Self-Aligning Jaw Cable Bundler with Resilient Pawl
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable management devices are difficult to use, prone to loss, and suffer from wear due to repeated use, especially when handling small bundles like those for earbuds, and often require specific orientations for unlatching, limiting their usability and size.
Innovation Solution
A handcuff-like device with self-aligning jaw members and a pawl mechanism that allows for easy opening and closing, featuring a resilient beam portion for flexible engagement and disengagement, enabling unlatching through various motions and accommodating small bundles without the need for specific orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wire ties or twist ties are used to store cords, then the cords can be bundled, but the device is difficult to use and requires great manual dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The device features self-aligning jaw members that automatically orient themselves during the closing operation, eliminating the need for precise manual alignment. The jaws follow a fixed path or trajectory to close and latch around the bundled item, making the operation intuitive and easy to perform without requiring specialized dexterity
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates a resilient beam portion that provides flexible engagement and disengagement of the pawl mechanism. This dynamic element allows the device to adapt to different bundle sizes and orientations, enhancing ease of use while maintaining secure latching
2Ease of operation
If cable management devices are molded into a split ring with ends urged together, then the device can close around cables, but it is difficult to load with bundled wire because the ends are normally urged together
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed with the pawl and beam portion pre-configured to engage automatically when the jaws close. The resilient beam is pre-positioned to flex and lock the jaws in place, eliminating the need for complex manipulation during the closing operation. The fixed path or trajectory of the jaws ensures proper engagement without requiring the user to manually coordinate multiple movements
3Reliability
If wire ties are used for repeated bundling and unbundling, then the device can be reused, but it experiences substantial wear and metal fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from a rigid, high-stress latching mechanism to one incorporating a resilient beam portion. This material and structural parameter change allows the device to absorb repeated stress cycles without metal fatigue, significantly extending its useful life while maintaining reliable engagement and disengagement through the pawl mechanism
4Volume of moving object
If existing devices are made very small for small bundles like earbuds, then the device size is reduced, but the unlatching action becomes difficult and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient beam portion provides dynamic flexibility that allows the pawl mechanism to function effectively in a compact form factor. The beam's elasticity compensates for the reduced size, enabling smooth engagement and disengagement motions that remain easy to perform even when the device is made very small for applications like earbud cable management
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 device provides easy and efficient bundling and unbundling of cables, including small ones, with reduced wear and loss, and allows for versatile unlatching motions, enhancing usability and durability.
Implementation Method 1
The beam portion is resilient and flexes to move the pawl between an engaging and a disengaged position
Implementation Method 2
The jaw members are connected together at their hinge ends, such that the jaw members have an open position and many closed positions
Data Source
AI summary
A device for handling or storing one or more items, has a pair of generally rigid jaw members each having a hinge end and an outer end. The jaw members have a first, open position in which the outer ends are spaced apart to define a receiving space and a plurality of closed positions. The jaw members are self aligned and one of them has an engagement member to engage the other. The engagement member is separate from either jaw member, and may therefore be made of a different material.