Knife Holder Locking Mechanism for Safe Knife Retention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional knife holders lack a locking mechanism, allowing knives to be easily drawn and posing safety risks to nearby individuals.
Innovation Solution
A knife holder design featuring a base seat unit with insertion holes and a locking unit comprising a linkage rod and locking plates, which can be moved between locked and unlocked positions to secure or release the knives, using a push lock mechanism to prevent accidental removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to the knife holder, then safety is improved by preventing accidental drawing of knives, but device complexity increases due to additional components like linkage rod and locking plates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: locking plates (52) that individually engage with each knife, a linkage rod (51) that coordinates their movement, and a locking head (60) that provides the actuating force. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking plates (52) are nested within the base seat unit (1), with their connecting portions pivotally connected to the main body (10). The linkage rod (51) is disposed within the receiving space (18) and connects to these nested locking plates. This nested arrangement consolidates multiple locking functions into a compact structure, improving safety while controlling device complexity through space-efficient design.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism with multiple components is implemented, then reliability of knife retention is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to activate the locking head and move the linkage rod
Solution Approach 1:
The locking head (60) merges multiple functions into a single actuating component: it provides the pushing force, guides the movement of the linkage rod (51), and coordinates the simultaneous movement of all locking plates (52). This merging allows the user to secure or release all knives with a single simple operation, improving ease of operation while maintaining reliable knife retention through the coordinated action of all locking components.
3Reliability
If locking plates are designed to pivot and extend into insertion spaces, then safety is improved by blocking knife removal, but device complexity increases due to the pivotable connecting portions
Solution Approach 1:
The locking plates (52) are designed with dynamic characteristics, featuring connecting portions that can pivot relative to the main body (10). This allows the lock end portions (522) to dynamically extend into the insertion spaces (40) when needed to block knife removal, and retract when the locking mechanism is activated. This dynamic design provides effective knife security while maintaining relatively simple structural implementation through pivotal connections rather than complex mechanical assemblies.
Data Source
AI summary
A knife holder is adapted for retention of a plurality of knives, and includes a main body, a lateral wall, a locking member, a locking head and a plurality of insertion holes. The main body cooperates with the lateral wall to define an insertion space. The locking member has a linkage rod having a plurality of protruding portions, and a plurality of locking plates respectively connected to the protruding portions. Movement of the linkage rod drives each locking plate to rotate between a locked position, where a lock end portion thereof extends into the insertion space for blocking removal of the knives via the insertion holes, and an unlocked position, where the lock end portion is received in the receiving space for permitting removal of the knives.