EP4673281A1

EP4673281A1 - Fastening assistance means

Info

Publication number: EP4673281A1
Application number: EP24764393.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jeonghun JANG
Original assignee: Bear Robotics Inc
Current assignee: Bear Robotics Inc
Priority date: 2023-02-28
Filing date: 2024-02-26
Publication date: 2026-01-07
Also published as: WO2024182260A1; JP2026510698A; KR20250153249A; EP4673281A4

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fastening assistance means, comprising: a main body unit rotatably coupled to an exterior member; an engagement unit formed at a lower part of a lateral side of the main body unit and configured to be engaged with or disengaged from a groove formed at the exterior member in response to the main body unit being rotated with respect to the exterior member; and a handle unit formed to face the engagement unit at a position spaced apart from the engagement unit by a predetermined distance above the engagement unit on the lateral side of the main body unit, wherein the exterior member is capable of being fastened to a target component by means of a space formed between the engagement unit and the handle unit.

Description

FASTENING ASSISTANCE MEANS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/448,898 filed on February 28, 2023, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a fastening assistance means.

BACKGROUND

[0003] When designing an apparatus such as a robot, it is common to place an exterior member (or exterior material) on the outermost side of the apparatus to improve the durability or aesthetics of the apparatus. In order to fasten the exterior member to a component provided in the interior of the apparatus, a method of driving a screw from the outside to the inside of the exterior member has been mostly adopted in the past.

[0004] However, this method has a problem of greatly hindering the aesthetics of the apparatus because the fastening structure is exposed to the outside. In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to use a separate cap to cover the fastening structure, which has a limitation that the cap is still exposed to the outside.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One object of the present invention is to solve all the above-described problems in the prior art.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to securely fasten an exterior member to a component provided in an interior of an apparatus, without exposing the fastening structure to the outside.

[0007] Yet another object of the invention is to easily fasten an exterior member to a component provided in an interior of an apparatus by hand operation, without using a separate tool. [0008] The representative configuration of the invention to achieve the above objects is described below.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a fastening assistance means, comprising: a main body unit rotatably coupled to an exterior member; an engagement unit formed at a lower part of a lateral side of the main body unit and configured to be engaged with or disengaged from a groove formed at the exterior member in response to the main body unit being rotated with respect to the exterior member; and a handle unit formed to face the engagement unit at a position spaced apart from the engagement unit by a predetermined distance above the engagement unit on the lateral side of the main body unit, wherein the exterior member is capable of being fastened to a target component by means of a space formed between the engagement unit and the handle unit.

[0010] In addition, there are further provided other fastening assistance means to implement the invention.

[0011] According to the invention, it is possible to securely fasten an exterior member to a component provided in an interior of an apparatus, without exposing the fastening structure to the outside.

[0012] According to the invention, it is possible to easily fasten an exterior member to a component provided in an interior of an apparatus by hand operation, without using a separate tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a top surface of an exterior member according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a bottom surface of an exterior member according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 3 shows a structure in which an exterior member, a fastening assistance means, and a fixing member are coupled according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0016] FIG. 4 shows a fastening assistance means according to one embodiment of the invention. [0017] FIGS. 5 A and 5B are top and botom views of a fastening assistance means according to one embodiment of the invention, respectively.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a left or right side view of a fastening assistance means according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0019] FIG. 7 shows that a fastening assistance means is engaged with an exterior member according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0020] FIGS. 8 A and 8B show that a fastening assistance means is rotated with respect to an exterior member according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0021] FIG. 9 shows a target component according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0022] FIGS. 10A and 10B show a process of fastening an exterior member to a target component using a fastening assistance means according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0023] FIG. 11 shows a result of fastening an exterior member to a target component using a fastening assistance means according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] In the following detailed description of the present invention, references are made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different from each other, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures and characteristics described herein may be implemented as modified from one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, it shall be understood that the positions or arrangements of individual elements within each embodiment may also be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is to be taken as encompassing the scope of the appended claims and all equivalents thereof. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements throughout the several views.

[0025] Hereinafter, various preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to easily implement the invention.

[0026] Structure of an exterior member

[0027] Before discussing the structure of a fastening assistance means 200, the structure of an exterior member 100 to which the fastening assistance means 200 is to be coupled will first be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The exterior member 100 is a type of component that constitutes an apparatus such as a robot, and may refer to a component that is placed on the outermost side of the apparatus.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, at least a part of the top surface of the exterior member 100 may be formed in a smooth shape, and may not include any structures for fastening to another component.

[0029] Further, referring to FIG. 2, at least one structure for fastening to another component (e.g., a target component 400 to be described later) may be formed on the bottom surface of the exterior member 100, unlike the top surface. The structure formed on the bottom surface of the exterior member 100 as above may be referred to as a fastening unit 110, which may correspond to a part to which the fastening assistance means 200 is coupled.

[0030] More specifically, the fastening unit 110 may be formed in a shape generally similar to a circle when viewed from the top (i.e., the top relative to the bottom surface of the exterior member 100), and a groove 111 may be formed at the upper end of the edge thereof. Here, the groove 111 is a part with which an engagement unit 220 of the fastening assistance means 200 is engaged, and at least a part of the groove 111 may be formed in a concave shape corresponding to the engagement unit 220 of the fastening assistance means 200.

[0031] Further, referring to FIG. 3, a protrusion 112 may be formed at the inner side of the groove 111 (or the central part of the fastening unit 110). The protrusion 112 may correspond to a part that is inserted into a hollow of the fastening assistance means 200. Another component inserted into the hollow of the fastening assistance means 200, i.e., a fixing member 300 may be coupled to the protrusion 112. To this end, a part to which the fixing member 300 is coupled may be formed at the protrusion 112. For example, this part may be formed in a shape that allows the protrusion 112 and the fixing member 300 to be coupled to each other in a male-female manner, wherein the protrusion 112 may function as a female screw and the fixing member 300 may function as a male screw. Here, each of the protrusion 112 and the fixing member 300 may not be threaded, but may be threaded as necessary. Meanwhile, the fixing member 300 may be formed in a shape at least partially similar to a conventional screw or bolt, and may include a head 310 corresponding to a part that is not substantially coupled to the protrusion 112.

[0032] Although the exterior member 100 has been described as above, it is noted that the structure, shape, and the like of the exterior member 100 may be diversely changed according to the shape of the apparatus.

[0033] Structure of the fastening assistance means

[0034] Hereinafter, the structure of the fastening assistance means 200 will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8B. Referring to FIG. 4, the fastening assistance means 200 may comprise a main body unit 210, an engagement unit 220, a handle unit 230, and a support unit 240.

[0035] First, the main body unit 210 is a part corresponding to the main body of the fastening assistance means 200, and may be formed as a hollow structure. Specifically, referring to FIGS. 5 A and 5B, the main body unit 210 may be formed in a shape similar to a hollow cylinder, so that a hollow having a predetermined diameter may be formed therein.

[0036] Here, referring to FIG. 6 together, the hollow may not be formed with the same diameter throughout a section al from a first point corresponding to a bottom center point of the main body unit 210 to a second point corresponding to a top center point of the main body unit 210, but may be formed with a different diameter with respect to a point (hereinafter referred to as a "third point") on a straight line connecting the first point and the second point. Specifically, the hollow may be formed with a first diameter in a section a2 from the first point to the third point, and may be formed with a second diameter greater than the first diameter in a section a3 from the third point to the second point.

[0037] Meanwhile, the diameter of the hollow in the section a2 from the first point to the third point of the main body unit 210 may correspond to the diameter of the protrusion 112 of the exterior member 100, and the diameter of the hollow in the section a3 from the third point to the second point may correspond to the diameter of the head 310 of the fixing member 300. That is, the protrusion 112 of the exterior member 100 may be inserted into the hollow from the bottom of the main body unit 210, and the fixing member 300 may be inserted into the hollow from the top of the main body unit 210. This is shown in FIG. 3, which is referred to in the course of discussing the structure of the exterior member 100.

[0038] Since the diameter of the head 310 of the fixing member 300 is greater than the diameter of the hollow in the section a2 from the first point to the third point, the head 310 of the fixing member 300 is caught at the third point when the fixing member 300 is inserted into the hollow from the top of the main body unit 210. Here, the protrusion 112 of the exterior member 100 may be formed with a height equal to or greater than the height of the section a2 from the first point to the third point, so that the fixing member 300 may be fixedly coupled to the protrusion 112 in a male-female manner as described above, when the protrusion 112 and the fixing member 300 are inserted into the hollow from the bottom and top of the main body unit 210, respectively. Further, since the head of the fixing member 300 is caught at the third point as described above, the main body unit 210 may also be consequently coupled to the exterior member 100 by means of the fixing member 300. However, since the fixing member 300 is fixedly coupled to the protrusion 112 but not to the main body unit 210 in the above case, the main body unit 210 may be coupled to the exterior member 100 such that the main body unit 210 may be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the exterior member 100.

[0039] Next, the engagement unit 220 may be formed at a lower part of a lateral side of the main body unit 210. Specifically, the engagement unit 220 may be formed in a pair, which may be formed at lower parts of the left and right sides of the main body unit 210, respectively.

[0040] More specifically, each of the engagement units 220 may comprise a first engagement unit 221 and a second engagement unit 222. Here, the first engagement unit 221 may be formed in a shape extending in a left or right direction with respect to the front side of the main body unit 210, and the second engagement unit 222 may be formed in a shape extending in a direction from a lower part of the first engagement unit 221 toward the ground.

[0041] Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 7 to 8B, the second engagement unit 222 may be formed spaced apart from the main body unit 210 by a predetermined distance, so that at least a part of the lower end of the second engagement unit 222 may contact the upper end of the edge of the fastening unit 110 when the protrusion 112 of the exterior member 100 is inserted into the main body unit 210. At this time, the second engagement unit 222 may be engaged with the groove 111 formed at the upper end of the edge of the fastening unit 110. In the case where the second engagement unit 222 is disengaged from the groove 111, the main body unit 210 may be rotated clockwise with respect to the exterior member 100 so that the second engagement unit 222 may be engaged with the groove 111 (see the change from FIG. 8 A to FIG. 8B). Here, a right protrusion Illa of the groove 111 may be configured to be sloped, in which case at least a part of the lower end of the second engagement unit 222 may be configured to be correspondingly sloped. By configuring each of the right protrusion Illa of the groove 111 and the second engagement unit 222 to be sloped as above, it is possible to easily engage the second engagement unit 222 with the groove 111 with less force when the main body unit 210 is rotated clockwise. Meanwhile, in the case where the second engagement unit 222 is engaged with the groove 111, the second engagement unit 222 may be disengaged from the groove 111 when the main body unit 210 is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the exterior member 100 (see the change from FIG. 8B to FIG. 8A).

[0042] Next, like the engagement unit 220, the handle unit 230 may be formed in a pair, which may be formed on the left and right sides of the main body unit 210, respectively.

[0043] Further, at least a part of the handle unit 230 may be formed in a shape extending in a left or right direction with respect to the front side of the main body unit 210. Due to the characteristics of the shape, the handle unit 230 may facilitate hand operation of the fastening assistance means 200 (e.g., rotating the main body unit 210 with respect to the exterior member 100).

[0044] In addition, referring again to FIG. 6, the handle unit 230 may be formed to face the engagement unit 220 at a position spaced apart from the engagement unit 220 by a predetermined distance above the engagement unit 220 (specifically, the top surface of the first engagement unit 221) on a lateral side of the main body unit 210. As the handle unit 230 is formed to face the engagement unit 220, a predetermined space S may be formed between the engagement unit 220 and the handle unit 230. A target component 400 to which the exterior member 100 is to be fastened may be mounted in the space S formed as above. Here, the target component 400 may refer to a component provided in or constituting the interior of the apparatus, and the specific process of mounting the target component 400 in the space S will be discussed later.

[0045] Next, the support unit 240 may be formed to protrude from a region in a lateral side of the main body unit 210 including a lower part of the lateral side. Specifically, the region where the support unit 240 is formed in the main body unit 210 may include a point on the lateral side of the main body unit 210 that is positioned to face a predetermined point on the edge of the fastening unit 110 when the main body unit 210 is coupled to the exterior member 100. The support unit 240 formed as above may prevent the main body unit 210 from being loose relative to the fastening unit 110 by reducing a gap that occurs between the main body unit 210 and the edge of the fastening unit 110 when the main body unit 210 is coupled to the exterior member 100.

[0046] Process of fastening the exterior member to the target component using the fastening assistance means

[0047] Before discussing the process of fastening the exterior member 100 to the target component 400 using the fastening assistance means 200, the structure of the target component 400 will first be discussed with reference to FIG. 9.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 9, at least one hole 410 may be formed in the target component 400. The hole 410 may be formed such that a length wl of a horizontal part is different from a length w2 of a vertical part. Specifically, the length Wl of the horizontal part of the hole 410 may be greater than an overall width of the fastening assistance means 200 (w3 in FIG. 4) including the left and right handle units 230, while the length w2 of the vertical part of the hole 410 may be less than the overall width of the fastening assistance means 200 (w3 in FIG. 4) including the left and right handle units 230. Due to the shape of the hole 410 formed as above, the fastening assistance means 200 may be passed through the hole 410 only when the left and right handle units 230 of the fastening assistance means 200 are aligned with the horizontal part of the hole 410.

[0049] The process of fastening the exterior member 100 to the target component 400 using the fastening assistance means 200 will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 10A to 11, on the basis of the structure of the target component 400.

[0050] First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the fastening assistance means 200 is rotatably coupled to the exterior member 100 using the fixing member 300, and the engagement unit 220 of the fastening assistance means 200 is disengaged from the groove 111 of the exterior member 100. Further, the fastening assistance means 200 is passed through the hole 410 in a state in which the left and right handle units 230 of the fastening assistance means 200 are aligned with the horizontal part of the hole 410 formed in the target component 400. At this time, only the handle units 230 are passed through the hole 410 and the engagement unit 220 is not passed through the hole 410.

[0051] Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the main body unit 210 is rotated clockwise with respect to the exterior member 100 so that the engagement unit 220 is engaged with the groove 111. As a result, the target component 400 is mounted in the space S (see FIG. 6) formed between the engagement unit 220 and the handle units 230, and the exterior member 100 is fastened to the target component 400 by means of the space S.

[0052] Consequently, the exterior member 100 may be fastened to the target component 400 using the fastening assistance means 200, as shown in FIG. 11. ft is noted that FIG. 11 shows a part of the apparatus for ease of illustration, and the exterior member 100 having various structures or shapes may be placed throughout the outer side of the apparatus, rather than only a part of the outer side of the apparatus, and may be fastened to the target component 400 using the fastening assistance means 200.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described above in terms of specific items such as detailed elements as well as the limited embodiments and the drawings, they are only provided to help more general understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, ft will be appreciated by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that various modifications and changes may be made from the above description.

[0054] Therefore, the spirit of the present invention shall not be limited to the abovedescribed embodiments, and the entire scope of the appended claims and their equivalents will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A fastening assistance means, comprising: a main body unit rotatably coupled to an exterior member; an engagement unit formed at a lower part of a lateral side of the main body unit and configured to be engaged with or disengaged from a groove formed at the exterior member in response to the main body unit being rotated with respect to the exterior member; and a handle unit formed to face the engagement unit at a position spaced apart from the engagement unit by a predetermined distance above the engagement unit on the lateral side of the main body unit, wherein the exterior member is capable of being fastened to a target component by means of a space formed between the engagement unit and the handle unit.

2. The fastening assistance means of Claim 1, wherein a hollow is formed inside the main body unit, and the main body unit is coupled to the exterior member using a fixing member inserted into the hollow.

3. The fastening assistance means of Claim 2, wherein a protrusion of the exterior member is formed at an inner side of the groove and inserted into the hollow from a bottom of the main body unit, and the fixing member is inserted into the hollow from a top of the main body unit.

4. The fastening assistance means of Claim 3, wherein in a state in which the protrusion and the fixing member are inserted into the hollow, the fixing member is fixedly coupled to the protrusion but not to the main body unit, so that the main body unit is rotatably coupled to the exterior member.

5. The fastening assistance means of Claim 1, wherein the engagement unit and the handle unit are formed in a pair, respectively.

6. The fastening assistance means of Claim 1, wherein the handle unit is passed through a hole formed in the target component and the engagement unit is not passed through the hole in a state in which the engagement unit is disengaged from the groove, and then the main body unit is rotated with respect to the exterior member so that the engagement unit is engaged with the groove, thereby fastening the exterior member to the target component.