Fastener Insert With Biasing Fingers For Panel Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fasteners fail to accommodate misalignment and manufacturing variations between components and panels, leading to inefficient and unreliable attachment processes.
Innovation Solution
A fastener system featuring a flexible insert with retaining and biasing fingers that can shift within an oversized aperture, engaging with the panel and stud to ensure secure attachment while allowing for positional adjustment, utilizing a tubular body with ratchet fingers for thread engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional fastener is used to attach a component to a panel, then the attachment process is simple, but it cannot accommodate misalignment or manufacturing variation between the component and the panel
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is designed with movable components including biasing fingers that can shift position within the aperture and retaining fingers that can flex to accommodate misalignment. This dynamic design allows the fastener to adapt to manufacturing variations while maintaining secure attachment through the ratchet engagement mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert utilizes elastic deformation of the biasing fingers to change the position parameters within the aperture, allowing the fastener to accommodate misalignment by physically shifting its location while maintaining engagement with both the panel and the stud.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an insert with movable components is used to accommodate misalignment, then adaptability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert employs flexible biasing fingers made of elastomeric material that can bend and shift position within the aperture. This flexibility provides the necessary adaptability for accommodating misalignment without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing fingers automatically adjust their position within the aperture through elastic deformation in response to misalignment, eliminating the need for external adjustment mechanisms or complex control systems while maintaining the adaptability function.
3Manufacturing precision
If the insert is designed to shift position within the aperture, then manufacturing variation tolerance improves, but the ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is manufactured as a single elastomeric component with integrated flexible biasing fingers, retaining fingers, and ratchet teeth. This monolithic flexible design accommodates manufacturing variation through material elasticity while simplifying the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for multiple separate parts and complex assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert utilizes elastomeric material properties that combine flexibility for position adjustment with sufficient structural integrity for maintaining engagement forces. This material selection enables the insert to tolerate manufacturing variation while remaining manufacturable through conventional molding processes.
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
Enables efficient and reliable attachment of components to panels by accommodating misalignment and manufacturing variations, ensuring secure and stable assembly through self-location within the aperture.
Implementation Method 1
first and second biasing fingers project from the tubular body to engage opposed curved end walls of the aperture to a bias the tubular body within the aperture as allowed by sliding of the second shoulders along the opposed parallel extending sidewalls
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of ratchet fingers extends into the hollow interior to engage the stud when the stud is installed into the insert
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener includes an insert mounted in an oversized elongated aperture of a metal panel. The insert has a tubular body of lesser outside dimension than the aperture, and a hollow interior receiving a threaded stud projecting from the component. The tubular body has a flexible lip engaging the panel and first and second retaining fingers having first shoulders engaging the bottom surface of the panel and second shoulders engaging with opposed parallel extending sidewalls of the aperture to prevent rotation of the tubular body. First and second biasing fingers project from the tubular body to engage opposed curved end walls of the aperture to a bias the tubular body within the aperture as allowed by sliding of the second shoulders along the opposed parallel extending sidewalls. A plurality of ratchet fingers extends into the hollow interior to engage the stud when the stud is installed into the insert.