FR2789455A1 - Ratchet clip for attaching sheet steel of car has thicker insertion part along slices longitudinal to web - Google Patents

Abstract

Ratchet clip (3) comprises flat solid web (10) and two flexible curved wings (11A, 11B). Wings are attached to web along slices (12A, 12B) longitudinal to web and have slices (16A, 16B) longitudinal to wing. Insertion part of fitting is thicker along slices longitudinal to web than along slices longitudinal to wing.

Description

The invention relates to fasteners capable of being fixed to a panel.

  such as automotive body sheet.

  We already know such fasteners which are provided for fixing a snap-on foot to be pushed through a diameter hole

predetermined panel.

  In particular, the French addition certificate 2.132.919 describes such a fastener, the snap-on foot of which comprises a flat rigid core and two flexible curved wings, the rigid rigid core having two longitudinal sections converging towards a pointed end while by the other end the core is connected to the rest of the fastener, each flexible curved wing connecting to the core along a respective one of its two longitudinal sections and having opposite a respective flat face of the core, an internal surface bordered by this flat face of the core, by a longitudinal edge of this wing and by a transverse edge of this wing, the external surface of the snap-in foot tapering respectively towards the pointed end and towards the transverse edge of the wings, on either side of an inflection plane oriented transversely to the axial direction of the foot, this external surface of the foot having, at the level of the inflection plane, a general oval shape whose small width, corresponding to the diameter of the hole in the panel, is along the median axial plane of the core and whose large width is along the axial plane

  oriented transversely to the median axial plane of the core.

  When the snap-in foot is inserted into the hole in the panel, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole and the external surface of the foot has the effect that each wing, as long as it is in contact with the periphery of the hole by its introductory portion located between the pointed end and the plane of inflection, flexes by elastic deformation towards the flat face of the core which the internal surface of this wing looks at, the wings thus flexing as the sinking until the moment when the wing introduction part has crossed the hole, each of the wings then relaxing, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole and the external surface of the wing retaining part situated between the plane of inflection and the transverse edge, having the effect of driving the foot in the direction of insertion until the rest of the fastener is in abutment on the face of the panel situated on the side of the introduction, by a collar

frustoconical sealing.

  The invention aims to increase the performance of this type of fastener, and in particular to minimize the force required to introduce the latching foot into the hole and to maximize the retaining force provided by the

  snap-in foot to prevent extraction of the fastener.

  The invention provides for this purpose a fastener which is characterized in that the introduction part of each wing, located between said pointed end and said inflection plane, has a greater thickness along the longitudinal edge of the soul to which this wing is connected only along

  of the longitudinal edge of this wing.

  The deformation of this introduction part of each wing, which is that which is in contact with the periphery of the hole when the wing bends towards the core, is all the easier the closer one is to the longitudinal edge , so that the deformation is distributed along the circumferential direction of the wing, which requires relatively little effort, and in any case less effort than if this part of the wing was relatively rigid from its edge longitudinal to

neighborhood of the soul.

  Preferably, for reasons of convenience of realization and / or of quality of the results obtained: - the introduction part of each wing, over at least a major part of its length, has a thickness decreasing regularly towards the longitudinal edge of this wing; and / or -the introductory part of each wing has a slice

  longitudinal threadlike over at least a major part of its length.

  According to other preferred characteristics, the retaining part of each wing, located between said plane of inflection and said transverse section of this wing, has, on at least a major part of its circumferential direction, a generally constant thickness along each axial plane. It is therefore particularly easy to control the way in which the retaining part of the wings deforms during insertion and when the fastener is held in place, since there is no variation in the following thickness. the

axial direction.

  According to other preferred characteristics, the retaining part of each wing, located between said plane of inflection and said transverse section of each wing, has a lesser thickness along the longitudinal section of the core to which it is connected. this wing only along the edge

longitudinal of this wing.

  The deformation of the retaining part of each wing is thus essentially of the tilting type around the junction between this part of the wing and the core, since it is at this junction that this part of the wing is the most flexible while it is near its longitudinal edge that it

is the most rigid.

  Preferably, for reasons of convenience of realization and / or of quality of the results obtained: - the retaining part of each wing has, over at least a major part of its length, a thickness increasing regularly towards the longitudinal edge of this wing ; and / or - the retaining part of each wing has a section

  thick longitudinal over at least most of its length.

  According to other preferred characteristics, the introduction part of each wing, situated between said pointed end and said inflection plane, is longer than the retaining part of this wing, situated between said plane

  inflection and said transverse section of this wing.

  The distance over which it is necessary to exert a sinking force during the latching is thus longer than the distance over which the elastic relaxation of the wings provides the drive of the foot in the direction of sinking and the resistance to pull-out, this difference in distance making the elastic energy which is stored during the insertion can provide a pull-out resistance force higher than the average force during

of depression.

  It will be observed that a particularly high difference is obtained between the driving-in force and the pull-out resistance by implementing the aforementioned characteristics thanks to which each wing deforms, on its introduction part, in a distributed manner. along the circumferential direction of the wings, while in the retaining part, each wing is

  deforms by tilting the junction between this part of the wing and the core.

  Preferably, for reasons of convenience and construction, the external surface of said foot has, at the level of said axial plane oriented transversely to said median axial plane of the core, an inclination relative to the axial direction which is approximately the same on either side of said plane of inflection while at said median axial plane of the core, said external surface is substantially parallel to the axial direction between said plane of inflection and said transverse edges of the wings while in this plane the external surface is curved with an inclination relative to the axial direction which is less than the inclination of the external surface in said plane

transversely oriented.

  According to other preferred characteristics, each said wing has

  along its said transverse section a rib projecting from the external side.

  This rib prevents the foot from sinking to the point that the

  panel is found beyond the transverse edge of the wings.

  According to other preferred characteristics, each said wing extends, in the circumferential direction, from the core to the longitudinal edge of this wing, in the anticlockwise direction, in view from said remainder

of the fastener.

  The insertion of the foot into the hole is thus facilitated in the case where the operator imparts to the fastener a movement of rotation in a clockwise direction, as he tends to do it spontaneously since

  this corresponds to the usual direction of screwing.

  The description of the invention will now be continued with the description.

  detailed example of an embodiment, given below by way of illustration and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. On these: - Figures 1 and 2 are elevational views of a fastener according to the invention, Figure 1 being a front view and Figure 2 a side view taken from the side on the left on Figure 1; - Figures 3 and 4 are the elevation-section views identified respectively by 111-111 and by IV-IV in Figures 2 and 1; - Figure 5 is the sectional view identified by V-V in Figure 2, the sealing collar not being shown; - Figure 6 is the sectional view identified by VI-VI in Figure 2, only the portion of the latching foot located at the cutting plane being shown; - Figure 7 is the sectional view identified by VII-VII in Figure 2; - Figure 8 is a plan view of the panel on which the illustrated fastener must be fixed, taken in the vicinity of the hole where the snap-on foot must be introduced; and - Figure 9 is an elevational section showing the attached fastener

  on the panel with a trim element attached to the head of the clip.

  The clip 1 illustrated is made of plastic molded from a single

  room. It has a head 2 and a snap-on foot 3.

  The head 2 comprises, from its end opposite the foot 3, a flange 4, a barrel 5, a plate 6 and a sealing collar 7, these different elements being coaxial with each other and each having a shape

general circular.

  The annular space located around the barrel 5 and between the flange 4 and the plate 6, is provided to receive, as shown in FIG. 9, a trim element 8 such as a lateral trim of an automobile body having an opening in the shape of a keyhole whose round part has a diameter corresponding to that of the flange 4 and whose elongated part has a width corresponding to that of the barrel 5, the thickness of the wall of the element 8 in which is made the keyhole opening corresponding to the gap between the flange 4 and the plate 6, the mounting of the element 8 is done by pushing the flange 4 through the round part of the keyhole opening then by sliding the element 8 parallel to the orientation of the elongated part of the keyhole opening, so that the barrel 5 engages

in this elongated part.

  The sealing collar 7 conventionally has a frustoconical shape, but has a particularly small thickness. The plate 6 consequently has, beyond its connection with the flange 7, an outward extension making it possible to prevent the depression of the head 2 in the round part of the keyhole opening continuing beyond the plate 6 (if the wall of the element 8 came up against the flange 7 directly, the flexibility of the latter would cause the flange to pass through the part

  keyhole opening).

  The snap-on foot 3 comprises a flat core 10 and two curved wings 11 A and 11 B. The core 10 is oriented along an axial plane and has two longitudinal sections 12A and 12B which, as can be seen in FIG. 2, converge towards the free end 13 of the foot 3, which is in the shape of a point. The other end of the core 10 is connected to the head 2, and more precisely to the plate 6, opposite the

was 5.

  The wing 11A is connected to the core 10 along the edge 12A and has, opposite the flat face 14A of the core 10, an internal surface 15A bordered by the face 14A, by a longitudinal edge 16A and by a edge

  transverse 17A opposite the plate 6.

  The internal surface 15A of the wing 11A is concave, and has, in the example illustrated, a profile which generally follows that of the external surface of the

foot 3.

  The above description for wing 11A also applies to wing

  11B, provided that the suffix A of the numerical references is replaced by the suffix B. On either side of an inflection plane 18 (FIGS. 1 and 2) oriented transversely to the axial direction of the foot 3, the external surface of the latter tapers respectively towards the point end 13 and towards the transverse sections 17A and 17B of the wings 1 1 A and 1 1 B. As can be seen more particularly in FIG. 5, the external surface of the foot presents at the level of plane 18, an edge 19 having a generally oval shape, the small width of which lies along the plane 20, which is the median axial plane of the core 10, and the large width of which lies along the plane 21,

  which is the axial plane oriented transversely to the plane 20.

  It will be observed (see FIG. 3) that in the plane 21 the external surface of the foot 3 has on either side of the inflection plane 18, about the same inclination relative to the axial direction, while at the level sections 12A and 12B (see FIG. 2) the external surface of the leg 3 is parallel to the axial direction of the side situated between the plane 18 and the sections 17A and 17B while between the plane 18 and the end 13, the sections 12A and 12B are curved with an inclination relative to the axial direction which is less than that of the

outer surface along plane 21.

  Thus, the inclination of the external surface of the foot 3 increases between the planes 20 and 21, with a greater variation in the part situated between the

plan 18 and sections 17A or 17B.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the part of each of the wings 11A and 11B situated between the point end 13 and the plane of inflection 18 has, in the section planes of these figures, a thickness overall. constant, and the same goes for any axial plane over almost all of its

circumferential direction.

  A similar observation applies to the part of each wing

  1 1A and 1 1 B located between the plane 18 and the transverse section 17A or 17B.

  We will now describe some details of wing 11 A, it being understood

  that this description also applies to wing 11 B provided that the

  suffix A with numerical references by the suffix B. The part of the wing 11A situated between the plane 18 and the point end 13 has a greater thickness along the edge 12A of the core than along its edge longitudinal 16A, the thickness actually decreasing regularly towards the edge 16A, which is threadlike for this part of the wing

  11A, as seen in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7.

  On the contrary (see FIG. 6), for the part of the wing 11A situated between the plane 18 and the section 17A, the thickness is less important along the section 12A than along the section 16A, and more precisely l thickness increases regularly up to the edge 16A, which is thick, as seen

  especially in Figures 1, 5 and 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the section 16A has, seen by an observer arranged parallel to the planar face 14A, a V-shape whose

  point, directed outwards, is at plane 18.

  In the example illustrated, the wafer 16A is oriented along an oblique plane cutting the face 14A along an oriented bias line, starting from the junction between the face 14A and the wafer 16A, at an angle towards the head 2 and towards the wafer 17A, the angle between the flat face and this oblique plane being obtuse on the side of

wing 11A.

  The panel 23 to which it is planned to fix the fastener 1 (FIG. 8) has a hole 22 of circular outline having a diameter corresponding to the distance separating the sections 12A and 12B in the portion situated between the plane

  18 and the edges 17A and 17B of the wings.

  The foot 3 is designed to be inserted into the hole 22, end 13 the first, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole 22 and the part of the wings 11A and 11B located between the end 13 and the plane 18 having the effect of making it bend gradually the wings 11A and 11B until this part of the foot has crossed the hole 22, the wings then relaxing, which has the effect of driving the foot 3 in the direction of depression until 'there occurs a stop on the face of the panel 23 located on the side by which the insertion of the foot 3 has been carried out, as shown in FIG. 9, where the sealing collar 7 is

applied to panel 23.

  Due to the fineness of the collar 7, it is provided that the stop which stops the sinking movement of the foot 3, is present on the element to be fixed 8 rather than on the fastener 1. To prevent the panel 23 cannot cross sections 17A and 17B, a rib 24 is provided for safety along each of these.

  projection on the external side (see Figures 4 and 5).

  It will be observed that the way in which the foot 3 deforms between the end 13 and the plane 18, which is the part allowing the introduction of the foot into the hole 22, is different from the way in which the part located between

  the plane 18 and the wings 17A and 17B, which serves to retain the foot 3 in the hole 22.

  Because in the introduction part, there is more material near sections 12A and 12B than near sections 16A and 16B, it is rather the portion located near sections 16A and 16B which deforms , that is to say the portion most strongly stressed by the hole 22; whereas in the retaining portion, where there is more material near the sections 16A and 16B than near the sections 12A and 12B, it is rather the portion located near the core 10 which deforms, by forming a kind of hinge around which the wing retaining portion generally rocks. This difference in deformation helps to allow the foot 3 to be pushed in with a relatively moderate effort while the retaining effort in

  the hole 22 is relatively high.

  It will be noted that the aforementioned V shape for the sections 16A and 16B makes it possible to flex the wings 11A and 11B so that the section 16A or 16B is applied practically flat on the face 14A or 14B, that is to say -say

  that most of its length is applied to it at the same time.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 5 to 7, each of the wings 11A and 11b extends, in the circumferential direction, from the core 10 to the edge 16A or

  16B, counterclockwise, seen from the head 2.

  Thus, if the operator, when he pushes the foot 3 into the hole 22, slightly turns the fastener 1 clockwise, this

  facilitates the sinking movement.

  To facilitate the ejection of the fastener 1 from the mold in which it is manufactured, there is provided a rib 25 projecting from the face 14A. Many variants are possible depending on the circumstances, in particular in the constitution of the head 2, which can be used for example to fix cables or tubes rather than a trim element provided

a keyhole opening.

  More generally, it is recalled that the invention is not limited to

examples described and shown.

Claims (15)

  1. Fastener provided with a snap-on foot (3) to be pushed through a hole (22) in a panel (23), with said snap-on foot (3) which comprises a flat rigid core (10 ) and two flexible curved wings (11A, 1B), said flat rigid core (10) having two longitudinal sections (12A, 12B) converging towards a pointed end (13) while by said other core (10) is connected to the rest (2) of the fastener, each said curved flexible wing (11A, 11B) connecting to said core (10) along a respective one of its two said longitudinal sections (12A, 12B) and having look of a respective flat face (14A, 14B) of said core, an internal surface (15A, 15B) bordered by this flat face of the core, by a longitudinal edge (16A, 16B) of this wing and by a edge transverse (17A, 17B) of this wing; the external surface of said foot (3) tapering respectively towards the point end (13) and towards the transverse edge (17A, 17B) of the wings, on either side of an inflection plane (18) oriented transversely to the axial direction of the foot, this external surface of the foot having, at said level of inflection, a generally oval shape the small width of which lies along the median axial plane (20) of the core (10) and the large width of which lies along the axial plane (21) oriented transversely to the median axial plane (20) of the core; each said wing (11A, 11 B) being adapted, to allow the snapping of said foot (3) into said hole (22), to bend by elastic deformation towards the flat face (14A, 14B) of the core (10) that looks at its said internal surface (15A, 15B); characterized in that the insertion part of each wing, situated between said pointed end (13) and said inflection plane (18), has a greater thickness along the longitudinal edge (12A, 12B) of the soul to which is connected   this wing only along the longitudinal edge (16A, 16B) of this wing.   2. Fastener according to claim 1, characterized in that said introduction part of each wing, over at least a major part of its length, has a thickness decreasing regularly towards the edge   longitudinal (16A, 16B) of this wing.   3. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 or 2,   characterized in that the insertion part of each wing has a thread-like longitudinal section (16A, 16B) over at least a major part of its length.   4. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 3,   characterized in that the introduction part of each wing, situated between said pointed end (13) and said inflection plane (18), has, on at least a major part of its circumferential direction, a thickness overall   constant along each axial plane.   5. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the retaining part of each wing, situated between said inflection plane (18) and said transverse section (17A, 17B) of this wing, has, on at least a major part of its circumferential direction, a   generally constant thickness along each axial plane.   6. Fastener according to claim 5, characterized in that said retaining part of each wing, situated between said inflection plane (18) and said transverse section (17A, 17B) of each wing, has a lesser thickness along of the longitudinal section (12A, 12B) of the core to which this wing is connected only along the longitudinal section (16A, 16B) of this wing. 7. Fastener according to claim 6, characterized in that said retaining part of each wing has, over at least a major part of its length, a thickness increasing regularly towards the edge longitudinal (16A) of this wing.   8. Fastener according to any one of claims 6 or 7,   characterized in that said retaining part of each wing has a thick longitudinal section (16A) over at least a major part of its length.   9. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 8,   characterized in that the insertion part of each wing, situated between said point end (13) and said inflection plane (18), is longer than the retaining part of this wing, situated between said plane inflection (18) and said   transverse section (17A, 17B) of this wing.   10. A fastener according to claim 9, characterized in that the external surface of said foot (3) has, at said axial plane (21) oriented transversely to said median axial plane (20) of the core, an inclination relative to the axial direction which is roughly the same on either side of said plane of inflection (18) while at the level of said median axial plane (20) of said core, said external surface is substantially parallel to the axial direction between said plane of inflection (18) and said transverse sections (17A, 17B) of the wings while in this plane (20) the external surface is curved with an inclination relative to the axial direction which is less than the inclination of the   external surface in said transversely oriented plane (21).   11. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 10,   characterized in that each said wing has along its said edge   transverse (17A, 17B) a rib (24) projecting from the external side.   12. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 11,   characterized in that each said wing extends, in the circumferential direction, from the core (10) to the longitudinal edge (16, 16B) of this wing, in an anticlockwise direction, seen from said remainder (2) of the fastener.   13. Fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 12,   characterized in that said internal surface (15A, 15B) of each wing (11A, 11B) is concave and in that said longitudinal section (16A, 16B) of each wing has, seen by an observer arranged parallel to the flat face ( 14A, 14B) of the core (10) that its internal surface (15A, 15B) looks at, a V-shape whose point, directed outwards, is at the level of said plane   inflection (18) on either side of which tapers the external surface of the foot.   14. Fastener according to claim 13, characterized in that each said wing (11A, 11B) is shaped to bend towards the core (10) so that at least a major part of the length of its said longitudinal section (16A , 16B) comes into contact at the same time with the flat face (14A, 14B) of The soul (10).   15. Fastener according to any one of claims 13 or 14,   characterized in that said longitudinal section (16A, 16B) of each wing is oriented along an oblique plane intersecting said flat face (14A, 14B) of the core that the internal surface (15A, 15B) of this wing looks at, according to a angled line oriented, from the junction between this flat face (15A, 15B) and the longitudinal edge (16A, 16B) of this wing, towards said other end by which said core is connected to the rest of the fastener and towards said longitudinal section (17A, 17B) of the core along which this wing is connected, the angle between said planar face (14A, 14B) and said oblique plane, being obtu side of this wing.