US-20260126067-A1 - COMPENSATION NUT FASTENING ASSEMBLY AND TORQUE CLIP THEREOF

US20260126067A1US 20260126067 A1US20260126067 A1US 20260126067A1US-20260126067-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a compensation nut fastening assembly including a first nut, a second nut receiving the first nut, and a torque clip received in the first nut. The torque clip has a substantially triangular cross section and includes a first retaining wall, a second retaining wall and a third retaining wall. The second retaining wall is connected to the first retaining wall by a first connecting wall which forms a pair of first bent protrusions with the first and second retaining walls. The third retaining wall is connected to the second retaining wall by a second connecting wall which forms a pair of second bent protrusions with the second and third retaining walls, and is separated from the first retaining wall. The first and third retaining walls form a first free end and a second free end. The first, second and third retaining walls form a fastener passage and are configured to be in contact with a fastener inserted into the fastener passage to retain the fastener. The first and send bent protrusions and the first and second free ends are configured to be in contact with the first nut to retain the torque clip.

Inventors

Weibin Liu

Assignees

ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251105
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (15)

1 . A compensation nut fastening assembly, comprising: a first nut defining a first passage through an inner wall thereof; a second nut receiving the first nut; and a torque clip received in the first passage of the first nut, the torque clip having a substantially triangular cross section and comprising: a first retaining wall; a second retaining wall connected to the first retaining wall by a first connecting wall, the first connecting wall forming a pair of first bent protrusions with the first retaining wall and the second retaining wall; and a third retaining wall connected to the second retaining wall by a second connecting wall and separated from the first retaining wall, the second connecting wall forming a pair of second bent protrusions with the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall, and the first retaining wall and the third retaining wall forming a first free end and a second free end, respectively, wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall jointly form a fastener passage and are configured to be in contact with a fastener inserted into the fastener passage, so as to retain the fastener in the fastener passage, and wherein the pair of first bent protrusions, the pair of second bent protrusions, the first free end and the second free end are configured to be in contact with the inner wall of the first nut, so as to retain the torque clip in the first passage of the first nut.
2 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a gap is provided between either of the first connecting wall and the second connecting wall and the fastener received in the fastener passage.
3 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio of a length of either of the first connecting wall and the second connecting wall to a length of either of the first retaining wall and the third retaining wall is in a range from 10% to 50%.
4 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall are straight walls.
5 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall are provided with guide flared openings on top portions thereof.
6 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the torque clip is provided with hollowed portions penetrating through the torque clip in a thickness direction of the torque clip.
7 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 6 , wherein the hollowed portions comprise a first hollowed portion and a second hollowed portion, the first hollowed portion extending from the first connecting wall into the first retaining wall and the second retaining wall, and the second hollowed portion extending from the second connecting wall into the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall.
8 . The compensation nut fastening assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the torque clip is integrally made of metal.
9 . A torque clip for a compensation nut fastening assembly, the torque clip comprising: a first retaining wall, a second retaining wall connected to the first retaining wall by a first connecting wall, the first connecting wall forming a pair of first bent protrusions with the first retaining wall and the second retaining wall; and a third retaining wall connected to the second retaining wall by a second connecting wall and separated from the first retaining wall, the second connecting wall forming a pair of second bent protrusions with the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall, and the first retaining wall and the third retaining wall forming a first free end and a second free end, respectively, wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall, and the third retaining wall jointly form a fastener passage, and wherein the torque clip has a substantially triangular cross section.
10 . The torque clip according to claim 9 , wherein a ratio of a length of either of the first connecting wall and the second connecting wall to a length of either of the first retaining wall and the third retaining wall is in a range from 10% to 50%.
11 . The torque clip according to claim 9 , wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall are straight walls.
12 . The torque clip according to claim 9 , wherein the first retaining wall, the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall are provided with guide flared openings on top portions thereof.
13 . The torque clip according to claim 9 , wherein the torque clip is provided with hollowed portions penetrating through the torque clip in a thickness direction of the torque clip.
14 . The torque clip according to claim 13 , wherein the hollowed portions comprise a first hollowed portion and a second hollowed portion, the first hollowed portion extending from the first connecting wall into the first retaining wall and the second retaining wall, and the second hollowed portion extending from the second connecting wall into the second retaining wall and the third retaining wall.
15 . The torque clip according to claim 9 , wherein the torque clip is integrally made of metal.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 2024115622237, filed Nov. 4, 2024, titled “Compensation Nut Fastening Assembly And Torque Clip Thereof,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to a fastening assembly, and in particular to a compensation nut fastening assembly configured to compensate for a gap between components (e.g., panels) and a torque clip thereof. BACKGROUND In various industrial applications, components are connected together by using fasteners. In some applications, there may be a gap between components. For example, two panels may be separated by a clearance zone or a gap, and portions of other components may be remained in the clearance zone or the gap. A fastener assembly may rattle or slide within the gap when the panels are connected together, thereby generating unwanted noise and creating a loose connection, or causing the panels to be deformed by the locking force. Some fastening assemblies employ at least two intermeshing nuts and employ a torque clip. The torque clip is inserted into the innermost nut and configured to retain a fastener (e.g., a bolt or a screw) when the fastener is inserted into the nut and cause the nut to rotate as the fastener rotates, so as to adjust the height of these nuts to fill the gap between the panels. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to a compensation nut fastening assembly, substantially as illustrated by and described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular examples thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying figures, where like or similar reference numbers refer to like or similar structures. The figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methods described herein. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compensation nut fastening assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an initial position when securing two components. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a torque clip of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 3B is a top view of the torque clip of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B that receives a fastener. FIG. 4 is a top view of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B during the process of securing the two components. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the compensation nut fastening assembly shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B that secures the two components in place. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within and/or including the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. In the following description, it is understood that terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “side,” “front,” “back,” and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. For example, while in some examples a first side is located adjacent or near a second side, the terms “first side” and “second side” do not imply any specific order in which the sides are ordered. The terms “about,” “approximately,” “substantially,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosed examples and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The terms “e.g.,” and “for example” set off lists of one or more non-limiting