Flexible Ratchet Head Joint for Tight-Access Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power hand tools, such as motorized ratchet wrenches and drivers, face difficulty in reaching fasteners in tight or hard-to-reach places due to their fixed head configuration, limiting accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A flexible head joint that allows the ratchet head to be disposed at an angle relative to the tool housing, utilizing pivotable shafts and connectors with parallel axes to enable rotational force transfer, enabling the ratchet head to pivot and rotate independently of the tool body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the head is fixed in position relative to the tool body to house the motor, then the motor can be properly contained in the housing, but the tool cannot reach fasteners in tight or hard-to-reach places
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the head pivotable relative to the tool body through a pivot joint. The head can pivot between a first position for normal operation and a second position to reach fasteners in tight spaces, transforming a static fixed connection into a dynamic adjustable connection that adapts to different working conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tool into distinct functional modules: the tool body containing the motor, the pivot joint connecting the body to the head, and the head containing the ratchet mechanism. This segmentation allows the head to be positioned independently from the motor housing, enabling flexibility in reaching fasteners while keeping the motor contained in the body.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the head is made pivotable to reach tight spaces, then accessibility improves, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot joint enables the head to dynamically change its position relative to the tool body, transitioning between a first position for normal operation and a second position for reaching fasteners in tight spaces, thereby providing adaptability without requiring a completely redesign of the tool architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot joint acts as an intermediary mechanism between the tool body and the head, allowing relative movement while maintaining structural integrity. This intermediary component enables flexibility and adaptability without requiring the entire tool structure to be redesigned, thus managing complexity effectively.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible head joint for a tool, such as a motorized ratcheting-type tool. The flexible joint also allows an output mechanism of the tool, such as a ratchet head, to be disposed at an angle with respect to a housing to the tool, which houses a motor. For example, the first shaft is pivotably coupled to a first connector, which may have a tongue shaped portion. The second shaft is pivotably coupled to a second connector, which may have a slotted portion adapted to receive the tongue portion. This provides two pivot points that have parallel axes.