Rocking Knee Pad Assembly for Distributed Kneeling Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional knee pads fail to effectively distribute pressure away from the knee while a worker kneels, leading to discomfort and potential injury over time, especially when shifting weight.
Innovation Solution
A knee pad assembly comprising a flexible upper cushion and a rigid lower base that rocks back and forth, combined with a strap system, to absorb and distribute pressure, and optional spring sheets and supplemental shin support for enhanced shock absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional knee pads are used, then the knee is protected from direct impact, but pressure is still concentrated on the knee causing discomfort and injury
Solution Approach 1:
The knee pad is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid lower base for stability and pressure distribution, and a flexible upper cushion for pressure absorption and redistribution. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally, preventing pressure concentration on the knee while maintaining protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The knee pad combines different material properties in a single device - rigid materials for the lower base and flexible materials for the upper cushion. This composite structure enables simultaneous achievement of pressure distribution and pressure absorption, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and pressure concentration.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional knee pads remain stationary during weight shifting, then they provide stable coverage, but they fail to deflect pressure away from the knee
Solution Approach 1:
The upper cushion is designed to be flexible and dynamic, allowing it to deform and adapt during weight shifting movements. This dynamic capability enables the cushion to deflect pressure away from the knee in real-time, while the rigid lower base maintains overall stability and coverage during the same movements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the knee pad have different mechanical properties - the lower base is rigid for stability, while the upper cushion is flexible for pressure deflection. This local differentiation of material properties allows the pad to simultaneously provide stable coverage and adapt to weight shifting movements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid structure is used for the knee pad, then stability is maintained, but pressure distribution is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The knee pad is segmented into a rigid lower base and a flexible upper cushion, allowing the rigid portion to provide stability while the flexible portion handles pressure distribution. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning different functions to different segments based on their material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of rigid and flexible materials in the knee pad creates a composite structure that simultaneously achieves stability and effective pressure distribution. The rigid material provides structural stability, while the flexible material enables pressure redistribution, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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
Reduces pressure concentration on the knee, minimizing discomfort and injury by distributing it across the knee and shin, enhancing comfort and safety during prolonged kneeling.
Implementation Method 1
a set of openings are formed in the bottom of the flexible upper knee cushion to create a compression zone at which the upper knee cushion collapses so as to absorb and refocus pressure away from the workman's knee in response to the force generated by his knee pushing down against the upper knee cushion
Implementation Method 2
The rigid lower base establishes an outer protective shell having a continuously curved bottom surface along its longitudinal axis at which the knee pad rocks back and forth over the work surface by which the force is distributed along his knee and shin
Implementation Method 3
First and second flexible (e.g., carbon fiber) sheets having a spring memory are seated on and attached to respective ones of the first and second pairs of shoulders so as to extend laterally across the front of the lower base below the upper knee cushion. The spring sheets are spaced one in front of the other so as to be able to flex independently of one another. When the kneeling workman leans forward on the work surface, the spring sheets will flex in response to the downward pushing force applied thereto by the workman's knee
Data Source
AI summary
A knee pad assembly to protect the knee of a workman who kneels down while working on a work surface. The knee pad assembly includes a flexible upper knee cushion at which to receive and cover the workman's knee and a rigid lower base that lies on the work surface below the upper knee cushion. The lower base has a continuously curved bottom to rock back and forth on the work surface when the workman shifts his weight while kneeling. The upper knee cushion and the lower base are held one above the other against the knee of the workman by a knee pad strap that is wrapped around the workman's leg. A pair of springs (e.g., flexible carbon fiber sheets having a spring memory) extend across the lower base below the upper knee cushion so as to suspend the workman's knee above the work surface and flex in response to the workman's knee pushing down on the knee cushion.