JP2597288B2 - T nut - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a hollow shaft portion and a flange portion extending outward from one end of the shaft portion, wherein a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow shaft portion, and the flange portion is provided. The present invention relates to a T nut provided with a claw.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various designs of T nuts, and most of them have the following configuration. That is, the T-nut includes a shaft portion made of an integral metal material and a flange portion extending outward from a first end of the shaft portion. The shaft portion has a hollow cylindrical shape, and a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. Further, the flange is provided with a claw so as to protrude toward a second end opposite to the first end of the shaft.

[0003] Such a T-nut is fixed to an object to be fixed by inserting a shaft into a hole provided in advance in an object to be fixed such as wood and driving a claw into the object to be fixed. You. In addition, the T nut may be of a type having a portion that is to be swaged at the end of the shaft portion opposite to the side on which the flange portion is provided, and in this case, as described above, Into the object to be fixed, and caulking so as to widen the portion to be caulked on the surface opposite to the surface on which the flange portion is located of the object to be fixed, so that the T nut is fixed to the object to be fixed. Fixed. As described above, when the T nut is fixed to the object to be fixed, rotation of the T nut is prohibited, and a screw member such as a bolt is screwed into a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion. Can be combined.

[0004]

As described above, a hole is provided in advance in the object to be fixed, and then the step of inserting the shaft of the T-nut into the hole is adopted. Therefore, the hole and the T-nut must be aligned with relatively high accuracy. For this reason, relatively high precision is required in automatic machines.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to increase the size of the hole provided in the object to be fixed in order to reduce the accuracy of the above-described positioning. The problem is that rattling can occur.

In any case, the operation of fixing the T-nut to the object to be fixed requires an operation of providing a hole in the object to be fixed in advance. Conventionally, such holes are formed by drilling or punching. However, the step of providing such holes in advance is an obstacle to increasing the efficiency of the work of fixing the T nut to the object to be fixed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a T-nut which does not require a hole in the object to be fixed in advance, and can form a hole simultaneously with driving of the T-nut into the object to be fixed. It is to be.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a shaft portion made of an integral metal material and a flange portion extending outward from a first end of the shaft portion, wherein the shaft portion has a hollow cylindrical shape. And an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof, and a flange is provided on the flange so as to protrude toward a second end opposite to the first end of the shaft. It is turned to the T nut.

When such a T-nut is driven into an object to be fixed at the same time as the T-nut is driven into the object to be fixed, the hole is formed in the object to be fixed by punching as described above. It is fully guaranteed that it is possible. The formation of the hole by the T nut itself has never been performed. However,
When a hole is formed in the object to be fixed by driving the T-nut itself, there is an unfavorable situation in which the material existing in the hole portion of the object to be fixed, that is, the punch residue enters the inside of the hollow shaft portion. Such punch debris must be removed to prevent threaded members such as bolts from screwing into the T-nut. However, when the punch residue has penetrated into the valley of the internal thread on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion, it is not easy to remove such punch residue.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a cap fitted to the second end of the shaft is attached so as to close an opening of the second end of the shaft. The cap applied to the present invention has a cylindrical portion fitted around the outer periphery of the second end portion of the shaft portion, and covers the opening at the second end portion of the shaft portion continuous with the cylindrical portion, An opening shielding portion having a concave shape depressed inward of the shaft portion from the second end portion.

[0011]

When the T-nut according to the present invention is driven into an object to be fixed, the shaft portion is propelled in the object to be fixed with its second end side leading. At this time, since the cap is attached to the second end portion, it is possible to prevent the punch residue from entering the shaft portion. Further, when the T-nut protrudes inside the fixed object, the cap comes into direct contact with the fixed object, and the opening shielding portion of the cap is recessed from the second end of the shaft to the inside of the shaft portion. Because of the concave shape, the periphery of the opening shielding portion has a shape protruding in a ring shape, and this portion serves as a cutting blade, and is easily bitten into a fixed object. As a result, at the same time as the T-nut is driven into an object to be fixed having no pilot hole, the pilot hole is formed relatively easily.

The cap can be easily removed by pressing a suitable tool against the shaft from the first end side. Of course, if the cap does not cause any trouble in the use state of the T-nut, it may be left as it is.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the step of driving the T-nut into the object to be fixed and simultaneously forming the hole for receiving the shaft portion without forming a hole in the object to be fixed is a problem. Can be adopted without. Therefore, T
The work of fixing the nut to the object to be fixed can be made more efficient. Also, unlike the related art, there is no problem with the alignment between the hole and the T-nut.

According to the present invention, since the hole for receiving the shaft is formed by driving the T-nut, the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the hole and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft can be minimized. T
It is possible to obtain a fixed state of the nut.

Further, the cap used in the present invention is:
It has an edge suitable for punching because it has an opening shielding portion that shields the opening at the second end of the shaft portion and has a concave shape recessed inward of the shaft portion from the second end of the shaft portion. Therefore, the hole can be formed more smoothly when the T-nut is driven into the fixed object having no prepared hole.

[0016]

1 to 3 show a T-nut 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a bottom view, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view.

The T-nut 1 is integrally obtained by, for example, sheet-metal working of an iron-based metal plate, and includes a shaft portion 2 and a flange portion 3 extending outward from a first end of the shaft portion 2. Is provided.

The shaft 2 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and a female screw 4 is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The flange 3 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four claws 5 so as to protrude toward a second end opposite to the first end. These claws 5 are formed, for example, by cutting and raising each part of the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 3.

In such a T nut 1,
A cap 6 fitted to the second end of the shaft 2 is attached so as to close the opening at the second end of the shaft 2. The cap 6 is made of any material such as metal and resin. In this embodiment, the cap 6 is attached so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the second end of the shaft 2. In this mounting state, the inner diameter of the cap 6 is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 2, and is maintained by friction between the two. Further, the opening shielding portion of the cap 6 for shielding the opening at the second end of the shaft portion 2 has a higher effect than the second end portion of the shaft portion 2 in order to enhance the punching effect when driving the T nut. By forming a concave shape depressed inward, the periphery has an edge shape protruding in a ring shape. Such a T-nut 1 is fixed to a fixing target 7 made of, for example, wood through the steps shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Such a T-nut 1 is, for example, shown in FIG.
Through the steps shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 5, it is fixed to the fixing object 7 made of, for example, wood.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, a punch 8 is arranged above an object 7 to be fixed, and the T nut 1 is held by the punch 8. The T-nut 1 is oriented such that the side to which the cap 6 is attached faces the object 7 to be fixed.
A pressing surface 9 facing the flange 3 is formed on the punch 8, and a gap is formed between the pressing surface 9 and the flange 3 in the state shown in FIG. 4. On the other hand, the fixing object 7 is placed on the die 10. The die 1 has a cavity 1 at a position corresponding to the shaft 2 of the T nut 1.
1 are formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the punch 8 is lowered. As a result, the annularly projecting periphery of the opening shielding portion of the cap 6 first bites into the object to be fixed, and the shaft portion 2 and the cap 6 protrude inside the object to be fixed 7 to form the hole 12 therein. At some point during such an operation, the punch 8 separates the cap 6 from the shaft 2, and when the through hole 12 is formed, the separated cap is moved downward through the cavity 11 together with the punch residue 13. Is discharged. Further, the pressing surface 9 of the punch 8 presses the flange portion 3 downward, and the claw 5 is driven into the fixed object 7. In this way, the T nut 1 is
Fixed to

It should be noted that the punch residue 13 is prevented from entering the shaft portion 2 by the cap 6 in the step of driving the T-nut 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a T-nut 21 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The T-nut 21 includes a shaft 22 and a shaft 22 similar to the T-nut 1 described above.
And a flange portion 23 extending outward from the first end of the flange.

The shaft portion 22 has a hollow cylindrical shape,
At the second end opposite to the end of
And on the inner peripheral surface excluding the portion 24 to be swaged,
An internal thread 25 is formed.

A plurality of, for example, two claws 26 formed by crushing a part of the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 23 from the outside to the inside are formed on the flange portion 23.
Is provided so as to protrude toward the second end.

A cap 2 fitted to the second end of the shaft 22 so as to close the opening at the second end of the shaft 22.
7 is attached.

The step of driving the T nut 21 into the object to be fixed is performed in substantially the same manner as that shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, caulking is applied to the portion to be caulked 24, and a caulked portion 24a is formed on the surface of the fixing object 28 opposite to the surface on which the flange portion 23 is located. .

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the T-nut 21 is driven into the fixing object 28 until the flange portion 23 is also embedded in the fixing object 28, as shown in FIG. Thus, only the claws 26 may be embedded in the fixation target 28. The degree of such embedding can be variously changed depending on the material of the fixing object 28 or the driving force.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the flange portion and the shape of the claw of the T nut can be arbitrarily changed.

The shape of the cap may be changed in various ways, for example, the shape may be such that a sharper edge is formed downward.

FIG . 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 described above.
You. In the T nut 1a shown in FIG.
Individual claws 5 are provided.

The T nut 1b shown in FIG .
Feed T nut "
When fixing the simple T nut 1b to the object to be fixed,
A plurality of T nuts 1b are provided along the supply track 14 as shown.
Can move smoothly and supply these automatically
You. The T-nut 1b has a rectangular flange portion 3.
The two pairs of claws 5 are opposed to each other in the radial direction of the flange portion 3.
Be placed.

The T nut 1c shown in FIG .
-Feed T nut ". This T
G 1c is compared with the T nut 1b shown in FIG.
The difference is that a jagged shape is given to the shape.
Also, a radial direction orthogonal to the radial direction in which the two pairs of claws 5 face each other.
A second claw 5a is provided at each position facing the direction.
Have been. These claws 5 a are located on one side of the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 3.
Formed by crushing the part from the outside to the inside
It is.

The T-nut 1d shown in FIGS. 11 and 12
Is also a type of “hopper feed T nut”
You. The flange portion 3 provided on the T nut 1d has an arc shape.
Has a polygonal shape having sides extending to
Is provided with two pairs of claws 5. Each of the claws 5 is
The flange 3 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the outer peripheral edge of the flange 3, but before the claws 5 are cut and raised, the flange 3 has a substantially circular shape. As shown by a broken line in FIG. 11, the T nut 1d has a portion 15 to be swaged and a female screw forming portion 16 in the shaft portion 2, similarly to the T nut 21 shown in FIG.

Further, the shape of the cap may be variously changed, for example, the shape may be such that a sharper edge is formed downward, or the second portion of the shaft portion may be simply formed.
May be shaped so as to only have a function of closing the opening at the end.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the above-described embodiment, the cap 6 was removed during the operation of driving the T-nut 1. However, the removal of the cap 6 is performed by the driving operation. After that, it may be performed as a separate step.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a T-nut 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the T nut 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the T nut 1 shown in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before fixing the T-nut 1 shown in FIG. 1 to an object 7 to be fixed.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the T-nut 1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a T-nut 21 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the T-nut 21 shown in FIG. 6 is fixed to an object 28 to be fixed.

FIG. 8 shows a T-nut 1 according to still another embodiment of the present invention .
It is a bottom view which shows a.

FIG. 9 shows a T-nut 1 according to still another embodiment of the present invention .
It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of b from below.

FIG. 10 shows a T-nut according to still another embodiment of the present invention .
It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of 1c from below.

FIG. 11 shows a T-nut according to still another embodiment of the present invention .
It is a front view which shows 1d.

12 is a bottom view of the T nut 1d shown in FIG.
You.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d , 21 T nut 2, 22 Shaft 3, 23 Flange 4, 25 Female screw 5, 26 Claw 6, 27 Cap 7, 28 Fixing target

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A shaft portion made of an integral metal material and a flange portion extending outward from a first end portion of the shaft portion, wherein the shaft portion has a hollow cylindrical shape, and A female nut is formed on a peripheral surface, and the flange portion is provided with a claw so as to protrude toward a second end portion opposite to the first end portion of the shaft portion. A cap is detachably attached to a second end of the shaft, and the cap has a cylindrical portion fitted around the outer periphery of a second end of the shaft, and a cap connected to the cylindrical portion and having the shaft. A T-nut, which has an opening shielding portion that shields an opening at a second end portion and that has a concave shape recessed inward of the shaft portion from the second end portion of the shaft portion.