Adjustable Tool Coupling System for Orientation Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable tools with releasable couplings often require protruding elements, such as pins, which limit their versatility and require springs for operation, leading to design shortcomings like increased bulk and restricted orientation.
Innovation Solution
A coupling system using a pin with coaxial receptacle openings and splines, along with ball bearings and springs, allows for rotatable and lockable positions without protrusions, enabling tools to be used in various orientations without external springs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pin is used to engage the handle and tool member, then the coupling is achieved, but the pin protrudes a substantial distance above the wrench
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is nested within the handle and tool member structures. The pin extends through recesses in both components and is retained by shoulders and retaining structures, allowing the pin to function while remaining contained within the overall tool boundaries rather than protruding externally.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism transitions from external pin protrusion to internal pin placement. The pin operates in the internal dimension of the tool structure, with its engagement and retention occurring within the bodies of the handle and tool member rather than extending outward.
2Ease of operation
If springs are used to enable releasable coupling, then the wrench can be released, but external springs increase bulk and require protruding elements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is extracted from the external domain and placed entirely within the internal structure of the handle. The spring is housed in a recess within the handle body, allowing the releasable coupling function to be achieved without external springs or protruding elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is nested within the handle structure, specifically housed in a recess that contains the spring and its associated retaining structures. This nesting allows the spring mechanism to operate internally without increasing the external dimensions or bulk of the tool.
3Reliability
If a smooth pin with flat surfaces is used, then engagement is achieved, but the pin must protrude substantially and require multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is merged with the handle structure through integration. The pin is positioned in a recess in the handle and retained by shoulders and retaining structures that are part of the handle body, combining multiple functions (engagement, retention, positioning) into a unified internal arrangement rather than separate external components.
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 provides a compact, versatile, and rugged coupling system that allows tools to be used in any desired orientation without external protrusions, enhancing usability and reducing design flaws of previous tools.
Implementation Method 1
springs biasing the ball bearings outwardly so that when the first ball bearing is moved outwardly into the first bevel the pin allows the first and second members to rotate relative to each other and so that when the second ball bearing is moved outwardly into the second bevel the first and second member are locked into position relative to each other
Data Source
AI summary
Adjustable tools which may be linked through a coupling so that the tool and the handle are rotatable relative to each other in a released condition and locked relative to each other in a locked position. The tool and the handle may thus be adjusted to have the tool at any desired orientation to the handle and in a locked position in that orientation.