Elastic Support Collar Structure for Variable Cable Diameters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support collars for elongated bodies, such as cables and tubes, struggle to adapt to varying geometries and diameters, leading to instability and potential interference issues, and contribute to Passive Inter-Modulation (PIM) in cellular networks.
Innovation Solution
A support collar with an elastically deformable structure featuring rotatable side portions, V-shaped retaining arms, and arched segments to facilitate secure engagement of cables or tubes of varying diameters, while minimizing PIM effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a support collar uses a rigid structure with fixed retaining arms, then it provides stable support for large-diameter cables, but it cannot adapt to cables with reduced diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining arms are designed to be elastically deformable rather than rigid, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position and shape according to the cable diameter. The arms can be splayed outward to accommodate larger cables and flex inward for smaller cables, providing stable retention across different sizes while maintaining structural integrity through the elastic material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The support collar utilizes changes in the physical state of the material through elastic deformation. The retaining arms are made of elastic material that can change their dimensional parameters (position, angle, curvature) in response to applied forces during cable insertion, enabling adaptation to various cable diameters while returning to a stable configured state for reliable support.
2Ease of operation
If a support collar uses elastic retaining arms to adapt to different cable geometries, then it facilitates easy installation, but it increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The support collar employs thin, flexible retaining arms made of elastic material that can bend and deform to accommodate different cable geometries. These flexible arms are integrated into the collar structure, allowing easy cable installation through simple insertion without complex adjustment mechanisms, while the integrated design minimizes overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining arms are merged with the support collar body as an integrated structure rather than separate components. The arms are formed as continuous elastic elements from the collar material, combining the support function and retention function into a single unified structure, thereby facilitating easy installation without increasing device complexity.
3Strength
If a support collar uses metal-to-metal contacts for structural components, then it provides high strength and durability, but it generates PIM (Passive Inter-Modulation) interference
Solution Approach 1:
The support collar utilizes composite construction combining elastic material for the retaining arms with rigid material for the collar body. This composite approach maintains the structural strength and durability needed for support functions while the elastic material components eliminate metal-to-metal contacts that generate PIM interference, particularly in the retaining arms that contact the cable.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic material components are extracted from traditional metal constructions in the critical contact areas where cables interface with the support collar. By removing metal retaining arms and replacing them with elastic material, the source of PIM-generating metal-to-metal contacts is eliminated while the collar body maintains necessary structural strength through rigid material.
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 collar provides stable and efficient support for cables or tubes of different geometries, reducing PIM and simplifying assembly, with a lightweight and cost-effective design suitable for various diameters.
Implementation Method 1
The elasticity of the retaining arms of the clip, together with the presence of side portions without structural folds, provides for an elastic yield that makes the support collar easily adaptable to different geometries and dimensions of cables or tubes
Data Source
AI summary
A support collar for elongated bodies includes a frame and retaining arms extending from the frame toward the interior the frame. A rib is defined at least partly around the attachment edge of the retaining arms to the frame and along at least a portion of the retaining arms.