Patent Application
20240246711
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE202023100352.4, filed Jan. 25, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The disclosure relates to a cutting tool for destructively releasing a cable tie closed around a bundling good, with a cutting unit for cutting into the cable tie to be released and with a housing unit which has a handle element for holding the cutting tool and as well as an end face to be placed on the cable tie to be released during intended use.
In many applications, cable ties that have already been closed around a bundling good must be undone or released. This is usually done by destroying the cable tie, e.g., destructively. Simple tools such as side cutters can be used for destructive release. The problem here, however, is that the bundling good can easily be damaged if such simple cutting tools are used inaccurately, which results in high follow-up costs and must therefore be avoided. Accordingly, cutting tools specially developed for the destructive release of closed cable ties, such as the EVOcut™ cutting tool from
HellermannTyton®, are also known. A pair of blade elements is recessed in a housing, an end face of which is placed against the cable tie to be released, respectively the tied material, and these shear off the cable tie as intended when actuated. When this cutting tool is used, the cable tie, but not the bundling good, is picked up by the housing of the cutting tool and cut by the blade elements. Here, too, however, in the case of a particularly thin bundling good or cables with very thin-walled insulation, damage to the bundling good, respectively cables, may occur under certain circumstances.
Moreover, after cutting, the cable tie usually disintegrates into at least two parts, which then have to be secured or picked up separately.
Accordingly, the cutting tool and method for single-handed destructive release of a cable tie are based on the problem of providing an improved cutting tool which overcomes the problems known from the prior art, in particular eliminates injury to the bundling good and simplifies the destructive release of a cable tie closed around a cable bundling good.
One aspect relates to a cutting tool for the, preferably one-handed, destructive release of a cable tie closed around a bundling good. The cutting tool is thus particularly suitable for loosening/releasing/destroying the closed cable tie with only one hand. Thereby, the cutting tool is preferably adapted to a cable tie of a predetermined type and is thus designed for loosening cable ties of one or more predetermined types, in particular cable tie types with predetermined dimensions, in particular predetermined maximum dimensions. The predetermined dimensions or maximum dimensions relate in particular to a cable tie head and/or a cable tie strap width and/or a cable tie strap thickness of the cable tie.
The cutting tool has a cutting unit for cutting into the cable tie to be released and a housing unit. The housing unit has a handle element for holding, in particular also for operating the cutting tool, as well as an end face to be placed on the cable tie to be released and/or the bundling good when the cutting tool is used as intended.
The cutting tool also has a path-limiting unit which is designed to limit a path covered by a first blade element of the cutting unit through the cable tie to be released when cutting the cable tie to be released in such a way that the cable tie is cut by the cutting unit but not completely cut through when the cutting tool is used as intended. In order to ensure this, the blade element in the cutting tool can be assigned a counter-bearing, whether by means of a further second blade element or another counter-bearing element, which may for example be formed by the housing unit, in particular with the end face of the housing. One possibility is that an adapter element, as part of the housing unit, form the end face at a predetermined distance from the blade element(s), as described in more detail below.
Thus, the path-limiting unit can specify a predetermined distance (e.g., a minimum distance) between the first blade element and the respective counter bearing, e.g., the end face of the housing, which is not underrun when cutting the cable tie. There, the predetermined distance (e.g., a minimum distance), which can also be referred to as the smallest possible distance, is greater than zero. It may be, for instance, at least 0.5 mm or at least 0.8 mm or at least 1 mm. Therein, the minimum distance may be measured in an area which cuts the cable tie when used as intended. Accordingly, when the cutting tool is used as intended, the cutting takes place in such a way that after cutting and thus after destructive release of the cable tie, the released cable tie is destroyed but is still a coherent or connected part, e.g., does not disintegrate into two or more parts even it is, for instance, the cable tie head that is cut. Supplementary, as further described below, the path limiting unit can also limit the path of the further second blade element of the cutting unit if there is one. The blade element(s) is (are) arranged to be movable relative to the housing unit, which comprises the end face.
This has the advantage that the cable tie does not disintegrate into several parts after it has been released, but can be removed from the tie material as a single part and disposed of. Advantageously, this is also the case when the cutting tool is used to cut the cable tie head, which is usually particularly accessible and, when conventional cutting tools are used, is completely separated from the rest of the cable tie, which then results in at least two, and often three, loose parts into which the cable tie disintegrates when it is released destructively. In the process, the cable tie can be jammed in the cutting tool, which means that the cutting tool described is also suitable for releasing the cable tie with one hand.
In particular, it can be provided here that the (first) blade element and/or the further (second) blade element have a respective end face which is arranged offset from the end face of the housing (that is to be placed on the cable tie to be released during the intended use) inwardly in a direction into the cutting tool with said predetermined (minimum) distance from the end face. Consequently, the end face of the housing acts as said counter bearing, e.g., the end face is or comprises or is part of the path-limiting unit. Due to the blade element(s) being arranged at a distance from the end face in the housing unit in an inwards direction, the end face is, when the cable tie is cut, arranged directly on (e.g., in mechanical contact with) the bundling good, whereas the blade element(s) is arranged at the predetermined distance from the bundling good. Since in all practical applications, the cable tie is pulled tightly around the bundling good, the predetermined distance also defines the thickness of the cable tie remaining after the cutting. This has the advantage, that the path limiting can be realised in a simple and safe way. Since the blade elements are offset inwards with respect to the end face, they are covered by the housing unit and unlikely to damage or injure unintendedly. The end face of the housing unit can be easily provided in different shapes and forms, e.g., by one or more adapter elements which may be configured to be used as a cap to existing cutting tools such as the HellermannTyton® EvoCut™. So the cutting tool can be optimized easily for different applications with different types of cable ties, fostering flexible application of the concept of partly cutting through cable ties for loosening them.
In a further aspect, the end face has a receiving region for a cable tie head of a predetermined design and, in particular, also for a cable tie strap attachment to the cable tie head of the cable tie to be released. The cable tie strap attachment designates a partial area of the cable tie strap adjoining the cable tie head. In particular, the receiving region is designed to completely receive the cable tie head. This can be done, for example, in such a way that, when used as intended, a side of the cable tie head that is further away from the grip element in a direction perpendicular to the end face, e.g., an inner side of the cable tie head that rests against or faces the bundling good, is arranged flush with the end face. This has the advantage that it can be ensured that the cutting tool is applied to the cable tie or the cable tie head in an ideal manner, and accordingly contributes to a particularly reliable operation of the cutting tool.
In particular, the receiving region may be oriented such that the path traversed by the blade element (or blade elements) during cutting through the cable tie is transverse to a plane in which the closed cable tie strap of the cable tie to be released extends (e.g., the path runs transverse to a cross-sectional plane of the bundling good) and/or transverse to a plane in which the inner side of the cable tie head extends. This has the advantage that the blade element cuts the cable tie head in a manner that is ideal for releasing an engagement of the cable tie in the cable tie head without substantially damaging the cable tie strap.
In a further aspect, it is provided that the cutting unit comprises the further second blade element already mentioned above, which is designed to be moved counter to the one or first blade element during cutting. The path-limiting unit is also designed to limit a path through the cable tie to be released covered by the further blade element of the cutting unit during cutting of the cable tie to be released. Therein, the cable tie, in particular the cable tie head, further is only cut by the cutting unit, but not completely cut through. Expressed another way, the path-limiting unit is configured for limiting a path covered by the blade element of the cutting unit when cutting the cable tie to be released such that the cable tie is partially cut but not entirely cut through by the cutting unit. This has the advantage that the functionality of the cutting unit is improved. Moreover, this also makes it possible to manufacture the cutting tool starting from an already known cutting tool with two counter-moving blade elements, which does not feature a path-limiting function, which on the one hand simplifies the production process, and on the other hand also makes it possible for the respective operator to already be experienced in the use of a cutting tool with similar shape. This also simplifies the destructive release of the cable tie.
In another aspect, it is provided that the path-limiting unit is arranged on the handle element or on an actuating component for the cutting unit that is movable relative to the handle element. The path-limiting unit may be in the form of a stop part of the handle element, for example, or comprise such a stop part. This has the advantage that the path-limiting unit can be implemented particularly simply, in particular because typically the paths are greatest in the region of the actuating component or the handle element, so that the path covered by the blade element can be specified particularly precisely by the design of the path-limiting unit.
In a further aspect, it is provided that the housing unit has an adapter element which can be replaced or exchanged, preferably without tools, and which predetermines at least a subregion of a geometry of the receiving region, wherein in particular a second subregion of the geometry of the receiving region is predetermined by the remaining housing unit. In particular, first and second subregions thereby form the geometry of the receiving region. In an aspect, the adapter element predetermines the geometry of the receiving area as whole, e.g., the complete geometry of the receiving area is predetermined by the adapter element. The geometry of the receiving may be defined by limiting surfaces that limit the movement in one or two dimensions along a main extension plane of the end face by abutting to part of the cable tie received by the receiving region. Thus, the limiting surfaces are oriented at least essentially perpendicular to the main extension plane of the end face.
In addition or as an alternative, the adapter element comprises at least parts of the end face, e.g., parts of the end face or the end face, and specifies a relative position of the blade element(s) with respect to the end face. So, in particular, the adapter element specifies/determines the predetermined distance from end face of the housing to the blade element (e.g., the end face of the blade element).
This has the advantage that an existing cutting tool can be converted or adapted in the sense of the functionality of the cutting described here, or conversely the cutting tool described here can be adapted to the cutting of the cable tie in the area of the cable tie strap by replacing the adapter element, which predefines the first partial area of the geometry of the receiving region for the cable tie head here, with another adapter element. This is advantageous, for example, if the cable tie head is located in an inaccessible position.
Accordingly, in a further aspect, it can be provided that the path-limiting unit, e.g., the adapter unit, can be configured non-destructively, in particular by folding, from a limit configuration, in which the path of the blade element or blade elements is limited when cutting the cable tie to be released, in such a way that the cable tie is cut but not cut through by the cutting unit when the cutting tool is used as intended, into a release configuration, in which the path of the blade element or blade elements during cutting of the cable tie to be released is released in such a way that the cable tie can be cut through by the cutting unit during intended use of the cutting tool. This has the advantage that a slight modification of the cutting tool opens up the known through-cutting of the cable tie as a fallback option, for example if the cable tie head is not accessible.
In a further aspect, it is provided that the one and/or the further blade element do not protrude beyond the end face of the housing. This has the advantage that the risk of damage to the bundling good is reduced when cutting the cable tie.
A further aspect relates to a cutting tool system having a cutting tool according to one of the described aspects and having a plurality of different interchangeable, preferably tool-free interchangeable, adapter elements. The adapter elements may each be of different design at least in the respective first subregion of the geometry of the receiving region, e.g., in the first subregion of the geometry or, when they predetermine the geometry of the receiving region as a whole, be of different design in the geometry of the receiving region as a whole. Then the geometry of the receiving region is adapted by the respective adapter elements in each case to cable tie heads of different predetermined design, in particular different edge dimensions. In addition or as an alternative, the plurality of different interchangeable adapter elements may each specify a different relative position of the blade elements with respect to the end face and/or form different geometries of the receiving area, either alone or in interaction with the rest of the housing. This has the advantage that the cutting tool can be optimized in a simple manner for reliably cutting different cable tie heads in each case.
In an aspect of the cutting tool system, at least one of the interchangeable adapter elements forms a geometry of the receiving region alone, e.g., the receiving area is formed at least essentially without other parts of the housing unit.
Another aspect relates to a method for single-handedly releasing a cable tie closed around a bundling good comprising a plurality of method steps. One method step is a placing of a cutting tool onto the cable tie to be released by an operating hand of an operator, in particular an end face of the cutting tool. A further step is an actuation of an actuation component of a cutting unit of the cutting tool by the operating hand, and thus a cutting of the cable tie to be released. This is followed by automatically limiting a path covered or traveled by a blade member of the cutting unit through the cable tie to be released during cutting such that the cable tie is cut by the cutting unit, but not completely cut through, by a path limiting unit of the cutting tool. In this case, holding of the actuating component by the operator's hand may be performed with automatic jamming of the cut cable tie in the cutting tool by the cutting unit, and removal of the cutting tool with the jammed cable tie from the bundling good while the actuating component is held by the operator's hand.
Thereby, advantages and advantageous aspects of the method correspond to advantages and advantageous aspects of the cutting tool and vice versa.
The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, also in the introductory part, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and/or shown alone in the figures are usable not only in the respective combination indicated, but also in other combinations without leaving the scope of the invention. Thus, aspects are also to be regarded as encompassed and disclosed in this disclosure which are not explicitly shown and explained in the figures, but which arise from the explained aspects and can be generated by separate combinations of features. Aspects and combinations of features are also to be regarded as disclosed which thus do not have all the features of an originally formulated independent claim. Furthermore, aspects and combinations of features are to be regarded as disclosed, in particular by the aspects set forth above, which go beyond or deviate from the combinations of features set forth in the recitations of the claims.
In the context of the present disclosure, “vertical/parallel” maybe understood as “at least substantially vertical/parallel”, e.g., “vertical/parallel” or “substantially vertical/parallel”, e.g., vertical/parallel except for a predetermined deviation. The predetermined deviation can, for example, be at most 15° , preferably at most 5° , particularly preferably at most 3° . Accordingly, “oppositely oriented” maybe understood in the context of the present disclosure as “at least substantially oppositely oriented” e.g., “at least substantially anti-parallel oriented”. The limitation “substantially” may also refer to a percentage predetermined maximum permissible deviation, for example at most 15%, preferably at most 5%, particularly preferably at most 3%.
Example aspects are described in more detail below with reference to schematic drawings. Thereby,
In the various figures, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference signs.
In the aspect shown, an actuating component 5 for the cutting unit 2, respectively the cutting tool 1, is movable relative to the handle element 3a. Actuation of the movement component 5 towards the handle element 3a, e.g., presently in the z-direction, causes, in a known manner via a mechanism M with here two axes of rotation R1, R2, an opposing movement of the two blade elements 2a, 2b presently in y-direction and thus, with the cable tie head 6a (illustrated in
In the shown aspect, the end face 3b protrudes over end faces 2a*, 2b* of the blade elements 2a, 2b. Thus the end faces 2a*, 2b* are offset inwardly, e.g., in the z-direction here. The distance d between is measured in that direction inwards into the cutting tool 1, perpendicular to a main extension plane (e.g., y-z-plane here) of the end face 3b. Thus the end face 3b in the present case is part of the path limiting unit 4. The predetermined distance d may at least essentially be determined by a material thickness of the path limiting unit 4 in the area of the end face 3b. In the present example, with the end faces 2a*, 2b* essentially abutting an inner side 3b′ (illustrated in
In
The path through the cable tie 6 covered here by the blade elements 2a, 2b in each case runs in the y-z-plane, the receiving region 3c is thus oriented in the present case in such a way that the path through the cable tie 6 covered by the blade elements 2a, 2b runs transversely to a plane in which the closed cable tie strap of the cable tie to be released runs, here the xz-plane, and to the plane in which the inside 6a* of the cable tie head 6aruns, here the xy-plane.
Presently, the geometry of the receiving region for the cable tie head 6a consists of two sets of opposing limiting surfaces 3x, 3y. Therein, one pair of limiting surfaces 3x limit movement of the cable tie head 6a along the plane of the end face 3b (e.g., x-y-plane here) in one dimension (e.g., x-direction here), the other pair of limiting surfaces 3y in another dimension (e.g., y-direction here). Alternatively or in addition, the areas 3c′ may also be configured for receiving a cable tie strap 6b, with a corresponding set of opposing limiting surfaces 3y′ (illustrated in
Accordingly, in
In the shown example, the geometry of the receiving region 3c and the distance d between end face 3b and blade elements 2a, 2b is depending solely on the adapter element 3d. Thus, a set of different adapter elements 3d being configured for differently shaped and/or sized cable tie heads 6a (e.g., via different receiving regions 3c) and/or predetermining different distances d (e.g., via different material thicknesses of the path-limiting unit 4 in the region of the end face 3b) can be used to achieve optimized removal of cable ties 6 in various different applications.
In the simplified illustration of
When the cutting tool 1 is placed on the cable tie 6 and/or the cable tie head 6a as well as the not shown bundling good, the end face 3b of the housing 3 and an inner side 6a* of the cable tie head 6a are flush, thus run in one plane, which prevents injuries of the bundling good and still causes a reliable cutting of the cable tie head 6a. In the present case, the bundling good runs in the y-direction, so that the cutting path through the cable tie 6 runs parallel to the main extension direction of the bundling good with the cutting path of the blade elements 2a, 2b limited by the path limiting unit 4.
Unless context dictates otherwise, use herein of the word “or” maybe considered use of an “inclusive or,” or a term that permits inclusion or application of one or more items that are linked by the word “or” (e.g., a phrase “A or B” maybe interpreted as permitting just “A,” as permitting just “B,” or as permitting both “A” and “B”). Also, as used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For instance, “at least one of a, b, or c” can cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c). Further, items represented in the accompanying figures and terms discussed herein may be indicative of one or more items or terms, and thus reference may be made interchangeably to single or plural forms of the items and terms in this written description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202023100352.4 | Jan 2023 | DE | national |
