Awning Arm Reversible Joint Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing awning arms are difficult to assemble and disassemble, require professional installation, and have structural and aesthetic drawbacks such as visible screws that weaken the profile and can corrode, making it hard to correct errors during assembly and replace components.
Innovation Solution
The design features a hollow profile with an inner projection and screw holes, allowing reversible coupling and hiding of screws, enabling easy assembly and disassembly with widely available tools, and incorporating a U-shaped profile to stabilize the structure and accommodate internal components, while minimizing screw visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screws are inserted transversely to connect the joint to the hollow profile, then the connection is secure, but the screw is visible and reduces the mechanical integrity of the profile
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting screws transversely through the hollow profile (conventional approach), the invention inverts the approach by inserting screws longitudinally from the inside of the hollow profile through the joint. This reversal allows the screw to engage the joint without compromising the profile's structural integrity, as the screw travels parallel to the profile's length rather than creating transverse holes through it.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements nesting by placing the screw entirely within the hollow profile's internal space. The screw is inserted from the inside of the hollow profile and engages the joint from the interior, so that no part of the screw protrudes externally or compromises the profile's external structure. The joint effectively nests around the screw within the profile's hollow space.
2Reliability
If screws are inserted transversely to connect the joint to the hollow profile, then the connection is secure, but the screw is visible and can corrode causing discoloration
Solution Approach 1:
The screw is nested entirely within the hollow profile's internal space, with its head resting against the joint's internal surface and its shank extending into the joint. This nesting conceals the screw from external view and protects it from environmental exposure, thereby preventing corrosion and discoloration that would affect externally exposed screws.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the screw from the external environment by relocating it entirely inside the hollow profile. By removing the screw from external exposure to weather, moisture, and air, the harmful effects of corrosion are eliminated while the connection function remains intact.
3Ease of manufacture
If adhesive or one-way clips are used to connect the joint to the hollow profile, then assembly is simple, but the connection cannot be disassembled for error correction or component replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from a static, permanent bond (adhesive or one-way clips) to a dynamic, reversible mechanical connection. The screw and threaded hole allow the joint to be easily assembled and disassembled multiple times, enabling error correction and component replacement while maintaining simple assembly through straightforward screw insertion.
4Reliability
If professional installation is required for arms with transverse screws, then connection security is ensured, but installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection process is segmented into simple, sequential steps: inserting the joint into the hollow profile, positioning the screw from the inside, and threading it into the joint. This segmentation breaks down what would otherwise be a complex professional installation into basic steps that can be performed by anyone with common tools, reducing installation time while maintaining connection security.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Arm (B) with means for interlocking and fixing between the main body (1) and its end (2), the main body (1) has a channel (12), and the end (2) has an interlocking end (21) for its interlocking in the channel (12) and on the other hand a joint (22), the means for interlocking and fixing include an internal projection (13a) in the hollow (12) of the profile (1) and at least one screw hole (14a) which has the longitudinal direction (L), and at the end (2), an interlocking channel (22a) for housing the internal projection (13a), a bearing surface (23a) with an orifice (24a) and disposed adjacent to the interlocking channel (22a) d; a screw (25a) so that the main body (1) and the end (2) can be coupled and reversibly fixed to each other. The invention also relates to a method of assembling this arm.