Flexible Retainer Cord Management in Vehicle Console
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surplus lengths of cords from portable electronic devices in motor vehicle storage consoles often dangle or become entangled with other items, leading to unintentional unplugging due to lack of effective management solutions.
Innovation Solution
A cord management device featuring a flexible retainer mounted on the wall of the storage console, which creates a recessed storage channel to neatly store and manage cords, allowing for easy insertion and removal by flexing to accommodate the cord's length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid barrier is used to block the storage channel, then cord retention is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in inserting and removing cords
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed with flexible material that allows it to dynamically change its position. When cord is inserted, the retainer flexes to accommodate passage; when cord is in place, the retainer returns to its original position to block the channel and retain the cord. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between retention reliability and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer's physical state changes based on applied force. Under normal conditions, it maintains a rigid blocking position for retention. When force is applied during cord insertion, it temporarily changes its flexibility parameter to allow passage, then returns to the rigid state for retention. This parameter change enables both easy operation and reliable retention.
2Device complexity
If no cord management device is used, then device complexity is reduced, but harmful factors increase due to cord entanglement and unintentional unplugging
Solution Approach 1:
The storage console is segmented into two functional zones: an open storage area for electronic devices and a dedicated cord storage channel blocked by the retainer. This segmentation isolates the cord from other stored items, preventing entanglement while maintaining overall system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible retainer acts as an intermediary element between the storage channel and the external environment. It selectively allows cord insertion while blocking the channel during normal operation, preventing cords from becoming entangled with other items and eliminating unintentional unplugging without requiring complex management systems.
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 device effectively keeps cords organized, preventing entanglement and ensuring they remain plugged in by securely storing surplus cord lengths within the console, enhancing user satisfaction and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible retainer is mounted on the wall and blocks ingress and egress to the storage channel. The flexible retainer flexes to permit insertion of the cord into the storage channel and also flex to permit removal of the cord from the storage channel.
Data Source
AI summary
A cord management device neatly stores a flexible cord in a storage console of a motor vehicle. The storage console has a storage channel recessed in the wall for receiving a length of the flexible cord. A flexible retainer is mounted on the wall and blocks ingress and egress to the storage channel. The flexible retainer flexes to permit insertion of the cord into the storage channel and also flexes to permit removal of the cord from the storage channel.