Modular Tube Locking Assembly for Variable-Diameter Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking devices and roller conveyors lack flexibility to adjust to changing conditions, such as varying tube dimensions and production needs, leading to increased costs and waste due to the need for multiple variants and inefficient reconfiguration processes.
Innovation Solution
A modular locking device comprising lock housings and plates with adjustable geometry and a telescopic roller conveyor with interchangeable profiles and organs, allowing for easy reconfiguration and reuse across different dimensions and applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If locking devices are designed with fixed geometry for specific tube dimensions, then they provide reliable locking function, but they cannot adapt to varying tube dimensions and require multiple variants increasing device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is designed with adjustable geometry that allows a single device to accommodate multiple tube dimensions and configurations. The device can be reconfigured for different tube sizes, shapes, and orientations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized locking devices and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable components that allow dynamic adaptation to different tube dimensions. The geometry can be modified through adjustable arms, repositionable locking elements, and configurable mounting options, enabling the same device to function across varying application requirements.
2Ease of manufacture
If roller conveyors are manufactured in predefined standard lengths, then production is simplified, but they require cutting and waste material when custom lengths are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor is designed as a modular system composed of standardized segments or modules that can be assembled in different quantities and configurations. This allows custom lengths to be created by assembling integer numbers of standard modules, eliminating the need for cutting and material waste while maintaining standardized production benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The roller conveyor system allows dynamic reconfiguration of its length by adding or removing modular sections. This enables the conveyor to be adapted to different application requirements without permanent modification or material waste, as sections can be easily assembled or disassembled based on needed length.
3Adaptability or versatility
If roller conveyors are cut to custom lengths, then they fit specific applications, but the cutting process creates waste and increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of cutting continuous material to custom lengths, the system uses pre-fabricated modular segments that can be assembled to achieve any required length. This maintains manufacturing simplicity by producing only standard segments while achieving custom length adaptability through combination of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized modular segments serve multiple functions and can be used in various configurations to create conveyors of different lengths and arrangements. This universal segment design eliminates the need for custom manufacturing processes while providing adaptability to specific application requirements.
4Adaptability or versatility
If wheels are replaced individually in roller conveyors, then customization is possible, but the process is time-consuming and interrupts production
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor is divided into modular sections where wheels are pre-assembled on roller modules. This allows entire roller modules with wheels to be quickly exchanged as units rather than replacing individual wheels, significantly reducing replacement time while maintaining customization capability through different wheel types on different modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Wheels are pre-assembled on roller modules during manufacturing, so that when replacement is needed, entire pre-configured modules can be quickly swapped out. This preliminary assembly eliminates the time-consuming process of individually removing and installing wheels during field replacement operations.
5Adaptability or versatility
If roller conveyors are purchased as complete new units when wheels need replacement, then customization is achieved, but costs increase and waste is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The roller conveyor system is modular with interchangeable roller modules that include wheels. Only the specific modules needing wheel replacement are exchanged, not the entire conveyor. This allows customization through selective module replacement while minimizing material waste by reusing all other conveyor components.
Solution Approach 2:
When wheel replacement is needed, the entire roller module may be replaced as a unit, but the non-wheel components of the module and all other conveyor sections are recovered and reused. This approach achieves wheel customization while minimizing waste by maximizing component reuse.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a locking device designed to lock objects to tubes or other elongated elements. The locking device generally comprises one or more lock plates and lock housings. In one exemplary embodiment, when assembling the locking device to a tube, two lock housings are put together with open sides against each other around a tube with a dimension corresponding to approximately half of a recess which is found on the lock housing's sides and are oriented in the tube's axial direction. The two lock housings form a closed geometry around the tube. Lock plates are used to connect the two lock housings together. By applying a screw in a threaded hole in one of the lock housings' cover, the through tube is pressed against an opposite lock housing at substantially the same time as the lock plates hold the lock housings together.