ATTACHES PROVIDED With a FOOT Of CLICK-AND-RATCHET WORK TO INSERT THROUGH a HOLE Of UNPANNEAU

The invention relates to fasteners capable of being secured to a panel such as an automotive body panel.

Such fasteners are known which are provided for their fixing of a clip on to be driven through a hole of predetermined diameter of the panel.

In particular, the French addition certificate 2.132.919 describes such a fastener whose foot has a flat rigid core and two curved flexible wings, the rigid core flat, showing two longitudinal slices converging towards a pointed end while at the other end the core is connected to the remainder of the fastener, each curved flexible wing adjacent to the core along a respective one of its two longitudinal slices and having opposite a respective flat face of the core, an inner surface bounded by the flat face of the core, by a longitudinal edge of this flange and by a transverse slicing of this wing, the outer surface of the foot tapering respectively latching to a tip end and towards the wafer cross wings, on either side of a plane of inflection oriented transverse to the axial direction of the foot, the outer surface of the foot having, at the inflection plane, a generally oval shaped, the small width, corresponding to the diameter of the hole in the panel, is according to the median axial plane of the core and whose width is large according to the axial plane oriented transversely to the median axial plane of the core.

Upon depressing the foot in a hole in the panel, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole and the outer surface of the foot, a result of which each wing, while it is contact with the periphery of the hole by its engaging portion located between the tip end and the inflection plane, flexes by elastic deformation to the flat face of the core that faces the inner surface of the wing, thereby bending the wings as the depression until the insertion portion of the wings has passed the hole, each of the wings expand, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole and the outer surface of the retaining portion of the wings between the inflection plane and the transverse slicing, is effective to drive the foot in the driving direction until the remainder of the fastener presses on the face of the panel located on the side of the introduction, by a skirt of conical seal.

The aim of the invention is to enhance the performance of this type of fastener, and in particular to minimize the force required to introduce the foot in a hole and to maximize the retaining force provided by the clip on to prevent the extraction of the fastener.

One clip which is characterized in that said inner surface of each wing is concave and in that said longitudinal edge of each wing has, viewed by an observer disposed parallel to the planar surface of the core being viewed by its inner surface, a V-shape whose apex, directed outwardly, is located at said inflection plane on either side of which tapers the outer surface of the foot.

Thanks to these characteristics, it is possible to obtain that each wing deforms at best, require, to bend toward the core, as a drive-in force of the foot moderate, and providing, when expanded elastic, excellent rendering the stored energy upon depression, by which it is possible to obtain a large pull-off strength of the foot.

The will be further that the fastener of the invention can be made with less material than the clip aforementioned front, whose wings have an internal surface which is not concave.

According to preferred characteristics, each said wing is configured to bend toward the core so that at least a major portion of the length of its said longitudinal edge is engaged at the same time with the flat face of the core.

Thus be used particularly efficiently the material of each of the flanges since, on the one hand, is prevented from interfering with the flexing of the wing to the flat face of the core by the engagement premature abutting on this side by a small portion of the longitudinal edge of the wing and since, on the other hand, each wing has at each level at least a major portion of the length of its longitudinal edge, the maximum circumferential dimension compatible with the correct bending to the core.

In accordance with features for implementing preferred, in particular for the convenience of making, said longitudinal edge of each wing is oriented at an oblique plane cutting said planar face of the core that faces the inner surface of said wing, along a line obliquely oriented, from the junction between the panel and the longitudinal edge of this flange, towards said other end where said core is connected to the remainder of the fastener and to said longitudinal section of the core along the wing which is connected, the angle between said planar face and said oblique plane, being obtuse on the side of said wing.

According to other preferred characteristics, the insertion portion of each wing, located between said tip end and said inflection plane, has, over at least a major part of its circumferential direction, a thickness generally constant along each axial plane.

The control over how deforms the insertion portion of the wings on the depression is thus particularly easy, since there is no thickness variation in the axial direction.

According to other preferred characteristics, the insertion portion of each wing, located between said tip end and said inflection plane, has a greater thickness along the longitudinal edge of the web to which this flange is connected than along the longitudinal edge of this flange.

The deformation of the insertion portion of each wing, which is that which is in contact with the periphery of the hole when the wing deflects toward the core, is facilitated being close to the longitudinal edge, so that the deformation is distributed along the circumferential direction of the wing, requiring relatively little effort, and in any case less effort than if this part of the wing was relatively rigid longitudinal its edge to the vicinity of the core.

Preferably, for the convenience of making and/or quality of the results obtained:

-the insertion portion of each wing, on at least a major part of its length, has a thickness decreasing smoothly towards the longitudinal edge of this flange; and/or

-the insertion portion of each wing has a longitudinal edge wire on a least a major part of its length.

According to other preferred characteristics, the retaining part of each wing, situated between said inflection plane and said transverse slicing of this wing, has, over at least a major part of its circumferential direction, a thickness generally constant along each axial plane.

The control over how deforms the retaining portion of the wings upon depression and maintaining in place of the clip, is thus particularly easy, since there is no change in the thickness in the axial direction.

According to other preferred characteristics, the retaining part of each wing, situated between said inflection plane and said transverse slicing of each wing, present, a thinner along the longitudinal edge of the web to which this flange is connected than along the longitudinal edge of this flange.

Deformation of the retaining part of each wing is thereby substantially of the rocking type around the junction between the portion of the wing and the core, since it is at this junction that that part of the wing is more flexible then the that it is near its longitudinal edge that it is the more rigid.

Preferably, for the convenience of making and/or quality of the results obtained:

-the retaining part of each wing has, on at least a major part of its length, a thickness increasing smoothly towards the longitudinal edge of this flange; and/or

-the retaining part of each wing has a thick longitudinal section on at least a major part of its length.

According to other preferred characteristics, the insertion portion of each wing, located between said tip end and said inflection plane, is longer than the retaining portion of the wing, situated between said inflection plane and said transverse slicing of this wing.

The distance on which to exert a force driving during latching is thus longer than the distance over which the elastic detent of the wings provides the driving the leg in the driving direction and the pull-out resistance, this difference in distance that the elastic energy that is stored during the depression can provide a force of resistance peel higher than the force means upon depression.

The will be to achieve a particularly high difference between the drive-in force and the pull-out resistance by implementing the above characteristics by which each wing deforms, on its introduction part, in a distributed manner along the circumferential direction of the wings, while in the holding portion, each wing deforms by tilting the junction between the portion of the wing and the core.

Preferably, for reasons of convenience and, the outer surface of said foot has, at said axial plane oriented transversely to the said median axial plane of the core, an inclination relative to the axial direction which is approximately the same on either side of said inflection plane while at said median axial plane of the core, said outer surface is substantially parallel to the axial direction between said inflection plane and said-sectional slices of the wings while in this plane the outer surface is curved with an inclination relative to the axial direction which is less than the inclination of the outer surface in said plane oriented transversely.

According to other preferred characteristics, each said wing has along its said transverse slicing a rib projects from the outer side.

The rib prevents the foot projects at point that the panel is beyond the transverse slicing of the wings.

According to other preferred characteristics, each said wing extends, in the circumferential direction, of the core to the longitudinal edge of this flange, in the counterclockwise direction, as seen from said remainder of the fastener.

Depressing of the foot into the hole is facilitated in the event of the operator imparts to the fixation a rotational movement in a clockwise direction, as it tends to spontaneously since corresponding screwing in the conventional sense.

The exposed of the invention is to be continued by maintaining the detailed description of an example embodiment, given below as illustrative and not limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings. On these:

-figures 1 and 2 are views in elevation of a fastener according to the invention, Figure 1 being a front view and Figure 2 a side view taken from the left side in Figure 1;

-figures 3 and 4 are views in elevation-cutting respectively marked by III-III and IV-IV in Figures 1 and 2;

figure 5-is the sectional view V-V denoted by in Figure 2, the sealing collar not being represented;

figure 6-is the sectional view indicated by VI-VI in Figure 2, only the portion of the clip on located at the cut plane being represented;

figure 7-is the sectional view marked by VII-VII in Figure 2;

figure 8-is a plan view of the panel on which the illustrated fastener is to be attached, in the vicinity of the engagement hole where is to be introduced the clip on; and

figure 9-is a view in elevation-section showing the fastener attached to the panel with a packing member attached to the head of the fastener.

The fastener 1 illustrated is made of plastics material moulded from a single piece. It comprises a head 2 and a clip on 3.

The head 2 comprises, from its end opposite the base 3, a flange 4, a barrel 5, a plate 6 and a sealing collar 7, said units being coaxial to each other and each having a generally circular shape.

The annular space located around the shaft 5 and between the flange 4 and the plate 6, is provided for receiving, as shown in Figure 9, a packing member 8 such as the weather strip side car body having an opening in the form of key hole of which the round portion is of a diameter corresponding to that of the flange 4 and whose elongated part has a width corresponding to that of the barrel 5, the thickness of the wall of the element 8 in which is made the keyhole opening corresponding to the distance between the flange 4 and the plate 6, the mounting of the element 8 being by depressing the flange 4 through the round portion of the keyhole opening then by sliding the member 8 parallel to the orientation of the elongate portion of the keyhole opening, so that the barrel 5 engages the elongated portion.

The sealing flange 7 has conventionally a frustoconical shape, but has a particularly low thickness. The platinum 6 accordingly has, beyond its connection with the flange 7, an outward extension to prevent the depression of the head 2 in the round portion of the keyhole opening continues beyond the platinum 6 (if the wall of the member 8 should abut directly the flange 7, the flexibility thereof would that the collar could pass through the round portion of the keyhole opening).

The clip on 3 has an elongated web 10 and two curved wings 11A B and 11.

The core 10 is oriented in an axial plane and has two longitudinal slices 12A and 12B which, as seen in Figure 2, converge towards the free end 13 of the foot 3, which is in the form of a point. The other end of the core 10 is connected to the head 2, and more precisely to the plate 6, opposite of the barrel 5.

The wing 11A connects to the core 10 along the wafer 12A and has opposite the plane face of the core 10 14A an inner surface bordered by the face 14A 15A, 16A by one longitudinal edge and by a transverse slicing 17A facing the plate 6.

The inner surface of the wing 11A 15A is concave, and has, in the example shown, a profile which generally follows that of the outer surface of the foot 3.

The above description for the wing 11A is valid also for the wing 11 B, to replace the suffix condition A references digital B suffix.

On either side of an inflection plane 18 (Figures 1 and 2) oriented transversely to the axial direction of the foot 3, the outer surface thereof tapers respectively towards the tip end 13 and to the cross-sectional slices 17A and 17B 11A B of the wings and 11.

Thus that seen more particularly in Figure 5, the outer surface of the foot has at the plane 18, an edge 19 which is generally oval in shape, the small width is according to the plane 20, which is the median axial plane of the core 10, and whose large width is according to the plane 21, which is the axial plane oriented transversely to the plane 20.

The will be (see Figure 3) that in the plane 21 the outer surface of the foot 3 has on either side of the inflection plane 18, at approximately the same inclination with respect to the axial direction, while wafer-level 12A and 12B (see Figure 2) the outer surface of the foot 3 is parallel to the axial direction of the side situated between the plane 18 and the wafers 17A and 17B while between the plane 18 and the end 13, the wafers 12A and 12B are curved with an inclination relative to the axial direction which is less than that of the outer surface along the plane 21.

Therefore, the inclination of the outer surface of the foot 3 increases between the planes 20 and 21, with the change in the portion between the plane 18 and the wafers or 17B 17A.

Thus that seen in Figures 3 and 4, the portion of each of the wings and 11B 11A located between the tip end 13 and the inflection plane 18 present in the cutting planes for these Figures, an overall constant thickness, and the same applies for any axial plane over virtually all its circumferential direction.

An observation is similar for the portion of each of the wings 11A and 11B located between the plane 18 and the transverse slicing or 17B 17A.

One will now describe some features of the wing 11 A, it being understood that this description is also provided for the wing 11B replace the suffix A references digital B suffix.

The portion of the wing 11A located between the plane 18 and the tip end 13 has a greater thickness along the wafer 12A of the core 10 that along its longitudinal edge 16A, the thickness narrows smoothly performed to the wafer 16A, which is filiform for that portion of the wing 11 A, and seen in Figures and 7 1.5.

Instead (see Figure 6), for the portion of the wing 11A located between the plane 18 and the wafer 17A, the thickness is less along the wafer 12A that along the wafer 16A, and more particularly the thickness increases smoothly to the wafer 16A, which is thick, as seen in particular in Figures 1, 5 and 6.

Thus that shown in Figure 2, the wafer 16A has, viewed by an observer disposed parallel to the planar surface 14A, a V-shape, the tip, outwardly directed, is positioned at the plane 18.

In the example shown, the wafer 16A is oriented at an oblique plane intersecting the face 14A along a line obliquely oriented, from the junction between the face and the wafer 14A 16A, obliquely towards the head 2 and to the wafer 17A, the angle between the plane face and the oblique plane being obtuse on the side of the wing 11A.

The panel 23 to which it is proposed to fix the fastener 1 (Figure 8) has a hole 22 of circular contour having a diameter corresponding to the distance between the slices 12A and 12B in the section between the plane 18 and the wafers 17A and 17B of the wings.

The foot 3 is provided to be pushed into the hole 22, the first end 13, the cooperation between the periphery of the hole 22 and the part of the wings 11A and 11B between the end 13 and the plane 18 effective to cause the wings flex progressively 11A and 11B until the portion of the foot has passed through the hole 22, the wings expand, resulting in the foot 3 in the driving direction until a stop on the face of the panel 23 located on the side from which has been depression of the foot 3, as shown in Figure 9, wherein the sealing collar 7 is applied on the board 23.

Because of the fineness of the flange 7, it is provided that the stop which stops the depressing of the foot 3, is present on the element to be attached 8 rather than on the fastener 1.

To prevent the panel 23 can pass the wafers 17A and 17B, it is provided by safety along each of which a rib 24 projecting from the outer side (see Figures 4 and 5).

The will be that the way in which the foot 3 deforms between the end 13 and the plane 18, which is the portion for allowing introduction of the foot into the hole 22, is different from the way in which deforms the portion between the plane 18 and the wings 17A and 17B, that holds the foot 3 in the hole 22.

Since in the insertion portion, there are more wafers of material near 12A and 12B that near wafers 16A and 16B, that is rather the portion near wafers 16A and 16B which deforms, i.e. the portion most highly stressed via the hole 22 ; while in the retaining portion, wherein there are more wafers of material near 16A and 16B that near wafers 12A and 12B, that is rather the portion near the core 10 which deforms, in the manner of a hinge about which rocker generally the retaining portion of the wings.

This difference in deformation contributes to permit depression of the foot 3 with a relatively moderate force whereas the retaining force in the hole 22 is relatively high.

It should be noted that the V-shape to the wafers and 16B 16A allows to flex the wings 11A and 11B so that the wafer or 16A 16B is substantially flat in the face or 14A 14B, i.e. that a major part of its length to be applied at the same time.

As seen in Figures 5 to 7, each of the wings 11A 11B and extends, in the circumferential direction, of the core 10 to the wafer or 16A 16B, in the counterclockwise direction, when viewed from the head 2.

Therefore, if the operator, when driving the foot 3 in the hole 22, the clip 1 rotated slightly in a clockwise direction, this facilitates the insertion movement.

To facilitate ejection of the clip 1 from the mould in which it is made, is a strip 25 projecting from the face 14A.

Many variants are possible according to circumstances, in particular in the constitution of the head 2, which can be used, for example, to secure cables or tubes rather than a packing element provided with a keyhole opening.

More generally, is retrieved that the invention is not restricted to the examples described and shown.