Injection-Molded Hinge for Split-Core Current Transformer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mass-producible housings with hinges, particularly those produced by injection molding, face challenges in creating durable, reusable, and long-lasting hinges that can withstand extended cycles and environmental conditions without disassembling unintentionally, as they often require multiple components and are prone to wear or brittleness.
Innovation Solution
A housing design featuring two integrated parts with a keyed hinge mechanism that allows for 180-degree rotation and secure latching, preventing inadvertent disassembly by aligning specific angles and configurations of pins and knuckles, ensuring the hinge remains operational for an extended or unlimited number of cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional injection-molded hinges with multiple components are used, then mass producibility is achieved, but the hinge is prone to wear, brittleness, and unintentional disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple hinge components (knuckle, pin, retaining features) into a single integrally molded piece of plastic. This eliminates the need for separate parts that can wear or loosen, while maintaining compatibility with injection molding processes for mass production. The single-piece construction resolves the contradiction by providing both manufacturability and enhanced reliability through eliminated interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes plastic material with specific properties (flexibility, strength, moldability) to create a hinge that combines the benefits of injection molding with durable hinge functionality. The material composition and molecular structure of the plastic enable the single-piece hinge to withstand repeated cycling without the wear issues of traditional multi-component metal hinges.
2Ease of operation
If a simple hinge design is used, then ease of assembly is achieved, but the hinge cannot prevent inadvertent disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is segmented into functional zones within a single piece: a knuckle portion for rotation, a pin portion for connection, and integrated retaining features (protrusions/recesses, slots) for security. This segmentation of functions within a unified structure allows easy assembly while preventing inadvertent disassembly through the interlocking retaining features.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated retaining features act as intermediaries between the knuckle and pin portions, providing a mechanical barrier against disassembly. These features mediate the connection by requiring specific alignment and force to disengage, thus preventing accidental separation while maintaining simple assembly through the molded-in design.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If a durable hinge mechanism is implemented, then extended operational life is achieved, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By combining all hinge components into one integrally molded piece, the patent eliminates the need for complex multi-step assembly processes involving multiple parts. The single-piece construction achieves durability through its inherent structure while simplifying assembly to a single attachment operation, resolving the contradiction between durability and assembly complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional multi-component hinges are used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but the hinge requires tedious assembly and is prone to disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete hinge components into a single integrally molded plastic piece, reducing the component count from three or more to one. This maintains manufacturing flexibility through injection molding while eliminating the assembly complexity and disassembly risks associated with multiple separate parts.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a hinge, such as for housings for devices, such as a split-core current transformer. The housings can include hinges and housing parts to be rotatably coupled together at such hinges that can be injection molded. A hinge of a housing can include a first knuckle and a second knuckle, which can be integrally formed with or coupled to a first housing part and each are configured to receive an end of a hinge pin. One of the knuckles includes a knuckle slot to provide radial access for a cut-away portion of a hinge pin to pass through. At assembly of the first housing part to a second housing part, a first hinge pin end is to be disposed within an opening of the first knuckle and a second hinge pin end is to be disposed within the second knuckle after passage of the key portion through the knuckle slot of the second knuckle.