Quick-Release Clamp Screw Stability Against Serration Flop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current quick release clamps experience reliability and installation inefficiencies due to the screw member's tendency to 'flop' relative to the band member's serrations, causing unintended movement and impeding tightening or loosening processes.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating screw stability mechanisms, such as interference structures between the screw plate and clamp housing, to reduce the screw member's degree of freedom of movement, providing tactile feedback and increasing the force required to engage serrations, thus preventing unintended movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the screw member is allowed to move freely relative to the band member and complementary mating serrations, then the clamp device provides ease of operation for tightening and loosening, but the screw member inadvertently flops or moves unintentionally during installation, causing reliability issues and installation inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a screw stability mechanism that changes the movement parameters of the screw member by providing controlled guidance through complementary mating features between the screw plate and band member. This allows the screw member to move only in the intended direction (toward or away from the band) while preventing unintended lateral movement or flopping, thus maintaining ease of operation while improving reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The screw plate acts as an intermediary component between the screw member and the band member. It provides a stable mounting surface and includes complementary mating features that guide the screw member's movement. This intermediary structure prevents direct unintended contact between the screw member and band member, reducing flopping while maintaining operational ease
2Productivity
If the screw member can move completely off the complementary mating serrations to allow band tightening, then the clamp can be tightened effectively, but the screw member may catch at the serrations and impede the installer's ability to draw the band through the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the movement function by separating the band tightening movement from the screw member positioning. The screw plate provides a guided path that allows the screw member to move independently in a controlled manner, preventing it from catching on serrations while still allowing the band to be drawn through the housing freely. This segmentation resolves the conflict between tightening effectiveness and installation ease
3Adaptability or versatility
If the screw member has high mobility relative to the band member, then the clamp allows for easy tightening and loosening operations, but this same mobility causes unintended screw member movement that reduces installation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the screw member's mobility through the screw stability mechanism. The complementary mating features between the screw plate and band member provide guided mobility that adapts to the installation process: allowing necessary movement for tightening while constraining unintended movement. This dynamic balance maintains adaptability for various installation scenarios while improving installation efficiency by preventing flopping
Data Source
AI summary
A clamp device includes a clamp housing, a band member, a plurality of first mating features defined at the band member, a screw member, a plurality of second mating features defined at the screw member, the plurality of second mating features being complementary to the plurality of first mating features such that the plurality of second mating features are configured to engage with the plurality of first mating features, a screw plate movably coupled to the clamp housing, the screw member coupled to the screw plate such that the screw member is movable with the screw plate relative to the band member, and at least one screw stability mechanism at the clamp device and configured to reduce at least one degree of freedom of movement of the screw member relative to the band member.