SRLCS D-pad Tunnel Structure for Webbing Sag Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall-protection safety harnesses are often cumbersome and heavy, making them impractical for workers who need to be mobile at heights, and there is a need for equipment that is both easy to use and comfortable to wear to ensure proper usage and prevent misuse.
Innovation Solution
A Self-Retracting Lifeline Connecting System (SRLCS) that securely attaches to a fall-protection safety harness, featuring a D-pad with webbing apertures and a tunnel structure to support the weight of attached safety equipment, allowing for easy carabiner attachment and reducing sagging, along with a webbing retainer clip to prevent gate opening during falls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional fall-protection safety harnesses are used to ensure worker safety at heights, then safety is improved, but the equipment becomes heavy and cumbersome, reducing worker mobility and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The safety harness is divided into separate functional components: a lightweight wearable harness and a separate SRLCS (Self-Retracting Lifeline Connecting System) that provides the heavy-duty safety functions. This segmentation allows the wearable portion to be minimal while the safety functions are concentrated in a separate attachable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The SRLCS acts as an intermediary between the worker and the safety requirements. It connects to the lightweight harness and provides the actual safety functions (lifeline support, fall protection) through its own mechanisms, including the D-pad with tunnel structure for carabiner attachment.
2Reliability
If safety equipment is made robust to ensure proper usage, then reliability is improved, but the equipment becomes complex and difficult to use, increasing the risk of misuse
Solution Approach 1:
The SRLCS is designed to be self-configuring through its D-pad (D-shaped pad) structure with pre-formed webbing apertures and tunnel. The carabiner automatically finds the correct attachment path through the tunnel structure, and the webbing retainer clip self-activates to secure the connection without requiring complex manual manipulation or training.
Solution Approach 2:
The webbing is pre-threaded through the D-pad apertures in a criss-crossed manner, and the tunnel structure is pre-formed to guide the carabiner. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for on-site assembly complexity and ensures correct attachment without requiring the user to understand or configure the safety system.
3Ease of operation
If the webbing is made flexible to allow movement, then ease of operation is improved, but the webbing sags under the weight of attached equipment, reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid tunnel structure acts as a counterweight support system. Instead of relying on the webbing to support the equipment weight, the tunnel provides a rigid pathway that distributes and supports the load, preventing the webbing from sagging while maintaining its flexibility for movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines flexible webbing material with rigid structural elements (the tunnel and D-pad). The webbing maintains its flexibility for ease of operation while the rigid tunnel structure provides the structural support needed to prevent sagging and ensure reliability under load.
4Ease of operation
If the carabiner gate is made easily openable for quick attachment, then ease of operation is improved, but the gate may accidentally open during falls, creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The webbing retainer clip is designed to perform a preliminary anti-action against the carabiner gate opening. During normal operation or during a fall, the retainer clip engages with the carabiner gate to prevent it from opening accidentally. The clip only releases when properly activated through the intended attachment process, maintaining gate security while allowing easy attachment when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods may relate to a Self-Retracting Lifeline Connecting System (SRLCS) that securely attaches to a fall-protection safety harness, and further provides connections to a plurality of safety devices. In an illustrative example, the SRLCS may include a D-pad adapted for rear attachment to a back-pad of a safety harness. In some examples the D-pad may have webbing apertures through which two sections of webbing may be threaded in a criss-crossed manner. In some embodiments, the D-pad may provide an attachment for a first harness ring. In some exemplary embodiments, the D-pad may also provide a tunnel structure for routing a second harness ring therethrough. In an illustrative example, the tunnel may be located immediately adjacent the criss-cross location of the two sections of webbing, thereby permitting a carabiner to make use of the tunnel to capture the two sections of webbing.