CN110878784A

CN110878784A - Fastening clip

Info

Publication number: CN110878784A
Application number: CN201811032597.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘卫斌; 余海杰
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 2018-09-05
Filing date: 2018-09-05
Publication date: 2020-03-13

Abstract

The application provides a fastening clip, including the clamp body, clamp body and tongue, the clamp body includes: the front end of the first retaining arm and the front end of the second retaining arm are connected with the end part of the clamp body and comprise a head part, a first tail part and a second tail part, the tongue part is arranged between the two retaining arms, the first tail part and the second tail part of the tongue part are respectively connected with the rear ends of the first retaining arm and the second retaining arm, and the tongue part extends towards the end part of the clamp body; the fastening clip provided by the present application further includes a projection provided on an inner side of the respective front ends of the first and second retaining arms, or on an outer side of the head of the tongue.

Description

Fastening clip

Technical Field

The present application relates to a fastening clip, and more particularly to a fastening clip for securing a first portion to a second member.

Background

In the automotive industry, it is necessary to secure some additional components to the body of the vehicle, which can be connected by a fastening clip. In some places, a fastening clip made of metal is used, and the fastening clip has two parts that are fixed to the additional member and the vehicle body, respectively.

Disclosure of Invention

The inventors of the present application have found that, with the above-described fastening clip made of metal, undesirable noise may occur in some cases, and further found that the noise is generated due to shaking or movement of an additional member fixed to the fastening clip, causing a part of the fastening clip connected thereto to collide or contact with another part of the fastening clip. It is therefore an object of the present application to improve a fastening clip to reduce the generation of noise.

The present application provides a fastening clip, wherein the fastening clip includes:

a clip body, the clip body comprising:

an end of the clip body;

a first retaining arm and a second retaining arm, the first retaining arm and the second retaining arm being disposed opposite one another;

a front end of the first holding arm and a front end of the second holding arm are connected with the clip body end, and the first holding arm and the second holding arm extend obliquely outward from the respective front ends thereof, respectively,

the first and second retaining arms each have a bend, the first and second retaining arms each extending obliquely inwardly from their respective bends toward their respective rear ends;

a tongue portion including a head portion and first and second tail portions, the tongue portion being disposed between the two retaining arms, the first and second tail portions of the tongue portion being connected to rear ends of the first and second retaining arms, respectively, and the tongue portion extending toward the clip body end; and

a projection provided inside the respective leading ends of the first holding arm and the second holding arm, or provided outside the head of the tongue.

As described above, the tongue portion further includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall disposed opposite to each other, the front end of each of the first sidewall and the second sidewall is connected to the head portion, the first sidewall and the second sidewall extend from the front end toward the rear end thereof, the rear end of each of the first sidewall and the second sidewall is connected to the first tail portion and the second tail portion, respectively, and a cavity is formed between the first sidewall and the second sidewall.

The fastening clip as described above, the head of the tongue portion is adjacent to the front end of the first retaining arm and the front end of the second retaining arm.

In the fastening clip described above, the projection is provided inside the respective front ends of the first holding arm and the second holding arm, and is provided as a rib extending in the extending direction of the first holding arm and the second holding arm.

In the above-described fastener clip, the projection is provided inside the respective front ends of the first holding arm and the second holding arm, and is provided as one projection or a plurality of projections distributed along the extending direction of the first holding arm and the second holding arm.

In the fastening clip described above, the first and second holding arms are metal plates, and the projecting portions are formed by punching the first and second holding arms.

The fastening clip as described above, the clip body end portion being split type, including a first clip body end portion and a second clip body end portion, the first clip body end portion and the second clip body end portion being connected to the front end of the first holding arm and the front end of the second holding arm, respectively.

In the above-described clip, the projection is provided on the outer side of the head portion of the tongue portion, and the projection is provided as a rib extending in the extending direction of the tongue portion, or the projection is provided as one projection or a plurality of projections distributed in the extending direction of the tongue portion.

The fastening clip as described above, which is integrally formed from a single metal plate.

The fastening clip as described above, said metal plate comprising zinc.

The fastening clip provided by the application can reduce or eliminate noise which can be generated in the using process while the two components can be stably connected.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a fastening clip of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the fastening clip shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the fastening clip of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening clip of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view of another embodiment of the fastening clip of the present application;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial view of yet another embodiment of a fastening clip to which the present application is directed;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial view of yet another embodiment of a fastening clip according to the present application.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It should be understood that although directional terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like may be used herein to describe various example structural portions and elements of the application, these terms are used herein for convenience of description only and are to be determined based on the example orientations shown in the drawings. Because the embodiments disclosed herein can be arranged in a variety of orientations, these directional terms are used for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a fastening clip of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the fastening clip 100 includes a clip body 101 and a tongue 102 connected to the clip body 101. The clip body 101 has a clip body end 108, and first and second opposed retaining

arms

105, 106. The tongue 102 is located between a first retaining arm 105 and a second retaining arm 106 of the clip body 101.

The front end 151 of the first retaining arm 105 is connected to the clip body end 108 and the rear end 154 of the first retaining arm 105 is connected to the tongue 102. The first retaining arm 105 has an outwardly projecting fold 153 between the front end 151 and the rear end 154. The first retaining arm 105 extends from the front end 151 toward the bent portion 153 and extends from the bent portion 153 toward the rear end 154. Similarly, a forward end 161 of second retaining arm 106 is coupled to clip body end 108 and a rearward end 164 of second retaining arm 106 is coupled to tongue 102. The second retaining arm 106 has an outwardly projecting bend 163 between the front end 161 and the rear end 164. Second retaining arm 106 extends obliquely outward from front end 161 toward bend 163 and obliquely inward from bend 163 toward back end 164.

Tongue 102 includes a head 121, a first sidewall 123, a second sidewall 124, a first tail 125, and a second tail 126. The front ends 131, 132 of the first and

second sidewalls

123, 124, respectively, are connected to the head 121, and the first and

second sidewalls

123, 124 extend from their

respective front ends

131, 132 toward their respective

rear ends

134, 135. The

rear ends

134, 135 of the first and

second sidewalls

123, 124 are connected to the first and

second tail portions

125, 126, respectively. The first and

second tail portions

125, 126 are connected to the

rear ends

154, 164 of the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106, respectively. The first side wall 123 and the second side wall 124 form a cavity 180 therebetween for receiving a connected member. The inner sides of the first and

second sidewalls

123 and 124 are further provided with a plurality of locking legs 190, and the plurality of locking legs 190 are formed by extending from the inner sides of the first and

second sidewalls

123 and 124 to incline toward the receiving cavity 180. The locking leg 190 is used to engage with the connected component to prevent the connected component from falling off.

Tongue 102 extends toward the clip body end 108. Head 121 of tongue 102 is curved and configured to allow first sidewall 123 and second sidewall 124 to deflect toward and away from each other. The tongue head 121 is located between the leading

ends

151, 161 of the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106 and is adjacent to the tongue head 121 adjacent to the leading

ends

151, 161 of the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106. The tongue head 121 is spaced a distance from the

forward ends

151, 161 of the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106 to facilitate deflection of the first and

second side walls

123, 124 away from each other to facilitate installation and use of the fastening clip 100.

The clip body 101 also includes a first transition 158 and a second transition 168. First tail portion 125 of tongue 102 is connected to rearward end 154 of first retaining arm 105 by a first transition 158, and second tail portion 126 of tongue 102 is connected to rearward end 164 of second retaining arm 106 by a second transition 168. The first transition 158 and the second transition 168 are curved and configured to allow the tongue 102 to deflect relative to the first 105 and second 106 retaining arms of the clip body 101.

A projection 111 is provided inside the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106. The projection 111 is a rib continuously extending along the extending direction of the first and second holding

arms

105 and 106. The width of the ribs is between 0.1 and 2 mm. In the present embodiment, the projection 111 is formed by punching the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106, and in other embodiments, the projection 111 may be a bar-like member that is connected to the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106.

As also shown in fig. 1, the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106 of the clip body 101 have a width that gradually widens from their

front ends

151, 161 toward their

rear ends

154, 164. The width of first and

second sidewalls

123, 124 of tongue 102 is approximately the same as the widest width of first and second retaining

arms

105, 106.

In the embodiment of the fastening clip shown in fig. 1, the first retaining arm 105 extends obliquely outward from the front end 151 to the bent portion 153, the second retaining arm 106 extends obliquely outward from the front end 161 to the bent portion 163, so that the clip end 108 forms a gradually expanding taper to the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163, the top end of the clip end 108 is set in a circular arc shape, and the clip end 108, the front end 151 of the first retaining arm 105 and the front end 161 of the second retaining arm together form a guide portion for guiding the fastening clip 100 to be inserted into a hole of a component to be fixed. The clip end 108 is a split structure including a first clip end 181 and a second clip end 182. One ends of the first and second clip ends 181, 182 are connected to the front ends 151, 161 of the first and second retaining

arms

105, 106, respectively. The gap between the free ends of the first clip end 181 and the second clip end 182 facilitates the shrinkage deformation of the clip 100 during insertion into the hole and also facilitates the manufacturing process. In other embodiments, the clip end 108 may also be one-piece, and the clip end 108 may also be flat or pointed.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the fastening clip shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2, the first and second holding

arms

105 and 106 of the clip body 101 are symmetrically disposed with respect to the center line 170 of the fastening clip 100. First side wall 123 and second side wall 124 of tongue 102 are also symmetrically disposed relative to centerline 170 of fastener clip 100.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the fastening clip shown in fig. 2. Fig. 3 more clearly shows that the projection 111 projects from the inside of the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106.

The fastening clip 100 provided by the present application has a certain elasticity, can deform to a certain extent when receiving an external force, and recovers to its original shape when the external force disappears. Specifically, the

bent portions

153 and 163 of the fastening clip 100 can be inwardly contracted when an inward external force is applied thereto, so that the fastening clip can be installed in a position to be installed, and when the external force is removed, the

bent portions

153 and 163 are restored to their original shapes, so that the fastening clip is fixed and cannot be removed from the installation position. The fastening clip 100 is integrally formed by a sheet of metal through stamping, bending, shearing and other processes, and is low in manufacturing and processing cost and beneficial to mass production. The metal material from which the fastening clip 100 is made typically includes zinc, and particularly the surface of the fastening clip typically has a zinc-containing coating to prevent rusting of the fastening clip 100.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the fastening clip shown in figure 1 in use. The use of the fastener 100 will now be described with reference to figure 4.

As shown in fig. 4, the fastening clip 100 is used to connect a first component 401, which is typically an interior trim, e.g., a panel, a frame, etc., to a second component 402, which is typically a vehicle body panel. The first part 401 has an insertion portion 403, and the insertion portion 403 can be inserted into the fastening clip 100. The second part 402 has a hole 404, and the fastening clip 100 can be inserted into the hole 404. When the fastener is used, the insertion part 403 of the first component 401 is inserted into the cavity 180 of the tongue 102 of the fastening clip, and the clamping leg 190 enters the insertion part 403 to prevent the insertion part 403 from falling off from the cavity 180. The fastening clip 100 connected with the insertion portion 403 is then inserted into the hole 404 of the second member 402. The width L2 of the hole 404 is less than the maximum width L1 between the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 when the fastening clip 100 is not subjected to an external force. During the insertion process, the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 contact the edge of the hole 404, and then are subjected to a force applied by the edge of the hole 404, so that the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 are deformed and shrunk inwards. When the shrinkage of the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 is such that the width between the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 is smaller than the width L2 of the hole 404, the width L2 of the hole 404 can pass through the hole 404 and reach the mounting position. At this time, the external force disappears, the clip 100 returns to its original shape, and the bent portion 153 and the bent portion 163 are blocked by the edge of the hole 404. Since the width of the first and second retaining

arms

105 and 106 between the

bent portion

153 and 163 and the

rear end

154 and 164 is greater than the width between the

bent portion

153 and 163 and the front end 151/161, the fastening clip 100 is not easily removed from the hole, and the first and

second members

401 and 402 are fixedly connected.

When the mounting of the fastening clip 100 is completed, the first part 401 is fixed relative to the second part 402. However, during use, tongue 102 may move as first member 401 is moved by an external force, and head 121 of tongue 102 may contact front end 151 of first retaining arm 105 or front end 161 of second retaining arm 106, which contact may cause friction and thus generate noise, especially when the metallic material surface of the fastener contains zinc. In the present application, since the protruding portion 111 is provided inside the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106, the outer side of the head 121 of the tongue 102 can be in contact with only the protruding portion 111, and cannot be in contact with other portions of the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106. Therefore, the contact area of the head 121 of the tongue 102 with the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106 is small, so that noise can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

Fig. 5 to 7 are enlarged partial views of three other embodiments of the fastening clip of the present application, which are similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, except for the arrangement position or configuration of the projections. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the projection 111 is provided inside the first and second holding

arms

105, 106 of the clip body 101 and is provided as a rib continuously extending in the extending direction of the first and second holding

arms

105, 106, whereas in the three embodiments shown in fig. 5 to 7, the projection has either a configuration different from that of fig. 1 or an arrangement position different from that of fig. 1.

The embodiment shown in fig. 5 differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 1 in that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the projections 511 are provided inside the first and second holding

arms

105, 106 and are provided as a plurality of bumps distributed along the extending direction of the first and second holding

arms

105, 106. The projections 511 in the embodiment shown in fig. 5 function the same as the projections 111 in the embodiment shown in fig. 1. Specifically, when the head 121 of the tongue 102 comes into contact with the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106, only the plurality of projections with the projections 511 are brought into contact, and the other portions of the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106 are not brought into contact. Therefore, the contact of the head 121 of the tongue 102 with the front end 151 of the first holding arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second holding arm 106 has a small contact area, so that noise can be reduced. It should be noted that the technical effect of the present application can be achieved by disposing a bump at a proper position, which requires that the bump be disposed at a position where contact is most likely to occur more precisely.

The embodiment shown in fig. 6 differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 1 in that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the projection 611 is provided outside the head 121 of the tongue 102 and is provided as a rib extending continuously in the extending direction of the tongue 102. Similarly, when the outer side of head 121 of tongue 102 is in contact with front end 151 of first retaining arm 105 and/or front end 161 of second retaining arm 106, only projection 611 on head 121 can be in contact with front end 151 of first retaining arm 105 and/or front end 161 of second retaining arm 106. And thus also has a smaller contact area, so that noise can be reduced.

The embodiment shown in fig. 7 differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 1 in that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the protrusion 711 is provided on the outer side of the head 121 of the tongue 102 and is provided as a plurality of bumps distributed along the extending direction of the tongue 121. Similarly, when the outer side of the head 121 contacts the front end 151 of the first retaining arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second retaining arm 106, only the plurality of raised points of the raised portion 711 on the head 121 can contact the front end 151 of the first retaining arm 105 and/or the front end 161 of the second retaining arm 106. And thus also has a smaller contact area, so that noise can be reduced. Similarly, a bump may be placed at a suitable location to achieve the technical effect of the present application, which requires that the bump be placed more precisely at the location where contact is most likely to occur.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A fastening clip, characterized in that the fastening clip comprises:

a clip body (101), the clip body (101) comprising:

a clip body end (108);

a first retaining arm (105) and a second retaining arm (106), the first retaining arm (105) and the second retaining arm (106) being oppositely disposed;

a front end (151) of the first retaining arm (105) and a front end (161) of the second retaining arm (106) are connected with the clip body end (108), and the first retaining arm (105) and the second retaining arm (106) extend obliquely outward from their respective front ends (151, 161), respectively,

the first retaining arm (105) and the second retaining arm (106) each having a fold (153, 163), the first retaining arm (105) and the second retaining arm (106) each extending obliquely inwardly from their respective folds (153, 163) towards their respective rear ends (154, 164);

a tongue (102), the tongue (102) comprising a head (121) and a first tail (125) and a second tail (126), the tongue (102) being arranged between the two retaining arms (105, 106), the first and second tails (125, 126) of the tongue (102) being connected to the rear ends (154, 164) of the first and second retaining arms (105, 106), respectively, and the tongue (102) extending towards the clamp body end (108); and

a projection provided inside the respective front ends (151, 161) of the first and second holding arms (105, 106) or outside the head (121) of the tongue (102).

2. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the tongue (102) further comprises a first side wall (123) and a second side wall (124) arranged opposite to each other, wherein the front ends (131, 132) of the first side wall (123) and the second side wall (124) are connected with the head (121), the first side wall (123) and the second side wall (124) extend from the front ends (131, 132) of the first side wall and the second side wall towards the rear ends (134, 135) of the first side wall and the second side wall, respectively, the rear ends (134, 135) of the first side wall (123) and the second side wall (124) are connected with the first tail (125) and the second tail (126), respectively, and a cavity is formed between the first side wall (123) and the second side wall (124).

3. The fastener clip of claim 2, wherein:

the head (121) of the tongue (102) is adjacent to the front end (151) of the first retaining arm and the front end (161) of the second retaining arm.

4. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the projection is provided inside the respective front ends (151, 161) of the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106), and is provided as a rib extending in the extending direction of the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106).

5. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the projection is arranged inside the respective front ends (151, 161) of the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106) and is arranged as a bump or a plurality of bumps distributed along the extension direction of the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106).

6. The fastener clip of claim 4 or 5, wherein:

the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106) are metal plates, and the projections are formed by punching the first holding arm (105) and the second holding arm (106).

7. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the clip end (108) is split, comprising a first clip end (181) and a second clip end (182), the first clip end (181) and the second clip end (182) being connected to the front end (151) of the first retaining arm (105) and to the front end (161) of the second retaining arm (106), respectively.

8. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the protrusion is arranged outside the head (121) of the tongue (102) and is arranged as a rib extending in the direction of extension of the tongue (102), or as one bump or several bumps distributed in the direction of extension of the tongue (102).

9. The fastener clip of claim 1, wherein:

the fastening clip is integrally formed from a metal plate.

10. The fastener clip of claim 9, wherein:

the metal plate contains zinc.