Injection-Molded Joystick Lever With Embedded Magnet Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joystick control devices for industrial applications face challenges in providing accurate angular position measurement, haptic feedback, and durability due to manufacturing inaccuracies and the use of metal components, which lead to increased costs and potential for undesired vibrations and dislocation of magnets.
Innovation Solution
A joystick design featuring a control lever made from injection-molded plastic with an embedded magnet, pivotal protrusions, and a channel to secure connection members, along with a lower sensor and locking mechanism, ensuring precise positioning and reduced vibration, while maintaining durability and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal control arms are used with magnets attached, then haptic feedback and durability are improved, but manufacturing precision and cost are worsened due to difficulties in placing magnets precisely and additional assembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the control arm and magnet into a single integrated component manufactured via injection molding. The magnet is embedded directly into the plastic control arm during the molding process, eliminating separate attachment operations and ensuring precise, consistent magnet positioning without additional assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining plastic material with an embedded magnet. This composite approach allows the control arm to maintain durability while achieving precise magnet positioning through the molding process, resolving the conflict between material properties and manufacturing precision.
2Strength
If metal control arms with attached magnets are used, then durability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to additional assembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control arm and magnet into a single integrated component manufactured via injection molding. The magnet is embedded directly into the plastic control arm during the molding process, eliminating separate attachment operations and ensuring precise, consistent magnet positioning without additional assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection molding process automatically embeds the magnet into the control arm during manufacturing, making the positioning and attachment self-service rather than requiring separate manual or automated assembly operations. This reduces device complexity and manufacturing steps.
3Ease of operation
If buttons are used to trigger functions, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inadvertent inducing motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical buttons with a touchscreen interface that detects touch gestures through capacitive sensing. This substitution eliminates mechanical contact that could cause inadvertent motion while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive touch-based control.
4Reliability
If a lock assembly is added to prevent control lever movement, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical lock assemblies with an electronic locking mechanism controlled through the touchscreen interface. The system uses software-based commands to lock or unlock the control lever position, eliminating complex mechanical locking structures while maintaining reliable positioning control.
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 cost-effective, durable, and secure joystick with enhanced haptic feedback and accurate angular position sensing, reducing manufacturing costs and preventing magnet dislocation, thus improving user experience and equipment control in industrial settings.
Implementation Method 1
a lower circuit with a lower sensor is provided... said lower magnet is embedded within the pivotal protrusion to be in the proximity of said upper circuit
Implementation Method 2
said control lever having at least one embedded lower magnet is manufactured from plastic by the injection molding
Data Source
Figure 1~2b
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4
AI summary
A joystick (100) for controlling a machine comprising; a handle assembly (50) allowed to rotate around a central axis extending along a longitudinal direction of the joystick (100), a control portion (30) having a casing (34) in which a lower circuit (44) with a lower sensor (47) is provided and a control lever (80) attached to the said casing (34) so as to move pivotally about at a pivot axis which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the control lever (80). Advantageously, said control lever (80) having at least one embedded lower magnet (20) is manufactured from plastic by the injection molding; said control lever (80) comprises: at least one pivotal protrusion (802) extending outwardly from the control lever (80) for bearing in a housing (343) of a casing (34); said pivotal protrusion (802) forming a monolithic structure with the control lever (80) by said injection molding and in that said lower magnet (20) is embedded within the pivotal protrusion (802) to be in the proximity of said lower circuit (44).