Fastening device and the assembly formed therewith

Abstract

Fastening device (10) for attaching an electrical connection device (11) to an object, comprising at least one first fastening element (1) with which the fastening device (10) can be attached to the object, characterized in that the fastening device (10) has at least one second fastening element (2, 3) with which the fastening device (10) can be attached to the object, wherein the second fastening element (2, 3) is designed with a different fastening functionality than the first fastening element (1).

Description

The invention relates to a fastening device for fastening an electrical connection device to an object, having at least one first fastening element, by means of which the fastening device can be fastened to the object. The invention also relates to a device having an electrical connection device and at least one fastening device fastened to the electrical connection device. The electrical connection device can be, for example, a plug connector and / or a conductor connection terminal.Electrical and electronic devices often have electrical connection devices which lead out of a housing wall and by means of which the connection of electrical lines to the device is facilitated. The connection device can then be inserted into an opening of a wall section and fastened there to the surrounding housing wall, for example by screwing. It is also known to fasten such a connection device in an opening of a wall section by means of resilient fastening latch arms, e.g. in a snap-in manner, as described e.g. in DE 10 2010 045 913 B4.The invention is based on the object of specifying a particularly universally usable fastening device for fastening an electrical connection device and a device formed therewith.This object is achieved in a fastening device of the type mentioned at the beginning in that the fastening device has at least one second fastening element, with which the fastening device can be fastened to the object, wherein the second fastening element is formed with a different fastening functionality than the first fastening element. The invention has the advantage that an electrical connection device can be fastened to an object or to different objects in different ways using one and the same fastening device, e.g. in different spatial alignments or with different mounting ways. For this purpose, the fastening device has a first and a second fastening element, wherein these fastening elements are configured with different fastening functionality, i.e. as different functional fastening means, for example on the one hand for a latching without additional mounting elements and on the other hand by means of an additional mounting element such as a screw.In this way, a universal fastening device is provided, by means of which the diversity of individual parts is reduced. This reduces the effort, for example for storage, both for the manufacturer and for the user.By means of one or more fastening devices according to the invention, an electrical connection device can be fastened to an object such as a sheet metal component and / or a housing wall of a device, e.g. to a wall section of a housing wall. The wall portion may be part of a housing wall of a housing of an electrical or electronic device.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the first fastening element is designed as a resiliently deflectable fastening latch arm, with which the fastening device can be fastened in an opening of a wall section of the object by latching. This allows simple and quick fastening of the fastening device and thus also of the electrical connection device connected to the fastening device to the wall section. For this purpose, in particular no tool and also no additional mounting elements are required. The fastening can be produced in the manner of a snap connection.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the second fastening element is configured for fastening the fastening device to the object by means of a screw connection. In this way, a different type of fastening can also be selected with the same fastening device, if this is necessary. By means of the screw connection, the fastening device and thus the electrical connection device connected thereto can be screwed onto the object. The screw connection can have, for example, a screw and a nut.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the fastening device has at least two second fastening elements arranged in different spatial orientations, by means of which the fastening device can be fastened to the wall section of the object in at least two spatial orientations that differ relative to a wall section of the object. In this case, for example, the at least two second fastening elements can each be configured for fastening by means of a screw connection. In this way, the fastening device and thus the electrical connection device connected thereto can be fastened to the object in different orientations. In this case, the fastening does not necessarily have to take place in an opening of a wall section of the object; fastening to a continuous wall surface is also possible. For example, the fastening device can be fastened in an opening of a wall section by means of the one second fastening element, and the fastening to a continuous wall surface can be carried out by means of the other second fastening element.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the second fastening element is designed in the form of one or more feed-through openings in a base body of the fastening device and at least one screw support surface, wherein a screw can be fed through the one or more feed-through openings and a screw head or a screw nut of the screw can be supported on the screw support surface. The fastening device thus advantageously already provides essential auxiliary elements for attaching the screw connection, in particular the screw support surface. The screw can be passed through the passage openings, for example with its threaded section and / or with its screw head. The fastening device is then fastened to the object by screwing by means of the screw using the screw bearing surface and the one or more feed-through openings.In particular, the feed-through openings can extend in the longitudinal direction through the entire fastening device, i.e. through the base body. In an advantageous embodiment, the feed-through openings are arranged aligned with one another in the longitudinal direction of the fastening device.If a plurality of second fastening elements are present, which are aligned in different spatial alignments, these can each have one or more feed-through openings of the type explained above and at least one screw bearing surface.For example, the feed-through openings can extend through the fastening device in the longitudinal direction in the case of a second fastening element, and can extend through the fastening device in the transverse direction in the case of another second fastening element.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the fastening device has a receiving chamber for receiving a screw head or a nut of a screw which is passed through at least one passage opening. In this way, the screw head or the screw nut can be received on the fastening device completely or at least largely concealed and therefore does not require any additional installation space.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least one passage opening extends through at least a part of a fastening latch arm of the fastening device, in particular extends through in the longitudinal direction of the fastening latch arm. In this way, the screw can also be fully or partially passed through the fastening catch arm. This further improves the universal applicability of the fastening device.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the second fastening element has at least one passage opening with a first diameter, through which a thread of the screw can be passed, but not the screw head, and the second fastening element has at least one passage opening with a second diameter, which is larger than the first diameter, so that the screw head can be passed. The passage opening with the first diameter is thus dimensioned too small for the screw head. For example, a passage opening on the screw bearing surface can have the first diameter. The passage opening in the fastening catch arm can have the second diameter. In this way, the screw can be largely accommodated in the fastening device.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the fastening device has at least one connecting element, by means of which the fastening device can be fastened to a mating connecting element of the electrical connection device, which mating connecting element is designed as a counterpart to the connecting element. This allows a simple and quick connection of the fastening device to the electrical connection device, for example by positive locking and / or frictional locking. For example, the mating connection element can be formed on a housing of the electrical connection device.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one connecting element is designed as a form-fit connecting element that can be fastened to the mating connecting element of the electrical connection device by means of form-fit. The connecting element can be designed as a rail-shaped contour with an undercut, for example with a dovetail profile.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the fastening device is designed as a plastic component, in particular as a plastic injection-molded component. This allows simple and cost-effective production of the fastening device, in particular in mass production, and thus a cost-effective provision for the user.The object mentioned at the beginning is also achieved by a device having an electrical connection device and at least one fastening device of the type explained above which is fastened to the electrical connection device.The electrical connection device can have an insulating material housing, for example. On the housing, on two housing sides facing away from each other, a counter fastening element for attaching a fastening device can be provided.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least two fastening devices of the type explained above are fastened to the electrical connection device on mutually remote sides of the electrical connection device. This further illustrates the universal applicability of the fastening device. It is thus possible to fasten a plurality of fastening devices of the same type to the connection device, which further reduces the diversity of individual parts. By means of the at least two fastening devices, the electrical connection device can be fastened to the object in a particularly stable and secure manner.For this purpose, it is advantageous if the fastening device is designed to be mirror-symmetrical at least along a plane in the longitudinal extension. Then, two identically designed fastening devices can be fastened symmetrically to the connection device in a simple manner.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the device is selectively activated according to the user's selectioncan be fastened by means of at least one first fastening element of the fastening device in an opening of a wall section of the object, orby means of at least one second fastening element of the fastening device, it is possible to fasten it in the opening of the wall section of the object or at another point of the object.The user thus has a wide variety of possibilities for using the fastening device according to the invention.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the device can be fastened to the wall section of the object by means of at least two different second fastening elements of the fastening device according to the user's choice in one of at least two spatial orientations different relative to a wall section of the object, in particular in orientations oriented orthogonally to one another. If the electrical connection device is designed as an electrical plug connector which can be plugged together with a mating plug connector in a predetermined plug-in direction, a spatial orientation can be, for example, a plane running in the plug-in direction and another spatial orientation can be a plane running perpendicular to the plug-in direction.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one fastening device or the at least two fastening devices are non-detachably fastened to the electrical connection device, in particular by integral molding with the electrical connection device. The at least one or the at least two fastening devices can be formed, for example, integrally with the housing of the electrical connection device. In this case, for example, the housing of the electrical connection device can be produced in a production process with the at least one or the at least two fastening devices, for example in a plastic injection molding process. It is also possible for the at least one or the at least two fastening devices to be fastened in a different manner in a non-detachable manner to the electrical connection device, for example by adhesive bonding.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one fastening device or the at least two fastening devices are fastened by means of their connecting element to a mating connecting element of the electrical connection device. This further increases the flexibility for the user.The fastening device according to the invention can thus combine in an advantageous embodiment a fastening element in the form of a snap-in locking arm and a fastening element in the form of at least one screw flange in one component. For example, the fastening device can have the first fastening element at a first end and one or more second fastening elements at a second opposite end.In the sense of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numerical word. Thus, if, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". Insofar as angle specifications are given in degrees, these refer to a circular dimension of 360 degrees (360°).The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments using drawings.They show FIGS. 1 to 4 show a fastening device in different views, FIG. 5 shows an electrical connection device, FIG. 6 shows the electrical connection device according to FIG. 5 with two fastening devices, FIG. 7 shows a device with an electrical connection device and two fastening devices in a first mounting type, FIG. 8 shows the device according to FIG. 7 in a second mounting manner, FIG. 9 shows the device according to FIG. 7 in a third mounting manner.In this case, FIG. 2 shows a side view, FIG. 6 shows a front view and the remaining figures in each case show perspective views.Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the configuration of a fastening device 10 will first be explained. The fastening device 10 has a base body 4, on which a first fastening element 1 in the form of a fastening catch arm is arranged at a first end. By means of the first fastening element 1, a snap-in fastening can be carried out in an opening of a wall section of an object. For this purpose, the fastening latching arm preferably has a plurality of latching edges at a free end.The fastening device 10 has a second fastening element 2, which is configured for fastening by means of a screw connection. The second fastening element 2 has a plurality of feed-through openings 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 which are arranged flush one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the fastening device 10 and penetrate the base body 4, and also a screw bearing surface 25. As can be seen, the first passage opening 20 penetrates the fastening latching arm. The feed-through openings 20, 21 have a larger diameter than the subsequent feed-through openings 22, 23, 24. This makes it possible to insert a screw with its screw head in the longitudinal direction through the fastening device 10, in such a way that the screw head comes to rest on the screw bearing surface 25 and the threaded section of the screw extends through the further feed-through openings 22, 23, 24.The fastening device 10 has a further second fastening element 3, which is likewise configured for fastening by means of a screw connection. The further second fastening element 3 has one or more feed-through openings 30 and a screw bearing surface 31. The one or more feed-through openings 30 extend in an orthogonal direction to the longitudinal direction L of the fastening device 10, i.e. likewise orthogonally to the aligned arrangement of the feed-through openings 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.The fastening device 10 has a receiving chamber 26 for a screw head mounted on the screw mounting surface 25.Furthermore, the fastening device 10 has, on one side of the base body 4, connecting elements 5, on which an electrical connection device can be fastened by means of positive locking and / or frictional locking.FIG. 5 shows an electrical connection device 11 which has, on two mutually remote sides of its housing, respective mating connection elements 12 which, with regard to their shape, are designed as a counterpart to the connection elements 5. Advantageously, the connecting elements 5 and the counter-connecting elements 12 are configured for fastening in two orientations of the fastening device 10 rotated through 180 degrees relative to each other, i.e. the fastening device 10 can be fastened selectively to the electrical connection device 11 in a direction in which the first fastening element 1 points in the plug-in direction S of the electrical connection device 11 or in the opposite direction in which the first fastening element 1 points opposite the plug-in direction S.FIG. 6 shows in the upper part how two fastening devices 10 can be fastened by means of a displacement movement to the electrical connection device 11 by means of the connecting elements 5 and the mating connecting elements 12. This results in a device 9 shown at the bottom in FIG. 6, which has the electrical connection device 11 and optionally a fastening device 10 or, as shown, two fastening devices 10, and in this way forms a structural unit which can be fastened to an object by the user.FIG. 7 illustrates a first possibility of fastening the device 9 to a wall section 8 of a device. The wall section 8 has an opening 7. the device 9 can be snapped with the first connecting elements 1, i.e. the fastening snap arms, at two inner edges of the opening 7. The device 9 is thus fastened to the wall section 8 in a spatial orientation in which the plug-in direction S runs substantially orthogonally to the wall section 8 or orthogonally to the plane of the wall section 8.FIG. 8 shows an alternative possibility for fastening the device 9 to the wall section 8, which in turn has the opening 7. In this case, the fastening is effected with fastening device 10 mounted in the opposite direction on the connection device 11 in such a way that the second fastening elements 2 are oriented toward the wall section 8 and the fastening is effected by means of a screw connection, i.e. by means of screws 13 which are screwed to the wall section 8 by means of their respective threaded section 15 by means of a nut 16. In this case, the screw head 14 of the screw 13 is mounted on a respective screw mounting surface 25 of the fastening device 10 and accommodated within the receiving chamber 26. Here too, the plug-in direction S points in a direction orthogonal to the wall section 8.FIG. 9 shows an alternative possibility for fastening the device 9 to a wall section 8, which in this case does not necessarily have to have an opening 7. In this case, the fastening of the device 9 takes place with the plug-in direction S parallel to the wall section 8 or parallel to the extent of the plane of the wall section 8, and the further second fastening elements 3 of the fastening devices 10 are used for this purpose. The fastening is again effected via a screw connection, i.e. via a screw 13 and a nut 16. The screw head is then accommodated in the accommodation chamber 32.List of reference numbers:1 first fastening element 2 second fastening element 3 second fastening element 4 base body 5 connecting element 7 opening 8 wall section 9 device 10 fastening device 11 connecting device 12 counter-connecting element 13 screw 14 screw head 15 threaded section 16 nut 20 passage opening 21 passage opening 22 passage opening 22 passage opening 23 passage opening 24 passage opening 25 screw support surface 26 receiving chamber 30 passage opening 31 screw support surface 32 receiving chamber L longitudinal direction S plug-in directionReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2010 045 913 B4

[0002]

Claims

Fastening device (10) for fastening an electrical connection device (11) to an object, having at least one first fastening element (1) with which the fastening device (10) can be fastened to the object, characterized in that the fastening device (10) has at least one second fastening element (2, 3) with which the fastening device (10) can be fastened to the object, wherein the second fastening element (2, 3) is configured with a different fastening functionality than the first fastening element (1).Fastening device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first fastening element (1) is designed as a resiliently deflectable fastening latching arm, with which the fastening device (10) can be fastened in an opening (7) of a wall section (8) of the object by latching.Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second fastening element (2, 3) is configured for fastening the fastening device (10) to the object by means of a screw connection.Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastening device (10) has at least two second fastening elements (2, 3) arranged in different spatial orientations, by means of which the fastening device (10) can be fastened to the wall section (8) of the object in at least two spatial orientations which differ relative to a wall section (8) of the object.Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second fastening element (2, 3) is designed in the form of one or more feed-through openings (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30) in a base body (4) of the fastening device (10) and at least one screw support surface (25, 31), wherein a screw (13) can be fed through the one or more feed-through openings (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30) and a screw head (14) or a screw nut (16) of the screw (13) can be supported on the screw support surface (25, 31).Fastening device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the fastening device (10) has a receiving chamber (26, 32) for receiving a screw head (14) or a screw nut (16) of a screw (13) which is passed through at least one passage opening (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30).Fastening device according to one of Claims 5 to 6, characterized in that at least one passage opening (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30) extends through at least part of a fastening latching arm of the fastening device (10), in particular extends through in the longitudinal direction of the fastening latching arm.Fastening device according to one of Claims 5 to 6, characterized in that the second fastening element (2, 3) has at least one passage opening (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30) having a first diameter, through which a thread (15) of the screw (13) can be passed, but not the screw head (14), and the second fastening element (2, 3) has at least one passage opening (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30) having a second diameter which is greater than the first diameter, such that the screw head (14) can be passed.Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastening device (10) has at least one connecting element (5), with which the fastening device (10) can be fastened to a mating connecting element (12), which is designed as a counterpart to the connecting element (5), of the electrical connection device (11).Fastening device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the at least one connecting element (5) is designed as a positively locking connecting element which can be fastened to the mating connecting element (12) of the electrical connection device (11) by means of positive locking.Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fastening device (10) is designed as a plastic component, in particular as a plastic injection-molded component.Device (9) having an electrical connection device (11) and at least one fastening device (10) according to one of the preceding claims fastened to the electrical connection device (11).Device according to claim 12, characterised in that at least two fastening devices (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11 are fastened to the electrical connection device (11) on mutually remote sides of the electrical connection device (11).Device according to one of claims 12 to 13, characterised in that the device (9) can be fastened optionally - by means of at least one first fastening element (1) of the fastening device (10) in an opening (7) of a wall section (8) of the object or - by means of at least one second fastening element (2, 3) of the fastening device (10) in the opening (7) of the wall section (8) of the object or at another point of the object, according to the selection of the user.Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (9) can be fastened to the wall section (8) of the object by means of at least two different second fastening elements (2, 3) of the fastening device (10) at the selection of the user in one of at least two spatial orientations different relative to a wall section (8) of the object, in particular in orientations oriented orthogonally to one another.Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one fastening device (10) or the at least two fastening devices (10) are non-detachably fastened to the electrical connection device (11), in particular by integral shaping with the electrical connection device (11).Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one fastening device (10) or the at least two fastening devices (10) are fastened by means of their connecting element (5) to a mating connecting element (12) of the electrical connection device (11).

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