Metal Adjusting Element for Compact Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tolerance compensation solutions for connecting components are costly, require large installation space, and are vulnerable to environmental factors due to the use of plastic materials, which offer low dragging force and are fragile.
Innovation Solution
A metal-made, one-piece adjusting element with a hollow-cylindrical body and radially extending flange, featuring a form-fit connection for a dragging element and a drive feature for tool interaction, allowing for compact construction, high holding forces, and cost-efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used for tolerance compensation arrangements, then the device can be manufactured cost-effectively and with ease, but the dragging force is low, reliability is reduced due to environmental vulnerability, and installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to metal, fundamentally altering the physical properties of the adjusting element. This transformation provides higher strength, better environmental resistance, and improved dragging force while maintaining manufacturability through cold-forming processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite construction where a metal adjusting element combines different material properties - the metal body provides structural integrity and environmental resistance, while the integrated dragging element (injected into the hollow-cylindrical body) provides the necessary frictional engagement. This composite approach resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and reliability
2Ease of manufacture
If plastic adjusting elements are used, then manufacturing is easier and less costly, but the installation space required is larger due to lower strength and dragging force
Solution Approach 1:
Changing the material from plastic to metal fundamentally alters the strength-to-volume ratio. The metal adjusting element achieves the same or better dragging force and structural integrity in a more compact form, reducing the installation space required while maintaining ease of manufacture through cold-forming processes
Solution Approach 2:
The dragging element is nested within the hollow-cylindrical body of the adjusting element, with the dragging element injected into the hollow space. This nested construction consolidates multiple functions into a compact integrated structure, reducing the overall volume required for installation while maintaining manufacturing efficiency
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate parts are used for tolerance compensation, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the adjusting element and dragging element into a single integrated component. The metal adjusting element is cold-formed as one piece, and the dragging element is injected into the hollow-cylindrical body, creating a unified structure that reduces part count and assembly complexity while maintaining the necessary adaptability for tolerance compensation through the integrated dragging mechanism
4Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used for the adjusting element, then manufacturing is simpler, but the dragging force is insufficient and environmental vulnerability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to metal, which fundamentally increases the dragging force capability. The metal adjusting element can withstand higher loads and provides superior frictional engagement through the dragging element, while the cold-forming manufacturing process maintains simplicity and cost-effectiveness
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 provides a compact, cost-effective, and robust tolerance compensation mechanism with enhanced holding forces, reducing the need for separate parts and minimizing environmental vulnerability.
Implementation Method 1
The adjusting element is formed in one piece, made of metal, for example by means of a cold-forming process
Implementation Method 2
The dragging element is injection molded onto a lateral surface of the inner cavity of the compensating element in an injection molding process
Data Source
AI summary
An adjusting element formed in one piece and made of metal for compensating a tolerance in the distance between a first and a second component is described. The adjusting element comprises: a hollow-cylindrical body having a radially outwardly extending flange adjacent to a first axial end and an outer thread of a first thread direction at a radial outer side, a drive feature so that the adjusting element is rotatable by a tool, a receiving portion at the radial inner side of the hollow-cylindrical body, in which a dragging element is to be received, wherein the receiving portion comprises at least one radially inwardly extending protrusion, in particular a plurality of radially inwardly extending protrusions, at a radial inner side of the hollow-cylindrical body adapted to a form-fit connection with the dragging element and at least one shoulder extending circumferentially at the radial inner side and providing an axial limitation.