# US 2025/0092901 A1 · Fixing method

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- Number: US 2025/0092901 A1
- Document ID: US20250092901A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/809,429
- Filed: 2024-08-20
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2023-09-15
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kohei HISADA; Takashi SAKUI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250092901A1

## CPC

- F16B 19/02: Bolts or sleeves for positioning of machine parts, e.g. notched taper pins, fitting pins, sleeves, eccentric positioning rings
- F16B: DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING (couplings for transmitting rotation F16D)

## Abstract

A fixing method capable of preventing first and second members from being damaged when the first and second member are fixed to each other with pins is provided. A fixing method includes an alignment step of aligning a plurality of holes formed in the first member with a plurality of corresponding holes formed in the second member, an insertion step of inserting an expandable pin into each of a plurality of pairs of holes each of which consists of one of the holes of the first member and one of the holes of the second member aligned with each other, and a correction step of correcting misalignment between the holes of the first member and the holes of the second member by expanding the expandable pins, and maintaining a positional relationship between the first and second members.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fixing method for fixing a first member and a second member to each other with pins, comprising:
an alignment step of aligning a plurality of holes formed in the first member with a plurality of corresponding holes formed in the second member;
a first insertion step of inserting an expandable pin into each of a plurality of pairs of holes each of which consists of one of the holes of the first member and one of the holes of the second member aligned with each other; and
a correction step of correcting misalignment between the holes of the first member and the holes of the second member by expanding the expandable pins, and maintaining a positional relationship between the first and second members.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fixing method according to claim 1, wherein when each of the first and second members includes at least three holes, the fixing method further comprises a fixing step of repeating a second insertion step, the second insertion step being a step of contracting one of the expandable pins, pulling out the contracted expandable pin from its corresponding pair of holes, and inserting a fixing pin in this pair of holes in a state in which one of the other expandable pins or a fixing pin has been inserted in each of the other pairs of holes.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fixing method according to claim 1, wherein the correction step comprises simultaneously expanding the expandable pins inserted into the respective pairs of holes, and successively stopping the expansions of the expandable pins starting from an expandable pin inserted in a pair of holes formed in the first and second members of which misalignment has been corrected.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The fixing method according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of each of the expandable pins can be increased.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The fixing method according to claim 1, wherein
an outer diameter of a part of the expandable pin having a largest diameter in a state in which the expandable pin is contracted is smaller than diameters of the holes of the first and second members, and
an outer diameter of a part of the expandable pin having a largest diameter in a state in which the expandable pin is expanded is equal to or larger than the diameters of the holes of the first and second members.