JP2015526663A - Clip for fastening to flat components - Google Patents

Abstract

A clip for fastening to a flat component within the clip (10) comprises a body (11) having a receiving slot (16) for receiving the flat component and having a locking finger (23), The free end of the locking finger (23) projects into the receiving slot (16) and is elastically deformable to form an axis extending transversely to the insertion direction and parallel to the receiving slot (16) It is attached to the main body (11) by a web (27, 28). The release lever (33) is attached to one fixing finger (23), and the release lever (33) acts in the release direction with respect to the release lever (33). It is attached to one locking finger (23) so that it can be moved to the release position by force, in which the free end of the locking finger (23) is received in the receiving slot (16) Configured to deviate from flat components. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is a clip for fastening an object to a flat component having a receiving slot with an insertion opening for receiving the flat component, and a first one located on each side of the receiving slot. A body having a guide section and a second guide section, disposed on the first guide section, and having at least one fixing finger extending from the first guide section in the insertion direction and the second guide section direction. The free end of the locking finger projects into the receiving slot, the at least one locking finger forming an axis extending transversely to the insertion direction and parallel to the receiving slot It relates to a clip attached to the first guide section by an elastically deformable web.

  This particular type of clip is used in the manufacture of automobiles, in particular for attaching objects to flat components such as plate edges, sides or strips. The clip is placed on a flat component with the insertion opening facing forward, the component enters the receiving slot and is held in place in the receiving slot by the locking fingers. The object can then be attached to the clip using additional securing means.

  In order to provide great resistance against the clip being pulled out of the flat component, the clip's locking fingers are pressed against the flat component, especially when a pulling force is applied. Often designed to bite into the flat component. For example, a specific type of clip known from Patent Document 1 has a fixing finger, the fixing finger having a tongue protruding from a free end, and the tongue is made of a hard material such as metal. And the clip can easily bite into flat components. The good holding action of the clip design has the disadvantage that it is difficult to remove the clip, for example during repair, and that the fixing finger has a hard and often sharp edge when the clip is removed. The part may damage the flat component. In particular, if the flat component is coated with another material, such as a paint, to prevent corrosion, undesired damage can occur to the corrosion-preventing coating.

European Patent Publication No. 2,405,148

  It is an object of the present invention to improve a clip of the type described above so that it can be mounted and removed from the flat component without damaging the flat component.

  In the present invention, this object is achieved by a clip of the shape described in FIG. Particularly useful forms of the clip are specified in the accompanying claims.

  According to the present invention, a clip for fastening an object to a flat component has a receiving slot with an insertion opening for receiving the flat component, and the first guides located on both sides of the receiving slot, respectively. A body having a section and a second guide section and having at least one fixing finger disposed on the first guide section and extending from the first guide section in the insertion direction and the second guide section direction; The free end of the finger projects into the receiving slot, and the at least one locking finger is defined by an elastically deformable web that forms an axis extending transversely to the insertion direction and parallel to the receiving slot. A release lever is attached to the first guide section and the release lever is at least one locking finger when the clip is fastened to a flat component received in the receiving slot. Is attached to at least one locking finger so that it can be moved to the release position by a force acting in the release direction on the release lever, in which the locking finger is disengaged from the flat component It is like that.

  The clip according to the invention has the advantage that the pressure on the release lever can be removed from the component held in its receiving slot without damaging the component. In addition, the fastening of the clip to the flat component can be facilitated by the pressure of the release lever, so that the surface of the flat component is protected by avoiding or reducing contact with the locking fingers. Will come to be.

  The release lever can be placed on the locking finger in various ways. The only important thing is that a force can be exerted on the release lever to cause the release operation of the locking finger and move the locking finger out of the receiving slot. Furthermore, the release lever must not interfere with the fastening of the clip to the flat component. A particularly advantageous arrangement is a design in which the release lever is arranged on the locking finger on the side facing away from the receiving slot and extends transversely to the insertion direction. In this design, a force acting on the lever in the direction opposite to the insertion direction causes the fixing finger to move in the release direction. As a result, the pressure acting on the release lever in the direction opposite to the insertion direction simultaneously pulls the locking finger away from the receiving slot while maintaining the clip position on the flat component. Therefore, for example, manual clip assembly can be realized particularly easily without damaging the flat components.

  When viewed in the axial direction of the elastically deformable web, the release lever preferably has a substantially triangular cross-section such that its width decreases as it moves away from the fixing finger. This allows the release lever to be particularly anti-deflectively coupled to the locking finger, so that the bending load is distributed in good form throughout the length of the release lever.

  In a preferred embodiment, the body of the clip is made of plastic including the fixing fingers, at least one fixing finger comprising a hard material insert, the insert being fixed on the free end of the fixing finger. A fixing tongue protruding from the finger is formed, and the fixing tongue protrudes into the receiving slot. The insert is made of metal or made of plastic reinforced with glass fibers or carbon fibers. Clips with this design offer the combined advantage of the advantages of plastic clips and those of metal clamps. The harder the material of the insert, the higher the holding force that is given to the flat component without undercut, so that a high resistance to pulling of the flat component from the receiving slot of the clip can be obtained.

  The greater the elasticity of the plastic on which the fixing fingers and their attachments to the guide section are formed, and the better the plastic sliding properties, the smaller the assembly force, and the more manually attaching the clip. Becomes easier. Since the insert is relatively small, it can be manufactured from a corrosion resistant steel material in order to achieve good corrosion resistance without significantly affecting manufacturing costs. There are no sharp edges on the outside of the clip, other than the insert made of plastic, that can cause injury during manual handling and insertion of the clip.

  In the clip according to the invention, the first guide section and the second guide section can be connected to each other by a rear part arranged on the opposite side of the insertion opening, the rear part limiting the depth of the receiving slot in the insertion direction. Can be formed.

  In order to couple the clip with an object that can be fastened with a flat component with the aid of the clip, the clip can be formed with a fastening portion designed to fasten the object. The fastening part is preferably arranged on the side of the second guide section facing away from the receiving slot and / or on the side of the rear part facing away from the receiving slot. In an advantageous manner, the fastening part has a fastening opening for receiving the retaining strap.

  The body of the clip can be molded from a thermoplastic material using an injection molding process, which allows the insert to be partially surrounded by the plastic of the locking fingers.

  The invention is described in detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown by the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a clip according to the present invention with a first guide section facing forward. It is a perspective view of the insertion side of the clip of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the clip of FIG. 1 with a second guide section facing forward. It is a figure which shows the insertion side of the clip of FIG. FIG. 2 is an end view of the clip of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the clip of FIG. 1 in a state facing away from the insertion side.

  The clip 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 is mainly composed of a main body 11, and the main body is made of plastic. The body 11 is U-shaped having a first guide section 12, a second guide section 13 parallel to the first guide section 12, and a rear portion 14 connecting the guide sections 12, 13. Extending between the guide sections 12, 13 is a receiving slot 16 with an insertion opening 17 on the opposite side of the rear part 14.

  Each of the guide sections 12 and 13 is formed with introduction-side inclined surfaces 18 and 19 that face obliquely outward in the insertion openings. Reinforcing ribs 20 are arranged on the outer end portion on the side facing outward from the insertion opening 16, and the height thereof increases toward the rear portion 14. An additional reinforcing rib 21 is formed in the center of the guide section 12. The reinforcing ribs 20 and 21 increase the resistance to bending of the guide sections 11 and 12 of the receiving slot 16.

  To secure a flat component, such as a strip or rib, inserted into the receiving slot 16, the clip 10 has two securing fingers 23. Each of the fixing fingers 23 is located in the opening 24 of the first guide section 12 and is molded as an integral part with the main body 2. In the guide section 13, a core opening 25 necessary for the molding technique is formed on the side opposite to the fixing finger portion 23. The fixing finger 23 is connected to the guide section 12 by elastically deformable webs 27 and 28 at the end adjacent to the insertion opening 17. The spring force of the fixing finger 23 that presses the fixing finger 23 against the component inserted in the receiving slot 16 can be determined by the cross-sectional area of the elastically deformable webs 27 and 28.

  Each of the fixing fingers 23 includes an insert 29 made of a corrosion-resistant metal, preferably stainless steel. The insert 29 is in the form of a rectangular plate and is embedded in the plastic of the fixing finger 23 over approximately half of its length. In addition, the insert 29 can have different shapes, but the shape needs to be compatible with the fixing fingers. Inside the fixing finger 23, the insert can have a hole, which is filled with plastic for the purpose of fixing the insert 29 in the fixing finger 23. The insert 29 forms a tongue 30 that projects from the plastic material at the free end of the locking finger 23 and extends obliquely into the receiving slot 16. At the free end, the tongue 30 is formed with a sharp edge. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the tongue 30 extends at an angle of about 30 degrees with respect to the central plane of the receiving slot 16 in the insertion direction. The end section 31 of the insert 29 opposite the tongue 30 is exposed and acts to support the insert 29 during injection molding when the clip 10 is molded.

  On the rear side facing outward as viewed from the insertion opening 17, a release lever 33 integrated with the fixing finger 23 made of plastic is formed on each of the fixing finger 23. The release lever 33 extends substantially perpendicular to the central plane of the receiving slot 16. As can be seen in the end view of FIG. 5, the release lever 33 has a substantially triangular cross-section that becomes narrower away from the locking finger 23. The pointed end of the release lever 33 is rounded. The side of the release lever 33 facing towards the rear 14 forms an operating surface 34 on which the release lever 33 can be operated manually or with the aid of a tool. When the release lever 33 is operated with a release force L on the operating surface 34, this operation causes a rotation about the common central axis of the webs 27 and 28 of the unit composed of the release lever 33 and the fixing finger 23, In this process, the webs 27 and 28 are elastically deformed. As a result of this rotation, the tongue 30 of the fixing finger 23 pivots in the direction of the first guide section 12, and the distance between the end of the tongue 30 and the second guide section 13 is increased. As a function of the resistance design against the deformation of the webs 27 and 28, if the release force L is sufficient, the fixing finger 23 can be sufficiently rotated and the tongue 30 fully enters the opening 24 of the guide section 12, This tongue will not be able to contact components located in the receiving slot 16. First and foremost, the magnitude of the resistance to deformation of the webs 27 and 28 determines the spring force with which the edge of the end of the tongue 30 is pressed against the component located in the receiving slot 16 and the clip. The holding power depends on this.

  In order to be able to fasten the object to the clip 10, the clip 10 has a first fastening section 36 and a second fastening section 37. The first fastening section 36 has two U-shaped brackets located on the outside of the rear part 14 and comprising legs 39 and 40. The leg portion 39 is coupled to the guide section 12 on both sides thereof, and is located away from the reinforcing rib 21. The leg 40 is formed on the guide section 13. The upper part 41 of the bracket 38 is located at a distance from the rear part 14 and is connected to each other by a plate-like bridge element 42. In this way, the upper part 41 and the bridge element 42 form a plurality of fastening openings 43 that can be accessed longitudinally or laterally with respect to the rear part 14 for inserting a holding strap.

  The second fastening section 37 has a first U-shaped bracket 44 which is arranged substantially perpendicular to the guide section 13 and has a leg 45 connected to the guide section 13 at the end. A second bracket 46 is arranged in parallel with the bracket 44 and spaced from the bracket, and its leg 47 is connected to the end of the leg 40 and the guide section 13. These two brackets 44 and 46 have upper portions 48 and 49 joined by a bridge element 50 at a distance to the guide section 13, and similarly, the bridge element 50 is relative to the guide section 13. Are arranged at certain intervals. The two brackets 44 and 46 and the bridge element 50 form a fastening opening 51, and fastening means such as a strap enter the fastening opening 51 in two different directions in order to fasten the object to the clip 10. be able to.

  Instead of the embodiments of the fastening sections 36 and 37 described above, the clip 10 can comprise other fastening elements such as pegs or sleeves, which can be integrally formed with the clip.

10 clip 11 body 12 first guide section 13 second guide section 14 rear portion 16 receiving slot 17 insertion openings 18, 19 inclined surfaces 20, 21 reinforcing ribs 23 fixing fingers 24 openings 25 core openings 27, 28 elastically deformable web 29 Insert 30 Tongue 31 Rear section 33 Release lever 36 First fastening section 37 Second fastening section 38, 44, 46 Bracket 39, 40 Leg

Claims (12)

  A first guide section (12) and a second guide section (12) having a receiving slot (16) with an insertion opening (17) for receiving a flat component and arranged on both sides of said receiving slot (16) 13) and is arranged on the first guide section (12) and extends from the first guide section (12) in the insertion direction and in the direction of the second guide section (13). A body (11) having a portion (23), the free end of the locking finger (23) projecting into the receiving slot (16), the at least one locking finger (23) Attached to the first guide section (12) by elastically deformable webs (27, 28) forming an axis extending transversely to the insertion direction and parallel to the receiving slot (16). object A clip (10) for fastening to a flat component, wherein the release lever (33) is adapted to be used when the clip is fastened to a flat component received in the receiving slot (16). The at least one fixing finger (23) is attached to the at least one fixing finger (23) so that it can be moved to the release position by a force acting in a release direction on the release lever (33). A clip in which, in the released position, the locking finger (23) is disengaged from the flat component.   The release lever (33) is disposed on the side of the fixing finger (23) facing outward as viewed from the receiving slot (16), and extends in a direction transverse to the insertion direction. The clip according to claim 1.   The clip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the release lever (33) has a cross-section that decreases with increasing distance from the fixing finger (23).   The body (11) is made of plastic, the at least one fastening finger (23) has a hard material insert (29), which protrudes into the receiving slot (16). The fixing tongue (30) protruding from the fixing finger on the free end of the at least one fixing finger (23) is formed. The clip according to claim 1.   The clip according to claim 4, wherein the insert is made of metal or made of plastic reinforced with glass fiber or carbon fiber.   The first guide section (12) is coupled to the second guide section (13) by a rear part located on the opposite side of the insertion opening (17), and the rear part is inserted in the receiving slot (16). The clip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a stop portion is formed to limit a depth of the clip.   7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fixing finger (23) is arranged in an opening (24) in the first guide section (12). The described clip.   8. Clip according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has at least one fastening section (36, 37) for fastening an object to the clip (10).   The at least one fastening section (36, 37) is on the side of the second guide section (13) facing outward as viewed from the receiving slot and / or outward from the receiving slot (16) 9. A clip according to claim 8, characterized in that it is arranged on the side of the rear part (14) facing towards.   10. Clip according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the at least one fastening section (36, 37) has a fastening opening (43, 51) for receiving a retaining strap.   The first fastening section (36) has two U-shaped brackets (38) attached to the outside of the clip (10) by legs (39, 40), the bracket being connected by a plate-like bridge element 42. 11. A clip according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that it comprises an upper part (41) arranged at intervals with respect to the outside of the clip (10) and joined together.   The clip is molded using an injection molding method, characterized in that the insert (29) of the at least one fastening finger (23) is partly surrounded by plastic by injection molding. The clip according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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