Non-restraining neck collar
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with isolated neck extensor myopathy, also known as drop head syndrome, face challenges with existing support methods that are either uncomfortable, unsafe, or restrictive, leading to social and health issues, as well as increased caregiver burden due to the need for constant assistance with head lifting during eating and breathing.
Innovation Solution
A neck collar with resiliently flexible collar straps and an elastically deformable spring member that encircles the neck without fasteners, allowing easy placement and removal, providing comfortable and secure support for the chin and head without feeling like a restraint, thus addressing the need for a non-restrictive and user-friendly solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pillows or other items are used to hold the head up, then head support is provided, but the user cannot independently remove them without difficulty (restraint issue)
Solution Approach 1:
The collar straps are designed to be resiliently flexible, allowing them to dynamically adapt to the user's neck movements and positioning needs while maintaining support. This flexibility enables the user to independently adjust and remove the collar without fasteners, resolving the contradiction between stable support and easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar employs flexible straps that can be easily positioned and removed, providing head support without the restraint issues of rigid or fastened structures. The flexible material allows independent manipulation by the user while maintaining the necessary support function.
2Reliability
If fasteners are used to secure the collar, then the collar stays in place, but the user cannot easily remove it without unfastening
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastener component entirely from the collar design. The resiliently flexible straps are sized to encircle the neck and maintain positioning through their elastic properties alone, eliminating the need for fasteners and enabling easy removal by simply pulling the collar off the neck.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar straps serve their own function of securing the collar to the neck through their resilient flexibility, without requiring additional fastening mechanisms. This self-securing property allows the collar to stay in place during use while remaining easily removable when needed.
3Reliability
If rigid support structures are used, then head position is maintained, but comfort is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The collar uses flexible straps instead of rigid structures to maintain head position. The resilient material conforms to the user's neck contours and allows natural movement while providing the necessary support, thereby maintaining both position reliability and user comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar employs materials with appropriate elastic properties that allow the structure to be flexible yet maintainable. By selecting materials with specific resilience characteristics, the collar can adapt to user anatomy and movement while still effectively maintaining head position.
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 neck collar effectively maintains the head in an upright position, enhancing comfort and safety while reducing caregiver burden and social stigma, as it can be easily put on and taken off by the user without unfastening, ensuring it does not act as a physical restraint.
Implementation Method 1
an elastically deformable spring member that encircles the neck without fasteners
Data Source
AI summary
A neck collar can include a unitary foam pillow having extending from a first side first and second collar straps that extend opposite one another and terminate in respective distal ends separated by a space having a first distance in a relaxed state. The neck collar can also include an elastically deformable spring member embedded in the unitary foam pillow, the elastically deformable spring member being generally C-shaped in the relaxed state and having portions extending into both of the first and second collar straps. The elastically deformable spring member can be deformed such that the first distance is increased to a second distance.