Connection assembly for connecting a support member to a work surface and corresponding method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connection assemblies for attaching table legs to table tops often face issues with stability due to manufacturing tolerances, requiring complex installation processes, being costly, or being prone to looseness over time, especially under environmental stress.
Innovation Solution
A connection assembly comprising an attachment plate, a fitting, and a retainer that absorbs tolerances through a resilient or rotatable mechanism, allowing secure attachment of table legs to table tops without tools, using a snap-fit design and stability enhancement elements to maintain stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional connection assemblies are used to connect support members to work surfaces, then the assembly process may be simple, but the connection becomes loose or unstable over time due to tolerance stack-up
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed with resilient properties that allow it to deform and absorb dimensional variations. By changing the physical state of the retainer from rigid to resilient, it can accommodate tolerance stack-up while maintaining a secure connection between the support member and work surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient retainer acts as a pre-designed cushioning element that anticipates and absorbs the effects of tolerance accumulation before it can cause connection failure. This prior cushioning prevents the connection from becoming loose under normal operational variations.
2Reliability
If complex connection assemblies are used to address tolerance issues, then connection stability improves, but the installation process becomes more complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient retainer is designed to self-adjust and self-absorb tolerance variations without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms or multiple components. The single resilient element automatically compensates for dimensional variations through its inherent elasticity, simplifying the overall assembly design.
3Reliability
If resilient retainers are used to absorb tolerances, then connection stability improves, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By modifying the material properties of the retainer to be resilient rather than rigid, the design achieves tolerance absorption using a simple single-piece component. This approach avoids the need for complex multi-component assemblies, keeping manufacturing costs relatively low while achieving the desired 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 solution provides a stable, easy-to-install, and cost-effective connection that maintains stability over time, addressing tolerance-related issues and environmental factors, ensuring a secure and durable attachment of table legs to table tops.
Implementation Method 1
a retainer that is at least partially located between the attachment plate and the fitting, wherein the retainer exerts a force on the fitting that helps absorb or take up tolerances within the connection assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A connection assembly for securing a support member to a work surface (e.g., a table leg to a table top) that includes an attachment plate, a retainer, and a fitting. The attachment plate connects to a bottom surface of the table top, the fitting connects to an upper end of the table leg, and the retainer exerts a force on the fitting that helps absorb or take up tolerances within the connection assembly so that the support member is securely connected to the work surface. In one example, the retainer is a resilient component that is compressed between the fitting and a receiving portion of the attachment plate to help take up tolerances within the connection assembly, whereas in another example the retainer is a rotatable component that exerts a force against the fitting to address tolerances and the like. A method for providing a connection assembly is also disclosed.