Folding Power Tool Stand Locking Structure for Solo Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile power tool stands, such as those for table saws, require assistance to switch between extended and received positions due to weight and stability issues, posing safety risks and hindering solo operation, while also presenting a tripping hazard with exposed retaining devices.
Innovation Solution
A mobile power tool stand design featuring transverse bars, pivoted legs, links, a locking structure with locating members and retaining devices, and wheels, allowing for easy conversion between positions without assistance, ensuring stability and safety by distributing weight and preventing sudden falls, and concealing retaining devices to avoid tripping hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the stand is designed to be collapsed for storage, then portability is improved, but the weight and complexity of the collapsing mechanism increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stand is divided into multiple segments including first legs, second legs, links, and transverse bars that can be collapsed and stored. Each segment is connected through pivots and retaining devices, allowing the structure to be divided into manageable parts for storage while maintaining structural integrity when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The second legs are designed to nest within or alongside the first legs during collapse. The locking structure allows segments to be stored in a compact configuration where smaller components fit within or adjacent to larger structural elements, reducing overall storage footprint.
2Ease of operation
If the stand structure is simplified for easy operation, then ease of operation is improved, but stability and strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining devices are pre-positioned on the legs and links, ready to engage with locating members. This preliminary arrangement allows the user to simply pull or push the structure to convert between positions, as the locking and unlocking mechanisms are already in place and require minimal manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking structure is designed to automatically engage and disengage through the movement of the legs and links themselves. As the user collapses or extends the stand, the locating members naturally align with and engage the retaining devices without requiring separate locking actions, making the system self-locking during operation.
3Ease of operation
If the retaining device is exposed during extended status, then accessibility for locking is improved, but safety hazards increase due to tripping risks
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining devices are extracted from the main structural path and positioned on the outer surfaces of the second legs. This placement allows them to be accessible for locking operations while being removed from the central area where they could cause tripping hazards during normal use or passage.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining devices are positioned in a different spatial dimension relative to the main leg structure, placing them on lateral surfaces rather than along the vertical path of the leg. This dimensional repositioning maintains accessibility while eliminating the tripping hazard associated with protruding elements in the primary structural path.
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
Enables safe, stable, and convenient operation of the stand by a single person, preventing falls and tripping hazards, allowing solo operation even with heavy tools, and maintaining stability during transitions.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of first legs each having a fulcrum respectively pivoted to the transverse bars; a pair of links each having a fulcrum respectively pivoted to the transverse bars; a pair of second legs each having a first pivot point respectively pivoted to the links and a second pivot point respectively pivoted to the first legs
Implementation Method 2
a locking structure comprising a first locating member provided at the first legs, and a first retaining device provided at the second legs for fastening to the first locating member when the first legs are received to the second legs
Implementation Method 3
a pair of wheels respectively pivoted to the frame 4
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile power tool stand includes two transverse bars for holding a power tool thereon, two first legs respectively pivoted to the transverse bars, two links respectively pivoted to the transverse bars, two second legs respectively pivoted to the first legs and the links for allowing the mobile power tool stand to be set between a received status where the first legs and the second legs are received together, and an extended status where the bottom ends of the first and second legs support the whole structure of the stand on the floor, and a locking structure for selectively locking the mobile power tool stand between the received status and the extended status.