Ventilation Device with Elastic Spacer Tabs for Improved Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilation devices, such as those with longitudinal openings and spacer members, fail to provide sufficient airflow due to limited spacing between edges, leading to inadequate ventilation and increased bulk, which impairs user comfort and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation device with elastic spacer members having tabs that are less than half the length of the edges, allowing for increased spacing and improved airflow when deployed, while being lighter and less bulky, and optionally featuring additional spacer members for enhanced ventilation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the tabs of the spacer member extend over the entire length of the edges, then the spacer member can be attached securely, but the spacing between the edges remains small and ventilation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer member is divided into multiple segments along its length, with each segment capable of independent deformation. This segmentation allows the tabs to extend beyond the edges at certain positions while remaining attached at others, creating variable spacing along the longitudinal direction and significantly increasing the effective ventilation area.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer member transitions from a two-dimensional flat structure to a three-dimensional curved structure. The tabs are designed to extend beyond the edges of the flexible support in the transverse direction, creating protrusions that increase the spacing between edges. This dimensional change maximizes the ventilation opening area without extending the longitudinal length.
2Area of stationary object
If the spacer member is made heavy and bulky to provide sufficient spacing, then ventilation is improved, but the device becomes inconvenient for use in garments
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer member is constructed from flexible, thin-walled material that can be deformed into a curved shape. This flexible structure provides the necessary spacing and structural support while maintaining minimal weight and thickness, making it suitable for integration into garments without causing discomfort or excessive bulk.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer member is designed with a curved or arched cross-sectional shape rather than a straight linear form. This curvature allows the tabs to extend beyond the edges of the flexible support, creating maximum spacing between edges while using minimal material. The curved geometry provides structural rigidity for spacing function without adding significant weight.
3Weight of moving object
If the tabs are made short (less than half the edge length), then the spacer member becomes lighter and less bulky, but attachment security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on a single long tab for attachment, the spacer member uses multiple shorter tabs distributed along its length. Each tab is attached at a different position, and their combined effect provides secure attachment equivalent to or greater than a single long tab. This segmentation reduces the length of individual tabs (lightening the structure) while maintaining overall attachment security through distributed attachment 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 airflow by increasing the spacing between edges, improving ventilation effectiveness, reducing weight and bulk, and lowering manufacturing costs, while maintaining structural integrity through reinforcing parts.
Implementation Method 1
at least one elastic spacer member which includes a first tab extending along the first edge and a second tab extending along the second edge
Data Source
AI summary
Ventilation device comprising a flexible support having first and second edges delimiting a longitudinal opening and being provided with first and second closing devices arranged to cooperate with one another, the ventilation device comprising at least one elastic spacer member which includes a first tab extending along the first edge and a second tab extending along the second edge, the elastic spacer member being constrained when the closing devices are in the closed position, so that the first and second tabs tend to separate from one another, the length of at least the first tab being less than half the length of the first edge