One-Handed Locking Pliers with Hinged Opening Lever
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking pliers require two hands to unlock, making it difficult to perform rapid fastening and unfastening operations, especially in tasks like securing canvas to a signboard frame.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a bar-shaped opening lever hinged to the adjustment bar, allowing the locking pliers to be unlocked by pressing a pressing portion with the thumb of one hand, and a lever pad for tensioning objects using the lever principle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the unlocking lever is hinged to the inner portion of the movable lever, then the locking mechanism is structurally compact, but it requires two hands to unlock and cannot be operated rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The opening lever is separated from the movable lever, with the opening lever hinged to the adjustment bar instead. This segmentation allows the unlocking function to be independently operated from the locking function, enabling one-handed operation where the thumb presses the opening lever while other fingers hold the tool body.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening lever acts as an intermediary component between the user's thumb and the adjustment bar. When the pressing portion of the opening lever is pressed, it transmits force to push the adjustment bar, which in turn moves the movable lever to release the locked position, enabling indirect but efficient force transmission.
2Productivity
If the unlocking lever is pressed with the other hand, then the locking mechanism can be released, but rapid fastening and unfastening operations cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The opening lever and pressing operation are merged into a single-hand action. The thumb performs both the pressing action on the opening lever and maintains grip on the tool body, eliminating the need for coordinated two-hand operation and enabling rapid sequential fastening and unfastening.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool structure allows the same hand that holds the locking pliers to also operate the unlocking mechanism. The thumb naturally positioned on top of the tool body can directly press the opening lever without requiring the other hand, making the unlocking operation self-service and eliminating hand coordination requirements.
3Reliability
If the movable lever is pressed to fix the pressed position, then the object is securely held, but the unlocking operation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The opening lever is extracted as a separate component from the movable lever assembly. By hinging the opening lever to the adjustment bar rather than the movable lever, the unlocking function is isolated from the locking mechanism's internal structure, maintaining reliable locking while simplifying the unlocking operation to a direct pressing action.
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
Enables rapid and simple one-handed locking and unlocking, effectively securing and releasing objects, particularly useful in operations like attaching canvas to a signboard frame.
Implementation Method 1
an object may be drawn and tensioned according to the lever principle
Data Source
AI summary
Locking pliers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be easily unlocked by pressing a pressing unit of an opening lever with a thumb while gripping the levers with one hand, and the locking pliers can give tension to an object by pulling the object through the principle of leverage.