Handheld Power Tool Connector with Adjustable Annular Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional handheld power tools face manufacturing difficulties due to precision requirements for components like the connector, retaining balls, and sliding sleeve, leading to gaps that cause the cutting blade to jig during operation.
Innovation Solution
A handheld power tool design featuring a flexible and bendable driving shaft, a connecting seat with radially inward extending ball socket and through holes, a C-shaped clamp with adjustable raised portions, and retaining balls that are pressed against inclines by a spring leaf to ensure secure retention of the ball seat within the socket, preventing the workpiece from jigging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high precision manufacturing is used for the connector, retaining balls, sliding sleeve, and annular wall, then the components can be firmly retained without gaps, but the manufacturing difficulty and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a adjustable annular wall that can change its position parameter along the axial direction. By moving the annular wall to different positions, the system can accommodate components with varying dimensional precisions without requiring high-precision manufacturing of all components. The annular wall acts as an adjustable reference that compensates for manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static annular wall into a dynamic component that can move along the axial direction. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to different manufacturing precision levels. The movable annular wall can be positioned to exactly retain the retaining balls even when their dimensions vary, eliminating the need for high-precision manufacturing of all components.
2Device complexity
If the annular wall height is fixed and components are made without flexibility, then the structure is simple, but gaps exist between components leading to workpiece jigging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the annular wall dynamic by allowing it to move along the axial direction. This single dynamic element provides the flexibility needed to eliminate gaps between components without significantly increasing structural complexity. The movable annular wall can be positioned to exactly retain the retaining balls, ensuring firm connector retention and preventing workpiece jigging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the retention function by separating the annular wall from the sliding sleeve. The annular wall becomes an independent adjustable component that can be positioned separately to exactly retain the retaining balls. This segmentation allows the retention function to be optimized independently from the other components, improving reliability without requiring all components to be perfectly precise.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the connector is made tiltable with fixed annular wall, then the structure is straightforward, but high precision is required for the incline and annular wall positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces adjustability in the annular wall's axial position parameter. This allows the system to accommodate the connector's tilting motion while compensating for positioning errors. By adjusting the annular wall's position, the system can maintain proper retention even when the incline angle or positioning varies within tolerance ranges, reducing the required manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable annular wall provides dynamic adjustment capability that works in conjunction with the tiltable connector. As the connector tilts, the annular wall can be repositioned to maintain exact retention of the retaining balls. This dynamic compensation reduces the stringency of precision requirements for the incline and annular wall positioning.
4Ease of manufacture
If retaining balls and connector are made without high precision, then manufacturing is easier, but gaps exist that impair firm combination and cause jigging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the adjustable annular wall to compensate for dimensional variations in the retaining balls and connector. By changing the annular wall's axial position, the system can achieve exact retention even when the retaining balls and connector are manufactured within standard tolerances. This transfers the precision requirement from the components themselves to the adjustable annular wall position.
Solution Approach 2:
The annular wall acts as an intermediary element between the retaining balls and the sliding sleeve. It provides the final retention function and can be positioned to exactly match the actual dimensions of the retaining balls, regardless of manufacturing variations. This intermediary absorbs the dimensional variations and ensures firm combination without requiring high-precision manufacturing of the retaining balls and connector.
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 effectively constrains the retaining balls to maintain the ball seat firmly in the socket, preventing jigging of the workpiece during operation and allowing for stable cutting, even if the components are not made with high precision.
Implementation Method 1
a spring leaf that covers the through holes; wherein when the clamp is constricted, the spring leaf of the clamp presses the retaining balls radially against the incline
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld power tool includes a main body that contains a driving unit having a driving shaft that passes through a connecting seat and a connector and is connected to a workpiece. The connector has a ball seat swingably received in a ball socket of the connecting seat. A clamp mounted around the connecting seat serves to limit retaining balls arranged between the ball seat and the connecting seat. The connecting seat has an end cap. After the connector is angled as desired, the adjusting member constricts the clamp, and radially presses the retaining balls against the ball seat through the spring leaf, thereby fastening the connector firmly and preventing the workpiece from jigging during operation.