Lock Joint Structure With Inclined Retainers to Suppress Rattling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lock apparatuses experience rattling issues due to insufficient contact area between spherical protrusions and planar inner wall portions, leading to instability at the connecting portions.
Innovation Solution
A lock apparatus design featuring a rotation body with inclined holding wall portions and retaining portions that securely hold protrusion portions, reducing rattling by ensuring a large surface area contact without clearance, and incorporating gap portions to facilitate easy insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If planar inner wall portions are used to regulate the position of spherical protrusion portions, then the structure is simple, but the contact area between the protrusion portion and inner wall portion is insufficient, causing rattling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by making the inner wall portions of the insertion portion curved to match the spherical shape of the protrusion portion. Specifically, the inner wall portions are formed with a curvature radius that corresponds to the radius of the spherical protrusion portion, enabling full surface contact between the sphere and the curved inner walls. This eliminates the insufficient contact area problem while maintaining structural simplicity, thereby suppressing rattling and improving reliability of the connecting portion.
2Reliability
If the holding wall portion and retaining portion are set in pairs in inclined directions, then rattling is suppressed through large contact area, but the insertion load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by setting the holding wall portions and retaining portions in inclined directions rather than symmetric radial arrangement. The holding wall portions are inclined at specific angles (e.g., 45 degrees) relative to the radial direction, creating an asymmetric configuration that optimizes contact area for suppressing rattling. This asymmetric arrangement distributes the insertion force more effectively, reducing the peak insertion load while maintaining large contact area for stability.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a lock apparatus and a storage apparatus suppressing rattling at a connecting portion that connects a rotation body and a lock body. The lock apparatus includes connecting portion 30 that rotatably connects an end side of lock body 12. At least one of connecting portions 30 includes a rotation body-shaped protrusion portion 32b, cylindrical holding wall portion 43 that holds an outer peripheral surface of protrusion portion 32b, and retaining portion 46 protruding from holding wall portion 43, and has insertion portion 33b that rotatably receives protrusion portion 32b. Holding wall portion 43 and retaining portion 46 are set in pairs in a direction inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction and a width direction of lock body 12 when viewed from the insertion direction of protrusion portion 32b into insertion portion 33b.