This application claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. 21 306 320, filed on Sep. 24, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to an easy-to-fit cable tie, and to a fitting set having such a cable tie. The invention moreover relates to a method for producing the cable tie.
Cable ties are used in the production of numerous products. A typical application is bundling of individual lines to form a cable harness and/or fastening of lines and cables to another component in a product. This type of use gives cable ties their name, but cable ties are frequently also used for fastening hoses or the like. The success of cable ties in production is due to their simple but effective functioning: In most cases, they consist of a flexible plastic strip, at the end of which a head or lock with an opening is situated. The strip is provided with a toothing, and the head is provided with an inclined latching tongue which engages into the toothing. During the plugging-in of the plastic strip, the inclined latching tongue is deflected transversely to its longitudinal extent and in the process latches into depressions of the toothing one after the other. It is not however possible for the strip to be subsequently pulled out of the head because, in the process, a force is introduced into the latching tongue along its longitudinal extent. The latching tongue is designed in such a way that said force is introduced into the head without the latching tongue being deformed. As a result, this leads to the pulling of the strip out of the head being blocked.
It necessarily follows from the construction and the function of known cable ties that, for fastening an object to another component, both the object and the other component have to be wound around. In some installation situations, this can be difficult or even completely impossible. Furthermore, the tension at which the cable tie holds the object fixedly on the other component depends primarily on the force applied by a worker to pull the strip into the head of the cable tie. It goes without saying that there are individual differences here, which can have a disadvantageous effect on consistent manufacturing quality. This can be counteracted only through the use of a special tool.
Taking this as a starting point, the object of the present invention is to provide a cable tie for overcoming or at least reducing one or more of the problems stated in the introduction.
To achieve said object, the invention proposes, according to a first aspect, a cable tie having a band and having a tensioning device which is integrated in the band and which divides the band into a first and a second region, each of which regions has a toothed portion. The first and second region of the band will also be referred to below as first and second band.
The cable tie according to the invention has the advantage that the cable tie does not need to be pre-fitted even for looping. A cable channel, or a component, to which an object, such as for example a cable harness, is to be fastened can remain in the fitting position because both ends of the cable tie can be plugged into cable locks from one side. No tools are required for the fitting of the cable tie.
The free ends of the cable tie can be plugged into cable-tensioning locks, whereby an object can be fastened to a component without the cable tie having to be firstly placed in a loop around the component and the object. In fact, there are installation situations or production-related processes in which it is very difficult to form such a loop at all. Such difficult installation situations owing to confined spaces are encountered frequently for example in motor-vehicle construction. By way of the tensioning device, the cable band is tensioned and the object is fixed to the component with a predetermined force.
In an advantageous embodiment of the cable tie, the tensioning device is designed to be pivotable and comprises a latching head and two tensioning hooks. The latching head fixes the once-realized tensioning of the tensioning device in the tensioning position, so that the tensioning device can no longer be released of its own accord.
In a preferred refinement, the tensioning device is connected to the two regions of the band by means of film hinges. For the fitting, the cable tie is provided as a unitary component, which offers production-related advantages, for example because only a single part has to be stocked. Furthermore, it is easier for a production worker to handle a single part than multiple parts. The hinge function of the film hinges additionally results in a defined movement direction of the individual parts being predetermined.
In an advantageous embodiment, the first region has a latching opening for receiving the latching head, and the second region has projecting tensioning pegs which fit into in each case one receiving part of the two tensioning hooks.
Advantageously, the first or the second region of the band has an elastic portion which can be extended in a longitudinal direction of the band.
The tension at which the object is held fixedly on the component is defined substantially by the elastic portion, so that deviations in the depth of the plugging-in of the ends of the cable tie into the cable locks are compensated by an extension to a greater or lesser extent of the elastic portion. The extension to a greater or lesser extent of the elastic portion has no or no significant effect on the tension, so that consistent quality of the production process is ensured.
In an advantageous refinement, the latching head has two resilient tabs, one of which is provided with a latching hook. The two resilient tabs make provision for the latching hook to be elastically deformable and consequently to be introducible into a corresponding opening in the first band and to latch there.
The tensioning hooks may be provided on the side facing towards the tensioning pegs with a latching projection. In the tensioning position of the tensioning device, the latching projections engage behind the second band and make provision for the tensioning device to be latched in place, and fixed in the tensioning position, on the second band too. The fixing of the tensioning device in the tensioning position is consequently more stable than if only the latching head were to make provision for the fixing. This form-fitting connection of the individual components renders the function of the film hinges no longer necessary, which is advantageous in the event of damage to the film hinges, for example due to ageing or hardening.
In an expedient refinement, run-on bevels are formed on the latching projections. The run-on bevels make provision for the latching hooks to be pushed apart shortly before latching into place on the second band, so as to facilitate the latching.
The cable tie is a simple injection-moulded part, only simple tools being required for the production thereof.
According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a fastening set for fastening objects to a component, comprising two cable-band locks and a cable tie according to the first aspect of the invention. The fastening set provides all the components that are necessary for fastening an object to a structural component for example in a vehicle or in another product. With the fastening set, all the advantages that have been discussed in connection with the cable tie according to the invention are realized.
According to a third aspect, the invention proposes a method for fitting a cable tie according to the first aspect of the invention in order to fasten an object to a component. The method comprises:
Advantageously, the ends of the cable tie are introduced until the cable tie bears without play against the object. In this way, it is achieved that, by way of the tensioning device, a sufficient tension for fastening the object on the component is obtained.
In practice, it has proven to be expedient if the tensioning of the tensioning device is realized by way of pivoting of the tensioning device.
The invention will be discussed in more detail below by way of example on the basis of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. All the figures are purely schematic and not to scale. In the figures:
Identical or similar elements are provided with the same or similar reference signs in the figures.
The tensioning device 203 has a latching head 213 and two tensioning hooks 214. In a tensioned state of the cable tie 200, the latching head 213 interacts with a latching opening 216 in the first band 201 and the tensioning hooks 214 interact with tensioning pegs 217 arranged on the second band 202. For tensioning the cable tie, the tensioning device 203 is pivoted anticlockwise, as is indicated by arrow 218 in
In order to fasten an object to a component by way of the cable tie 200, the free ends 209 of the cable tie 200 are fixed to the component by way of cable-band locks, as will be explained below with reference to
In other exemplary embodiments of the cable-band lock 500, the cross section of the plug-in peg 501 is and or has fewer or more than four corners. Furthermore, in other exemplary embodiments of the cable-band lock, more or fewer than two latching hooks 504 are provided.
The cable-band lock may also be an integrated constituent part of a cable channel, a fitting process for said lock consequently being able to be saved.
The method for fastening the cable harness 601 to the component 505 is illustrated in
In this way, the cable harness 601 is fastened to the component 505 by way of the cable tie 200 without it being necessary for this purpose for the cable tie to be guided in a loop both around the cable harness 601 and around the component 505. This constitutes a considerable advantage in installation situations where little space is available to workers. Furthermore, the elastic portion 211 makes provision for the cable harness to at all times be fastened with a uniform tension to the component, because the tensile force prevailing in the cable tie 200 is substantially constant as a function of the extension of the selected portion 211. Therefore, for uniform manufacturing quality, it is not absolutely necessary for the workers to introduce the cable tie 200 into the cable-band locks 500 at all times with the same pre-tension.
The cable ties are manufactured in an injection-moulding process. For this purpose, it is generally the case that granular raw material is heated to a predefined temperature and liquefied. Subsequently, the melted material is pressed at high pressure into an injection mould.
In the claims, the words “have” and “comprise” do not exclude other elements or steps and the indefinite article “a”/“an” does not exclude a plurality.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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21306320 | Sep 2021 | EP | regional |
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Search Report dated Mar. 7, 2022. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20230099187 A1 | Mar 2023 | US |