Battery Pack Locking Hook Mechanism for Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery pack locking mechanisms face challenges in easy attachment and detachment, as well as providing sufficient strength against impact, due to misaligned force directions and inefficient finger engagement, leading to potential dropping and damage.
Innovation Solution
A locking mechanism with a hook on the battery pack's upper face, urged upward by an elastic body, and operation parts on the sides for single-handed release and withdrawal, allowing the hook to move vertically and engage with the mounting part, enabling secure attachment and easy detachment while allowing a large hook for enhanced impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the hook is provided on the rear part of the battery pack and locking means is linked to the hook, then the battery pack can be attached to the object equipment, but the force direction for releasing the lock is different from the withdrawal direction, making it difficult to apply appropriate forces and causing the battery pack to be dropped
Solution Approach 1:
The hook is inverted from the conventional rear-part placement to the front-part placement on the battery pack. This inversion changes the force application direction to align with the withdrawal direction, allowing the user to pull the battery pack directly backward while the hook releases from the mounting part, eliminating the force direction mismatch and preventing drops
Solution Approach 2:
The operation parts are positioned on the side surfaces of the battery pack rather than on the rear face, creating a new spatial dimension for force application. This allows the user to apply force laterally to release the hook while maintaining backward withdrawal motion, resolving the force direction conflict
2Ease of operation
If recesses are formed on both side faces of the battery pack and the battery pack is withdrawn with fingers inserted into the recesses, then the battery pack can be detached, but the fingers may be disengaged from the recesses with the withdrawal force, causing the battery pack to be dropped
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming recesses that require finger insertion, the invention provides protruding operation parts on the side surfaces that the user can directly grasp and pull. This inversion eliminates the risk of finger disengagement while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The operation parts serve as intermediary elements between the user's fingers and the hook mechanism. These protruding parts provide a secure grasping point that transmits the withdrawal force reliably to release the hook, preventing direct finger exposure to the disengagement risk
3Strength
If a large locking member is provided to obtain sufficient strength against impact, then the impact resistance is improved, but the space for accommodating the locking member is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The hook is repositioned from the rear to the front of the battery pack, utilizing the previously underutilized front space. This inversion allows adequate space for a large, impact-resistant hook without increasing the overall battery pack volume
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is oriented to utilize the lateral space on the side surfaces of the battery pack rather than only the longitudinal space. This dimensional reconfiguration allows a larger hook structure to be accommodated within the existing volume constraints
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
Facilitates easy and reliable attachment and detachment of the battery pack, reducing the risk of dropping and enhancing impact resistance through efficient single-handed operation and a larger locking mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
the hook is urged to move upward by an elastic body in a direction of being locked to the mounting part
Data Source
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AI summary
A locking mechanism of a battery pack A is provided with a hook 14 which can be locked to a mounting part B of an object equipment such as an electric tool in a state slid with respect to the mounting part, and operation parts 16 for releasing the lock which are linked to the hook 14, on a case which contains a battery. The hook 14 is urged to move upward by an elastic body in a direction of being locked to the mounting part B. The operation parts 16 are arranged in both side parts of the case within such a range that they can be grasped with a single hand from both sides of a backward end in the sliding direction of the case. When the operation parts 16 are operated from the both sides, the lock between the hook 14 and the mounting part B is released against the urge by the elastic body.