Breathing Apparatus Support Frame with Adjustable Cylinder Strap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cylinder-retaining straps for breathing apparatuses have a limited range of adjustment, leading to excess strap material that can cause snagging hazards and are difficult to manage, especially when accommodating cylinders of varying diameters.
Innovation Solution
A support frame with a cylinder-retaining strap featuring an adjustable strap loop that can be secured to multiple fixing points, allowing for adjustable effective strap length and tensioning, enabling secure retention of cylinders of different sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a strap is made sufficiently long to accommodate a wide range of different cylinders, then the adaptability is improved, but the excess strap material causes snagging hazards and is difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the excess strap material from the functional retention path by creating a separate adjustable loop portion that can be detached or stowed away. This allows the main strap to remain sufficiently long for adaptability while the excess portion is isolated to prevent snagging hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustment capability through an adjustable loop with multiple attachment points, allowing the effective strap length to be modified based on cylinder size. This dynamic configuration enables the strap to adapt to different cylinders without creating permanent excess material that could cause snagging.
2Device complexity
If a strap has a small range of adjustment, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to different cylinder diameters is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the strap into distinct functional portions: a main retention strap and an adjustable loop portion. The adjustable loop is further segmented with multiple attachment points along its length, allowing independent adjustment of each segment to achieve the desired effective length while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable loop serves multiple functions: it extends the range of adjustment for different cylinder sizes, provides additional attachment points for customization, and can be configured to create different effective strap lengths. This multi-functionality achieves high adaptability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a support frame for a breathing apparatus comprising a cylinder cradle for supporting a compressed gas cylinder, a cylinder-retaining strap having a first end secured to the support frame at a first fixing point and a second end adjustably secured to the cylinder-retaining strap between the first and second ends, wherein the adjustable strap loop is secured to a second fixing point so as to form an effective strap length between the first and second fixing points, and a releasable third fixing point, wherein the effective strap length is adjustable by adjusting a position of the second end along the strap to thereby adjust a size of the adjustable strap loop, and releasably securing the adjustable strap loop to the third fixing point.