Angle Grinder Attachment Hood Segmentation for Safety and Cost

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hand-held power tools, such as angle grinders, lack a simple and cost-effective solution for attaching a protective hood that can be easily converted into a detachable configuration, compromising user safety and increasing production and procurement costs.

Innovation Solution

A hand-held power tool device with an attachment hood featuring a positive connecting element and a fixing unit that allows for easy attachment to a protective hood, enabling flexible angular positioning and quick connection without tools, thereby enhancing user safety and reducing costs by being compatible with most common protective hoods.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a complete detachable protective hood is produced in one piece, then safety protection is improved, but production costs and procurement costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety protectionVSAvoidproduction costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The protective hood is divided into two separate components: a base protective hood and an attachment hood. The attachment hood can be connected to the base hood via positive connecting elements (such as lugs engaging with slots or keyed connections) to form a complete detachable protective hood when safety regulations require full coverage. This segmentation allows users to purchase the inexpensive base hood separately and only add the attachment hood when needed, significantly reducing procurement costs while maintaining safety protection when required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If a complete detachable protective hood is produced in one piece, then safety protection is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety protectionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protective hood is divided into two separate components: a base protective hood and an attachment hood. The attachment hood can be connected to the base hood via positive connecting elements (such as lugs engaging with slots or keyed connections) to form a complete detachable protective hood when safety regulations require full coverage. This segmentation allows users to purchase the inexpensive base hood separately and only add the attachment hood when needed, significantly reducing procurement costs while maintaining safety protection when required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If a protective hood is used without attachment hood, then cost is reduced, but occupational safety compliance is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocurement costsVSAvoidoccupational safety compliance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The protective hood is divided into two separate components: a base protective hood and an attachment hood. The attachment hood can be connected to the base hood via positive connecting elements (such as lugs engaging with slots or keyed connections) to form a complete detachable protective hood when safety regulations require full coverage. This segmentation allows users to purchase the inexpensive base hood separately and only add the attachment hood when needed, significantly reducing procurement costs while maintaining safety protection when required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protective hood system is designed to be dynamically configurable. Users can attach or detach the attachment hood based on the specific operational requirements and safety regulations applicable to different tasks. The positive connecting elements enable quick and tool-free attachment/detachment operations, allowing the system to adapt its configuration (incomplete or complete protective hood) according to the situation, thereby maintaining compliance when needed while reducing costs when full protection is not required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Ease of operation

If attachment hood is designed for easy and rapid connection, then ease of operation is improved, but connection reliability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment simplicityVSAvoidconnection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The attachment hood is equipped with positive connecting elements (such as lugs, protrusions, or keyed features) that are pre-configured to engage with corresponding receptacles or slots on the base protective hood. This preliminary configuration ensures that when the attachment hood is attached, the connection is immediately secured in a reliable and repeatable manner without requiring tools or complex alignment procedures, thus achieving both ease of operation and connection reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20230025492A1Hand-Held Power Tool Device, Hand-Held Power Tool having the Hand-Held Power Tool Device, and Accessories having the Hand-Held Power Tool Device
Publication Date: 2023.01.26 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • US20230025492A1 patent drawing
  • US20230025492A1 patent drawing
  • US20230025492A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A hand-held power tool device for a hand-held power tool, in particular an angle grinder, includes at least one attachment hood for connection to a protective hood for at least partially covering a working tool of the hand-held power tool. The attachment hood has at least one form-fitting element, which is provided to interact with a collar-like, free-standing outer region, running in a circumferential direction, of the protective hood and at least contribute to the connection.