Dual-Layer Vacuum Suction Cup for Uneven Surface Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vacuum suckers have a limited application on uneven surfaces due to poor sucking force caused by hard rubber surfaces, which struggle to form a sealed space with uneven surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A vacuum sucker with a sucking disc body featuring a combination of a soft rubber layer and a hard rubber layer, where the soft rubber layer is softer and more deformable to follow uneven surfaces, and the hard rubber layer provides support strength, enhancing the sucker's ability to maintain a sealed vacuum on uneven surfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a hard rubber surface is used for the sucking face, then the supporting capability is strong, but the sucking force on uneven surfaces is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesupporting capabilityVSAvoidsucking force on uneven surfaces
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sucking surface is divided into two distinct layers with different properties: a hard rubber layer providing structural support and a soft rubber layer providing adaptive sealing. This local differentiation of material properties allows each layer to perform its specific function optimally - the hard layer maintains shape and strength while the soft layer conforms to uneven surfaces for reliable suction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sucking surface employs a composite structure combining hard rubber and soft rubber layers. This composite material approach integrates the advantages of both materials - the hardness and support capability of hard rubber with the flexibility and conformability of soft rubber - to resolve the contradiction between structural strength and adaptive sealing on uneven surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If a soft rubber surface is used for the sucking face, then the sucking force on uneven surfaces is improved, but the supporting capability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesucking force on uneven surfacesVSAvoidsupporting capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The sucking surface is divided into two distinct layers with different properties: a hard rubber layer providing structural support and a soft rubber layer providing adaptive sealing. This local differentiation of material properties allows each layer to perform its specific function optimally - the hard layer maintains shape and strength while the soft layer conforms to uneven surfaces for reliable suction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sucking surface employs a composite structure combining hard rubber and soft rubber layers. This composite material approach integrates the advantages of both materials - the hardness and support capability of hard rubber with the flexibility and conformability of soft rubber - to resolve the contradiction between structural strength and adaptive sealing on uneven surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Device complexity

If a single-layer rubber structure is used, then the structure is simple, but the application scope on different surfaces is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidapplication scope on different surfaces
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The sucking surface employs a composite structure combining hard rubber and soft rubber layers. This composite material approach integrates the advantages of both materials - the hardness and support capability of hard rubber with the flexibility and conformability of soft rubber - to resolve the contradiction between structural strength and adaptive sealing on uneven surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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 combination of soft and hard rubber layers improves the sucker's ability to maintain a strong sucking force and seal on uneven surfaces, expanding the application scope of vacuum suckers.

Implementation Method 1

the soft rubber layer is easily deformed under a suction pressure, thus the soft rubber layer can better follow a surface of a support body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDeformation: Deformation

Implementation Method 2

The sucking disc body can be sucked on or detached from a wall or other support bodies by the slider pushing mechanism... a vacuum space is formed between the sucking disc body and the support body, thus the vacuum sucker is immobilized with respect to the support body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure difference: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentEP3382218B1Suction cup and vacuum suction cup having same
Publication Date: 2021.01.13 ANHO HOUSEWARE CO LTD JIANGMEN
  • EP3382218B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3382218B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3382218B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Provided are a suction cup and a vacuum suction cup having the same. The suction cup comprises a suction cup body (6) comprising a connection part at an external side thereof, and a suction surface at an internal side thereof. The suction cup body (6) comprises a soft rubber layer (62) and a hard rubber layer (61). The soft and hard rubber layers together form the suction surface of the suction cup body. The soft rubber layer has hardness less than that of the hard rubber layer. In a sucking state, the hard rubber layer can provide favorable supporting strength, and the soft rubber layer readily deforms by a suction pressure to fill a supporting surface, facilitating to seal the supporting surface tightly. The soft and hard rubber layers enhance a suction capacity of the suction cup body on an uneven surface, expanding a scope of an application of the vacuum suction cup.