Safety Cap With Eccentric Locking Screw Against Malicious Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety caps for electrical or optical connectors are vulnerable to malicious access due to easily observable and accessible locking mechanisms, which can be compromised with adapted tools.
Innovation Solution
A safety cap design featuring a cork body with an eccentric tapped orifice, a cap with an eccentric crossing orifice, and a locking screw that can be partially unscrewed to solidarize the cap with the cork body in rotation, while the locking screw is not directly accessible until the cap is aligned, thus requiring additional steps for malicious access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the locking mechanism is made directly accessible from the outside, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security against malicious access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cap must first be rotated to align the through-hole with the locking screw before the locking mechanism can be accessed. This preliminary alignment action obscures the locking mechanism from direct external access, thereby preventing malicious interference while maintaining ease of operation for authorized users who know the required sequence
Solution Approach 2:
The eccentric through-hole in the cap acts as an intermediary element that controls access to the locking screw. By requiring alignment between the through-hole and the locking screw, it creates an additional step that prevents direct access to the locking mechanism, thus enhancing security against malicious access
2Ease of operation
If the locking screw is made accessible through a through-hole in the cap, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security against malicious access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking screw and through-hole are positioned eccentrically (asymmetrically) relative to the central axis of the cap. This asymmetric positioning ensures that the locking screw is not always accessible through the cap, as the through-hole must be rotated into alignment with the locking screw, thereby preventing continuous external access to the locking mechanism
3Ease of manufacture
If the locking screw can be fully extracted through the through-hole, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to risk of loss
Solution Approach 1:
The locking screw is designed to be partially extractable through the through-hole, but not completely removable. The screw protrudes only partially from the cap, providing enough access for tightening and loosening operations while remaining sufficiently engaged to prevent accidental loss or complete extraction, thus balancing ease of operation with reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a safety cap (1), comprising a cap body (10), a cap (20), and a locking screw (30). The cap body (10) has a thread about a central axis (X) to cooperate with a complementary thread, and a tapped hole (14) eccentric with respect to the central axis (X). The cap (20) is mounted on the cap body (10) and has a through hole (24) eccentric with respect to the central axis (X) so that it can be aligned with the tapped hole (14) of the cap body (10) by rotation, about the central axis (X), of the cap (20) relative to the cap body (10).The locking screw (30) is able to be screwed and unscrewed partially, in the tapped hole (14) of the cap body (10), between a protruding position in which an external end (31) of the locking screw (30) penetrates the through hole (24) of the cap (20) to secure the cap (20) to the cap body (10), and a recessed position in which the locking screw (30) does not reach the through hole (24) of the cap (20), the cap (20) then being free to rotate, around the central axis (X), relative to the cap body (10).