Flexible Wall Latch Structure for Collapsible Produce Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) designed to be more flexible like corrugated cardboard boxes face challenges in maintaining integrity and preventing latch failure during shipping and handling, while also minimizing damage to the fruit and ensuring reliable automatic collapsing mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A produce container design featuring a base and four walls coupled by hinges, with a latch system that includes a flexible arm and a stop contact, allowing for resilient movement and internal alignment to maintain the erected configuration and facilitate reliable collapsing, while minimizing damage to the fruit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the container walls are made more flexible to reduce fruit damage, then the flexibility increases, but the likelihood of inadvertent latch failure during dropping or mishandling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latch system is divided into separate functional components: a resilient latch member with a head and body, a stop member, and a stop contact. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the latch body can be flexible to absorb impact while the head maintains latching force, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient latch member is designed to deflect and absorb impact forces before they can cause latch failure. The elasticity of the latch member provides beforehand cushioning that protects the latching system during dropping or mishandling, allowing flexible walls without increasing latch failure risk
2Reliability
If the container walls are made more rigid to maintain structural integrity, then the reliability increases, but the packing damage to bananas increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the container have different rigidity characteristics. The latch system provides localized rigidity and strength where structural integrity is needed, while the container walls can remain flexible to minimize packing damage. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall structural integrity and localized flexibility
3Reliability
If the stop contact is positioned to engage the latch head for reliable latching, then the latching reliability improves, but the stop contact extends into the interior space causing fruit damage
Solution Approach 1:
The stop contact is positioned on the exterior surface of the container wall, utilizing the external dimension rather than extending into the interior space. This dimensional repositioning allows the stop contact to engage the latch head for reliable latching without intruding into the fruit storage area, resolving the contradiction between latching reliability and fruit protection
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 design enhances the flexibility of the container to reduce fruit damage, maintains structural integrity to prevent unintended latch failures, and allows for reliable automatic collapsing, addressing the diverging design objectives of flexibility and robustness.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient latch member that is deflectable to a deflected position in which the latch head disengages from the stop member
Implementation Method 2
Each wall is coupled to the base by a corresponding hinge. The first wall is movable on its hinge about a first axis extending in a first direction parallel to the base
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
A container comprising walls. A first wall has a latch connected thereto by a flexible arm at a first lateral end. The latch comprises i) a latch body connected to the flexible arm and resiliently, outwardly movable, the latch body having an interior surface sloped to partially face a second lateral end of the first wall, and ii) a stop contact having a contact surface resiliently movable relative to the latch body. The stop contact is connected to the latch body at a location outward of where a stop contacts the contact surface. A second wall comprising a stop is located at the first lateral end, and is movable on a hinge. The stop is aligned to contact the contact surface as the second wall is rotated from an erected arrangement and to contact the interior surface as the second wall is rotated from the collapsed arrangement.