition and information exchange, including unique codes, usage history, and other data, via proximity communication
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a connector for works at height, rescue or mountaineering, including climbing, in which an electronic component is present on the closing screwgate, such as an integrated circuit of the radio-frequency type, usable for the identification via computer systems and in which information relating to the connector itself and its use can be written.