Reconfigurable Harness Connections for Climbing and Ski Touring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harnesses are designed for specific uses, requiring users to carry multiple harnesses for different activities like climbing and ski touring, leading to impractical and inconvenient transitions.
Innovation Solution
A harness with a belt loop, chest loop, and belay connection element that allows for easy configuration changes between different activities by detachable connections, enabling versatile use in various scenarios without needing to remove the harness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a harness is designed for a specific use (e.g., climbing or ski touring), then it provides optimized performance for that activity, but the user must carry multiple harnesses for different activities
Solution Approach 1:
The harness is designed with a universal structure that can perform multiple functions through reconfigurable connections. The chest loop connection elements can be alternatively connected to either the belt loop or the belay connection element, allowing the same harness to be optimized for different activities like climbing, ski touring, via ferrata, and tree maintenance without requiring multiple specialized harnesses
2Reliability
If a user changes harnesses for different activities, then each harness can be optimized for its specific use, but the transition process is impractical and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The harness incorporates dynamic, reconfigurable connections that allow the user to change the harness configuration while wearing it. The detachable chest loop connection elements can be quickly repositioned between the belt loop and belay connection element, enabling on-the-fly adaptation from climbing position to ski touring position without removing the harness, thus eliminating the time loss associated with changing harnesses
3Reliability
If a user carries two different harnesses for different activities, then each activity can be performed with optimized equipment, but the overall device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of carrying two separate specialized harnesses, the user carries a single multi-functional harness that can be reconfigured for different activities. This eliminates the need to carry duplicate equipment, reducing the total weight while maintaining the ability to perform both climbing and ski touring with optimized positioning for each activity
4Device complexity
If the chest loop is fixed in position, then the harness structure is simple, but the user cannot adapt to different body positions and activities
Solution Approach 1:
The chest loop connection system is segmented into detachable components that can be independently positioned. The chest loop connection elements can be alternatively connected to different anchor points (belt loop or belay connection element), creating modular segments that can be reconfigured based on the required body position and activity, thus providing adaptability while maintaining relatively simple overall structure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a harness comprising a belt loop (1), a chest loop (13), at least one chest loop connection element (23), at least one chest connection belt (27), each having a first chest loop connection end (16) and an opposite second chest loop connection end (17), and a belay connection element (22), whereby the belt loop (1) and the chest loop (13) are connected to one another via the belay connection element (22), each first chest loop connection end (16) and the chest loop (13) are connected to one another, and the belt loop (1) and the belay connection element (22) are configured for alternatively and detachably connecting with the respective second chest loop connection end (17) via the respective at least one chest loop connection element (23).