Clip system for fixing an attachment to a support part

Description of the invention

The subject of the invention is a clamp system for fixing an element put on a supporting element when connecting structural elements, intended for reliable assembly and various applications.

DE 32 45 056 A1 discloses an elastic clamp made of a spring steel. The clip has three pairs of arms of different length which, starting from one center line, are bent away from each other in such a way that they are diamond-shaped when viewed from the side. In the unassembled state of the clip, the free ends of the pair of arms abut against each other and are then angled again, thereby facilitating the sliding of the clip over the attachment rib of the add-on. In this case, the free ends of the pair of arms are pushed apart and rest against the side surfaces of the fastening rib in a clamping manner. In order to ensure reliable fastening of the clamp, two external, much shorter pairs of arms are placed on the fastening rib, which additionally have inwardly bent claws in their contact area with the fastening rib.

In order to obtain the correct clamping, namely to secure the add-on element to the carrier, a longer middle pair of arms is used. In this case, the median width of the longer pair of arms is greater by a predetermined dimension than the corresponding width in the light of the slotted opening in the carrier. In order to fix the add-on element, its fastening rib with the clamp mounted on it is inserted into the slotted opening of the support element under the influence of elastic deformation of the middle pair of arms, until the opposing obtuse areas of the pair of arms are behind the inner edge of the opening and the surfaces are arms, after springing back, will begin to stick to the inner edge.

The design of this clip does not guarantee an effective seating of the put on element on the fastening rib, since it is held there only by the inwardly directed pressing force of the pair of arms. For this reason, it was also necessary to additionally place shorter side pairs of arms with holding claws. Since the fastening claws offer a great resistance to bending by means of the relatively short length of the resilient clamping arms, a relatively high force is required in order to press the fastening rib between the clamping claws until they reach the stop at the base of the clamp.

EP 0855523 discloses a connecting clamp structure in which the middle rib, viewed in the insertion direction, is at the front, and the outer arms, in the insertion direction, are cut out and laterally spaced outwards. The fastening rib is introduced through the free ends of the spring arm up to the stop on the middle rib.

The present invention relates to a clamp system for securing a wear element to a support element, consisting of a connecting clamp made of elastic material, an add-on element and the support element. The connecting clip is clamped on the fastening rib of the add-on element and is inserted into the preferably rectangular opening of the carrier, it deforms elastically such that the clamp, abutting the edge of this opening, forms a force-locking connection with the carrier. In the unassembled state, the connecting clamp has two mutually curved spring arms extending from the central separating rib, which have claws which are obliquely curved towards each other and which, when the fastening rib is inserted, resiliently rest against its side surfaces.

The essence of the invention consists in the fact that the free ends of the spring arms, as outer arms, are bent outwards and backwards in such a way that the outer arms thus formed are resiliently compressed and snapped between the edges of the opening, while in the middle separating rib, there is a recess for insertion of a fastening rib inserted into the recess, which recess, according to the clear dimension, corresponds to the cross section of the fastening rib.

Preferably, claws that are obliquely bent towards each other are positioned just in front of the free end of the inner spring arms.

According to the invention, in the inner spring arms, on both sides of the recess, one slot is cut from their edges, respectively, which serves to fix a reinforcing rib of appropriate thickness between the add-on element and the fastening rib.

Preferably, the outer spring arms are formed of three sections, the first section bent at an acute angle from the lower end outwards, the second section bent in an obtuse angle, and then the third section bent again.

PL 199 231 B1 at an obtuse angle. The buckling line between the second section and the third section forms a retaining slot for the snap edges of the opening, the lower section preferably having a rectangular recess beyond the arcuate end.

Due to the design of the connecting clip according to the invention, it is achieved in a simple manner that the fastening rib can be easily moved through a recess between the claws, whereby, when inserting the staples into the opening of the carrier, the claws are additionally pressed against the side walls of the fastening rib by means of compression that are folded backwards. spring arms, thanks to which the clamping action of the claws is additionally enhanced. As a result, greater clamping forces are achieved than those mentioned in the prior art and thus a secure fit for the staples.

This effect is further enhanced if the claws are placed just in front of the free end of the spring arms. By using the full bending length of the inner spring arms, the claws can be bent to the opposite side even more easily, and on the other hand, when inserting the connecting staples, they stick more firmly to the side walls of the fastening rib, since the additional pressing force of the snap-in edges is exerted on the shorter arm length.

The subject of the invention is shown in the embodiment in the drawing, in which fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the connecting clamp of the clamp system, in a side view, fig. 2, the same connecting clamp, in a front view, fig. 3 - the same connecting clamp. in top view, fig. 4, the connecting clamp along the line IV-IV in fig. 1, in section, fig. 5 - the connecting clamp along the line VV in fig. 2, in section, fig. 6 - a section of the put-on element with a fixing rib arranged for insertion into the connecting clamp, Fig. 7 - connecting clamp mounted on the fixing rib, in cross-section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 3, arranged for insertion into the opening the fastening carrier, and fig. 8 the image according to fig. 7, after the connection according to the invention has been made between the add-on and the carrier.

The clamp arrangement according to the invention serves to fasten the add-on element 6 to the support 7 by means of a connecting clamp 1 which is clamped on the fixing rib 8 of the add-on element 6. The clamped connecting clamp 1 is then inserted into the substantially rectangular opening 9 of the support 7. In this case, the connecting clip 1 is elastically deformed in such a way that the clip 1 is connected by force to the support 7 at the edges 10 of the opening 9.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1-4, the connecting clip 1 is made of an originally rectangular spring steel sheet, the unassembled connecting clip 1 having two spring arms 3 bent towards each other from the central separating rib 2. The free, almost touching ends 4 are bent outwards and backwards in such a way that the outer limbs 5 thus formed form a wedge profile in the side view according to FIG. 1.

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the outer spring arms 5 are formed of three sections, the first section 11 of which bends at an acute angle from the lower, free end 4 outwards. The second, central section 12 abuts it at an inward obtuse angle, while the third section 13 is bent again at an outward obtuse angle. In this case, the buckling line between the second section 12 and the third section 13 forms a retaining groove 14 which, after inserting the connecting clamp 1 into the opening 9 of the support 7, rests against the snap edges 10 of the opening 9 or snaps behind them.

In order to obtain a reliable and permanent connection between the connecting clamp 1 and the put-on element 6, this element has a fixing rib 8, while a recess 15 is cut in the central separating rib 2 of the connecting clamp 1, which according to the clear dimension corresponds to the cross-section of the fixing rib 8. In addition, claws 16 that are obliquely bent towards each other are formed just in front of the lower end 4 of the spring arms 3, which resiliently rest against the side surfaces 17 of the fastening rib 8.

The fastening rib 8 is supported in the center on both sides by a reinforcing rib 18 in the form of a triangle, one side of which is connected to the superimposed element 6. Accordingly, in the inner spring arms 3, on both sides of the recess 15, their edges 19 are punched correspondingly one slot 20 which, after inserting the fastening rib 8 into the connecting clamp 1, serves to fix the reinforcing rib 18.

Furthermore, support ribs 21 are formed on both sides of the reinforcing rib 8 at a distance therefrom, on the add-on element 6, which, when the retaining groove 14 is snapped into the opening 9, rest against the support 7 at the same time and thus form a spacer between the support 7 and plug-on part 6. Distance between both ribs

The support 21 is selected so that the upper sections 13 of the outer spring arms 5 in the relaxed state of the connecting clip 1 have sufficient space between the support ribs 21 after insertion of the fastening rib 8.

In order to form the first section 11 of the outer spring arms 5 as the most resilient section, it has a substantially rectangular recess 22 which extends beyond the arcuate end 4 of the inner spring arms 3.

The advantageous operation of the clamp system according to the invention is illustrated in Figs. 5-8. After inserting the fastening rib 8 of the add-on element 6 from above into the recess 15 of the central separating rib 2 in the direction of the arrow "M" and after pressing it into the position of the add-on element 6 against it. the central rib 2 between the spring limbs 3 and the claws 16 (Fig. 7), the support 7 can be pressed with its opening 9 in the direction of the arrow "A" onto the connecting clamp 1. Here, the outer spring arms 5 are first compressed and, after the middle sections 12 have passed through the opening 9, they expand again until the retaining grooves 14 engage the edges 10 and the add-on element 6 is supported by the supporting ribs 21 on the support element 7 (Fig. 8).