Tapping Screw Jig with Positioning Pins for Accurate Pilot-Hole Alignment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tapping screw fastening jigs face challenges in aligning the guide component with pilot holes, leading to variable fastening results and increased work time when fastening multiple pilot holes.

Innovation Solution

A tapping screw fastening jig comprising a guide component with a guide hole portion and a positioning component with positioning pins, allowing for precise alignment of the guide component with pilot holes using the positioning pins, thereby facilitating accurate and efficient fastening.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a guide component is used to prevent tapping screw misalignment, then fastening precision is improved, but alignment difficulty increases and work time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefastening precisionVSAvoidalignment difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide component serves as an intermediary element between the tapping screw and the workpiece. It includes a guide hole that receives the tapping screw and a positioning pin that fits into a positioning hole in the workpiece, mediating the alignment process and ensuring precise fastening without requiring difficult direct alignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The positioning pin is preliminarily installed in the workpiece before the fastening operation. This preliminary action creates a ready-made reference feature that simplifies the subsequent alignment of the guide component, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures during fastening

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If a guide component is used to prevent tapping screw misalignment, then fastening precision is improved, but work time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefastening precisionVSAvoidwork time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The positioning pin is preliminarily installed in the workpiece before the fastening operation. This preliminary action creates a ready-made reference feature that speeds up subsequent fastening operations by eliminating repeated alignment procedures, thereby reducing overall work time while maintaining precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The guide component can be used for multiple fastening operations on different pilot holes. The same guide component with its positioning pin system can be relocated and reused for each subsequent hole, eliminating the need for separate alignment tools or procedures for each hole and thus reducing total work time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4420832B1Tapping screw fastening jig and fastening method using tapping screw fastening jig
Publication Date: 2025.05.07 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4420832B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4420832B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4420832B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A tapping screw fastening jig includes a guide component (100) and a positioning component (200). The guide component (100) includes a first base member (110) provided with a guide hole portion (H1) through which a tapping screw (TS) is insertable at a position corresponding to each of pilot holes (PH) in a use state of the tapping screw fastening jig. The positioning component (200) includes a second base member (210), and at least two positioning pins (P10, P20) provided on the second base member (210), where the at least two positioning pins (P10, P20) are provided at positions corresponding to at least two of the pilot holes (PH). Each of the at least two positioning pins (P10, P20) includes a first outer diameter portion (P11, P21) that is insertable into the pilot hole (PH), and a second outer diameter portion (P12, P22) that is connected to the first outer diameter portion (P11, P21) on a base end side of the first outer diameter portion (P11, P21) and is insertable through the guide hole portion.