Side Engagement Buckle with Inclined Latch Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional side engagement buckles have complex configurations and are difficult to manufacture, lacking sufficient strength to prevent separation when pulled in the opposite direction after insertion, while being easily removable, which is not practical.
Innovation Solution
A simplified side engagement buckle design where only the sides of the arms engage with the socket, with thickened base end portions and strategically inclined latch surfaces to enhance strength and prevent separation, ensuring engagement without external forces, and easy release with minimal load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If V-shaped stop members and V-shaped latch surfaces are used for engagement, then the buckle can be detachably connected, but the shape becomes very complicated and forming work becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the engagement surfaces from complex V-shaped profiles to simpler inclined planes with specific angle ranges (15-45 degrees for socket latch surfaces, 10-30 degrees for plug latch surfaces). This parameter optimization maintains engagement reliability while dramatically simplifying the overall buckle shape and manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex V-shaped geometries that interlock, the patent inverts the approach by using simple inclined planes where the plug's latch surfaces engage with the socket's latch surfaces through friction and geometric constraint. The engagement is achieved through the interaction of two simple inclined surfaces rather than complex interlocking shapes.
2Strength
If the base end portions of the arms are thickened to increase strength, then the engagement state can be maintained under pull loads, but it becomes difficult to distort the arms for disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the thickness of the arms along their length. The base end portions are thickened to provide high strength for maintaining engagement under pull loads, while the distal ends remain thinner to allow easy distortion and disengagement. This gradient in cross-sectional thickness optimizes both strength and operability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic characteristics by allowing the arms to elastically deform during engagement and disengagement. The inclined latch surfaces are designed to work with the elastic deformation of the arms, enabling the thinner distal ends to be easily distorted for release while the thicker base portions maintain structural integrity during normal use.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple arm configuration is used, then the buckle is easy to manufacture, but the strength is insufficient to prevent separation when pulled in opposite direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a dimensional element by introducing inclined latch surfaces that extend in a direction intersecting with the insertion direction. This creates a multi-dimensional engagement geometry where the inclined surfaces provide mechanical advantage and frictional resistance, significantly increasing tensile strength without complicating the basic arm configuration or manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A buckle which includes a socket and a plug. The socket includes: a cylindrical main body; a hollow part formed within the main body; a pair of left and right openings continuous to the hollow part and penetrating through wall parts of the main body; and a pair of left and right first latch surfaces defined on opening-side wall surfaces of the wall parts of the main body and inclined in a direction intersecting with an insertion direction of the plug. The plug includes: a base; arms; and a pair of left and right second latch surfaces protruding outward from outer sides of the arms and inclined in the direction intersecting with the insertion direction of the plug.