Nut Runner Gear Alignment for Fast Nut Travel on Threaded Rods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual movement of nuts along threaded rods is time-consuming and fatiguing, especially in environments with limited access and workspace, and conditions like debris, rust, or paint complicate the threaded engagement.
Innovation Solution
A nut runner accessory for power-driven tools, featuring a housing with a gear assembly and a driver head, which includes an alignment device to facilitate the alignment and rotation of nuts along threaded rods, utilizing a power tool to transmit rotary force and engage the nut securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual movement of nut along threaded rod is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases and user fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical movement with a power-driven rotary mechanism. The power tool motor drives a gear assembly that converts rotational motion into linear movement of the nut along the threaded rod, eliminating the need for manual pushing or pulling and significantly increasing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an intermittent or periodic driving mechanism where the power tool rotates the nut in controlled intervals. The gear assembly with engagement features creates periodic engagement and disengagement, allowing the nut to move along the rod in discrete steps rather than continuous motion, which simplifies the overall mechanism while maintaining high productivity.
2Ease of operation
If manual operation with hand tools is used, then device complexity is minimized, but ease of operation deteriorates in limited access environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a multi-functional device that combines the power tool motor, gear assembly, nut engagement mechanism, and alignment features into a single integrated unit. This universal device can operate in various conditions (clean or degraded surfaces, limited access areas) without requiring separate tools or complex manual procedures, significantly improving ease of operation across different scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment device automatically positions the nut and threaded rod correctly through its geometric design. The open-ended slot and engagement features self-align during insertion, eliminating the need for precise manual positioning by the operator. The mechanism guides itself into the correct configuration, reducing operational difficulty even in constrained spaces.
3Reliability
If threaded engagement is performed manually, then device complexity is low, but reliability decreases due to debris, rust, and paint conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates alignment features and engagement mechanisms that prepare the threaded rod and nut for proper engagement before the actual threading occurs. The open-ended slot and geometric alignment features ensure correct positioning in advance, preventing misalignment issues that could arise from debris or surface degradation. This preliminary preparation improves reliability by ensuring proper engagement geometry from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The power-driven mechanism replaces manual threading operations, providing consistent and controlled rotational force that overcomes resistance from rust, paint, or debris more reliably than manual effort. The motorized system maintains steady torque application, ensuring secure coupling even in challenging environmental conditions where manual operation might fail or produce inconsistent results.
4Manufacturing precision
If alignment device is added to gear assembly, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the alignment device directly into the gear assembly structure, combining multiple functions into unified components. The alignment features are incorporated as integral parts of the gear teeth or housing rather than separate adjustable mechanisms, achieving precise alignment while minimizing the number of discrete parts. This merging approach maintains manufacturing precision without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment mechanism operates passively through geometric constraints and self-centering features built into the gear assembly. The open-ended slot and engagement geometry automatically guide components into correct alignment during assembly and operation, eliminating the need for complex active alignment systems, adjustable mechanisms, or external alignment tools. This self-aligning capability achieves high precision while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
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 accessory reduces user fatigue and time required for nut movement, providing a secure coupling and enhanced utility in various installation environments.
Implementation Method 1
an input shaft coupled at a second end portion of the housing and configured to transmit a rotary force from a power-driven tool to an input gear of the gear assembly
Implementation Method 2
a gear assembly received in the housing; an input shaft coupled at a second end portion of the housing and configured to transmit a rotary force from a power-driven tool to an input gear of the gear assembly
Implementation Method 3
a pin having a first end portion coupled to the button, and a second end portion that selectively engages a recess in one of the input gear or the output gear to restrict rotation of the input gear and the output gear
Data Source
AI summary
A nut runner accessory for a power-driven tool is provided. The nut runner accessory can include a gear assembly received in a housing. The gear assembly transfers an externally generated force to a driver head of the nut runner accessory. The nut runner accessory can include an alignment device that can be automatically or manually operated to align an open ended slot of the gear assembly and driver head with an open ended slot of the housing. The alignment of respective open end portions of the open ended slots defined by the gear assembly, driver head, and housing allows a nut/threaded rod to be inserted into and removed from an engagement portion of the nut runner accessory.