JP2008008361A - Clamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a holding power necessary for a clamp so as to be able to recover a wire harness, etc., simply with human power when recycled, and to obtain the stiffness when an anchor is inserted into a mounting hole. <P>SOLUTION: The clamp is provided with a holder 22 capable of holding the wire harness, etc. and the anchor 10 inserted into a mounting hole of a body panel, etc. The anchor 10 has a pair of engaging pieces 16 projecting from both sides of a pillar 14. The base end of the pillar and the holder are integrally combined through a pair of connecting members 24, and a spherical member 26 is disposed in the middle of both the connecting members 24. The spherical member is combined with at least one of the base end of the pillar and the holder. When loaded between the anchor and the holder with a tensile load having a larger value than a predetermined one, both the connecting member are broken. When one of both engaging piece 16 is loaded with the load having a larger value than the predetermined one, a low-stiffness portion 14c elastically deforming together with the engaging member is configured in the pillar 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a clamp for mounting on a body panel or the like of a vehicle while holding a member to be held such as a wire harness, and more particularly to a clamp suitable for recycling of a wire harness or the like.

  In this type of clamp, a holder for holding a wire harness or the like by an appropriate means and an anchor inserted into a mounting hole opened in a vehicle body panel or the like are integrally formed of resin. The anchor has a structure in which locking pieces protrude from both sides of one column. By inserting this anchor into the mounting hole, both locking pieces enter the mounting hole while being elastically deformed with respect to the support column and are locked to the edge of the mounting hole, and the clamp is mounted to the body panel or the like. Therefore, by inserting the anchor into the mounting hole while holding the wire harness or the like in the holder, the wire harness or the like is attached to the body panel or the like through the clamp.

Thus, the clamp requires a predetermined holding force for properly attaching the wire harness or the like to the body panel or the like. On the other hand, in order to collect the wire harness or the like when recycling the vehicle, it is required to easily remove the clamp from the body panel side. As a countermeasure, the size of the joint portion between the support column and both locking pieces in the anchor is set small so that both locking pieces can be bent easily, so that the anchor can be removed from the mounting hole of the body panel with a low load. .
In addition, as a general technique of this kind of clamp, the technique regarding fasteners, such as a wire harness currently disclosed by patent document 1, for example is known.

JP-A-9-217864

  Even in clamps that support recycling of wire harnesses and the like, there is variation in the tensile load required to extract the anchor from the mounting hole. Further, depending on the direction (angle) of the tensile load applied to the anchor, the anchor may be easily detached from the mounting hole. Therefore, in general, the minimum value of the holding load of the anchor with respect to the mounting hole is set within the range of the required value, and the holding force necessary for the anchor is ensured. If it does so, the average value of holding load will become large and it will be necessary to apply a big tensile load at the time of recycling of wire harnesses.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem. The purpose of the present invention is to secure a holding force necessary for a clamp and to easily recover a wire harness or the like by a manual operation when recycling. Is to ensure the rigidity when inserting into the mounting hole.

The present invention is for achieving the above object, and is configured as follows.
The invention described in claim 1 includes a holder that can hold a member to be held such as a wire harness, and an anchor that is inserted into a mounting hole that is opened in a counterpart member such as a body panel. A clamp that can attach a member to be held to the counterpart member by inserting the anchor into the mounting hole of the counterpart member while holding the holding member. And a pair of protruding locking pieces. Both of these locking pieces can enter the mounting hole and be locked to the edge of the mounting hole while being elastically deformed with respect to the column when the anchor is inserted into the mounting hole of the counterpart member. The base end portion of the support and the holder are integrally coupled through a pair of thin connecting members, and one spherical member is disposed between the two connecting members. The spherical member is coupled to the base end portion of the support and at least one of the holders, and both connecting members are set to be cut when a tensile load of a predetermined value or more is applied between the anchor and the holder. The column is provided with a low-rigidity portion that can be elastically deformed in a direction inclined with respect to the axis of the column when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to one of the locking pieces. .

According to this configuration, depending on the direction (angle) of the tensile load acting on the anchor, the low-rigidity portion of the column is elastically deformed together with one of the two locking pieces, and the anchor tilts following the direction of the load. For this reason, the concentration of the load on one of the pair of connecting members connecting the base end of the column and the holder is eliminated, and when a tensile load exceeding a predetermined value is applied between the anchor and the holder, Regardless of the direction, both connecting members are cut almost simultaneously.
Therefore, the load for separating the anchor and the holder is always stable, and the load can be set small within the required value range. As a result, it is possible to recover the wire harness and the like by easily separating the anchor and the holder by human power when recycling the held member such as the wire harness while securing the holding force necessary for the clamp.
In addition, the spherical member disposed between the pair of connecting members ensures rigidity when the anchor is inserted into the mounting hole of the counterpart member.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the clamp according to claim 1, wherein the spherical member is integrally coupled to each of the proximal end portion of the support column and the holder, and the spherical member is connected to the base of the support column. A constricted portion is provided on at least one of the end side and the holder side. The constricted portion is set so as to be cut when a tensile load of a predetermined value or more is applied between the anchor and the holder.

  By connecting the spherical member to each of the base end of the support and the holder in this way, the fluidity of the resin material between the anchor support and the holder can be improved during the resin molding of the clamp and recycled. At this time, the connection between the base end portion of the column and the holder by the spherical member can be easily cut at the constricted portion.

The invention according to claim 3 is the clamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a concave space portion is provided at a tip portion of the pillar in the anchor, and the pillar is divided into two at the space portion. Thus, a low rigidity portion is formed.
In this case, the hardness of the low-rigidity part can be easily adjusted simply by changing the volume of the space part.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a clamp for a wire harness. 2 is a front view of the clamp, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the clamp. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the clamp. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the direction of arrow AA in FIG. The structure of the clamp shown in these drawings is roughly divided into an anchor 10 and a holder 22, which are integrally formed of a resin material. The anchor 10 is for attaching a clamp to a body panel 32 (FIG. 6) to be described later, and the holder 22 is for winding and holding a wire harness 30 (FIG. 6) to be described later with a vinyl tape or the like. The wire harness 30 corresponds to the “held member” of the present invention, and the body panel 32 corresponds to the “mating member” of the present invention.

  The anchor 10 has a support column 14 protruding from the center of one side surface (upper surface in the drawing) of the base 12 and a pair of locking pieces 16 positioned in a state of projecting on both sides of the support column 14. That is, the base end portion 14a of the column 14 is integrated with the base 12 (FIG. 4), and the tip end portion 14b is a free end. The upper portions of the locking pieces 16 are individually coupled to the side portions of the support column 14 near the distal end portion 14b, and spread outward from the coupling portions to the lower portions.

  The shape of the outer surface of both locking pieces 16 gradually bulges outward from the upper part to the intermediate part, and each intermediate part forms a shoulder part 16a that protrudes outward most. Between these shoulder portions 16a and the lower portion, there are a plurality of locking claw portions 16b formed in a multi-stage shape. Both the locking pieces 16 can be displaced from the state shown in the drawing in the direction approaching the support column 14 by elastically deforming the connecting portion with the support column 14 like a hinge.

  The front end portion 14b of the support column 14 is provided with a concave space 18 having an open end surface. That is, the column 14 is divided into two on both sides in the space 18. These halved portions form a pair of low-rigidity portions 14c that can be elastically deformed in a direction inclined with respect to the axis of the column 14 together with the locking pieces 16 that are coupled to each other. A dish-shaped stabilizer 20 is formed on the outer periphery of the base 12 of the anchor 10.

  The holder 22 has a long plate shape in one direction, and the anchor 10 is located in the middle of the longitudinal direction. The base 12 and the holder 22 of the anchor 10 are coupled through a pair of connecting members 24 and a single spherical member 26 positioned between the connecting members 24 (FIGS. 2 and 4). Both the connecting members 24 are formed to be thin, and the spherical member 26 has a constricted portion 26 a at each joint location with respect to the base 12 and the holder 22. The wall thickness dimension of both the connecting members 24 and the cross-sectional area of the constricted portion 26 a are set to values that are cut when a tensile load of a predetermined value or more acts between the anchor 10 and the holder 22. The constricted portion 26a of the spherical member 26 may be provided only on either the base 12 side or the holder 22 side.

Next, the use of the clamp will be described.
FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which the wire harness is attached by a clamp. As shown in this drawing, the wire harness 30 is placed on the holder 22 of the clamp, and these are wound together by vinyl tape or the like. As a result, a part of the wire harness 30 is held by the holder 22 of the clamp. In addition, about the holder 22, you may replace with the thing of the type which tightens and hold | maintains the outer periphery of the wire harness 30 with a belt and a buckle, for example.

  Next, as the anchor 10 of the clamp is inserted into the mounting hole 34 of the body panel 32, each locking piece 16 is flexed in the direction approaching the column 14 due to the elastic deformation of the joint portion with the column 14. The shoulder 16a passes through the mounting hole 34. Then, one of the locking claws 16 b of the locking pieces 16 is locked to the edge of the mounting hole 34, and the anchor 10 is mounted to the body panel 32. That is, the wire harness 30 is attached to the body panel 32 side through the clamp. When the anchor 10 is attached to the body panel 32, the outer peripheral portion of the stabilizer 20 is pressed against the surface of the body panel 32. As a result, the clamp mounting state with respect to the body panel 32 is stabilized, and in some cases, the function of sealing the mounting hole 34 is also achieved.

  As already described, the anchor 10 of the clamp and the holder 22 are connected to each other only by a pair of connecting members 24 and a single spherical member 26 formed to be thin. However, the rigidity between the base 12 of the anchor 10 and the holder 22 is ensured by the spherical member 26 with respect to the load when the anchor 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 34 of the body panel 32. In addition, when compared with a configuration in which the base 12 and the holder 22 are coupled only by the pair of connecting members 24, the presence of the spherical member 26 allows the resin material between the base 12 and the holder 22 to be formed at the time of molding the clamp. Increases fluidity.

Next, the function of the clip when the wire harness 30 is removed from the body panel 32 and collected as part of the recycling will be described.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing the state of the clip when receiving a tensile load for collecting the wire harness 30. FIG. 8 is a front view of the state in which the wire harness 30 is removed from the body panel 32. When the wire harness 30 is pulled during recycling, loads in all directions act on the clip according to the pulling direction at that time.

  The tensile load acting on the clip acts as a force for pulling out the anchor 10 from the mounting hole 34 of the body panel 32. The force in the pulling direction is received by the locking between the locking claw portions 16b of the locking pieces 16 and the edge of the mounting hole 34. Therefore, when a load in a direction in which the anchor 10 is pulled straight is applied to the clip, a substantially equal force is applied to both the locking pieces 16. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7A, the pair of low-rigidity portions 14c in the column 14 are elastically deformed so as to be inclined inward. In this case, as a matter of course, the concentration of load on any one of the two connecting members 24 and the spherical member 26 does not occur.

  On the other hand, when a tensile load in the direction of pulling the anchor 10 obliquely acts on the clip, a large load acts on one of the locking pieces 16, and the low rigidity portion 14c on the side receiving the load. Is elastically deformed as shown in FIG. Therefore, the anchor 10 is inclined following the direction of the load, and even in this case, the concentration of the load on one of the two connecting members 24 and the spherical member 26 is prevented.

  For these reasons, regardless of the direction of the tensile load acting on the clip, if a force of a predetermined value or more is applied between the anchor 10 and the holder 22, as shown in FIG. The constricted portion 26a is cut almost simultaneously. As a result, the wire harness 30 is detached from the body panel 32 together with the holder 22 while the anchor 10 is left on the body panel 32 side. Since both the connecting members 24 and the constricted portion 26a of the spherical member 26 are cut almost simultaneously, the load for separating the anchor 10 and the holder 22 is always stable, and the load is a required value from the recycling work side. It is possible to set a small value in the range.

  FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a clamp showing a modified example of the spherical member 26. The spherical member 26 shown in this drawing is coupled only to the holder 22 and is separated from the base 12 of the anchor 10 (the proximal end portion 14a of the column 14). Also in this configuration, the spherical member 26 contacts the base 12 of the anchor 10 with a gap between the base 12 and the holder 22 when the anchor 10 is inserted into the mounting hole 34 of the body panel 32. The rigidity in between is ensured. When the wire harness 30 is collected, only the two connecting members 24 need to be cut by a pulling force acting between the anchor 10 and the holder 22. Note that, contrary to the configuration of FIG. 9, it is naturally possible to connect the spherical member 26 to the base 12 of the anchor 10 and separate from the holder 22.

External perspective view showing clamp for wire harness Front view of clamp Top view of clamp Vertical section of clamp Sectional view in the direction of arrow AA in FIG. Front view showing the mounting state of the wire harness by the clamp Front view showing the state of the clip when subjected to a tensile load Front view with the wire harness removed from the body panel Longitudinal sectional view of a clamp showing an example of a change to a spherical member

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Anchor 14 Support | pillar 14a Base end part 14c Low-rigidity part 16 Locking piece 22 Holder 24 Connection member 26 Spherical member 30 Wire harness (holding member)
32 Body panel (mating member)
34 Mounting hole

Claims (3)

A holder that can hold a member to be held such as a wire harness and an anchor that is inserted into a mounting hole that is opened in a mating member such as a body panel. A clamp that can mount the held member on the mating member by inserting it into the mounting hole of the mating member,
The anchor has a column and a pair of locking pieces protruding from both sides of the column, and both the locking pieces are elastically deformed with respect to the column when the anchor is inserted into the mounting hole of the counterpart member. The base end of the support column and the holder are integrally coupled through a pair of thin connecting members, and one intermediate between the connecting members. One spherical member is arranged, and this spherical member is coupled to at least one of the base end portion of the support and the holder, and both the connecting members are cut when a tensile load of a predetermined value or more is applied between the anchor and the holder. A low-rigidity part that can be elastically deformed in a direction that tilts with respect to the axis of the column together with the locking piece when a load greater than a predetermined value is applied to one of the locking pieces. Clamp that is set The clamp according to claim 1, wherein
The spherical member is integrally coupled to each of the base end portion of the support column and the holder, and this spherical member is provided with a constricted portion on at least one side of the base end portion side and the holder side of the support column. A clamp that is set to be cut when a tensile load of a predetermined value or more is applied between the anchor and the holder. The clamp according to claim 1 or 2,
A clamp in which a concave space portion is provided at the tip of the pillar in the anchor, and the pillar is divided into two at the space portion to form a low rigidity portion.

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