Device for securing a component to a mechanical structure

Abstract

A retaining device (1) for a component attached to a mechanical structure comprising fasteners, the device having two connecting elements (2, 3) between the component to be retained and the mechanical structure, one of said connecting elements being a connecting element to the structure (2) comprising a ring (20) configured to grip a protruding portion of said fastener, and said connecting element to the structure incorporating a support (21) for a connecting element to the component (3). Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 1A

Description

Title of the invention: Device for holding an organ to a mechanical structure

[0001] The invention relates to a device for holding a member to a mechanical structure, provided with two connecting elements between the member to be held and the structure. The invention relates in particular to a mechanical structure of a motor vehicle.

[0002] It is known to use a device for holding a member to a mechanical structure which comprises a connecting element with the member to be held secured to a connecting element with the mechanical structure. The latter comprises a finger capable of being inserted into a dedicated hole in the structure, a hole which has been specifically added. Such a device is frequently used to hold pipes or cables of a vehicle.

[0003] A disadvantage of such a holding device is that it requires the addition of a dedicated hole in the structure, which complicates the production of the structure and results in additional cost. Another disadvantage is that these holes can reduce the mechanical strength of the structure. These disadvantages are all the more significant if the structure has numerous holes dedicated to such holding devices.

[0004] There is a need to be able to propose an alternative to devices for holding an organ to a mechanical type structure. One aim of the invention is to propose a simple and economical device.

[0005] To this end, the invention provides a device for holding a member to a mechanical structure which comprises screw elements, the device being provided with two connecting elements between the member to be held and the mechanical structure. One of said connecting elements of the device is a connecting element to the structure comprising a ring configured to grip a projecting part of said screw element. In addition, said connecting element to the structure integrates a support for a connecting element with the member.

[0006] Preferably, said ring comprises a hollow cylindrical part (the internal wall of which delimits the internal recess of the ring), which has an internal shape adapted to receive the external shape of the projecting part of a screw element. The internal dimensions of said hollow cylindrical part of the ring make it possible to tightly hold said connecting element to said part of the screw element.

[0007] Advantageously, said element for connecting to the structure is a ring whose internal wall of the hollowed-out cylindrical part has a hexagonal cross-section configured to enclose a projecting part of hexagonal external shape of a screw element. It is common to use elongated screw elements comprising a projecting part whose external shape is hexagonal, such as a head of hexagonal external shape of a screw or a stud, or such as a nut of hexagonal external shape, in particular in the mechanical industry, and in particular in the automotive field. Such a connecting element with the structure is therefore easily used for maintaining a member with this type of screw elements.

[0008] Advantageously, said hollow cylindrical part of the ring has a hexagonal cross-section, in other words its external wall and its internal wall have corresponding hexagonal shapes, the sides of their respective hexagons being in correspondence from one wall to the other. Said ring is easily integrated into the structure, and can be handled with a standard key adapted to hexagonal shapes.

[0009] The support of a connecting element with a member, which said connecting element integrates into the structure, is integrated into a face of the ring perpendicular to the axial direction of the ring, and it has the shape of a plate with a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the ring, one of the faces of said plate closing one of the bases of the hollowed-out cylindrical part of the ring and the other face of the plate supporting the connecting element with a member. The part of the face of said plate closing one of the bases of the hollowed-out cylindrical part of the ring thus forms an internal surface of the ring.

[0010] The holding device according to the invention is removable.

[0011] Advantageously, said support comprises two lateral legs projecting on either side of the cylindrical part of the ring, facilitating the handling of the holding device, and offering the possibility of leveraging with a tool to remove the device if necessary.

[0012] Preferably, said element for connecting to the structure (ring with integrated support) is made of plastic, preferably polyamide (PA), in particular polyamide 6-6 (PA 6-6). More preferably, the holding device according to the invention is entirely made of the same plastic. Said entire device can be manufactured simply, in one piece, for example by molding.

[0013] According to a particular embodiment of the invention, said ring comprises internal means for retaining the screw element. More particularly, the internal surfaces of the ring are provided with these retaining means. These retaining means are more particularly useful in cases where the screw element is subjected to high dynamic stresses. In particular, said retaining means are attached means, such as claws or spring blades arranged on the surface of the internal wall of the hollow cylindrical part of the ring. Preferably, these claws are metallic.

[0014] The connecting element with the member to be held may be of any known type capable of being secured to the face of the support receiving said element, which the holding device comprises. The connecting element with the member to be held may be, without limitation, chosen from elements for holding a tubular-shaped member, for example such as a pipe, a tube or a cable. Said elements for holding a tubular-shaped member may comprise in particular a U-shaped clip, a multiple support of U-shaped clips, a circular clip in two parts that can be closed together, a strap that can be closed on itself, a tubular-shaped support, possibly partially open, to receive a cable for example, and a single or multiple spacer. The connecting element with the member to be held may also be chosen from elements for holding a wire or cable connector.

[0015] The advantage of the device of the invention is that it is easily adaptable to any connecting element with a member, no specific adaptation of this connecting element being necessary.

[0016] The invention also relates to a mechanical structure accommodating at least one member to be held and equipped with at least one serial screw element which comprises a projecting part, said member to be held being held by a holding device as described previously. Preferably, said at least one screw element is an elongated element whose projecting part is of hexagonal external shape, such as the head of a screw or a stud, or such as a nut of hexagonal external shape. The projecting part of the screw element is accessible on a surface of the structure.

[0017] In particular, said mechanical structure is part of the structure of a motor vehicle.

[0018] In particular, said member to be maintained is a tubular-shaped member.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from reading the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given for informational purposes but not as a limitation, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0020] [Fig.lA] is a three-quarter perspective view from above, of a device for holding a member to a structure which comprises screw elements according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0021] [Fig.lB] is a three-quarter perspective view from below of the holding device of [Fig.lA].

[0022] [Fig.2] illustrates, in an exploded view, the installation of the device for holding the figures IA and IB on a screw element.

[0023] [Fig.3] represents the assembly of the holding device according to the invention and the screw element according to [Fig.2], retaining a pipe partially shown.

[0024] [Fig.4A] is a partial perspective view of a mechanical structure of the support type of an engine of a motor vehicle, provided with a screw element.

[0025] [Fig.4B] is a view of the mechanical structure of [Fig.4A], the holding device according to the invention shown in Figures 1A and 1B being used to hold a pipe to the screw element.

[0026] In order to facilitate understanding of the figures, the orientations expressed in the description of the figures are given with reference to an orthonormal reference frame VLT in which V represents the vertical direction oriented towards the top of the device, corresponding to the axial direction of the ring of the device, L represents the longitudinal direction according to that of the support integrated into the device, and T the direction perpendicular to the other two directions V, T.

[0027] The figures will be commented on together.

[0028] Figures 1A and 1B show an embodiment of a holding device 1 according to the invention, designed for holding a tubular member such as a pipe, a tube, or even a cable.

[0029] The device 1 comprises a connecting element 2 with a mechanical structure, this element comprising a ring 20 of which one face (upper face) integrates a support 21, in the form of a longitudinal plate of longitudinal direction L, perpendicular to the axial direction of the ring so that the ring comprises a hollow cylindrical part closed at its upper base by the lower face 211 of the support. The opposite face 210 of the support supports a connecting element 3 with a member which is a pipe A according to the example ([Fig.3]). This connecting element 3 is integrated into the upper face 210 of the support 21.

[0030] The wall of the hollowed-out cylindrical part of said ring 20 has a hexagonal cross-section, the inner 201 and outer 202 walls of this cylindrical part of the ring each having a hexagonal-shaped periphery, the six sides of the respective hexagons of said walls being in correspondence between said walls. The inner recess 200 of the ring therefore has a hexagonal-shaped periphery capable of receiving a projecting part of hexagonal external shape of a screw element.

[0031] As illustrated by [Fig.2], the ring 20 is designed to removably grip a head 40, the projecting part of a stud 4, of hexagonal external shape, a type of screw element which is frequently used in the field of screws for automotive mechanics. The internal recess 200 of the ring is thus of a shape and dimensions adapted as closely as possible to this stud head so that the ring is well held around this head. According to the example, the internal distance “D” between two opposite sides of the hexagonal shape of the internal wall 201 is 16 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, the support 21 comprises two lateral extensions 212, 213, projecting on either side of the cylindrical part of the ring 20, constituting lateral tabs. facilitating the handling of the removable holding device, and offering the possibility of leveraging with a tool to remove the device if necessary.

[0033] The connecting element 3 with a member is a U-shaped clip with an internal shape adapted to receive a tubular element, such as a pipe T ([Fig.3]).

[0034] The entire device is made from a single piece, by molding polyamide 6-6 which has qualities of rigidity and heat stability.

[0035] As illustrated by [Fig.4A], the mechanical structure, which is that of an engine support of a motor vehicle, comprises a stud head 40, a projecting part of the stud 4 located in an accessible manner projecting from a surface “S” of this structure. Only one head is shown in this figure, however the structure comprises numerous hexagonal heads of this type of screw element (screw, stud). This head has an accessible hexagonal external shape. [Fig.4B], illustrates the device 1 whose ring encloses the stud head 40 to hold a cooling pipe A in the U-shaped clip 3 carried by the device 1, on the face 210 of its support 21.

[0036] The holding device according to the invention for holding a member to a mechanical structure is easy to implement, and it is economical in its manufacture and use.

Claims

Claims

1. Device (1) for holding a member to a mechanical structure which comprises screw elements, the device being provided with two connecting elements (2, 3) between the member to be held and the mechanical structure, one of said connecting elements being a connecting element to the structure (2) comprising a ring (20) configured to grip a projecting part (40) of said screw element (4), and said connecting element to the structure integrating a support (21) of a connecting element with the member (3), characterized in that said ring comprises a hollow cylindrical part which has an internal shape adapted to receive the external shape of the projecting part (40) of a screw element (4), the internal wall of said hollow cylindrical part having a hexagonal cross section configured to grip a projecting part of hexagonal external shape of a screw element.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said hollow cylindrical part of the ring (20) has a hexagonal cross-section.

3. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that said support (21) which integrates said element for connecting to the structure (2) is integrated in one face of the ring perpendicular to the axial direction of the ring, and it has the shape of a plate with a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the ring, one of the faces (211) of said plate closing one of the bases of the hollow cylindrical part of the ring and the other face (210) of the plate supporting the element for connecting with a member (3).

4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said support (21) comprises two lateral tabs (212, 213) projecting on either side of the cylindrical part of the ring.

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said element for connecting to the structure is made of plastic, preferably polyamide, in particular polyamide 6-6.

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is formed from a single piece.

7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said ring (20) comprises internal means for retaining the screw element.

8. Mechanical structure accommodating at least one member to be held (A) and equipped with at least one screw element (4) which comprises a projecting part (40), characterized in that said member to be held (A) is held to the projecting part of the screw element by a holding device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and in that said at least one screw element is an elongated element (4) whose projecting part is of hexagonal external shape (40), such as the head of a screw or a stud, or such as a nut of hexagonal external shape.

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