Elastic tube alignment system for precisely locating components
US8695201B2 · kind B2 · utility
37Cited by
3References
15Claims
0Family size
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Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 2011 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53996
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An elastic tube alignment system for the mating of components utilizing the principle of elastic averaging. A plurality of geometrically separated elastic tube (male) alignment features are disposed on a first component, while a plurality of one-to-one corresponding aperture (female) alignment features are provided on a second component. During the mating of the components, each elastic tube and its respective aperture provide elastic deformation, which, on average, precisely aligns the components.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.