Hanger with Datum Surfaces for Fastener Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing elongate members like wires and cables lack an efficient and secure mechanism for fastening to support surfaces, particularly in ensuring accurate alignment and retention.
Innovation Solution
A hanger design featuring a fastener receiving body, a hook portion with a shank that can bend, and attachment tabs for coupling multiple hangers, allowing for secure fastening to a support surface and easy detachment after use, using materials like plastic, metal, or rubber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional hanger design is used, then the structure is simple, but the fastening accuracy and reliability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The hanger is divided into distinct functional segments: a fastener receiving body for secure attachment, a hook portion for holding elongate members, and attachment tabs for coupling multiple hangers. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its specific function while maintaining overall reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hanger includes pre-formed datum surfaces and alignment features that guide the fastening process before the actual fastening occurs. The shank is pre-configured with bend capabilities to ensure proper positioning during installation, improving fastening accuracy without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms during the fastening operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hook portion is rigid, then the structure is stable, but the ability to adapt to different surfaces and positions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shank of the hook portion is designed with selective bend capability, allowing it to flex and adapt to different support surfaces and positioning requirements during installation, while the overall hook structure maintains its stability and load-bearing capacity once positioned.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the hook have different mechanical properties: the shank region is designed to be flexible for adaptation, while the hook arm and retaining flange areas maintain rigidity for stable elongate member retention. This local differentiation of material properties enables both adaptability and stability.
3Productivity
If multiple hangers are used separately, then each hanger is simple, but the efficiency of managing multiple elongate members is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple hangers can be coupled together through attachment tabs to form a unified system, allowing simultaneous installation and management of multiple elongate members. This merging increases productivity by enabling batch installation while the modular attachment tab design keeps individual hanger units relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment tabs serve multiple functions: they couple multiple hangers together, provide alignment during installation, and enable easy detachment when needed. This multi-functionality increases system productivity without proportionally increasing the complexity of individual components.
4Measurement precision
If the fastener receiving body is small, then the hanger is compact, but the accuracy of fastener placement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener receiving body features asymmetric datum surfaces with specific dimensional relationships (e.g., first dimension greater than 5mm, second dimension greater than 5mm) that provide precise alignment references for fastener placement. This asymmetric design ensures accurate fastener positioning while maintaining a compact overall form factor.
Data Source
Figure 1~2C
Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A hanger configured to be mounted to a supporting surface includes a fastener receiving body configured to be positioned on the supporting surface. The hanger also includes a hook portion positioned adjacent to the fastener receiving body and configured to receive a retainable object therein. The hanger additionally includes a first datum surface associated with a first orientation direction of the fastener body. The hanger further includes a second datum surface associated with a second orientation direction of the fastener body. The relative positions of the first datum surface and the second datum surface are arranged such that when a fastener tool abuts the first datum surface and the second datum surface, a fastener applied by the fastener tool is positioned within a bounded area of the fastener receiving body.