Protective Pad Release Mechanism for Spinal Injury Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current protective shoulder pads, rib pads, and lower back pads pose challenges during the removal process for individuals with suspected neck or cervical spine injuries, requiring significant manual effort and potentially causing secondary injuries due to their design, which complicates diagnosis and treatment while maintaining spinal stabilization.
Innovation Solution
A release mechanism allowing the detachment of rib and lower back pads from shoulder pads while the individual is in a supine position, utilizing a strap with a retaining loop and elongated coupler for easy access and decoupling, reducing the need for extensive repositioning and manual stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protective shoulder pads, rib pads and lower back pads are designed to provide comprehensive spinal protection, then protection reliability is improved, but device complexity and removal difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective pad system is divided into separate components (shoulder pads, rib pads, lower back pads) that can be independently attached and detached. Each component can be removed separately from the body, allowing selective removal of lower back pads without removing the entire protective system, thus reducing overall complexity while maintaining comprehensive protection when all components are assembled.
2Reliability
If protective pads are designed to remain attached during supine position removal, then protection reliability is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism transitions from a static fixed connection to a dynamic releasable connection. The lower back pads can be detached from the shoulder pads through a release mechanism that allows easy separation while maintaining secure attachment during normal use. This dynamic design enables operators to quickly remove lower back pads in supine position without compromising the integrity of the remaining protective system.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If complete pad removal is performed for diagnosis and treatment access, then diagnostic accessibility is improved, but risk of secondary injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower back pads are extracted as a separate removable component from the shoulder pad assembly. This allows medical personnel to remove only the lower back pads for improved access to the cervical spine and ribs during diagnosis and treatment, while leaving the shoulder pads attached to maintain spinal stabilization. This selective extraction reduces the risk of secondary injury compared to complete pad removal.
4Reliability
If multiple trained personnel are deployed for pad removal, then removal safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The release mechanism is designed to be operated by a single person without requiring coordinated effort from multiple trained personnel. The releasable connection allows one operator to independently detach the lower back pads from the shoulder pads through a simple action on the release mechanism, eliminating the need for multiple people to manually manipulate and remove the entire pad assembly while maintaining safety standards.
Data Source
AI summary
Protective pads wearable by a user for use in a contact sport include a release mechanism that allows the protective pads to be safely and easily detached from each other while the individual wearing the protective pads is maintained in the supine position, thus decreasing the risk of a secondary injury to the individual wearing the protective pads as the protective pads are removed. The release mechanism includes an elongated coupler having an anterior segment that is operable to detach posterior portions of the protective pads from one another.