Safety Walker Pivoting Strap Mechanism Fall Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety walkers for the elderly and those recuperating from injuries or surgery often require complex harness arrangements or enclosures that limit unassisted mobility and are difficult to operate, especially in preventing ground-level falls.
Innovation Solution
A safety walker with a pivoting safety strap mechanism that can be easily configured between the user's legs, allowing for easy entry and secure positioning without the need for assistance, featuring a strap actuator that raises and locks the safety strap to prevent falls while allowing unobstructed movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complete enclosure with door or gate closure is used to prevent falls, then fall prevention reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in securing and operating closures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential fall prevention function from a complete enclosure, retaining only the necessary restraint elements (side barriers and safety strap) while eliminating the complex door/gate closure system. This provides fall protection without the operational difficulties of securing enclosures.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety walker is divided into segmented restraint elements (two side barriers and a separate safety strap system) rather than a complete enclosure. Each element can be independently positioned and secured, simplifying operation while maintaining fall prevention effectiveness.
2Reliability
If complex harness arrangements are used to prevent ground level falls, then fall prevention reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential restraint components needed for fall prevention (side barriers and safety strap) while eliminating unnecessary harness elements, buckles, and adjustment mechanisms found in complex harness arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using overhead harnesses that require buckling and adjustment, the patent inverts the approach by using a floor-based safety strap system with a simple pivot mechanism that automatically positions the restraint when the user steps into the walker.
3Reliability
If harnesses requiring twisting and bending to secure are used, then fall prevention reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in securing
Solution Approach 1:
The safety strap system is designed to be self-securing through a simple pivot action. When the user steps into the walker, the safety strap automatically positions itself, and the user simply needs to pivot the handle to secure it, eliminating the need for twisting, bending, or complex buckling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the user to actively secure harnesses through twisting and bending motions, the patent inverts the mechanism so that the safety strap automatically positions itself and requires only a simple pivot action to secure, making operation accessible to users with limited mobility.
4Reliability
If a safety strap is raised to a locked position to prevent falls, then fall prevention reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates if complex locking mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The safety strap system incorporates a self-latching pivot mechanism that automatically locks when the strap is raised to the vertical position. The gravity-assisted pivot action naturally secures the strap in place without requiring complex locking mechanisms or multiple adjustment steps.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex locking mechanisms to secure the safety strap, the patent inverts the approach by using a simple pivot mechanism with automatic latching that secures through gravity and geometry, making the locking operation as simple as raising the strap handle.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety walker provides a strap that actuates to allow a person to enter into the safety walker and then raise the strap between their legs. The strap prevents ground level falls. The safety strap is actuated by a strap actuator that may pivot about a pivot attached to the movable support frame. The strap actuator may be locked into a secure position with the strap in an elevated position by a latch. The strap actuator may be coupled to a handle actuator by one or more linkages, or the strap actuator and handle actuator may be a one-piece rigid member that rotates about a single pivot on the moveable frame. A coupling member may extend between a left and right strap actuator proximal to the back end of the strap actuators and the safety strap may be attached to the coupling member.