Expandable Collar Structure for Wide-End Shaft Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in manufacturing and using automated assembly equipment to cover or shield articles with a wider distal end and narrower region, as it is difficult to slide a covering device over the wider end effectively.
Innovation Solution
A rigid yet expandable and automatically retractable collar with accordion regions and guide pins, allowing for radial deformation and secure attachment to shafts or sleeves, enabling easy assembly and disassembly without preassembly of multiple components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid collar is used to couple components, then structural strength and stability are improved, but the ability to slide over wider distal ends deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collar transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure with accordion regions that can expand and contract. The accordion regions allow the collar to deform radially during assembly to slide over wider distal ends, then maintain structural integrity when engaged with components.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar incorporates flexible accordion regions with pivots that enable radial deformation. These flexible regions act as expandable shells that can temporarily increase in diameter to pass over wider components, then return to their original shape to provide secure coupling.
2Ease of manufacture
If the collar is made expandable to slide over wider ends, then ease of assembly is improved, but structural rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is divided into distinct segments: rigid body portions that provide structural strength and accordion regions that provide flexibility. The rigid bodies are separated by the expandable accordion sections, allowing each part to perform its specialized function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the collar have different mechanical properties. The accordion regions are designed to be flexible and expandable for assembly, while the body portions are designed to be rigid for structural support. This local differentiation of material properties allows the collar to exhibit both flexibility and rigidity where needed.
3Manufacturing precision
If guide pins are added to ensure proper alignment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Guide pins act as intermediary elements that facilitate alignment between the collar and shaft during assembly. The guide pins temporarily guide the collar into proper position, ensuring precise alignment, and then are removed after assembly is complete.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide pins perform the preliminary action of aligning components before the final assembly is completed. By establishing proper alignment early in the assembly process, the guide pins prevent misalignment issues that would require rework or additional corrective actions.
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 flexible collar facilitates the secure coupling and decoupling of components, such as syringe barrels and safety systems, by radially deforming to fit over wider ends and securely attaching without requiring preassembly, thus simplifying the assembly process and improving manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the accordion region being configured to radially deform
Implementation Method 2
each of the plurality of pivot lines may be configured to maintain a parallel alignment with respect to the longitudinal axis while the accordion region deforms
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible collar including a rigid body having a cylindrical outer surface and a cylindrical inner surface concentrically aligned with respect to a common longitudinal axis, a top surface, and a bottom surface, the inner surface defining a bore from the top surface to the bottom surface, and each of the top and bottom surfaces having an endless pathway confined to a respective plane and circumscribing a respective edge of the inner surface. The flexible collar further includes at least one accordion region having a plurality of pivots, at least two of the pivots being radially spaced apart from the longitudinal axis at different distances, and the accordion region being configured to radially deform.