Screw-Indexed Handle Assembly With Magnetic Rotation Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for attaching handles to articles, such as portable lighting devices, are not reliable, precise, and convenient, lacking a simple and effective assembly and indexing system.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism involving a movable locking member, magnetic elements, and elastic components allows for precise assembly and indexing of a gripping handle to a body by screwing, enabling reliable attachment and preventing rotational movement once fully assembled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a threaded rod is screwed into a tapped hole to attach a handle to a body, then the handle can be mechanically attached to the body, but the assembly lacks precise indexing and reliability to prevent rotational movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical threaded connection with a hybrid system incorporating magnetic interaction. The magnetic locking member interacts with the magnetic field generated by the magnet in the body to provide precise indexing and prevent rotational movement, supplementing the mechanical screwing action with a non-contact magnetic field-based positioning mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnetic locking member as an intermediary element between the handle and the body. This locking member, when attracted to the magnet, serves as a mediator that transmits and stabilizes the positional relationship between the handle and body, ensuring precise indexing and preventing unwanted rotation during and after assembly.
2Manufacturing precision
If the handle is allowed to rotate freely during assembly, then the screwing process can proceed, but precise indexing positions cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic assembly process where the locking member can move between a first position (allowing rotation during screwing) and a second position (locking at the indexing position). The system transitions from a dynamic state permitting movement to a static locked state, enabling both ease of assembly and precise indexing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by positioning the locking member in the first position before the screwing operation begins, allowing free rotation during assembly. Once the handle reaches the desired indexing position, the locking member is then moved to the second position to lock the assembly, ensuring precise positioning after the preliminary assembly phase.
3Manufacturing precision
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent rotation, then indexing precision improves, but the assembly and disassembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical locking mechanisms with a magnetic field-based system. The magnet generates a magnetic field that attracts the locking member, providing the locking function without requiring complex mechanical interlocks, springs, or cam mechanisms. This substitution simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining precise indexing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in the magnetic field strength and distribution to achieve different functional states. By varying the magnetic field parameters (strength, polarity, distribution), the system can provide attraction forces for locking, release forces for disassembly, and positioning forces for indexing, all without changing the physical structure of the components.
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 provides a simple, economical, and precise assembly system that ensures the handle remains securely attached, allowing for multiple indexing positions and easy disassembly without damage.
Implementation Method 1
configured so that, in a first configuration of the article, the locking member is in a first position in which it is located at a distance from at least one second cavity provided in the second element... in a second configuration of the article in which the first element and the second element have been screwed together, the locking member is in a second position in which it is at least partially inserted both into at least one second cavity of the second element and into the first cavity of the first element
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an article comprising a screw-togethering and indexing assembly system of a first element having a first cavity (29) with a second element having a second cavity (44), the system being provided with a first mechanism having a movable locking member (30) housed in the first cavity and configured so that, in a first configuration, the locking member is in a first position at a distance from the second cavity and rotation of the first element relative to the second element is permitted and, in a second configuration in which the first element and the second element have been screwed together, the locking member is in a second position introduced both into the second cavity and into the first cavity so as to immobilize the first element against rotation relative to the second element.