Window Blind Slat Angle Assembly for Safer Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional window blind slat angle adjusting mechanisms face issues during transportation and packaging, where the exposed worm can cause slat deformation or damage and may break due to collisions, and existing solutions complicate assembly with additional fastening units.
Innovation Solution
A slat angle adjusting mechanism featuring a shell with a worm gear and a rotationally driving unit comprising a first and second shaft, where the second shaft is designed for easy assembly by the consumer, with a cone-shaped abutting portion and hexagon-shaped cross-sections to prevent separation, allowing the mechanism to be assembled without protruding components that could cause damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the worm is exposed outside the top beam for user operation, then the slat angle can be adjusted, but the worm and slats are liable to compress, deform, or break during packaging and transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The rotationally driving unit is divided into two separate shafts (first rotationally driving shaft and second rotationally driving shaft) that can be assembled by the consumer. The first shaft contains the worm portion engaged with the worm gear, while the second shaft extends outside the shell for user operation. This segmentation allows the vulnerable worm portion to be protected inside the shell during transportation, while still providing external access for operation through the second shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The first rotationally driving shaft is nested within the shell structure, with its worm portion engaged with the worm gear inside the shell. The second rotationally driving shaft is nested through the first shaft, extending from the shell exterior to the interior. This nested arrangement protects the critical worm-gear engagement inside the shell while providing external operational access.
2Reliability
If a fastening unit is added to prevent axial separation of worm sections, then the structural integrity is improved, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening function is merged into the cone-shaped abutting portion and hooking claw structure that is already part of the rotationally driving shafts. The cone-shaped abutting portion on the first shaft and the corresponding hooking claw on the second shaft work together as an integrated fastening mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fastening units while preventing axial separation of the shafts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cone-shaped abutting portion and hooking claw structure provides self-fastening capability. When the two shafts are assembled together, the hooking claw automatically engages with the cone-shaped abutting portion, creating a self-locking mechanism that prevents axial separation without requiring additional fastening operations or components.
Data Source
AI summary
A slat angle adjusting mechanism for a window blind includes a shell, a worm gear rotatably disposed in the shell, and a rotationally driving unit rotatably disposed in the shell and including combinable first and second rotationally driving shafts. The first rotationally driving shaft is located in the shell and has a worm portion engaged with the worm gear, a cone-shaped abutting portion and an embedding portion with non-circular cross-section, which are connected with the worm portion in order. A top end of the second rotationally driving shaft is located in the shell and has an axial hole with non-circular cross-section and two opposite fastening portions each formed at a terminal end thereof with a hooking claw. As a result, the first and second rotationally driving shafts are combinable by the consumer, preventing themselves and the slats from damage during packaging and transportation.