Reopenable Pipe and Cable Clamp With Elastic Locking Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clamps for securing long items like pipes or cables are complex and expensive to produce, and they often cannot be easily opened without tools when the items need to be changed.
Innovation Solution
A clamp design featuring a lower part with adjustable connecting arms and an upper part with complementary detents and release handles, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without tools, using elastic material properties for adjustability and a U-shaped cross-section for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking teeth with asymmetric cross-sectional geometry are used to prevent easy opening, then security is improved, but the clamp cannot be easily reopened when the long material needs to be changed
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting arm of the lower part serves dual functionality: it provides structural support as a permanent component and acts as an elastic element that can be adjusted to release locking teeth. When force is applied to the connecting arm, it elastically deforms to disengage the locking teeth from the upper part, allowing the clamp to be opened without tools while maintaining secure closure during normal use
2Ease of operation
If a thrust piece with springs and handle is used to release locking teeth, then the clamp can be opened, but the production becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the release functionality from a separate complex thrust piece mechanism and integrates it directly into the connecting arm of the lower part. The connecting arm itself becomes the elastic element that performs the release function, eliminating the need for separate springs, handles, and thrust pieces, thereby simplifying the overall structure and reducing production complexity while maintaining the ability to open the clamp
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting arm combines multiple functions: structural support, positioning of locking teeth, and elastic release mechanism. By merging these functions into a single integrated component rather than separate parts, the design reduces the number of components, simplifies manufacturing, and lowers production costs while achieving the desired operational capability
3Ease of manufacture
If the lower part is made from a single plastic material for simplicity, then manufacturing is simplified, but adjustability and elastic reaction require specific geometry and material properties
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting arm is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional geometry, featuring a thinner web in specific regions to create localized flexibility. This allows the single plastic material to exhibit elastic behavior where needed while maintaining structural integrity in other areas, achieving both manufacturing simplicity and functional adaptability through geometric design rather than material complexity
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 clamp is simple and inexpensive to produce, ensuring a secure closure while allowing for multiple openings and closings without losing fit quality, facilitating easy handling and tool-free operation.
Implementation Method 1
This adjustability typically results from the material elasticity and the geometry of the material used to manufacture the lower part
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a clamp for securing a long object, such as a pipe or a cable, comprising a fixable lower part 2 with a long object receptacle bounded laterally by connecting arms 5, 5.1, of which connecting arms 5, 5.1 at least one has locking teeth on its side facing away from the long object receptacle, and comprising an upper part 3 for closing the clamp 1, which upper part 3 has two connecting arms 12, 12.1 complementary to the connecting arms 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2 and which can be engaged with them, of which the connecting arm 12, 12.1 of the upper part 3 complementary to the connecting arm 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2 bearing the locking teeth has locking teeth on its inner side which, when the clamp 1 is closed, are engaged with the locking teeth of the connecting arm 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2, wherein the connecting arm 12, 12.1 of the upper part 3 isThe lower part 2 is adjustable relative to the upper part 3 in the direction of the long item holder, and the connecting arm 12, 12.1 of the upper part 3, which carries the locking teeth, has a release handle 16, 16.1 acting on the complementary connecting arm 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2. When actuated, this release handle allows the connecting arm 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2, which carries the locking teeth, to be adjusted in the direction of the long item holder in order to release the engagement position of its locking teeth with those of the upper part 3. A special feature is that the connecting arms 12, 12.1 of the upper part 3 have a U-shaped cross-section, with the two legs 13, 13.1 and the back 14 of the U-shaped cross-sectional profile providing a receptacle for the respective complementary connecting arm 5, 5.1 of the lower part 2.