Fastening Clip with Guiding Bars for Axial Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing fastening clips for connecting components of different thicknesses are complex and prone to tilting, making it difficult to align the receptacle and fastening opening, which complicates the screwing process and limits adaptability to varying component thicknesses.

Innovation Solution

The clip features guiding bars that connect the pin receptacle to the holder, allowing elastic axial movement without tilting, ensuring the receptacle remains aligned with the leg's opening, and can be axially displaced to accommodate different thicknesses, using a parallelogram linkage for reliable guidance and a securing section to prevent rotation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If axially resilient fastening is used to adapt to different component thicknesses, then adaptability to varying thicknesses is improved, but device complexity increases and tilting occurs causing misalignment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to component thicknessesVSAvoidcomplexity of fastening mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pin receptacle is designed to move dynamically in the axial direction relative to the leg through guiding bars, allowing the receiving slit to adapt to different component thicknesses. The guiding bars enable controlled axial movement while preventing tilting, maintaining alignment between the receptacle opening and fastening opening throughout the movement range.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If axially resilient fastening is used to adapt to different component thicknesses, then adaptability to varying thicknesses is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to component thicknessesVSAvoidcomplexity of fastening mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pin receptacle is designed to move dynamically in the axial direction relative to the leg through guiding bars, allowing the receiving slit to adapt to different component thicknesses. The guiding bars enable controlled axial movement while preventing tilting, maintaining alignment between the receptacle opening and fastening opening throughout the movement range.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If flexible clasp configurations are used for axial movement, then adaptability to different thicknesses is improved, but alignment reliability deteriorates due to tilting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to component thicknessesVSAvoidalignment reliability of receptacle and opening
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pin receptacle moves axially relative to the leg through guiding bars that constrain movement to purely axial translation. This dynamic design allows adaptation to different thicknesses while the guiding bars prevent rotational movement, ensuring the receptacle opening remains aligned with the fastening opening throughout the adjustment range.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guiding bars act as intermediary elements between the pin receptacle and the leg, mediating the axial movement while preventing tilting. These guiding bars transmit the axial displacement force and maintain the geometric relationship between the receptacle and leg, ensuring reliable alignment during thickness adaptation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

This design enables straightforward, reliable, and low-force installation across a wide range of component thicknesses, ensuring easy assembly and disassembly while preventing the clip from tilting, thus enhancing adaptability and usability.

Implementation Method 1

these guiding bars connect the pin receptacle to the holder such that it can be moved elastically in its axial direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2462353B1Device for connecting two components
Publication Date: 2014.06.18 ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC
  • EP2462353B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2462353B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP2462353B1 patent drawingFigure 7~10

AI summary

A device for connecting two components, comprising at least one leg (12), which has a fastening opening (14) and which is connected to at least one holder (16), further comprising a pin receptacle (22) for receiving a fastening pin (54) which can be guided through the fastening opening (14), wherein the leg and the pin receptacle (22) delimit between each other a receiving slit (30) for a first component, and wherein the leg (12), on its side facing away from the receiving slit (30), has at least one abutment surface (52) for a second component, wherein in each case at least two guiding bars (34, 36) run along two opposing sides of the pin receptacle (22), and these guiding bars connect the pin receptacle to the holder such that it can be moved elastically in its axial direction.