Floating Nut Plate Receptacle With Quarter-Turn Alignment Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floating nut plates lack the adjustability of floating nut elements and the quick installation of quarter turn fasteners, leading to inefficiencies in manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A floating nut plate quarter turn fastener receptacle that combines a basket portion with flanges and a nut element, allowing the nut element to 'float' within the flanges, and a wire integrated into a channel, enabling secure fastening with a quarter turn fastener.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional floating nut plate is used, then the nut element can float to accommodate misalignment, but the installation process is time-consuming and lacks quick-fastening capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the floating nut plate mechanism with a quarter-turn fastener system into a single integrated receptacle. The nut element is embedded within the basket portion and can float independently while the fastener engages with both the floating nut and the quarter-turn mechanism, achieving both alignment accommodation and quick installation in one unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The receptacle serves multiple functions: it provides the floating alignment accommodation of a traditional nut plate, incorporates the quick-fastening capability of a quarter-turn fastener, and integrates structural support through the basket portion. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate components and achieves both ease of operation and time efficiency.
2Loss of time
If a quarter turn fastener is used, then quick installation is achieved, but the tolerance range for misalignment is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The nut element is designed to float independently within the basket portion, allowing dynamic adjustment to accommodate misalignment between the fastener hole and the receptacle. This floating capability provides adaptability to tolerance variations while maintaining the quick-installation feature of the quarter-turn fastener mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the adaptive floating nut mechanism with the quick-fastening quarter-turn system. The floating nut accommodates alignment variations through its ability to move independently, while the quarter-turn fastener provides rapid engagement, combining both adaptability and quick installation in a single integrated solution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a floating nut plate with screw insertion is used, then alignment adjustment is possible, but the fastening process is complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the time-consuming screw insertion step from the fastening process and replaces it with a quarter-turn fastener mechanism. The floating nut element remains to provide alignment adjustability, but the actual fastening action is simplified to a quarter-turn motion, reducing operational complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards the complex multi-step screw insertion process and recovers only the essential function of alignment adjustment through the floating nut element. By eliminating unnecessary complexity and retaining only the critical adaptability feature, the fastening process becomes simpler while maintaining alignment adjustability.
Data Source
AI summary
A floating nut plate quarter turn fastener receptacle configured for fastening two structures together is disclosed. The quarter turn fastener includes a basket portion with flanges configured to loosely retain a nut element. The nut element is able to glide or shift between the flanges of the basket portion. The nut element includes an aperture and a wire recessed into a channel which intersects the aperture. The nut element is able to be moved within the flanges for aligning the aperture with a corresponding aperture through the basket portion, thereby enabling a fastening device to be inserted through both apertures and twisted a quarter turn for securing to the wire and fastening two structures together.