Buckle Wedge Fastener Resolving Arm Cracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art buckles in baby car seats and strollers have thin first and second arms in the waist-strap fasteners that are prone to cracking, leading to safety concerns due to easy detachment under force, compromising the securement of children.
Innovation Solution
The buckle design incorporates a waist-strap fastener with wedges on its arms and a button with a mounting section that securely engages with the buckle body, preventing detachment by using inclined surfaces and a spring member to hold the strap in place, enhancing the structural integrity and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the first arm and second arm of the waist-strap fastener are made thin, then the manufacturing cost is reduced and engagement is improved, but the arms become prone to cracking and detachment under force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third dimension by adding a wedge-shaped protrusion that extends from the first arm toward the second arm. This dimensional addition creates an interlocking mechanism that prevents detachment without requiring the arms to be thicker, thus maintaining cost-effectiveness while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener system combines multiple structural elements (thin arms, wedge protrusions, receiving wedges, and spring members) into a composite mechanism. This composite design allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, enabling thin arms to achieve high reliability through the collective action of the interlocking wedge mechanism rather than relying on arm thickness alone.
2Reliability
If the first arm and second arm are made thick, then resistance to cracking is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and engagement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing arm thickness, the patent adds a wedge-shaped protrusion extending from the first arm into the space between the arms. This dimensional addition creates mechanical interlocking that prevents detachment without requiring thicker arms, thereby avoiding increased manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge-shaped protrusion and receiving wedge act as intermediary elements that mediate between the thin arms and the detachment force. These intermediaries provide the necessary mechanical interlocking and force distribution, allowing thin arms to achieve high reliability without thickening.
3Ease of manufacture
If the arms are made thin for cost savings, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the waist-strap button can be easily drawn out with force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a wedge-shaped protrusion that extends from the first arm toward the second arm, creating an interlocking mechanism in the third dimension. This prevents the button from being drawn out laterally while keeping the arms thin for cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member is pre-loaded to exert a continuous holding force on the waist-strap button, creating preliminary anti-action against detachment forces. This pre-applied counterforce prevents the button from being easily drawn out, compensating for the thin arm design.
Data Source
AI summary
Two wedges extended from the first arm and the second arm of the waist-strap fastener respectively are utilized to engage with the waist-strap button. With inclined surfaces that face with each other on the first arm and the second arm, the mounting section of the waist-strap button is capable of squeezing through the gap between the first arm and the second arm. With the surfaces on the other side of the wedges respectively, the mounting section of the waist-strap button is securely held by the surfaces such that the waist-strap button is secured in the waist-strap fastener.