Collapsible Rod Ferrule Joint With Slider Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collapsible structures face challenges in forming a strong, rigid joint that can easily collapse and fold for storage, particularly in applications like tents, walking aids, and temporary frameworks, where the joint must support weight while being portable.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a slider arm with a through slot and a rotating assembly with female and male ferrules, utilizing pivoting pins to connect and disconnect rod segments, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly by sliding and rotating mechanisms, ensuring a strong and rigid connection that can collapse for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid joint is formed between rod segments to support weight, then the strength and stability of the structure is improved, but the ability to collapse and fold for storage is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The joint incorporates a slider mechanism with a through-slot that allows the connection to transition between fixed and movable states. When the slider is positioned at the end of the through-slot, the joint is rigid and locked. When the slider is repositioned within the through-slot, the joint becomes movable, enabling the rod segments to collapse and fold. This dynamic mechanism resolves the contradiction by providing both rigid support during use and collapsibility for storage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid joint is formed between rod segments to support weight, then the stability of the structure is improved, but the portability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic slider mechanism allows the structure to maintain stability during use when the slider is locked at the end of the through-slot, and to become collapsible when the slider is repositioned. This eliminates the need for separate heavy locking mechanisms, improving portability while maintaining structural stability when needed.
3Reliability
If a complex locking mechanism is used to form a strong joint, then the reliability of the connection is improved, but the device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the locking function from a separate complex mechanism and integrates it into the slider itself. The slider's position within the through-slot inherently provides the locking action, eliminating the need for additional pins, clips, or locking devices. This simplifies the overall mechanism while maintaining reliable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider mechanism is self-locking through its geometric relationship with the through-slot. When the slider reaches the end of the through-slot, it automatically locks the joint without requiring external locking actions. The user simply needs to slide the connector to reposition the slider, and the system self-regulates the locking state, reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible structure connection system and method including an apparatus having a pair of mated ferrules or rod segments and a spring-loaded push-button locking mechanism, the spring-loaded push-button locking mechanism having a spring-loaded push-button seated on a dowel of a male ferrule or mail rod segment, and a cavity aperture traversing a dowel cavity of a female ferrule or female rod segment. Each ferrule couples to a rod segment of the structure, the ferrules connecting the rod segments when mated, but allowing the rod segments to disengage into a collapsed structure. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus and collapsible structure connection system includes a pair of mated ferrules or rod segments, one pivoting pin and at least one slider arm. The slider arm rotates around the pivoting pins, allowing the ferrules or rod segments to rotate into various positions when selectively connecting and collapsing rod segments.