Locking Pliers Screw Release for High-Tension Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking pliers with release levers face difficulties in releasing tension due to high stresses and can be challenging for users with lower hand strength, especially when worn or damaged.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable pair of locking pliers with an adjustment screw and locking piece that allows for manual adjustment of gripping space and release of tension without a release lever, using a threaded body and handle for easy manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a release lever is used to release tension in locking pliers, then the locking mechanism can be released, but the operation becomes difficult when high stresses are applied or when the user has lower hand strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the release lever component entirely from the locking pliers design. Instead of using a lever mechanism that requires manual manipulation under stress, the invention extracts this component and replaces it with a screw-based adjustment mechanism that provides controlled tension release through rotational movement, eliminating the operational difficulty associated with lever actuation under high stress conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameter from linear lever movement to rotational screw movement. The screw mechanism allows the user to apply torque through rotation, which is mechanically advantageous compared to direct linear force application on a lever. This parameter change enables easier operation particularly for users with lower hand strength or when the pliers are worn, as rotational force can be more effectively applied and controlled
2Reliability
If standard locking pliers are worn or damaged, then the release lever becomes even more difficult to actuate, but the basic locking function remains necessary
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the release lever that is susceptible to wear and damage affecting its operation, the patent eliminates the component that becomes problematic when the tool is worn. The screw-based adjustment mechanism is less sensitive to wear in critical operational areas, maintaining ease of operation even when the pliers show signs of use and aging
Solution Approach 2:
The screw mechanism allows the user to self-adjust and self-release the locking pliers without requiring precise alignment or force application points that might be compromised by wear. The threaded engagement provides inherent mechanical advantage that compensates for wear in other components, allowing the user to maintain both locking and releasing functions with consistent effort
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
Simplifies the release process, improving usability and performance by eliminating the need for a release lever, making it easier for users to adjust and release tension.
Implementation Method 1
The adjustment screw includes a threaded body and a handle positioned transverse to the threaded body and designed to be manually grasped and twisted by a user to advance and retract the threaded body
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable pair of locking pliers has a fixed handle including an upper jaw, a lower jaw pivotably connected to the fixed handle, a movable handle pivotably connected to the lower jaw, and an adjustment assembly. The adjustment assembly permits adjustment of the gripping space between the upper and lower jaws when in a clamping position. The adjustment assembly includes an adjustment screw positioned in an end portion of the fixed handle and a locking piece operatively connecting the movable handle to the adjustment screw and designed to releasably lock the upper and lower jaws under tension in the clamping position. The adjustment screw includes a threaded body and a handle positioned transverse to the threaded body and designed to be manually grasped and twisted by a user to advance and retract the threaded body to release the upper and lower jaws from a locked state.