WO2002062616A1 - Fixation de composants tels qu"une poignee de maintien d"automobile - Google Patents

Fixation de composants tels qu"une poignee de maintien d"automobile Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002062616A1
WO2002062616A1 PCT/US2002/003196 US0203196W WO02062616A1 WO 2002062616 A1 WO2002062616 A1 WO 2002062616A1 US 0203196 W US0203196 W US 0203196W WO 02062616 A1 WO02062616 A1 WO 02062616A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
clip
shank
pin
flange
fastener
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2002/003196
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Toshio Maruyama
Original Assignee
Emhart Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Emhart Llc filed Critical Emhart Llc
Publication of WO2002062616A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002062616A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N3/00—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for
    • B60N3/02—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of hand grips or straps
    • B60N3/023—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of hand grips or straps movable
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N3/00—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for
    • B60N3/02—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of hand grips or straps
    • B60N3/026—Arrangements or adaptations of other passenger fittings, not otherwise provided for of hand grips or straps characterised by the fixing means

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a fastener to fixedly attach a component such as an assist grip of an automobile to a workpiece such as an automobile body.
  • an assist grip of an automobile has been fixed to an automobile body panel through a headlining (roof lining) with bolts.
  • This method is required to use nuts to be welded to the automobile body in addition to bolts, and thereby the number of related components is increased and their weight is also increased because the bolts and nuts are made of metal.
  • a bolt-screwing operation is essentially required, and one operator is forced to handle all of a bolt, assist grip and machine tool. This provides degraded workability.
  • Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-512943 discloses a fastener in which a clip to be attach to the automobile body is integrally formed at both ends of the assist grip, and the assist grip is fixedly attached to the automobile body by using the clip.
  • the clip in this publication comprises a pair of legs formed in substantially V shape, wherein the legs are inserted into mounting holes of an automobile body and a locking member is then inserted between the legs to fixedly attach the assist grip to the automobile body.
  • This fastener can eliminate the need for any bolt and nut, and solve the aforementioned problem.
  • Patent Laid-Open No. 10-512943 can eliminate the need for any bolt and nut, and can provide reduced weight and number of portions as well as improved workability because of a simplified operation of inserting the clips into the automobile body mounting holes and inserting the locking member between the clips.
  • this fastener is integrally formed with the assist grip, it is required to form the clips simultaneously with the assist grip, and to form different clips depending on various kinds of assist grips.
  • a headlining is generally provided so as not to expose the roof portion of the automobile body or to serve as an ornamental.
  • Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 05-079021 discloses a fastener comprising a clip and a pin and for coupling two panels (a soft panel such as an insulator, and a hard automobile body panel) each other. This fastener is adapted to reliably couple two panels by inserting the pin into the clip.
  • this publication does not disclose any suggestion of using the fastener to couple a component such as an assist grip with an automobile body, and any structure for the use.
  • a fastener for fixing a component such as an assist grip of an automobile to a workpiece such as an automobile body comprising a clip made of a plastic material and a pin made of a plastic material.
  • the clip includes a hollow tubular shank adapted to be inserted into a mounting hole of the workpiece and to receive the pin, and a flange formed at one end of the shank and provided with an opening for receiving the pin therein.
  • the pin includes a shank adapted to be inserted into the opening of the flange and the hollow portion of the clip shank, and a flange formed at one end of the pin shank and adapted to be opposed to the clip flange.
  • the clip shank is formed with a resilient leg extending from the root-end portion far from the clip flange to the distal end portion adjacent to the clip flange in the longitudinal direction of the clip shank.
  • the resilient leg has a free distal end.
  • the resilient leg includes an engagement shoulder on the distal end side thereof. The engagement shoulder is adapted to engage with the edge of the mounting hole of the workpiece.
  • the resilient leg has a distal end resilient leg portion located within the hollow portion of the clip shank.
  • the engagement shoulder is adapted to be protruded from the outer surface of the clip shank by a length allowing the engagement shoulder to be fixedly attached to the workpiece when the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank to push the distal end resilient leg portion radially outward from the hollow portion of the clip shank.
  • the component such as an assist grip can be temporarily coupled with the workpiece such as an automobile body by attaching the component such as an assist grip to the clip flange and inserting the clip shank into the mounting hole of the automobile body with a headlining. Then, the component can be fixedly attached to the workpiece only by inserting the pin into the clip shank.
  • the engagement shoulder may have a portion protruding from the outer surface of the clip shank to allow the engagement shoulder to be temporarily attached to the workpiece when the pin shank is not inserted into the clip shank.
  • the resilient leg may be formed to make a pair, and each of the pair of resilient legs is opposed to the clip shank.
  • Each of the resilient leg and the pin shank may be formed with an engagement portion for keeping the pin shank in the inserted state when the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank, and the engagement portions may be adapted to engage with each other in the inserted state.
  • the pin flange may be adapted to be brought into surface contact with the clip flange in the inserted state, and the clip flange may be formed with an gap for allowing the end of a tool to be inserted therethrough so as to forcedly lift the pin flange.
  • the engagement portion of the pin shank can be pulled out of the engagement portion of the clip shank. This allows the fastener to be detached.
  • the pin shank may be formed with a tapered engagement portion for deforming the resilient leg to make the engagement shoulder of the elastic leg protrude gradually outward from the clip shank when the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank.
  • the engagement shoulder of the resilient leg may be formed substantially in parallel with the clip flange, and a portion of the resilient leg extending from the engagement shoulder to the distal end thereof may extend vertically toward the clip flange.
  • the pin flange may include a pressure piece adapted to engage with the distal end of the resilient leg so as to limit the outward deformation of the distal end of the resilient leg. This prevents the fixedly coupled state from being released due to excessive deformation of the resilient leg.
  • the clip flange is formed with a component- holding portion allowing the end of an assist grip to be attached swingably thereto.
  • the component-holding portion of the clip flange is first coupled with each of a pair of fastener-holding portions provided at both ends of the assist grip to attach each of said clips to the assist grip. Then, each of the clips is inserted into a mounting hole of the headlining to engage the portion of the engagement shoulder of the resilient leg with the edge of the headlining mounting hole so as to temporarily attach the assist grip to the headlining.
  • the headlining with the temporarily attached assist grip is then transported to the automobile body to position the clip shank at the mounting hole of the automobile body, and the clip shank is inserted into the automobile mounting hole to move the portion of the engagement shoulder from the edge of the headlining mounting hole to the edge of the automobile mounting hole and engage the portion of the engagement shoulder therewith so as to temporarily attach he assist grip to the headlining and automobile body.
  • the pin is positioned at each of the clips, and the pin shank is inserted into the clip flange and clip shank to push the engagement shoulder outward from the clip shank so as to fixedly attach the assist grip to the headlining and automobile body.
  • the assist grip can be attached to the headlining in advance, and then transported to the automobile component- assembly line with the head lining.
  • a fastener for fixing a component such as an assist grip of an automobile to a workpiece such as an automobile body comprising a clip made of a plastic material and a pin made of a plastic material.
  • -A- includes a hollow tubular shank adapted to be inserted into a mounting hole of the workpiece and to receive the pin, and a flange formed at one end of the shank and provided with an opening for receiving the pin therein.
  • the pin includes a shank adapted to be inserted into the opening of the flange and the hollow portion of the clip shank, and a flange formed at one end of the pin shank and adapted to be opposed to the clip flange.
  • the clip shank is formed with a resilient leg extending from the root-end portion far from the clip flange to the distal end portion adjacent to the clip flange in the longitudinal direction of the clip shank.
  • the resilient leg has a free distal end and is formed as an engagement shoulder adapted to engage with the edge of the mounting hole of the workpiece.
  • the resilient leg has an intermediate resilient leg portion extending from the engagement shoulder to the root-end portion.
  • the intermediate resilient leg portion is located within the hollow portion of the clip shank.
  • the engagement shoulder and the intermediate resilient leg portion are adapted to make the engagement shoulder protrude from the outer surface of the clip shank to allow the engagement shoulder to be fixedly attached to the workpiece when the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank to push the intermediate resilient leg portion radially outward from the hollow portion of the clip shank.
  • the component such as an assist grip can also be temporarily coupled with the workpiece such as an automobile body by attaching the component such as an assist grip to the clip flange and inserting the clip shank into the mounting hole of the automobile body with the headlining. Then, the component can also be fixedly attached to the workpiece only by inserting the pin into the clip shank.
  • This can provide an improved fastener capable of eliminating the need for any bolt and nut and achieving excellent workability in attaching operations.
  • the clip shank may be formed with a temporarily attaching resilient pawl separately from the resilient leg, and the temporarily attaching resilient pawl may obliquely extend radially outward from the outer surface of the distal end portion of the clip shank to the clip flange.
  • the clip shank may be formed with a temporarily attaching engagement pawl at the inside thereof adjacent to the clip flange, and the temporarily attaching engagement pawl may be adapted to engage with a first engagement groove of the pin shank in the temporarily attached state when the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank up to the intermediate position of the clip shank.
  • the pin shank may be formed with a second engagement groove at a different position from that of the first engagement position.
  • the second engagement groove may be formed in a configuration for receiving an inside protrusion protruding inward at the intermediate position of the resilient leg of the clip shank, and the second engagement groove may be adapted to allow the inside protrusion of the resilient leg to be fitted thereinto to keep in the fixedly coupled state therebetween at the fixedly attached position where the pin shank is inserted into the clip shank to bring the pin flange into surface contact with the clip flange.
  • the pin shank may be adapted to rotate about the axis of the clip shank so as to allow the fixedly coupled state to be released by rotating the coupled pin shank at the fixedly attached position at a given angle about the axis.
  • the clip flange may be formed with a component-holding portion allowing the end of an assist grip to be attached swingably thereto.
  • the pin shank is first inserted into the clip shank up to the intermediate position of the clip shank to temporarily attach the pin to the clip. Then, the component- holding portion of the clip flange is coupled with each of a pair of fastener- holding portions provided at both ends of the assist grip to attach each of the clips to the assist grip. The clip shank with the pin is then inserted into a mounting hole of the headlining to engage the temporarily attaching pawl of the clip with the edge of the headlining mounting hole so as to temporarily attach the assist grip to the headlining.
  • the headlining with the temporarily attached assist grip is then transported to the automobile body to position the clip shank at the mounting hole of the automobile body, and the clip shank is inserted into the automobile mounting hole and pressingly inserting the pin shank is inserted pressingly into the clip shank to bring the pin shank flange into surface contact with the clip flange and to make the engagement shoulder protrude outward from the clip shank so as to fixedly attach the assist grip to the headlining and automobile body.
  • the attaching operations can be simplified.
  • the assist grip can be attached to the headlining in advance, and then transported to the automobile component-assembly line with the head lining.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a clip of a fastener according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 is a front view of the clip of Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 3 is a left side view of the clip of Fig. 2.
  • Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the clip of Fig. 2 taken along the line A-A.
  • Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the clip of Fig. 3 taken along the line B-B.
  • Fig. 6 is a front view of a pin of the fastener according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 7 is a left side view of the pin of Fig. 6.
  • Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the pin of Fig. 6.
  • Fig. 9 is a view showing a clip-attaching portion of an assist grip.
  • Fig. 10 is a view showing the state when the assist grip is temporarily attached to a headlining using the clip of the fastener according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 11 is a view showing the state when the headlining with the temporarily attached assist grip is temporarily attached to the automobile body.
  • Fig. 12 is a view showing the state before the assist grip temporarily attached to the automobile body is fixedly attached.
  • Fig. 13 is a view showing the state after the assist grip is fixedly coupled to the headlining and the automobile body.
  • Fig. 14 is a plan view of a clip of a fastener according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 15 is a front view of the clip of Fig. 14.
  • Fig. 16 is a left side view of the clip of Fig. 14.
  • Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the clip of Fig. 15 taken along the line C-C.
  • Fig. 18 is a sectional view of the clip of Fig. 16 taken along the line D-D.
  • Fig. 19 is a plan view of a pin of the fastener according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 20 is a front view of the pin of Fig. 19.
  • Fig. 21 is a left side view of the pin of Fig. 20.
  • Fig. 22 is a view showing the state when the assist grip is temporarily attached to a headlining using the clip of the fastener according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 23 is a sectional view of the clip as in Fig. 18 showing the temporarily attached state as in Fig. 22.
  • Fig. 24 is a view showing the state after the assist grip is fixedly coupled to the headlining and the automobile body by pushing the pin from the temporarily attached state.
  • Figs. 1 to 13 show a fastener according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the fastener according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plastic clip 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 5, and a plastic pin 2 shown in Figs. 6 to 8.
  • FIG. 13 show the steps of attaching an assist grip 3 as a component to an automobile body 6 as a primary workpiece through a headlining 5 as a secondary workpiece by the use of the fastener comprising the clip1 and the pin 2.
  • the assist grip 3 is a conventional one.
  • the overall structure of the assist grip 3 is shown in Fig. 9, and only its outline is shown in other figures.
  • the fastener according to the first embodiment comprises the clip 1 and the pin 2.
  • the clip 1 is an integrally molded product made of a plastic material, and is shown in Figs. 1 to 5.
  • the pin 2 is an integrally molded product made of a plastic material, and is shown in Figs. 6 to 8.
  • the clip 1 includes a tubular (rectangular tube shape: while it may be a circular tube shape, the rectangular tube shape is preferable in view of preventing the rotation of the clip) shank 9 adapted to be inserted into each of mounting holes of a headlining and the automobile body and provided with a hollow portion 7 for receiving the pin 2.
  • the clip 1 further includes a flange 10 provided at one end (the upper end of the figures) of the shank 9.
  • the flange 10 is adapted to be brought into surface contact with the edge of the mounting hole of the headlining (or automobile body) and to prevent the shank 9 from being inserted into the mounting hole any further.
  • the flange 10 functions to enhance reliable and stable fixed state by its contact with the automobile body or the like.
  • the flange 10 includes a component-holding portion 11 allowing the end of the assist grip as a component to be swingably coupled therewith. Further, the flange 10 is formed with an opening 13 communicating with the hollow portion 7 to allow the pin 2 to be inserted into the hollow portion 7 of the shank 9.
  • the area of the opening 13 is larger than that of the hollow portion 7 to facilitate an operation for removing the shank 9 from the automobile body or the like.
  • the component-holding portion 11 of the flange 10 is formed with a hole 14 to house a pin (not shown) to be swingably coupled with the assist grip, and a spring housing portion 15 for housing a coil spring (not shown) for keeping the assist grip in a given position.
  • the clip shank 9 is formed with a pair of resilient legs 17 oppose to each other with respect to the axis of the shank 9.
  • the resilient leg 17 extends from the position far from the clip flange 10 (the lower end of the figures) to the position adjacent to the clip flange 10.
  • the resilient leg 17 is divided from the body of the shank 9 by a pair of slits 18 each vertically extending from the root-end portion to the distal end portion of the clip shank body and a single slit 19 extending horizontally in the distal end portion, and is connected with the body of the shank 9 in the lower root-end portion.
  • the distal end portion can be deformed or bent radially about the root-end portion.
  • the resilient leg 17 is formed with an engagement shoulder 21 adapted to engage with the edge of the mounting hole of the automobile body, on the distal end side thereof. A portion of the engagement shoulder 21 protrudes slightly from the outer surface of the clip shank 9. The length of this protrusion is arranged to allow the clip shank to be temporarily attached to the headlining (and/or the automobile body) as the workpiece when the pin 2 is not inserted into the clip shank 9.
  • the temporarily-attaching protrusion 22 is preferably tapered vertically to facilitate the temporarily attaching operation and the detaching operation, as shown in figures.
  • each of the resilient legs includes a pair of (the number may be randomly selected) lips 23, as resilient leg extension portions, slightly protruding horizontally inward into the hollow portion 7 of the clip shank 9 and then extending vertically toward the clip flange 10.
  • the lips 23 are pushed radially outward by the pin to make the engagement shoulders 21 on the distal end side of the resilient legs 17 protrude from the outer surface of the clip shank.
  • the engagement shoulder 21 is adapted to be protruded from the outer surface of the clip shank by a length allowing the engagement shoulder to be fixedly attached to the automobile body as the workpiece when the pin 2 is inserted into the clip shank 9 to push the distal end portion of the resilient leg, or the lip 23 radially outward from the hollow portion 7 of the clip shank.
  • the lip 23 is provided on each distal end side of the pair of resilient legs 17, and the lip can be pulled radially inward by a tool such as a nipper after pulling out the pin 2. This allows the engagement shoulder 21 to be disengaged from the edge of the mounting hole of the automobile body or the headlining, and thereby the clip 1 can be pulled out from the automobile body or the headlining.
  • a protruding engagement portion 25 for holding the pin 2 in a fixedly coupled position is provided at a position corresponding to the temporarily-attaching protrusion 22 on the side of the hollow portion 7 or the inside of each of the resilient legs 17.
  • the protruding engagement portion 25 is tapered downward and inward to form a shoulder at the lower end so as to allow the pin 2 to be readily inserted and stopped at a fixedly-attached position.
  • the protruding engagement portion 25 is formed between the pair of lips 23 on the distal end side of the resilient leg 17.
  • the protruding engagement portion 25 is adapted to engage with an engagement groove provided in the pin to hold the pin 2 at the fixedly coupled position.
  • the pin 2 is disengaged from the protruding engagement portion 25.
  • the clip flange 10 is formed with an gap or a window 26 (see Fig. 2) for inserting the end of a tool, such as a screwdriver, therethrough to forcedly lift up the pin.
  • the pin 2 includes a shank 27 adapted to be inserted into the opening 13 of the clip flange 10 and the hollow portion 7 of the clip shank 9.
  • the pin 2 further includes a flange 29 formed at one end (the upper end of Figs. 6 and 7) of the pin shank 27.
  • the pin flange 29 is adapted to be brought opposedly into surface contact with the clip flange 10 when the pin shank 27 is inserted into the clip shank 9.
  • the pin shank 27 is formed in a substantially cross- shaped rib to facilitate weight reduction with keeping required strength.
  • the pin shank 27 includes a tapered engagement portion 30 tapered toward the lower end thereof.
  • the tapered engagement portion 30 When the pin shank 27 is inserted into the hollow portion 7 of the clip shank 9, the tapered engagement portion 30 is engaged with the lip 23 to deform the resilient legs 17 so as to make the engagement shoulders 21 of the resilient leg gradually protrude outside the clip shank 9.
  • Two of the tapered engagement portions 30 are provided correspondingly to the two pairs of lips 23.
  • the pin shank 27 In order to keep the pin shank 9 in the fixedly coupled position when the pin shank 9 is inserted into the clip shank 9, the pin shank 27 is formed with a pair of groove-shaped engagement portions or engagement grooves 31 adapted to engage with the protruding engagement portions 25 of the clip shank 9, correspondingly to the protruding engagement portions 25.
  • the pin flange 29 includes a pair of pressure pieces 33 located with interposing the pin shank 27 therebetween and adapted to engage with the lips 23 at the distal end of the resilient legs 17 of the clip 1 radially from outside and limit the outward deformation of the resilient legs 17.
  • the pressure piece 33 prevents the resilient legs 17 from being excessively deformed outward to maintain the strength of the resilient legs 17, and prevents the protruding engagement portion 25 from getting away from the engagement groove 31 , so as to keep the fixedly coupled state from releasing.
  • the clip 1 is first attached to each of the fastener-holding portions 34 which are provided at both ends of the assist grip 3.
  • the component-holding portion 11 of the clip flange 10 and the assist grip fastener-holding portion 34 are swingably coupled with each other by a coupling pin (not shown).
  • the coupling pin is provided with a coil spring (not shown) to urge the clip 1 so as to bring the surface of the clip flange 10 into contact with the surface of the fastener-holding portion 34 of the assist grip 3.
  • the assist grip 3 with the attached clip 1 is attached to the headlining 5. More specifically, the shank 9 of the clip 1 attached to the assist grip 3 is positioned at a mounting hole 35 of the headlining 5, and then the assist grip 3 is moved in a direction of the arrow 37 to insert the clip shank 9 into the mounting hole 35 of the headlining 3.
  • the above operation is done for each of the clips 1 at both ends of the assist grip 3.
  • a portion of the engagement shoulder 21 of the resilient leg 17, or the temporarily-attaching protrusion 22 is engaged with the edge of the headlining mounting hole 35 to temporarily attach the assist grip 3 to the headlining 5. This state is shown in Fig. 11.
  • the headlining 5 with the temporarily attached assist grip 3 is transported to the component-assembly line where the automobile body is placed.
  • the place for attaching the assist grip to the headlining may be different from the place in which the automobile body is placed.
  • the headlining with the assist grip may be delivered from a component supplier of the headlining with the assist grip to the component-assembly line of an automobile manufacturer.
  • the headlining 5 with the assist grip transported to the component-assembly line is carried to position the shank 9 of the clip 1 at a mounting hole 38 of the automobile body 6. Then, the headlining 5 is moved to the automobile body 6 together with the clip 1 and the assist grip 3 in the direction of the arrow 39 in Fig. 11.
  • the clip shank 9 is then inserted into the automobile body mounting hole 38, and the temporarily-attaching protrusion 22 of the engagement shoulder 21 is moved from the headlining mounting hole 35 to the edge of the automobile body mounting hole 38 to engage therewith.
  • the assist grip 3 can be temporarily attached to the headlining 5 and the automobile body 6.
  • the pin 2 With holding the pin 2 by a finger 42 or the like in this opened state, the pin 2 is positioned at the opening of the flange 10 of each clip 1 and the hollow portion of the shank 9, and is moved in the direction of the arrow 43 to insert the pin shank 27 into the clip shank 9.
  • the lip 23 on the distal end side of the engagement shoulder 21 of the resilient leg 17 of the clip shank 9 is gradually moved outward from the clip shank by the tapered engagement portion 30. This allows the engagement shoulder 21 to be protruded outside the clip shank 9.
  • the engagement shoulder 21 protrudes outward (in the direction of the arrow 45) sufficiently to fixedly couple the assist grip 3 with the headlining 5 and the automobile body 6.
  • the fixedly coupling operation is completed when the engagement groove 31 of the pin shank 27 engages with the protruding engagement portion 25 of the clip shank 9.
  • the assist grip 3 is released, the assist grip 3 is automatically returned to a position shown by the two-dot chain line according to the biasing force of the coil spring.
  • Fig. 13 shows the fixedly coupled state
  • the engagement groove 31 of the pin shank 27 is engaged with the protruding engagement portion 25 of the clip shank 9 to maintain the fixedly coupled state.
  • the pressure piece 33 extending downward from the pin flange 29 limits the outward deformation of the lip 23 to prevent the excessive deformation of the resilient leg 17.
  • the pressure piece 33 prevents the engagement groove 31 from getting away from the protruding engagement portion 25 to reliably keep the fixedly coupled state.
  • the end of a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted from the window 26 (see Fig. 2) to a gap between the pin flange 29 and the clip flange 10, and is rotated about the axis the screwdriver so as to forcedly lift the pin 2 from the clip 1.
  • the pin 2 is released from the fixedly coupled state.
  • the pin 2 can be pulled out from the clip 1 by swinging the assist grip 3.
  • the assist grip 3 is temporarily coupled with the headlining 5 and the automobile body 1 by the clip 1
  • the two pairs of the lips 25 can be pulled toward the axis of the clip shank 9 by a tool such as a nipper to move the engagement shoulder 21 inward.
  • a tool such as a nipper
  • a fastener according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises a plastic clip 49 shown in Figs. 14 to 18, and a plastic pin 50 shown in Figs. 19 to 21.
  • Figs. 22 to 24 show the steps of attaching an assist grip 3 as a component to an automobile body 6 as a primary workpiece through a headlining 5 as a secondary workpiece by the use of the fastener comprising the clip 49 and pin 50.
  • the clip 49 includes a tubular
  • the clip 49 further includes a flange 54 provided at one end (the upper end in the figures) of the shank 53.
  • the flange 54 is adapted to be brought into surface contact with the edge of the mounting hole of the headlining (or automobile body) and to prevent the shank 53 from being inserted into the mounting hole any further.
  • the flange 54 functions to enhance reliable and stable fixed state by its contact with the automobile body or the like.
  • the flange 54 includes a component-holding portion 55 allowing the end of the assist grip as a component to be swingably coupled therewith. Further, the flange 54 is formed with a circular opening 57 communicating with the hollow portion 51 to allow the pin 50 to be inserted into the hollow portion 51 of the shank 53.
  • the upper portion 57' of the opening 57 is formed in a circular shape having a size capable of receiving a pin flange to allow the pin to be rotated about the axis of the shank when the pin 50 is pulled out.
  • This circular opening 57' is formed with a small protrusion adapted to fit into a groove formed in a circular flange (described later) of the pin 50 to allow the pin 50 to be inserted into the circular opening 57' at an adequate angular position.
  • the component-holding portion 55 of the clip flange 54 is formed with a hole 59 for housing a pin (not shown) allowing the clip to be swingably coupled with the assist grip 3, and a spring housing portion 59 for housing a coil spring (not shown) for keeping the assist grip in a given position.
  • the clip shank 53 is formed with a pair of resilient legs 62 oppose to each other with respect to the axis of the shank 53.
  • the resilient leg 17 extends from the position far from the clip flange 54 (the lower end of the figures) to the position adjacent to the clip flange 10.
  • the resilient leg 62 is divided from the body of the shank 53 by a pair of slits each vertically extending from the root-end portion to the distal end portion of the clip shank body and a single slit extending horizontally in the distal end portion, and is connected with the body of the shank 53 in the lower root-end portion.
  • the resilient leg 53 is formed with an engagement shoulder 63 adapted to engage with the edge of the mounting hole of the automobile body, on the distal end side thereof.
  • the inside portion of the resilient leg extending from the engagement shoulder 63 to the root-end portion (end) side of the clip shank is formed as a tapered engagement portion 65 protruding gradually inward into the hollow portion 51 of the clip shank 53.
  • the tapered engagement portion 65 is formed to make a pair as shown in Fig. 17.
  • At the lower end of the tapered engagement portion 65 is formed in a hook shape to maintain a fixedly coupled state when the pin 50 is inserted into the clip shank.
  • the resilient leg 62 is deformed outward to the shank 53 to push the engagement shoulder 63 to a position where the engagement shoulder 63 is fixedly attached to the edge of the mounting hole of the automobile body.
  • the fixedly coupled state can be established.
  • a temporarily-coupling engagement pawl 66 (Figs. 14 and 18) for coupling the pin 50 with the clip shank 53 without deforming the resilient leg 62 is provided in the upper portion of the clip shank 53.
  • the engagement pawls 66 is form to make a pair each at a position displaced at 90-degree with respect to the tapered engagement portion 65.
  • the engagement pawl 66 is engaged with the temporarily-coupling engagement groove of the pin 50 to establish the temporarily coupled state with inserting the pin 50 up to a position where the resilient leg 62 is not deformed by the pin 50.
  • the clip shank 53 is formed with a temporarily-attaching resilient pawl 67 obliquely extending radially outwardly from the outer surface of the distal end side of the clip shank 53 to the clip flange 54. If the temporarily-attaching resilient pawl 67 has a rigidity allowing the assist grip to be temporarily coupled with the headlining in a regular state, the rigidity is not necessary to be so high. The rigidity of the temporarily- attaching resilient pawl is arranged low to allow the assist grip to be readily detached for reuse or replacement after fixedly coupling with the automobile body.
  • the temporarily-attaching resilient pawl 67 When the clip shank 53 is pulled out of the automobile body mounting hole in order to detach the assist grip, the temporarily-attaching resilient pawl 67 is deformed downward from the posture shown in Fig. 15 by a relatively strong pulling-out force due to its low rigidity. Thus, the clip 49 can be pulled out of the automobile body.
  • the temporarily-attaching resilient pawl 67 is formed to make a pair each at a position displaced at 90-degree with respect to the resilient leg 62 (and the engagement shoulder 63).
  • the clip 49 is operated from the fixedly coupled state to the temporarily coupled state.
  • the fixedly coupled state can be released by rotating the pin 50 at a given angle (at 90-degree in this embodiment) with respect to the clip 49 (This point will be described in detail later).
  • the pin 50 is pulled up to the position where the temporarily coupled state is achieved.
  • the clip flange 54 is formed with a gap or window 69 (see Fig. 15) allowing the end of the tool such as a screwdriver to be inserted therethrough so as to forcedly lift the pin 50.
  • the pin 50 includes a shank
  • the pin 50 further includes a flange 71 provided at one end (the upper end of Figs. 20 and 21) of the pin shank 70.
  • the pin flange 71 is opposed to the opening 57 of the clip flange 71. Then, when the pin shank 70 is inserted completely (or is brought into a fixedly coupled state), the pin shank 70 is housed in the circular opening 57'.
  • the pin flange 71 is formed in a circular disc capable of rotating when housed in the circular opening 57'.
  • the pin flange 71 has an upper surface formed with a groove 73 allowing a coin or the end of a screwdriver to be engaged therewith. Further, a small groove 74 adapted to fit in a small protrusion 58 of the circular opening 57' is formed in the upper surface of the pin flange 71. The small protrusion 58 and the small groove 74 are fitted with each other to prevent the pin 50 from accidentally rotating with respect to the clip 49, and to serve as a marker for adequately adjusting the angle of the pin 50 when the pin 50 is inserted into the clip 49.
  • the pin shank 70 is formed in a substantially circular columnar shape as a whole.
  • the end portion (the lower end) 75 of the pin shank 70 is tapered to facilitate the inserting operation and to prevent the resilient leg 62 of the clip shank 53 from being deformed outward from the clip shank in the temporarily coupled state.
  • a pair of first engagement grooves 77 each adapted to engage with the temporarily-coupling engagement pawl 66 of the clip shank 53 are formed corresponding to the engagement pawl 66 in order to keep the pin 50 in the temporarily coupled state to the clip 49.
  • second engagement grooves 78 are formed to keep the fixedly coupled state.
  • the second engagement groove 78 is formed in a configuration allowing the tapered engagement portion 65 or the inward protrusion of the resilient leg 62 to be received therein.
  • the coupling pin is provided with a coil spring (not shown) for urging the clip 49 so as to bring the surface of the clip flange 54 into contact with the surface of the fastener-holding portion of the assist grip 3. Then, as shown in Figs. 22 and 23, by lifting the assist grip 3, the pin 50 is inserted slightly into the clip 49 to establish the temporarily coupled state. More specifically, the pin shank 70 is inserted into the clip shank 53, and the temporarily-coupling engagement portion 66 of the clip shank 53 is engaged with the first engagement groove 77 of the pin shank 70.
  • the completion of this coupling operation can be identified by a clicking sound caused by the engagement, the feel of the resistance arising when the tapered portion 75 of the end of the pin shank 70 presses the tapered engagement portion 65 of the clip shank 53, the visual observation when the resilient leg 62 starts deforming outward or the like.
  • the small protrusion 58 of the opening 57' of the flange 53 is matched with the small groove of the pin flange 71. This allows the first engagement groove 77 and the temporarily-coupling engagement portion 66 to be reliably engaged with each other, and allows the second engagement groove 78 and the engagement hook of the tapered engagement portion 65 to be reliably engaged with each other so as to assure the subsequent fixedly coupled state.
  • resilient pawl 67 is engaged with the edge of the headlining mounting hole 35 to temporarily attach the assist grip 3 to the headlining 5. This state is shown in Fig. 23.
  • Fig. 24 shows the state when the headlining 5 with the assist grip 3 is fixedly attached to the automobile body 6.
  • the headlining 5 with the assist grip 3 temporarily attached by the fastener composed of the clip 49 and the pin 50 according to the present invention is transported to the component-assembly line where the automobile body is placed.
  • the place for attaching the assist grip to the headlining may be different from the place where the automobile body is placed.
  • the headlining with the assist grip may be delivered from a component supplier of the headlining with the assist grip to the component-assembly line of an automobile manufacturer.
  • the headlining 5 with the assist grip transported to the component-assembly line is carried to position the shank 53 of the clip 49 at a mounting hole 38 of the automobile body 6.
  • the headlining 5 is moved to the automobile body 6 together with the clip 49, the pin 50 and the assist grip 3.
  • the clip shank 53 is then inserted into the automobile body mounting hole 38, and the temporarily-attaching protrusion 67 is moved from the edge of the headlining mounting hole 35 to the edge of the automobile body mounting hole 38 to engage therewith.
  • the assist grip 3 can be temporarily attached to the headlining 5 and the automobile body 6.
  • the flange 71 of the pin 50 is further pressed in the direction of the arrow 79 by a finger or the like to bring the flange 71 of the pin 50 into surface contact with the clip flange 54 so as to house the flange 71 within the opening 57' as shown by the solid line.
  • the pin shank 70 pushes the tapered engagement portion 65 of the resilient leg 62 of the clip shank radially outward, and pushes the engagement shoulder 63 outside the clip shank 53.
  • the engagement shoulder 70 protrudes sufficiently outward (the arrow 81 ) to fixedly couple the assist grip 3 with the headlining 5 and the automobile body 6.
  • the second engagement groove 78 of the pin shank 70 is engaged with the hook at the lower end of the tapered engagement portion 65 of the clip shank 53, the fixedly coupling operation is completed.
  • the assist grip 3 is released, the assist grip 3 is automatically returned to the position where the assist grip 3 is brought into surface contact with the clip flange 54 by the biasing force of the coil spring. Since the second engagement groove 78 engages with the hook at the lower end of the tapered engagement portion 65 of the clip shank 53, the fixedly coupled state is maintained.
  • the end of a tool such as a screwdriver or a coin is inserted into a groove 73 (see Fig. 19) on the upper surface of the flange 71 of the pin 50 to rotate the pin 50 by 90-degree about its axis.
  • the second engagement groove 78 of the pin shank 70 gets away from the hook at the lower end of the tapered engagement portion 65 of the clip shank 53, and the engagement is released.
  • the end of a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted through a window 69 (see Fig. 15) into a gap between the pin flange 71 and the clip flange 54. Then, the pin 50 is forcedly lifted from the clip 49 by rotating the screwdriver about its axis.
  • the pin 50 is released from the fixedly coupled state, and the pin 50 can be pulled out from the clip 49 by swinging the assist grip 3.
  • the clip 49 is still temporarily coupled with the automobile body 6 and the headlining 5 by the temporarily-coupling resilient pawl 67.
  • the temporarily-coupling resilient pawl 67 can be sufficiently swung and deformed from the position shown in Fig. 23 by a strong pulling-out force of the clip 49 to allow the clip 49 to be pulled out from the automobile body 6 and the headlining 5 together with the assist grip 3.
  • a component such as an assist grip can be temporarily coupled with a workpiece such as an automobile body by attaching the component such as an assist grip to the clip flange and inserting the clip shank into the mounting hole of the automobile body together with the headlining or the like. Further, the component can be fixedly coupled with the workpiece only by inserting the pin into the clip shank.
  • This provides an improved fastener capable of eliminating the need for any bolt or nut and achieving excellent workability in attaching operations.
  • the fastener can be attached in advance to the headlining at any convenient place other than a component-assembly line, and an operation for holding the headlining can be eliminated at the component-assembly line. This provides enhanced workability.

Abstract

L"invention porte sur une fixation destinée à fixer un composant tel qu"une poignée de maintien (3) à la carrosserie (6) d"une automobile comprenant une agrafe (1) de plastique et une cheville (2) de plastique. L"agrafe (1) comporte une tige tubulaire creuse s"insérant dans un trou de montage de la carrosserie et recevant la cheville et une bride (10) située à l"une des extrémités de la tige et pourvue d"une ouverture recevant la cheville. La cheville comporte une tige (27) s"insérant dans la partie creuse de la tige (9) de l"agrafe et une bride (29) située à l"une des extrémités de la tige de la cheville. La tige (9) de l"agrafe comporte une patte (19) élastique s"étendant parallèlement à ladite tige (9) entre sa racine opposée à la bride et son extrémité distale contigüe à la bride. Ladite patte, qui comporte à son extrémité distale un épaulement s"engageant dans le bord du trou de montage de la carrosserie (6) ou analogue, présente une partie distale élastique (23) se logeant dans la partie creuse de la tige de l"agrafe. En outre le susdit épaulement (21) dépasse de la surface extérieure de la tige de l"agrafe d"une longueur lui permettant de se bloquer dans la carrosserie lors de l"insertion de la tige (27) de la cheville dans la tige de l"agrafe qui pousse la partie distale élastique (23) radialement vers l"extérieur de la partie creuse de la tige de l"agrafe.
PCT/US2002/003196 2001-02-02 2002-02-04 Fixation de composants tels qu"une poignee de maintien d"automobile WO2002062616A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2001026903A JP2002227815A (ja) 2001-02-02 2001-02-02 車両用アシストグリップ等の部品の固着具
JP2001-026903 2001-02-02

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2002062616A1 true WO2002062616A1 (fr) 2002-08-15

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PCT/US2002/003196 WO2002062616A1 (fr) 2001-02-02 2002-02-04 Fixation de composants tels qu"une poignee de maintien d"automobile

Country Status (2)

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JP (1) JP2002227815A (fr)
WO (1) WO2002062616A1 (fr)

Cited By (4)

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DE102006002214A1 (de) * 2006-01-16 2007-07-19 Johnson Controls Interiors Gmbh & Co. Kg Befestigungseinrichtung, insbesondere für Handgriffe für den Innenraum eines Kraftfahrzeugs
WO2010089709A1 (fr) * 2009-02-09 2010-08-12 I.T.W. De France Article devant être fixé sur un support muni d'une ouverture et poignée de maintien le comportant
DE102006032943B4 (de) * 2005-07-18 2014-10-09 Trw Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh & Co. Kg Fahrzeug-Haltegriff
WO2014193327A1 (fr) * 2013-05-30 2014-12-04 Arikan Kriko Ve Makina San. Ve Tic. A. S. Appareil de positionnement d'ensemble cric de vehicule

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US6668424B1 (en) * 2002-07-29 2003-12-30 Lear Corporation Snap-in assist grip and assembly method
JP4106307B2 (ja) * 2003-06-03 2008-06-25 豊和繊維工業株式会社 アシストグリップの締結構造
JP4680776B2 (ja) * 2003-11-25 2011-05-11 原田工業株式会社 車両用ルーフアンテナ取付け装置
JP6243701B2 (ja) * 2013-10-30 2017-12-06 株式会社パイオラックス 取付部材の取付構造

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WO1996017178A1 (fr) * 1994-12-02 1996-06-06 Donnelly Corporation Dispositif de fixation
FR2764010A1 (fr) * 1997-05-30 1998-12-04 Neyr Plastiques Holding Dispositif en materiau thermoplastique elastique destine au montage d'une platine support d'un accessoire sur une plaque
EP0908353A1 (fr) * 1997-04-22 1999-04-14 Grupo Antolin-Ingenieria, S.A. Systeme d'accrochage et de fixation d'accessoires en plastique a des elements modulaires autoporteurs et accrochage et fixation de ces derniers a la carrosserie du vehicule
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US3147525A (en) * 1961-12-23 1964-09-08 Gobin Daude Two-piece molding fastener
DE4224148A1 (de) * 1992-07-22 1994-01-27 Happich Gmbh Gebr Anbauteil, wie Haltegriff, Sonnenblende o. dgl. für den Innenraum von Fahrzeugen
WO1996017178A1 (fr) * 1994-12-02 1996-06-06 Donnelly Corporation Dispositif de fixation
EP0908353A1 (fr) * 1997-04-22 1999-04-14 Grupo Antolin-Ingenieria, S.A. Systeme d'accrochage et de fixation d'accessoires en plastique a des elements modulaires autoporteurs et accrochage et fixation de ces derniers a la carrosserie du vehicule
FR2764010A1 (fr) * 1997-05-30 1998-12-04 Neyr Plastiques Holding Dispositif en materiau thermoplastique elastique destine au montage d'une platine support d'un accessoire sur une plaque
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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102006032943B4 (de) * 2005-07-18 2014-10-09 Trw Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh & Co. Kg Fahrzeug-Haltegriff
DE102006002214A1 (de) * 2006-01-16 2007-07-19 Johnson Controls Interiors Gmbh & Co. Kg Befestigungseinrichtung, insbesondere für Handgriffe für den Innenraum eines Kraftfahrzeugs
DE102006002214B4 (de) * 2006-01-16 2011-03-24 Johnson Controls Interiors Gmbh & Co. Kg Befestigungseinrichtung, insbesondere für Handgriffe für den Innenraum eines Kraftfahrzeugs
US8276246B2 (en) 2006-01-16 2012-10-02 Johnson Controls Technology Company Fastening device, in particular for hand grips for the interior of the motor vehicle
WO2010089709A1 (fr) * 2009-02-09 2010-08-12 I.T.W. De France Article devant être fixé sur un support muni d'une ouverture et poignée de maintien le comportant
FR2942009A1 (fr) * 2009-02-09 2010-08-13 Itw De France Article a fixer sur un support muni d'une couverture et poignee de virage le comportant
CN102307752A (zh) * 2009-02-09 2012-01-04 法国I.T.W. 固定在具有开口的支撑物上的物件及包括该物件的辅助抓取把手
US8641116B2 (en) 2009-02-09 2014-02-04 I.T.W. De France Article to fix on a support provided with an opening and assist grip handle comprising it
WO2014193327A1 (fr) * 2013-05-30 2014-12-04 Arikan Kriko Ve Makina San. Ve Tic. A. S. Appareil de positionnement d'ensemble cric de vehicule

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