Gearbox Lock Mechanism for Post Hole Auger

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional post hole diggers with cross bolts protruding from the auger shaft pose a safety hazard and complicate the removal process due to the additional challenge of threaded fittings on rotating shafts.

Innovation Solution

A gearbox with a collar and lock bar mechanism, featuring a semi-circular outer edge and flat side, provides a threaded nipple for secure attachment and a rotatable lock bar to prevent collar rotation during removal, ensuring user safety and ease of disassembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cross bolt is used to attach the auger shaft to the gearbox, then the attachment is secure, but the cross bolt protrudes from the shaft causing safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment securityVSAvoidsafety hazard from protrusions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The protruding cross bolt is extracted and replaced with a threaded nipple that attaches to a collar, eliminating the protrusion from the shaft while maintaining secure attachment through the collar's lock bar mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a threaded fitting is used on the rotating shaft to eliminate protrusions, then user safety is improved, but the removal of the shaft from the gearbox becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety hazard eliminationVSAvoidshaft removal ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The attachment system is segmented into distinct components: a collar with a lock bar mechanism that can be independently operated to lock or unlock the collar on the shaft, and a threaded nipple for attachment. This allows the shaft to be securely attached during operation but easily removed by simply unlocking the collar without dealing with protruding bolts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The lock bar is designed to be movable between locked and unlocked positions, transitioning the collar from a fixed locked state during operation to an unlocked state for easy removal. This dynamic mechanism simplifies the removal process while maintaining safety during operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If a lock bar mechanism is added to prevent collar rotation during removal, then the removal process is simplified, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremoval process simplicityVSAvoidlock mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The collar features an asymmetric design with a flat side and a semi-circular outer edge. The lock bar engages with the flat side to prevent rotation during operation, while the asymmetric geometry naturally guides the lock bar into the correct position, simplifying the locking and unlocking actions without requiring complex mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentUS9163382B2Gearbox lock mechanism

Publication Date: 2015.10.20 KING KUTTER

AI summary

The gearbox lock mechanism for a post bole auger has a collar coupled to a lower end of a right angle gearbox, the collar rotatable upon operation of the gearbox. The collar comprises a semi-circular outer edge and a fiat side. A male-threaded nipple extends from the collar and threads onto the auger shaft. A lock bar is coupled to the gearbox and acts as a positive lock to lock the collar in place for removal of the shaft from the gearbox. The lock bar is rotatable from a locked position whereby the lock bar is aligned with and contactable with the flat side of the outer edge of the collar, to an unlocked position whereby the lock bar does not contact the flat side of the outer edge of the collar.