Foldable Clothes Warmer Joint for Protected Pivot Wiring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clothes warmers face challenges in maintaining structural integrity and safety of electrical conductors during pivoting movements, which is crucial for regulatory approval and user safety, especially when folding and storing the devices.
Innovation Solution
A joint device with a central pivot member and boss members that maintain electrical conductors in a spaced apart relationship, allowing hinged movement while ensuring structural integrity and safety by preventing conductor interference and fatigue, using polymeric materials with insulating properties for the pivot and boss members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the arm members are allowed to pivot for folding and storage, then the device portability and storage ease are improved, but the structural integrity and safety of electrical conductors deteriorate due to repeated hinged movements causing conductor fatigue and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical conductor pathway is segmented into multiple sections: a first portion extending from the power supply, a second portion extending to the heating element, and a third portion connecting them through the pivot joint. This segmentation allows each section to be independently routed and protected, with the third portion specifically designed to accommodate pivot movement while maintaining conductor integrity and preventing fatigue.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint device incorporates a pivot joint with specific local structural features including a pivot axis, a first boss member with a first passage, and a second boss member with a second passage. These localized structural qualities enable the joint to accommodate hinged movement while maintaining conductor spacing and preventing interference, addressing the reliability concern at the specific location of the pivot joint.
2Productivity
If heating elements are placed close to the user for effective warming, then the warming efficiency is improved, but the safety compliance and user safety deteriorate due to close exposure of heating elements
Solution Approach 1:
The joint device acts as an intermediary component between the power supply and the heating elements, incorporating a pivot joint that safely manages the electrical conductor pathway. This intermediary structure ensures that conductors are properly routed and protected during pivot movement, enabling the heating elements to be positioned effectively close to the user while maintaining safety compliance through proper electrical isolation and conductor protection.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A joint device (10) provides hinged movement between a first (40) and second (40a) arm member in a foldable clothes warmer (50, 60, 70, 80) and provides independent delivery of electrical power to the arm members. The device includes a central portion (12) for receiving at least two sets of electrical conductors (20, 20a) and for delivering at least one set to each of the arm members. Upon hinged movement of the arm members about the central portion, the central portion maintains the conductors in a spaced apart relationship in a manner such that the structural integrity of the conductors is maintained for a predetermined minimum number of hinged movement cycles of the arm members.