Push Button Release Mechanism for Adjustable Pliers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pliers lack a reliable and adjustable mechanism for securely coupling and decoupling their halves, leading to issues with jaw width adjustment and potential unintended disengagement due to manufacturing tolerance variations.
Innovation Solution
A push button release mechanism with external threading and detent balls that pivotally couples and retains the pliers' portions, allowing for adjustable jaw width configurations and secure engagement, featuring a threaded interface that accounts for tolerance variations through deformation, enabling precise alignment and secure retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional pins or slots are used to provide adjustability for multiple configurations, then the pliers can be adjusted to different jaw widths, but the coupling mechanism lacks reliability and may experience unintended disengagement due to manufacturing tolerance variations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a dynamic coupling mechanism where the pin can be inserted through aligned openings in both plier halves to secure a specific jaw width configuration. This dynamic insertion/removal capability allows the user to adjust between multiple configurations while ensuring reliable coupling when the pin is engaged, directly resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The pin acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the two plier halves, providing a positive mechanical connection that prevents unintended disengagement. By introducing this intermediate coupling component, the system achieves both adjustability (through selective pin insertion) and reliability (through the pin's securing function)
2Ease of operation
If a push button pin mechanism is used to couple plier halves, then the coupling and decoupling process is simplified, but the mechanism lacks fine adjustability for precise jaw width configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism provides dynamic adjustability by allowing the pin to be inserted at different positions corresponding to multiple predefined jaw width configurations. This enables fine adjustment precision while maintaining ease of operation through the simple insert/secure action, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and configuration precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple openings and pins are used to allow jaw width adjustment, then adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pin serves multiple functions: it acts as a coupling element to secure the plier halves, a positioning element to define jaw width configuration, and a retention element to prevent disengagement. By making the pin multi-functional, the system achieves high adaptability with minimal additional components, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A push button release mechanism for coupling together two portions of a tool, such as pliers. The push button release mechanism can include a push button and one or more balls pushed in a radially-outward direction by geometry of the push button to pivotally couple the two portions together. The balls are normally pushed outward by an engagement portion. Depressing a push button head axially downward causes the balls to align with a receiving portion, which allows the balls to descend into the interior of the mechanism. The push button release mechanism is also threadably coupled with a threaded opening of one of the portions. The threaded opening can have deformed threads to increase the retention torque required to rotate the push button release mechanism.