Wearable Device Strap Latching Mechanism Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable devices face challenges in providing a secure and easily removable strap system that allows for different looks and functionalities while maintaining a strong and reliable connection.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a rigid insert with a latching surface and a co-molded elastomeric strap system that integrates with a latching mechanism in the device housing, featuring a peg and pass-through portion design for secure attachment and easy removal, without moving parts interacting with the latching mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a traditional strap fastening system is used, then the strap can be attached to the wearable device, but the connection may not be secure enough under pull-out forces
Solution Approach 1:
The strap system is divided into distinct components: a rigid insert with latching surface, a flexible strap body, and a separate latching mechanism in the device housing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the rigid insert provides structural strength, the flexible strap provides comfort, and the latching mechanism provides secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The latching surface is pre-configured with specific geometric features (width ≥8mm, included angle 20°-50°) that enable it to engage with the latching mechanism before any load is applied. This preliminary geometric configuration ensures that when the strap is attached, the latching connection is already optimized to resist pull-out forces effectively.
2Reliability
If a secure latching mechanism is implemented, then the strap connection is reliable, but the strap system becomes more complex with moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The complex latching mechanism is extracted from the strap itself and placed entirely within the device housing. The strap portion is simplified to contain only the rigid insert with latching surface, which has no moving parts. This extraction reduces strap complexity while maintaining reliable latching through the housing-embedded mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid insert with latching surface is designed to automatically engage with the latching mechanism in the device housing simply by being inserted into the receptacle. No additional actuators, springs, or moving parts are needed in the strap - the geometry itself provides the self-latching function, reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If moving parts are used in the strap to interact with the latching mechanism, then the strap can be easily removed, but the manufacturing process becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid insert is merged with the strap body through co-molding or integration, creating a single-piece construction. This eliminates the need for separate manufacturing processes for the insert and strap, simplifying production while maintaining the ease of removal through the latching surface geometry that allows simple insertion and extraction.
4Strength
If a robust latching connection is designed to resist pull-out forces, then the strap is secure, but the strap end profile becomes larger and less streamlined
Solution Approach 1:
The latching strength is achieved not by increasing the strap end size in all dimensions, but by optimizing the latching surface geometry in specific dimensions - particularly the width (≥8mm) and the included angle (20°-50°). This dimensional optimization provides high pull-out resistance while maintaining a streamlined, low-profile appearance from the front view of the strap end.
Data Source
AI summary
Low-profile latching mechanisms and related mechanical interfaces for allowing straps and other fastening accessories for limb-wearable devices are provided. The mechanisms in question allow for a very strong, yet easily releasable, connection to be made between a strap accessory and a device housing, with very little of the mechanism being visible.