CN219067389U - Clamping device and electrical device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present utility model relates to a clamping device and an electrical device. A clamping device comprising: a body having a through hole through which the wire passes, wherein a cavity is formed in the body, and a sidewall of the through hole communicates with the cavity; a compression structure comprising: a fixing member having a screw hole, a bolt including a screw rod and a bolt head having a notch, the screw rod being configured to have a screw thread to be fitted with the screw hole, and a U-shaped member having a first leg portion, a second leg portion, and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion connects the first leg portion and the second leg portion, the second leg portion having a slot, wherein the bolt head passes through the slot of the second leg portion, and an end of the screw rod remote from the bolt head abuts against the first leg portion; wherein the hold-down structure is accommodated in the cavity of the body such that the securing member is secured in the cavity, the first leg being located at the junction of the cavity and the through hole, wherein the U-shaped member is configured to move towards the direction of the through hole via screwing in of the bolt. The clamping device disclosed by the utility model is simple in adjustment process and can provide better clamping performance.

Description

Clamping device and electrical device

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to clamping devices and electrical devices.

Background

Electrical devices such as electrical switches or electrical sockets require clamping means for the wires to prevent the wires from falling out of the electrical device or shorting to other components of the electrical device. The clamping devices currently available on the market often require two or more screw fastening elements to clamp the wire, the adjustment process is cumbersome and the service life is short.

There is a need for an improved clamping device and an electrical device comprising such a clamping device.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides an improved clamping device and corresponding electrical device.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a clamping device includes: a body having a through hole through which the wire passes, wherein a cavity is formed in the body, and a sidewall of the through hole communicates with the cavity; a compression structure comprising: a fixing member having a screw hole, a bolt including a screw rod and a bolt head having a notch, the screw rod being configured to have a screw thread to be fitted with the screw hole, and a U-shaped member having a first leg portion, a second leg portion, and a connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion connects the first leg portion and the second leg portion, the second leg portion having a slot, wherein the bolt head passes through the slot of the second leg portion, and an end of the screw rod remote from the bolt head abuts against the first leg portion; wherein the hold-down structure is accommodated in the cavity of the body such that the securing member is secured in the cavity, the first leg being located at the junction of the cavity and the through hole, wherein the U-shaped member is configured to move towards the direction of the through hole via screwing in of the bolt.

In one or more embodiments, the bolt further comprises a nut between the bolt head and the shank, the nut having a diameter greater than the diameter of the bolt head, the nut abutting against the second leg of the U-shaped member, wherein the U-shaped member is further configured to be driven by the nut to move in a direction away from the through hole via unscrewing of the bolt.

In one or more embodiments, the cavity also has a slot therein for receiving the fastener.

In one or more embodiments, the entrance end of the slot also has an opening having a width that is greater than the thickness of the securing member.

In one or more embodiments, the opening has a ramp adapted to guide the fastener into the slot.

In one or more embodiments, the first leg further has a step for supporting the bolt.

In one or more embodiments, the connection portion also has a window aligned with the step.

In one or more embodiments, the surface of the sidewall of the first leg facing the through hole has at least one protrusion, which is a stripe-shaped protrusion perpendicular to the wire direction.

In one or more embodiments, the surface of the sidewall of the first leg facing the through hole has at least one protrusion thereon, which is a punctiform protrusion.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an electrical device includes a clamping device according to one or more of the foregoing embodiments.

At least a part of the foregoing problems may be solved and corresponding effects achieved by using embodiments according to the present disclosure. The clamping element disclosed by the disclosure uses only one bolt to fix the wire, and the adjusting process is simple; the supporting force provided by the fastener directly acts on the lead, so that better clamping performance can be provided; and can realize the multiple times of clamping and release to the wire through adjusting bolt's reciprocating motion, improved clamping device's life.

Drawings

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a clamping device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a clamping device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the pressing structure;

fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the fixture;

fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a bolt;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show perspective views of a U-shaped piece;

fig. 7A shows a perspective view of the first leg of the U-shaped piece, and fig. 7B-7D show schematic views of the protrusions on the outer surface of the first leg facing the side wall of the through hole; and

fig. 8 shows a schematic view of the inside of the cavity of the clamping device.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that similar components or functional kits may be identified in the drawings using the same reference numerals. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting. Those skilled in the art can derive alternative solutions from the following description without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The present disclosure relates generally to a clamping device. Clamping devices are commonly used in electrical devices such as electrical switches or electrical sockets. A plurality of different kinds of wires, such as power lines, signal transmission lines, etc., are generally included in such an electric device, and various metal elements or terminals are also included in the electric device. In order to prevent wires in an electrical device from influencing each other or other metal elements with terminals, one or more clamping devices are provided in the electrical device. The clamping device not only can be used for tensioning the wire to prevent the wire from being short-circuited or otherwise failed due to contact with other elements or the wire, but also can be used for keeping the wire in a fixed position so as to be convenient for use in wiring in the future.

Fig. 1 illustrates a top view of a clamping device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. One clamping device 100 of the present disclosure includes a body 1 (which is a part of the body of an electrical device 1000), the body 1 having a through hole 2 for a wire to pass through, and for ease of operation, a main functional structure of the clamping device is disposed adjacent to the through hole 2. In order to accommodate the hold-down structure in the clamping device, the body 1 is further formed with a cavity 3 adjacent to the through hole 2, the cavity 3 being in communication with the side wall of the through hole 2 so that the hold-down structure can penetrate from the cavity into the through hole 2. Although the cavity 3 is shown as a rectangular aperture in the figures, in other embodiments the cavity 3 may have other shapes. The design of integrating the clamping device and the electric device in the disclosure can effectively reduce the production cost in mass production, and the internal space of the electric device is saved due to the fact that the clamping device and the electric device share the main body part. The specific structure of the clamping device 100 is illustrated in detail in fig. 2.

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a clamping device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The clamping device 100 further comprises a clamping structure 4 for clamping the wire against the inner wall of the hole 2. The hold-down structure 4 is accommodated in the cavity 3 and is movable into the bore 2. In operation, the hold-down mechanism 4 moves in the direction of the hole 2, and the front end of the hold-down mechanism 4 abuts against the wire to hold the wire down on the inner wall of the hole 2. For better compression of the wire, the compression structure 4 may have a friction increasing design on the outer surface facing the inside of the bore, the details of which will be described in detail below.

The compression structure 4 comprises a fixing 5, a bolt 6 and a U-shaped piece 7, which can be assembled together to be integrally accommodated in the cavity 3. This design makes the installation simpler, and fault tolerance is high. As can be seen in fig. 2, the securing element 5 is secured in the cavity 3 such that the hold-down structure 4 does not disengage from the cavity 3 during operation. In one embodiment, the fixture may be removable from the cavity 3 to facilitate replacement of the compression structure 4. In one embodiment, the cavity 3 also has a slot 21 therein for facilitating the installation of the fixture 5. In one embodiment, the cavity 3 also has a slot on the side remote from the hole 2, making the insertion of the compression structure 4 easier, and during operation, the control of the clamping and release of the wire by the compression structure 4 can be achieved by an external tool extending into it without disassembling the electrical device 1000. The specific structure of the pressing structure 4 will be specifically described in fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the pressing structure 4. The compression structure 4 comprises a fixture 5 for fixing the compression structure 4 into the cavity 3, a bolt 6 for providing the required thrust to the movement of the compression structure 4 in the cavity 3 via an external tool, and a U-shaped piece 7 for directly compressing the wire. In one embodiment, the release of the wires without disassembling the electrical device 1000 may also be accomplished by the engagement of the bolts 6 with the U-shaped members 7. The specific structure of the fixing member 5, the bolt 6 and the U-shaped member 7 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4 to 6B.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the fixing element 5. The fixing member 5 is, for example, a rectangular fixing member for easy installation. In other embodiments, the mount 5 may have other shapes for certain non-standardized electronic devices. The fixing member 5 has a screw hole 8, the screw hole 8 being for screw-fitting with the bolt 6 to fix the position of the bolt 6 when the clamping device 100 is operated, and to prevent the bolt 6 from being removed from the clamping device 100.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the bolt 6. The bolt 6 comprises a screw head 9 and a screw 12. The bolt head 9 also has a slot 10 for screwing in or unscrewing the bolt 6 by means of an external tool. The slot 10 is shown in fig. 5 as a cross-shaped slot, but the slot 10 may be any other type of slot, such as a straight slot, star-shaped slot, etc., as desired. The screw 12 is provided with threads, and the screw 12 is in threaded fit with the screw hole 8 of the fixing piece 5. When the bolt 6 is mounted to the U-shaped member 7, the end of the threaded rod 12 opposite the bolt head 9 abuts against one side leg of the U-shaped member 7 for driving the U-shaped member 7 to move in the direction of the through-hole 2.

In one embodiment, the bolt 6 further comprises a nut 11 between the bolt head 9 and the shank 12, the nut 11 having a larger diameter than the bolt head 9. When the bolt 6 is mounted to the U-shaped piece 7, the nut 11 abuts against the other leg of the U-shaped piece 7 to drive the U-shaped piece 7 to move out of the through hole 2.

In one embodiment, the shank 12 is unthreaded on a portion near its end opposite the bolt head 9. This design prevents the friction movement of the screw thread against the inner wall of the U-shaped element 7 caused by the rotation of the screw during operation from damaging the U-shaped element 7.

Fig. 6A and 6B show perspective views of the U-shaped piece. As shown in fig. 6A, the U-shaped member 7 includes a first leg portion 13 and a second leg portion 14, and a connecting portion 15 that couples the two leg portions. In one embodiment, the width of the first leg 13 and the second leg 14 is set approximately smaller than the width of the cavity 3, so that the pinching structure 4 is prevented from moving laterally on the basis of being free to move in the vertical direction in the cavity 3, to avoid a reduction in the pinching effect. The second leg 14 also has a slot 16, the width of the slot 16 being larger than the diameter of the screw head 9, so that when the bolt 6 is mounted to the U-shaped piece 7, the bolt head 9 passes through the slot 16, exposing the slot 10, so that the screwing-in or unscrewing of the bolt 6 can be controlled by means of a tool from the outside of the clamping device 100. In one embodiment, when the bolt 6 is mounted to the U-shaped piece 7, the end of the threaded rod 12 remote from the bolt head 9 abuts against the first leg 13.

Since the compression structure 4 is back-off mounted into the cavity 3, a support for the support bolt 6 needs to be provided. Thus in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 6B, the first leg 13 of the U-shaped member 7 also has a step 17 for securing the bolt 6. When the press-on structure 4 is mounted back-off into the cavity 3 in the body 1 of the clamping device 100, the bolt 6 can be stably placed in the U-shaped piece 7 by means of the supporting force of the step 17 against the screw 12 and the supporting force of the inner wall of the slot 16 of the second leg 14 against the screw head 9 until the mounting is completed. Since the step 17 is an inwardly protruding structure, in one embodiment, as shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the connection portion 15 of the u-shaped member 7 also has a window 18 aligned with the step 17 for convenience in machining the step 17. During the machining process, the specific structure of the step 17 is molded through the window 18.

Referring also to fig. 6A and 6B, the outer surface 19 of the first leg 13 facing the through hole 2 is used to press the wire against the inner wall of the through hole 2. In contrast to conventional clamping designs that employ two bolts to connect the clamping members to indirectly apply a holding force to the conductor via the clamping members, the present disclosure provides a holding force provided by the bolts 6 directly to the conductor via the first leg 13 of the U-shaped member 7, thereby providing better clamping performance and being unaffected by the elastically deformed state of the clamping members. In one embodiment, for better compression of the wire, the outer surface 19 also has at least one protrusion 20 thereon for increasing the friction between the compression structure 4 and the wire.

The manner in which the hold-down structure is mounted will be further described below with reference to fig. 3. In the assembly process, in a first step, the bolts 6 are screwed into the fixing members 5. In a second step, the bolt head 9 is inserted into the slot 16 in the second leg 14 of the U-shaped element 7. In one embodiment, when the bolt 6 has a nut 11, the diameter of the nut 11 may be set larger than the width of the slot 16, so that when the bolt 6 is mounted, the nut 11 may abut against the inner wall of the second leg 14 to drive the U-shaped member 7 out of the through hole 2. In a third step, the end of the screw 12 remote from the screw head 9 is brought into abutment against the first leg 13 of the U-shaped element 7. In one embodiment, by abutting one end of the screw 12 against the first leg 13 of the U-shaped member 7 and the nut 11 against the second leg 14, the U-shaped member 7 and the bolt 6 can be moved synchronously, so that the tightening and releasing of the electric wire can be controlled by screwing and unscrewing the bolt with only one external tool, making the clamping operation simpler.

In one embodiment, when the first leg 13 of the U-shaped member 7 has a step 17, the step 17 supports the bolt 6 against removal during installation. And in a further embodiment the unthreaded design of the shank 12 on the portion near its end opposite the bolt head 9 prevents the threads from wearing the step 17.

The installation of the compression structure 4 into the cavity 3 will be described further below in connection with fig. 2. In one embodiment, the assembled compression structures 4 are back-fit into the cavity 3 such that the securing member 5 is secured into the cavity 3 via the slot 21 received into the cavity 3. When the hold-down structure 4 is received in the cavity 3, the first leg 13 of the U-shaped member 7 is located at the junction of the cavity 3 and the through hole 2.

When the hold-down structure 4 is accommodated in the cavity 3, the U-shaped member 7 can be reciprocated towards or away from the inner wall of the through hole 2 by screwing or unscrewing the bolt 6, as the fixing member 5 has been fixed into the cavity 3, thereby clamping the wire on the inner wall of the through hole 2 or releasing the wire from the inner wall of the through hole 2, respectively.

In one embodiment, for ease of installation, the width of the securing member 5 may be greater than the width of the U-shaped member so that when the compression structure 4 is back-fastened to the cavity 3, it is clear whether the securing member 5 is aligned with the slot 21 in the cavity 3.

The operation of the clamping device 100 will be described below in connection with fig. 2 and 3. When it is desired to clamp the wire, the screw 6 is screwed in through the slot 10 by an external tool, for example a screwdriver, the end of the screw 12 being abutted against the first leg 13 of the U-shaped piece 7 to drive the U-shaped piece 7 as a whole towards the side wall of the through hole 2 until the wire is pressed by the outer surface 19 of the first leg 13 of the U-shaped piece 7 or the projection 20 thereon. At this time, the position of the bolt 6 is fixed via the screw 12 in threaded engagement with the fixing member 5, and thus, the wire is fixed to the inside of the hole 2, thereby achieving the clamping effect.

In one embodiment, when the bolt 6 has a nut 11, the bolt 6 is screwed out through the slot 10 by an external tool, such as a screwdriver, the nut 11 of the bolt 6 abuts against the second leg 14 of the U-shaped piece 7 to drive the U-shaped piece 7 as a whole in a direction away from the side wall of the through hole 2, so that the press structure 4 exits the hole 2. The traditional pressing structure only has two states of screwing and unscrewing, when the pressing structure is unscrewed, the wire is released from the hole due to the loss of supporting force or friction force, but at the moment, the pressing structure of the traditional pressing structure is in the unscrewed state but does not exit the hole, so that on one hand, when the wire needs to be reinserted, the wire is blocked by the pressing structure which does not exit; on the other hand, the hole is partially occupied in diameter by the compression structure and is not fully utilized, so that the entire electrical device often needs to be disassembled for operation in order to reinsert the wire. The clamping device of the embodiment of the disclosure avoids the above-mentioned problems, and only one external tool is used for controlling the clamping and releasing of the wire through the screwing-in and screwing-out operations on the fixed position, so that the pressing structure 4 can fully withdraw from the hole 2, the operation difficulty is reduced, and the pressing structure 4 can repeatedly enter and withdraw from the hole 2 along with the screwing-in and withdrawing of the bolt 6 in the operation process, and the electrical equipment is not required to be disassembled and assembled, so that the service life of the clamping device is prolonged.

In one embodiment, to enhance the compression strength of the compression structure against the wire, protrusions 20 may be provided on the conductor facing surface 19 of the U-shaped member 7. This is described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 7A-7D.

Fig. 7A shows a perspective view of the first leg 13 of the U-shaped element 7. In fig. 7A, the outer surface 19 of the first leg 13 is used to press the wire against the inner wall of the through hole 2. In some embodiments, the outer surface 19 has at least one protrusion 20 for compressing the wire. The contact area between the U-shaped piece and the conductor is smaller by arranging the protrusion 20, so that the pressure intensity on the contact surface is improved under the condition of certain pressing force, the relative sliding between the outer surface 19 and the wire is reduced, and a more pressing effect is realized. The following figures 7B-7D illustrate different situations of the protrusion.

Fig. 7B-7D show schematic views of the protrusions 20 on the outer surface 19 of the first leg 13 facing the sidewall of the through hole 2. One or more protrusions 20 may be provided on the outer surface 19. For simplicity of processing, only one protrusion 20 may be provided, as shown in fig. 7B. To enhance the clamping effect, a plurality of protrusions 20 may be provided on the outer surface 19, as shown in fig. 7C. To protect the wire during clamping, a multi-point protrusion 20 may be used to increase the point of force applied to the wire by the U-shaped member, as shown in fig. 7D. In order to increase the friction force, various protrusion setting methods are possible.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic view in the cavity 3 of the clamping device 1. For ease of illustration, the bolts 6 and U-shaped members 7 are omitted from fig. 8, leaving only the fixing members 5. The cavity 3 has a slot 21 therein for securing the securing member 5. The fixing element 5 can be easily inserted into the groove 21 during assembly to effect the fixing of the clamping device 4, so that parts damaged during operation can be easily replaced.

In one embodiment, to more conveniently determine the insertion position of the fixing member 5, the slot 21 further includes an opening 22 at the entrance end having a width greater than the width of the fixing member 5, so that the fixing member 5 advances into the opening 22 having a larger space and then into the slot 21 when inserted. Further, for easier insertion of the fixing member 5, the opening 22 is also provided with a slope 23 for guiding the fixing member 5 for introducing the fixing member 5 from the opening 22 into the groove 21.

It is to be understood by persons skilled in the art that the above description has been provided for the purpose of illustration and not limitation. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced in other implementations that depart from these specific details. And unnecessary detail of known functions and structures may be omitted from the current description so as not to obscure the present disclosure.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the disclosure has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present disclosure. The following claims should in no way be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure to the specific embodiments described herein.

Claims (10)

1. A clamping device (100), characterized by comprising:

a body (1) having a through hole (2) through which a wire passes, wherein a cavity (3) is formed in the body (1), and a side wall of the through hole (2) communicates with the cavity (3);

compression structure (4), comprising:

a fixing member (5) having a screw hole (8),

bolt (6) comprising a shank (12) and a bolt head (9) with a slot (10), the shank (12) being configured with a thread cooperating with the threaded hole (8), and

u-shaped element (7) having a first leg (13), a second leg (14) and a connecting portion (15), wherein the connecting portion (15) connects the first leg (13) and the second leg (14), the second leg (14) having a slot (16),

wherein the bolt head (9) passes through a slot (16) of the second leg (14), an end of the threaded rod (12) remote from the bolt head (9) bearing against the first leg (13);

wherein the compression structure (4) is accommodated in the cavity (3) of the body (1) such that a securing element (5) is secured in the cavity (3), the first leg (13) being located at the junction of the cavity (3) and the through hole (2),

wherein the U-shaped piece (7) is configured to move towards the direction of the through hole (2) by screwing in the bolt (6).

2. Clamping device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the bolt (6) further comprises a nut (11) between the bolt head (9) and the screw (12), the nut (11) having a larger diameter than the bolt head (9), the nut (11) abutting against the second leg (14) of the U-shaped piece (7), wherein the U-shaped piece (7) is further configured to be driven by the nut (11) via unscrewing of the bolt (6) to move in a direction away from the through hole (2).

3. Clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cavity (3) also has a groove (21) therein for receiving the securing member (5).

4. A clamping device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the entry end of the slot (21) also has an opening (22) with a width greater than the thickness of the securing element (5).

5. Clamping device (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the opening (22) has a bevel (23) adapted to guide the securing member (5) into the groove (21).

6. Clamping device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first leg (13) also has a step (17) for supporting the bolt (6).

7. Clamping device (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that the connecting portion (15) also has a window (18) aligned with the step (17).

8. Clamping device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface (19) of the first leg (13) facing the side wall of the through hole (2) has at least one protrusion (20), which protrusion (20) is a strip-shaped protrusion perpendicular to the wire direction.

9. Clamping device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface (19) of the first leg (13) facing the side wall of the through hole (2) has at least one protrusion (20), which protrusion (20) is a punctiform protrusion.

10. An electrical device (1000), characterized by comprising a clamping device (100) according to any of claims 1-9.

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