Flexible Cable Retainer with Inclined Ramp Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for holding slender elements like cables or tubes on a support surface are inefficient due to the inability to securely retain and easily insert or extract these elements.
Innovation Solution
A plastic channel-shaped retaining piece with inclined triangular ramps and flexible tabs that bend to allow insertion and then block the opening, providing secure retention and resisting extraction forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid blocking structures are used to prevent removal of slender elements, then security of retention is improved, but ease of insertion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking structure transitions from a static rigid barrier to a dynamic flexible tab that can change its state. The tab is designed to be flexible and bendable, allowing it to move from a blocking position (preventing removal) to a non-blocking position (allowing insertion). This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by making the same structure serve both functions at different times.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the blocking tab is changed from rigid to flexible, altering its mechanical properties. The tab's flexibility parameter allows it to deform under insertion force and return to its original blocking position, enabling both secure retention and easy insertion through parameter modification rather than using separate structures.
2Ease of operation
If flexible tabs are used to allow easy insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but retention security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tab's flexibility is not a weakness but a functional feature that enables dynamic operation. When insertion force is applied, the tab dynamically bends to allow passage, then automatically returns to its blocking position due to its elastic properties, thereby maintaining retention security while enabling easy insertion.
3Ease of operation
If inclined ramps are used to guide insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inclined ramp guiding function and the blocking function are merged into a single integrated structure. The same tab that blocks the opening when in its original position also forms the inclined ramp surface that guides insertion when bent. This merging eliminates the need for separate guiding structures, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
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
Enables easy and secure insertion and retention of slender elements, with the inclined ramps ensuring the elements are imprisoned within the housing, effectively preventing removal without external forces applied to the ramps.
Implementation Method 1
the tabs 9, by bending perpendicular to the wall 5, outwards, under the effect of the pressure force exerted, must clear the insertion opening of the chute
Implementation Method 2
Given the rigidity of the inclined ramps 11 and the zero or slight inclination of the lower edge 17 of the stiffening walls 15 of the ramps, the latter effectively resist the forces of extraction of the element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a component for holding longilinear elements on a support surface. The component is characterized in that the housing is in the form of a conduit, one side wall of which is extended at at least one end by a tab (9) that is flexible in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the wall, towards the outside. This flexible tab is provided at its free upper edge with a ramp (11) which is inclined in the direction of the bottom of the conduit and the height (h) of which perpendicular to the upper edge of the tab increases starting from the end of the fixed wall (5) such that the opening of the housing is freed when the tab (9) is bent under the effect of an application force exerted on the ramp (11) in order to insert the longilinear element into the housing. The invention is usable for holding cables or tubes.