Cover-Material Fixing Clip With Side-Mounted Guide Lever
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cover-material fixing clips face difficulties in easily introducing a wire into the hook due to insufficient elastic deformation of the guide lever, which hampers the insertion process and can lead to the wire being hindered by the cushion material.
Innovation Solution
The clip design connects the guide lever to the side surface of the chuck, allowing for easier flexion and increased length, while the hook is connected to the bottom of the chuck for linear load transfer, and incorporates a stopper for friction locking, ensuring reliable fixation without the need for an elongated hole. Additionally, features like a guiding projection, curved guide lever, and inclined surfaces facilitate wire introduction and prevent dropping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the guide lever is connected to the bottom of the chuck like conventional designs, then the structure is compact, but the guide lever cannot be sufficiently deformed to allow wire passage
Solution Approach 1:
The guide lever is repositioned from the bottom surface to the side surface of the chuck, changing the spatial dimension of connection. This dimensional shift allows the guide lever to extend laterally, increasing its effective length and flexibility while maintaining a compact overall structure. The side-surface connection enables the guide lever to deform more easily during wire introduction without compromising structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If the tip ends of the hook and guide lever are bent to widen the gap, then wire introduction is facilitated, but the gap-widening movement is hampered when tip ends contact the cushion material
Solution Approach 1:
The guide lever incorporates a curved portion instead of a straight configuration. This curvature allows the guide lever to navigate around obstacles and provides a more gradual deformation path during wire introduction. The curved geometry reduces stress concentration and enables smoother gap-widening movement even when tip ends are near the cushion material, improving both ease of operation and reliability.
3Reliability
If a stopper piece and elongated hole engagement system is used, then the clip is prevented from moving along the hem, but additional locking mechanisms and preparation steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the elongated hole feature from the locking hem, retaining only the essential stopper piece on the chuck. By removing the need for the elongated hole preparation, the system achieves clip position stability through the stopper alone, significantly reducing device complexity and eliminating unnecessary manufacturing steps while maintaining reliable positioning.
4Ease of operation
If the hook and guide lever are both provided on the bottom of the chuck, then the structure is compact, but the guide lever length is insufficient for easy flexion
Solution Approach 1:
The guide lever is repositioned from the bottom surface to the side surface of the chuck, changing the spatial dimension of connection. This dimensional shift allows the guide lever to extend laterally, increasing its effective length and flexibility while maintaining a compact overall structure. The side-surface connection enables the guide lever to deform more easily during wire introduction without compromising structural integrity.
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 design enables effortless wire introduction into the hook, ensures reliable fixation of the cover material, and allows for adjustable locking without the need for additional locking mechanisms like elongated holes, providing a secure and flexible attachment system.
Implementation Method 1
the guide lever is elastically deformed to be apart from the hook to allow the wire to pass through a gap between the guide lever and the hook
Implementation Method 2
a tip end of the hook and a tip end of the guide lever are respectively bent in directions opposite to each other, so that the gap is widened toward the tip ends
Implementation Method 3
the engagement of the stopper piece with the elongated hole prevents the clip from unnecessarily moving along the hem
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A cover-material fixing clip includes: a chuck (11) that pinches a locking hem formed on a back surface of a cover material; a hook (12) that locks a wire provided in a groove of a cushion material; and a guide lever (13) that is provided facing an opening of the hook (12). A proximal end of the hook (12) is connected to a bottom of the chuck (11) opposite to the cover material. The guide lever (13) is connected to a side surface of the chuck (11).