Cable Tie Strap Guide Channel for Secure Ball Locking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable ties with locking members, such as balls, often face issues with assembly difficulty and incomplete insertion due to the strap buckling or snagging on the ball, especially when the strap is damaged or misaligned, leading to ineffective locking.
Innovation Solution
A cable tie design featuring a guide channel or slot on the free end of the strap that tapers to a closed apex with tongues on either side, guiding the strap to pass smoothly under the locking member, ensuring proper alignment and engagement regardless of misalignment or damage, and using a rotatable ball or roller locking member that moves between unlocked and locked positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a ball locking member is used in the head, then the tie can be securely locked, but the strap may buckle or snag on the ball during insertion, preventing adequate use
Solution Approach 1:
A guide channel is introduced as an intermediary element between the strap and the ball locking member. The guide channel receives and guides the leading edge of the strap, ensuring it passes smoothly past the ball without impingement, thereby preventing buckling and snagging while maintaining the ball's locking function
Solution Approach 2:
The guide channel is pre-formed in the head structure to create a predetermined path for the strap insertion. This preliminary arrangement ensures that the strap is properly directed toward the ball locking member before insertion occurs, preventing misalignment and buckling at the critical insertion point
2Ease of manufacture
If the free end of the strap is inserted directly into the head aperture, then assembly is simple, but the leading edge can impinge against the ball causing the strap to buckle and snag
Solution Approach 1:
The guide channel serves as a mediating structure that simplifies the insertion process by providing a pre-defined path. Instead of directly inserting the strap into the head aperture where impingement could occur, the guide channel intermediates the insertion, guiding the strap safely past the ball locking member
Solution Approach 2:
The guide channel adds a dimensional element to the insertion path by creating a three-dimensional guiding structure within the head. This dimensional addition provides lateral constraints and directional guidance, ensuring the strap follows the correct insertion trajectory and avoids impingement on the ball
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A tie for example for use as a cable tie has a head (10), a locking member (12) captively mounted inside the head, and an elongate flexible strap (11) attached to the head. A free end of the flexible strap can be inserted into the head and secured, such that retraction from the head is inhibited by the locking member. The free end of the strap is provided with an approachment formation arranged to guide the free end of the strap to pass the locking member in a predetermined manner.