Hinged Suction Cup Mount for Long-Lasting Vacuum Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional suction cup mounts face issues with maintaining a secure connection over time due to air leakage and deformation, especially on textured surfaces, and often require complex mechanisms or additional structures that increase cost and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A suction device with a unitary body featuring a center main body and an exterior body connected by a hinge, coated with a gel material, allowing for movement between pre-mounting and mounted positions to create a partial vacuum without air leakage, using a circular hinge and molded openings for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cone shaped cup mount is made of soft rubber or plastic material to enable deformation for creating partial vacuum, then the mount can be easily installed on smooth surfaces, but the deformation causes the mount to return to its resting position which accelerates air leakage and reduces mounting duration
Solution Approach 1:
The suction cup is divided into two functional sections: a rigid outer rim that maintains structural integrity and prevents return to resting position, and a flexible inner portion that creates the seal and partial vacuum. This segmentation allows the mount to be easily installed while preventing air leakage over time.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the suction cup have different mechanical properties: the outer rim is rigid to maintain shape and prevent air leakage, while the inner contact area is flexible to conform to the mounting surface and create the vacuum seal. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between ease of installation and mounting duration.
2Duration of action of moving object
If hard plastic caps and retainer rings are added to the suction cup to prevent deformation and reduce air leakage, then the mounting duration is extended, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid outer rim and flexible inner portion are merged into a single integrated suction cup structure, eliminating the need for separate hard plastic caps and retainer rings. This combination maintains the mounting duration benefits while reducing device complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction cup uses composite construction with rigid and flexible materials integrated into one piece, providing both the structural stability needed to prevent air leakage and the flexibility needed for easy installation, without requiring additional components.
3Duration of action of moving object
If additional structure such as hard plastic caps and retainer rings is added to extend mounting duration, then the suction cup holds longer, but accessory mounting becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the suction cup into a rigid outer rim and flexible inner portion, the design maintains a clean, simple outer surface that facilitates easy accessory mounting while the internal structure provides extended mounting duration through prevented air leakage.
4Reliability
If a flat pad with lever or screw control mechanism is used to create partial vacuum, then the mount works better on textured non-porous surfaces, but the mechanism requires multiple moving parts which increases cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The complex lever or screw control mechanism is completely removed from the design. Instead, the suction cup uses passive elastic recovery of the flexible inner portion to maintain the vacuum seal, achieving reliable mounting on textured surfaces without any moving parts or complex mechanisms.
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 provides a secure and long-lasting attachment to various surfaces without deformation or air leakage, improving stability and reducing the need for complex mechanisms, while being easy to install and remove.
Implementation Method 1
a gel material coating on a side of the exterior body portion
Implementation Method 2
suction is engaged by a user pushing down on a center of the cone, and forcing air out from the space between the surface and the mount material, creating a partial vacuum that assists in retaining the mount to the surface
Implementation Method 3
the center main body portion and the exterior body portion connected by a hinge, and the exterior body portion is movable between a first position and a second position
Data Source
AI summary
A suction mounting device includes a unitary body of soft or rigid plastic having an interior and an exterior portion connected by a hinge. The exterior portion is movable between first and second positions about the hinge, the first position a pre-mounting position in which a gel material of the exterior portion contacts a mounting surface to form a cavity between the mounting device and the mounting surface, and a second mounting position in which the exterior portion is rotated about the hinge toward the mounting surface to create a larger cavity and a partial vacuum therein to hold the suction device to the mounting surface.