Integral Yoke-End Cap Design for Compact Rescue Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior rescue tools require robust and large structures to withstand perpendicular forces generated during operation, leading to increased dimensions and reduced compactness, making it difficult for rescue workers to access challenging areas.
Innovation Solution
A rescue tool design featuring a power cylinder with a bus-shaped yoke connector that integrates with the cylinder housing and transmission, providing a compact configuration with a sturdy support system and allowing for easier assembly and maintenance through screw threads, while minimizing the distance between the piston rod and the yoke.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a robust and large structure is used to withstand perpendicular forces, then the strength and stability are improved, but the dimensions increase and compactness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the yoke and end-cap into a single integral component, eliminating the need for separate clamping structures. This merging reduces the overall number of parts and allows for a more compact configuration while maintaining the necessary structural strength to withstand operational forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission components are positioned within the passage defined by the integrated yoke-end-cap structure, creating a nested arrangement. This nesting allows the transmission mechanism to be housed efficiently within the existing structural envelope, reducing overall dimensions without compromising strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the distance between piston rod movement direction and clamping point is increased, then the structural robustness is improved, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the yoke and end-cap into one component, the patent eliminates the need for separate clamping structures, thereby reducing device complexity. The integral design maintains structural robustness by providing continuous material support from the piston rod through the yoke to the rotation points.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated yoke-end-cap component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the end-cap closing the cylinder, provides the yoke structure for arm attachment, defines the passage for transmission components, and provides rotation points for the arms. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining structural integrity.
3Strength
If bigger dimensions are used to accommodate robust structures, then the strength is improved, but the accessibility to difficult areas is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of yoke and end-cap into a single compact component significantly reduces the overall footprint of the rescue tool. This compact design maintains the necessary strength through efficient structural design while enabling the tool to fit into tighter spaces and reach difficult areas that larger tools cannot access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural configuration from a distributed robust design to a concentrated integral design. By repositioning and integrating components, the design achieves strength through optimized material placement and structural efficiency rather than through increased overall dimensions, thereby improving accessibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a rescue tool, comprising a power cylinder having a cylinder housing and a piston with a piston rod extending out of the housing, a transmission connected to the piston, at least one rotatably drivable arm, a structure accommodating at least the cylinder housing; and a yoke, which defines a passage for any one or more than one of the cylinder housing, the piston and the transmission and which is connected to the structure to define a rotation point for the at least one rotatably driveable arm. The rescue tool further comprises an end-cap, which is arranged on the cylinder housing to close an internal pressure chamber of the cylinder, wherein the yoke and the end-cap form an integral component.