Adjustable Guard for Angle Grinder with Rotational Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Angle grinders lack an efficient mechanism to adjust the position of the guard surrounding the grinding disc, limiting user flexibility when grinding different regions of a workpiece.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable guard mechanism with a locking system that allows the guard to be rotated about a rotational axis, featuring a lever or detent mechanism that can be actuated to switch between locking and release states, enabling the guard to be securely positioned in various orientations relative to the spindle housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the guard is fixed in position, then the structure is simple and stable, but the user cannot adjust the guard orientation to access different regions of the grinding disc
Solution Approach 1:
The guard is designed to be dynamically adjustable rather than fixed, allowing it to rotate about the spindle rotational axis. The locking mechanism transitions between locked and unlocked states, enabling the guard to switch between fixed and movable conditions. This dynamic design allows users to adjust the guard orientation to access different regions of the grinding disc while maintaining structural simplicity through the straightforward rotational adjustment mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the guard is made rotatable to allow orientation adjustment, then user flexibility is improved, but the guard becomes movable and potentially less stable
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism enables the guard to dynamically transition between locked and unlocked states. When locked, the guard maintains a stable fixed position; when unlocked, it becomes movable for adjustment. This dynamic state change allows the guard to provide stability during operation while enabling easy adjustment when needed, resolving the contradiction between stability and adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-latching, automatically securing the guard in its adjusted position without requiring additional fastening steps. The mechanism engages automatically when the guard reaches a desired orientation, providing stable positioning through its own structural design rather than requiring external stabilization components.
3Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to secure the guard in adjusted positions, then positional stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism provides reliable positioning by enabling the guard to transition between locked and unlocked states. The mechanism ensures the guard remains securely fixed during operation while allowing easy adjustment when needed, achieving reliable positioning through a relatively simple state-based locking system rather than complex multi-component assemblies.
Data Source
AI summary
An angle grinder including a motor housing, a motor supported within the motor housing, a spindle, a spindle housing from which the spindle extends, and a guard coupled to the spindle housing and including a shroud surrounding the spindle and a grinding disc coupled to the spindle. An orientation of the guard is adjustable relative to the spindle housing by rotating the guard about a rotational axis of the spindle. The angle grinder also includes a locking mechanism operable between a locking state, in which the guard is rotationally immovable relative to the spindle housing, and a release state, in which the guard is rotatable about the rotational axis to adjust the orientation of the guard. The locking mechanism includes a lever configured to be pressed by a user to adjust the locking mechanism from the locking state to the release state.