Slider With Automatic Stopper Using Resin Spring Body
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sliders with automatic stoppers face challenges in manufacturing precision and cost due to the use of high-toughness metallic materials, leading to issues like cracking and wear of tools during processing, which limits mass production and affects the stability and exterior design of the slider.
Innovation Solution
A slider design with a pull-tab retainer configured as a C-shaped cover body, featuring equal width dimensions for the retainer and mounting posts, and a regulating mechanism that prevents side-to-side movement, allowing for a compact, low-cost, and aesthetically improved slider with enhanced manufacturing precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high-toughness metallic materials are used for the spring body, then the automatic stop function is reliable, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to cracking and tool wear during processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the durable metallic spring body with a disposable resin-based spring body that is easier to manufacture with high precision. The resin spring body achieves sufficient reliability for the automatic stop function while allowing for precise molding without the cracking and tool wear issues associated with metallic materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from metallic to resin-based, fundamentally altering the manufacturing process from mechanical working (blanking, bending) to molding. This parameter change enables high-precision manufacturing while maintaining the spring body's elastic deformation functionality and automatic stop reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the spring body is made smaller to reduce material cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the width and length of the spring body blank further decrease making processing more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts a resin-based spring body that can be molded at smaller dimensions without the processing difficulties associated with metallic materials. The molding process allows for precise fabrication of small components, achieving both cost reduction through smaller size and maintained/high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical working processes (blanking, bending) with a molding process for creating the spring body. This substitution enables precise manufacturing of small-sized spring bodies from resin material, avoiding the tool wear and cracking issues that occur when mechanically processing small metallic components.
3Volume of moving object
If the pull-tab retainer is made thinner to achieve a compact size, then the slider becomes more compact, but the strength and stability of the retainer decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses resin material for the pull-tab retainer that provides high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent dimensional stability. The resin material allows the retainer to be made thinner for compactness while maintaining sufficient strength through the material's inherent properties and optimized structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the retainer's thickness distribution locally, making it thinner in non-critical areas while maintaining adequate thickness in areas requiring strength. The resin material allows for such localized optimization without compromising overall structural integrity, achieving compactness where possible while maintaining strength where needed.
4Reliability
If the spring body is made of metallic material with strong spring stiffness, then the automatic stop function is stable, but cracking may be generated during blanking working or bending working
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the metallic spring body prone to cracking during mechanical working with a disposable resin-based spring body manufactured by molding. The molding process eliminates the cracking issue entirely, and the resin material provides sufficient elastic deformation capability for the automatic stop function without the harmful cracking effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical working processes (blanking, bending) with a molding process for spring body fabrication. This substitution eliminates the cracking problem that occurs during mechanical deformation of metallic materials, while the molded resin spring body maintains the necessary elastic properties for reliable automatic stop function.
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 design ensures stable automatic stop function, reduces manufacturing costs, and achieves a compact, aesthetically superior slider with improved durability and ease of assembly, preventing excessive deformation and maintaining elastic deformation functionality over time.
Implementation Method 1
a spring body that is disposed between a back surface of the pull-tab retainer and the slider body, the spring body has a spring piece that is disposed between the back surface of the pull-tab retainer and the pull tab to elastically contact the back surface of the pull-tab retainer, and a claw part that is engaged with or is disengaged from a part of the tooth rows of the fastener chain passing through the slider body, on the basis of elastic deformation of the spring piece based on an operation of the pull tab
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
There are provided interlock pieces (32a, 33a) extending from both edge portions of a side-to-side winglike piece (34) provided in a pull-tab retainer (30) toward an anterior wall part (32) and a posterior wall part (33) of the pull-tab retainer (30). An anterior support wall (14a) of an anterior mounting post (14) and a posterior support wall (15a) of a posterior mounting post (15) at superior angular corner regions of the internal faces (16, 17) thereof are provided with notches (14c, 15c) for interlocking of the interlock pieces (32a, 33a). When the pull-tab retainer (30) is fitted to the anterior mounting post (14) and the posterior mounting post (15), the interlock pieces (32a, 33a) and the notches (14c, 15c) are interlocked with together to thereby prevent any displacement of the pull-tab retainer (30) in anteroposterior side-to-side directions. Further, at that time, a side end face (14f) of the anterior support wall (14a) and a side end face (15f) of the posterior support wall (15a) can be covered up by the pull-tab retainer (30). Selected Drawing: FIG. 1