Fastener Delivery Tools with Guide Assemblies for Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastener driving tools struggle with installing fasteners longer than 3 inches and/or larger than #10 in diameter from a standing position, and they do not facilitate easy removal of incorrectly loaded fasteners or those in the wrong orientation.
Innovation Solution
A fastener delivery tool with a loading assembly, driver shaft assembly, and jaw assembly that allows for ergonomic use, efficient installation, and easy removal of fasteners, including driving into preformed holes, using a shift assembly and timing controller to control fastener delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the lower tube is fitted immediately within the upper tube to assure proper alignment, then alignment precision is improved, but surface-to-surface contact creates friction and makes fastener removal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A guide assembly is introduced as an intermediary component between the upper and lower tubes. The guide assembly includes a guide tube that fits within the upper tube and a guide pin that extends into the lower tube, creating a mechanical connection that maintains alignment while allowing independent movement and easy fastener removal without direct surface-to-surface contact between the tubes.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube assembly is segmented into distinct components: upper tube, guide assembly (with guide tube and guide pin), and lower tube. This segmentation allows each component to function independently - the guide assembly maintains alignment precision while the separated tube ends enable easy fastener removal without friction between the tubes themselves.
2Productivity
If the tool is designed for efficient fastener installation, then productivity is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides alignment guidance for the fastener, maintains proper tube positioning, enables easy fastener removal, and supports both correct and incorrect fastener orientations for removal. This multi-functionality improves productivity while adding minimal complexity compared to multiple separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide assembly is designed to be self-aligning and self-regulating through its geometric configuration, where the guide pin and guide tube automatically position themselves to maintain alignment without requiring additional adjustment mechanisms, thereby improving installation efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the tool allows easy removal of incorrectly loaded fasteners, then ease of operation is improved, but the guide assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide assembly is designed with an inverted or reversible configuration where the guide pin can be positioned to engage with the lower tube end in different orientations. This allows the same guide assembly structure to facilitate easy removal of both correctly and incorrectly loaded fasteners by simply changing the engagement orientation, improving ease of operation without requiring multiple separate removal mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Elongated fastener driving apparatuses and methods are disclosed. The drivers are operable to quickly and accurately install fasteners from a standing position on, for example, a floor surface.