Vehicle Cable Binder Assembly for Secure One-Way Pin Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable binders for vehicles, particularly in automobile lamps, suffer from instability and incorrect mounting, leading to cable damage and misalignment due to loose fixation on pins and multiple possible orientations.
Innovation Solution
A cable binder with a body and a strip featuring protruding arms that engage with a complementary poka-yoke element on a pin, ensuring secure and correct mounting by preventing rotation and allowing only one orientation, combined with a flexible strip and grooves/ribs to stabilize the cables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standard zip tie binders are used with a cylindrical opening and pin, then the binder can be easily mounted, but the binder is not fixed securely and can move or rotate on the pin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing the body with at least two protruding arms that are asymmetrically positioned and shaped to engage with corresponding features on the pin. The arms have different geometries (e.g., one arm with a first shape and another arm with a second shape) that create a non-symmetric engagement pattern, preventing rotation and ensuring secure fixation in a single orientation.
2Device complexity
If the binder is made from a single piece of material with the zip tie, then the structure is simplified, but the binder becomes loose on the pin over time due to scraping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the body into distinct functional elements: a main body portion and multiple protruding arms that are spatially separated but structurally integrated. This segmentation allows each arm to independently engage with the pin, distributing the fixation forces and reducing wear concentration, thereby maintaining stability over time while preserving structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protruding arms are designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing them to flex and adapt during mounting and operation. The arms can deform elastically to accommodate minor misalignments and distribute contact forces, preventing the rigid scraping that leads to loosening while maintaining the integrated single-piece construction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the binder can be mounted in many orientations, then the installation is flexible, but the cables can be fixed in wrong positions or directions leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric design of the protruding arms and their engagement features on the pin creates a unique orientation for proper mounting. The arms are positioned and shaped such that only one rotational orientation allows all arms to engage correctly with the pin, ensuring cables are always positioned and directed as intended by the design, while still allowing flexible installation from different approaches.
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 provides stable cable positioning, reducing damage and misalignment by ensuring secure fixation and guiding cables as intended, enhancing the longevity and reliability of cable binding.
Implementation Method 1
the arms are thin enough to slightly give way when the pin is inserted into the opening and the elastic potential energy stored in the arms by the insertion then caused the arms to press against the pin. The force of the arms creates a friction which holds the opening on the pin.
Implementation Method 2
The force of the arms creates a friction which holds the opening on the pin.
Data Source
AI summary
Cable binder for vehicles, cable-binding assembly including the binder, and vehicle lamp with the assembly. The binder includes a body for attachment to the vehicle and a strip for binding cables which is fixed to the body. The strip can be closed into a loop for binding the cables using a securing mechanism. The body includes an opening for mounting the binder onto a pin of the vehicle with at least two protruding arms for pressing against the pin provided in the opening. The body further includes a poka-yoke element for engaging with a complementary poka-yoke element on the pin.