Retractable Hook Mechanism for LED Worklight Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional worklights, including incandescent, fluorescent, and LED types, face issues such as instability, limited mounting options, and potential fire hazards due to breakage, especially when used in small or confined spaces like automotive repair shops, where they may be bumped or fall, and their hooks can interfere with nearby objects.
Innovation Solution
A portable worklight design featuring a center core with retractable hooks and elastic bands for flexible attachment to various objects, allowing for secure mounting on multiple surfaces and reducing the risk of damage during use and storage, while also providing adjustable light output and improved stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid hook is used for mounting the worklight, then the worklight can be securely attached to objects, but the hook interferes with nearby objects and cannot adapt to various mounting surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the hook retractable rather than fixed. The hook can extend when needed for mounting and retract when not in use, allowing the worklight to adapt to different mounting scenarios. This dynamic mechanism enables the hook to engage with various object shapes and sizes while minimizing interference with nearby objects when retracted.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable hook mechanism embodies the nesting principle by allowing the hook to be stored within or alongside the worklight body when not in use. This nested configuration reduces the overall space occupied by the hook and eliminates interference with nearby objects, while still providing secure attachment capability when extended.
2Device complexity
If the worklight is designed with a fixed hook configuration, then the structure is simple, but it cannot be mounted on multiple types of surfaces and objects
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable hook mechanism provides a balance between simplicity and versatility. The basic structure remains relatively simple, but the addition of retraction capability dramatically increases mounting flexibility, allowing the worklight to be attached to various surfaces including pipes, beams, and irregular objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable hook design makes the worklight universally applicable to multiple mounting scenarios. The same hook mechanism can attach to round pipes, square beams, or irregular objects by adjusting its extension and angle, providing multi-functional mounting capability without requiring multiple different hook types.
3Illumination intensity
If incandescent bulbs are used in worklights, then the light output is sufficient, but the bulbs break easily when the worklight falls causing fire hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts LED technology which, while having different cost characteristics, provides superior durability and safety. LEDs are solid-state components that resist impact and do not contain fragile filaments or hot surfaces that could ignite flammable materials, effectively eliminating the fire hazard associated with broken incandescent bulbs.
Solution Approach 2:
The worklight housing incorporates shock-absorbing materials and protective structures designed to prevent damage to the light source during falls. This composite approach combines rigid protective elements with energy-absorbing materials to protect the LED array from impact damage.
4Use of energy by moving object
If fluorescent bulbs are used in worklights, then energy efficiency is improved, but they still pose fire hazards when broken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions to LED technology which eliminates the fire hazard associated with broken fluorescent bulbs. LEDs operate at lower temperatures and lack the hot electrodes and glass envelope that pose fire risks when fluorescent bulbs break, while maintaining comparable or better energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of bulb breakage into a benefit by using LEDs that are inherently resistant to impact damage. The solid-state construction of LEDs transforms what was previously a harmful failure mode into a reliable, durable light source that continues to function even after minor impacts.
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
The worklight achieves enhanced stability and versatility in mounting, reduces the risk of fire hazards, and extends the lifespan of the light source by allowing secure attachment to various objects and surfaces, providing adjustable light output and improved usability in confined spaces.
Implementation Method 1
The hook can be retractable or extendable. When the hook is extendable, it can be extended by pulling on the hook or by actuating an actuator. The hook can be retracted by releasing the pull on the hook or by actuating the actuator in a reverse direction.
Data Source
AI summary
An LED worklight includes a center core and a first panel and a second panel coupled to the center core. The first panel includes a first LED die package disposed within a first opening formed within the first panel and a first lens disposed over the first LED die package. The second panel includes features similar to the first panel. The second panel is rotatable around the center core from a zero degree closed orientation to about a 359 degree orientation, and is positionable at any intermediate angle therebetween. The first and second panels each include an attachment mechanism having an elastic band with a hook attached thereto. The attachment mechanisms are used to attach or hang the worklight to or around one or more objects. The attachment mechanisms are stored in the worklight such that the attachment mechanisms do not interfere with its operation when not in use.