Retractable Claw Golf Ball Retrieval Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf participants with limited mobility face difficulties in retrieving balls from the ground or under obstacles due to existing solutions being cumbersome or ineffective.
Innovation Solution
A retractable claw apparatus attached to a golf club shaft, featuring a cup with a plunger and extendable claws that can grasp and capture golf balls, allowing for easy retrieval without interfering with normal club use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a ball scoop or wire-based retriever is attached to a golf club, then ball retrieval capability is improved, but device complexity and interference with normal club use increases
Solution Approach 1:
The claws are nested within the cup structure, retracted inside during normal club use and only extending when needed for ball retrieval. This nesting approach allows the retrieval mechanism to be stored compactly within the club assembly, reducing interference with normal golf play while maintaining retrieval capability when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The claw mechanism transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one, where claws can extend and retract based on operational needs. The spring-loaded plunger system enables the claws to dynamically adjust their position, extending outward to grasp balls and retracting afterward, thereby providing versatility without permanent complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple claws are extended to grasp a golf ball, then retrieval effectiveness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to manual manipulation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded plunger mechanism automatically extends the claws when activated and allows them to retract after use without requiring manual manipulation. The user simply needs to trigger the mechanism, and the spring force does the work of extending and retracting the claws, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining reliable ball grasping.
Solution Approach 2:
The claw mechanism operates in periodic cycles: extended for ball grasping, then retracted after release. The spring-loaded system enables this periodic action to occur automatically with minimal user input, transforming a potentially complex manual operation into a simple trigger-based periodic mechanism that is easy to operate.
3Adaptability or versatility
If claws are made resilient and bent to adapt to ball surfaces, then adaptability to different ball positions is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The claw design utilizes material property changes rather than precise geometric variations. By selecting resilient materials with appropriate elastic properties, the claws can adapt to different ball surfaces and positions through elastic deformation. This approach trades manufacturing precision requirements for material selection, allowing the same爪 geometry to adapt to various conditions through controlled elastic behavior.
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
Enables comfortable and efficient retrieval of golf balls, accommodating users with mobility limitations while maintaining the club's usability.
Implementation Method 1
At least one claw has a bent shape and a resilient structure, and its corresponding hole of the lid is positioned such that on pressing the tips of the claws in the ball-grasping position against a surface of an object to be retrieved, the at least one claw bends apart from the other claws to admit the object between the claws, and such that on passing beyond a diameter of the object, the tip of the at least one claw springs back toward the other claws to capture the object between the claws.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for retrieving an object: more than two claws mounted to a plunger that is movably housed within a cup, the claws extending through a lid of the cup. With the plunger at the bottom of the cup, each claw is retracted into the lid; with the plunger at the top of the cup, each claw extends beyond the lid to a ball-grasping position. At least one claw is bent and resilient. On pressing the tips of the claws against an object, the at least one claw bends apart from the other claws to admit the object between the claws, and on passing beyond a diameter of the object, the tip of the at least one claw springs back toward the other claws to capture the object between the claws.