Angled Bolt T-Bar Battery Terminal Clamp for Confined Engine Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery terminal clamps face challenges in securely connecting and disconnecting from battery posts, especially in tight spaces, due to limited accessibility and difficulty in accommodating different battery post shapes and sizes.
Innovation Solution
A battery terminal clamp with a variable intermediate aperture, a T-shaped pull bar, and an angled threaded rod, combined with a wedge-shaped element and rotatable threaded nut, allows for easy installation and removal by adjusting the aperture size through rotational movement of the nut, facilitating secure mechanical and electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional battery terminal clamp design is used, then the clamp can provide a secure connection to the battery post, but it becomes difficult to access and tighten in tight, confined areas under modern automobile hoods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the threaded nut from a side-mounted location to a top-mounted location on the clamp body. This dimensional change allows the nut to be accessed from above, significantly improving accessibility in confined engine compartments where side access is limited. The T-bar tool engages with the top of the clamp body, enabling tightening operations from a vertical direction rather than requiring lateral access.
2Reliability
If the clamp aperture is made small to secure the battery post, then the connection becomes secure, but the clamp becomes difficult to install and remove
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a variable aperture mechanism that allows the clamp opening size to change dynamically. The aperture can be expanded to a larger diameter for easy installation onto the battery post, then reduced to a smaller diameter to provide a secure, tight connection. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between ease of installation and connection security.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the clamp is designed to accommodate different battery post shapes and sizes, then versatility is improved, but the clamp structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the clamp with a universal aperture that can accommodate various battery post diameters and shapes. The variable aperture mechanism, combined with the T-bar engagement system, creates a single clamp design that can adapt to different battery configurations without requiring multiple specialized clamps, thereby achieving versatility without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
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 clamp provides a secure and easy-to-use solution for connecting and disconnecting from battery posts, accommodating various shapes and sizes, and is adaptable for different automobile models, enhancing accessibility in confined areas.
Implementation Method 1
a wedge-shaped element... Downward movement of the threaded nut along the threaded rod causes a responsive movement of the pair of wedge-shaped elements. The movement of these wedge-shaped elements in turn reduces the size of the intermediate aperture, and tightens the battery terminal clamp onto the post of the storage battery.
Implementation Method 2
a vertically disposed threaded rod, a threaded nut secured to the threaded rod... Downward movement of the threaded nut along the threaded rod causes a responsive movement of the pair of wedge-shaped elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery terminal clamp has a body portion with an intermediate aperture for engaging a battery post. The clamp further includes a threaded rod extending upwardly relative to the body portion at an angle to the horizontal of between 45° and 60°. A battery pull bar extends from one side wall to the opposite side wall of the body portion. A wedge-shaped element abuts one side wall of the body portion. Together with the battery pull bar, the wedge-shaped element alternately effects a reduction in, or increase in, the size of the intermediate aperture.