Bendable Remote Gripper With Corrugated Reach Around Corners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional hand-held gripping devices with non-bendable, straight central portions are unable to access objects around corners or difficult angles, limiting their usability in various applications.
Innovation Solution
A hand-held gripping device with a central portion comprising a hollow, corrugated member having alternating ridges and grooves, allowing for adjustable length and bendable configuration, enabling the jaws to be positioned at desired angles for remote access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional straight, non-bendable central portion is used, then the device structure is simple and rigid, but the device cannot access objects around corners or at difficult angles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a corrugated member with alternating ridges and grooves that provides flexibility and bendability to the central portion. This corrugated structure allows the device to be bent into various configurations to reach objects around corners while maintaining structural integrity, directly resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The central portion transitions from a fixed, straight configuration to a dynamically adjustable, bendable structure. The corrugated member can be selectively bent and locked into different positions, enabling the device to adapt to various access requirements while maintaining a simple overall structure when not in use.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the central portion is made bendable with corrugated members, then the device can reach difficult angles, but the structural stability and rigidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The corrugated member provides a unique solution where the ridged structure creates flexibility for bending while the corrugations themselves provide structural reinforcement. The alternating ridges and grooves allow bending motion while maintaining overall structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between bendability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The central portion is segmented into multiple telescoping sections that can independently move and lock. This segmentation allows each section to contribute to the bending capability while the locking mechanism ensures structural stability when a specific configuration is achieved, preventing unwanted movement and maintaining rigidity during operation.
3Length of moving object
If telescoping portions are added for adjustable length, then the device can reach farther objects, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The central portion is divided into multiple telescoping sections that can extend and retract relative to each other. This segmentation provides adjustable length capability while using a modular design that minimizes overall complexity. The sections work together in a coordinated manner, with locking mechanisms that simplify the operation of the extended structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping portions are designed with nested structures where smaller sections fit within larger ones. This nesting arrangement provides extended reach capability while maintaining a compact form when retracted, effectively adding length functionality without proportionally increasing the device's overall complexity or size.
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 device provides enhanced accessibility to objects in tight spaces by allowing the jaws to be adjusted to various angles, improving usability in tasks that traditional grippers cannot perform.
Implementation Method 1
the central portion comprises a hollow, corrugated member having alternating ridges and grooves, such member being bendable so as to attain a predetermined shape
Data Source
AI summary
A hand-held remote access device, such as a gripping tool, includes a jaw portion having a pair of jaws movable relative to each other between fully clamped and fully opened positions thereof, a handle portion spaced apart from the jaw portion by a bendable central portion that has a hollow, corrugated member having alternating ridges and grooves that is bendable so as to attain a predetermined shape.