FASTENING ELEMENT

Abstract

A fastener including a nut having a nut body with a threaded through hole along a longitudinal axis and a flange extending away from the nut body and having upper and lower surfaces, and a retaining ring formed integrally with the nut and having a retention feature with a contact surface extending away from the nut body and an annular lip extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and away from the nut body.

Description

INITIATIONThe information provided in this section is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Both the work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this section, and the aspects of the description that cannot otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.The present disclosure relates generally to a fastener, and more particularly to a fastener having a retaining ring for temporarily securing a structural member to the fastener.In manufacturing, an operator's ability to place particular components may be limited, for example, by the size and / or weight of the components. Additional tools or so-called "third hand" devices may be developed and provided to assist the operator in manufacturing. However, these solutions may add undesirable cycle time during manufacturing processes and increase overall assembly operation complexity. These and other deficiencies are overcome by the principles of the present disclosure.SUMMARYIn one configuration, a fastener includes a nut including a nut body having a threaded through hole extending along a longitudinal axis, a flange extending away from the nut body and having upper and lower surfaces, and an annular groove having a groove diameter and thickness and disposed within the nut body, the annular groove being axially spaced from the flange with respect to the longitudinal axis. The fastener further includes a retaining ring disposed in the annular groove and including a disc portion having an inner diameter, an outer diameter, and a thickness, and one or more retaining features connected to and protruding from the disc portion in a first position. The one or more retention features are configured to deflect between the first position and a second position and return to the first position.The fastener may comprise one or more of the following optional aspects. For example, the nut body may be cylindrical.In one aspect, the nut body may be hexagonal.In at least one example, the bottom surface of the flange may be configured to be welded, bonded, hot riveted, or compression mounted to another component.In another example, the retaining ring may be fixed in the annular groove by a collar such that the retaining ring does not rotate about the longitudinal axis with respect to the nut.According to a further aspect, the retaining ring can be manufactured from a spring metal material.According to another example, the nut may be made of a metal, plastic or hard rubber material.In at least one aspect, the one or more retention features protrude from the longitudinal axis and toward the flange.In at least one example, the one or more retention features may include a curved portion and an end surface generally parallel to the flange.According to another example, the one or more retention features may be configured to retain a component laterally with respect to the nut and axially with respect to the longitudinal axis.In one configuration, a fastener includes a nut including a nut body having a threaded through hole extending along a longitudinal axis, a flange extending away from the nut body and having upper and lower surfaces, and an annular groove having a groove diameter and thickness and disposed within the nut body, the annular groove being axially spaced from the flange with respect to the longitudinal axis. The fastener further includes a retaining ring disposed in the annular groove and including a disc portion having an inner diameter, an outer diameter, and a thickness, and a retaining feature connected to and projecting away from the disc portion and axially from the flange.The fastener may comprise one or more of the following optional aspects. The retention feature may include, for example, a curved portion and an end surface parallel to the flange.In one aspect, the retention feature may be configured to temporarily retain a component attached to the fastener.In at least one example, the retention feature may be configured to retain a component to prevent inadvertent axial movement of the component toward the flange relative to the longitudinal axis and inadvertent lateral movement of the component relative to the nut.In another configuration, a fastener includes a nut including a nut body having a threaded through hole extending along a longitudinal axis and a flange extending away from the nut body and having upper and lower surfaces. The fastener further includes a retaining ring integrally formed with the nut and including a retaining feature having a contact surface extending away from the nut body and an annular lip extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and away from the nut body.The fastener may comprise one or more of the following optional aspects. For example, the nut and the retaining ring may be made of a metal, hard plastic or hard rubber material.In one aspect, the contact surface may be angled with respect to the longitudinal axis and configured to deflect a component attached to the fastener. The contact surface may position the fastener in an opening of the component and distribute a load to one or more portions of the opening.According to at least one example, the annular lip axially retains a portion of a component attached to the fastener with respect to the longitudinal axis. The structural member may be laterally retained with respect to the nut body.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure; it shows: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fastener in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a top view of the fastener of FIG. 1 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the fastener of FIG. 1, a first vehicle component, a second vehicle component, and a bolt according to the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener of FIG. 1, the first vehicle component, the second vehicle component, and the bolt according to the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener of FIG. 1, the first vehicle component, the second vehicle component, and the bolt disposed on the fastener according to the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fastener with an unfinished collar according to the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the fastener of FIG. 6 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a fastener in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fastener in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the fastener of FIG. 9 disposed on the structural member in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.In all drawings, corresponding reference numerals designate corresponding parts.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONExemplary configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Specific details such as examples of specific components, apparatus, and methods are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.The terminology used herein is for describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles "a", "an", and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises", "comprises", "including" and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more further features, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their execution in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of execution. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaging with," "connected to," "attached to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, they may be directly on, engaging with, connected to, attached to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaging with," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there need be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between," "directly between," "adjacent," and "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions. These elements, components, regions, layers, and / or portions are not intended to be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or portion from another region, layer, or portion. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teaching of the example configurations.In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog / digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a processor; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as those described above, as pertaining to a system on a chip.The term "code" as used above may include software, firmware, and / or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and / or objects. The term "shared processor" includes a single processor that executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group processor" includes a processor that, in combination with additional processors, executes some or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "shared memory" includes a single memory that stores a portion or all of the code from multiple modules. The term "group memory" includes a memory that, in combination with additional memories, stores a portion or all of the code from one or more modules. The term "memory" may be a subset of the term "computer readable medium.". The term "computer readable medium" includes non-transitory, electrical, and electromagnetic signals propagating through a medium and may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory memory. Non-limiting examples of non-transitory memory include a tangible computer-readable medium including non-transitory memory, magnetic memory, and optical memory.The apparatuses and methods described in this application may be partially or fully implemented by one or more computer programs executed by one or more processors. The computer programs include processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer programs may also contain and / or rely on stored data.A software application (i.e., a software resource) may refer to computer software that causes a computing device to perform a task. In certain examples, a software application may be referred to as an "application," an "app," or a "program.". Example applications include, but are not limited to, system diagnostic applications, system management applications, system maintenance applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, messaging applications, media streaming applications, social networking applications, and gaming applications.The non-transitory memory may be physical devices used to store programs (e.g., sequences of instructions) or data (e.g., program state information) on a transitory or persistent basis for use by a computing device. The non-transitory memory may be volatile and / or non-volatile addressable semiconductor memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, flash memory and read only memory (ROM) / programmable read only memory (PROM) / erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) / electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) (e.g., typically used for firmware such as boot programs). Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), phase change memory (PCM), and disks or tapes.These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) contain machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high level procedural and / or object oriented programming language and / or in assembly / machine language. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to a computer program product, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, apparatus, and / or apparatus (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memories, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine readable signal" refers to a signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be implemented in digital electronics and / or optical circuitry, integrated circuitry, dedicated ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include an implementation in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable in a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose and is coupled to receive data and instructions from and send data and instructions to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.The processes and logic flows described in this application text may be performed by one or more programmable processors, also referred to as data processing hardware, that execute one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating outputs. The processes and logic flows may also be performed by special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Processors suitable for executing a computer program include, by way of example, both general purpose microprocessors and special purpose microprocessors and one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and / or a read / write memory. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes, or is operatively coupled to, receive data from and / or transmit data to one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer does not need to have such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic media, e.g., internal hard disks or removable media; magneto-optical media; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM media. The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated into special purpose logic circuitry.To provide interaction with a user, one or more aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube), an LCD (liquid crystal display device) monitor, or a touch screen for displaying information to the user, and optionally a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or trackball, whereby the user may provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with a user; e.g., feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, audible feedback, or haptic feedback; and input may be received from the user in any form including audible, verbal, or tactile input. Additionally, a computer may interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device used by the user; e.g., by sending webpages to an Internet browser in a user's client device in response to requests received from the Internet browser.In Figs. 1 and 2, a fastener 10 is provided which comprises a nut 12 and a retaining ring 14. The nut 12 includes a nut body 16 which may be cylindrical as shown in FIG. 1. In another example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the nut body 16 may have a hexagonal shape or another polygonal shape (e.g., square, octagonal, etc.). The nut body 16 includes a threaded through hole 18 that extends along a longitudinal axis 20. The threaded through hole 18 may include threads 22 configured to mate with threads of a screw 24 (FIG. 4 ) or other fastener. The nut 12 may have a flange 26 extending radially away from the nut body 16 and including an upper surface 28 and a lower or mating surface 30, as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom surface 30 may be configured such that the nut 12 may be joined to another structural member, such as a first vehicle structural member 33 (FIG. 3 ), by welding, bonding, hot riveting, compression fitting, or otherwise. With continued reference to FIG. 3, the nut 12 may include a groove, such as an annular groove 32, in the nut body 16 configured to receive or otherwise retain the retaining ring 14. The annular groove 32 may be defined by a groove diameter 34 and a groove thickness 36. According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, the nut 12 may be made of metal (e.g., steel), plastic, hard rubber material, or other material used, for example, for fasteners in the automotive industry.In FIG. 3, the retaining ring 14 has a disc portion 38 having an inner diameter 40, an outer diameter 42 and a thickness 44. The inner diameter 40 may be configured to correspond to the groove diameter 34 of the nut body 16. Further, the thickness 44 of the retaining ring 14 may be selected according to the groove thickness 36. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the retaining ring 14 may be configured such that a portion of the outer diameter 42 terminates generally flush with the diameter of the nut body 16 when the retaining ring 14 is disposed in the annular groove 32 of the nut body 16 and the nut body 16 is cylindrical. As discussed further below with respect to the arrangement of the fastener 10, the retaining ring 14 may be disposed within the annular groove 32 such that the retaining ring 14 is fixed and does not rotate with respect to the nut body 16.Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the retaining ring 14 includes one or more retaining features 46 connected to and annularly disposed around the retaining ring 14. According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, the retaining ring 14 may be made of an elastic material such as spring steel, plastic, or another material that may deflect and also provide a retaining force. Thus, the one or more retention features 46 may have a first or unloaded position (FIGS. 3 and 5 ) and a second or deflected position (FIG. 4 ) and be configured to deflect between the first position and the second position and return to the first position.As shown in FIG. 4, the one or more retention features 46 may be deflected by a portion of a second vehicle component 47. In other words, when the second vehicle component 47 is moved axially with respect to the longitudinal axis 20 and contacts the one or more retention features 46, the one or more retention features 46 deflect toward the nut body 16. Once the second vehicle component 47 is moved axially past the one or more retention features 46, the one or more retention features 46 return to the first position (FIG. 5 ). However, in FIG. 5, once the one or more retention features 46 are in the first position, the one or more retention features 46 retain the second vehicle component 47, such that the second vehicle component 47 cannot be readily removed from the fastener 10. Thus, the second vehicle component 47 may be temporarily disposed on the fastener 10 before being securely fastened with, e.g., the bolt 24. The fastener 10 may have the effect of a so-called "third hand" for an operator and may be desirable to temporarily maintain the lateral and axial position of the second vehicle component 47 relative to the nut body 16 and thus the first vehicle component 33 during manufacture.In FIGS. 1-7, the one or more retention features 46 protrude from the longitudinal axis 20 and toward the flange 26. In some configurations, the retaining ring 14 includes four (4) retaining features 46 connected to the disc portion 38 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In another configuration, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the retaining ring 14 includes three (3) retaining features 46 connected to the disc portion 38. However, other configurations of the retaining ring 14 may include more or fewer retaining features 46. Each retention feature 46 includes a curved portion 48 that protrudes from the longitudinal axis 20. Each retention feature 46 may include an end face 50, and in the example shown in FIG. 1, the end face 50 is parallel to the flange 26. the shape of each retention feature 46 may help align the fastener 10 with respect to an opening 52 of the second vehicle component 47, as shown in FIG. 3. If the retaining ring 14 includes more than one retaining feature 46, the shape of the retaining features 46 may also help center the load exerted on each retaining feature 46 by the second vehicle component 47 during assembly.In another configuration, as shown in Figure 8, the fastener 10' may include the nut 12 as described above and a retaining ring 14'. The retaining ring 14' may include one or more retaining features 46' that protrude from the longitudinal axis 20 and the flange 26. Similar to the configurations described above, the one or more retention features 46' may include a curved portion 48' and an end surface 50' parallel to the flange 26. In this configuration, the one or more retention features 46' may provide a hook or ledge such that the second vehicle component 47 may be temporarily disposed on the one or more retention features 46', for example, before being aligned with the nut 12 and secured to the nut 12. The one or more retention features 46' may retain the second vehicle component 47 to prevent unintentional axial movement of the second vehicle component 47 toward the flange 26 relative to the longitudinal axis 20 and unintentional lateral movement of the second vehicle component 47 relative to the nut 12.The fastener 10 may be manufactured using one or more methods. In one example, the retaining ring 14 may be joined to the nut 12 by peening or rolling a portion of the nut 12. In FIG. 6, the retaining ring 14 may first be inserted over a collar 54 of the nut body 16 that extends axially from the nut body 16 with respect to the longitudinal axis 20. Subsequently, the collar 54 may be hammered, rolled, or otherwise machined using another manufacturing technique such that the retaining ring 14 is secured (i.e., fixed) within the annular groove 32 and with respect to the nut body 16. In another example, the fastener 10 may be manufactured by either insert injection molding or over injection molding.In assembly, the fastener 10, and more specifically the bottom surface 30 of the flange 26, may be joined to the first vehicle component 33 by welding, hot riveting, or other method common in vehicle construction. Subsequently, the second vehicle component 47 may be disposed on the fastener 10 such that a portion of the second vehicle component 47 deflects the one or more retention features 46 toward the nut body 16 from a first position (FIG. 3 ) to a second position (FIG. 4 ) such that the second vehicle component 47 may move axially past the one or more retention features 46. Once the second vehicle component 47 has axially moved past each of the one or more retention features 46, the one or more retention features 46 return to the first position, as shown in FIG. 5. Finally, the bolt 24 may be inserted and fastened into the threaded through hole 18 of the nut body 16 such that the threads of the nut 12 mate with the threads 22 of the nut body 16.FIGS. 9 and 10 provide another exemplary configuration of a fastener 100. This configuration is similar in many respects to the configurations of Figures 1-8. Accordingly, the descriptions of the configurations are fully incorporated herein, and the description of common contents of the configurations need not be repeated.In FIG. 9, the fastener 100 includes a nut 112 and a retaining ring 114. The nut 112 includes a nut body 116, which may be cylindrical or otherwise shaped. The nut body 116 includes a threaded through hole 118 that extends along a longitudinal axis 120. The threaded through hole 118 may include threads 122 configured to mate with threads of a screw or other fastener (not shown). The nut 112 may include a flange 126 extending radially away from the nut body 16 and including an upper surface 128 and a lower or mating surface 130. The bottom surface 130 may be configured such that the nut 112 may be joined to another structural member (not shown) by welding, bonding, hot riveting, compression mounting, or otherwise.With continued reference to FIG. 9, the retaining ring 114 may be integrally formed with the nut body 116. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the nut 112 and the retaining ring 114 may be formed using a rigid material such as metal, hard plastic, hard rubber, or another material used, for example, for fasteners in the automotive industry. The retaining ring 114 may be defined as a rigid, one-piece component of the nut 112 that does not flex easily under the action of force. The retaining ring 114 may include a retaining feature 146, which may be defined by a contact surface 148 aextending away from the longitudinal axis 120 and an annular lip 148 bdirected generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 120 and extending away from the nut body 116. The contact surface 148 amay be angled with respect to the longitudinal axis 120 and configured to deflect a portion of a component, such as a vehicle component 147, attached to the fastener 100. Additionally or alternatively, the contact surface 148 amay be configured to position the fastener 100 in an opening 152 of the device 147 and distribute a load (i.e., force) to one or more portions of the opening 152.During assembly, the vehicle component 147 may be connected to and held by the fastener 100 before a bolt or other fastener (not shown) is fastened to the nut 112. The device 147 includes an opening 152 having one or more slots 153 annularly disposed about the opening 152. In contrast to the configurations described above, the component 147 is configured to deflect instead of the fastener 100. When the component 147 is inserted into the fastener 100, the slots 153 surrounding the opening 152 allow a portion of the component 147 to deflect such that the component 147 can move axially past the retaining ring 114 along the longitudinal axis 120. As shown in FIG. 10, the retention feature, and particularly the annular lip 148a, retains a portion of a component 147 attached to the fastener 100 axially with respect to the longitudinal axis. In other words, the annular lip 148a prevents the component 147 from being easily removed from the fastener 100. When the structural member 147 is connected to the fastener 100, the structural member 147 is additionally laterally retained with respect to the nut body 116. The present configuration may be desirable because it may provide a so-called "third hand" to an operator during manufacture by temporarily holding the structural member 147 while the operator, for example, arranges a screw or fastener in the threaded through hole 118.Several implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, further implementations are within the scope of the following claims.The foregoing description has been provided by way of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. They can also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such variations are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

A fastener comprising: a nut comprising: a nut body having a threaded through hole extending along a longitudinal axis, a flange extending away from the nut body and having upper and lower surfaces, and an annular groove having a groove diameter and a groove thickness and disposed in the nut body, the annular groove being axially spaced from the flange with respect to the longitudinal axis; and a retaining ring disposed in the annular groove and comprising: a disc portion comprising an inner diameter, an outer diameter, and a thickness, and one or more retaining features connected to and protruding from the disc portion in a first position; wherein the one or more retaining features are configured to deflect between the first position and a second position and return to the first position.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the nut body is cylindrical.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the nut body is hexagonal.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the flange is configured to be welded, bonded, hot riveted, or compression mounted to another component.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the retaining ring is fixed in the annular groove by a collar such that the retaining ring does not rotate about the longitudinal axis with respect to the nut.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the retaining ring is made of a spring metal material.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the nut is made of a metal, plastic or hard rubber material.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the one or more retention features project from the longitudinal axis and toward the flange.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the one or more retention features further comprise a curved portion and an end surface generally parallel to the flange.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the one or more retention features are configured to retain a structural member laterally with respect to the nut and axially with respect to the longitudinal axis.

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