Portable Cylinder Handle Assembly for Anti-Rotation Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressurized gas cylinders lack effective mechanisms to securely attach handles that prevent both upward and rotational movement, compromising safety and ease of handling.
Innovation Solution
A handle assembly with a shroud portion and attachment member that engages with a cylinder's mounting collar, featuring circumferentially spaced ledges and projections to prevent upward and rotational movement, respectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional simple handle is used on a portable cylinder, then the device complexity is reduced, but the handle cannot prevent upward and rotational movement of the cylinder during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is divided into multiple functional components: a shroud portion with circumferential ledges for preventing upward movement, an attachment member with projections for preventing rotational movement, and a handle portion for user gripping. Each segment performs a specific security function, collectively providing comprehensive restraint of the cylinder during transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment member is positioned within the shroud portion, with its projections fitting into the cylindrical cavity of the shroud. This nested arrangement allows the attachment member to be securely housed while still engaging with the cylinder collar, providing rotational prevention without adding excessive external complexity.
2Reliability
If a secure handle assembly with multiple constraints is implemented, then the handle prevents upward and rotational movement, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The ledges on the shroud portion and projections on the attachment member are pre-formed during manufacturing, allowing for straightforward assembly. The attachment member is designed to be inserted and rotated into place, with the projections automatically engaging with corresponding features on the cylinder collar, eliminating the need for complex fastening operations.
3Reliability
If a handle assembly with shroud portion and attachment member is used, then the handle prevents rotational movement, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment member features asymmetric projections that engage with corresponding asymmetric features on the cylinder collar. This asymmetric design provides effective rotational constraint while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, as the complexity is localized to the engagement features rather than the entire handle assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a portable cylinder including a tank having a mounting collar coupled to an upper portion of the tank, and a handle assembly attached to the mounting collar. The mounting collar has an upwardly extending portion and a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs extending radially outwardly from the upwardly extending portion, wherein a respective gap is formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs. The handle assembly includes a handle having a shroud portion and a handle portion extending from the shroud portion, and an attachment member configured to be coupled to the shroud portion to prevent rotational movement of the handle relative to the collar, the attachment member having a body, a first projection projecting from a front wall of the body for engaging the shroud portion, and a second projection projecting from a back wall of the body for engaging the shroud portion.