Socket With Switch Member And Positioning Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing socket designs face issues such as wear and instability due to the use of retractable positioning balls, complex assembly processes, and potential for accidental disengagement, leading to user safety concerns and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A socket design featuring a switch member and positioning unit with a first and second receiving portion, allowing for easy sleeve attachment to a driving tool, with a positioning member that engages and disengages securely, preventing wear and simplifying the assembly process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a retractable positioning ball is used to connect the socket to the driving tool, then the socket can be easily attached and detached, but the positioning ball and inner wall are easily abraded and the connection becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning unit is divided into separate components: a positioning member (ball) and receiving portions (first and second receiving portions). This segmentation allows the ball to be received in different positions - within the first receiving portion for stable connection, or protruding through it for easy detachment - resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and connection stability
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning ball is designed to be movable between different positions: it can be received in the first receiving portion for stable connection, or protrude through the first receiving portion for detachment. This dynamic positioning mechanism allows the same component to provide both stable connection and ease of operation depending on its position
2Reliability
If a pin is inserted through the restricting hole of the socket and the through hole of the inserting portion to connect them, then the connection is stable, but the assembling process becomes more complex and the pin may get lost easily
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the positioning function from a separate pin component and integrates it into the socket structure itself through the positioning unit. The positioning member is received within the socket body, eliminating the need for separate pins that can be lost, while maintaining stable connection through the receiving portions
3Reliability
If the positioning member protrudes beyond the first receiving portion to engage with the positioning portion, then the socket can be securely positioned, but the positioning member may get disengaged accidentally
Solution Approach 1:
The second receiving portion acts as an intermediary mechanism between the positioning member and the external environment. When the switch member moves to the locked position, the second receiving portion receives the positioning member, providing an additional layer of containment that prevents accidental disengagement while maintaining positioning accuracy
4Reliability
If the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion overlap completely when the switch member is on the released position, then the positioning member is fully contained, but the socket cannot engage with the driving tool
Solution Approach 1:
The switch member enables dynamic reconfiguration of the receiving portions. When moved to the unlocked position, the first and second receiving portions align to allow the positioning member to protrude for engagement. When moved to the locked position, they overlap to contain the positioning member. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between containment and engagement capability
Data Source
AI summary
A socket is provided, including a socket main body, a switch member and at least one positioning unit. The socket main body has a working portion and a sleeve portion which are disposed along an extending direction of an axis, and the sleeve portion has a receiving space which is for the inserting portion of a driving tool to insert thereinto; the switch member is movable along the extending direction, disposed to the sleeve portion, and rotatable about the axis; the at least one positioning unit includes a first receiving portion penetrating through the sleeve portion and being lateral to the axis, a second receiving portion formed on the switch member and facing the sleeve portion, and a positioning member movably received in the first receiving portion, and a part of the positioning member protrudes beyond the first receiving portion.