Telescopic Standing Tool Cable Guide Rod for Kink-Free Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing standing tools with telescopic arms face challenges in efficiently managing cable length and orientation as the arm adjusts, leading to issues like kinking or bunching when retracted, which affects stability and usability.
Innovation Solution
A standing tool design featuring a telescoping arm with a guide rod and a spiral cable that adjusts its coil configuration to match the arm's length, ensuring the cable remains aligned and prevents kinking by using a contoured tip to facilitate recoiling, and a system where the cable's coils wrap around the guide rod in different numbers depending on the arm's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the telescopic arm is extended or retracted, then the head unit can be positioned at different heights, but the cable becomes misaligned and kinks
Solution Approach 1:
A guide rod is introduced as an intermediary component between the cable and the telescopic arm. The guide rod extends along the axis of the telescopic arm and provides a structural pathway that directs the cable, preventing it from kinking or bunching as the arm extends or retracts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is divided into segments: a fixed first end attached to the body, a fixed second end attached to the head unit, and a middle portion that is wrapped around the guide rod. This segmentation allows the middle portion to maintain alignment through the guide rod while accommodating length changes.
2Length of moving object
If the cable is made longer to accommodate arm extension, then the arm can extend further, but the cable bunches when retracted
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rod serves as a mediator that distributes the cable length uniformly along the arm's axis. As the arm extends or retracts, the cable wraps or unwraps around the guide rod in a controlled manner, preventing bunching at any single location.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable's configuration is made dynamic through its wrapping around the guide rod. The number of wraps adjusts automatically with arm position, allowing the cable to adapt its effective length to match the arm's extension state without creating harmful bunching.
3Reliability
If the cable is fixed tautly, then electrical connection is maintained, but the arm cannot move smoothly
Solution Approach 1:
The cable transitions from a static taut state to a dynamic wrapped state around the guide rod. This allows the cable to maintain electrical connection while accommodating the dynamic movement of the arm, enabling smooth extension and retraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable's spatial configuration parameter changes from a straight taut line to a wrapped configuration around the guide rod. This parameter change allows the cable to maintain tension and electrical connection while permitting arm movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A standing tool includes a body, a telescoping arm, a head unit, a cable, and a guide rod. The telescoping arm defines an axis therethrough and includes a base end coupled to the body and a distal end movable with respect to the base end. The head unit is coupled to the distal end of the telescoping arm and movable together therewith. The cable of the standing tool includes a first end fixed relative to the body, and a second end opposite the first end that is fixed relative to the head unit. The guide rod is coaxially aligned with the axis of the telescoping arm such that at least a portion of the cable is wrapped around the guide rod.