Portable Printer Clip Hinge for Secure Battery Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable printers face challenges in preventing battery fall-off and reducing the number of components, particularly due to the obstruction caused by belt clips that cover the battery, which complicates mounting and removal.
Innovation Solution
A printer design featuring a recessed coupling portion in the housing with engagement portions along the pivoting direction of the clip, allowing for removable fitting and reduced part count, using a ball joint portion to stabilize the belt clip and prevent shifting, while enabling easy battery access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the clip is provided on the rear surface of the housing to cover the battery, then prevention of battery falling off is improved, but mounting and removal of the battery becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is designed to be pivotable about a support portion, transforming it from a static blocking element to a dynamic component that can be easily moved aside during battery mounting/removal, then return to its original position to secure the battery. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by providing both security and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If the clip is made pivotable about a support portion, then ease of battery removal is improved, but the number of parts is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion for pivotable movement is integrated directly into the housing structure rather than being a separate component. This merging of functions allows the clip to be pivotable without adding extra parts, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
3Reliability
If the clip obstructs the battery mounting area, then battery security is improved, but operability of the printer is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable clip can be dynamically moved to a non-obstructing position during battery mounting/removal operations, then returned to its securing position. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by providing both battery security and printer operability at different operational stages.
Data Source
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AI summary
A printer (1) for printing information on a recording sheet (P1), includes: a housing (3) configured to accommodate a recording sheet (P1) and a printing portion (6); a battery (40) to be removably mounted to the housing (3); and a clip (50) pivotably mounted to the housing (3). The clip (50) includes a joint portion (77), which is elastically deformable so that a coupling portion (61) of the housing (3) is pivotably fitted to the joint portion (77). Each of the joint portion (77) and the coupling portion (61) includes an engagement portion (92, 93) configured to restrain the clip (50) from pivoting at a mounting position at which the clip (50) covers at least a part of the battery (40). When a predetermined external force is applied to the housing (3) in a pivoting direction of the clip (50), restraining of the clip (50) by the engagement portions (92, 93) is canceled so that the clip (50) is movable from the mounting position.