Two-Person Vehicle Harness for Inline Passenger Fall Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety restraints for motorcycle passengers, particularly children, are inadequate as they often loosen their grip during rides, leading to accidental falls and potential injuries or fatalities.
Innovation Solution
A two-person vehicle safety harness that secures both the operator and passenger simultaneously around their torsos, using interconnected straps and quick release connectors, allowing the passenger to keep their hands free while maintaining secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a passenger merely grasps the operator's waist, then the passenger can maintain control with simple hand grip, but the passenger may loosen their grasp when sleepy or tired, leading to falls and injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The safety restraint system is divided into separate components: a first harness for the operator and a second harness for the passenger. Each harness has independent straps and buckles that can be adjusted and secured separately, allowing the passenger to be restrained without continuously gripping the operator while maintaining ease of operation through simple buckling actions
Solution Approach 2:
A horizontal strap connects the operator's harness to the passenger's harness, serving as an intermediary element that secures the passenger to the operator. This mediator allows the passenger to maintain control and awareness while freeing their hands from continuous gripping, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability
2Reliability
If additional seats are attached to the motorcycle frame with bolts or welding, then the passenger seat can be securely fixed, but this requires additional tools and skill for installation and alters the motorcycle frame
Solution Approach 1:
The safety restraint system is extracted from the motorcycle frame itself and applied directly to the operator and passenger bodies through harnesses. This removes the need for permanent modifications to the motorcycle frame while maintaining secure positioning, as the restraint force is applied to the occupants rather than relying on frame attachments
Solution Approach 2:
The harness system serves multiple functions: it secures both the operator and passenger simultaneously, provides adjustable fitting for different body sizes, and can be installed or removed without modifying the motorcycle. This multi-functionality achieves reliable security without installation complexity
3Reliability
If a rigid seat is used for the passenger, then the passenger can be securely positioned, but the rigid seat tires the passenger during long road trips
Solution Approach 1:
The harness uses flexible straps made of webbing material that can conform to the passenger's body contours. These flexible elements provide secure positioning through adjustable buckles while distributing pressure comfortably across the torso and shoulders, eliminating the discomfort of rigid seats during long trips
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle safety restraint provides a harness for two persons, seated inline, as upon a motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile, personal watercraft and the like. The harness has a forward portion, generally worn by the operator, and a rearward portion, generally worn by the passenger. The forward and rearward portions are connected by horizontally positioned straps and have vertically positioned straps for securing each portion over the torso and shoulders and away from the necks of the operator and of the passenger. A spreader maintains the straps in an X like arrangement and has a construction comfortable upon the back of a passenger. The straps are connected by quick releases, or buckles, at key junctions and have adjustors that permit length adjustments of the straps, making them suitable for persons seated upright safely upon a vehicle.