GB2607392A

GB2607392A - Hook for receiving shaft

Info

Publication number: GB2607392A
Application number: GB2203306.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Li Bo; Han Fanxing
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 2021-03-15
Filing date: 2022-03-09
Publication date: 2022-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2042-03-09
Also published as: GB202203306D0; GB2607392B; DE102022105561A1; CN115071381A; DE102022105561B4

Abstract

A hook 400 comprising a main body 211 and a clamping device (102, Fig.1). The main body comprises a body 212 and a head 216 connected to the body, the head and the body together defining an accommodating space (210, Fig.2A), the accommodating space being configured to accommodate a shaft 490, the main body having an opening 214 penetrating the body in communication with the accommodating space. The clamping device comprises a pressing member 330 and a resilient member 338. The pressing member is configured to at least partially enter the accommodating space through the opening, so that the shaft is capable of being clamped between the head and the pressing member and may comprise an arc-shaped pressing surface. The resilient member is configured to apply a pressing force on the pressing member toward the accommodating space. The resilient member may be a spring secured to a securing rod (346, Fig.3) of the pressing member. The shaft may be part of a vehicle sun visor, with the hook used to releasably secure a distal end of the visor shaft to the vehicle roof.

Description

HOOK FOR RECEIVING SHAFT

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a hook for receiving a shaft.

Background Art

A hook is secured to a roof of a vehicle to receive a pivotable shaft of a sun visor. The prior art hook uses a resilient force generated by the resilient deformation of a metal sheet to clamp the shaft, and when a passenger opens and closes the sun visor, the shaft of the sun visor will exert a force on the metal sheet. After a certain number of times, the metal sheet of the prior art will lose resilience due to factors such as fatigue or creep, or even break.

Summary of the Invention

The present disclosure provides a hook, comprising a main body and a clamping device. The main body comprises a body and a head connected to the body, the head and the body together defining an accommodating space, the accommodating space being configured to accommodate the shaft, the main body having an opening penetrating the body, and the opening being in communication with the accommodating space. The clamping device comprises a pressing member and a resilient member. The pressing member is configured to at least partially enter the accommodating space through the opening, so that the shaft is capable of being clamped between the head and the pressing member. The resilient member is configured to apply a pressing force on the pressing member toward the accommodating space.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the resilient member is a spring.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the pressing member comprises a pressing head and limiting flanges located on opposite sides of the pressing head, wherein the pressing head partially enters the accommodating space through the opening, the resilient member is connected to the side of the pressing head away from the accommodating space, and the limiting flanges are limited by the body and cannot enter the opening.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the pressing member comprises a securing rod, the securing rod being connected to the side of the pressing head away from the accommodating space, and the resilient member being connected to the securing rod.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the pressing head comprises an arc-shaped pressing surface, the pressing surface being configured to abut against the shaft. According to the hook of the present disclosure, the hook further comprises a securing leg, the securing leg extending from the side of the body away from the accommodating space, and the securing leg being configured to connect the hook to a working position.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the clamping device has a base, the base being connected to the securing leg and being configured to support the resilient member.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the base has a pair of side walls, protrusions being arranged on outer sides of the pair of side walls, the securing leg is provided with receiving portions, and the base is connected to the securing leg by engaging the protrusions with the receiving portions.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the pressing member and the base are made of a plastic material.

According to the hook of the present disclosure, the resilient member is made of a metal material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig IA is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hook according to the present disclosure; Fig 1B is an exploded view of the hook shown in Fig. IA; Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the hook in Fig. IA with a clamping device removed, viewed from above; Fig. 2B is a perspective view of the hook in Fig. lA with the clamping device removed, viewed from below; Fig. 2C is a sectional view of the hook in Fig. IA with the clamping device removed; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the clamping device in Fig. 1A; Fig. 4A is an assembled perspective view of the hook shown in Fig. 1A; and Fig. 4B is a sectional view of the hook and the shaft shown in Fig. 4A taken in a vertical direction.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

Various specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings which constitute part of this description. It should be understood that although the terms such as "front-, "rear", -upper", -lower, "left", and "right" indicating directions are used in the present disclosure to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the present disclosure, these terms used herein are merely used for ease of description and are determined based on the exemplary orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure can be arranged in different directions, these terms indicating directions are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limitations.

Fig. lA is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hook 100 according to the present disclosure, and Fig. 1B is an exploded view of the hook 100 shown in Fig. 1A, for showing the overall structure and specific components of the hook 100. The hook 100 is used to secure, for example, a sun visor of a vehicle to a roof of the vehicle. As shown in Figs. lA and 1B, the hook 100 comprises a main body 101, a securing leg 103, and a clamping device 102. The main body 101 is configured to receive a shaft (like a shaft 490 shown in Figs. 4A and 4B) of the sun visor. The securing leg 103 is connected to the main body 101 for connecting the main body 101 to the roof of the vehicle. The clamping device 102 is partially arranged within the main body 101 and retains the shaft 490 (as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B) within the main body 101 by engaging with the main body 101.

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the hook 100 in Fig. IA with the clamping device 102 removed, viewed from above, Fig. 2B is a perspective view of the hook 100 in Fig. IA with the clamping device 102 removed, viewed from below, and Fig. 2C is a sectional view of the hook 100 in Fig. IA with the clamping device 102 removed, for showing the specific structures of the main body 101 and the securing leg 103.

As shown in Figs. 2A-2C, the main body 101 comprises a body 212 and a head 211 connected to the body 212. The head 211 and the body 212 together form a hook configuration. Specifically, the body 212 is generally disc-shaped. The body 212 has a top surface 221 and a bottom surface 222 that are arranged opposite each other. The head 211 extends from the top surface 221 of the body 212. A proximal end 213 of the head 211 is connected to the body 212, and a distal end 216 of the head 211 is a free end. An inner surface 223 between the proximal end 213 and the distal end 216 of the head 211 is arc-shaped, so that the inner surface 223 of the head 211 and the top surface 221 of the body 212 together form a "C" configuration to define an accommodating space 210 of the main body 101 for accommodating the shaft 490. An insertion port is formed between the distal end 216 of the head 211 and the top surface 221 of the body 212, through which the shaft 490 is inserted into the accommodating space 210. The main body 101 further comprises an opening 214 penetrating the body 212 from the top surface 221 to the bottom surface 222, the opening 214 being in communication with the accommodating space 210. The opening 214 is generally square and comprises a pair of longitudinal edges 251, 253 and a pair of transverse edges 252, 254 The main body 101 further comprises an annular flange portion 215 surrounding an outer edge 217 of the body 212 and extending from the body 212. The flange portion 215 first extends downward and outward obliquely from the outer edge 217, and then extends outward parallel to the body 212, so that the body 211 and the flange portion 215 together form a hat-like structure. The flange portion 215 forms an abutment surface 224 facing away from the top surface 221 of the body 212. When the hook 100 secures, for example, the sun visor of the vehicle to the roof of the vehicle, the abutment face 224 of the flange portion 215 abuts against the roof of the vehicle. The body 212 and the flange portion 215 together form a cavity 255, and the cavity 255 is used to partially accommodate the securing leg 103 and the clamping device 102, which will be explained in detail below. Furthermore, the head 211 of the main body 101 is hollowed out at the bottom connected to the body 212 to form a hollow portion 256, and the hollow portion 256 is in communication with the cavity 255. Thereby, as can be seen from the sectional view of the main body 101 (Fig. 2C), the main body 101 is a hollow component as a whole, and thus has a small self-weight.

The hook 100 further comprises the securing leg 103 extending from the side of the main body 101 opposite the accommodating space 210 for connecting the main body 101 to the roof (not shown) of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2B, the securing leg 103 is arranged around the opening 214, and is connected to the side of the body 212 of the main body 101 away from the accommodating space 210 (i.e., connected to the bottom surface 222 of the body 212).

Specifically, the securing leg 103 comprises a pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 that are arranged spaced apart from each other. The longitudinal walls 204, 205 extend downward from the bottom surface 222 of the body 212 and beyond the abutment surface 224 of the flange portion 215 to extend out of the cavity 255 formed by the body 212 and the flange portion 215 together. The pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103 are located on opposite sides of the opening 214 of the body 212, respectively. Opposite inner surfaces of the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 are aligned with the pair of longitudinal edges 251, 253 of the opening 214, respectively.

Protrusions 206, 207 are also arranged on outer surfaces of the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205, respectively. The protrusions 206, 207 are formed by extending outward from the outer surfaces of the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205. The protrusions 206, 207 can engage with corresponding components (not shown) in the roof of the vehicle to secure the main body 101 to the roof of the vehicle. The pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 are also provided with receiving portions 208, 209 for engaging with a base 340 (as shown in Fig. 3) to install the clamping device 102. In this embodiment, the receiving portions 208, 209 are holes 208, 209. The holes 208, 209 are arranged close to the abutment surface 224 of the flange portion 215 and penetrate the longitudinal walls 204, 205 in a thickness direction of the longitudinal walls 204, 205, and their engagement with the base 340 will be described in detail in the following sections in conjunction with Fig. 3.

The main body 101 further comprises a pair of guide walls 261, 262 spaced apart from each other and extending downward from the bottom surface 222 of the body 212 for guiding the insertion of a pressing head 331 (Fig. 3) of a pressing device 102 into the opening 214 of the body 212. The pair of guide walls 261, 262 are generally transverse walls extending in a direction of the transverse edges 252, 254 of the opening 214, and are arranged on the outside of the transverse edges 252, 254, respectively. The distance between opposite inner surfaces of the guide walls 261, 262 is generally equal to or slightly greater than that between outer surfaces 335, 336 of a pair of limiting flanges 332, 333 (Fig. 3) of a pressing member 330 of the clamping device 102 to guide the insertion of the pressing head 331 (Fig. 3) into the opening 214 of the body 212 by coming into contact with the outer surfaces 335, 336 of the limiting flanges 332, 333.

Furthermore, the opposite inner surfaces of the pair of guide walls 261, 262 are not aligned with the transverse edges 252, 254 of the opening 214, but are spaced apart from the transverse edges 252, 254 by a certain distance, respectively. Thus, the portions of the bottom surface 222 of the body 212 between the opposite inner surfaces of the guide walls 261, 262 and the transverse edges 252, 254 of the opening 214 form a pair of limiting surfaces 225, 226 (shown more clearly in Fig. 2C) for limiting the limiting flanges 332, 333 of the pressing member 330 of the clamping device 102. The width of the limiting faces 225, 226 in a direction of the transverse edges 252, 254 of the opening 214 is greater than or equal to that of the limiting flanges 332, 333 (as shown in Fig. 3) of the pressing member 330, and the length of the limiting faces 225, 226 in a direction of the longitudinal edges 251, 253 of the opening 214 is also greater than or equal to that of the limiting flanges 332, 333 of the pressing member 330.

The lengths by which the two guide walls 261, 262 extend are not the same. The guide wall 261 close to the securing leg 103 extends a length genarally the same as that the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103 extends, while the other guide wall 262 has a shorter length and is substantially accommodated in the cavity 255 formed by the body 212 and the flange portion 215 together. The guide wall 261 is located between the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205, and connects the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 to each other. Thus, the guide wall 261 can limit the resilience of the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103 in a certain range, so that the longitudinal walls 204, 205 are still arranged parallel to each other. The connection of the guide wall 261 to the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 can also limit the resilience of the guide wall 261, so that the guide wall 261 remains substantially stationary while operating.

Furthermore, in order to limit the resilience of the other guide wall 262, a pair of connecting walls 263, 264 are also arranged in the cavity 255 formed by the body 212 and the flange portion 215 together. The pair of connecting walls 263, 264 are arranged on opposite sides of the guide wall 262, and connect the guide wall 262 to the body 212 and the flange portion 215, so that the guide wall 262 remains substantially stationary while operating.

As shown in Fig. 2B, the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103 and the pair of guide walls 261, 262 together enclose a passage 265, and the passage 265 is in communication with the opening 214 of the body 212 to guide the insertion of the pressing head 331 (Fig. 3) of the pressing device 102 into the opening 214 of the body 212. The transverse length of the passage 265 (which is equal to the distance between the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103) is equal to that of the opening 214 (i.e., the length of the transverse edges 252, 254), while the longitudinal length of the passage 265 (which is equal to the distance between the pair of guide walls 261, 262) is greater than that of the opening 214 (i.e., the length of the longitudinal edges 251, 253). Furthermore, the transverse length and the longitudinal length of the passage 265 correspond to the dimensions of the pressing member 330 of the clamping device 102.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the clamping device 102 in Fig. lA for showing the specific structure of the clamping device 102. As shown in Fig. 3, the clamping device 102 comprises a pressing member 330, a resilient member 338, and a base 340. The base 340 is used to support the resilient member 338, and the resilient member 338 applies a pressing force on the pressing member 330 toward the accommodating space 210 (i.e., upward).

The pressing member 330 comprises a pressing head 331 and limiting flanges 332, 333 located on opposite sides of the pressing head 331. The pressing head 331 has a convex curved arc shape, and the limiting flanges 332, 333 are formed by extending outward from the opposite sides (front and rear sides in the figure) of the pressing head 331. As mentioned above, the dimensions of the passage 265 correspond to the dimensions of the pressing member 330, so the pressing member 330 can be installed into a working position through the passage 265, and the passage 265 can be configured such that the pressing member 330 does not deflect during installation into the working position. When the pressing member 330 is installed in place, the left limiting flange 332 of the pressing member 330 abuts against the limiting surface 225 between the guide wall 261 and the opening 214, the right limiting flange 333 of the pressing member 330 abuts against the limiting surface 226 between the guide wall 262 and the opening 214, and a portion of the pressing head 331 of the pressing member 330 enters the accommodating space 210 through the opening 214. The pressing head 331 comprises an arc-shaped pressing surface 334. In assembled state, the pressing surface 334 abuts against the shaft 490 (as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B).

In this embodiment, the width of the limiting flanges 332, 333 is equal to that of the pressing head 331. In other embodiments, the width of the limiting flanges 332, 333 may also be greater or less than that of the pressing head 331, as long as they can engage with the limiting faces 225, 226 to prevent the pressing member 330 from completely passing through the opening 214.

The pressing member 330 further comprises a securing rod 337 for connection to the resilient member 338. The securing rod 337 is cylindrical and is connected to the side of the pressing head 331 away from the pressing surface 334, that is, the securing rod 337 is connected to a lower surface of the pressing head 331.

The base 340 comprises a pair of side walls 342, 343 arranged parallel to each other and a bottom wall 341 for connecting lower ends of the side walls 342, 343. The side walls 342, 343 are formed by extending upward from two ends of the bottom wall 341, and a distal end of each of the side walls 342, 343 away from the bottom wall 341 is a free end, so the side walls 342, 343 are elastic. The distance between the side walls 342, 343 corresponds to that between the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103. Protrusions 344, 345 are also arranged on outer surfaces of the side walls 342, 343. The protrusions 344, 345 extend outward from the outer surfaces of the side walls 342, 343. The shapes of the protrusions 344, 345 correspond to the shapes of the holes 208, 209 in the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103, so that the base 340 is secured to the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103 by engaging the protrusions 344, 345 with the holes 208, 209.

The base 340 further comprises a securing rod 346 for connection to the resilient member 338. The securing rod 346 is cylindrical and extends upward from the bottom wall 341. The resilient member 338 is a spring. A lower end of the spring 338 is wound around the securing rod 346 of the base 340, and an upper end thereof is wound around the securing rod 337 of the pressing member 330, and the securing rods 337 and 346 are provided so that the spring 338 does not disengage from the clamping device 102. Moreover, the spring 338 is always in a compressed state, which causes the spring 338 to continuously apply a force on the pressing member 330 toward the opening 214.

The assembly process of the hook 100 will be described below with reference to Figs. 2A, 2B, 2C and 3. First, the pressing member 330 is put into the passage 265, so that two limiting flanges 332, 333 of the pressing member 330 face the pair of guide walls 261, 262 forming the passage 265, thus aligning the two limiting flanges 332, 333 with the two limiting surfaces 225, 226 of the body 212, respectively. Then, the pressing member 330 is pushed to move upward toward the opening 214 of the body 212, until the two limiting flanges 332 and 333 respectively abut against the two limiting surfaces 225, 226 of the body 212, thereby preventing the pressing member 330 from continuing to move upward. When the pressing member 330 is installed in place, the left limiting flange 332 of the pressing member 330 abuts against the limiting surface 225 between the guide wall 261 and the opening 214, the right limiting flange 333 of the pressing member 330 abuts against the limiting surface 226 between the guide wall 262 and the opening 214, and a portion of the pressing head 331 of the pressing member 330 enters the accommodating space 210 through the passage 214. As mentioned above, the dimensions of the passage 265 correspond to the dimensions of the pressing member 330, so that the pressing member 330 does not deflect during its movement in the passage 265, thereby facilitating abutment of the two limiting flanges 332, 333 against the two limiting surfaces 225, 226.

After the pressing member 330 is installed in place, the upper end of the spring 338 is wound around the securing rod 337 of the pressing member 330. Then, the side walls 342, 343 of the base 340 are pressed toward each other, so that the distance between two protrusions 344, 345 is less than that between the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103, and then the base 340 is installed between the pair of longitudinal walls 204, 205 of the securing leg 103, and the securing rod 346 of the base 340 is aligned with the lower end of the spring 338. Finally, the base 340 is moved to wound the spring 338 around the securing rod 346, and the protrusions 344, 345 of the base 340 are moved to align with the holes 208, 209 of the securing leg 103. At this moment, the protrusions 344, 345 enter the holes 208, 209 of the securing leg 103 under the action of a resilient force, so as to keep the base 340 stationary relative to the securing leg 103. Of course, other installation sequences may also be adopted. For example, the pressing member 330, the spring 338, and the base 340 are preassembled in advance (i.e., forming the clamping device 102 shown in Fig. 1B), and then the preassembled pressing member 330, the spring 338 and the base 340 are installed into the main body 101 and the securing leg 103 as a whole.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the hook 100 shown in Fig. IA under the use state, with the shaft 490 installed therein, and Fig. 4B is a sectional view of the hook and the shaft shown in Fig. 4A taken in a vertical direction, for showing the working principle of the hook 100. As shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, the shaft 490 is received in the accommodating space 210 of the hook 100, and the shaft 490 is clamped between the arc-shaped pressing surface 334 and the arc-shaped inner surface 223 of the head 211. When the shaft 490 is not received, the distance between the pressing surface 334 and the arc-shaped inner surface 223 of the head 211 is less than the diameter of the shaft 490. Since the clamping device 102 applies a pressing force on the pressing member 330 by means of the resilient force of the spring 338, the pressing member 330 also applies a pressing force on the shaft 490, so as to keep the shaft 490 in the accommodating space 210, so that the shaft 490 can only be pulled out of the hook 100 against the pressing force of the spring 338 under the action of a certain pulling force. Furthermore, since the pressing member 330 is movable up and down, the shaft 490 can be easily pivoted while being clamped between the arc-shaped pressing surface 334 and the arc-shaped inner surface 223 of the head 211, so that some usage requirements can be met.

For the sun visor on the roof of the vehicle, the shaft thereof needs to be pivotally received in the hook, so that a vehicle occupant can easily flip the sun visor, and then the sun visor can be deployed or retracted. Moreover, the shaft of the sun visor can also be manually inserted into or pulled out of the accommodating space of the hook by the vehicle occupant, so as to change the position of the sun visor on the roof, for example, from the oblique front of the roof to the oblique lateral of the roof thus allowing one sun visor to block sunlight from different directions of the vehicle. In the present disclosure, the spring 338 adopts a metal coil spring, which can provide a larger resilient pressing force, so that the shaft 490 can be held in the accommodating space 210 more firmly without the shaft 490 being unintentionally disengaged from the hook 100, and the magnitude of the resilient pressing force also enables the vehicle occupant to manually insert the shaft 490 into the accommodating space of the hook or pull the shaft 490 out of the accommodating space of the hook. Due to good durability of the metal coil spring, it can still provide a good resilient force after repeated use, so even if the shaft 490 is often inserted into the accommodating space of the hook or the shaft 490 is pulled out of the accommodating space of the hook, or the shaft 490 is often pivoted, the resilient force of the spring 338 will not be impaired. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, except the spring 338 is formed by metal, the rest components are plastic, and the spring 338 is a standard part and is easily available, which can effectively reduce the cost of the hook 100.

Those skilled in the art would have appreciated that the hook 100 may also have many variations under the general inventive concept of the present disclosure. For example, the securing leg 103 may not necessarily to be arranged around the opening 214, but may be arranged offset from the opening 214; and the base 340 may be integrally formed with the securing leg 103 instead of using the assembly structure shown in present disclosure.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that many variations may be made to the hook of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit, scope and background of the teachings of the present disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art would also have appreciated that there are different ways to alter the structural details in the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure, which all fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A hook for receiving a shaft, the hook comprising: a main body, the main body comprising a body and a head connected to the body, the head and the body together defining an accommodating space, the accommodating space being configured to accommodate the shaft, the main body having an opening penetrating the body, and the opening being in communication with the accommodating space; and a clamping device, the clamping device comprising: a pressing member, the pressing member being configured to at least partially enter the accommodating space through the opening, so that the shaft is capable of being clamped between the head and the pressing member; and a resilient member, the resilient member being configured to apply a pressing force on the pressing membe toward the accommodating space.
2 The hook according to claim 1, wherein the resilient member is a spring.
3. The hook according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member comprises a pressing head and limiting flanges located on opposite sides of the pressing head, wherein the pressing head partially enters the accommodating space through the opening, the resilient member is connected to the side of the pressing head away from the accommodating space, and the limiting flanges are limited by the body and cannot enter the opening.
4. The hook according to claim 3, wherein the pressing member comprises a securing rod, the securing rod being connected to the side of the pressing head away from the accommodating space, and the resilient member being connected to the securing rod.
5. The hook (100) according to claim 3, wherein the pressing head comprises an arc-shaped pressing surface, the pressing surface being configured to abut against the shaft.
6. The hook according to claim 1, further comprising a securing leg, the securing leg extending from the side of the body away from the accommodating space, and the securing leg being configured to connect the hook to a working position.
7 The hook according to claim 6, wherein the clamping device has a base, the base being connected to the securing leg and being configured to support the resilient member.
8. The hook according to claim 7, wherein the base has a pair of side walls, protrusions being arranged on outer sides of the pair of side walls, the securing leg is provided with receiving portions, and the base is connected to the securing leg by engaging the protrusions with the receiving portions.
9. The hook according to claim 7, wherein the pressing member and the base are made of a plastic material.
10. The hook according to claim 2, wherein the resilient member is made of a metal material