Cam-Actuated Electrical Gripping Tool with Terminal Shield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical workers face risks of accidental contact with live electrical circuits while manipulating components, as they often use their hands or metal tools, leading to potential shocks due to miswiring or mislabeling of junction boxes.
Innovation Solution
An electrical device gripping tool with a handle and sliding body halves, coupled via a cam mechanism, which allows for secure gripping and handling of electrical components without direct contact, featuring a shield to prevent accidental contact with electrical terminals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electrical workers use their hands or metal tools to manipulate electrical components, then they can directly grip and handle components, but they risk accidental contact with live electrical circuits causing electric shocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a non-conductive gripping tool as an intermediary between the worker's hand and the electrical component. The tool body made of non-conductive material allows workers to manipulate components without direct skin contact, while the integrated shield provides additional protection by physically blocking access to exposed electrical terminals, thus eliminating the electric shock risk while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The shield component is designed to prevent harmful contact before it can occur. By positioning the shield between the worker and the electrical terminals during the gripping operation, the tool proactively blocks the potential harmful interaction pathway, stopping the electric shock risk before it materializes
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a shield is added to prevent accidental contact with electrical terminals, then safety against electrical shocks is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shield function with the gripping tool body into a single integrated unit. The shield is not a separate accessory but is built into the tool's structure, combining the gripping capability and the protective shielding function into one device. This integration protects against electrical shocks while minimizing the increase in device complexity by avoiding separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping tool is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a gripping mechanism for manipulating electrical components and as a protective shield against electrical terminals. This universal design allows one tool to perform multiple functions (gripping and protecting), reducing the need for additional specialized equipment and thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity
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 tool enables safe handling and removal of electrical components by providing a secure grip and preventing accidental contact with electrical terminals, reducing the risk of electrical shocks during operations.
Implementation Method 1
a cam portion with a cam holder that fits over a cam to connect the handle to the body, such that the first body half and the second body half are each separately coupled to the cam
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments disclosed herein include devices and methods for gripping electrical components. The electrical device gripping tool may include a rotating handle, a cam assembly, and a body. The rotating handle may be attached to the assembly and the cam assembly may include a cam holder that fits over the cam to connect the rotating handle to the body. Furthermore, the body may include a first body half and a second body half that are each separately coupled to the cam such that the first body half and the second body half slide towards each other and slide away from each other with respect to a rotation of the rotating handle. In addition, shields are optionally attached to the first and second body half such that they assist in the removal of the electrical device without its terminals making contact with the containment box.