Nut Plate Gripper with Orienting Structures for Precision Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual installation of nut plates is labor-intensive and unreliable due to the challenging shape of nut plates, which makes precise and reproducible positioning difficult during assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
The development of nut plate grippers equipped with an attachment region, an elongate resilient retention structure, and orienting structures that facilitate attachment to an end effector, allowing for precise alignment and gripping of nut plates along an engagement axis, enabling reliable and reproducible positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual installation of nut plates is used, then flexibility in handling various shapes is maintained, but labor intensity increases and positioning reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate resilient retention structure is designed to automatically engage with the nut plate's threaded central opening through interference fit, enabling the gripper to self-align and secure the nut plate without complex alignment procedures or high labor intensity
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient retention structure utilizes elastic deformation to create an interference fit within the threaded central opening, transforming the gripping mechanism from rigid to flexible, allowing reliable positioning while reducing operational complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If the nut plate shape is considered for manual handling, then adaptability is maintained, but manufacturing precision of positioning decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper is divided into distinct functional elements: the elongate resilient retention structure for secure engagement and the pair of orienting structures for precise positioning. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized independently - the retention structure for adaptability to different nut plate shapes, and the orienting structures for manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The orienting structures act as intermediary elements between the gripper body and the nut plate base plate. These structures mediate the positioning process by engaging with the base plate to establish precise orientation, thereby achieving manufacturing precision while maintaining adaptability through the resilient retention structure
3Reliability
If an interference fit mechanism is used, then gripping reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate resilient retention structure functions as a flexible elastic element that deforms to create an interference fit within the threaded central opening. This flexible component approach achieves reliable gripping through simple elastic deformation rather than complex mechanical locking mechanisms, thereby maintaining low device complexity while ensuring high gripping reliability
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 nut plate grippers enable efficient and precise alignment and gripping of nut plates, reducing labor intensity and improving the reliability of the assembly process by ensuring consistent orientation and attachment.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate resilient retention structure... sized for an interference fit within the threaded central opening of the nut
Data Source
AI summary
Nut plate grippers and related methods are disclosed herein. The nut plate grippers are configured to grip a nut plate along an engagement axis. The nut plate includes a base plate and a nut that is operatively attached to the base plate and defines a threaded central opening. The nut plate grippers include an attachment region, which is configured to facilitate attachment of the nut plate gripper to an end effector, an elongate resilient retention structure, which extends from the attachment region along the engagement axis and is sized for an interference fit within the threaded central opening, and a pair of orienting structures positioned on opposed sides of the elongate resilient retention structure and configured to operatively engage the base plate when the nut plate gripper grips the nut plate to precisely orient the base plate relative to the nut plate gripper along an orienting axis.