Lightweight Wire Gripper Shaft Design for High-Place Operations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wire grippers face issues with excessive force application, leading to potential damage during wire-tensioning tasks, and increasing robustness results in increased weight, making them unsuitable for high-place usage.

Innovation Solution

A lightweight and robust wire gripper design featuring a stationary gripping body with a swinging member attached via a supporting shaft, incorporating a U-shaped main body, eaves-shaped wire pressing-down portion, and a biasing member to distribute force effectively, allowing for secure wire gripping without excessive strain on the components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the wire gripper main body or the shaft is made thick to increase robustness, then the strength and durability are improved, but the weight increases making it difficult to use at high places

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproverobustnessVSAvoidweight
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The wire gripper is divided into multiple components (main body, swinging lever, shaft, pushing metal, reception metal) that can be separately optimized. The shaft is designed as a thin-walled cylindrical structure with specific dimensional parameters (outer diameter 10-20mm, wall thickness 1-3mm) to achieve the required strength without excessive weight, rather than using a solid thick shaft.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention specifies precise dimensional parameters for the shaft (outer diameter D: 10-20mm, wall thickness t: 1-3mm, length L: 50-100mm) and the thin-walled cylindrical structure to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio. These parameter ranges ensure sufficient mechanical strength while maintaining lightweight characteristics suitable for high-place operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Strength

If conventional metal shafts are used to attach the swinging lever, then the structural strength is maintained, but excessive force causes shearing damage to the shaft or hole periphery

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidresistance to shearing damage
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A cushioning member (elastic element such as a rubber ring or spring) is provided around the shaft at the insertion portion in the main body. This cushioning member absorbs and distributes excessive forces (such as shearing forces during wire tensioning) before they reach the shaft and hole periphery, preventing damage while allowing normal operation. The cushioning member deforms under excessive load to protect the critical joint areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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 design enhances the gripper's durability and reduces weight, enabling safe and efficient wire handling, including high-place applications without risking damage from excessive force.

Implementation Method 1

incorporating a biasing member to distribute force effectively

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2899818B1Wire gripper
Publication Date: 2019.01.02 NAGAKI SEIKI CO LTD
  • EP2899818B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2899818B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2899818B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A lightweight and robust wire gripper is provided. A wire gripper 10 of the present invention is a wire gripper provided with a stationary gripping body 12 having a wire-like body pressing-down portion 24; a swinging member 14 swingably attached to the stationary gripping body by a supporting shaft 70; a movable gripping body 16 swung according to swinging of the swinging member; and a connection member 18 connected to the swinging member 14 and swinging the swinging member 14, wherein the stationary gripping body 16 is provided with a circular ridge 32 around a hole 30 in which the supporting shaft 70 for attaching the swinging member 14 is inserted in order to protect the supporting shaft 70.