Elastic Screw Sleeve for Precise Vertical Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional screw holding devices in the automobile industry, particularly for distributors, often fail to maintain precise vertical positioning, prevent axial translation, and create dirt during assembly, while being rigid and not adaptable to standard screws.
Innovation Solution
A removable, elastically deformable plastic sleeve with a cylindrical portion, a frustoconical shape, and axial lugs is used to hold the screw in position, ensuring vertical alignment and secure fitting without damaging the screw thread or housing, and is designed to fit any standard screw without modification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid sheath is used to hold the screw, then the screw is held firmly in position, but precise vertical positioning and adjustment cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible plastic sleeve instead of a rigid sheath to hold the screw. The sleeve can elastically deform to accommodate the screw shank while maintaining firm holding, and its flexibility allows for precise vertical positioning and adjustment that rigid structures cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the holding structure by using an elastically deformable material with specific flexibility characteristics. This allows the sleeve to conform precisely to the screw dimensions while maintaining secure holding, resolving the contradiction between firm holding and precise positioning.
2Ease of operation
If the screw protrudes beyond the housing for easy handling, then the screw is accessible for assembly, but the screw may become misaligned or inclined during mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-installs the screw in the high position within the housing before final assembly. The flexible sleeve holds the screw securely in the correct position during storage and transport, ensuring it remains aligned and ready for installation without requiring adjustment during the mounting process.
3Reliability
If a conventional holding device is used, then the screw is secured in position, but dirt and chips are created during the screwing process
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plastic sleeve acts as a protective shell that secures the screw in position while being smooth and non-abrasive. Unlike rigid metal holding devices that may create chips during insertion or removal, the flexible material prevents damage to the screw thread and housing, eliminating dirt and chip generation.
4Reliability
If a rigid holding structure is used, then the screw is firmly held, but the device cannot adapt to different standard screw types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible plastic sleeve whose elastic properties allow it to adapt to different standard screw dimensions. The sleeve can be manufactured in various sizes to accommodate different screw types while maintaining firm holding through its elastic deformation capability, providing both reliability and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible sleeve design creates a universal holding solution that can accommodate multiple standard screw types. By using elastically deformable material rather than rigid structures, a single sleeve design can adapt to various screw diameters and lengths, making the holding device universally applicable.
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 sleeve allows for precise vertical positioning, prevents axial movement, and reduces dirt creation during assembly, while being robust and adaptable to various screw types, facilitating easier mounting and ensuring the screw remains aligned with the housing axis.
Implementation Method 1
a plastic sleeve which cooperates with an annular edge formed at the level of the screw housing... made of an elastically deformable material
Data Source
Figure 1~1c
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The present invention concerns a removable sleeve (1) intended for being positioned on a fixing screw and produced from an elastically deformable material, characterised in that it has: a first cylindrical portion (5) with a constant internal diameter substantially equal to the external diameter of the shaft of said screw, this portion being extended by a second flared cylindrical portion (7) provided on the external peripheral surface of same with at least first and second axially separated rings of lugs (8, 9), an axial insertion slot (10) extending over the entire height of said sleeve (1) and wide enough to allow it to be mounted on the shaft of said screw and to be held there, at least one partial axial slot (11') extending over a portion of the height of said sleeve (1) from the flared end of same.