Low Profile Component Tie with Symmetrical Pawl Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cable ties have bulky retention mechanisms that increase the bundle diameter, create snag points, and require specific orientation for assembly, making them inconvenient and time-consuming to install.
Innovation Solution
A low profile component tie design featuring a strap with teeth and a head having pawls, allowing symmetrical orientation and reduced profile, which minimizes snag points and facilitates easier routing through tight spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cable tie with a block-shaped retention mechanism is used, then the cable tie can securely hold the cable bundle, but the retention mechanism extends a considerable distance outward, increasing the overall bundle diameter and creating snag points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the retention mechanism from extending perpendicular to the cable bundle (conventional design) to extending parallel to the cable bundle axis. This dimensional change allows the retention mechanism to be integrated within the bundle diameter rather than adding to it, eliminating snag points while maintaining securing capability through the lateral extension of the head and arms along the bundle length
Solution Approach 2:
The retention mechanism is nested within the cable bundle structure itself. The head and arms are positioned to extend laterally within the bundle diameter, with the strap wrapping around the bundle and engaging the retention mechanism internally. This nesting approach allows the retention mechanism to be contained within the bundle envelope rather than protruding outward
2Reliability
If a conventional cable tie with a non-symmetrical head design is used, then the retention mechanism can provide secure engagement, but the cable tie must be assembled in a specific orientation, requiring disassembly and rewrapping if assembled backwards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry in a controlled manner by making the retention mechanism symmetrical about its central axis. The head, arms, and engagement features are designed with rotational symmetry, allowing the cable tie to be assembled in any orientation around the cable bundle. This symmetrical design eliminates the need for specific assembly orientation while maintaining secure engagement through the asymmetric strap-tooth-pawl interaction
3Reliability
If a conventional cable tie with a block-shaped retention mechanism is used, then the cable tie can provide secure holding, but it creates snag points that can catch on structures or adjacent cable ties during routing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates snag points by changing the extension direction of the retention mechanism from perpendicular to the bundle axis to parallel with the bundle axis. This dimensional reorientation allows the head and arms to be positioned within the bundle envelope, preventing protrusions that would create snag points during routing through structures or alongside other cable ties
Data Source
AI summary
A low profile component tie includes a strap having a top and a bottom. The strap is configured to wrap around a component with the bottom facing the component. The strap has sides between the top and the bottom. The strap has teeth disposed along at least one of the sides. The strap extends between a root end and a distal end. A head is provided at the root end of the strap. The head has a channel configured to receive the strap. The head has at least one pawl provided in the channel. The pawl engages at least one of the teeth along the side of the strap to secure the strap in the head.