Flexible Shaft Ergonomic Tool Reducing Swing Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tools with handles and heads, such as hammers and throwing devices, often require significant swing or input force, making them difficult for elderly users or those with disabilities to use, and can lead to mechanical shock injuries with repeated use.
Innovation Solution
A tool design featuring a flexible shaft composed of multiple shaft members, including fixed and floating members, which reduces the required swing or input force and minimizes mechanical shock, allowing for ergonomic benefits like ease of use and reduced stress, with a head that can be made from various materials and configured for different applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid shaft is used to maintain structural strength and accuracy, then the tool can transmit force effectively, but it requires significant swing or input force and transmits mechanical shock to the user
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple individual shaft members (first shaft member, second shaft member, etc.) that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each member to flex separately, reducing the overall rigidity while maintaining the structural framework, thereby decreasing the swing force required without compromising overall strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft members are configured to move dynamically relative to one another through reciprocable connections, allowing the shaft to adapt its rigidity during operation. During the swing, members can shift to absorb shock and reduce the force needed, while still maintaining accuracy during the striking phase.
2Reliability
If a rigid shaft is used to maintain tool accuracy and force transmission, then the tool functions effectively, but repeated use transmits mechanical shock that can lead to user injury
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible shaft members act as a cushioning mechanism built into the tool structure itself. As the shaft flexes during swinging, it absorbs and dissipates mechanical shock before it reaches the user's arm, providing beforehand protection against repetitive strain injuries while maintaining tool effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If the shaft is made flexible to reduce swing force and shock, then ease of operation improves, but structural strength and accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft members are constructed from elastic materials that combine flexibility with structural strength. This composite approach allows the shaft to be flexible enough to reduce swing force while maintaining sufficient strength to transmit force effectively during the striking action, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and strength.
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 shaft design enhances user comfort and safety by reducing the necessary force and stress, making the tool more accessible and reducing the risk of injury from mechanical shock, while maintaining the tool's effectiveness and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible shaft comprising a plurality of flexible shaft members each connecting the handle with the head, wherein the plurality of flexible shaft members comprises at least one fixed shaft member and at least one floating shaft member
Data Source
AI summary
A tool including a handle, a head, and a flexible shaft including a plurality of shaft members each connecting the handle with the head. The shaft members include at least one fixed shaft member and at least one floating shaft member. Each of the fixed shaft members is fixedly connected with both the handle and the head, and each of the floating shaft members is reciprocably connected with at least one of the handle and the head.