Fastening support means

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, a fastening assist means is provided which includes a main body portion rotatably coupled to an exterior member, a locking portion formed on the lower part of the side surface of the main body portion and which is placed in or disengaged from a groove formed in the exterior member in response to the rotation of the main body portion relative to the exterior member, and a handle portion formed on the side surface of the main body portion at a predetermined distance above the locking portion so as to face the locking portion, wherein the space formed between the locking portion and the handle portion allows the exterior member to be fastened to a target part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] <Cross - Reference to Related Applications> This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 448,898, filed on February 28, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to fastening auxiliary means.

Background Art

[0003] When designing a mechanism such as a robot, it is common to arrange an exterior member (or exterior material) on the outermost side of the mechanism in order to improve the durability, aesthetic appearance, etc. of the mechanism. Conventionally, in order to fasten such an exterior member to a component provided inside the mechanism, a method of causing a screw to enter from the outside to the inside of the exterior member has been mainly adopted.

[0004] However, such a method has a problem in that the fastening structure is directly exposed to the outside, which greatly hinders the aesthetic appearance of the mechanism. In order to solve such a problem, a proposal has been made to cover the fastening structure using a separate cap, but there is still a limit in that the cap is exposed to the outside.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve all the problems of the above - described prior art.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to make it possible for the fastening structure to not be exposed to the outside at all and for the exterior member to be stably fastened to a component provided inside the mechanism.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to make it possible for the exterior member to be easily fastened to a component provided inside the mechanism only by manual operation without using a separate tool. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above objective is as follows:

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a fastening assist means is provided which includes a main body portion rotatably coupled to an exterior member, a locking portion formed on the lower part of the side surface of the main body portion and which is placed in or disengaged from a groove formed in the exterior member in response to the rotation of the main body portion relative to the exterior member, and a handle portion formed on the side surface of the main body portion at a predetermined distance above the locking portion so as to face the locking portion, wherein the space formed between the locking portion and the handle portion allows the exterior member to be fastened to a target part.

[0010] In addition, other fastening aids for embodying the present invention are further provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the fastening structure is not exposed to the outside at all, and the exterior member can be stably fastened to a component located inside the mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the present invention, exterior components can be easily fastened to parts provided inside the mechanism simply by hand, without the need for separate tools. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a drawing showing the upper surface of an exterior member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a drawing showing the lower surface of an exterior member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This drawing shows a coupling structure for an exterior member fastening auxiliary means and a fixing member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a drawing showing a fastening auxiliary means according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5AB]These are drawings showing a fastening auxiliary means according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above and below, respectively. [Figure 6] This is a drawing of a fastening auxiliary means according to one embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the left or right side. [Figure 7] This drawing shows an example of a fastening auxiliary means being placed on an exterior member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8AB] This drawing shows that, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening auxiliary means rotates relative to the exterior member. [Figure 9] This is a drawing showing a target component according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10AB] This is a drawing illustrating the process of fastening an exterior member to a target component using a fastening assisting means according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This drawing shows the result of fastening an exterior member to a target component using a fastening auxiliary means according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The detailed description of the present invention, as described below, will be accompanied by illustrations of specific embodiments in which the present invention may be carried out. Such embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can fully implement the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from each other but do not necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures and characteristics described herein can be embodied by modifying one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should also be understood that the position or arrangement of individual components within each embodiment can also be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the detailed description described below is not intended to be restrictive, and the scope of the present invention should be understood to encompass the scope claimed in the claims and all equivalent scopes thereto. Similar reference numerals in the drawings indicate identical or similar components in various aspects.

[0015] Hereinafter, in order to enable those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to easily implement the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings regarding various preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] Structure of the exterior member Prior to a detailed examination of the structure of the fastening auxiliary means 200, the structure of the exterior member 100 corresponding to the coupling target of the fastening auxiliary means 200 will be examined first with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The exterior member 100 is a kind of component constituting a mechanism such as a robot, and can mean a component arranged on the outermost side of the mechanism.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, at least a part of the upper surface of the exterior member 100 may be formed in a smooth shape, and may not include any structure for being fastened to other components.

[0018] Also, referring to FIG. 2, at least one or more structures for being fastened to other components (for example, the target component 400 described later) may be formed on the lower surface of the exterior member 100, which is different from the upper surface. The structure formed on the lower surface of the exterior member 100 in this way may be referred to as the fastening portion 110, and such a fastening portion 110 may correspond to the portion to which the fastening auxiliary means 200 is coupled.

[0019] More specifically, when viewed from above (that is, the upper part with respect to the lower surface of the exterior member 100), the fastening portion 110 may be formed in a shape generally similar to a circle, and a groove 111 may be formed at the upper end of its edge. Here, the groove 111 is a portion where the locking portion 220 of the fastening auxiliary means 200 is placed, and may be formed such that at least a part thereof is recessed in a shape corresponding to the locking portion 220 of the fastening auxiliary means 200.

[0020] Referring to Figure 3, a projection 112 may be formed on the inside of the groove 111 (or in the central part of the fastening portion 110). Such a projection 112 may correspond to a portion inserted into the hollow of the fastening auxiliary means 200. Other components inserted into the hollow of the fastening auxiliary means 200, namely the fixing member 300, may be coupled to the projection 112, and for this purpose, a portion to which the fixing member 300 is coupled may be formed on the projection 112. For example, such a portion may be formed in a shape that allows the projection 112 and the fixing member 300 to fit together, in which case the projection 112 can function as a female thread and the fixing member 300 can function as a male thread. Here, threads may not be formed on either the projection 112 or the fixing member 300, but threads may be formed as needed. On the other hand, the fixing member 300 may be formed in a shape that is at least partially similar to a conventional screw or bolt, and may include a head 310 which corresponds to a portion that is not substantially coupled to the projection 112.

[0021] As described above, the exterior component 100 can be modified in various ways, including its structure and shape, to correspond to the shape of the mechanism.

[0022] Structure of fastening support means In the following, we will examine the structure of the fastening assisting means 200 in detail with reference to Figures 4 to 8. Referring to Figure 4, the fastening assisting means 200 may consist of a main body portion 210, a locking portion 220, a handle portion 230, and a support portion 240.

[0023] First, the main body portion 210 is the part corresponding to the main body of the fastening auxiliary means 200, and can be formed with a hollow structure inside. Specifically, referring to Figures 5A and 5B, the main body portion 210 can be formed in a shape similar to a hollow cylinder, and accordingly, a hollow with a predetermined diameter can be formed inside.

[0024] Referring to Figure 6, the diameter of the hollow is not formed to be the same size continuously in section a1 from the center point of the lower end of the main body 210 to the center point of the upper end of the main body 210, but rather its size can be varied based on any one point on the straight line connecting the first and second points (hereinafter referred to as the "third point"). Specifically, the hollow may be formed to be of a first size in section a2 from the first point to the third point, and the hollow may be formed to be of a second size, which is larger than the first size, in section a3 from the third point to the second point.

[0025] On the other hand, in section a2 from the first point to the third point of the main body 210, the diameter of its hollow can correspond to the diameter of the protruding portion 112 of the exterior member 100, and in section a3 from the third point to the second point, the diameter of its hollow can correspond to the diameter of the head 310 of the fixing member 300. That is, the protruding portion 112 of the exterior member 100 can be inserted into the hollow from the lower part of the main body 210, and the fixing member 300 can be inserted into the hollow from the upper part of the main body 210. This is as illustrated in Figure 3, which was referenced in the process of explaining the structure of the exterior member 100.

[0026] Here, since the diameter of the head 310 of the fixing member 300 is larger than the diameter of the hollow space in section a2 from the first point to the third point, when the fixing member 300 is inserted into the hollow space from the top of the main body 210, the head 310 of the fixing member 300 will be locked at the third point. At this time, the height of the protrusion 112 of the exterior member 100 may be the same as or even higher than the height formed by section a2 from the first point to the third point. Accordingly, when the protrusion 112 and the fixing member 300 are inserted into the hollow space from the bottom and top of the main body 210, respectively, the fixing member 300 can be fixedly coupled to the protrusion 112 using a fitting method as described above. Also, as described above, since the head of the fixing member 300 is locked at the third point, the main body 210 can also be coupled to the exterior member 100 by the fixing member 300. However, in this case, the fixing member 300 is fixedly connected to the protruding portion 112 but not to the main body portion 210, so the main body portion 210 can be connected to the exterior member 100 so as to be rotatable in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

[0027] Next, the locking portion 220 may be formed on the lower part of the side surface of the main body portion 210. Specifically, the locking portion 220 may be formed in pairs, and may be formed on the lower part of the left side surface and the lower part of the right side surface of the main body portion 210, respectively.

[0028] More specifically, each locking portion 220 may be configured as a first locking portion 221 and a second locking portion 222. Here, the first locking portion 221 may be formed in a shape that extends to the left or right with respect to the front surface of the main body portion 210, and the second locking portion 222 may be formed in a shape that extends from one side of the lower part of the first locking portion 221 toward the ground.

[0029] On the other hand, referring to Figures 7 and 8, the second locking portion 222 may be formed at a predetermined distance from the main body portion 210. Accordingly, when the protruding portion 112 of the exterior member 100 is inserted into the main body portion 210, at least a portion of the lower end of the second locking portion 222 may come into contact with the upper end of the edge of the fastening portion 110. At this time, the second locking portion 222 may be placed in the groove 111 formed at the upper end of the edge of the fastening portion 110. If the second locking portion 222 is detached from the groove 111, the main body portion 210 can be rotated clockwise relative to the exterior member 100 so that the second locking portion 222 is placed in the groove 111 (see the change from Figure 8A to Figure 8B). Here, the right-side protruding portion 111a of the groove 111 may be configured to have an inclination. In such a case, at least a portion of the lower end of the second locking portion 222 may also be configured to have an inclination. By configuring the right-side protruding portion 111a of the groove 111 and the second locking portion 222 to have inclinations, the second locking portion 222 can be easily placed in the groove 111 with little force when the main body portion 210 is rotated clockwise. On the other hand, when the second locking portion 222 is placed in the groove 111, the second locking portion 222 can be disengaged from the groove 111 when the main body portion 210 is rotated counterclockwise relative to the exterior member 100 (see the change from Figure 8B to Figure 8A).

[0030] Next, the handle portion 230 may be formed in a pair, similar to the locking portion 220, and may be formed on the left side and right side of the main body portion 210, respectively.

[0031] Furthermore, the handle portion 230 may be formed in such a shape that at least a part of it extends to the left or right with respect to the front of the main body portion 210. Due to these shape features, the handle portion 230 makes it easy to operate the fastening assisting means 200 by hand, for example, to rotate the main body portion 210 relative to the exterior member 100.

[0032] Referring again to Figure 6, the handle portion 230 may be formed on the side surface of the main body portion 210 at a predetermined distance above the locking portion 220 (specifically, the upper surface of the first locking portion 221) so as to face the locking portion 220. By forming the handle portion 230 so as to face the locking portion 220, a predetermined space S can be formed between the locking portion 220 and the handle portion 230. The target component 400, which corresponds to the object to be fastened of the exterior member 100, can be placed in the space S thus formed. Here, the target component 400 may mean a component provided inside the mechanism or a component that constitutes the inside of the mechanism, but the specific process by which the target component 400 is placed in the aforementioned space S will be described later.

[0033] Next, the support portion 240 may be formed to protrude from a region of the side surface of the main body portion 210, including its lower part. Specifically, the region of the main body portion 210 in which the support portion 240 is formed may include a point on the side surface of the main body portion 210 that is located opposite a predetermined point on the edge of the fastening portion 110 when the main body portion 210 is joined to the exterior member 100. The support portion 240 formed in this manner can prevent the main body portion 210 from flowing relative to the fastening portion 110 by reducing the gap that occurs between the main body portion 210 and the edge of the fastening portion 110 when the main body portion 210 is joined to the exterior member 100.

[0034] The process of fastening exterior components to target parts using fastening support means. Before examining in detail the process of fastening the exterior member 100 to the target part 400 using the fastening auxiliary means 200, we will first examine in detail the structure of the target part 400 with reference to Figure 9.

[0035] Referring to Figure 9, one or more holes 410 may be formed in the target part 400. Such holes 410 may be formed with different lengths for the horizontal portion w1 and the vertical portion w2. Specifically, the horizontal portion w1 of the hole 410 may be formed to be larger than the overall width (w3 in Figure 4) including the left and right handle portions 230 of the fastening auxiliary means 200, while the vertical portion w2 of the hole 410 may be formed to be smaller than the overall width (w3 in Figure 4) including the left and right handle portions 230 of the fastening auxiliary means 200. The shape of the hole 410 formed in this way allows the fastening auxiliary means 200 to pass through the hole 410 only when the left and right handle portions 230 of the fastening auxiliary means 200 are aligned with the horizontal portion of the hole 410.

[0036] Based on the structure of the target component 400, the process of fastening the exterior member 100 to the target component 400 using the fastening auxiliary means 200 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0037] First, as shown in Figure 10A, the fastening assisting means 200 is rotatably connected to the exterior member 100 using the fixing member 300, so that the locking portion 220 of the fastening assisting means 200 is detached from the groove 111 of the exterior member 100. Next, the left and right handle portions 230 of the fastening assisting means 200 are aligned with the side of the hole 410 formed in the target part 400, and the fastening assisting means 200 is passed through the hole 410 in this state. At this time, only the handle portion 230 is allowed to pass through the hole 410, and the locking portion 220 is not allowed to pass through.

[0038] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 10B, the main body 210 is rotated clockwise relative to the exterior member 100 so that the locking portion 220 is placed in the groove 111. As a result, the target part 400 is placed in the space S (see Figure 6) formed between the locking portion 220 and the handle portion 230, and the exterior member 100 is fastened to the target part 400 by this space S.

[0039] As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the exterior member 100 can be fastened to the target part 400 using the fastening assist means 200. Figure 11 shows only a part of the mechanism for the sake of explanation, and it should be made clear that exterior members 100 of various structures or shapes may be arranged not only on a part of the outside of the mechanism but on the entire outside of the mechanism, and these may be fastened to the target part 400 using the fastening assist means 200.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with specific details such as concrete components, and with limited embodiments and drawings, these are provided only to aid in a more general understanding of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. A person with ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains can attempt various modifications and changes from this description.

[0041] Therefore, the concept of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described above, and it can be said that not only the claims described below, but also all scopes equivalent to or equivalently modified from these claims, fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A main body portion that is rotatably connected to the exterior component, A locking portion formed on the lower part of the side surface of the main body portion, which is placed in or disengaged from a groove formed in the exterior member in response to the rotation of the main body portion relative to the exterior member, and The main body includes a handle portion formed on its side surface at a predetermined distance above the locking portion, so as to face the locking portion. A fastening assisting means that allows the exterior member to be fastened to the target part by the space formed between the locking portion and the handle portion.

2. The fastening assisting means according to claim 1, wherein a hollow is formed inside the main body, and the main body is connected to the exterior member using a fixing member inserted into the hollow.

3. The fastening assisting means according to claim 2, wherein the protruding portion of the exterior member formed inside the groove is inserted into the hollow from the lower part of the main body, and the fixing member is inserted into the hollow from the upper part of the main body.

4. The fastening assisting means according to claim 3, wherein the fastening member is fixedly coupled to the protruding portion but not to the main body portion, with the protruding portion and the fixing member respectively inserted into the hollow, and the main body portion is rotatably coupled to the exterior member.

5. The fastening assisting means according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion and the handle portion are each composed of a pair.

6. The fastening assisting means according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion passes through a hole formed in the target part with the locking portion disengaged from the groove, preventing the locking portion from passing through the hole, and then the main body portion rotates relative to the exterior member so that the locking portion is placed in the groove, thereby fastening the exterior member to the target part.

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