Lockable Push Button Whirl-Stop Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable devices, such as watches and mobile phones, face issues with accidental operation of push buttons due to vibration or impact when carried on the body, as the locking mechanism fails to maintain the locked position effectively.
Innovation Solution
A portable apparatus design featuring a locking member with a whirl-stop mechanism, which provides rotational resistance through frictional materials like rubber-based or plastic-based flexible materials, ensuring the locking member remains in the locked position despite vibrations or impacts, preventing accidental push button operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking member with thread engagement is used to prevent accidental operation, then the push button is protected from accidental activation, but vibration or impact causes the locking member to slide from the locked position to the unlocked position
Solution Approach 1:
The whirl-stop is pre-installed on the locking member before operation, creating rotational resistance in advance to prevent the locking member from rotating or sliding due to vibration or impact during use
Solution Approach 2:
The whirl-stop acts as an intermediary element between the locking member and the external environment (vibration/impact), providing rotational resistance that mediates the effect of external disturbances on the locking mechanism
2Reliability
If the locking member is made secure to prevent sliding, then accidental operation is prevented, but the push button becomes difficult to operate when intended to be used
Solution Approach 1:
The whirl-stop provides rotational resistance only in the circumferential direction to prevent accidental rotation, while the locking member can still move axially to lock or unlock the push button, creating different mechanical properties in different directions
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 effectively secures the locking member in the locked position, preventing accidental push button activation during wear, while maintaining water and dust resistance, and allowing smooth operation of the push button when intended to be used.
Implementation Method 1
a whirl-stop that is sandwiched between the inner or outer wall and the retainer tube and provides rotational resistance on the locking member
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided portable apparatus capable of maintaining a function of preventing accidental operation of a push button when the apparatus is carried on the wearer's body. The apparatus includes a watch enclosure body (apparatus enclosure body), a pipe, a push button, a biasing member, a locking member, and a whirl-stop. The pipe is fixed to the enclosure body by inserting it into a through hole in the enclosure body. A retainer tube of the pipe has a female thread formed thereon and is disposed outside the enclosure body. The push button has a shaft passed through the pipe, a detent for preventing the push button from being pulled out of the pipe, and a manipulator head disposed outside the enclosure body. The biasing member biases the push button outward with respect to the enclosure body. The locking member has an inner wall with a male thread and a stopper projection that comes into contact with and moves away from the head, and an outer wall that fits on the tube. The locking member is movably attached to the tube by engaging the threads with each other. The whirl-stop that provides rotational resistance on the locking member is sandwiched between the outer wall and the tube.