Electronic Cigarette Attachment With Sliding Detent Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic cigarettes are prone to misplacement and damage due to their compactness, leading to a need for a convenient and protective storage solution that ensures easy identification and safety from external forces.
Innovation Solution
A case attachment for electronic cigarettes featuring a housing with a detent housing and pins that allow for adjustable retention positions, a biasing member for maintaining the detent housing in either compressed or extended positions, and a retaining slab for secure electronic cigarette placement, along with a fastening strip for versatile attachment options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If electronic cigarettes are made compact for portability, then they require less storage space, but they become prone to misplacement and damage from impact
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic cigarette is nested within a protective case attachment that features an outer housing and an inner detent housing. The detent housing slides within the outer housing to provide adjustable protection levels, allowing the compact e-cigarette to be stored securely without requiring excessive external space.
Solution Approach 2:
The case attachment employs a dynamic detent mechanism with pins that can be positioned at different locations along the housing. This allows the user to adjust the retention position between compressed and extended states, dynamically changing the protection level based on whether the device needs to be protected or accessed.
2Reliability
If a protective case is provided for electronic cigarettes, then damage from impact is reduced, but accessibility and ease of retrieval may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The detent housing can slide between compressed and extended positions, allowing quick transition between protected storage state and accessible retrieval state. The pin mechanism enables one-handed operation to adjust the detent position and release the e-cigarette when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member automatically returns the detent housing to its original position after the pin disengages, eliminating the need for additional actuators or complex release mechanisms. The system self-regulates to maintain protection while enabling easy access.
3Device complexity
If a fixed retention mechanism is used in the case, then the structure is simple, but it cannot provide adjustable protection levels
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is configured to engage with multiple discrete positions along the housing, enabling the detent housing to be retained at different compression levels. This provides adjustable protection while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical structure without requiring motors or electronic controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention mechanism is segmented into discrete pin positions that can be selectively engaged. The pin can be positioned at different locations to provide varying degrees of compression and protection, allowing the system to adapt to different storage and protection needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A case attachment for an electronic cigarette includes an outer housing, a detent housing slidably disposed within the outer housing and movable between a compressed position and an extended position, and a pin. A first portion of the pin is rotatably and partially supported within the outer housing and a second portion translatably and partially supported within the detent housing. The pin is movable from a first position to a second position. The biasing member is interposed between the outer housing and an end surface of the detent housing and is configured to bias the detent housing in a direction away from the end surface. The pin is configured to selectively retain the detent housing in the compressed position when in the first position and selectively retain the detent housing in the extended position when in the second position.