Rail Coupling Device with Floating Plate for Stress Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing coupling devices for attaching equipment to aircraft rails subject equipment to high mechanical stresses, leading to potential deterioration and deformation due to fixing forces, and fail to provide easy, precise, and stress-reduced attachment solutions.

Innovation Solution

A coupling device with a main body attached to the rail and a connecting member featuring a floating plate that can move freely relative to the main body, allowing adjustment and locking to minimize stress through a locking/unlocking mechanism and adjustment means, enabling precise positioning and stress reduction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If equipment is fixed to rails using traditional coupling devices, then stable attachment is achieved, but high mechanical stresses cause equipment deterioration and deformation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment stabilityVSAvoidmechanical stress
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling device is divided into separate functional components: a fixing body attached to the rail and a connecting member with floating plates that attaches to the equipment. This segmentation allows the fixing forces to be distributed and absorbed by the rail structure rather than concentrated on the equipment, reducing mechanical stress while maintaining attachment stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The floating plates act as intermediaries between the rigid rail fixation system and the equipment. These plates can move freely relative to the fixing body, absorbing mechanical stresses and preventing them from being transmitted to the equipment, thus protecting it from deterioration and deformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If rigid fixing is used to ensure stable attachment, then equipment stability improves, but adjustment precision and positioning flexibility are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment stabilityVSAvoidpositioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The connecting member incorporates floating plates that can move freely relative to the fixing body, providing dynamic adjustment capability. This allows precise positioning of the equipment while maintaining stable attachment, as the floating plates can be adjusted to the desired position and then locked in place.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2239197B1Rail coupling device on board a vehicle
Publication Date: 2012.07.11 DAOUK ANTAR
  • EP2239197B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2239197B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP2239197B1 patent drawingFigure 7~8

AI summary

The device (1) has a main body (2) attached to a rail, and a connection body attached to the main body. The connection body has a plate (4) mounted on the main body. A locking/unlocking unit (7) varies between a locking configuration in which the locking/unlocking unit immobilizes the plate in an instantaneous position that the plate occupies at the moment where the locking/unlocking unit adapts its locking configuration, and an unlocking configuration in which the locking/unlocking unit leads the plate free from being displaced relative to the main body.