Telescopic Fixing Structure for Long Locking Stroke in Tight Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices occupy excessive space due to their height, interfering with other components in small and compact equipment like telecommunications cabinets and industrial computers, while requiring a minimum height for screw engagement, leading to inefficiencies in panel locking and unlocking.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with an inner and outer sleeve design, featuring a guide slope and bevel groove interaction, allowing for a long vertical stroke and reduced structural height, enabling panel locking with large spacing or thickness without increasing device volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a conventional fixing device with cap, screw, and nut is used to lock panels, then the screw can be locked into the panel, but the device occupies excessive height space that interferes with other components in compact equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device adopts a nested structure where the outer sleeve contains the inner sleeve, and the fixing member is received within the inner sleeve. This nesting arrangement allows the components to be compacted into each other when not in use, significantly reducing the overall device height while maintaining the necessary locking stroke when activated.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a conventional linear extension design to a telescopic design that utilizes vertical dimensionality. The outer sleeve and inner sleeve can telescopically extend and retract, allowing the locking mechanism to achieve long stroke in the vertical direction while maintaining a compact footprint when retracted, effectively solving the height-space contradiction.
2Reliability
If the cap is buckled on the flange to prevent separation, then the cap and screw are secured, but the cap requires certain height which occupies internal space and makes device space insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing member is received within the inner sleeve, and the inner sleeve is received within the outer sleeve, creating a nested configuration. This nesting allows the connection mechanism to be compact, reducing the volume occupied by the fixing device while maintaining reliable connection through the telescopic locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs thin-walled sleeve structures that provide sufficient structural integrity and connection reliability while occupying minimal space. The outer sleeve and inner sleeve are designed with adequate wall thickness to ensure strength while maintaining a compact overall volume.
3Ease of operation
If a preset length is reserved between the nut and connecting holder for screw locking, then the screw can be locked in the panel, but the cap height increases occupying space inside the device
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device is segmented into distinct functional components: the outer sleeve for structural support, the inner sleeve for telescopic movement, and the fixing member for locking. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the fixing member having sufficient length for effective locking while the overall device height is controlled by the telescopic arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the vertical telescopic dimension to resolve the conflict between locking stroke and device height. The fixing member can extend vertically to achieve the necessary locking length, then retract into the inner sleeve, which itself retracts into the outer sleeve, effectively hiding the locking mechanism's full extent when not in use.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes an inner sleeve with a passage and a stop groove on the inside, an annular convex portion on the top and a positioning structure on the bottom, a fixing member having a head portion, a guide slope extending obliquely downward from the head portion and a coupling portion downwardly extending from the head portion and inserted into the passage of the inner sleeve, and an outer sleeve having a receiving space formed on the inside, a top surface formed on the top, a bevel groove formed on the top surface and extending obliquely inward corresponding to the opening of the receiving space and a limiting ring portion formed on the bottom and bent inward to cover the annular convex portion. This allows the fixing member to have a long vertical stroke and reduces the structural height of the fixing device.