Grasping Tool Nested Tube Rotary Jaw Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hand grip actuated tools are unable to securely grasp and hold sheet metal panels or plates at remote, inaccessible locations due to their design limitations.
Innovation Solution
The tool employs specially configured nesting tubes with rotary motion and jaw structures that rotate and counter-rotate to clamp and release the workpiece, utilizing a hand grip actuator to achieve secure grasping and holding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hand grip actuatable grasping tools use simple clamping jaws at the distal end of an extension arm, then the device complexity is low, but the tool cannot securely grasp and hold sheet metal panels at remote, inaccessible locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nested tubes where an inner tube rotates within an outer tube. The inner tube carries one pair of jaws while the outer tube carries another pair of jaws. This nesting arrangement allows the tool to reach remote locations while providing multiple jaw pairs for secure grasping of sheet metal panels, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements rotary motion between the nested tubes to actuate the jaws. The inner tube rotates relative to the outer tube, causing the jaw pairs to open and close dynamically. This dynamic mechanism enables secure grasping at remote locations without requiring overly complex static structures.
2Ease of operation
If the tool uses nested tubes with rotary motion to reach remote locations, then the accessibility to inaccessible locations is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nested tube configuration allows the tool to extend to remote, inaccessible locations while maintaining a relatively compact and simple overall structure. The inner tube rotating within the outer tube provides the necessary reach and articulation without requiring multiple separate mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested tube mechanism serves multiple functions: it extends the tool's reach to inaccessible locations, provides rotary actuation for jaw movement, and maintains structural integrity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If the tool employs multiple jaw pairs on nested tubes, then the grasping security is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the tubes, the patent accommodates multiple jaw pairs in a compact arrangement. The inner tube carries one pair of jaws while the outer tube carries another pair, allowing simultaneous engagement with the workpiece at multiple points for enhanced grasping security without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the actuation mechanism for multiple jaw pairs into a single rotary motion of the inner tube relative to the outer tube. This unified actuation system controls both jaw pairs simultaneously, improving grasping security while avoiding the complexity of separate actuation systems for each jaw pair.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for holding an article, the tool incorporating a first tube having proximal and distal ends; a cylindrical member received within the first tube, the cylindrical member having proximal and distal ends; a first pair of jaws, wherein one of the jaws among the first pair of jaws is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the distal end of the first tube, and wherein the other jaw among the first pair of jaws is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the distal end of the cylindrical member; and a second pair of jaws, wherein a first jaw among the second pair of jaws is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the distal end of the first tube, and wherein the other jaw among the second pair of jaws is fixedly attached to or formed wholly with the distal end of the cylindrical member.