Rotational Locking Guardrail Shoe for Tool-Free Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional guardrail assembly on high constructions, such as roofs or terraces, requires significant operations and tools due to the need for screwing uprights into shoes, making the process cumbersome and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A guardrail kit design featuring a shoe with a through opening that allows the upright to be rotated into a locked position without screwing, using a slot mechanism for vertical and rotational blocking, enabling manual assembly without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the upright is fixed to the shoe by screwing, then the vertical movement of the upright is blocked, but the assembly requires significant operations and tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the screwing mechanical system with a rotational locking system. The upright rotates within the shoe to engage a locking mechanism that blocks vertical movement without requiring screws or threading operations. This substitution eliminates the need for tools and complex assembly operations while maintaining the vertical locking function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the locking parameter from linear insertion (screwing) to rotational movement. The upright is designed to rotate within the shoe, and this rotational parameter change enables the locking mechanism to engage differently, blocking vertical movement through rotation rather than through threaded insertion, thereby simplifying the assembly process.
2Strength
If the upright is fixed to the shoe by screwing, then the upright is securely attached, but the assembly process becomes labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the time-consuming screwing mechanical system with a rapid rotational locking system. The upright simply needs to rotate within the shoe to engage the locking mechanism, which provides secure attachment without requiring multiple screwing operations. This dramatically increases assembly speed and reduces labor intensity while maintaining attachment strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is pre-configured within the shoe structure, with the blocking feature already in place. When the upright rotates into position, the locking action occurs automatically without requiring additional operations. This preliminary preparation of the locking mechanism enables rapid assembly while ensuring strong attachment.
3Ease of operation
If a through opening is provided in the shoe, then the upright can be inserted and rotated, but the shoe structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe structure is segmented to include a through opening that separates the insertion/rotation function from the locking function. The opening allows the upright to be independently inserted and rotated, while the locking mechanism is positioned separately within the shoe structure. This segmentation enables manual assembly operations while distributing the structural complexity across different functional zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a rotational dimension through the through opening, allowing the upright to move from a simple insertion (linear) to a rotational positioning. This dimensional change enables manual assembly without tools, as the rotation provides the locking action. The structural complexity is managed by confining the rotational mechanism to a specific dimensional space within the shoe.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The kit 12 includes: - a shoe 18 having a lower wall 24 and at least one upper wall 26 having a vertically through opening 40, and - an upright 20 removably mounted between a locked position to the shoe 18 in which the lower end of the upright extends through the through opening 40 of the shoe, and between a dismantling position in which the upright is separated from the shoe, - the through opening 40 of said upper or internal wall being shaped to allow the lower end of the upright 20 to be inserted into the shoe 18 in an unlocked position of the upright relative to the shoe, and to allow at least rotation of the upright from this unlocked position to the locked position in a first direction of rotation.