Collapsible Container Hinge Mechanism for Flat Panel Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible containers with side and end panels that overlap in a collapsed position often exceed the required height for efficient stacking and return shipment due to angled panels, increasing manufacturing and assembly costs with double axis hinges.
Innovation Solution
The use of a single axis hinge system where side and end panels are connected to the base at the same height, allowing them to fold flat onto the base, reducing the container's height without the need for double axis hinges, enabling efficient stacking and return shipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If a single axis hinge system is used to connect panels to the base, then the container height in collapsed position is reduced, but the panels remain angled upward and do not lie flat
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge line is repositioned from a horizontal axis to a vertical axis, changing the dimension of rotation. This allows the panels to rotate in a vertical plane rather than a horizontal plane, enabling them to lie flat against the base when collapsed while maintaining a compact height profile.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of hinging panels at the top edge and rotating them downward, the panels are hinged at the bottom edge and rotated upward and inward. This inverted hinging approach allows the panels to collapse flat against the base while reducing overall container height.
2Shape
If a double axis hinge structure is used to allow panels to lie flat, then the panel orientation in collapsed position is improved, but the manufacturing cost and assembly cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex double axis hinge mechanism is replaced by extracting only the essential rotational function needed. A simple single axis vertical hinge provides sufficient functionality to achieve flat panel collapse without the additional complexity and cost of double axis hinges.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge axis orientation parameter is changed from horizontal to vertical, fundamentally altering the collapse mechanism. This parameter change enables panels to lie flat against the base using a simpler single axis hinge, eliminating the need for expensive double axis hinge structures.
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
This solution allows the panels to lie parallel to the base in the collapsed position, meeting height requirements for stacking while reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for additional hinge components.
Implementation Method 1
The hinge line slides vertically in the channel or slot formed in a corresponding side or end wall of the base
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible container has a base with a bottom part having a bottom wall and feet and an upper part having side and end walls. Opposed side and end panels are hinged to the side and end walls of the base, respectively. The opposed side panels and opposed end panels are movable between an erected position and a folded position, in which one or both pairs of the opposed panels fold essentially flat onto the bottom wall of the base thereby reducing the height of the container for return shipment. Each of the opposed side panels of the container are hinged to the base at the same height in a channel formed in the corresponding side wall of the base to permit a hinge line to slide vertically in the channel formed in the side wall of the base.