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US 6,658,714 B2Granted
Compliant clamping mechanism for accurate alignment of a group of miniature parts
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsYouping Mei, Lance Eugene Stover, Jianxin Zhu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clamping apparatus for holding elements includes a first spring member and a second spring member. The first spring member has a rigid portion that applies the majority of force to the elements. The second spring member is attached to the first spring member. The second spring member is more flexible than the first spring member. The second spring member has a structure that accommodates dimensional variations in elements held by the clamping member.
Claims24
A clamping apparatus for holding elements comprising:
- a first stage spring, the first stage spring including a rigid portion that applies the majority of force to a second stage spring within the first stage spring;
- the second stage spring attached to the first stage spring and being more flexible than the first stage spring , the second stage spring having a plurality of flexible structures to physically hold the plurality of parts.
A clamping apparatus comprising:
- a flexible portion for holding a part and accommodating differences in dimension of the part;
- and
- a rigid portion, wherein the rigid portion has a substantially rectangular frame and a first opening therein, the first opening dimensioned to surround the flexible portion, a connecting portion for connecting the flexible member to the rigid portion, and a second opening formed by spacing the flexible member from the rigid frame.
A clamping apparatus for holding an element comprising:
- a first stage spring having at least one portion defining an opening;
- a second stage spring connected to the first stage spring, wherein the second stage spring comprises a plurality of interconnected flexible beams structured to hold a plurality of parts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.