Rail Retainer With Spring-Loaded Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fittings for securing aircraft seats to airline rails require a long screw path for lowering and raising the retainer, making the process laborious and prone to incorrect fitting, leading to rattling or loosening issues.
Innovation Solution
The retainer is supported by a force store, such as a coil spring, and connected to a rotary element with a polygonal head and transverse bar, allowing for quick fixation and release by rotating the retainer into a latching position, reducing the need for extensive screw travel and enabling secure clamping of the rail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw is used to lower and fix the retainer, then the retainer can be securely fixed to the rail, but a very long screw path must be covered which requires an extremely large amount of time and is laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed to be movable along the screw path rather than requiring the screw to travel the entire path. The retainer can slide freely during installation and is only fixed at the end position, converting a static long-travel screw mechanism into a dynamic short-travel fixation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation function is segmented into two independent actions: movement along the rail (screw rotation) and vertical fixation (retainer lowering). The retainer can be lowered manually or by spring force without requiring the screw to travel the full distance, separating the positioning function from the fixation function.
2Manufacturing precision
If a screw is used to lower and fix the retainer, then the retainer can be fixed at a specified point, but the process is extremely laborious and fittings are often not correctly fitted leading to rattling or loosening
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed to lower itself under its own weight or spring force once positioned, eliminating the need for manual screw operation for the lowering action. The fitting process becomes self-completing rather than requiring continuous manual control throughout the entire screw path.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer transitions from a static position to a dynamic lowering action, allowing it to be quickly positioned and then automatically secured. This dynamic approach replaces the static, manual screw-operated lowering process with a more efficient system.
3Reliability
If the retainer is lowered manually over a long screw path, then fixation is achieved, but the fitting may not be correctly fitted causing rattling or loosening issues
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed to be dynamically lowerable rather than requiring long-distance screw travel. This ensures positive engagement with the rail features at the correct position, eliminating the gradual, error-prone manual lowering process that leads to incorrect fitting and subsequent rattling.
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
This solution significantly reduces installation and relocation time for aircraft seats, enhancing reliability and safety by ensuring secure fixation without rattling, thereby providing cost savings and improved efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A coil spring lends itself to use as a force store... In the case of a coil spring being selected, it is most favorable for said coil spring to surround the connecting element as the coil spring is supported internally at the same time in this way.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for fixing an object to a rail by way of a fitting (P1, P2, P3, P4) that is movable along the rail within a groove together with a sliding member and is provided with a retainer which can be sunk into at least one lateral groove cavity in the rail. The retainer is joined to a sliding member via a connecting element. The retainer is supported relative to the sliding member and/or a rotating element via at least one energy accumulator while the pressurized retainer is fixed relative to the rail in at least two vertical positions.