Panel Fastener Lock Pin for High-Retention Axial Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fastener assemblies in high impact areas, such as side curtain airbag assemblies, face challenges with prohibitively high installation forces, ergonomic difficulties, and degradation due to repetitive removal and reinstallation, often requiring additional components and complex manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A fastener assembly comprising a panel fastener and a lock pin with retention features that allow axial insertion and retention without specialized tools or manual twisting, enabling the lock pin to snap into position and maintain retention through engagement of flexible arms and retention tabs, preventing relative motion and facilitating repeatable performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fastener assemblies are used in high impact areas, then retention strength is improved, but installation forces become prohibitively high and require specialized tools
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener assembly is divided into separate components: a fastener body with retention tabs and a lock pin with flexible arms. This segmentation allows the components to be assembled through simple axial insertion without requiring high installation forces or specialized tools, while still achieving strong retention through the engagement of multiple retention surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock pin incorporates flexible arms that can dynamically adjust during assembly and operation. These flexible arms engage with retention tabs to provide strong retention strength while allowing the assembly to occur through simple axial motion rather than requiring high forces or rotational operations.
2Strength
If conventional fastener assemblies are used, then retention under load is improved, but ergonomic difficulties arise due to high installation forces
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the fastener into a body with retention tabs and a lock pin with flexible arms, the design eliminates the need for high installation forces. The segmented structure allows ergonomic axial insertion while maintaining strong load retention through the engagement of multiple retention surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible arms on the lock pin automatically engage with the retention tabs through axial insertion alone, without requiring manual twisting or specialized tools. This self-service mechanism provides ergonomic operation while ensuring reliable retention under load.
3Strength
If conventional fastener assemblies are used, then initial retention is improved, but performance degrades due to repetitive removal and reinstallation
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible arms are designed to flex during assembly and disassembly operations, allowing the lock pin to be repeatedly installed and removed without degradation. This dynamic flexibility maintains reliable engagement and retention strength across multiple service cycles, unlike rigid conventional fasteners that degrade with repetitive use.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible arms change their physical state during operation, flexing inward during insertion and returning to their original position during removal. This parameter change allows the fastener to accommodate repetitive assembly cycles while maintaining consistent retention performance without degradation.
4Reliability
If conventional fastener assemblies are used, then retention reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components and complex manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The design merges multiple retention functions into a unified assembly mechanism. The lock pin with flexible arms combines locking, retaining, and positioning functions in a single axial insertion motion, reducing the need for additional components and simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining high retention reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock pin serves multiple functions: it provides retention through flexible arm engagement with retention tabs, positions components during assembly, and maintains reliability across repetitive cycles. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, simplifying the device while ensuring reliable retention.
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 allows for efficient assembly and installation without tools or rotational motion, maintaining retention under both high impact and static loads, and enabling multiple service cycles without performance degradation.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible arm is configured to upon insertion of the lock pin into the panel fastener in a first direction to the first position, flex inwardly and then outwardly to bring the end surface into engagement with the panel retention tab
Implementation Method 2
Upon insertion of the lock pin into the panel fastener in the first direction to the second position, the flexible arm being configured to flex inwardly to allow the retention tab to pass into the panel fastener to bring the retention surface into engagement with the first panel retention surface
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the fastener assembly includes a panel fastener and a lock pin insertable into the panel fastener to a first position and a second position. The lock pin including a flexible arm configured to upon insertion of the lock pin into the panel fastener in a first direction to the first position, flex inwardly and then outwardly to bring an end surface of the flexible arm into engagement with a panel retention tab of the panel fastener. Upon insertion of the lock pin into the panel fastener in the first direction to the second position, the flexible arm is configured to flex inwardly to allow a retention tab to pass into the panel fastener to bring a retention surface of the lock pin into engagement with a first panel retention surface of the panel fastener.