JP7816034B2 - clip - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a clip.

Patent Document 1 discloses a stopper for sticks (cylinders) used to pack electronic components. This stopper has an elastic protrusion that protrudes outward from the stopper body. When the elastic protrusion is inserted into the stick, it elastically deforms, thereby holding the stopper at the end of the stick. It is also possible to form a through-hole in the outer wall of the stick, and insert a clip into this through-hole to prevent the electronic component from slipping out of the stick. Patent Documents 2 to 4 disclose examples of stopper shapes that can be used as clips for securing connectors, etc. to the body of a vehicle.

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 4-135478 JP 2011-134520 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-212124 Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 6-79194

The stopper in Patent Document 1 had concerns that the stopper would fall off the stick due to the load from the electronic components stored in the stick. For this reason, it was necessary to make it difficult for the stopper to fall off the through-hole.

The present disclosure therefore aims to provide a clip that is less likely to fall off than a stopper when attached to a through hole.

The clip of the present disclosure comprises:
A clip attached to a tube that houses an electrical component,
a base portion located on the outer surface side of the cylinder;
a main body portion connected to the base portion, having an elastic deformation allowable space formed therein, and capable of being engaged with an edge portion of the through hole on the inner surface side of the tube;
a bridge portion that is bridged within the elastic deformation allowable space;
Equipped with.

According to the present disclosure, a clip can be made that is less likely to fall off than a stopper when attached to a through hole.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a clip according to a first embodiment is attached to a stick housing a connector. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the end of the stick. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connector housed in a stick. FIG. 4 is a view showing the state in which the clip of the first embodiment is attached to a stick housing a connector, as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the stick. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the clip of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view showing the state in which the clip of the first embodiment is attached to a stick housing a connector, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the stick. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the clip of the first embodiment is removed from the stick.

Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure
First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
The clip of the present disclosure comprises:
(1) This clip is attached to a tube that houses an electrical component. It includes a base portion located on the outer surface of the tube, a main body portion connected to the base, forming an elastically deformable space inside and capable of engaging with the edge of a through hole on the inner surface of the tube, and a bridge portion that bridges the elastically deformable space. With this configuration, the bridge portion prevents the main body portion from being deformed excessively, and when attached to the through hole, the main body portion is prevented from being deformed excessively, making it less likely to fall off the through hole.

(2) The mounting portion of the clip disclosed herein is preferably symmetrical with respect to a central axis that passes through the center of the main body's elastic deformation direction. This configuration allows the main body to deform in a balanced manner, making it easier to attach to the through hole.

(3) The mounting portion of the clip disclosed herein preferably has three arms that divide the inside of the main body into three spaces, with one of the arms being positioned along the central axis. This configuration effectively prevents the main body from deforming in the direction of the central axis, making it easier to insert into the through-hole.

(4) The base of the clip disclosed herein is preferably plate-shaped and has an uneven surface. This configuration makes it less likely for the operator's fingers to slip when gripping the base.

[Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

<Embodiment 1>
A clip according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 1, a clip 10 is attached to the end of a stick (cylinder) 11 that houses a connector 30, which is an electrical component. This prevents the connector 30 from slipping out of the stick 11.

[About the stick]
The stick 11 is cylindrical with both ends open in the length direction (longitudinal direction L). In this embodiment, the stick 11 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the stick 11 has a rectangular cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, a first recessed portion 11B, a second recessed portion 11C, and a third recessed portion 11D are formed on the outer surface of the stick 11, recessed inward. The first recessed portion 11B, the second recessed portion 11C, and the third recessed portion 11D are formed extending in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11 (see FIG. 1). The first recessed portion 11B, the second recessed portion 11C, and the third recessed portion 11D are formed on each of three of the four outer surface portions constituting the stick 11, excluding the bottom surface shown in FIG. 2.

The first and third recessed portions 11B and 11D are formed on opposite outer surface portions of the four outer surface portions that make up the stick 11. The second recessed portion 11C is formed on an outer surface portion that is continuous with the outer surface portion on which the first recessed portion 11B is formed and the outer surface portion on which the third recessed portion 11D is formed. A through-hole 11A is formed at the bottom of the second recessed portion 11C, penetrating through the plate thickness direction. The outer shape of the through-hole 11A is rectangular. The dimension of the through-hole 11A in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11 is W. Two protrusions 11F protruding inward are provided on the inner surface of the outer surface portion located opposite the outer surface portion on which the second recessed portion 11C is formed. These protrusions 11F extend in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11.

[About the connector]
As shown in Figure 3, the connector 30 housed in the stick 11 is a circuit board connector and is configured by assembling a housing 12 and a plurality of terminal fittings 22. The housing 12 is made of synthetic resin. The housing 12 has a hood portion 14, a flange portion 15, and a pair of side walls 16. The hood portion 14 protrudes in a rectangular cylindrical shape from one plate surface of the flat terminal holding portion 13. The flange portion 15 protrudes outward from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion 13 in a brim-like shape.

The pair of side walls 16 project in the opposite direction from the hood portion 14, with their thickness direction perpendicular to the terminal holding portion 13. The pair of side walls 16 are parallel to each other and are connected to two of the four sides that form the outer edge of the terminal holding portion 13, which are spaced apart from each other.

Each terminal fitting 22 is formed by bending a thin, elongated metal material into an L-shape. The terminal fitting 22 has a terminal connection portion 23 that penetrates the terminal holding portion 13 in the thickness direction and connects to a mating terminal fitting (not shown), and a board connection portion 24 that is bent at a right angle from the end of the terminal connection portion 23 located between the pair of side wall portions 16. Each board connection portion 24 is located between the pair of side wall portions 16 and is protected by each side wall portion 16. The tip of the board connection portion 24 is inserted into a through-hole in a circuit board (not shown). The terminal fitting 22 is held by the terminal holding portion 13 with the terminal connection portion 23 penetrating the terminal holding portion 13 in the thickness direction. When multiple terminal fittings 22 are attached to the housing 12, the terminal connection portions 23 are aligned parallel to each other, and the board connection portions 24 are aligned parallel to each other. The end of the terminal connection portion 23 opposite the end connected to the board connection portion 24 protrudes into and is surrounded by the hood portion 14. The terminal connection portion 23 is connected to a mating terminal fitting (not shown) attached to a mating connector (not shown) that is mated with the hood portion 14.

[Regarding the orientation of the connector housed inside the stick]
The stick 11 accommodates a plurality of connectors 30 arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11 (see FIG. 1). The orientation of the connector 30 within the stick 11 is such that the pair of side wall portions 16 are aligned in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11 (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 4, the edge of the side wall 16 away from the terminal holding portion 13 faces the inner surface of the second recess 11C. The outer edge of the flange 15 on the side from which the board connection portion 24 extends faces the inner surface of the first recess 11B. The outer edge of the side wall 16 on the opposite side from the side from which the board connection portion 24 extends faces the inner surface of the third recess 11D. The edge of the hood portion 14 away from the terminal holding portion 13 faces so that the two protrusions 11F come into contact.

[About Clips]
The clip 10 is made of a flexible synthetic resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride). As shown in Fig. 5, the clip 10 has a base 10A, a main body 10B, and a bridge portion 10C. The base 10A is plate-shaped and extends in one direction. The direction E in which the base 10A extends is the left-right direction in Fig. 5, and will hereinafter also be referred to as the width direction E.

The base 10A has an uneven portion 10H on its plate surface. The uneven portion 10H has a first protrusion 10J, a first recess 10K, a second protrusion 10L, and a second recess 10M. The first protrusions 10J and first recesses 10K are arranged alternately in the width direction E on one plate surface of the base 10A. When the base 10A is viewed in a direction along the plate surface and perpendicular to the width direction E, the first recesses 10K are formed as semicircular recesses. Each first protrusion 10J is part of one plate surface of the base 10A. The first protrusions 10J protrude relative to the first recesses 10K, and the tip surfaces in the protruding direction are formed flat along the width direction E.

The second convex portions 10L and second concave portions 10M are arranged alternately in the width direction E on the other plate surface of the base 10A. When the base 10A is viewed in a direction along the plate surface and perpendicular to the width direction E, the second convex portions 10L are formed to protrude in a semicircular shape. Each second concave portion 10M is part of the other plate surface of the base 10A. The second concave portions 10M are recessed relative to the second convex portions 10L, and the innermost ends in the recessed direction are formed flat along the width direction E. The other plate surface of the base 10A is inclined so that it approaches the plate surface on one side as it approaches both ends in the width direction E. In other words, the base 10A is tapered, becoming thinner as it approaches both ends in the width direction E.

The main body 10B protrudes downward from the center of the width direction E on the other plate surface of the base 10A. An elastic deformation space 10F is formed inside the main body 10B (the shaded area in Figure 5). The elastic deformation space 10F is formed along the plate surface of the base 10A and penetrates the main body 10B in a direction perpendicular to the width direction E (the thickness direction of the main body 10B). The elastic deformation space 10F is formed so as to be surrounded by the main body 10B and the base 10A. In other words, the elastic deformation space 10F is a space surrounded by the base 10A, which extends linearly in the width direction E, and the main body 10B, which is U-shaped so that both ends are connected to the base 10A. The elastic deformation space 10F has a space that narrows in the width direction E as the main body 10B elastically deforms. The main body 10B can elastically deform in a direction that reduces the opening width of the elastic deformation-allowing space 10F.

A pair of recesses 10N are formed at the connection between the main body 10B and the base 10A, recessed toward the center in the width direction E (the central axis C described below). The dimension between these recesses 10N in the width direction E is W1. The maximum dimension of the main body 10B in the width direction E is W2. The main body 10B is elastically deformable when an external force is applied. When the main body 10B is not elastically deformed, the dimension W2 is larger than the dimension W1. The dimension W1 is slightly larger than the dimension W of the through-hole 11A in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11 (see Figure 6). The dimension W2 is larger than the dimension W (see Figure 6). When the main body 10B elastically deforms toward the center in the width direction E, the dimension W2 approaches the dimension W1.

The bridge portion 10C is arranged to span the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F. When viewed from the width direction E, the bridge portion 10C is positioned within the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F (see Figure 4). In other words, the bridge portion 10C is configured so as not to protrude outside the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F (including in the thickness direction of the main body portion 10B). The bridge portion 10C has three arms 10G. One end of each of the three arms 10G of the bridge portion 10C is connected within the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F, and they extend radially from the connected portion to form a Y shape. One of the three arms 10G extends in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the base portion 10A, and the other end is connected to the end of the main body portion 10B away from the base portion 10A. One of the three arms 10G is arranged along the central axis C that passes through the center of the elastic deformation direction of the main body portion 10B. The other ends of the other two arms 10G are connected, one to each of the sections where the main body 10B and base 10A are connected. The bridge section 10C is symmetrical with respect to the central axis C. Thus, the bridge section 10C is positioned so as to divide the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F formed inside the main body 10B into three spaces.

An example of attaching the clip 10 to the stick 11 will be described below. First, the connector 30 is placed inside the stick 11. Next, the main body 10B is inserted into the through-hole 11A. In this case, the width direction E is aligned with the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11. Then, the tip of the main body 10B is placed against the through-hole 11A to block the through-hole 11A from the outside, while the base 10A is pressed toward the second recess 11C. This causes the main body 10B to elastically deform toward the center in the width direction E. At the same time, the two arms 10G connected to each connection between the main body 10B and the base 10A also elastically deform toward the center in the width direction E. Then, the main body 10B is inserted into the through-hole 11A, and the entire base 10A is positioned within the second recess 11C (see Figure 6). At this time, the base 10A is positioned on the outer surface of the stick 11. In this state, the second protrusions 10L of the base 10A located at both ends in the width direction E are spaced further away from the bottom surface of the second recess 11C than the second protrusions 10L located toward the center in the width direction E.

When the base 10A is placed within the second recess 11C, as shown in Figure 6, the main body 10B and the two arms 10G connecting the main body 10B and the base 10A elastically return to their original position. At this time, the dimension W2 of the main body 10B becomes larger than the dimension W of the through-hole 11A. Furthermore, the pair of recesses 10N are held slightly compressed in the width direction E by the through-hole 11A. As a result, the shoulders 10P defining the main body 10B engage with both edges of the through-hole 11A on the inner surface in the longitudinal direction L of the stick 11, preventing it from falling out of the through-hole 11A. Because the main body 10B is supported from the inside by the bridge 10C, it is prevented from unintentional deformation.

The main body 10B of the clip 10 attached to the through-hole 11A faces and contacts the outside of one of the side walls 16 of the connector 30. In other words, the main body 10B contacts the connector 30 from the outside in the width direction E. In this way, the clip 10 prevents the connector 30 housed in the stick 11 from slipping out.

Next, an example of removing the clip 10 from the stick 11 will be described. First, the operator grasps the base 10A on one side in the width direction E. The base 10A is then pulled outward away from the outer surface of the stick 11. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the main body 10B connected to one side of the base 10A and the arm 10G connected to this main body 10B are pulled outward from the through-hole 11A. At this time, the uneven portion 10H on the base 10A prevents the fingers from slipping between the base 10A and the base 10A.

Furthermore, the base 10A is pulled outward, away from the outer surface of the stick 11. This causes the main body 10B connected to the other side in the width direction E, and the arm 10G connected to this main body 10B, to be pulled outward from the through-hole 11A. In this way, the clip 10 is removed from the stick 11.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
The clip 10 is attached to a stick 11 that houses a connector 30. The clip 10 includes a base 10A, a main body 10B, and a bridge 10C. The base 10A is located on the outer surface of the stick 11. The main body 10B is connected to the base 10A and has an elastic deformation-permitting space 10F formed inside it, allowing it to engage with the edge of a through-hole 11A on the inner surface of the stick 11. The bridge 10C spans the elastic deformation-permitting space 10F. With this configuration, the bridge 10C prevents the main body 10B from deforming excessively, and when attached to the through-hole 11A, the bridge 10C prevents excessive deformation and makes it less likely to fall off the through-hole 11A.

The mounting portion 10C of the clip 10 is symmetrical with respect to the central axis C, which passes through the center of the elastic deformation direction of the main body portion 10B. This configuration allows for balanced deformation of the main body portion 10B, making it easier to attach to the through-hole 11A.

The bridge portion 10C of the clip 10 has three arms 10G that divide the inside of the main body portion 10B into three spaces, with one of the arms 10G arranged along the central axis C. This configuration effectively prevents the main body portion 10B from deforming in the direction of the central axis C, making it easier to insert into the through-hole 11A.

The base 10A of the clip 10 is plate-shaped and has an uneven surface 10H. This configuration makes it less likely for the operator's fingers to slip when gripping the base 10A.

Other Embodiments of the Present Disclosure
The present disclosure is not limited to the first embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings. The present invention includes all modifications within the scope of the claims and meanings equivalent to those of the claims, and is intended to include the following embodiments.

Unlike embodiment 1, the stick may contain electrical components such as ICs and chip components used for surface mounting.

The clip material does not have to be that disclosed in embodiment 1; any flexible material such as urethane rubber or silicone resin can be used.

The other end of the arm may be connected to the base, or may be connected across the base and main body.

10... Clip 10A... Base 10B... Main body 10C... Bridge portion 10F... Elastic deformation allowance space 10G... Arm portion 10H... Concave and convex portion 10J... First convex portion 10K... First concave portion 10L... Second convex portion 10M... Second concave portion 10N... Concave portion 10P... Shoulder portion 11... Stick (cylinder)
11A...through hole 11B...first recessed portion 11C...second recessed portion 11D...third recessed portion 11F...projection portion 12...housing 13...terminal holding portion 14...hood portion 15...flange portion 16...side wall portion 22...terminal fitting 23...terminal connecting portion 24...board connecting portion 30...connector (electrical component)
C...central axis line E...width direction (direction in which the base extends)
L: Longitudinal direction of the stick W, W1, W2: Dimensions

Claims (2)

A clip attached to a tube that houses an electrical component,
a base portion located on the outer surface side of the cylinder;
a main body portion connected to the base portion, having an elastic deformation allowable space formed therein, and capable of being engaged with an edge portion of the through hole on the inner surface side of the tube;
a bridge portion that is bridged within the elastic deformation allowable space;
Equipped with
the bridge portion is symmetrical with respect to a central axis passing through the center of the main body portion in the elastic deformation direction,
the bridge portion has three arms that divide the inside of the main body portion into three spaces,
A clip , wherein one of the arms is disposed along the central axis . A clip attached to a tube that houses an electrical component,
a base portion located on the outer surface side of the cylinder;
a main body portion connected to the base portion, having an elastic deformation allowable space formed therein, and capable of being engaged with an edge portion of the through hole on the inner surface side of the tube;
a bridge portion that is bridged within the elastic deformation allowable space;
Equipped with
The base portion is plate-shaped and has an uneven portion on the plate surface .