Sliding Tent Peg Anchoring Mechanism for Low-Effort Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tent peg anchoring systems require significant effort to extract from the ground due to firm retention, and auxiliary elements that facilitate easy extraction often occupy additional space and are easily forgotten.
Innovation Solution
The anchoring system features an elongated auxiliary element with two main surfaces that moves relative to a tent peg, allowing contact over a larger surface for insertion and a smaller surface for extraction, reducing ground retention and enabling easier extraction by pulling the auxiliary element, which is in contact with the ground on only one surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the tent peg is designed to be firmly retained by the ground on both main surfaces, then anchoring stability is improved, but extraction effort increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring system is divided into two separate tent pegs instead of one peg, allowing one peg to remain firmly anchored while the other serves as an extraction aid. This segmentation enables the system to maintain stable anchoring through one peg while facilitating easy extraction through the second peg that can be pulled out first.
Solution Approach 2:
The second tent peg acts as an intermediary element between the user and the firmly anchored first peg. By attaching the auxiliary element to the first peg and pulling the second peg, the system creates a mechanical advantage that reduces extraction effort for the main anchored peg.
2Ease of operation
If an auxiliary element is added to facilitate easy extraction, then extraction effort is reduced, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary tent peg serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural component of the anchoring system during use, provides a convenient attachment point for the guy line, and serves as the extraction aid. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate auxiliary tools, reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction aid function is merged with the structural anchoring function by using a second tent peg that is identical in design to the main peg. This combining of functions into a single integrated system simplifies the overall design compared to adding a separate auxiliary tool.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the auxiliary element contacts the ground on both main surfaces, then anchoring stability is improved, but extraction ease is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static configuration where both pegs are firmly anchored to a dynamic extraction process. During extraction, the user pulls the auxiliary peg out of the ground first, changing the system state from dual-peg anchoring to single-peg anchoring, which reduces the force required for extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction process begins by removing the auxiliary peg before the main anchored peg. This preliminary action of removing one peg first creates a mechanical advantage that makes the subsequent extraction of the main peg easier, as the ground retention force is reduced after the first peg is removed.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
AI summary
Anchoring means for anchoring a guy line of a tent to the ground are formed by two equally large elongated tent pegs (3, 5) which two are in contact with a main surface (3a, 5b) and can be moved in longitudinal direction relative to each other. For extracting the tent pegs from the ground, one has to pull the tent peg (5). This tent peg is in contact with the ground only with one of its main surfaces (5a) and with the other main surface (5b) is relatively easily movable over the other tent peg (3). After the tent peg (5) has been extracted from the ground along the tent peg (3), the tent peg (3) will be extracted from the ground by further pulling at tent peg (5). This tent peg (3) is also clear of the ground on a main surface (3b), where the tent peg (5) has just been located and can therefore be pulled out of the ground in a simple manner.