Faucet Spout Mounting Assembly With Tolerance-Compensating Bushing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current kitchen faucet spouts are prone to looseness due to tolerances between the spout tube and mounting hub, leading to stress and force on the spout to hub joint, which is exacerbated by the tall design and heavy pull-down wand, making installation challenging in mass production.
Innovation Solution
A faucet spout mounting assembly that includes a bushing positioned between the spout tube and inner adapter, featuring flexible arms and angled surfaces to compensate for tolerances and reduce looseness, with upper and lower constraints to maintain secure engagement between the spout tube, inner adapter, and mounting hub.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If higher interferences are used to reduce looseness, then the fit between spout and hub improves, but the parts become difficult to install in mass production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inner adapter as an intermediary component between the spout hub and the spout tube. This adapter includes a bushing with flexible arms that can elastically deform to accommodate tolerance variations. The intermediary adapter absorbs the tolerance issues through its flexible design, allowing standard-tolerance parts to be assembled easily while still achieving a tight, reliable fit without requiring high-interference press fits
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing material properties are specifically selected to provide elastic flexibility within a controlled range. The flexible arms are designed with specific thickness and material characteristics that allow them to deform elastically during assembly to compensate for tolerance variations, then maintain a stable engaged position. This parameter optimization enables easy installation while ensuring reliable connection
2Length of moving object
If the spout is made tall to extend far into the sink, then the functional reach improves, but the moment and stress on the spout to hub joint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing acts as a flexible element that can elastically deform to absorb stress and moment loads transmitted through the tall spout. The flexible arms of the bushing provide a compliant connection that reduces the rigidity-induced stress concentration at the hub joint, allowing the spout to extend tall while protecting the joint from excessive stress
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic bushing serves as a pre-installed cushioning element that absorbs and dissipates the moment and stress forces before they reach the spout-to-hub joint. The flexible arms are designed to deform under load, providing a shock-absorbing mechanism that protects the joint from the high stresses generated by the tall spout configuration and heavy pull-down wand
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 solution effectively reduces looseness and wobble, ensuring a secure and stable connection between the spout tube and hub, facilitating easier installation and improved rotational resistance, while accommodating manufacturing tolerances without increasing installation complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The bushing includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced flexible arms, and an upwardly angled surface supported by the flexible upper arms. The downwardly angled surface of the inner adapter engages the upwardly angled surface of the bushing thereby forcing the flexible upper arms of the bushing against the inner surface of the outer spout tube.
Data Source
AI summary
A faucet spout mounting system including a faucet spout tube, an inner adapter, and a bushing. The bushing is positioned radially intermediate the outer spout tube and the inner adapter. The inner adapter and the bushing engage to push flexible arms on the bushing against the outer spout tube, thus holding the bushing in place and compensating for tolerances in the spout mounting system.