Tonneau Cover Clamp With Flexible Grasping Tether
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tonneau cover clamps for truck cargo boxes often have unclamped, intermediate, and clamped rigid lengths that are too long, causing interference with cargo and making it difficult to position and move the clamp into a locked configuration, potentially leading to damage to cargo, the clamp, or the truck side wall.
Innovation Solution
A tonneau cover assembly with a clamp that includes a rod with a clamp body rotatably and slidably mounted on it, featuring catches and a spring for biasing the clamp body toward the cover, along with a flexible grasping tether to reduce interference and enhance usability, allowing for proper orientation and operation without extensive rigid handle extension below the flange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rigid grasping handle is used in the clamp, then the clamp can be manually operated, but the overall rigid length becomes too long causing interference with cargo
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp is divided into a rigid portion (clamp body with catches) and a flexible portion (tether), allowing the rigid part to be short while maintaining manual operability through the flexible tether
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid grasping handle is replaced with a flexible tether that can be grasped and manipulated manually, eliminating the need for a long rigid handle while preserving ease of operation
2Length of moving object
If the clamp rigid length is reduced to avoid cargo interference, then cargo interference is minimized, but the clamp may become difficult to position and operate
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the clamp into rigid and flexible portions, the design achieves both short rigid length for cargo clearance and sufficient operational leverage through the flexible tether
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible tether acts as an intermediary between the user's hand and the clamp body, transmitting force while allowing the rigid portion to remain short
3Reliability
If the clamp extends below the flange to achieve proper clamping, then the clamp can securely engage the flange, but cargo interference and potential damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tether allows the clamp to engage securely while the flexible portion can deform to avoid rigid contact with cargo, reducing damage risk
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system where the flexible tether can adapt its shape during operation, allowing secure engagement while minimizing harmful contact with cargo
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 solution minimizes the overall rigid lengths of the clamp, reducing interference with cargo and improving the ease of operation and safety by limiting the extent of rigid elements below the flange, thus preventing damage and enhancing the usability of the tonneau cover system.
Implementation Method 1
A spring can be adjacent the distal end of the rod and biasing the clamp body along the rod axis in a direction toward the cover
Data Source
AI summary
A tonneau cover system can include a cover sized and shaped to cover the truck cargo box and a spring clamp designed to secure the cover to the truck cargo box. The spring clamp can include a rod connected to the cover. The rod can have a rod axis. A clamp body can be rotatably and slidably mounted on the rod. The clamp body can include a pair of oppositely disposed catches spaced apart from the rod axis. The catches can extend in a catch length direction intersecting the rod axis at a first angle. A grasping tether can be attached to the clamp body for manually sliding the clamp body along the rod in a direction away from the cover. Due to the flexible nature of the grasping tether, potential interference of the clamp with cargo in the cargo box can be significantly reduced.