Chain Header Shield Design for Cable Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cable guiding chains with open headers expose cables, leading to wear, potential electrical issues, and signal interference when moved, affecting performance stability.
Innovation Solution
A cable guiding-protecting chain design featuring a header with a base and cover that encloses the cable through a receiving space, using engagement mechanisms to secure the cover to the base, preventing exposure and allowing assembly post-cable processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the header has an opening to allow cable insertion, then cable installation is simplified, but the cable becomes exposed and susceptible to wear and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The header is divided into a base portion and a cover portion that can be assembled separately. The cover acts as a protective segment that encloses the cable after installation, while the base provides the cable insertion opening. This segmentation allows simplified cable installation through the opening while subsequently protecting the cable with the cover.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is inserted through the opening in the base before the cover is attached. This preliminary action of cable insertion through the opening simplifies installation, and then the cover is added to protect the exposed cable, resolving the contradiction between easy installation and cable protection.
2Ease of manufacture
If the header is designed as a single piece with an opening, then manufacturing is simpler, but cable protection is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The header is segmented into a base portion and a cover portion that are assembled together. The base can be manufactured with the insertion opening, and the cover is manufactured separately as a protective enclosure. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving cable protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover encloses the cable and base structure, creating a nested configuration where the cable is protected within the header assembly. The cover acts as an outer protective layer that maintains reliability while allowing the base to remain structurally simple for manufacturing.
3Reliability
If the cable is enclosed in a receiving space, then cable protection is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving space is created by segmenting the header into a base portion and a cover portion. This segmentation provides cable protection through the enclosed space while keeping each component relatively simple in structure, balancing protection needs with assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover acts as a shell that encloses the cable within the receiving space. This shell structure provides effective cable protection while maintaining a relatively simple assembly process, as the cover can be designed to fit over the base in a straightforward manner.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable guiding-protecting chain comprises a plurality of chain members and at least a header. The chain members have a front end and a rear end that are pivotally connected to each other to form a chain. The header is pivotally to the chain member at a distal end of the chain and the header includes a base and a cover. The base has a body with a hole formed therein and a first fastening unit is provided in the hole. The cover has two side walls spaced apart from each other, a top wall connecting the two side walls and a second fastening unit provided to the two side walls, the second fastening unit of the cover is engaged with the first fastening unit of the base in the header so as to allow the two side walls, the top wall and the base to cooperate to define a receiving space through which a cable passes.