Self-Sealing Connector for Emergency Release in Conditioning Garments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing conditioning garments with heated or cooled fluid systems hinder emergency exits as the shearing action to disconnect the fluid source can spill fluid and leave a trailing tube, obstructing the wearer's path.
Innovation Solution
A connector system with a moveable release member that allows disengagement of the fluid tubes without damaging the system, utilizing a rectilinear path for emergency releases, ensuring self-sealing passages to prevent fluid spillage and tube entanglement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the connection between the conditioning garment and the fluid source is sheared to allow rapid emergency exit, then the exit speed is improved, but fluid spillage and tube entanglement occur
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into separate male and female parts that can disengage cleanly. The male part is integrated with the garment while the female part remains with the fluid source, allowing one-way separation that prevents fluid leakage and tube entanglement during emergency exits.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-sealing passages are pre-configured to automatically close when the connector disengages. This preliminary sealing action prevents fluid spillage before the wearer can move away, eliminating the harmful effects of rapid disconnection.
2Reliability
If a releasable latch is used to hold the male and female parts together, then the connection reliability is improved, but the emergency release complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The release member is designed to be actuated by the natural motion of the wearer during emergency exit. As the wearer moves away, the release member automatically disengages the latch without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliable release.
3Speed
If the release member moves in a rectilinear path away from the female part, then the emergency release speed is improved, but the connector design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of designing a complex mechanism to actively push the male part away during release, the design allows the female part to remain stationary while the male part naturally moves away in a rectilinear path due to the wearer's motion. This inverted approach simplifies the connector design while maintaining rapid release capability.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
A conditioning garment has an array of tubes (11) for passing heated/cooled fluid to heat/cool a wearer of the garment. The array of tubes (11) terminate at a connector (16) for connection to a source of heated/cooled liquid. The connector (16) comprises a male part (15) and a female part (17) with a releasable latch (22, 34, 40) acting between the male and female parts (15, 17) to hold the male part (15) in engagement with the female part (17). The releasable latch includes a release member (40) moveable in a rectilinear path away from the connector (16) to release the latch and allow separation of the male part (15) from the female part (17). The male and female parts (15, 17) are self-sealing on disengagement. This allows for automatic separation of the male and female parts (15, 17) in an emergency.