Buckle Assembly Side Release Mechanism for Child Carrier Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional buckle assemblies in child carriers have a release button located in conspicuous places, making them prone to unintentional release due to child interaction, and require significant force for operation, leading to potential hazards and difficulty in use.
Innovation Solution
A buckle assembly design with an inconspicuous operating component, where the operating component is partially embedded and partially exposed, allowing for sliding movement relative to the buckle component to disengage the locking portions, utilizing resilient structures and magnetic attractions for easy and secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the release button is located at the front surface or rear surface of the male buckle or female buckle for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential unintentional release by children or accidental impact
Solution Approach 1:
The release function is extracted from the conventional front/rear surface location and integrated into the side surface of the female buckle. The operating component is partially embedded in the side surface, making it less accessible to children while maintaining adult usability through its specific geometric design
Solution Approach 2:
The operating component serves as an intermediary mechanism that requires a specific sliding motion along the lateral direction to activate the release function. This intermediate action prevents accidental activation while enabling intentional release when needed
2Reliability
If the release button requires great force for operation, then the reliability is improved by preventing accidental release, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking portion is designed as a resilient structure that dynamically changes its state during operation. When the operating component slides laterally, it resiliently deforms the locking portion to disengage from the locked portion, providing a mechanical advantage that reduces the force required for release while maintaining secure locking during normal use
3Reliability
If the release button is made inconspicuous to prevent accidental activation, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases and operation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The operating component is merged with the side surface of the female buckle, combining the structural element with the release function. This integration eliminates the need for separate conspicuous release buttons while maintaining the release capability through the lateral sliding motion
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 design provides a simple, labor-saving, and safe operation by reducing the visibility of the release mechanism and requiring minimal force for disengagement, while preventing unintentional releases and enhancing user safety.
Implementation Method 1
The locking portion is a resilient structure, and the operating component resiliently deforms the locking portion for disengaging the locking portion from the locked portion during the sliding movement of the operating component relative to the second buckle component
Data Source
AI summary
A buckle assembly includes a first buckle component, a second buckle component and an operating component. The first buckle component includes a locked portion. The second buckle component includes a locking portion. The locking portion engages with the locked portion along a lateral direction of the buckle assembly when the second buckle component is mated with the first buckle component along a mating direction. The operating component is partially embedded in and partially exposed out of the second buckle component. The operating component is slidable relative to the second buckle component. The operating component drives the locking portion to move away from the locked portion for disengaging the locking portion from the locked portion during a sliding movement of the operating component relative to the second buckle component. The present invention has advantage of saving labor and easy operation.