U-bend Pipe Clip Axial Positioning via Groove-Rib Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for connecting a toilet bowl or sanitary body to a disposal line lack precise axial positioning, resulting in limited adjustment range and poor connection tightness due to restricted axial adjustment capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a sleeve with two grooves and three ribs, and a holder with a latching mechanism, allowing for six different axial positions, enabling both rough and fine adjustments through a combination of slots and hooks, facilitating easy assembly and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a special pipe clamp with multiple grooves and ribs is used to enable adaptation to different axial distances, then the adjustment range is improved, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe clamp is divided into two separate components: a holder that is fastened to the mounting frame, and a collar that is placed around the sleeve. The holder contains grooves for axial positioning, while the collar contains ribs that engage with these grooves. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured simply while collectively providing multiple axial positions without requiring a complex integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning function is extracted from the pipe clamp body and implemented through the interaction between the holder's grooves and the collar's ribs. This separation allows the grooves and ribs to be manufactured as simple features on individual components rather than as a complex integrated mechanism, reducing manufacturing difficulty while maintaining adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a holder with multiple openings is used to snap onto the fastening body in different axial positions, then the adjustment range is improved, but the positioning precision deteriorates due to rough positioning according to distances between openings
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using uniformly spaced openings for rough positioning, the grooves in the holder and corresponding ribs in the collar are designed to create specific local engagement points. The distance between adjacent grooves/ribs is small enough to provide fine positioning (comparatively 2-3mm), while the overall pattern allows multiple axial positions. This local quality differentiation enables both adaptability and precision.
3Ease of operation
If the sleeve is not positioned exactly in the axial direction, then the assembly process is simplified, but the connection tightness deteriorates and the toilet bowl cannot be installed in the intended position
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe clamp system performs self-positioning through the mechanical engagement between the holder's grooves and the collar's ribs. When the collar is placed around the sleeve and the holder is fastened to the mounting frame, the grooves and ribs automatically align to provide precise axial positioning without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or complex alignment procedures. The system self-adjusts to the correct position.
Data Source
Figure 1~3f
Figure 4a~5b
Figure 6~9
AI summary
The device (30) has an outflow bend comprising a socket (10) for accommodating a pipe end or a connecting branch. A pipe clamp fastens the outflow bend to a fastening body e.g. mounting frame (2), and has a holder comprising grooves on an inner side of the holder and cooperating with ribs on an outer side of the socket for axial fixing of the socket. The holder has a collar selectively mounted into grooves of the socket or on one of the ribs for the axial fixing of the socket. The holder is provided with a plate-like base.