Low-Profile Golf Training Aid Hinge With Stable Friction Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf training aid hinges face challenges with durability, resistance to wear and moisture, ease of use, and resistance to damage from storage and handling, particularly in varying environmental conditions and during repeated bending and storage.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly featuring a frictional brake pad with a copper-reinforced aramid material and an adjustable clamping mechanism, combined with expandable torque-retention members and weatherizing features, to provide consistent torque and resistance to wear, while allowing easy adjustment and minimizing debris infiltration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional hinge mechanism is used in a golf training aid, then the device can be manufactured simply, but the hinge suffers from durability issues, wear, and moisture damage over time
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge incorporates a composite construction combining a friction brake pad made of copper-reinforced aramid material with a polymer housing. This composite material approach provides superior durability, wear resistance, and moisture resistance while maintaining manufacturability through injection molding and assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge utilizes a polymer housing that encapsulates the friction brake pad and internal components, creating a protected, weather-resistant assembly. The housing acts as a flexible yet durable shell that shields the internal mechanism from environmental damage while allowing for complex geometries to be manufactured.
2Ease of operation
If the hinge uses a friction-based adjustment mechanism, then the user can easily adjust the angle without tools, but the torque consistency degrades over time due to wear
Solution Approach 1:
The friction brake pad is constructed from copper-reinforced aramid material, which provides high friction coefficient for easy adjustment while simultaneously offering exceptional wear resistance. This composite material maintains consistent torque characteristics over thousands of adjustment cycles, resolving the trade-off between ease of operation and torque stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge design incorporates a clamping mechanism that applies controlled pressure to the friction brake pad, optimizing the friction force for user-adjustable torque. The expandable torque-retention members dynamically adjust the clamping force to maintain consistent torque characteristics even as the friction surfaces undergo wear.
3Shape
If the hinge is designed to be low-profile for storage, then the device fits better in golf bags, but the hinge becomes more susceptible to damage from crushing and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer housing is designed as a low-profile, encapsulating shell that protects the internal friction brake pad and mechanism from crushing and handling damage. The housing maintains a compact shape for storage in golf bags while providing structural strength through its engineered geometry and material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge design incorporates the friction brake pad and internal components within a protective polymer housing that acts as a cushioning shell. This pre-engineered protection shields the vulnerable internal mechanism from external impacts and crushing forces that occur during storage and handling, allowing for a low-profile design without sacrificing strength.
4Ease of manufacture
If the hinge uses exposed mechanical components for adjustment, then the mechanism is simple to manufacture, but debris and moisture infiltrate the hinge, causing wear and failure
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer housing serves as a protective shell that encapsulates the friction brake pad and internal adjustment mechanism, creating a sealed environment that prevents debris and moisture infiltration. This enclosed design maintains manufacturing simplicity through injection molding while effectively blocking harmful environmental factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of the polymer housing and friction brake pad creates a sealed composite assembly where the polymer provides environmental protection while the copper-reinforced aramid friction material provides durable, weather-resistant contact surfaces. This composite approach addresses both manufacturing feasibility and resistance to debris and moisture.
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 solution enhances the durability and usability of the golf training aid hinge by maintaining consistent torque over time, resisting wear and environmental factors, and ensuring easy operation across various user groups and conditions, while reducing the risk of damage from storage and handling.
Implementation Method 1
a frictional brake pad (115) including an arm (115a)
Data Source
AI summary
Hinges for multipurpose golf training aids, and more particularly, long-wearing, durable low-profile hinges for multipurpose golf training aids, and methods for manufacturing such hinges are disclosed.