This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-378189 filed Nov. 7, 2003, incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to a fastener for an elongated member, for fastening a flexible elongated member such as a wire, wire harness, or cable to a support such as a vehicle body frame.
Fasteners for elongated members, for fastening a flexible elongated member such as a wire, wire harness, or cable to a support such as a vehicle body frame, are known. In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H8-316659/1996, gazette publication (Patent Literature 1), for example, a fastener for fastening ABS sensor cables to auxiliary automobile equipment is disclosed. This fastener comprises a clip secured to an attachment hole in the equipment, and a wire holder coupled to that clip. The wire holder is formed by two half-ring members the ends of which are coupled by a hinge. The end of one half-ring member is coupled to the clip, while the other half-ring member turns about the hinge and works together with the first half-ring member to enclose and hold the wire. Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model No. S59-111784/1984, gazette publication (Patent Literature 2) discloses a clamp for securing a pipe to an arm in a two-wheeled vehicle. In this clamp, an arm securing part is formed in the shape of a gripper which can secure something to a long, slender, flat plate-shaped arm, and the holder for holding the pipe is formed in an elastic clamp shape opened in a C-shape coupled to the arm securing part. The side surface of the pipe is pushed in from the open portion and elastically held. Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model No. S64-7979/1989, gazette publication (Patent Literature 3) discloses a clamp for guiding and securing curved portions of pipe or hose or the like. This clamp comprises a hose holder the shape of which is matched to the curved portions of a hose or the like, and an anchor-leg clip for securing to the support in a vehicle body or the like.
In the fastener described in Patent Literature 1, the wire holder which holds the wire is formed by two half-ring members coupled by a hinge of thin material. The hinge is readily subject to failure, and, if the hinge fails, there is a danger of the wire which is being held coming loose. In order to hold the wire, moreover, an operation is necessary to turn one half-ring member toward the other half-ring member with the wire in between, so that the amount of work required is large. Furthermore, because the wire holder is configured with two half-ring members, the dies used for molding the fastener are unduly large. The clamps described in Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3 are hardware for holding rigid pipe, and are not fasteners for fastening a flexible elongated member along a path. The clamp in Patent Literature 2 is only for securing pipe to a support, while the clamp described in Patent Literature 3 is configured with an anchor-leg clip as the means for securing to the support, so the manufacturing die is complex.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a fastener for elongated members which is capable of fastening a flexible elongated member such as a wire along a path, without requiring a hinge, and which can be formed with a simple, small die having a two-surface configuration.
In one specific, but non-limiting embodiment, a fastener for elongated members according to this invention, for fastening a flexible elongated member such as a wire, wire harness, or cable or the like to a support such as a vehicle body frame, comprises an elongated main holder of a length commensurate with the support, two auxiliary holders which extend transversely from opposite ends of the main holder in the same direction, and engagement arms which form extensions, respectively, from the auxiliary holders, and are attached to the support so as to straddle the support. These main holder, auxiliary holders, and engagement arms are formed integrally of synthetic resin. In the main holder and the auxiliary holders, guides are provided which form a channel having a U-shaped cross-section, opened so that the elongated member can be accommodated by being pushed therein. Elastic pawls retract so that accommodation is possible when the elongated member is pushed into the channel, and which prevent the elongated member from slipping out from the channel.
According to the fastener described above, a flexible elongated member like wire can be fastened to a support along a path, without requiring a hinge in the part holding the elongated member. In addition, the fastener can be formed by a small, simple die having a two-surface configuration.
In the fastener described above, the main holder and two auxiliary holders have in common a base made of flat plate; the main holder is formed in a straight-line shape; each of the auxiliary holders extend from the main holder a short length at right angles to the main holder; and the fastener overall is formed in what is substantially a U-shape by the main holder, auxiliary holders, and engagement arms. It is preferable that the main holder guide be formed so that the channel opens at both ends of the main holder, so that the elongated member can be held in the main holder without being held in either one or both of the auxiliary holders. It is also preferable that a spring piece be provided in the main holder for elastically pressing the pawls of the engagement arms into attachment holes in the support, so that the pawls, formed at the tips of the engagement arms, do not get pulled out of the attachment holes in the support.
The invention will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred (best mode) embodiment, and wherein:
A fastener 1 for elongated members, which fastens flexible elongated members such as a wire, wire harness, or cable to a support such as a vehicle body frame or the like, will now described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the fastener 1 is represented in FIGS. 1 to 6.
In FIGS. 1 to 6, the fastener 1 comprises a long, narrow main holder 6 of a length commensurate with the width or the like of the frame 5 or other support, two auxiliary holders 7 that extend transversely from opposite ends of the main holder 6, in the same direction, and engagement arms 9 which form extensions, respectively, from the auxiliary holders 7, and which are attached to the support so as to straddle the support. The main holder 6, two auxiliary holders 7, and two engagement arms 9 are preferably molded integrally of a synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the main holder 6 and the two auxiliary holders 7 have in common a base 10 formed of flat plate. The main holder 6 is formed with a length commensurate with the size of the support, in a straight-line shape, in the left and right directions in
In the main holder 6 and the auxiliary holders 7 a plurality of guides, 13, 14, and 15 are provided, forming a channel 11 having a U-shaped cross-section that is open on one side (the left side in
As shown, the first elastic pawl 17 is formed in the first guide in the portion of the channel 11 formed in the main holder 6. The two second elastic pawls 18 are formed at positions adjacent to the two ends of the portion of the channel formed in the main holder 6. The third elastic pawls 19 are formed in the third guides 15 in the portions of the channel 11 formed in the auxiliary holders 7. In this manner, in the main holder 6 and the auxiliary holders 7, are formed guides 13 to 15 and elastic pawls 17 to 19 which form the channel 11 having a U-shaped cross-section and capable of holding the elongated member merely by that elongated member being pushed in. Therefore, a flexible elongated member can be fastened along a path, without the need of a hinge, and the fastener can be formed with a small, simple die having a two-surface configuration.
As shown in
The engagement arms 9 extend integrally from the ends of the auxiliary holders 7. The engagement arms 9 are formed so as to define a gap matching the width of the support at intermediate positions, and, with a wide taper toward the tips, so that the support can be easily attached to the fastener by pushing it in so that the support is sandwiched between the arms 9. The engagement arms 9 have the flexibility to widen toward the outside when being attached to the support. Ribs 21 are formed on the outer surfaces of the engagement arms 9, extending in the longitudinal direction, and maintain rigidity to enhance the attachment strength while maintaining the flexibility described above. Hook-shaped pawls 22 are formed on the inner sides of the tips of the engagement arms 9. At the tips of the pawls 22 are formed small projections 23 which engage attachment holes in the support, and prevent the pawls 22 engaged in the attachment holes of the support from pulling out.
In the main holder 6, furthermore, is provided a spring piece 25 which, after the fastener 1 is attached to the support, elastically presses the pawls 22 of the engagement arms 9 against edges of the attachment holes in the support so that the pawls 22 of the engagement arms 9 do not come out of the attachment holes in the support. The spring piece 25, as indicated in
While a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, changes can be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the accompanying claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-378189 | Nov 2003 | JP | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10981555 | Nov 2004 | US |
Child | 11171338 | Jul 2005 | US |