Workpiece-Clamping Fastener for Tight-Space Robotic Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fasteners with spindle and collet body designs face challenges in space-constrained environments and robotic manufacturing, as they can obstruct installation and interfere with robotic components, and their threaded portions are not ideal for resynchronization.
Innovation Solution
A fastener with a body assembly that maintains a constant distance between the distal end and distal clamping surfaces, featuring a pin mated with axially extending slots in a sleeve and an opening in the shaft, allowing for effective robotic resynchronization and installation in tight spaces, while adjusting grip length between clamping surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spindle and collet body design is used, then clamping functionality is achieved, but the fastener cannot be installed in space-constrained environments and interferes with robotic components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the threaded portion from the distal end of the fastener, removing the interfering element while preserving clamping functionality through the collet body and clamping arms mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The invention repositions the threaded portion to the proximal end of the fastener rather than the distal end, changing the spatial arrangement to eliminate interference with distal-side robotic components while maintaining installation capability
2Extent of automation
If the threaded portion is at the distal end, then clamping is achieved, but robotic resynchronization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded portion is extracted from the distal end and relocated to the proximal end, removing the obstacle to robotic sensor resynchronization while preserving the fastener's structural integrity and clamping function
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the conventional arrangement by placing the threaded portion at the proximal end rather than the distal end, enabling robotic resynchronization at the accessible distal end while maintaining functional performance
3Manufacturing precision
If the fastener is designed for minimum thickness clamping, then clamping precision is improved, but the spindle protrudes below the clamping arms creating interference
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded spindle portion is extracted from the distal end and relocated to the proximal end, eliminating the protrusion that interferes with robotic components while maintaining precise clamping capability through the collet body mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spatial arrangement by moving the threaded portion to the proximal end, allowing the distal end to maintain a constant, optimized length for precise clamping without creating harmful protrusions
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener with workpiece clamping functionality. The fastener, in one example, includes a body assembly configured to transition the fastener between a clamping configuration and an insertion and removal configuration. The body assembly is further configured to, in the clamping configuration, adjust an axial length between a proximal clamping surface and a distal clamping surface while an axial length between the distal clamping surface and a distal end of the fastener remains constant, where the body assembly includes a shaft that is axially spaced away from a drive screw.