JPH0710528U - Joining clip - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Prevents the male member from falling out of the female member even after long-term use and release. [Structure] A tubular portion 3 having an elastic piece 5 divided into a plurality of radial slits 4, a female member 1 having a flange portion 2 projecting from the base end of the tubular portion, and an elastic piece extending outward. A head portion 27 that can be opened and a small diameter portion 26 that extends to the rear of the head portion
And the projection 9 formed on the elastic piece in a row behind the small diameter portion.
Large diameter portion 25 that can be engaged with the elastic piece to hold the elastic piece in the expanded state
And a male member 2 having a collar 23 protruding from the base end of the large diameter portion.
In the coupling clip consisting of 1, the non-expansion groove 29 extending in the axial direction is formed in a part of the large diameter portion of the male member, and the non-expansion groove 29 is removed from the non-expansion groove in the state of being inserted into the inner circumference of the female member. The elastic piece in the open position is expanded, and the protrusion of the elastic piece on the non-expansion groove is fitted in the non-expansion groove to maintain the non-expansion state.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting clip made of a synthetic resin, which can be used to fix a plate and a plate, for example, a bumper and a bumper beam in an automobile without using bolts and nuts.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 In recent years, in order to make it possible to easily disassemble a fixed member in a short time, for example, to shorten the disassembly time at the time of disassembly and repair, or to shorten the dismantling work time of a scrapped vehicle. Development of quick-release type connecting clips is active. This type of coupling clip includes a tubular portion having an elastic piece cut into a plurality of pieces by radial slits, and a female member having a flange that projects radially outward from around the base end of the tubular portion, The elastic piece is expanded by being inserted into the inner circumference of the female member, and is composed of a fixed member and a male member for connecting the connecting member, and a radius is provided in the inner circumference in the middle of the length of each elastic piece of the female member. A protrusion is formed inward in the direction, and the female member does not expand the elastic piece continuously with the head of the tip capable of expanding the elastic piece outward in the radial direction and the head of the head. A small diameter part and a protrusion formed on the elastic piece that is connected to the rear side of the small diameter part are engaged with each other, thereby forming a large diameter part that holds each elastic piece outward in the radial direction, and at the same time, a small diameter part is formed. A rib that can be inserted into the slit that divides the elastic piece of the female member is formed on the part, and the female part is formed on the head. The radially inward protrusion formed on the elastic piece is obtained by forming a notch having a leading cam surface for guiding one side of the rib of the smaller-diameter portion. When the fixing member and the fixed member are overlapped, the holes of both members are made to communicate, the connecting clip is inserted into this hole, and then the male member is pushed into the female member, all the elastic pieces of the female member are The large-diameter portion expands outward in the radial direction, and the head portion and the small-diameter portion of the male member project to the lower end from the elastic piece, and the bent portion of the outer periphery of the elastic piece is caught by the hole edge of the fixing member. Therefore, the fixing member and the fixed member can be connected by the connecting clip. Then, the male member can be easily released by pulling it out a little from the female member.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, since the above-mentioned connecting clip exerts a connecting function by expanding the elastic piece, if the connecting state is maintained for a long period of time, the elastic piece will creep even if it is released (the shape will change due to aging). It does not return to the original state in which the tip was squeezed and left splayed. Therefore, in the case of a connecting clip that has been used for a long period of time, the elastic piece remains open when released, and the male member easily slips out of the female member, making it difficult to reuse in practice. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connecting clip suitable for reuse, in which the male member does not fall out from the female member even after being released after being used for a long period of time.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is provided with a tubular portion having an elastic piece divided into a plurality of radial slits, and a flange portion protruding outward in the radial direction from around the proximal end of the tubular portion. A female member, a head portion of the tip capable of expanding the elastic piece outward in the radial direction, a small diameter portion connected to the rear of the head portion and not expanding the elastic piece, and the small diameter portion. From the circumference of the base of the large diameter portion that can be held in a state where the elastic piece is expanded outward in the radial direction by being engaged with the protrusion formed on the elastic piece connected to the rear of the portion. A coupling clip comprising a male member having a brim protruding outward in the radial direction, wherein a non-expanding groove extending in the axial direction is formed in a part of the large diameter portion of the male member, and the female member is formed. With the elastic piece on the non-expanding groove expanded by expanding the elastic piece that is located outside the non-expanding groove while being inserted into the inner circumference of the The protrusion fits in the non-expanding groove to maintain the non-expanding state.

[0005]

[Action]

 When the male member is pushed into the female member, only the elastic piece located at the position apart from the non-expansion groove expands and exerts the coupling function, and the elastic piece on the non-expansion groove has no projection expansion. Fits in the open groove and does not receive outward pressure. Therefore, the elastic piece existing on the non-expansion groove maintains the non-expansion state even in the coupled state. For this reason, when the male member is slightly pulled out from the female member and released, even if the expanded elastic piece does not fully contract due to creep and cannot engage with the head, The elastic piece that was in the expanded state is in the position where the tip surely hits the head in the released state. Therefore, the male member does not come off from the female member.

[0006]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a female member made of synthetic resin, which can be expanded by being divided from a flange portion 2 at the base end protruding outward in the radial direction through a cylinder portion 3 by slits 4 at an equal pitch of 60 °. Six elastic pieces 5 are extended. A wall portion 6 is provided upright on the outer peripheral edge of the outer surface of the flange portion 2 (a surface located on the side opposite to the tubular portion 3), and a notch portion having an appropriate width is provided at a position facing the wall portion 6. 7 is formed. The wall portion 6 is formed integrally with the flange portion 2, and the inner dimension (inner diameter) thereof is slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the collar of the male member described later. Further, the thickness of the flange portion 2 in which the cutout portion 7 is formed is set to be smaller than that of the other portions, and the thickness is gradually increased from the thin portion to the tubular portion 3 toward the center. Due to this, an inclined inner surface 8 is formed which gradually increases from the notch 7 toward the center.

The ends of each of the elastic pieces 5 described above are narrowed, so that the inner diameter of the tip is formed to be smaller than the middle of the length of the cylindrical portion 3 and the elastic piece 5. Further, radially inwardly extending projections 9 are formed at substantially intermediate portions of the length of the inner peripheral surface of each elastic piece 5.

Reference numeral 21 is a male member made of synthetic resin and having a shaft portion 22 which is formed with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular portion 3 of the female member 1 as a whole. A flange 23 protruding outward in the radial direction in order from the base end, a large-diameter portion 25 having a plurality of grooves 24 arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery, and a small-diameter portion 26 thinner than the large-diameter portion 25. A head portion 27 having an outer diameter dimension substantially equal to that of the large diameter portion 25 is integrally formed.

The collar 23 is a substantially goro-shaped member whose central portion has a large thickness and becomes thinner toward the outside, and is set to have a diameter slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the wall 6 of the female member 1. Has been. Therefore, the upper surface of the collar 23 is a gently curved surface, and the lower surface is formed into an inclined curved surface that gradually approaches the large diameter portion 25 side as it approaches the center.

The large diameter portion 25 has a recess 28 into which the projection 9 formed on the inner surface of the elastic piece 5 of the female member 1 is engaged and a non-expanding groove 29 at a predetermined circumferential interval, that is, the elastic piece. A plurality of them are formed at a pitch almost the same as the pitch of 5. Specifically, two concave portions 28 are formed adjacent to each other at a pitch of 60 ° in the circumferential direction, and non-expanding grooves 29 are formed adjacent to each other on both sides thereof at intervals of 60 °, and two concave portions are formed on the opposite side. 28 are formed between both non-expanding grooves 29 at intervals of 60 °. Therefore, the pair of non-expanding grooves 29 are located at positions facing each other at a pitch (180 °) that is three times the pitch (60 °) of the elastic pieces 5. Further, a predetermined taper portion 30 is formed at the boundary portion between the large diameter portion 25 and the small diameter portion 26, and one end of the non-expanding groove 29 extending in the axial direction is opened to the taper portion 30. .

On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 26, a pair of ribs 31 facing each other are formed in series in the length direction, and each rib 31 is located in the middle of the adjacent recessed portion 28. Further, the tip of the head portion 27 is formed into a conical shape so that it can easily pass through the tip of the elastic piece 5, and when the elastic piece 5 of the female member 1 is inserted into the head portion 27, the tip of the elastic piece 5 is inserted. A pair of notches 33 having a leading cam surface 32 for forcibly guiding the radially inward projection 9 formed on the inner surface to one side of the rib 31 of the small diameter portion 26 are formed opposite to each other. The leading cam surface 32 is an extension of the rib 31.

When the head portion 27 passes through the portion of the protrusion 9 of the elastic piece 5, the protrusion 9 of the elastic piece 5 is guided by the leading cam surface 32 of the notch 33 and moves toward the one side of the rib 31. It tries to shift slightly in the direction. That is, one or both of the male member 21 and the female member 1 slightly rotate to position the protrusion 9 on one side of the rib 31, and as a result, the rib 31 is formed by the adjacent elastic piece 5. It is stored in the slit 4.

Next, a description will be given of the case where the coupling clip of the present invention is temporarily assembled based on the above-mentioned configuration. First, when the male member 21 is inserted into the tubular portion 3 of the female member 1 from the side of the head 27, the head 27 expands the elastic piece 5 outwardly in the radial direction via the projection 9 as described above. enter in. At this time, the projection 9 of the elastic piece 5 is guided by the leading cam surface 32 of the notch 33 and tries to move toward one side of the rib 31, so that the male member 21 rotates slightly and the rib 31 of the small diameter portion 26 is rotated. Is guided in the slit 4. That is, not only when the male member 21 enters with the rib 31 and the slit 4 aligned from the beginning, but also when the male member 21 enters the elastic piece 5 with the rib 31 positioned inside. Even so, the rib 31 is always guided and housed in the slit 4, so that the rib 31 comes into contact with the inner surface of the elastic piece 5 and the male member 21 continues to advance with the elastic piece 5 expanded. However, there is no case where a temporary assembled state is reached. Further, since the pitch of the elastic pieces 5 and the pitch of the recesses 28 and the non-expanding grooves 29 are matched, the female member 1 and the male member 1 are also used in the work of preparing the temporary assembly state and in the coupling operation described later. Each member engages or abuts at a predetermined position even if the positional relationship with 21 is not recognized. If the non-expanding groove 29 is formed at a pitch that is an integral multiple of the pitch of the elastic pieces 5, it is not necessary to perform additional alignment at the time of assembly work or the like.

After that, when the head 27 of the male member 21 finally passes the tip of the elastic piece 5, the elastic piece 5 is contracted to the original state (small diameter state) by the elastic force. In this state, the projection 9 formed on the inner surface of the elastic piece 5 is located at the boundary taper portion 30 between the small diameter portion 26 and the large diameter portion 25, and the tip of the elastic piece 5 is engaged with the rear end surface of the head 27. To meet. That is, the relative free movement between the male member 21 and the female member 1 is difficult. Therefore, when the insertion force is released at this position, the male member 21 is temporarily inserted into the female member 1 (temporary assembled state) as shown in FIG. To be done.

Next, a method of connecting the fixed member B to the fixing member A of FIG. 3 will be described. The elastic member 5 of the female member 1 is inserted from the insertion hole 41 of the fixed member B into the insertion hole 42 of the fixed member A by inserting the female member 1 in the connecting clip of the male member 21 of FIG. Are inserted until they protrude from the insertion hole 42 of the fixing member A.

Next, when the male member 21 is pushed into the female member 1 until the flange 23 comes into contact with the flange portion 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the non-expanding groove 29 of the elastic piece 5 of the female member 1 is pushed. The elastic piece 5a located at the position apart from the elastic piece 5b is gradually and uniformly expanded radially outward by the taper portion 30 of the large-diameter portion 25, and the elastic piece 5b located on the non-expansion groove 29. Maintains an unexpanded state (closed state), and the head portion 27 and the small diameter portion 26 of the male member 21 project to the lower end from the elastic pieces 5a and 5b.

Then, in the final pushed state after passing the tapered portion 30, as shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 9 formed on the back surface of the expanded elastic piece 5 a is formed on the outer periphery of the large diameter portion 25. The bulge 9 of the elastic piece 5b in the non-expanded state is retained in the non-expanded groove 29 with a margin while being retained in the unfolded groove 28 by being retained in the unfolded groove 29. The member 21 and the female member 1 are fixed. That is, the male member 21 and the female member 1 are fixed with the elastic piece 5a of the female member 1 being expanded outward in the radial direction, and the bent portion of the outer periphery of the elastic piece 5a at this time is fixed to the fixing member. It is locked by being caught on the edge of the hole 42 of A. Therefore, the fixed member B can be connected to the fixed member A, and four of the six members are bent and connected in different directions, so that the stability is high.

On the other hand, since the elastic piece 5b which is located on the non-expansion groove 29 and maintains the non-expansion state does not bend, it does not directly contribute to the coupling action between the fixing member A and the fixed member B. The protrusion 9 of the elastic piece 5b is engaged in the non-expanding groove 29. Therefore, the protrusion 9 prevents the relative rotation of the male member 21 and the female member 1. That is, the free rotation of the male member 21 is suppressed by the protrusion 9 or the protrusion 9 loosely fitted in the non-expanding groove 29 and a part of the elastic piece 5b in the vicinity thereof contacting the edge of the groove 29. .

When the fixing member A and the fixed member B are joined by the joining clip in this manner, the outer peripheral edge of the collar 23 is housed in the wall portion 6 of the flange portion 2 and the upper surface of the collar 23 and the upper portion of the wall portion 6. The edges are located on almost the same curved surface. When foreign matters such as flying stones fly toward the joining clip in this combined state, the foreign matters only hit the wall portion 6 of the female member 1 or the upper surface of the collar 23 of the male member 21. , It does not hit the outer peripheral edge of the collar 23. Even if foreign matter hits the wall portion 6, it does not affect the coupling state, and even if it hits the upper surface of the collar 23, there is an impact force in the direction of pushing the male member 21 and no pulling force acts. Therefore, even if a foreign matter hits, there is no risk that the coupling clip in the coupled state will come off. In short, the wall portion 6 protects the foreign matter from hitting the peripheral edge of the collar 23, and unless the foreign matter hits the outer peripheral edge of the collar 23, the force does not act in the direction of pulling out the male member 21. Absent.

The wall portion 6 not only functions as a protective member that protects the edge of the collar 23 from foreign matter, but also functions as a reinforcing member that increases the strength of the flange portion 2. When the strength of No. 2 is increased, it is less likely to be damaged even if foreign matter hits, and safety can be further improved.

Next, the operation of disassembling the fixed member A and the fixed member B that are joined by the joining clip will be described. When the male member 21 is sufficiently pushed into the female member 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the center of the lower surface of the collar 23 is in contact with the portion of the flange 2 closer to the cylinder portion 3, and A gap 51 is formed between the lower surface of 23 and the upper surface of the flange portion 2. The gap 51 becomes gradually narrower as it approaches from the outer edge to the center, and in particular, the inclined guide surface 8 of the flange portion 2 and the collar 23. Is noticeable between the underside of.

Therefore, when a flat-blade screwdriver or the like is inserted from the notch portion 7 and the tip is inserted into the gap 51 along the inclined guide surface 8, the lower surface of the flange 23 and the upper surface of the flange portion 2 are inclined and face each other. Therefore, the pushing force of the driver is doubled by the wedge action to lift the collar 23. Therefore, the projection 9 of the elastic piece 5a of the female member 1 is disengaged from the concave portion 28 of the male member 21, and the coupling is released. It should be noted that by moving the flat head screwdriver inserted from the cutout portion 7 of the flange portion 2 like a lever to raise the tip toward the collar 23 side, the collar 23 can be easily lifted up.

When the male member 21 is pulled out a little from the female member 1 in this manner, the elastic piece 5a that has been expanded up to that point is contracted by the elastic force, and the outer periphery of the elastic piece 5a becomes the fixing member A. The hole 42 is disengaged from the edge and returns to the state shown in FIG. Therefore, in this state, when the brim 23 is picked up with a finger and pulled out, the entire connecting clip comes out of the holes 41 and 42 of the fixed member A and the fixed member B, and the fixed member A and the fixed member B are disassembled into pieces. be able to.

Even if the expanded elastic piece 5a does not return to the state shown in FIG. 2 due to creep and remains slightly expanded, if the collar 23 is picked up and pulled out, the elastic piece 5a passes through the insertion holes 41 and 42. It can be pulled out easily. Then, the elastic piece 5a after being pulled out from the insertion holes 41, 42 remains in the expanded state by creep, but the elastic piece 5b which has been maintained in the non-expanded state is not deformed by creep. Therefore, when the male member 21 is pulled out from the female member 1, the temporary assembled state shown in FIG. 2 is reliably restored. Therefore, the tip of the elastic piece 5b is reliably returned to the position where it comes into contact with the rear end surface of the head 27, and the male member 21 can be reliably prevented from coming off from the tubular portion 3 of the female member 1.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, six elastic pieces are formed at intervals of 60 °, and four of these pieces are expanded so that two of them are kept in the non-expanded state. The number of 5 and the number of non-expanding grooves 29 are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and can be set appropriately. For example, eight elastic pieces 5 may be formed.

[0026]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, not all of the elastic pieces expand even in the coupled state, and only the elastic pieces that are out of the non-expansion groove expand. The upper elastic piece maintains the unexpanded state. Therefore, even if the elastic piece that has been expanded by releasing the connecting clip cannot return to the original constricted state due to creep, the elastic piece that has been kept in the non-expanded state is When the male member is securely returned to the position and moved in the pulling direction of the male member, the head reliably hits the tip of the elastic piece. Therefore, even if the connecting clip has been used for a long period of time, there is no risk that the male member will come off from the female member, there will be no hindrance to reuse, and it will be possible to contribute to the promotion of recycling. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a coupling clip.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a provisionally assembled state in which a male member is inserted halfway into a female member.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the male member is completely inserted into the female member.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a female member.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a female member whose left half is a cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Female member 2 Flange part 3 Cylindrical part 4 Slit 5 Elastic piece 5a Elastic piece 5b located outside the non-expansion groove 5b Elastic piece on the non-expansion groove 9 Projection 21 Male member 22 Shaft part 23 Collar 25 Large diameter portion 26 Small diameter portion 27 Head portion 28 Recessed portion 29 Non-expanding groove 30 Tapered portion

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A female member having a tubular portion having an elastic piece divided into a plurality of radial slits, and a flange portion projecting radially outward from around a base end of the tubular portion; A head having a tip capable of expanding the piece outward in the radial direction, a small diameter portion connected to the rear of the head so as not to expand the elastic piece, and the elastic piece connected to the rear of the small diameter portion. A large-diameter portion that is capable of holding the elastic piece in a state where the elastic piece is expanded outward in the radial direction by engaging with the protrusion formed on the base, and a flange that projects radially outward from around the base end of the large-diameter portion. In a coupling clip including a male member, a non-expansion groove extending in the axial direction is formed in a part of the large diameter portion of the male member, and the non-expansion groove is inserted in the inner periphery of the female member. Expand the elastic piece located at the position out of the open groove, and the elastic piece on the non-expanding groove will not fit as the projection fits in the non-expanding groove. Coupling clip being characterized in that in order to maintain the open state. 2. A female member comprising: a tubular portion having elastic pieces divided into a plurality of radial slits at substantially the same pitch; and a flange portion projecting radially outward from around the base end of the tubular portion. A head portion of the tip capable of expanding the elastic piece outward in the radial direction, a small-diameter portion continuous with the rear portion of the head portion and not expanding the elastic piece, and connected with the rear portion of the small-diameter portion. And a large diameter portion that can be retained by the protrusion formed on the elastic piece in a state where the elastic piece is expanded outward in the radial direction, and radially outward from around the base end of the large diameter portion. In a coupling clip including a male member having a brim that projects, a non-expansion groove extending in the axial direction is formed in a part of the large-diameter portion of the male member at a pitch that is an integral multiple of the pitch of the elastic piece. A plurality of bullets that are formed in the circumferential direction and are in a position out of the non-expanding groove when inserted in the inner circumference of the female member. Binding clips diverged pieces, elastic pieces located on unexpanded groove, characterized in that in order to maintain the fitted unexpanded state projections unexpanded groove. 3. A taper portion is formed between the small diameter portion and the large diameter portion, the non-expansion grooves are formed in a pair so as to face each other, and one end of each non-expansion groove is opened in the taper portion. The coupling clip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein