Spring-Clamped Bicycle Cup Holder for Multi-Size Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor bicycles lack stable cup holders that can accommodate cups of different sizes and prevent shaking during riding, leading to potential damage or breakage.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder design featuring a main body with rotatably connected clamping arms and an elastic member, such as a torsion spring, that securely fixes cups of varying sizes by expanding or clamping to accommodate them, using a torsion spring for stability and a wrap-around design for enhanced fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple cavity body or basket is used for holding cups, then the device complexity is low, but the cup stability is poor and cups shake easily during riding
Solution Approach 1:
The cup holder employs dynamic clamping arms with rotational joints that can adapt their position and angle to accommodate cups of different sizes and shapes. The clamping arms rotate around pivot points to wrap around the cup, providing dynamic adjustment rather than a fixed rigid structure, thereby achieving both stability and adaptability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder is divided into multiple functional segments: a main body, multiple independent clamping arms, elastic members, and rotating joints. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while contributing to the overall stability, enabling the system to achieve reliable cup fixation through coordinated action of simpler individual parts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed rigid structure is used to secure the cup, then the cup stability is improved, but the adaptability to different cup sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping arms are designed with rotational joints that allow them to dynamically adjust their position and wrapping angle around the cup. This dynamic capability enables the same structure to accommodate various cup diameters and heights while maintaining secure fixation, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic members change their deformation parameters (compression/extension) based on the cup size being held. When a larger cup is inserted, the elastic members compress less; when a smaller cup is inserted, they compress more. This parameter adjustment allows the clamping force and arm position to adapt to different cup dimensions while maintaining reliable fixation.
3Reliability
If elastic members are added to provide clamping force, then the cup fixation stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic members are pre-loaded during assembly to automatically exert clamping force on the cup without requiring active control or additional power sources. When the cup is inserted, the elastic members naturally deform and generate the necessary clamping force through their elastic recovery, making the system self-regulating and reducing the need for complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic members are integrated directly into the clamping arm structure, with the elastic force-generating element combined with the clamping mechanism itself. This merging eliminates the need for separate actuation systems, reducing the overall component count while maintaining reliable fixation through the combined structural and elastic properties of the integrated design.
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 provides stable fixation for cups of multiple sizes, preventing shaking and damage, while allowing variable accommodation and including features like a hexagonal hole for disassembly and anti-theft functionality.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member is disposed at a rotating joint between the first clamping arm and/or the second clamping arm and the main body
Implementation Method 2
a torsion spring is disposed at a rotating joint between the first clamping arm and the main body
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a cup holder, including a main body, a first clamping arm, and a second clamping arm, where one end of the first clamping arm and/or the second clamping arm is rotatably connected to the main body, the first clamping arm and the second clamping arm form a space for accommodating a cup body, and an elastic member is disposed at a rotating joint between the first clamping arm and/or the second clamping arm and the main body. The cup holder provided by the present invention has advantages of being compatible with cups of multiple sizes and securely fixing the cup.