Drive Socket Uniform Lobes Conical Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive socket designs fail to fully engage the flutes in the conical section of fasteners, leading to inadequate clearance and suboptimal torsional thread section failure modes.
Innovation Solution
A drive socket design featuring alternating flutes and lobes, where the lobes are uniform in width along the conical section, providing better engagement with the flutes of a fastener by maintaining clearance and ensuring effective alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lobes in the conical section of the drive socket are tapered (as in prior art), then the socket structure is simpler to manufacture, but the engagement with the flutes of the fastener is inadequate and clearance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the lobes uniform in width specifically in the conical section of the drive socket, while other portions of the socket may have different geometries. This localized modification to the lobe geometry in the critical conical engagement zone provides adequate clearance and improved engagement with the fastener flutes without requiring a complete redesign of the entire socket structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If the lobes are made uniform in width in the conical section, then better engagement with fastener flutes is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the lobes from tapered to uniform width in the conical section. This parameter change directly improves the engagement precision with the fastener flutes by providing consistent clearance throughout the conical section, while the manufacturing complexity increase is limited to this specific geometric modification rather than a complete redesign.
Data Source
AI summary
A drive tool that includes a drive socket. The drive socket includes alternating flutes and lobes and has a conical portion. The lobes, rather than being tapered in the conical portion of the socket, are each uniform in width as they progress to an end of the socket. The fact that the lobes are uniform in width in the conical portion of the drive socket provides for better engagement with the flutes of a conical section of a fastener.