Agricultural Wire Clasp for Tool-Free Rod-to-Wire Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for connecting upright rods to horizontal wires in agricultural applications are either labor-intensive, prone to slippage, or require tools and obstructive fixtures that can damage vegetation or wires, and often involve complex manipulations for mounting and releasing.
Innovation Solution
A clasping device with flexible metal wire prongs of different lengths, shaped into curvatures to fit around the rod, allowing for independent coupling and easy manual assembly and disassembly without tools, providing a stable and removable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a piece of wire is wound round the rod and tightened manually, then the connection is achieved, but the working time and labor required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the functional essence of wire wrapping by using a pre-formed saddle-shaped wire piece with integrated prongs that automatically engage the rod, eliminating the need for manual wrapping and tightening operations while maintaining connection stability
Solution Approach 2:
The wire is pre-shaped into a saddle configuration with bent prongs before application, so that when placed on the rod, the prongs are already positioned to engage and lock the wire in place, eliminating the need for subsequent manual manipulation and reducing installation time
2Ease of manufacture
If a piece of wire is arranged obliquely to encircle the rod and wire, then the connection is formed, but the horizontal wire can slip off from the initial application point
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses asymmetric prong lengths where one prong extends further than the other, creating a directional locking mechanism that prevents the wire from slipping in any direction along the rod, thereby maintaining position stability while simplifying installation
3Reliability
If a special fixture with double stalk is used to clasp and lock the wire, then the rod is locked onto the wire in an optimum manner, but the fixture cannot be re-used and takes up a lot of space horizontally
Solution Approach 1:
The wire itself is designed to be both the connecting element and the locking mechanism, where the wire is bent into a saddle shape with prongs that lock onto the rod, allowing the same wire to serve multiple functions and be potentially reused by unhooking and repositioning it on different rods
Solution Approach 2:
The wire piece serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the horizontal connector, the locking mechanism, and the mounting device, eliminating the need for separate specialized fixtures and enabling reusability across different installation points
4Reliability
If a special fixture is used to lock the wire, then the connection is secure, but the fixture may damage the wire coating or vegetation
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is formed into a flexible saddle shape that conforms to the rod surface, distributing pressure evenly and avoiding concentrated stress points that could damage the wire coating or surrounding vegetation, while still providing secure locking through the bent prongs
Data Source
Figure 1~8
Figure 9~14
AI summary
Clasping device for mutually fastening two substantially rigid means having an elongated or wire-like shape, extending substantially across each other and in contact with each other at the intersection point, from which each one of said means branches out with respective pairs of opposite arms, said device being comprised of a metal flexible wire-like member adapted to be wound by half a turn round the first arm of said first means, the two opposite ends of said wire-like member being bendable round respective ones of two opposite arms of said second means and being engageable at a surface of the opposite arm of said first means, which lies on the same outer face of said first means engaged by said half a turn. Said opposite ends of said first means may be mutually engaged by either having said two ends twisted together or by securing each such end to the second arm of the first means independently.