Modular Lace Tensioning Mechanism With Ratchet Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lace tensioning mechanisms in footwear and wearable equipment suffer from complexity, increased manufacturing costs, potential failure points, and lack of modularity, leading to reliability and durability issues due to intricate designs and difficulty in replacing components.
Innovation Solution
A simplified tensioning device design featuring a knob, spool, and housing with interlocking profiles and a ratchet mechanism that allows for easy replacement of components, reducing complexity and enhancing durability and modularity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional lace tensioning mechanisms use numerous moving parts and intricate routing, then they can achieve tension adjustment functionality, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tensioning device is divided into modular components: a housing containing a spool, a separate lace guide assembly, and a ratchet mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with simpler processes and assembled together, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves multiple functions: it contains the spool, provides structural support, guides the lace path, and houses the ratchet mechanism. By combining multiple functions into a single component, the number of separate parts is reduced, simplifying manufacturing while achieving the same tensioning effect
2Reliability
If conventional lace tensioning mechanisms incorporate multiple interacting components, then they can provide tension adjustment, but reliability decreases due to more potential points of failure
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into independent modular components (housing, spool, ratchet, lace guide), the patent reduces the number of interacting parts within each module. This segmentation isolates potential failure points and allows individual components to be replaced without affecting the entire system, thereby improving reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The ratchet mechanism provides automatic one-way locking that maintains tension without requiring active control or additional components. This self-service feature reduces the number of interacting components needed to maintain reliable tension, as the ratchet automatically prevents slippage under load
3Ease of repair
If conventional lace tensioning devices use intricate housing design and routing, then they can achieve proper tension distribution, but ease of repair decreases due to difficulty in replacing components
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed with clearly segmented modules that can be independently removed and replaced. The lace guide assembly, spool, and ratchet are separate components that can be accessed and replaced without disassembling the entire housing, making repair straightforward while maintaining proper tension distribution through the segmented architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is pre-configured with designated access points, removable covers, and standardized mounting interfaces that anticipate future maintenance needs. This preliminary design consideration allows users to easily access and replace components like the spool or lace guide without requiring complex disassembly procedures
Data Source
AI summary
A tensioning device is designed to reduce the size of an opening on an underlying device or garment. The tensioning device includes a knob, a spool to receive a tensioning element, and a housing having an annular wall extending from a base configured to receive the spool. The tensioning device includes the first locking profile designed to interlock with a second locking profile of the tensioning device for restricting rotation of the knob relative to the housing and maintaining tension in the tensioning element under load.