Body-Worn Head Support With Variable-Stiffness Composite Beam
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing body-worn support devices lack adjustability for different body types and provide inadequate support against both dynamical longitudinal and torsional moments, leading to muscle strain and discomfort during repetitive leaning tasks.
Innovation Solution
A body-worn support device featuring a pair of spaced-apart body harnesses secured to a variable stiffness member, comprising a fiber-reinforced composite beam with adjustable stiffness along its length, allowing for flexible support and load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible pliable band or spring is used to provide elastic tensioning, then the device can accommodate movement, but there is very little adjustability for different body types and different amounts of leaning
Solution Approach 1:
The support member transitions from a static flexible band to a dynamic structure with variable stiffness characteristics. The member can adjust its mechanical properties to provide appropriate support forces for different body types and leaning angles, enabling adaptability without requiring multiple separate devices or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member's stiffness parameter is made variable rather than constant. By changing the stiffness characteristic along the length of the member and allowing adjustment of these parameters, the device can accommodate different body types and leaning amounts while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Strength
If a semi-rigid support member is used to provide superior response to dynamical longitudinal bending moments, then support is improved, but the member may not exhibit adequate strength and stiffness to dynamical torsional moments
Solution Approach 1:
The support member incorporates different structural characteristics at different locations along its length. The cross-section is designed to be stronger and stiffer in regions where torsional moments are highest, while maintaining flexibility where bending moments dominate. This localized differentiation allows the member to resist both longitudinal bending and torsional forces effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member uses composite construction combining materials with different mechanical properties. This allows the member to exhibit anisotropic characteristics - being strong in longitudinal bending while also providing adequate torsional resistance. The composite structure enables simultaneous optimization for multiple loading conditions without requiring a uniformly rigid design.
3Device complexity
If the coefficient of elasticity is constant over the range of motion, then the device is simple, but as the chin moves closer to the chest, the tensioning force increases, thus increasing the load on the anterior neck muscles
Solution Approach 1:
The coefficient of elasticity is changed from a constant value to a variable parameter that changes with the degree of forward leaning. As the chin moves closer to the chest, the effective stiffness of the support member increases, which prevents excessive tensioning forces from developing. This parameter variation reduces the harmful load on neck muscles while maintaining device simplicity through a unified structural design.
Data Source
AI summary
A body-worn device for flexibly supporting a body part such as the head in a hunched over position such as when a surgeon performs surgery. The device can include a head harness connected to a torso harness by a specialized oblong variable stiffness beam that extends upwardly along the back of the spine of the wearer. The beam can include a variable stiffness member having a complex tapered geometry. The member can be made from a unitary piece of fiber composite material wherein the orientations of the fibers are varied to provide both bending and torsional strength and stiffness that varies along the length of the member. The beam and harnesses can include a plurality of interconnected mechanisms to provide greater adjustability.