Spacer-Spring Mounting Unit for Vibration-Damped Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In automated car production lines, existing assembly units face challenges in securely attaching lightweight add-on parts made of materials like plastic to substructures without damaging them, as high forces required for fixation can cause damage due to the inability of robots to react flexibly and the need for vibration-damping to prevent noise and damage.
Innovation Solution
An assembly unit design featuring a sleeve-shaped spacer with a concavely curved spring element and outer spring tongues that self-lock onto the spacer, allowing for axial movement in the attachment direction while preventing detachment, enabling secure fixation without damaging the add-on parts and reducing production costs by simplifying spacer manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high forces are used to fix the attachment part to the substructure, then secure fixation is achieved, but the lightweight attachment part becomes damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a spacer as an intermediary component between the attachment part and the fastener. This spacer absorbs and distributes the high fixation forces, preventing them from acting directly on the lightweight attachment part. The spacer acts as a buffer that mediates between the strong fastening force and the fragile attachment part, allowing secure fixation without damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element is pre-installed between the fastener head and the attachment part to provide cushioning before the high fixation forces are applied. This beforehand cushioning protects the attachment part from the full impact of the fastening force, distributing it gradually and preventing damage while still achieving secure fixation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a spring element is added between the fastener and attachment to dampen vibrations, then vibration damping is improved, but the assembly unit becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is merged with the spacer to form an integrated vibration-damping assembly. Instead of being separate components, the spring element and spacer work together as a unified structure, reducing the number of discrete parts and simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining effective vibration damping.
Solution Approach 2:
The combined spacer-spring element assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical spacing, distributes fixation forces to prevent damage, and dampens vibrations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby reducing overall complexity despite adding vibration damping capability.
3Reliability
If the sleeve-shaped spacer protrudes beyond the fixing area to hold the fastener, then the fastener is securely held, but play is introduced allowing unwanted movement
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element changes the mechanical parameters of the assembly by introducing controlled elasticity. This elasticity allows the system to accommodate the spacer's protrusion while maintaining stability, as the spring can deform to compensate for movements and maintain consistent contact pressure, preventing both fastener loss and unwanted attachment movement.
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 assembly unit effectively distributes forces to prevent damage to the add-on parts, ensuring secure and vibration-damped attachment without the need for complex manufacturing processes, reducing production costs and noise issues.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element with an outer surface concave towards the attachment, which is mounted on an annular end face of the sleeve-shaped spacer, facing away from a head of the fastening element and is supported by the attachment element in an assembled state
Implementation Method 2
exerts a force on the attachment, at least to dampen vibrations
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
The invention relates to a mounting unit comprising an attachment part which has at least one bore for fixing to a substructure, a sleeve-shaped spacer which is held in the bore of the attachment part, and a securing element, in particular a screw, one end of which has a head and the other end of which has a fixing section that interacts with a bore of the substructure, wherein a shaft of the spacer passes through the securing element in an axially movable manner. A spring element is provided which is curved towards the attachment part and which is placed on the end-face annular surface of the sleeve-shaped spacer facing the head of the securing element and is supported on the attachment part in the mounted state. The lower face of the spring element has outer spring tongues which rest against the circumference of the sleeve-shaped spacer in a self-locking manner when the spring element is placed on the annular surface.