Rotatable Clip for Umbrella Shaft Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing umbrellas attached to the body via belts lack adaptability to changing environmental conditions, particularly in windy situations where vertical rain is not a factor, leading to suboptimal protection compared to handheld umbrellas.
Innovation Solution
A telescopic umbrella shaft with a rotatably mounted clip and adjustable belt system, allowing for variable inclination and attachment points, including the use of hook-and-loop fasteners and elastic fingers for secure attachment, enabling the umbrella to be positioned optimally regardless of wind direction and user posture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the umbrella shaft is attached to the carrying belt by a hook-and-loop strip allowing variation of inclination, then the adaptability to environmental conditions is improved, but the umbrella shaft becomes unstable and can wobble back and forth during gusty winds
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is designed to be rotatable about an axis, allowing it to dynamically adjust its orientation to match the direction of the umbrella shaft. This dynamic adjustment enables the clip to securely hold the umbrella shaft at various inclinations while maintaining stability, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip's rotational capability allows change in its angular parameter, enabling it to align with the umbrella shaft's inclination. This parameter change enables the system to adapt to different environmental conditions while maintaining secure attachment, thus improving both adaptability and reliability.
2Reliability
If the umbrella shaft is rigidly fixed to the belt, then the stability is improved, but the adaptability to changing environmental conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable clip provides a dynamic connection between the belt and umbrella shaft, allowing the system to maintain stability through secure attachment while simultaneously enabling adaptation to different inclinations by rotating the clip to the appropriate angle.
3Reliability
If a rotatable clip is used to securely receive the umbrella shaft, then the stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the clip body, the rotational axis, and the engagement arms. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design relatively simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the umbrella shaft itself adjustable through complex mechanisms, the solution inverts the approach by making the clip rotatable. This simpler inversion achieves the same adaptability goal with less complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the clip longitudinal extension is aligned parallel to the umbrella shaft, then the adaptability to positioning is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is designed with universal applicability to work with umbrella shafts of different positions and orientations. By aligning the clip's longitudinal extension parallel to the umbrella shaft and providing rotational capability, a single clip design can accommodate multiple attachment scenarios, improving versatility while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardization.
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
Enhances user protection by allowing for adjustable positioning of the umbrella to match environmental conditions, providing effective rain or sun protection without the need for constant hand operation, and allowing versatile attachment to different body-worn carriers.
Implementation Method 1
The extension of the loop of the hook-and-loop strip allows variation of the inclination of the umbrella shaft; however, this resulted in that the umbrella shaft can wobble back and forth within the loop
Implementation Method 2
The reversible attachment of the belt strap on one of the belts is achieved in a simple manner in that the belt strap has a hook-and-loop fastener
Implementation Method 3
the clip is integrally formed with a base plate from which four elastic fingers project as opposing pairs
Data Source
AI summary
An umbrella having a telescopic shaft having one end carrying a handle and an opposite end carrying a canopy is held in a harness having upper and lower belts fittable on a user. The handle is secured to the lower belt. A strap around the upper belt carries a clip having a base plate and a counter plate flanking the strap, a pivot pin passing through the strap between the base plate and counter plate, and four fingers projecting from the base plate and releasably gripping the umbrella shaft.