Foldable Locking Structure With Pre-Lock Against Accidental Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable structures can accidentally fold during normal use due to their design, leading to potential injury from unintended unlocking and rotation of folding components.
Innovation Solution
A foldable structure with a locking mechanism that includes a locking buckle and an unlocking part, where the unlocking part is limited by a position limiting boss, preventing accidental rotation and requiring no manual fastening, and a snapping groove mechanism for enhanced locking stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the foldable structure is designed to be foldable, then it occupies smaller space when stored and is portable, but it may be accidentally folded while performing its normal functions
Solution Approach 1:
The locking buckle is designed to automatically lock the folding seat in the unfolded state before the user needs to use it. The position limiting boss pre-restricts the rotating range of the unlocking part, so that even if the user forgets to manually lock, the structure cannot accidentally fold during normal use
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically lock itself when the folding seat is in the unfolded state. The unlocking part automatically engages with the position limiting boss, creating a self-locking system that does not require continuous manual intervention to prevent accidental folding
2Reliability
If manual fastening of the unlocking part is required, then the locking mechanism can be secured, but the user may neglect or forget to manually fasten it causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism automatically performs the locking function when the folding seat is unfolded. The unlocking part self-engages with the position limiting boss through the rotational movement itself, eliminating the need for separate manual fastening actions by the user
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs the locking action automatically during the normal unfolding operation. The position limiting boss is designed to automatically engage the unlocking part as the folding seat reaches the unfolded position, so locking is accomplished as a preliminary action before the user begins using the device
3Ease of operation
If the unlocking part can rotate freely to separate the locking buckle, then the structure can be unlocked, but accidental rotation can cause injury
Solution Approach 1:
The position limiting boss is designed to counteract the potential harmful action of accidental unlocking by pre-restricting the rotating range of the unlocking part. The boss physically blocks the unlocking part from rotating far enough to disengage the locking buckle, preventing the harmful effect before it can occur
Solution Approach 2:
The position limiting boss acts as an intermediary element between the unlocking part and the locking buckle. It allows the unlocking part to rotate enough for intentional unlocking but blocks rotation that would cause accidental disengagement, serving as a protective mediator in the system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
A foldable structure (10) includes: a first folding seat (1); a second folding seat rotatably connected with the first folding seat (1) and including a position limiting boss (21); and a locking assembly (3) including a locking buckle (32) and an unlocking part (31) connected with each other, which are rotatably connected with the first folding seat, respectively. When the foldable structure is in an unlocked state, and the first folding seat rotates around the second folding seat in a first direction, the locking buckle moves along with the first folding seat (1) to be engaged with the second folding seat and the unlocking part (31) moves to abut against the position limiting boss (21), so that the foldable structure is switched to a pre-locked state where the position limiting boss (21) prevents the unlocking part (31) from rotating around the first folding seat to unlock the locking buckle (32).