Caged Nut Device With Elastic Tabs For Panel Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caged nut devices for assembling panels are inflexible and difficult to mount or remove without tools, as their leg length is adapted to the thickness of a single panel type, making them unsuitable for panels with varying thicknesses and prone to deformation when screws are tightened.
Innovation Solution
A U-shaped cage with elongated tabs and internal bosses, allowing for increased elastic deformability and adaptability across different panel thicknesses, featuring recesses to prevent contact with screws and lateral stiffening bars for enhanced rigidity, enabling manual assembly and use across a range of panel thicknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the leg length of the cage is adapted to the thickness of a specific panel, then the cage can be securely mounted on that panel, but it becomes difficult to mount or remove without tools and cannot be used on panels with different thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by making the leg length variable rather than fixed. The leg includes a movable portion that can change its effective length through elastic deformation, allowing the same cage to adapt to panels of different thicknesses while remaining manually assembleable and disassemblable
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by introducing a movable leg structure that can dynamically adjust its length. The leg transitions from a rigid fixed-length structure to a dynamic structure with movable portions that can extend or retract based on the panel thickness, enabling both adaptability and manual operation
2Ease of manufacture
If the leg length is shortened for thin panels, then the cage becomes easier to manufacture, but the legs become relatively rigid and difficult to place on or remove from panels without tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by making the leg dynamic rather than statically short. The movable portion allows the leg to be short when not in use (easy manufacturing) but extendable during installation (easy manual operation), combining manufacturing ease with operational ease
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of leg length from a fixed value to a variable parameter. The leg can maintain a compact short form for manufacturing efficiency while being capable of extending to the necessary length during manual installation and removal operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single cage design is used for multiple panel thicknesses, then versatility is improved, but the cage structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the leg into multiple portions: a fixed portion and a movable portion. This segmentation allows the leg to achieve variable length functionality without requiring multiple different cage designs, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamics to create a leg structure that appears simple in its resting state but can dynamically adjust to different configurations. The movable portion allows the leg to adapt to different panel thicknesses without requiring complex mechanisms, achieving versatility with minimal added complexity
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 easy assembly and disassembly of panels with varying thicknesses, maintaining structural integrity and preventing screw thread interference, while accommodating panels from 0.7 to 4.5 mm in thickness, enhancing usability and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
the part not facing the nut by extending the length of the tabs 10 increases the elastic deformability thereof
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4C
AI summary
The system (1) has a caged nut device for mounting a cage (5) used for retaining a nut (6) on a free lower face of a primary panel (2). A fixation screw (4) fixes a secondary panel (3) on another lower face of the primary panel when the primary panel is screwed in the nut. A head of the screw is supported on a free outer surface of the secondary panel. Brackets (10) are elastically deformed to allow manual mounting of the cage on the primary panel, where the brackets are rigid, and indeformable inside a recess of the primary panel.