Cup Holder Stabilizer Arms with Travel Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cup holders allow stabilizer arms to over-extend and become inoperable, leading to side-to-side movement and disengagement, which prevents them from effectively retaining beverage containers during vehicle maneuvers.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder assembly with travel guides and a biasing member that prevent side-to-side movement and over-extension of stabilizer arms, ensuring continuous contact between the biasing member and the stabilizer arms, using clip-engagement features and retention features to maintain the stabilizer arms within their apertures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If stabilizer arms are made extendable to accommodate various container sizes, then adaptability is improved, but over-extension causes the stabilizer arms to exit their apertures and become inoperable
Solution Approach 1:
Travel guides are introduced as intermediary structures that mediate between the stabilizer arm aperture and the stabilizer arm. These travel guides constrain the stabilizer arm to move only along a predetermined radial path, preventing side-to-side movement and over-extension while maintaining the extendable functionality needed for various container sizes.
2Ease of operation
If stabilizer arms are allowed free movement to retain containers during vehicle maneuvers, then ease of operation is improved, but side-to-side movement causes over-extension and disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The movement freedom of the stabilizer arm is segmented into controlled degrees of freedom. The travel guide allows radial movement (inward and outward along the predetermined path) while constraining lateral movement (side-to-side). This segmentation enables the stabilizer arm to adjust for container retention while preventing disengagement through lateral displacement.
3Reliability
If stabilizer arms are made longer to improve container retention, then effectiveness is improved, but the risk of over-extension and exiting the aperture increases
Solution Approach 1:
The travel guide is designed with a predetermined path that preliminarily defines the maximum extent of stabilizer arm movement. This preliminary constraint ensures that even if the stabilizer arm is made longer to improve retention effectiveness, it cannot extend beyond the safe limit defined by the travel guide, preventing over-extension damage before it can occur.
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
The solution effectively prevents over-extension and side-to-side movement of stabilizer arms, ensuring they remain functional and maintain continuous contact with the biasing member, resulting in a more robust and longer-lasting cup holder assembly.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member positioned about a perimeter of the container apertures and configured to bias the stabilizer arms radially inward
Implementation Method 2
Each of the stabilizer arms is pivotable about a living hinge and is inserted into one of the stabilizer arm apertures
Data Source
AI summary
A cup holder assembly includes a container aperture, a travel guide, a stabilizer arm aperture, a stabilizer arm, and a biasing member. The travel guide is on an exterior surface of the container aperture. The stabilizer arm aperture is radially inward of the travel guide. The stabilizer arm is pivotable about a living hinge and is inserted into the stabilizer arm aperture. The travel guide guides radial actuation of the stabilizer arm. The biasing member biases the stabilizer arm radially inward.