Safety Stirrup Swivel Arm for Emergency Foot Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional horse-riding stirrups are difficult to disengage from in emergency situations, such as falls, due to their closed-loop design, making it hard for riders to extract their boots without external help.
Innovation Solution
A safety stirrup with an open 'C' or 'L' shaped frame and a swivel arm that allows lateral disengagement of the user's foot, featuring a reinforcement core and a flexible second side arm for easy release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closed-loop stirrup structure is used, then the rider's foot is securely held, but the foot cannot be easily extracted in emergency situations
Solution Approach 1:
The closed-loop stirrup is segmented into two parts: a fixed first side arm and a movable second side arm connected by a pivot joint. This segmentation allows the stirrup to maintain its closed-loop secure holding function while enabling the second arm to swing open for easy foot extraction in emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The second side arm is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed, allowing it to swing between a closed position (providing secure foot holding) and an open position (enabling quick extraction). The pivot joint and spring mechanism enable this dynamic behavior automatically based on applied forces.
2Ease of operation
If a swivel arm mechanism is added for safety release, then foot extraction is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel arm mechanism is designed to activate automatically through the rider's own movements during a fall or emergency. The spring-loaded second side arm swings open when force is applied, enabling self-service extraction without requiring the rider to consciously operate any mechanism or seek external help.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot joint and spring mechanism act as intermediaries that translate the force of a fall or emergency pull into the opening motion of the second side arm. This intermediary mechanism automatically mediates between the rider's emergency movement and the stirrup's release function, adding minimal complexity while enabling automatic safety release.
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
Enables easy and secure release of the foot from the stirrup, maintaining firm footing while allowing for quick disengagement in emergencies, with adjustable flexibility and precise tuning for different users.
Implementation Method 1
a second side arm (12) comprising an articulation end (14) pivoted to the stirrup frame (2) about an axis of rotation (R)
Implementation Method 2
the second side arm (12) comprises at least one flexible portion (20)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Horse-riding stirrup comprising a stirrup frame (2) which comprises a hooking portion (4) to a stirrup leather (100), a first side arm (6) and a support arm (8) connected to each other in an incident manner to define a frame compartment (10) engageable by a user's foot; a second side arm (12) comprising an articulation end (14) pivoted to the stirrup frame, and a free end (16) rotatable between a coupling configuration to the support arm and a release configuration therefrom in which the arm is spaced from the support arm to create a lateral disengagement opening (18) of the foot from the compartment. The second side arm comprises a flexible portion (20) which in the coupling configuration presses the free end in abutment with the support arm and which, in order to achieve the release configuration, allows the second side arm to bend in part to snap-disengage the free end from the support arm.