GB2155534A

GB2155534A - Holding clip for releasably securing components on a screwthreaded pin

Info

Publication number: GB2155534A
Application number: GB08502423A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Guy Andre; Gunter Wolker
Original assignee: A Raymond
Current assignee: A Raymond
Priority date: 1984-03-09
Filing date: 1985-01-31
Publication date: 1985-09-25
Also published as: DE3408612A1; IT8520569V0; ES285201U; FR2560941B1; GB2155534B; ES285201Y; JPS612912A; DE3408612C2; FR2560941A1; GB8502423D0; JPH0331925B2

Abstract

A holding clip of hard, resilient, plastics material has a fixing hole (3) which can be pressed onto a screwthreaded pin and whose inside wall is interrupted by shallow cavities (10) which are disposed alternately one above the other and which extend transversely with respect to the axis of the hole and which extend over the width of the diameter of the hole to the outside wall of the clip. The ribs (11) remaining between the cavities (10) form semi-circular wall portions (12) which are formed to slightly incline outwardly in the direction in which the clip is pressed onto the pin (Fig. 6). The inside width (w) between the inwardly projecting edges of the portions (12) is somewhat smaller than the outside diameter (d) of the screwthreaded pin. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Holding clip for releasably securing compo nents on a screwthreaded pin The invention is based on a holding clip of the kind having a fixing hole to receive a screwthreaded pin as disclosed, for example, in DE OS No. 29 44 748.

Such a clip is used for releasably securing structural or functional parts to carrier plates which are provided with screwthreaded pins, and commonly is used for securing brake lines to body panels of motor vehicles. The particular arrangement of cavities normal to the axis of the hole gives the advantage that the mould plates or bars of the mould, which are requried for producing the cavities, can be removed from the mould in the same direction as the mould portions for the holding members. By virtue of that consideration, the clip can be inexpensively produced on a normal,two-part mould having two rows of mould cavities.

When the clip is pressed onto the screwthreaded pin or stud, the individual wall portions of the hole pass with a ratchet action over the screwthread configuration, being slightly bent open as that occurs. The screwthread easily presses into the semicircular wall portions in the holding position of the clip, thereby forming a force-locking connection. Depending on their position relative to the male screwthread, some wall portions will spring back under the sides of the screwthread and in that way will even provide a positive connection in certain regions of the assembly so that the holding force of the clip is far higher than the assembly force, particu larly when using a screwthreaded pin or stud having a sawtooth configuration thread.However, despite the enormous holding force, the clip can be easily unscrewed again if necessary and can be pressed onto the screwthreaded pin-again, without seriously impairing the holding force.

As regards now the assembly force, it has been found that, if the ribs are of reasonable dimensions from the point of view of the moulding process, the wall portions are comparatively stiff and may be pressed over the screwthreaded pin only by applying a large amount of force, which of course is not found to be a disadvantage when the clips are fitted automatically on a continuous assembly line.

If however, the clip is to be such that it can be fitted by hand, the amount of force that has to be applied exceeds the muscle power of a motor vehicle mechanic. Although then the clip may be driven onto the screwthreaded pin or stud by means of a hammer, nonetheless there is the danger in that respect that the hammer may slip off or miss the clip, thereby damaging the bodywork panel.

Accordng to the invention, in such a clip, the wall portions which bear against the screwthreaded pin are formed on the ribs in such a way that they can be elastically sprung open.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the above-indicated spring-open characteristic may be achieved when the wall portions are in the form of a half ring or collar configuration and are connected in the lower region to the outwardly extending ribs which are about 1/2 to 2/3 thinner than the height of the wall portions. By virtue of the reduction in the rib thickness, the collar-like configuration of the wall portions and the formation thereof on the thinner rib, the wall portions can be easily pressed outwardly by the screwthread, and can then spring back again under the side surfaces of the screwthread.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the spring-open characteristic can also be achieved when the ribs are cut into from the wall of the hole over a part of their length at the sides and the remaining tongue portions are thinner than the ribs by about half, wherein the inside width between the edges of the tongue portions of the ribs is equal to or only slightly larger than the core diameter of the screwthreaded pin. With that embodiment, when the clip is pressed onto the pin or stud, the tongue portions provided by the ribs can easily bend up and can spring back in the holding position of the clip so that, depending on their position relative to the screwthread pitches, they at last partially bear from beneath against the side surfaces of the screwthread or however penetrate into groves defined by the screwthread configuration.

Two embodiments of the invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter and are illustrated in the accomanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a front view on an enlarged scale of a holding clip; Figure 2 shows a view in section taken along line Il-Il in Fig. 1 through the fixing hole; Figure 3 shows a front view on an enlarged scale of another holding clip; Figure 4 shows a view in section taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3 through the fixing hole; Figure 5 is a view in section taken along line V-V in Fig. 3 through the fixing hole before the clip is pressed onto the screwthread pin; Figure 6 shows the same section but after the clip has been pressed onto the screwthread pin; and Figure 7 shows the clip mounted on the screwthreaded pin, on the normal scale, with pipes fitted therein.

The holding clip shown in the drawings essentially comprises two holding members 1 and 2 and a fixing hole 3 which is disposed in the centre of the clip and which is provided for the clip to be pressed onto a screw threaded pin or stud 9 which is welded to a carrier plate 8 or secured thereto in some other fashion, the clip being pressed onto the pin or stud 9 by the application of a force in the direction indicated by the arrow P (Fig. 5).

The holding members 1 and 2 are provided with receiving grooves or recesses 5 and holding fingers 6 which can be resiliently sprung open, for accommodating and holding preferably cylindrical structural or functional components 4 such as brake lines, tubes, cables or the like. When the components 4 which are to be held by the clip are pressed in, the fingers 6 are deflected to the side into a recess 7 and then spring back into their initial position in order to bear against the inserted component 4 from above (see Fig. 7).

As can be seen from Figs. 2 and 5, the inside wall of the fixing hole 3 is interrupted by shallow cavities or hollows 10 which are disposed one above the other, of substantially the width of the diameter of the hole. For reasons related to removal from the mould, the cavities 10 extend transversely with re spect to the axis of the hole, to the outside wall of the clip so that ribs 11 with semicircu lar wall portions 12 remain between the cavi ties 10. The wall portions 12 are slightly inclined or bevelled outwardly, in the direction in which the clip is pushed on, while the inside width "w" of the inwardly projecting upper edges 13 is somewhat smaller than the outside diameter , 'd" of the screwthreaded pin or stud 3.

The pin or stud 3 preferably has a screw thread with a sawtooth configuration, wherein the upper flat side surface 14 of the screw thread configuration, in conjunction with the slightly outwardly inclined semi-circular wall portions 12, facilitate the operation of push ing the clip into the pin, while the steep underneath side surface 15 of the screw thread provides for a better holding force since, when the clip is pressed onto the pin, the tip 16 of the side surfaces of the screwth read easily dig into the wall portions 12 or however the edge 13, after passing over the tips 16, springs back into a position under the lower side surface 15 of the screwthread and bears thereagainst from below.

In accordance with the invention, the wall portions 12 which bear against the screwthreaded pin or bolt 9 are formed on the ribs 11 in such a way that they particularly resiliently spring open in the opposite direction to the direction in which the clip is pressed onto the pin, or away from the pin 9, when those wall portions move with a ratchet action past the upper side surfaces 14 of the screwthread or the tips 16. The resilient spring effect can be produced, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by the wall portions bring of a half ring or collar configuration, and being resiliently connected in their lower region to the rib 11, while the latter are thinner than the height of the wall portions 12, by at least one half to two thirds.

The wall portions 12 in turn are desirably substantially as thick as the ribs 11 so that on the one hand they have a good resilient deflection effect and on the other hand they are also sufficiently strong to apply the desired holding force, in conjunction with the ribs 11 carrying them, and the screwthreaded pin 3.

Figs. 3 to 6 show another possible way of making the semicircular wall portions 12 such that they can be resiliently sprung open. In that construction, the ribs 11 are cut into at both sides over a part of their length, from the walls 12 of the hole, and at the same time are approximately thinner by half over the same length so that the tongue portions 17 remaining on the ribs can more easily bend upwardly when the clip is pressed onto the pin. The inside width "w" between the edges 13 of the tongue portions 17 is desirably such that it is either the same as or only slightly larger than the core diameter "k" of the screwthreaded pin 9. In order to facilitate the upward bending movement, the tongue portion 17 most desirably terminates flush with the upper wall 18 of the rib, that is to say, the wall 18 which is the trailing surface in the direction in which the clip is pushed onto the pin, and it should be approximately as thick as the width "b" of the groove formed by the screwthreaded pin 9 so that, depending on its position relative to the pin 9, the tongue portion 17 can engage fully into the groove, that is to say, between the side surfaces 14 and 15. In that connection, by virtue of its elasticity, the tongue portion will also adapt satisfactorily to the pitch of the screwthread.

Claims

1. A holding clip of hard, resilient, plastics material having a fixing hole which can be pressed onto a screwthreaded pin and whose inside wall is interrupted by shallow mouldopening cavities which are disposed alternately one above the other and which extend transversely with respect to the axis of the hole and which extend over the width of the diameter of the hole as far as the outside wall of the clip, wherein between the cavities remain ribs with semicircular wall portions which are slightly inclined outwardly in the direction in which the clip is pressed on and in respect of which the internal width between the inwardly projecting edges of the wall is somewhat smaller than the outside diameter of the screwthreaded pin, wherein the wall portions which bear against the screwthreaded pin are formed on the ribs in such a way that they can be resiliently sprung apart.

2. A holding clip according to claim 1, wherein the wall portions are in the form of a half ring or collar configuration and are connected to the outwardly extending ribs which are about 1/2 to 2/3 thinner than the height of the wall portions in the axial direction of the fixing hole.

3. A holding clip according to claim 2, wherein the wall thickness of the wall portions is substantially the same as the wall thickness of the ribs.

4. A holding clip according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the ribs are cut into from the wall of the hole over a part of their length at the sides and the remaining tongue portions are thinner than the ribs by substantially half, wherein the inside width between the edges of the tongue portions of the ribs are equal to or only slightly larger than the core diameter of the screwthreaded pin on which the clip is fixed.

5. A holding clip according to claim 4, wherein each tongue portion terminates flush with the upper rib wall, that is to say, the wall which trails in the direction in which the clip is pushed on, and is substantially as thick as the thread pitch of the screwthreaded pin.

6. A holding clip constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or 3-6 of the accompanying drawings.