Latchable Boom Coupler for Folding Long-Reach Power Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power tools with elongated members, such as string trimmers and pole hedge trimmers, face challenges in compact storage and shipping due to their extended lengths, which hinder ease of use and increase storage and shipping costs.
Innovation Solution
A boom coupler system that includes pivotally coupled elongated members with a latch mechanism, allowing the tool to transition between an in-use and stored configuration, reducing the overall length for compact storage and shipping by angularly displacing the members about a pivot axis and locking them using a rotatable latch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the elongated member is made long to extend the working range of the tool, then the tool can reach elevated or distant work objects, but the tool becomes difficult to store and ship in a compact manner
Solution Approach 1:
The elongated member is divided into a first elongated member and a second elongated member that can be coupled together. The first elongated member is coupled to the housing, and the second elongated member is coupled to the working head, allowing the tool to be segmented for compact storage while maintaining extended length during use
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second elongated members are pivotally coupled together about a pivot axis, enabling dynamic reconfiguration between an in-use configuration (extended) and a stored configuration (collapsed). The latch mechanism provides selective locking to maintain either configuration as needed
2Adaptability or versatility
If the elongated member is made long to reach elevated work objects, then the working capability is improved, but the storage and shipping costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the elongated member into two separate members that can be coupled, the tool achieves extended reach capability only when needed during use, while allowing compact storage to reduce shipping and storage costs
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal coupling allows the tool to dynamically transition between extended and collapsed states, providing adaptability for reaching elevated work objects while minimizing storage volume to reduce associated costs
3Length of moving object
If the elongated member is made long to extend the tool's reach, then the working range is increased, but the tool does not easily store or ship in a compact manner
Solution Approach 1:
The elongated member is segmented into two separate members that can be coupled together to form an extended configuration during use, or separated/collapsed for compact storage, effectively managing the trade-off between length and storage volume
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal coupling mechanism allows the elongated members to be reconfigured in three-dimensional space, collapsing from a linear extended configuration to a compact folded configuration, reducing storage volume while maintaining extended length capability during operation
Data Source
AI summary
A tool including a housing; a working head; and an elongated member extending between and coupling together the housing and the working head, wherein the elongated member includes: a first elongated member coupled to the housing, the first elongated member including one of a latch or engagement surface; and a second elongated member coupled to the working head, the second elongated member including the other of the latch or engagement surface, wherein the first and second elongated members are pivotally coupled together about a pivot axis, and wherein the latch is configured to selectively interface with the engagement surface to lock the first and second elongated members in an in-use configuration.