Stackable Layer Structure for Adjustable Prosthetic Sockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rigid structures are difficult to adjust in shape as needed due to their rigid properties, making them obsolete when the object or device they are designed for changes in size or shape, and they require costly and time-consuming custom manufacturing or specialized machinery for adjustments.
Innovation Solution
An assembled structure comprising at least two stackable layers that can be individually adjusted in shape and secured with a fastener, allowing for easy reconfiguration without specialized machinery, forming a semi-rigid or rigid unitary construction that can be disassembled and reassembled as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid structure is used to provide structural support and strength, then the structure maintains its shape and provides stability, but it becomes difficult to adjust in shape when size or shape changes are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid structure is divided into multiple stackable layers that can be independently adjusted. Each layer maintains the structural strength when stacked together, but can be individually modified in shape or size by removing and replacing layers, resolving the contradiction between maintaining overall structural integrity and enabling局部 adjustability.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid structure is customized to individual dimensions, then it fits specific requirements, but it requires costly and time-consuming custom manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The structure uses standardized stackable layers that can be combined in different quantities and configurations to achieve custom dimensions. This allows precise fitting to individual requirements while using standardized components that can be manufactured efficiently, eliminating the need for costly custom manufacturing of entire structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure achieves custom dimensions by changing the number of layers stacked together rather than custom-manufacturing each component. By varying the quantity of standardized layers, the overall dimensions can be precisely adjusted to fit specific requirements while maintaining economical manufacturing of the base components.
3Reliability
If a rigid structure is designed to fit an object or device, then it provides complementary support, but it becomes obsolete when the object or device changes in size or shape
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid structure is composed of modular stackable layers that can be independently removed, added, or replaced. When the object or device changes in size or shape, the layers can be reconfigured to maintain the complementary fit, extending the service life of the structure without rendering it obsolete.
4Device complexity
If a rigid structure is made unitary to simplify construction, then it provides uniform structural support, but it cannot be easily disassembled to add or remove attachments
Solution Approach 1:
The structure achieves a simplified unitary appearance when layers are stacked together, but the individual layers remain separable through releasable fasteners. This allows the structure to function as a simple uniform whole during use, while enabling easy disassembly for adding or removing attachments or modifying the configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure transitions between a static unitary configuration during use and a dynamic separable configuration when modification is needed. The releasable fasteners enable the structure to be easily assembled and disassembled, allowing attachment modifications without complex procedures while maintaining the simplicity of a unitary construction during normal operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A structure assembled by first and second stackable layers having properties allowing for the first and second stackable layers to be shaped into at least first and second different shapes, and at least one fastener to releasably secure the first and second stackable layers together in one of the at least first and second shapes in a semi-rigid or rigid, and unitary construction. The first and second stackable layers are secured into one of the at least first and second shapes by the at least one fastener to form a semi-rigid or rigid, and unitary construction.