Tool-Free Pet Cage Coupling Assembly for Flat Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pet cages are cumbersome to store and transport due to their unfolded state, lack structural stability, and require complex assembly/disassembly processes involving tools, which is time-consuming and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A pet cage with a coupling assembly that allows detachable connection among side frames, enabling easy assembly and disassembly without tools, ensuring structural stability and facilitating flat storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the pet cage is designed with a non-foldable cage body, then the structural stability is improved, but the storage space and transportation convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cage body is divided into multiple side frames that can be independently separated. Each side frame remains structurally stable on its own, but collectively they can be disassembled for compact storage, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and storage volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage transitions from a static non-foldable structure to a dynamic assembly that can switch between assembled (stable) and disassembled (compact) states. The side frames are designed to maintain rigidity when assembled but allow easy separation for storage.
2Strength
If the pet cage uses bolts or screws for connection, then the structural strength is improved, but the assembly complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is designed to be self-assembling without requiring external tools. The side frames incorporate self-locking or self-aligning features that enable users to assemble the cage by simple insertion or snapping actions, eliminating the need for screwdrivers or other tools while maintaining structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex bolt-and-nut connection system is extracted and replaced with a simplified connector design integrated into the side frames. The connection mechanism is built into the frame structure itself, removing the need for separate fastening components and tools.
3Reliability
If multiple screws are used for assembly, then the connection reliability is improved, but the assembly time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple screw connections are merged into a single integrated connector per joint. Instead of requiring multiple separate fastening operations, the design combines all necessary connection functions into one unified assembly action, reducing assembly time while maintaining connection reliability through the unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection components are pre-configured and pre-positioned on the side frames during manufacturing. Alignment features and guide structures are built in advance to ensure that assembly requires only simple insertion motions, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment and reducing assembly time while ensuring reliable connections.
4Ease of operation
If the cage body is designed to be folded, then the storage convenience is improved, but the structural stability after unfolding deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than folding the entire cage body which compromises stability, the design segments the cage into individual side frames that can be separated and stacked. This segmentation allows compact storage without requiring the cage to be folded into a potentially unstable configuration, while each segment maintains its structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A pet cage includes a plurality of side frames defining a containing space; the plurality of side frames at least includes a first side frame, a second side frame and a third side frame; a connecting pore is defined by the first side frame, the second side frame and the third side frame; and the connecting pore is communicated with the containing space. The pet cage further includes coupling assembly, wherein the coupling assembly has an assembled state and a disassembled state. When the coupling assembly is in the disassembled state, the coupling assembly is separable from the connecting pore; and when the coupling assembly is in the assembled state, at least part of the coupling assembly is located in the connecting pore. The first side frame, the second side frame and the third side frame are located and connected together through the coupling assembly.