Towing Harness Elastic Arm Damping Load Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing towing harnesses for trailers, such as those used for cross-country skiing or cargo transport, restrict mobility and expose users to uncomfortable load changes and pitching movements, leading to impaired driving comfort, especially for children.
Innovation Solution
The harness features arm pieces made of rubber or composite materials that connect the pull rods to the waist belt below the hips, allowing for improved mobility and effective damping of load changes, with telescopic rods and adjustable lengths for enhanced maneuverability and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pull rods are connected to the hip belt at the front (near the waist), then the connection is stable and provides good control, but the wearer's mobility is significantly restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The arm pieces extend the pull rod connection points laterally away from the body centerline, moving the attachment geometry from a frontal plane connection to a distributed lateral arrangement. This dimensional shift allows the pull rods to be positioned lower on the hips while maintaining stable triangular connection geometry, thereby improving mobility without sacrificing connection reliability.
2Strength
If rigid connection elements are used to connect the pull rods to the hip belt, then the connection is strong and stable, but load changes are transmitted abruptly causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The arm pieces are designed with varying cross-sectional dimensions along their length, creating a gradient in stiffness parameters. The thicker base provides strong attachment to the pull rod, while the gradually thinning toward the hip belt attachment point introduces controlled flexibility. This parameter variation allows the connection to maintain strength while absorbing load changes smoothly, eliminating the discomfort caused by rigid connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If telescopic rods are used to provide adjustable length, then maneuverability and freedom of movement are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic pull rods are divided into multiple segmented sections that can slide relative to each other. This segmentation allows the rod to extend and contract in a controlled manner, providing adjustable length for different maneuverability requirements. The segmented structure, when combined with the flexible arm pieces, actually simplifies the overall harness design by eliminating the need for complex adjustment mechanisms at the hip belt connection points.
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
The solution significantly enhances wearing comfort by reducing mobility restrictions and effectively damping load changes, providing a more comfortable and stable towing experience with improved load distribution across the hips and shoulders.
Implementation Method 1
the arm piece made of rubber or a composite material containing rubber, which runs transversely to the direction of pull, ensures that load changes acting on the hip belt and thus on the wearer of the hip belt are particularly effectively damped by the pull rod, since the arm piece is different from the elastomer piece from Nordic Cap is not stretched and compressed, but can deform essentially transversely to the direction of tension when the load changes
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5d
Figure 6~7b
AI summary
The invention relates to a towing harness for a trailer (1), in particular a trailer for transporting loads or children, comprising a hip belt (21, 40) and a towing rod attached thereto, with a right and a left towing bar (2, 3) which are connected to the hip belt (21, 40) at their front ends and can be connected to a trailer (1) at their rear ends in the direction of pull. To significantly improve comfort during pulling, it is proposed to provide an arm (5, 6) made of an elastic material projecting transversely from the front end of each of the towing bars (2, 3), wherein the head (13) of the arm (5, 6) facing away from the towing bar (2, 3) has fastening means for connecting it to the hip belt (21, 40).