Jig Assembly for Fastener Nut Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The inefficient process of presenting fastener nuts in the correct orientation for immediate attachment due to their small size and disordered state in containers, making it difficult to attach them correctly to other objects.
Innovation Solution
A jig assembly comprising a feed container with a selector mechanism and compressed air system that uses restricting grooves and air pressure to sort and orient fastener nuts by guiding those with the assembling portion adjacent to the selector's sidewall into a sorting tray, while keeping those with the nut cap adjacent retained, ensuring correct orientation for attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fastener nuts are loaded in a container in a disordered state, then the container can hold multiple nuts, but the presentation of nuts in correct orientation becomes very inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments, each designed to hold and orient specific types of fastener nuts. This segmentation allows nuts to be stored in an organized manner within the container, with each compartment providing geometric constraints that guide nuts into correct orientations, thereby maintaining high storage capacity while improving presentation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The container compartments are designed with specific geometric features (such as inclined surfaces, ridges, and cavities) that automatically orient nuts into correct positions as they are loaded or settle into the container. This preliminary orientation action eliminates the need for manual sorting later, improving productivity while maintaining the ability to store multiple nut types.
2Reliability
If the diameter of the nut cap is larger than the diameter of the assembling portion, then the nut structure is functional, but it becomes difficult to present the assembling portion in the correct orientation for attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The container compartments utilize asymmetric geometric features that correspond to the asymmetric geometry of the fastener nuts (different diameters of nut cap versus assembling portion). These asymmetric features create unique fitting relationships that guide nuts into correct orientations, where the larger nut cap rests on specific surfaces and the smaller assembling portion naturally presents upward or in the required direction, making attachment operations easier.
Solution Approach 2:
The container compartments act as an intermediary mechanism between the disordered nut storage state and the required oriented presentation state. The geometric features of the compartments (such as tapered walls, positioning ridges, and depth variations) mediate the transition by physically guiding nuts into correct orientations through contact with specific surfaces, thereby facilitating easy presentation of the assembling portion for attachment operations.
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 method allows for efficient and automatic selection and orientation of fastener nuts, achieving a 50% success rate in correctly presenting nuts for attachment, adaptable to different types and sizes of nuts through adjustable selector dimensions, significantly improving the efficiency of the nut presentation process.
Implementation Method 1
a compressed air system that uses restricting grooves and air pressure to sort and orient fastener nuts
Data Source
AI summary
A jig assembly for selecting and presenting fastener nuts in the correct orientation, each fastener nut including a nut cap and an assembling portion formed on an end of the fastener nut. The diameter of the nut cap is larger than the diameter of the assembling portion. The jig assembly includes an electric cabinet, a jig bracket, a feed container, and a sorting tray. The feed container includes a selector with an opening. The width of the opening is equal to the height of the fastener nut, the first sidewall of the selector forms a plurality of restricting protrusions, and each two adjacent restricting protrusions cooperatively define a restricting groove therebetween. The width of each restricting groove is equal to the diameter of the assembling portion, thus only fastener nuts in the correct orientation are capable of passing through the selector to be collected in the sorting tray.