Rotatable Lock Bar for Urethane Webbing Harness Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional adjustable connectors struggle with urethane coated webbing due to increased stiffness and friction, making it difficult to adjust and clean, which has hindered their adoption in patient transport harness systems.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a rotatable lock bar with textured surfaces and tapered slots, along with an arced webbing aperture, allowing for improved adjustability and ease of cleaning by reducing friction and facilitating movement along the webbing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If urethane coated webbing is used in harness systems, then ease of cleaning is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased stiffness and friction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the lock bar by adding a textured surface (increasing surface roughness) and changing its geometry to include rounded edges and specific dimensional proportions. These parameter changes reduce the coefficient of friction between the lock bar and urethane coated webbing, enabling easier adjustment despite the webbing's inherently high friction properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock bar is designed to be rotatable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment along the webbing. The rotational movement enables the connector to be repositioned easily by overcoming static friction initially, then maintaining position through controlled rotation, adapting to the high-friction characteristics of urethane coated webbing.
2Reliability
If conventional adjustable connectors are used with urethane coated webbing, then safety standards are met, but adjustability is reduced due to high friction
Solution Approach 1:
The lock bar's dimensional parameters are specifically optimized: length of 0.5 to 1.5 inches, width of 0.25 to 0.75 inches, and thickness of 0.125 to 0.375 inches. The textured surface increases surface area contact while the rounded edges reduce stress concentration. These parameter changes enable the connector to meet safety load requirements while facilitating adjustment through reduced friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector system combines metal components (baseplate, tongue, lock bar) with compatibility for urethane coated webbing. The metal provides structural strength for safety compliance, while the textured surface treatment on the lock bar creates a composite interface that reduces friction with the urethane coating, achieving both safety and adjustability.
3Strength
If metal or alloy lock bars are used, then strength is improved, but friction with urethane coated webbing increases making adjustment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The lock bar maintains metal construction for strength but modifies surface parameters by adding texture. The dimensional parameters (length, width, thickness) are optimized to provide sufficient structural strength while the textured surface reduces friction. This allows the metal lock bar to maintain its inherent strength advantages while overcoming the friction problem with urethane coated webbing.
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
This solution enhances adjustability by approximately 60% while maintaining compliance with safety standards, reducing the effort required to adjust the connector and improving the reliability of the system by minimizing friction and abrasion on the webbing.
Implementation Method 1
The outer surface of the rotatable lock bar can be textured (e.g., knurled) to increase the coefficient of friction of the outer surface
Implementation Method 2
the rotatable lock bar is adapted to rotate and allow the adjustable connector to be moved relative to the coated webbing
Implementation Method 3
A length of coated webbing is received within the webbing aperture and looped around at least 180 degrees of the outer surface of the rotatable lock bar
Data Source
AI summary
Adjustable connectors disclosed herein are adapted to connect webbing to a buckle. The webbing can be, e.g., a urethane coated webbing, some other type of coated webbing, or a non-coated webbing. The adjustable connector includes a baseplate, a tongue at a front end of the baseplate, a webbing aperture within the baseplate, first and second walls extending perpendicularly from the baseplate, and first and second slots respectively within the first and second walls. In certain embodiments, the slots are tapered. In certain embodiments, the adjustable connector includes a rotatable lock bar including a central portion having an outer surface and first and second tabs. In certain embodiments, each of the tabs has a cross-section with a major-axis that is greater than a minor-axis that is orthogonal to the major-axis. In certain embodiments, a front edge of the webbing aperture comprises an arced front edge.