Quick-Connect Umbrella Rib Hubs for Replaceable Frame Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible umbrellas face challenges in structural integrity, manufacturing costs, shipping costs, and difficulty in replacing damaged ribs due to bulky frame structures and non-automatable pivot joints.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible umbrella frame structure with releasable, removable, and replaceable quick connect ribs to hubs, featuring dove tail joints and pivot couplers, allowing easy assembly and repair by users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If pivot joints are implemented using rivets to ensure structural integrity, then strength is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure is divided into modular components (ribs, hubs, pivot joints) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The pivot joints are designed as separate modular units with standardized interfaces, allowing the frame to be segmented into replaceable sections while maintaining overall structural integrity through the modular connection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot joint design creates universal interfaces that can accommodate different rib configurations and hub arrangements. The standardized coupling mechanism serves multiple functions: structural connection, rotational movement, and easy disassembly, replacing the need for complex riveted joints while maintaining strength across various frame configurations.
2Strength
If the frame structure is assembled into a complete unit, then structural integrity is improved, but shipping volume and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The umbrella frame is segmented into collapsible sections that can be disassembled into compact components for shipping. The modular rib and hub sections can be nested or packed in a reduced volume configuration, then quickly reassembled at the destination to form the complete structural unit, effectively reducing shipping volume while maintaining full structural integrity when assembled.
3Strength
If the frame structure is assembled into a complete unit, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is designed with segmented, modular components where individual ribs and hubs are separate replaceable units. The standardized pivot joint interfaces allow damaged ribs to be quickly disconnected and replaced without affecting other parts of the frame, enabling easy field repair while maintaining the structural integrity of the complete assembled unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables damaged rib components to be easily discarded and replaced with new or spare parts, while the remaining intact components are recovered and reused. The standardized interfaces ensure that replacement parts can be quickly installed to restore full structural functionality without requiring complex repair procedures.
4Strength
If stronger materials are used to reinforce the frame, then strength is improved, but manufacturing cost and shipping cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frame uses segmented modular components that can be manufactured using cost-effective processes for each individual part. The modular design allows for optimized material selection and manufacturing methods for each component, avoiding the need to use expensive strong materials throughout the entire frame structure, thereby reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining adequate strength through proper component design.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible umbrella having a support structure, a frame structure supported by the support structure, which includes: a support hub assembly; a plurality of long ribs, wherein each long rib has an end removably coupled to an upper hub at an upper end of the support hub assembly; a plurality of short rib sections, each comprising a first end pivotally coupled to a point along the long rib and a second end removably coupled to a lower hub at a lower end of the support hub assembly. The upper and lower hubs each has a plurality of hub connectors arranged around the circumference of the hub. The hub connectors each has a coupling slot and a dove tail groove or channel at the end of the slot towards the axis of the upper hub. The coupling slot releasably receives a pivot coupler pivotally attached to an end of a rib.