Adjustable Joining Assembly Torque and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joining assemblies for knockdown furniture provide limited torque and are difficult to engage quickly and accurately, especially in tight spaces with limited room for maneuvering, due to their limited camming action and sensitivity to hole positioning.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable joining assembly featuring a first clamping member with a gear assembly and a screw threaded shaft, where the clamping member has a channel to guide the shaft and allow easy engagement, enabling rotation of the nut and shaft at a right angle, thus providing greater torque and flexibility in hole alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a conventional joining assembly with limited camming action is used, then the structure is simple, but the torque provided to the pin is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gear assembly with perpendicular gear members (first gear member with tool engaging aperture, second gear member with internal thread) arranged in a substantially perpendicular arrangement. This dimensional change from linear camming action to perpendicular gear rotation enables significantly higher torque multiplication while maintaining a compact structure that fits within the joining assembly body.
Solution Approach 2:
The gear assembly acts as an intermediary mechanism between the tool engaging aperture and the threaded shaft. The first gear member receives rotational input from the tool, and through the perpendicular gear arrangement, transfers and amplifies this rotation to the second gear member that engages the threaded shaft, thereby mediating the torque transmission process.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional joining assembly is used, then the structure is straightforward, but it is difficult to engage quickly and accurately, especially in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The channel in the bottom face of the clamping member body provides self-alignment and self-guidance functionality. When the clamping member is placed over the threaded shaft, the channel automatically guides the shaft into the correct position and alignment with the second gear member, eliminating the need for precise manual positioning by the assembler, especially beneficial in tight spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel is pre-formed in the bottom face of the clamping member body to establish the correct spatial relationship between the shaft and the second gear member before engagement. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when the clamping member is placed over the shaft, the components are already positioned for immediate engagement, facilitating quick and accurate assembly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional joining assembly is used, then the structure is simple, but it is sensitive to hole positioning variations
Solution Approach 1:
The channel in the bottom face of the clamping member body changes the geometric parameters of the engagement interface. By providing a guided pathway rather than a fixed point engagement, the channel accommodates variations in hole positioning while maintaining proper alignment between the shaft and gear members, thereby increasing adaptability to manufacturing tolerances.
4Power
If the gear assembly with perpendicular gears is used, then high torque is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gear assembly is nested within the body of the clamping member. The first gear member and second gear member are arranged in a perpendicular configuration that allows them to fit within the compact body structure, with the gear teeth interlocking in a nested manner. This nesting approach achieves high torque multiplication without requiring a large external footprint or complex external mechanisms.
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 solution allows for secure and efficient joining of furniture parts with higher torque and improved alignment, even in tight spaces, reducing the effort required for assembly and accommodating variations in hole positioning, enhancing the usability of the assembly in knockdown furniture.
Implementation Method 1
a gear assembly having rotatable first and second gears members operatively connected with each other, in a substantially perpendicular arrangement
Implementation Method 2
a screw threaded shaft inserted into or connected into a second furniture part
Implementation Method 3
the body of the clamping member has a channel in a bottom face to allow the clamping member to be placed over the threaded shaft protruding into the aperture in a second furniture part to assist in the location and engagement of the threaded shaft with the second gear member
Data Source
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AI summary
An adjustable joining assembly (5) is described that has particular application in knock down furniture, the joiner having a channel (20) position on its lower surface that allows the joining to locate itself on to a screw thread (60) and direct the screw thread towards an internal threaded gear section which upon rotation of the gear section (50) provides a tightening of the joiner.