CN114502469B - Device for tensioning a cable tie apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for tensioning a cable belt includes a housing, a drive assembly, a capstan, and an optional cutting device. The drive assembly includes a drive member and a driven member slidably coupled to the drive member. The biasing element is connected between the driving member and the driven member and in the first mode of operation the driving member slightly causes movement of the driven member or no relative movement between the two members. The capstan is rotatably connected to the housing and includes a clamping device to clamp the cable tie and wind the cable tie around an outer surface of the capstan as the capstan rotates. In the second mode of operation, tension greater than the biasing force exerted on the winch by the cable tie allows relative movement between the driving member and the driven member.

Description

Device for tensioning a cable tie apparatus

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 16/201,650, filed on even 27 at 11.2018, which is a non-provisional application requiring priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/703,993, filed on even 27 at 7.2018, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/590,845, filed on even 27 at 11.2017, each entitled "apparatus for tensioning a cable tie device," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the installation of cable ties, and more particularly to an apparatus for tensioning a cable tie device.

Background

Cable ties may be used in a variety of applications. Modern cable ties are typically a thin, relatively flat, woven or braided cord, commonly referred to as a "tape", the filaments of which may be made of nylon, polyester or aramid fiber or the like, and may be impregnated with a coating to enhance specific performance characteristics. However, a disadvantage of cable ties is that they are often manually bundled together in a costly, labor intensive and time consuming process. Because of these problems, several attempts have been made to automate the cable tie and tensioning process.

One such device for automatic knotting is described in U.S. patent No. 6,648,378. The described apparatus includes an automatic knotting apparatus for knotting discrete knots around a workpiece, such as a wire harness. The device works by pulling the ribbon transversely around the work piece and winding the filaments around the work piece. The shuttle moves the filament between the carrier rings and along the workpiece in the appropriate steps and the plurality of hooks pulls the filament off the workpiece in the appropriate steps. This is done by tightening, cutting and reloading, so that the resulting knot is discrete and secure. At least one disadvantage of the described apparatus is that it requires a complex mechanism to wind and tie knots around the workpiece.

In yet another example, international application No. PCT/US2012/044413 describes a hand-held tool for tensioning and severing cable ties. The apparatus includes a reciprocating tensioning mechanism, such as a pawl link, for tensioning the cable tie tail, a locking mechanism to prevent further tensioning when a preselected level of tension is reached in the tie tail, and a severing device for severing the tie tail from the tie head when installed.

Another example is U.S. patent No. 9,701,428, which discloses an apparatus for tensioning a material, the apparatus comprising a housing, a spur shaft (spur shaft) interconnected with the housing, a trigger operatively connected to the housing and the spur shaft to effect translation of the spur shaft when the trigger is operatively moved, a tensioning device mounted to the housing and operatively connected to the spur shaft such that translation of the spur shaft causes operation of the tensioning device, and a passageway having an inlet and an outlet, the passageway operatively connecting the inlet and the outlet to the tensioning device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view of an exemplary apparatus for tensioning a cable tie apparatus disclosed herein.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device with a portion of the housing removed.

Fig. 3A is an enlarged side view of the tensioning assembly of the device of fig. 1, showing the mechanism during normal operation.

Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the tensioning assembly of fig. 3A.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the tensioning assembly of the apparatus of FIG. 1, showing the assembly during an exemplary cutting operation.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an example winch assembly for use in the example apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the example winch assembly of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the example winch assembly of FIG. 5, showing relative rotational displacement between the inner winch and the outer winch.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the example winch assembly of FIG. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a front portion of the example apparatus of fig. 1, showing the apparatus mated with an example cable tie.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view of the front portion of the example apparatus of fig. 1, showing the apparatus mated with an example cable tie.

FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating the example winch assembly of FIG. 5, the example winch assembly being in a neutral configuration, with the cable tie positioned therein.

FIG. 12 is a side view similar to FIG. 11 showing the example winch assembly in an inclined position, with the cable tie retained therein.

FIG. 13 is a side view of an exemplary apparatus for tensioning a cable tie apparatus, including an extension spring mechanism, as shown in FIG. 1.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of another example of a nose piece of the example apparatus of fig. 1, showing the apparatus mated with an example cable tightening device.

Fig. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the example nose piece of fig. 14, showing the device mated with the example cable tightening apparatus.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged detail view of the example nose piece of fig. 14.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the example nose piece of FIG. 14, showing the nose piece mated with the example cable tightening device.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the example nose piece of FIG. 14, showing the nose piece fully mated with the example cable tightening device.

Fig. 19 is a photograph showing another configuration of the example nose bridge of fig. 14.

Detailed Description

The following disclosure of example methods and apparatus is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to the precise form or forms detailed herein. Rather, the following disclosure is intended to be illustrative so that others may follow its teachings.

U.S. patent application publication No. 2015/0267844 and U.S. patent No. 9,682,806, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, both generally disclose cable ties for holding multiple objects together. The disclosed cable tie apparatus generally includes a head assembly and a length of cable tie that may be retained by the head assembly when the retaining device is activated. In the disclosed example apparatus, the free end of the cable tie is guided (typically by hand) through an opening in the head around the retainer, which can be driven from the unlocked position to the locked position by pulling the free end of the cable tie with sufficient force.

In at least some cases, an exemplary cable lacing tie device includes a length of braided aramid fiber tape having an elastomeric coating attached to a polymeric fastener. Although the free end must be activated with sufficient force to actuate the retainer, such strap materials are difficult to grasp by hand and difficult to grasp mechanically with standard camming action of existing tie guns due to the coating as a dry lubricant and the abrasive nature of the aramid fibers.

It has been found that the change in direction, wrapping and/or folding of the lace (lace) facilitates gripping, thereby allowing the tool to establish tension in the lace. This tension is required to activate the retainer in the fastener head and to activate the cutting action in the tool linkage, if any.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an exemplary apparatus 10 for tensioning an exemplary cable tie apparatus, such as cable tie apparatus 5 (see fig. 9, showing apparatus 5 without an associated strap). As described herein, the example apparatus 10 tensions the cable tie device 5 to an appropriate predetermined tension and, once the predetermined tension is reached, optionally cuts the free end of the cable tie.

The exemplary device 10 includes a generally shaped housing 12 in the form of a pistol (pistol) or gun (gun) having a clamp 13, trigger 14, and barrel 16. In this example, the forward end of the barrel portion 16 includes an exposed winch assembly 17, which will be disclosed in further detail below. As shown in fig. 2, one side wall 12a of the housing 12 has been cut away to show the other housing side wall 12b and internal components and the tensioning assembly 22 of the device 10.

Referring to fig. 2, the exemplary device 10 generally includes a manual actuation mechanism (e.g., trigger 14) and a tensioning assembly 22 that generally reciprocates to operate the winch assembly 17, but actuates the cutting head 24 once a predetermined tension is reached. The tensioning assembly 22 is mounted within the barrel portion 16 of the housing 12.

Referring to fig. 2-4, the exemplary tensioning assembly 22 includes a gear 26, the gear 26 being rotatably connected to the housing 12 about an axis 27 in the direction of arrow B. The trigger 14 is pivotally connected to the housing 12 and is operable in the direction of arrow a to rotate the gear 26 within the housing 12. The gear 26 includes a drive gear portion 28 and a reciprocating gear portion 30. The drive gear portion 28 is operatively connected to the trigger 14. The reciprocating gear portions 30 are connected to respective gear transmission members. Thus, movement of the gear 26 in either direction of arrow B causes reciprocation of the inner plate 32 in the direction of arrow C.

In this example, the driving member is an inner plate 32. It will be appreciated that the drive member may be any suitable element (including, for example, a single element such as a plate, shaft) or other suitable member. Additionally, while the drive member is an "inner" plate in this example, the term is for ease of understanding, and it should be understood that the relative positions (inner, outer, etc.) are merely exemplary, and that the drive member may be located in any suitable orientation and/or relative position with respect to any other element in the device 10.

The exemplary inner plate 32 is operatively connected to a driven member, such as an outer plate assembly 34. As with the drive member, it should be appreciated that the driven member may be any suitable element (including, for example, a single element such as a plate, shaft, or other suitable member). Additionally, while the driven member is an "outer" plate assembly in this example, this term is also for ease of understanding, and it should be understood that the relative positions (inner, outer, etc.) are merely exemplary, and that the driven member may be positioned in any suitable orientation and/or relative position with respect to any other element in the device 10.

The example outer plate assembly 32 includes a pair of outer plates 34a, 34b. In this example, the inner plate 32 includes a pair of pins 36, the pair of pins 36 extending through respective slots 38 defined in each outer plate 34a, 34b. The two outer plates 34a, 34b are connected to each other by various links including links 35, 37, 39 and 41 to receive the inner plate 32 in the groove 38 with the pin 36. Thus, the inner plate 32 may move, e.g., slide longitudinally relative to the outer plates 34a, 34b.

In the example shown, the relative movement between the inner and outer plates 32, 34a, 34b is controlled by a biasing element such as a coil spring 40. More specifically, the example coil spring 40 extends between a first pair of shoulders 42a, 42b formed on the inner plate 32 and a second pair of shoulders 44a, 44b formed on each outer plate 34a, 34b. In this arrangement, longitudinal movement of the inner plate 32 in the direction of arrow S (see fig. 3A) will cause the coil spring 40 to resist compression and transfer force to the outer plate assembly 34 with little or no relative movement between the inner plate 32 and the outer plate assembly 34.

The end of the outer plate assembly 34 opposite the shoulders 44a, 44b includes ratchet teeth 48 connected to the assembly 34. In this example, spur gear 48 is connected to the assembly by a connecting rod 35. As the outer plate assembly 34 reciprocates with the inner plate 32, the spur gear 48 also reciprocates in the same manner. When the spur tooth 48 moves, the ratchet engages the rotatably mounted winch assembly 17 by means of a corresponding circumferentially arranged ratchet or pawl (dogs), which is not visible and is therefore not shown. Thus, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, during normal operation of the apparatus 10 (i.e., when the winch assembly 17 is under little or no torsional load), reciprocation of the inner plate 32 will cause the outer plate assembly 34 to move with the inner plate 32 and thus cause rotational movement of the winch assembly 17.

Referring to fig. 5-8 and 11-12, winch assembly 17 is shown in detail. The example assembly generally includes an inner winch 50 and an outer winch 52. However, it should be understood that the winch assembly may be one or more integrated or discrete elements, including a single winch, as desired. However, in this example, inner winch 50 is rotatably connected to housing 12, and as described above, is operatively connected to spur gear 48 for rotation in the direction of arrow D. The outer winch 52 simultaneously circumferentially surrounds the inner winch 50 and is rotatable about the inner winch 50. In this example, the relative movement between the inner winch 50 and the outer winch 52 is limited by the arrangement of the pin 54 and the slot 56. Although outer winch 52 may be independently rotatable relative to the tool, outer winch 52 is only free to move independently a predetermined angular amount relative to inner winch 50 before inner winch 50 and outer winch 52 engage and rotate together with each other.

Inner capstan 50 and outer capstan 52 each include a slit 60 transverse to the axis of rotation that defines a plurality of fingers 58. In this example, each finger 58 includes a chamfered surface 62 proximate the slit 60 to facilitate insertion of the cable tie 200 into the slit 60. As in the position of fig. 5 and 6, the inner winch 50 and the outer winch 52 are rotatably arranged such that the slits 60 are aligned. In the position of fig. 7 and 8, the outer winch 52 has been rotated relative to the inner winch 50 such that the slit 60 is slightly misaligned.

As best seen in fig. 11 and 12, the tie 200 is placed within the winch assembly 17 into the aligned slot 60. When winch assembly 17 is rotated (fig. 12), outer winch 52 rotates relative to inner winch 50 to misalign slit 60, thereby sandwiching strap 200 between inner winch 50 and outer winch 52, thereby preventing the strap from backing out of winch assembly 17. Thus, further rotation of the winch assembly 17 causes the strap 200 to wrap around the outer peripheral surface of the outer winch 52, as the strap 200 is securely clamped between the two winches.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the tie 200 may be secured in any suitable manner without having to be held by "clamping", including for example, friction fit or other suitable holding means. Further, in this example, the location and size of the pins and slots may be varied as desired, and may be located on either of the two winches or may be removed entirely. It will also be appreciated that the manner in which the relative movement between the winches is restricted (if so restricted) may be different from that shown.

As previously disclosed, during normal operation (e.g., the first mode of operation), the reciprocating movement of the inner plate 32 is combined with the movement of the outer plate assembly 34 and causes the winch assembly 17 to rotate. As the tie 200 is wound around the outer winch 200 and the device 5 is pressed against the housing 12 (see fig. 9 and 10), tension builds up on the tie 200. Further attempts to rotate capstan assembly 17 as tension increases have resulted in a force being generated in coil spring 40. At a predetermined tension, the resistance against rotational movement of capstan assembly 17 is greater than the force exerted between inner plate 32 and outer plate assembly 34 by the coil spring, such that outer plate assembly 34 is no longer moving within the housing and coil spring 40 compresses. Thus, in this second mode of operation, the inner plate 32 moves relative to the fixed outer plate assembly 34.

In the example shown, relative movement between the inner plate 32 and the outer plate assembly 34 results in initiation of a second mode of operation action, e.g., initiation of an audible, visual indicator or cutting action, e.g., actuation of the optional cutting head 24. As shown in fig. 4, the inner plate 32 is connected to the pivot rod 70 via a linkage assembly 72. The link 72 is connected to the outer plate assembly 34 at the link 37. Thus, movement of the inner plate 32 causes the pivot rod 70 to move in the direction of arrow E. Also shown in fig. 4 is a cutting bar 74. During normal operation (fig. 3A; first mode of operation), the cutting bar is not engaged. However, during relative movement between the plates 32 and 34 (fig. 4; second mode of operation), the pivot lever 70 pivots into engagement with the cutting lever 74 and with corresponding ratchet wheels 76a, 76b on each of the pivot lever 70 and the cutting lever 74, the cutting lever 74 moving toward the cutting head 24 and engaging the cutting head 24 to pivot the cutting head 24 in the direction of arrow F. Specifically, the cutting head 24 is pivotally mounted to the housing 12 about an axis 80 and includes a knife 82 that contacts and cuts the band 200. The cutting head 24 may be removable and/or replaceable as desired.

As shown in fig. 1 and 9-12, a nose piece (nose piece) 202 may be provided at the distal end of barrel portion 16. In this example, the nose piece 202 defines an aperture 204, and the cable tie 200 may pass through or around the aperture 204. The aperture 204 is also sized to receive the housing of the cable tie apparatus 5 to aid in the alignment of the device 10 and the cable tie apparatus 5.

As described in detail herein, in operation, the apparatus 10 is capable of applying a tensioning force to the free end of the cable tie 200 of the cable tie device 5. For example, in this example, the cable tie is fed through or around (e.g., underneath) the aperture 204 in the nose piece 200 and into the slot 60 in the winch assembly 17. The trigger 14 may then be actuated to translate the inner and outer plate assemblies 32, 34. The winch assembly 17 rotates with the outer plate assembly and the outer winch 52 and the inner winch 50 rotate to a misaligned position to clamp the tie 200 and wind the tie 200 around the outside of the winch assembly 17.

When the trigger 14, inner plate 32, outer plate assembly 34, and winch assembly 17 are repeatedly actuated, the cable tie 200 wraps around the outside of the winch such that the nose piece 202 abuts the cable tie device 5, thereby inducing tension in the cable tie 200. Once a predetermined tension is reached in the cable tie 200, the retainer 7 is activated within the cable tie device 5 and actuated to a locked position. In addition, the inner and outer plate assemblies 32, 34 are moved relative to one another to actuate the cutting head 24 to cut the tie 200 to the proper size and remove any excess strap. As a result, the device 10 will tension and firmly actuate the apparatus 5 and further cut off the excess tape from the free end 100.

It will be appreciated that the cutting head 24 may be biased to a position in which it does not contact the tie 200 during normal operation of the device 10. It will be further appreciated that the predetermined tension may be selected, controlled and/or otherwise adjusted or varied in any suitable manner, including by varying the spring constant of the biasing element, varying the distance between the shoulder of the inner panel and the outer panel assembly, or other suitable manner. In at least one example, the force associated with the coil spring 40 may be selectively adjusted by any suitable adjustment mechanism to vary the biasing force applied by the spring 40 to the inner and outer plates 32, 34.

Referring now to fig. 13, another example apparatus 10' is shown. In this example, the device 10' utilizes a plurality of extension springs 1300, which are opposite to the coil springs 40 but otherwise operate on the same principle of operation. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that any suitable biasing mechanism may be employed to prevent relative movement between the inner plate 32 and the outer plate assembly 34 until a predetermined tension is reached.

In this example, the linkage is linearized so that the input compression force remains consistent throughout the tool handle travel. The linear link and the tension link for blade cutting act in opposite directions. In addition, the headgear automatically aligns (see fig. 9-10) the head to ensure that the force applied to the strap is perpendicular to the fastener, thereby keeping the pin activation consistent.

Referring now to fig. 14-19, another exemplary nose piece 202' is shown. While the nose piece 202 is sufficient for its intended purpose, in some cases the nose piece 202 may be rotated about the face of the cable tie apparatus 5 to achieve alignment between the nose piece 202 and the cable tie apparatus 5. For example, in some applications where the cable tightening device 5 is used to bundle "slippery" wires, or when the operator misaligns the apparatus 10, the nose piece 202 may slip and/or slip relative to the cable tightening device 5, thereby causing the operator to have to realign and repeat the tightening process.

To address these situations, the example nose piece 202' defines the same aperture 204, the aperture 204 being sized to accommodate the housing of the cable tightening device 5. However, the nose piece 202 'includes a pair of opposing tabs 1410a, 1410b that further align the nose piece 202' and align it with the housing of the cable tightening device 5. The protrusions 1410a, 1410b include ends that extend from the aperture. In this example, the protrusions 1410a, 1410b are laterally spaced apart to form a channel and allow the cable tie 200 to pass therethrough.

More precisely, as shown, the example housing of the cable tie device 5 includes an undercut 1710 (see fig. 17), and the protrusions 1410a, 1410b extend into the undercut 1710 to rotate, align and/or position the housing as needed and prevent any sliding and/or movement of the nose piece 202' relative to the housing. Thus, the protrusions 1410a, 1410b help secure and retain the cable tie 200 by preventing back pressure and by creating a constant set of forces during the securing process, thereby ensuring consistent pin locking.

Fig. 19 shows another exemplary nose piece 202 "including a hole 204, the hole 204 having a single tab 1410b' mounted thereto.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that the amount of force generated by the clamping action between the inner and outer capstans may be varied as desired by optimizing any of a variety of variables that affect the "grip" strength of the clamp, such as the rotational difference between the inner and outer capstans, and the distance between the inner and outer capstans surfaces relative to the thickness of the belt, the surface material composition (e.g., friction characteristics), and/or any other characteristics.

Although certain example methods and apparatus have been disclosed herein, the scope of protection of this patent is not limited in this respect. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims (19)

1. An apparatus for tensioning a cable belt, comprising:

a housing;

a drive member reciprocally translatably connected to the housing;

an actuator operatively connected to the housing and the drive member to reciprocate the drive member;

a driven member connected to the drive member and translatable within the housing;

a biasing element connected to the driving member and the driven member to apply a biasing force between the driving member and the driven member such that the driving member moves to effect translation of the driven member with little or no relative movement between the driving member and the driven member in the first mode of operation;

a winch assembly having inner and outer winches rotatably connected to the housing, the inner and outer winches being provided with slits transverse to the axis of rotation, the slits being misaligned to clamp the cable tie in response to rotational movement between the inner and outer winches;

a nose piece is connected to one end of the housing and includes an aperture and at least one tab that mates with the housing.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion comprises two laterally offset protrusions.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the laterally offset tab defines a channel to allow the cable strap to pass therethrough.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing has an undercut formed therein, the at least one protrusion including an end extending from the aperture to mate with the undercut formed in the housing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the winch assembly has a clamping device to clamp the cable strap and wind the cable strap around an outer surface of the winch assembly as the winch assembly rotates.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a ratchet spur gear connected to the driven member and operatively connected to the winch assembly to rotate the winch assembly when the driven member translates within the housing.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the driving member and the driven member are each plates.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a trigger pivotally connected to the housing, and wherein pivotal movement of the trigger reciprocally translates the drive member.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner capstan and the outer capstan include chamfered surfaces adjacent the slit to guide the cable strap into the slit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the second mode of operation, tension on the winch assembly by the cable tie that is greater than the biasing force allows relative movement between the driving member and the driven member.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cutting device comprising a pivot rod, a cutting rod proximate the pivot rod, a linkage assembly, and a cutting head rotatably connected to the housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pivot rod is operatively connected to the driving member and the driven member via a linkage assembly, the pivot rod moving to engage the cutting rod and, in response thereto, the cutting rod causing the cutting head to rotate.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the cutting bar has ratchet teeth positioned to engage the pivot bar.

14. An apparatus for tensioning a cable belt, comprising:

a housing;

a drive member reciprocally translatably connected to the housing;

an actuator operatively connected to the housing and the drive member to reciprocate the drive member;

a driven member connected to the drive member and translatable within the housing;

a biasing element connected to the driving member and the driven member to apply a biasing force between the driving member and the driven member such that the driving member moves to effect translation of the driven member without relative movement between the driving member and the driven member;

a winch assembly having inner and outer winches rotatably connected to the housing, the inner and outer winches being provided with slits transverse to the axis of rotation, the slits being misaligned to clamp the cable tie in response to rotational movement between the inner and outer winches;

a nose piece connected to the housing.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the nose piece includes an aperture and at least one tab cooperatively connected to the housing and positioned to prevent rotation of the nose piece relative to the housing.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the at least one protrusion comprises a pair of opposing protrusions.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the housing has an undercut formed therein, the at least one protrusion including an end extending from the aperture to mate with the undercut formed in the housing.

18. An apparatus for tensioning a cable belt, comprising:

a housing;

a driving member connected to the housing;

an actuator operatively connected to the housing and the drive member to move the drive member;

a driven member connected to the drive member and translatable within the housing;

a winch assembly having inner and outer winches rotatably connected to the housing, the inner and outer winches being provided with slits transverse to the axis of rotation, the slits being misaligned to clamp the cable tie in response to rotational movement between the inner and outer winches; and

a nose piece having an aperture and at least one tab connecting the nose piece to the housing.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the housing has an undercut formed therein, the at least one projection including an end extending from the aperture to mate with the undercut formed in the housing.