WO2013071487A1

WO2013071487A1 - Protective mechanism used for harness and a corresponding harness

Info

Publication number: WO2013071487A1
Application number: PCT/CN2011/082225
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jianyong Zhou
Original assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
Priority date: 2011-11-15
Filing date: 2011-11-15
Publication date: 2013-05-23

Abstract

A protective mechanism (3) used for a harness comprises a connecting member (4) and a protective pad (5). The connecting member (4) comprises a first connecting portion (40) and a second connecting portion (42) which are attachable each other. The protective pad (5) comprises a protective pad main body (50), at least one first separation region provided at a first edge (51) of the protective pad main body (50) and at least one second separation region provided at a second edge (52) of the protective pad main body (50). The first edge (51) is separated into sections by said at least one first separation region and the second edge (52) is separated into sections by said at least one second separation region. The protective pad main body (50) is fixedly connected to the first connecting portion (40) near the first edge (51) thereof, and the protective pad main body (50) is fixedly connected to the second connecting portion (42) near the second edge (52) thereof. The protective mechanism can effectively prevent a part of the harness from being worn. A harness using said protective mechanism is also disclosed.

Description

A PROTECTIVE MECHANISM USED FOR HARNESS AND A CORRESPONDING

HARNESS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to safety protective technology, particularly relates to a harness for personal safety.

BACKGROUND

In wind power industry, an operator usually climbs up to a certain height along a ladder disposed inside a tower barrel and made of metal to perform his operation, and returns to the ground via the ladder again. Fig. 1 is an example of such type of tower barrel. As shown in Fig. 1, the operator moves up and down through the ladder 10. The tower barrel is generally inadequate in space. Therefore, the back of the operator will touch a tower body 12 of the tower barrel during his moving up and down.

The operator wears or is equipped with a harness in aerial operation in order to avoid falling from high up in the air.

Fig. 2 shows an example of harness for use in aerial operation in the prior art. As shown, the harness further comprises a protective belt 21 for protecting waist and back portions of a human body in addition to a fastening belt 20 for connecting the harness to human body and other components such as buckles. When an operator who wears the harness as shown in Fig. 2 moves up and down in the wind power tower barrel as shown in Fig. 1, the protective belt 21 can prevent his back from colliding directly with the tower body 12 of the wind power tower barrel. However, since the protective belt 21 collides with the tower body 12 easily and frequently, it is common that the protective belt 21 has worn out and cannot be used any more whi le the fastening belt 20 and other components of the harness are still usable. Thus, the harness has to be abandoned with only the protective belt 21 being worn out.

l SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a protective mechanism used for a harness to address the problems as above mentioned or others.

The protective mechanism in accordance with the present invention may comprise a connecting member and a protective pad, in which the connecting member may comprise a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion which are attachable each other, and the protective pad may comprise a protective pad main body, at least one first separation region provided at a first edge of the protective pad main body, and at least one second separation region provided at a second edge of the protective pad main body portion, where the first edge is separated into sections by said at least one first separation region and the second edge is separated into sections by said at least one second separation region. The protective pad main body can be fixedly connected to the first connecting portion near the first edge thereof, and the protective pad main body can be fixedly connected to the second connecting portion near the second edge thereof.

In accordance with the protective mechanism of the present invention, at least one convex portion can be provided at one side of the protective pad main body, and both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are provided at the other side of the protective pad main body.

Preferably, at least two convex portions can be provided at said one side of the protective pad main body, and the first and second separation regions are oppositely provided between the convex portions each other.

In accordance with the protective mechanism of the present invention, a first fitting portion may be provided on the first connecting portion at a side thereof that does not face said the other side of the protective pad main body, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion may be provided on the second connecting portion at a side thereof that faces said the other side of the protective pad main body. Alternatively, a first fitting portion may be provided on the first connecting portion at a side thereof that faces said the other side, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion may be provided on the second connecting portion at a side thereof that does not face said the other side.

In accordance with the protective mechanism of the present invention, the protective pad is a structure made of elastic material. More preferably, the protective pad is a structure made of wear- resisting material.

In accordance with the protective mechanism of the present invention, the first connecting portion may comprise three finger-like portions, and the first fitting portion can be provided at the three finger-like portions.

In accordance with the protective mechanism of the present invention, the connecting member may further comprise a third connecting portion provided between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion . Optionally, the first, second and third connecting portions are formed integrally.

The present invention also provides a harness comprising a harness body, the harness body can comprise a fastening belt for connecting with a human body and a protective belt fixedly connected with the fastening belt . The harness further comprises the protective mechanism as above described, which can be attached to the harness body.

The protect ive mechani sm according to the present invent ion can be attached to a harness by means of the first and second connecting portions which are attachable each other to prevent the protective belt of a harness from being worn. In addition, the protective mechanism can be removed from the harness by separating the first and second connecting portions. BRIEF DESCRI PTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the fol lowing , the invention will be described in details with reference to an example and the appended drawings, wherein,

Fig.l illustrates an example of a wind power tower barrel ; Fig. 2 illustrates an example of harness for using in aerial operation in the prior art;

Fig. 3 illustrates a protective mechani sm used for a harness in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 illustrates an integrally formed connecting member ; Fig. 5 illustrates a harness provided with the protective mechanism in accordance with the present invention, in which an outward face (i.e. , facing away from a human body) of the harness is shown; and

Fig. 6 illustrates a harness provided with the protective mechanism in accordance with the present invention, in which a face of the harness facing the human body is shown.

DETAI LED DESCRI PTION

The present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be constructed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art .

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprising", "including", and variants thereof, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. They are only used to distinguish one element discussed herein from another one. Therefore, a first element, such as a first connecting portion and a first edge, could be termed a second element, such as a second connecting portion and a second edge, without depart ing from the teachings of the present invention, viceversa.

Fig. 3 illustrates a protective mechanism 3 used for a harness in accordance with the present invention. As shown in Fig.3, the protective mechanism 3 comprises a connecting member

4 comprising a first connecting portion 40 and a second connecting portion 42 which are attachable each other and a protective pad

5 comprising a protective pad main body 50, at least one first separation region provided at a first edge 51 of the protective pad main body 50, and at lease one second separation region provided at a second edge 52 of the protective pad main body 50. The first edge 51 is divided into sections by at least one first separation region, and the second edge 52 is also divided into sections by at least one second separation region. As an illustrative example without intention of limiting, in this embodiment, the first edge 51 is divided into four sections by three separation regions 541, 542 and 543 while the second edge 52 is divided into four sections by three separation regions 561, 562 and 563. Preferably, the three separation regions 541, 542 and 543 which are used to separate the first edge 51 are provided opposite to the three separation regions 561, 562 and 563 which are used to separate the second edge 52, respectively. The protective pad main body 50 is fixedly connected with the first connection portion 40 near the first edge thereof, and is fixedly connected with the second connection portion 42 near the second edge thereof. In this embodiment, the protective pad main body 50 is riveted with the first connection portion 40 and the second connection portion 42 respectively. It shall be appreciated that the protective pad main body 50 can be fixedly connected to the first connection portion 40 and the second connection portion 42 respectively by other means, such as permanently adhering together, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protective pad main body 50 is fixedly connected to the first connection portion 40 and the second connection portion 42 at positions closer to the first edge and the second edge, respectively. It can be noted that the positions above mentioned are illustrative but not limiting. Alternatively, the positions at which the protective pad main body 50 is connected with the first connection portion 40 and the second connection portion 42 can be closer to the central portion of the protective pad main body 50.

At least one convex portion is provided at one side 501 (hereinafter referred to as the first side 501) of the protective pad main body 50. The first connection portion 40 and the second connection portion 42 of the connecting member 4 are provided at the other side (hereinafter referred to as the second side which is not shown in Fig.3) of the protective pad main body 50. Preferably, at least two convex portions are provided at said one side 501, i.e., the first side 501. In addition, the position of any of the separation regions above described is interlaced with the positions of the convex portions.

Four convex port ions 60 , 61, 62 and 63 are provided according to one embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the separation regions 541, 542, 543 are provided between the convex portions 60 and 61, between the convex portions 61 and 62, and between the convex portions 62 and 63, respectively; correspondingly, the separation regions 561, 562, 563 are provided between the convex portions 60 and 61, between the convex portions 61 and 62, and between the convex portions 62 and 63, respectively. It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the number of the convex portions can be determined as required in practice and is not limited to the number shown in this embodiment. The protective mechanism according to the present invention can be applied to a harness which can be bent more or less when it is worn or placed on the human body. With the separation regions, the protective pad can be effectively prevented from breakage due to such bending.

The first connecting portion 40 of the connecting member 4 is provided with a first fitting portion at a side thereof that does not face the second side of the protective pad main body 50, and the second connecting portion 42 of the connecting member 4 is provided with a second fitting portion 420 adapted to mate with the first fitting portion at a side thereof that faces the second side of the protective pad main body 50. Alternatively, the first connecting portion 40 of the connecting member 4 can be provided with a first fitting portion at a side thereof that faces the second side of the protective pad main body 50, and the second connecting portion 42 of the connecting member 4 can be provided with a second fitting portion 420 adapted to mate with the first fitting portion at a side thereof that does not face the second side of the protective pad main body 50.

The first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 can be attached each other by mating the first fitting portion with the second fitting portion . Furthermore, the second fitting portion 420 and the first fitting portion can be separated from each other as desired so that the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 are changed from a state of being attached each other into a state of being separated. It is understood by those skilled in the art that in the present application, the term "attachable each other" means that the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 can be attached each other for example by mating the first fitting portion with the second fitting portion as described above and that the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion can be changed from the state of being attached each other into the state of being separated, as desired, for example by separating the first fitting portion from the second fitting portion . The first fitting portion and the second fitting portion can be any components adapted to be attached each other and can be separated from eachotheras desired . By way of example , the fitting portions can be Velcro or snap fasteners.

According to an example of the present invention, the first connecting portion 40 may comprise three finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403. The first fitting portion are provided at the three finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403, namely, the first fitting portion includes three parts which are respectively provided at the three finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403. In case that the fitting portions are Velcro, each of the finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403 is provided with Velcro, and the Velcro used for the second fitting portion can be provided at the second connection portion 42 corresponding to the finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the number of the finger-like portions of the first connecting portion 40 is not limited to three as described with reference to this example, but can be any number as desired.

According to another example of the present invention, the first connecting member 4 may further comprise a third connecting portion provided between the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42. Still with reference to Fig. 3, the third connecting portion can be provided at the second side of the protective pad main body 50. Preferably, the first connecting portion 40, the second connecting portion 42, and the third connecting portion are formed integrally whereby the first connecting portion 40, the second connecting portion 42 and the third connecting portion form a unity. Such integrally formed connecting member is illustrated in Fig.4. Another side of the connecting member 4 is shown in Fig.4 with respect to the side of the connecting member 4 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the second fitting portion 420 provided at the connecting member 4 while Fig. 4 shows the first fitting portion 410. In case that the fitting portions 410 and 420 are Velcro, the first fitting portion 410 may be a male Velcro made of a harder material and the second fitting portion 420 may be a corresponding female Velcro made of a softer material for example.

In all examples of the present invention, the connecting member 4 can be made of nylon and the protective pad 5 can be made of a material having certain elasticity. It is preferred that the protective pad 5 is made of a material having sufficient elasticity which is soft and ultra wear- resi sting , such as polyurethane .

In addition, at least one hole through which a hanger, which is generally included by the harness to hang tools at a lower side of the protective belt thereof , can be exposure to the out side of the harness to facilitate the use of the operators may be provided in the connecting member 4. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the number of holes can be determined as desired. In the examples of the present invention, two holes 70 are provided at the second connecting portion 42 of the connecting member 4.

Fig. 5 illustrates a harness provided with the protective mechanism in accordance with the present invention, in which an outward face (i.e., facing away from human body) of the harness is shown. As shown in Fig.5, the harness comprises a harness body 8 comprising a fastening belt 80 for connecting with the human body and a protective belt (not shown) fixedly connected with the fastening belt 80. It is noted that only those components which are related to the present invent ion are illustrated herein, but the other components of the harness body 8 which are not mentioned in this document are not excluded. As described above, the protective belt can be used to prevent the waist and back of the operator from colliding with the metal frame of the tower barrel when he moves up and down the wind power tower for example . The process on how the protective mechanism is attached to the harness body 8 will be discussed below with reference to Fig. 3. The protective mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 3 is orientated to face the side of harness that faces away from human body such that the position of the protective pad 5 corresponds to the protective belt. The first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 of the connecting member 4 are moved in such a manner that they will enclose the protective belt . Finally, the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 are attached each other by for example mating the first fitting portion with the second fitting portion. In this example, the shape of protective mechanism 3 is adapted to the harness. Specifically, the first connecting portion 41 comprises three finger-like portions 401, 402 and 403, in which the finger-like portions 401, 402 are located at opposite sides of the fastening belt 801 and the finger-like portions 402, 403 are located at opposite sides of the fastening belt 802. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the shapes of the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42 in the protective mechanism can be varied so as to be adapted to the specific shape of harness, but not limited to the examples disclosed herein.

Fig. 6 illustrates a harness provided with the protective mechanism in accordance with the present invention, in which a face of the harness facing the human body is shown. As shown, the first connecting portion 40 is attached to the second connecting portion 42 by the Velcro at the three finger-like portions 401, 402, 403 are respectively mated with the corresponding Velcro at the second connecting portion 42.

With reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, it can be viewed that the hanger 72 of the harness that is used to hang the tools are exposed outside through the holes 70 of the protective mechanism to facilitate the hanging of tools thereon by operator.

When the operator performs an operation wearing the harness according to the present invention, regardless of any object touched by his waist or back portion, it is the protective pad of the protective mechanism that firstly contacts the object rather than the harness itself does. That is, no matter what object is touched by waist or back portion of the operator, it is the protective pad made of ultra wear- resi sting material that contacts the object rather than the protective belt itself does . Therefore, the protective belt is effectively prevented from being worn out, whereby the life span of the protective belt is prolonged and the harness can be used for a longer period. Furthermore, the convex portions provided on the protective pad can further extend the wearing time of the protective pad and damp impact on the human body due to colliding.

When the protective pad of the protective mechanism is worn out to the extent that it can not be used, the protective mechanism can be removed from the harness body by separating the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion, and then a new protective mechanism can be attached to the harness body if desired. The harness according to the present invention or a conventional harness with the protective mechanism according to the present invention can be used longer than the conventional harness because the protective belt is avoided to be worn by the protective mechanism. Furthermore, the comfort of the human body when wearing the harness is ensured since the connecting member of the protective mechanism is made of nylon.

It is noted that the above discussion of protective mechanism and harness is made in a context of aerial operation; however, it is not intended to limit the protective mechanism and harness of the present invention to be only applied in the aerial operation. The other environments involving personal safety, such as underground operation, can also employ the protective mechanism or harness of the present invention. In addition, it is only an illustrative example without intention of limiting that the wear of harness is caused by the friction between the harness and the tower barrel hereinbefore.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. A protective mechanism used for harness, the protective mechanism comprising: a connecting member comprising a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion being attachable each other; a protective pad comprising a protective pad main body, at least one first separation region provided at a first edge of the protective pad main body, and at least one second separation region provided at a second edge of the protective pad main body portion, the first edge being separated into sections by said at least one first separation region, the second edge being separated into sections by said at least one second separation region; and wherein the protective pad main body is fixedly connected to the first connecting portion near the first edge thereof, and the protective pad main body is fixedly connected to the second connecting portion near the second edge thereof .

2. A protective mechanism according to claim 1, wherein at least one convex portion is provided at one side of the protective pad main body and both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are provided at the other side of the protective pad main body.

3. A protective mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein at least two convex portions are provided at said one side of the protective pad main body in which the first separation region and the second separation region are oppositely provided between the convex portions each other.

4. A protective mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a first fitting portion is provided on the first connecting portion at a side thereof that does not face said the other side, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion is provided on the second connecting portion at a side face thereof that faces said the other side.

5. A protective mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a first fitting portion is provided on the first connecting portion at a side thereof which faces said the other side, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion is provided on the second connecting portion at a side thereof which does not face said the other side.

6. A protective mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the protective pad is a structure made of elastic material .

7. A protective mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the protective pad is a structure made of wear-resisting material.

8. A protective mechanism according to claim 6 , wherein the first connecting portion comprises three finger-like portions and the first fitting portion is provided at the three finger-like portions .

9. A protective mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the connecting member further comprises a third connecting portion provided between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

10. A protective mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the first, second and third connecting portions are formed integral ly .

11. A harness comprising a harness body, the harness body comprising a fastening belt for connecting to human body and a protective belt fixedly connected with the fastening belt, wherein the harness further comprises a protective mechanism, the protective mechanism comprising: a connecting member comprising a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion being attachable each other; a protective pad comprising a protective pad main body, at least one first separation region provided at a first edge of the protective pad main body, and at least one second separation region provided at a second edge of the protective pad main body portion, the first edge being separated into sections by said at least one first separation region, the second edge being separated into sections by said at least one second separation region ; wherein the protective pad main body is fixedly connected to the first connecting portion near the first edge thereof, and the protective pad main body is fixedly connected to the second connecting portion near the second edge thereof; and wherein the protective mechanism isattachedtothe protective belt by the first connecting portion being attached to the second connecting portion around the protective belt.

12. A harness according to claim 11, wherein at least one convex portion is provided at one side of the protective pad main body, and both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are provided at the other side of the protective pad main body.

13. A harness according to claim 12, wherein at least two convex portions are provided at said one side of the protective pad main body, and the first separation region and the second separation region are oppositely provided between the convex portions each other.

14. A harness according to claim 12, wherein a first fitting portion is provided on the first connecting portion at a side face thereof that does not face said the other side, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion is provided on the second connecting portion at a side thereof that faces said the other side.

15. A harness according to claim 12, wherein a first fitting portion is provided on the first connecting portion at a side thereof that faces said the other side, and a second fitting portion adapted to mate with the first fitting portion is provided on the second connecting portion at a side thereof that does not face said the other side.

16. A harness according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the protective pad is a structure made of elastic material.

17. A harness according to claim 16, wherein the protective pad is a structure made of wear-resisting material.

18. A harness according to claim 16 , wherein the first connecting portion comprises three finger-like portions and the first fitting portion is provided at the three finger-like portions.

19. A harness according toclaiml6, wherein the connecting member further comprises a third connecting portion provided between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

20. A harness according to claim 19, wherein the first, second and third connecting portions are formed integrally.