Vest-Mounted Ballistic Shield With Adjustable Arm Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective shields limit user mobility and protection by being either held by an arm or fixed to a vest, restricting limb use and providing protection only from one side.
Innovation Solution
A shield mounted to a vest via an adjustable arm that allows the shield's position to be set and maintained, enabling both arms and hands to be free for other activities, with the ability to move the shield for enhanced protection and incorporating storage for tools and communication devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield is held by one arm of the user, then the shield provides protection, but the arm carrying the shield has limited ability and experiences fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The shield system is segmented into a protective shield component and a separate adjustable arm mechanism that connects to the vest. This allows the shield to be positioned and supported independently from the user's arms, freeing them for other tasks while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
An adjustable arm mechanism serves as an intermediary between the vest and the shield. This intermediary component allows the shield to be positioned at various angles and distances while being supported by the vest structure rather than the user's arms.
2Ease of operation
If the shield is mounted to a fixed location on a vest, then the shield is supported without arm fatigue, but the shield provides protection from only one fixed side
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable arm mechanism incorporates dynamic elements that allow the shield to be repositioned to different angles and locations relative to the vest. This dynamic adjustability enables the shield to provide protection from multiple sides depending on the operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable arm mechanism provides multi-functionality by enabling the single shield to serve multiple protective roles. The shield can be positioned to protect the front, sides, or various angles of the user, making one shield equivalent to multiple fixed-position shields.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield is made from ballistic resistant material, then the shield protects from projectiles, but the shield weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield utilizes composite material construction combining ballistic-resistant layers with lighter supporting structures. This allows the shield to maintain projectile protection capabilities while reducing overall weight through optimized material selection and structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective system is segmented into the ballistic shield component and the adjustable arm mechanism. This segmentation allows the ballistic protection to be concentrated where most needed while the supporting structure uses lighter materials, distributing the weight burden across the vest rather than concentrating it in the shield alone.
Data Source
AI summary
Improvements in a shield is disclosed. The steady shield integrates a vest with a shield that can be made from a protective ballistic material that protects the user from projectiles, bottles, heat or debris. An adjustable arm connects the vest to the shield and allows the shield to be moved at least one of towards, away and to the sides and higher and lower relative to the user. Once the shield is positioned the shield will remain in the set position to allow both arms and hands of the user free for other activities. The shield also provides a platform for the storage of tools or other features such as, but not limited to, ammunition, tear gas, water, first aid, lighting, radio, camera, GPS or other display.