Walking Pole Clamping Lever for Self-Locking Length Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hiking and Nordic walking pole constructions face issues with rigidity and user-friendliness due to the need for manual turning forces to fix tube sections, and they often fail to achieve a sufficiently small pack size for storage.
Innovation Solution
A clamping device with a peripheral plastic collar and a tilting clamping lever, assisted by a spring element, allows for a self-locking axial fixation of the inner tube section within the outer tube, enabling easy length adjustment and compact storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If internal locking mechanisms are used to fix tube sections by rotating them relative to one another, then the relative position of tube sections can be fixed, but manual turning forces are required which reduces user convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional rotational locking mechanism with a lever-based clamping mechanism. Instead of requiring users to rotate tube sections to engage locking features, a lever arm pivots about an axis to move a clamping element between engaged and disengaged positions, substituting rotational mechanical action with lever-based mechanical advantage for more convenient operation
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping mechanism incorporates a spring element that automatically returns the lever arm to its engaged position after actuation. This self-returning feature reduces the effort required by the user, as they only need to push the lever away from the axis to release the clamp, and the spring automatically resets it without requiring manual manipulation to re-engage
2Volume of moving object
If tube sections are made thin to achieve compact pack size, then the pole can be reduced to a small pack size, but the pole loses sufficient inherent rigidity for some applications
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping element features a curved clamping surface that contacts the inner tube section. This curved geometry distributes the clamping force more evenly across the contact area, preventing stress concentration that could compromise the thin-walled tube structure, thereby maintaining rigidity without increasing wall thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element is pre-loaded to exert a continuous clamping force on the inner tube section even before user actuation. This preliminary clamping action ensures the thin-walled tube remains securely held and maintains its structural rigidity during use, while still allowing compact nesting when the lever is actuated to release the clamp
3Ease of operation
If external clamping mechanisms are used to fix tube sections, then manual turning forces are eliminated, but the mechanisms are often not suitable for storing more than two tube sections in one another
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping mechanism is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple inner tube sections of different diameters. The lever arm and clamping element can engage with any tube section inserted into the outer tube, allowing three or more tube sections to be stored in one another with the same locking mechanism, making the system adaptable to various pole configurations
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 improved rigidity and user convenience by allowing for easy length adjustment and compact storage, addressing the limitations of existing technologies with a self-locking mechanism that reduces manual effort and enhances packability.
Implementation Method 1
a clamping lever (6) which is attached on the outside via an axis (8) which is arranged perpendicularly to the pole axis and can be tilted against the restoring force of a spring element (10)
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a clamping device (1) for a walking pole, trekking pole, Nordic walking pole, cross-country pole, or ski pole for securing an inner tube section (3) which can be slid into an opening of the clamping device that is secured to an outer tube (2). The clamping device (1) has a plastic sleeve (4), on the outside of which a clamping lever (6) is hinged in a tiltable manner against the restoring force of a spring element (10). The plastic sleeve (4) has two protrusions (29, 30) with through-openings (31) and/or recesses for the axis (8), and the clamping lever (6) is mounted between said protrusions in a tiltable manner about the axis (8). The clamping lever (6) has a first lever arm (12) with a pressing region (7) which can be accessed from the outside for releasing the clamping device (1) and a second lever arm (11) arranged on the other side of the axis (8). The second lever arm (11) has a clamping protrusion (9) which is arranged substantially radially to the pole axis (36) and which engages into an axial through-opening (37) of the plastic sleeve through a radial through-opening (19) in the plastic sleeve (4) and engages into a groove (22) of the inner tube (3) or a slide-in guide module (20) connected to the inner tube in a formfitting manner in order to axially secure the two tubes (2, 3).