Versatile Knee Brace With Removable Stabilizers for Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing knee braces are limited to specific support outcomes, requiring users to purchase multiple braces as they progress through different stages of healing, lacking versatility in providing adjustable stabilization levels.
Innovation Solution
A knee brace with removable and adjustable stabilizer sleeves that allow insertion of varying stabilizer elements, combining the lightweight comfort of elastic braces with the support of lateral-motion stabilization, enabling a single brace to meet diverse stabilization needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid stabilizer is used to provide lateral-motion stabilization, then support and protection are improved, but weight and comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer is divided into a sleeve portion and a separate stabilizer element that can be inserted into or removed from the sleeve. This segmentation allows the user to have the stabilizer structure available for support when needed, while being able to remove the actual stabilizing element to reduce weight and increase comfort during recovery phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace transitions from a static, fixed-stabilizer design to a dynamic system where the stabilizer element can be inserted into or removed from the sleeve. This dynamic configuration allows the brace to adapt between providing maximum stabilization (when the element is inserted) and providing minimal interference (when the element is removed), accommodating different stages of healing.
2Device complexity
If a single knee brace design is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different support needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is designed to accommodate multiple different stabilizer elements with varying degrees of rigidity and support characteristics. This universal interface allows a single brace to provide multiple levels of stabilization, replacing the need for multiple specialized braces for different healing stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer element is nested within the sleeve structure, allowing it to be stored within the brace when not in use. This nesting arrangement keeps the brace compact while providing easy access to insert or remove the stabilizer element as needed, maintaining simplicity while enabling adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple knee braces are purchased for different healing stages, then adaptability to support needs is improved, but loss of substance and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding previous braces when transitioning to different healing stages, the design allows recovery and reuse of the main brace structure. Only the stabilizer element needs to be removed or replaced, not the entire brace, thereby reducing material consumption and waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the common structural components of multiple braces into a single reusable brace body, while only the variable stabilizer elements are changed. This consolidation reduces the total number of components that need to be manufactured and disposed of across different healing stages.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is a knee-brace with stabilizer-containment sleeves on each side that allow; stabilizers with varying degrees of stabilization to be swapped in and out to accommodate the stabilization required at different stages of healing.