Wearable Device Locking Mechanism for Tool-Free Strap Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable electronic devices, such as smart watches, have complex and inconvenient assembly and detachment processes for replacing wearable elements, often requiring additional tools.
Innovation Solution
A wearable electronic device design featuring a locking structure with a pressing element and a locking element that allows for simpler assembly and detachment by using a vertical and horizontal axial movement mechanism, enabling users to easily lock and unlock the body and wearable element without additional tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a lock is disposed on the body to lock the wearable element, then the wearable element can be secured to the body, but the assembling and detaching processes require additional tools and are not convenient for user operation
Solution Approach 1:
The locking element is designed to be operable directly by the user without requiring additional tools. The user can manually manipulate the locking element to engage or disengage the locking structure, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for external tools during assembly and detachment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is divided into distinct functional components: a locking element for engagement/disengagement and a pressing element for actuation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, with the locking element providing secure attachment and the pressing element enabling easy user operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the body and wearable element are made non-detachable, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the wearable element cannot be replaced to meet different user needs
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism transitions between two stable states: locked and unlocked. When locked, the structure maintains full integrity as if permanent; when unlocked, the wearable element can be removed and replaced. This dynamic capability allows the system to provide both structural stability and adaptability depending on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking structure is pre-configured with engagement features (locking recesses and locking protrusions) that automatically engage when the wearable element is attached to the body. This preliminary arrangement ensures structural integrity is established immediately upon assembly, while the pressing element remains ready for future detachment operations.
3Reliability
If a complex locking mechanism is used to ensure secure attachment, then the reliability of connection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The essential locking function is extracted and implemented through a simple geometric relationship between a locking protrusion and a locking recess. By removing unnecessary complex mechanisms and retaining only the critical engagement features, the design achieves reliable connection with minimal structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking element and pressing element are integrated into a unified locking structure that works together as a single system. The pressing element's linear movement is directly coupled to the locking element's radial movement, combining two functions into one compact mechanism that reduces overall device complexity while maintaining connection reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable electronic device including a body having a first locking recess, a wearable element having a second locking recess and a locking structure disposed in one of the first and the second locking recesses and including a pressing element and a locking element connected with each other is provided. The locking element is adapted to lock another one of the first locking recess and the second locking recess to assemble the body and the wearable element together, and the pressing element is adapted to receive an external force and move along a vertical axial direction into the first locking recess or the second locking recess which the locking structure is located, and drive the locking element to move along a horizontal axial direction into the first locking recess or the second locking recess which the locking structure is located, so as to unlock the body and the wearable element.