CN116264379A

CN116264379A - Connecting piece

Info

Publication number: CN116264379A
Application number: CN202111513759.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范茂兵; 王帅
Original assignee: Hilti AG
Current assignee: Hilti AG
Priority date: 2021-12-13
Filing date: 2021-12-13
Publication date: 2023-06-16
Also published as: WO2023110568A1

Abstract

The invention provides a connector for attaching a cable to a support structure, the connector comprising a fastening section for attachment to the support structure in a fastening direction by means of a fastening member, the fastening section comprising a mounting surface oriented towards the support structure substantially perpendicular to the fastening direction, the mounting surface being provided with a snap-in structure protruding from the mounting surface, the highest point of the snap-in structure forming a plane substantially parallel to the mounting surface, the connector further comprising an adapter for receiving the fastening member, the fastening section comprising a cutout for receiving the adapter, the adapter being movable in the fastening direction within the cutout from an initial position to a mounted position. The connecting piece provided by the invention has the clamping structure necessary for combined use and can be firmly connected to the supporting structure when being used alone.

Description

Connecting piece

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mounting fastening member, and in particular, to a connector for attaching a cable to a support structure.

Background

Various mounting fastening components are known for laying mounting cables, for example attaching cables or pipelines to a support structure. Typically such a connector, for example one disclosed in EP2236885, comprises a fastening section fastened to the support structure, one or two side sections extending perpendicularly from the fastening section, a closing section bent relative to the fastening section or the side sections to close the connector, and an engagement section for engaging the closing section when the connector is closed.

Under certain working conditions, the connectors need to be used in combination and connected to each other by simple means to form a double connector used in combination. To connect the connectors back-to-back with another identical connector, as shown in fig. 1, the two connectors are arranged with their back sides adjacent in an offset manner, so that in each case the bayonet profile portions of one connector engage with the insertion grooves of the other connector. By moving the two connecting pieces positioned in this way relative to each other in the direction of travel, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 1, the two connecting pieces are positively connected to each other without the use of additional connecting members.

However, the bayonet profile portion of the above-described connector needs to be inserted into the insertion groove of the other connector corresponding thereto to form engagement. Thus, the bayonet profile portions need to protrude from the mounting surface of the connection member, and when the connection member is used alone, the protruding bayonet profile portions will contact the surface of the support structure, i.e. there is a gap between the mounting surface of the connection member and the mounting surface of the support structure. This clearance can cause the attachment member to rotate or shift relative to the support structure when the attachment member is secured to the support structure by screws or bolts, affecting the effectiveness of the installation securement.

Therefore, when the connector needs to be used either singly or in combination according to the working conditions, the presence of the snap-in structure can lead to the connector being not firmly fastened when mounted to the support structure, since the connector has the snap-in structure necessary for use in combination.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a connector for attaching a cable to a supporting structure, which has a snap-in structure necessary for combined use, but can be firmly connected to the supporting structure when it is used alone.

A connector for attaching a cable to a support structure, the connector comprising a fastening section for fastening to the support structure, the fastening section comprising a mounting surface oriented towards the support structure substantially perpendicular to a fastening direction, the mounting surface being provided with a snap-in structure protruding from the mounting surface, the highest point of the snap-in structure protruding from the mounting surface forming a plane parallel to the mounting surface, the connector further comprising an adapter for receiving a fastening part, the fastening section comprising a cutout for receiving the adapter, the adapter being movable in the fastening direction from an initial position to a mounted position within the cutout.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the adapter comprises at least one through hole for the passage of a fastening component and an attachment surface substantially parallel to the mounting surface, which attachment surface in the initial position does not protrude from the mounting surface in the fastening direction and in the mounting position is flush with a plane formed by the highest point of the snap-in structure in the fastening direction.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the adapter further comprises a stop portion provided on the opposite side of the attachment surface, extending radially outwardly from the aperture, at least partially beyond the cutout.

The fastening member is a screw that is connected to the support structure through the aperture by a fastening tool, and the adapter further includes a receiver for receiving the nose of the fastening tool.

The transition is connected to the incision by at least one flexible strip. Preferably, the at least one flexible strip has a predetermined breaking point where the material weakens. Alternatively, the at least one flexible strip is designed as a film hinge.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a guiding structure is provided between the cutout and the adapter.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the guiding structure comprises a guiding rib provided at the adapter and a guiding groove provided at the cutout for receiving the guiding rib.

Preferably, the notch is disposed in the middle of the engagement structure.

The connector of the present invention has both a snap-fit structure that mates with another connector and also includes a transition portion that is movable in a tightening direction from an initial position to an installed position such that when the transition portion is in the initial position, the connector of the present invention can be used in combination with another connector and when the transition portion is in the installed position, the connector of the present invention can be used alone to securely attach a cable to a support structure. The adapter comprises at least one through hole for the passage of a fastening component and an attachment surface substantially parallel to the mounting surface, which attachment surface in the initial position does not protrude beyond the mounting surface in the fastening direction and in the mounting position is flush with a plane formed by the highest point of the snap-in structure in the fastening direction. Thus, when the connecting piece needs to be combined with another connecting piece for use, the engagement of the clamping structure is not interfered by the switching part. When the connecting piece is independently used and directly connected to the supporting structure, the switching part moves to the installation position of the connecting piece, the plane of the attachment surface and the highest point of the clamping structure is flush, and the connecting piece is abutted to the supporting structure, so that firm and reliable connection is formed.

Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings via the following examples. The described embodiments are only possible configurations, however, in these configurations individual features may be performed independently of each other or may be omitted.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a prior art connector assembly;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the connector shown in FIG. 2;

fig. 4 is a front view of the state in which the connector shown in fig. 2 is fastened to a support structure;

fig. 5 is a left side view of the connector shown in fig. 2.

Detailed Description

Fig. 2 to 5 show a connector 1 for attaching a cable (not shown), such as a pipeline or cable, etc., to a support structure (not shown), such as a wall or ceiling or a steel beam. Preferably, the connector 1 is made of plastic.

The connection 1 comprises a fastening section 10 for fastening the connection 1 installation to the support structure in a fastening direction D by means of fastening means. The connector 1 further comprises an intermediate section, a closing section and/or an engagement section, which together with the fastening section define a loop that can receive a cable, into which loop the cable is inserted, whereby the cable is securely held in the connector 1 and attached to the support structure via the connector 1.

The fastening section 10 has a substantially flat shape, defining an orientation plane in space. The orientation plane of the fastening section 10 defines a fastening direction D perpendicular to the orientation plane of the fastening section 10. The fastening section 10 comprises a mounting surface 11 facing the support structure substantially perpendicular to the fastening direction, that is to say the mounting surface 11 is the plane of the orientation plane of the fastening section 10 facing the support structure when the connection is mounted to the support structure. The mounting surface 11 is provided with a snap-in structure 12 protruding from the mounting surface, which snap-in structure 12 is intended to engage with a snap-in structure of another connector, so that the two connectors form a back-to-back connection at the mounting surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engaging structure 12 includes two parallel ribs and positioning projections provided on opposite sides of the middle of the two ribs. As shown in fig. 1 and 5, the ribs extend from the leftmost side of the mounting surface as shown in the drawings to the center up to 1/2 of the width of the fastening section, and insertion grooves are correspondingly provided from the center to the rightmost side as shown in the drawings, the shape and size of the ribs being matched to the shape and size of the insertion grooves. Thus, when the connector 1 is used in combination with another connector (not shown), the rib of the connector 1 is inserted into the insertion groove of the other connector, while the rib of the other connector is inserted into the insertion groove of the connector 1. The positioning projection, which may be, for example, a semicircular projection projecting outwardly from the mounting surface, is provided intermediate the two ribs, and is preferably provided on the rightmost side of the fastening section. Also, at the leftmost side of the fastening section, a positioning recess is provided at a position opposite to the positioning projection, into which the positioning projection of the other coupling member can be engaged. In this way, a three-point positioning is formed on the mounting surface, so that the engagement between the two connection pieces is very stable. It is understood that the engaging structure of the present invention is not limited to the structure of two ribs and one positioning protrusion, but includes other engaging structures that can combine two connectors, such as more parallel ribs or a combination of positioning protrusions. The arrangement of the engagement structure is not limited to the orientation and position shown in the drawings.

The engaging structure 12 protrudes from the mounting surface 11 in the fastening direction, and a highest point of the engaging structure protruding from the mounting surface 11 forms a plane a parallel to the mounting surface. For example, when the engagement structure 12 includes two ribs and one positioning protrusion as described above, the vertex of the outermost and/or semicircular positioning protrusion of the ribs is the highest point of the engagement structure. Preferably, the outermost side of the rib and the apex of the semicircular positioning protrusion have the same height, where the height means that the outermost side of the rib and the apex of the semicircular positioning protrusion have the same height in the fastening direction from the mounting surface. The highest point of the snap-in structure 12 thus forms a plane a parallel to the mounting surface 11.

The fastening section 10 further comprises a cutout 13 for receiving an adapter 20 (details regarding which will be described below). Typically, the fastening section of the prior art connection 1 is fixedly connected to the support structure directly by fastening means, typically the fastening section should have perforations or the like through which the fastening means pass. However, in the present invention, the fastening section is not fixedly connected directly to the support structure by the fastening member, but by an adapter, and therefore, it is necessary to provide the fastening section with a slit 13 for receiving the adapter, and the shape and size of this slit 13 depend on the shape and size of the adapter. For example, when the adapter is cylindrical, the cutout 13 may be a through hole having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylinder.

The connector 1 further comprises an adapter 20 for receiving the fastening element. The adapter 20 is movable in the fastening direction from an initial position to an installation position within the cutout 13 so that the connector may be installed in different applications to provide a convenient and efficient cable attachment fastening solution.

As shown in fig. 2-5, the adapter 20 includes at least one aperture 21 for passage of a fastening component therethrough and an attachment surface 22 generally parallel to the mounting surface, and preferably also includes a receiver 23 for receiving the nose of a fastening tool.

The fastening means is a screw, or bolt, or nail, or other fastener. The shape and size of the perforations 21 should be adapted to the fastening means of the application. The perforations 21 are for receiving fastening components, so that the axis of the perforations 21 should be parallel to the mounting direction D. When the fastening means are bolts, it is suitable for the support structure to have prefabricated holes or threaded bores, and in this case the perforations 21 are preferably also threaded bores, so that the bolts are rotated into the perforations 21 and the holes of the support structure, thereby fastening the connection piece to the support structure.

When the fastening means is a screw, it is then necessary to use a fastening tool, which may be a direct fastening tool working without pre-drilling, such as a power nailer or a power screwdriver, to drive the screw into the support structure. The usual fastening tool comprises a nose for receiving the screw, so that for a better fit of the fastening tool the adapter 20 has a receptacle 23 for receiving the nose of the fastening tool. The dimensions of the receiving portion 23 are adapted to the dimensions of the nose portion, for which purpose the fastening section 10 is fitted onto the nose portion of the fastening tool such that the nose portion is received in the receiving portion 23 of the connection piece 1. The fastening tool is then activated to place a fastening part (not shown) through the perforation 21 into the support structure in the fastening direction D, the fastening part thus fastening the fastening section 10 to the support structure.

At the end of the through-hole 21, perpendicular to the fastening direction D, the adapter 20 has an attachment surface 22. Since the adapter 20 is movable in the fastening direction D relative to the cutout, as shown in fig. 3, the adapter 20 is in the initial position, in which case the attachment surface 22 of the adapter is not beyond the mounting surface 11 in the fastening direction, e.g. from right to left as shown in fig. 3, the attachment surface 22 being on the right side of the mounting surface 11. The advantage of this arrangement is that the engagement of the snap-fit structure is not affected by the attachment surface when the connector 1 needs to be used in combination with another connector. When the connector 1 is used independently and directly connected to a support structure, the adapter 20 is subjected to a force applied in the fastening direction, for example, the fastening tool is arranged to place the fastening part into the through hole 21, at which time the adapter 20 will be moved from the initial position to the mounting position, as shown in fig. 4, the adapter 20 will be moved to the left in the fastening direction until the attachment surface 22 abuts against the support structure, at which time the attachment surface 22 is flush with the plane a of the outermost side of the snap-in structure. In this way, the plane a formed by the positioning of the highest point of the engagement structure, the attachment surface, and the mounting surface of the support structure are substantially coincident, so that a reliable fixed connection is formed between the connector and the support structure, and the connector does not rotate or vibrate relative to the support structure.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the adapter 20 is a cylinder with a hollow through hole 21, the bottom surface of the cylinder facing the support structure is the attachment surface 22. Of course, when the adapter 23 has other shapes, such as square or oval, etc., the attachment surface 22 correspondingly has a corresponding shape. Alternatively, the attachment surface 22 is not a continuous plane, but rather discrete surfaces or points having the same height in the fastening direction.

Preferably, the adapter 20 further comprises a stop 24, said stop 24 being provided on the opposite side of the attachment surface 22, extending radially outwards from the perforation 21 or the receiving portion 23, at least partially beyond the cut-out 13. Thus, when the adapter 20 is moved in the fastening direction from the initial position to the mounting position, the stop 24 extending radially beyond the area of the cutout 13 will abut against the fastening section outside the cutout 13, preventing further movement of the adapter in the fastening direction, avoiding the possibility that the attachment surface 22 exceeds the plane a formed by the highest point of the snap-in structure in the fastening direction, while the stop 24 also ensures a secure connection between the adapter 20 and the fastening section 10 after the fastening member has been driven into the perforation 21. Alternatively, the stop 24 may be of other construction, for example, the stop may be tapered with increasing radial extension from the aperture 21, the maximum diameter of the taper being larger than the cutout, such that the tapered stop will be constrained at the cutout when the stop is moved to the installed position. The stop part may be configured to be locked with the notch.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the adapter 20 is connected to the incision 13 by at least one flexible strip 25. Preferably, the at least one flexible strip has a predetermined breaking point where the material weakens. The adapter 20 is connected to the incision 13 by a flexible strip 25, so that there is a movable connection between the adapter 20 and the incision 13. When the adapter 20 is subjected to a force, for example when a fastening tool is setting a fastening part, the flexible strip 25 breaks at its predetermined breaking point, so that the adapter can be moved from the initial position to the installation position. Alternatively, the at least one flexible strip is designed as a film hinge, so that the adapter can be moved between the initial position and the installation position. Preferably, the flexible strip comprises two, or three, or four, uniformly or symmetrically disposed at the circumferential edge of the incision.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a guiding structure is also included between the cutout 13 and the adapter 20. Preferably, the guide structure includes a guide groove 26 provided at an inner circumferential surface of the cutout and a guide rib 27 provided at an outer circumferential surface of the through hole of the adapter, the guide rib 27 being matched with the guide groove 26, the guide rib 27 entering the guide groove 26 when the adapter 20 moves in the fastening direction within the cutout, so that the adapter 20 is engaged within the cutout 13 and moves in the fastening direction without being deviated. Preferably, the guide grooves 26 include two, three, or four, which are uniformly or symmetrically disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the slit, and the guide ribs 27 are correspondingly disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the adapter.

Alternatively, the adapter part is a separate element, i.e. the adapter part 20 is separate from the cutout 13 when the connector 1 is not yet installed or used. When the connector 1 is to be mounted for use, the adapter 20 is placed in the cutout 13, the fastening tool is used to perform fastening mounting work, the guide rib 27 of the adapter 20 is engaged with the guide groove of the cutout 13, and the adapter 20 is moved from its initial position to the mounting position.

Preferably, the notch 13 is located in the middle of the engaging structure 12, so that the mounting position of the adapter is also located in the middle of the engaging structure, and thus the connection stress points between the connecting piece and the supporting structure are concentrated and balanced, and the connection is more stable from fastening.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential teachings thereof.

Claims

1. A connector for attaching a cable to a support structure, the connector comprising a fastening section for fastening to the support structure, the fastening section comprising a mounting surface oriented towards the support structure substantially perpendicular to the fastening direction, the mounting surface being provided with a snap-in structure protruding from the mounting surface, the highest point of the snap-in structure protruding from the mounting surface forming a plane parallel to the mounting surface, characterized in that the connector further comprises an adapter for receiving the fastening member, the fastening section comprising a cutout for receiving the adapter, the adapter being movable in the fastening direction from an initial position to a mounting position within the cutout.

2. A connection according to claim 1, wherein the adapter comprises at least one perforation for the passage of a fastening component and an attachment surface substantially parallel to the mounting surface, which attachment surface in the initial position does not protrude from the mounting surface in the fastening direction and in the mounting position is flush with a plane formed by the highest point of the snap-in structure in the fastening direction.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein said adapter further comprises a stop portion disposed on an opposite side of said attachment surface and extending radially outwardly from said aperture at least partially beyond said cutout.

4. The connector of claim 2, wherein the fastening member is a screw that is driven into the support structure through the aperture by a fastening tool, and the adapter further comprises a receiver for receiving a nose of the fastening tool.

5. The connector of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the adapter is connected to the incision by at least one flexible strip.

6. The connector of claim 5, wherein said at least one flexible strip has a predetermined breaking point where material weakens.

7. The connection according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one flexible strip is designed as a film hinge.

8. The connector of any one of claims 1-7, wherein a guide structure is provided between the cutout and the adapter.

9. The connector of claim 8, wherein the guide structure includes a guide rib disposed at the adapter portion and a guide slot disposed at the cutout for receiving the guide rib.

10. The connector of claim 1, wherein the cutout is disposed in the middle of the snap-fit structure.