Floating Nut Assembly With Limited Float for Accurate Bolt Fitting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing floating nut assemblies in the automobile industry suffer from low assembly efficiency and accuracy due to a large movement space of the nut, leading to displacement during bolt fitting, which wastes time and affects assembly precision.

Innovation Solution

A floating nut assembly design featuring a limiting bracket with protrusions in clearance and/or elastic fit with positioning holes, allowing the nut to move relative to the bracket in a plane perpendicular to the threaded hole, ensuring a small floating space and preventing rotation, thereby enhancing assembly efficiency and connection accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the nut is allowed to move freely relative to the limiting bracket, then the nut can accommodate positioning deviations during assembly, but the movement space becomes large causing low assembly efficiency and accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccommodation of positioning deviationsVSAvoidassembly efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the positioning holes rigid (non-floating) while the rest of the nut-bracket interface remains floating. This localized rigidity at the positioning holes restricts nut movement to minimal deviations only, preventing large movements that reduce assembly efficiency, while maintaining adaptability for normal positioning variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a dynamic positioning system where the nut can float relative to the limiting bracket to accommodate assembly variations, but the floating capability is dynamically restricted at the positioning holes to prevent excessive movement. This dynamic balance allows the system to adapt to positioning deviations while maintaining assembly efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the nut is allowed to move freely relative to the limiting bracket, then the nut can accommodate positioning deviations during assembly, but the nut rotation cannot be prevented affecting connection accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccommodation of positioning deviationsVSAvoidconnection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the positioning holes rigid (non-floating) while the rest of the nut-bracket interface remains floating. This localized rigidity at the positioning holes restricts nut movement to minimal deviations only, preventing large movements that reduce assembly efficiency, while maintaining adaptability for normal positioning variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a dynamic positioning system where the nut can float relative to the limiting bracket to accommodate assembly variations, but the floating capability is dynamically restricted at the positioning holes to prevent excessive movement. This dynamic balance allows the system to adapt to positioning deviations while maintaining assembly efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If protrusions are made elastic to allow nut movement, then the nut can float relative to the limiting bracket, but the protrusions may fall off along the axial direction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefloating capabilityVSAvoidcomponent retention
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only the positioning holes rigid (non-floating) while the rest of the nut-bracket interface remains floating. This localized rigidity at the positioning holes restricts nut movement to minimal deviations only, preventing large movements that reduce assembly efficiency, while maintaining adaptability for normal positioning variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a dynamic positioning system where the nut can float relative to the limiting bracket to accommodate assembly variations, but the floating capability is dynamically restricted at the positioning holes to prevent excessive movement. This dynamic balance allows the system to adapt to positioning deviations while maintaining assembly efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 design ensures precise and efficient assembly of nuts and bolts by minimizing nut movement and rotation, improving overall assembly accuracy and efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

the protrusion is configured to be elastically deformable in a radial direction thereof

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4209688B1Floating nut assembly and electrical device
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY (HONG KONG) LIMITED
  • EP4209688B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4209688B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4209688B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a floating nut assembly (100) and an electric device and relates to the field of battery assembly technologies. The floating nut assembly (100) includes: a nut (10), provided with a threaded hole (11); and a limiting bracket (20), configured to be detachably connected to a base (500) to form between the limiting bracket (20) and the base (500) a limiting space for accommodating the nut (10), where one of the limiting bracket (20) and the nut (10) is provided with at least two protrusions (31), and the other one is provided with at least two positioning holes (32); the protrusions (31) are in one-to-one correspondence to the positioning hole (32); the protrusion (31) is inserted into the positioning hole (32); and the protrusion (31) is in clearance fit and/or elastic fit with the positioning hole (32). The floating nut assembly (100) can ensure assembly efficiency and connection accuracy of the nut (10) and a bolt (600).