Blind-Mount Fastener Assembly With Tactile Alignment Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastener assemblies for blind mounting in panels often require tools, physical access to both sides of the panel, and can be prone to misalignment, damage, and high clamp loads, leading to increased costs and manual labor.
Innovation Solution
A fastener assembly comprising a pin and a body with flexible arms and braces, where the pin includes notches and slots to engage ribs within the body, allowing for blind installation without tools and providing tactile feedback for proper alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multi-component fastener assemblies are used, then the fastener can penetrate multiple panels with aligned apertures, but it requires tools throughout the assembly process and may still require physical access to front and back sides of the panel
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is divided into two separate components: a pin component and a body component. The pin includes a shaft with head and alignment features, while the body includes a flange with aperture and clamp arms. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and enables tool-free assembly through tactile alignment features.
Solution Approach 2:
Alignment features such as ribs and corresponding recesses act as intermediaries between the pin and body components. These features guide the pin into proper alignment with the body during insertion, eliminating the need for tools or precise manual alignment while maintaining ease of assembly.
2Device complexity
If single component fastener assemblies are used, then the assembly process is simplified, but securing multiple panels requires insertion through multiple loosely-aligned apertures and may require high clamp loads to achieve a proper fit
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment features provide tactile feedback during the assembly process. As the pin is inserted toward the body, the interaction between alignment ribs and recesses gives the user sensory feedback indicating proper alignment is being achieved, ensuring reliable connection without requiring high clamp loads or precise pre-alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment features are pre-configured on both the pin and body components to automatically guide proper alignment during insertion. This preliminary alignment mechanism eliminates the need for manual alignment adjustments or high clamp loads, as the features self-align the components as they come together.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional fasteners are used, then physical access to both front and back sides of the panel is required for alignment, but this increases manual labor and time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment features enable the fastener assembly to self-align during insertion. The ribs and recesses automatically guide the pin into proper alignment with the body as they engage, eliminating the need for manual alignment operations from both sides of the panel and significantly reducing assembly time and labor requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener assembly includes a pin and a body. The pin includes a shaft that inserts into a central passage of the body. The body includes a flange and first and second arms that attach to a nose at a distal end. Each of the first and second arms includes an exterior flex point, an interior flex point, and a proximal end. The first arm is configured to move about a first proximal hinge portion. The second arm is configured to move about a second proximal hinge portion. A first brace extends from a first arm, a second brace extends from a second arm, and the first and second braces create an overlap area between the first arm and the second arm.