Toy Wings With Snap-In Pivot Articulations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toys with retractable wings face issues of breakage, bulkiness, and lack of precision in deployment due to material limitations, failing to be both lightweight and rigid while being economical and easy to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A toy design featuring folding and retractable wings made of common, inexpensive plastics that are lightweight, rigid, and resistant to breakage, with a telescopic construction, snap-in-place assembly, and push-button deployment, ensuring crisp and precise movement and safety through spring-loaded mechanisms and automatic release in case of impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid and thick materials are used to prevent breakage, then strength and breakage resistance are improved, but the toy becomes bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The wing is divided into multiple segments that can fold relative to each other, allowing the use of thinner, lighter materials while maintaining overall structural strength through the segmented configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The folding wing segments are nested within each other when retracted, creating a compact structure that reduces the need for bulky protective housing while maintaining strength during deployment
2Strength
If soft or elastic material such as foam or rubber is used, then breakage resistance is improved, but crisp and precise wing deployment cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from soft/elastic to rigid plastic, and compensates for the reduced inherent flexibility by introducing mechanical flexibility through hinge joints and folding mechanisms, thereby achieving both precision and breakage resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The wing assembly uses composite construction combining rigid plastic wings with flexible folding mechanisms, creating a system that exhibits both the precision of rigid materials and the flexibility needed for deployment
3Weight of moving object
If long and thin wing construction is used, then lightweight and crisp deployment are achieved, but breakage resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The long wing is segmented into multiple sections that fold relative to each other, allowing the wing to maintain a long extended configuration for lightweight performance while using shorter, stronger individual segments that resist breakage
Solution Approach 2:
The wing transitions from a static long structure to a dynamic folding structure that can adjust its configuration, appearing long and thin during flight for performance while compact and reinforced during storage
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 achieves a toy with crisp and precise wing deployment, high longitudinal rigidity, and resistance to breakage, while being compact and easy to assemble/disassemble, using common plastics, ensuring safety and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
spring-loaded mechanisms
Implementation Method 2
snap-in-place assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A toy with folding retractable wings includes a body and wings connected to the body via snap-in pivot articulations that allow the folding of the wings in a space minimizing nesting configuration. Various springs, latches, triggers and stopping mechanisms ensure that the folded wings deploy in a spring-loaded fashion, with minimal user effort. The pivot articulations can release the wings in a non-destructive manner when exposed to high mechanical stress loads, thus preventing destructive wing breakage.