Hinged Neck Guitar Latch Mechanism for Secure Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hinged neck traveling guitars require a latch to secure the neck in playing position, but existing solutions are difficult to use and compromise acoustic quality, especially when transporting bulky instruments.
Innovation Solution
A latch system that allows easy operation by inserting a ball-terminated arm into a catch and rotating a lever, featuring a securement member that engages a catch surface, adjustable to ensure proper neck alignment and secure locking, using a combination of pivotally mounted latch and hitch arms with a securement member and catch member, allowing for distance variation and angle adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a latch is used to secure the hinged neck in playing position, then the neck stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a latch arm with ball-terminated end, a catch member with catch surface, and a lever. These segmented parts work together to provide stable neck securing while keeping each individual component simple in design.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex multi-component locking mechanism, the patent inverts the approach by using a simple ball-and-catch surface interface combined with a leveraged arm movement. The latch arm rotates about a pivot point to engage or disengage the ball from the catch surface, providing stability through geometric constraint rather than complex mechanical interlocking.
2Reliability
If a complex latch mechanism is used to securely lock the neck, then the locking reliability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The lever acts as an intermediary between the user's manual input and the latch arm movement. By applying force to the lever, the user indirectly controls the rotation of the latch arm about its pivot point, making the operation intuitive and easy while maintaining reliable engagement through the ball-and-catch surface interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball-terminated end of the latch arm provides a spherical contact interface with the planar catch surface. This curved geometry allows for easy rotational movement into and out of the engaged position while maintaining a positive mechanical lock when engaged, combining ease of operation with reliable locking.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the guitar is made bulky to maintain acoustic quality, then the sound quality is improved, but the ease of transport deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guitar neck is designed with a hinge that allows it to rotate between a playing position and a folded travel position. This dynamic configuration enables the guitar to maintain its full acoustic performance characteristics when in use, while compacting to a portable size for transport. The latch mechanism secures the neck in the playing position to ensure acoustic integrity is maintained during performance.
Data Source
AI summary
The inventive folding guitar comprises a guitar body and a guitar neck which includes a fretboard. A hinge connects the guitar neck to the guitar body. The hinge is configured to enable the guitar neck to pivot relative to the guitar body. A securing means for selectively securing the guitar neck to the guitar body that prevents the guitar neck from pivoting relative to the guitar body. A guitar neck angle adjusting means for adjusting an angle of the guitar neck relative to the guitar body is provided so that a height of a guitar string relative to the fretboard can be adjusted.