Clip

Abstract

To provide a clip in which a long conductive rigid body can be held with a simple and quick operation and a risk that the held long conductive rigid body comes off can be reduced.SOLUTION: A clip 1 includes a base part 2 having rigidity, a pair of side walls 3, 4 standing from the base part 2 so as to form an upper opening 5 for receiving a conductive rigid body 7, and a holding space 6 that is formed to be surrounded with the base part 2 and the pair of side walls 3, 4 and holds the conductive rigid body 7 received through the upper opening 5. The first side wall 3 as well as the base part 2 has rigidity. The second side wall 4 has flexibility to be elastically deformable in a direction away from the first side wall 3. An inner surface 20 of the first side wall 3 has an inclined surface guide portion 21 including an inclined surface 22 to laterally displace the conductive rigid body 7 received through the upper opening 5 toward a stopper claw 30 formed on an end of the second side wall 4. An end of the lower part of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has an elastic piece 23 that extends so as to press the conductive rigid body 7 held in the holding space 6 against the second side wall 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a clip. More specifically, it relates to a clip for holding a long conductive rigid body.

Background Art

[0002] As this type of clip, for example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is already known. In this technique, the clip is formed in a U shape by a pair of opposing side plate portions and a bottom plate portion connecting the lower ends of the pair of side plate portions. Between the upper end portion of one side plate portion and the inward protrusion provided at the upper end of the other side plate portion, an upward opening for inserting and removing a cable into and out of the clip is formed. When a cable is dropped (stored) from the upward opening into the clip (from above), the dropped cable is restricted from inadvertently protruding by the inward protrusion of the other side plate portion. Therefore, the cable can be held inside the clip by a simple and quick operation of dropping the cable.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the cable is held inside the clip by dropping the cable from the upward opening into the clip. Therefore, the restriction on the protrusion of the cable held inside the clip by the inward protrusion of the other side plate portion is loose. That is, the engagement of the inward protrusion of the other side plate portion with the cable held inside the clip is loose. Therefore, there is a risk that the cable held inside the clip may come out of the clip.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a clip that can hold a long conductive rigid body inside with simple and quick operations and can suppress the risk of the held long conductive rigid body slipping out.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one feature of the present disclosure, the clip holds a long conductive rigid body. The clip includes a base portion having rigidity, a pair of side walls rising from the base portion so as to have an upper opening for receiving the conductive rigid body, and a holding space formed by being surrounded by the base portion and the pair of side walls and holding the conductive rigid body received from the upper opening. One of the pair of side walls, the first side wall, has rigidity together with the base portion. The other of the pair of side walls, the second side wall, is flexible and elastically deformable in a direction away from the first side wall. The inner surface of the first side wall is provided with an inclined surface guiding portion having an inclined surface for laterally displacing the conductive rigid body received from the upper opening toward a position where it catches on a retaining claw formed at the tip of the second side wall. The lower tip of the inclined surface guiding portion has an elastic piece extending so as to press the conductive rigid body held in the holding space against the second side wall.

[0007] Therefore, the conductive rigid body can be held in the clip's holding space by a simple and quick operation such as dropping the conductive rigid body from the upper opening into the clip's holding space. At this time, the conductive rigid body received from the upper opening is laterally displaced by the inclined surface guiding portion having an inclined surface toward a position where it catches on the retaining claw formed at the tip of the second side wall. Therefore, since the upper surface of the laterally displaced conductive rigid body due to dropping catches sufficiently on the retaining claw, the regulation of protrusion by the retaining claw against the conductive rigid body held in the holding space becomes strong. That is, the catch of the retaining claw on the conductive rigid body held in the clip's holding space becomes strong. Therefore, the risk of the conductive rigid body held in the clip's holding space slipping out of the clip's holding space can be suppressed.

[0008] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the upper part of the inclined surface guiding portion has a guiding piece extending to a position above the retaining claw.

[0009] Therefore, the conductive rigid body supported inside the inclined surface guide can be sandwiched between the retaining claw and the guide piece. Accordingly, the conductive rigid body before being held in the holding space of the clip can be temporarily placed on the clip.

[0010] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the retaining claw slopes downward toward the upper opening.

[0011] Therefore, when holding the conductive rigid body in the holding space of the clip, the conductive rigid body placed on the retaining claw can be guided toward the upper opening.

[0012] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the width length of the upper opening is equal to the width length of the conductive rigid body.

[0013] Therefore, it is possible to prevent the conductive rigid body temporarily placed on the clip from rattling.

[0014] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the elastic piece is formed at a position where it can press below the vertical intermediate position of the conductive rigid body in a state where the conductive rigid body held in the holding space is pressed against the second side wall.

[0015] Therefore, the conductive rigid body held in the holding space of the clip can be firmly pressed against the second side wall.

[0016] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the second side wall becomes thinner from the base portion toward the tip portion.

[0017] Therefore, the tip portion of the second side wall can be made more flexible than the base portion. Accordingly, the conductive rigid body can be smoothly held in the holding space of the clip.

[0018] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the second side wall has a rib protruding from the outer surface across the distance from the base portion to the tip portion. The protruding length of the rib decreases from the base portion toward the tip portion.

[0019] Therefore, it is possible to make the tip portion flexible while ensuring the rigidity of the base portion of the second side wall.

[0020] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the clip has a locking portion that can assemble the base portion to the mating member. The base portion has a protrusion that prevents misassembly to the left and right with respect to the mating member when the base portion is assembled to the mating member by the locking portion.

[0021] Therefore, even if an attempt is made to assemble the base portion to the mating member so as to cause misassembly, the protrusion of the base portion interferes with the mating member. Therefore, the base portion cannot be assembled to the mating member. Thus, the operator can recognize misassembly of the clip.

[0022] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the base of the first side wall has an overhanging portion that projects toward the second side wall. A virtual line connecting the overhanging surface of the overhanging portion and the lower end of the inclined surface of the inclined surface guide portion is parallel to the vertical direction.

[0023] Therefore, even if the conductive rigid body held in the holding space swings left and right, the swung conductive rigid body abuts against the overhanging surface of the overhanging portion and the lower end of the inclined surface of the inclined surface guide portion. Therefore, play of the conductive rigid body due to swinging can be suppressed.

[0024] According to another feature of the present disclosure, the first side wall has a gap in which the elastic piece can bend toward the first side wall itself from the virtual line.

[0025] Therefore, when the thickness of the conductive rigid body held in the holding space is large, the elastic piece retracts into the gap. Therefore, even a conductive rigid body with a large thickness can be held in the holding space.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0027] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the clip 1, the bus bar 7, and the mounting member 8 according to the first embodiment will be individually described. In the following description, up-down, front-rear, and left-right refer to the directions shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, that is, as shown in FIG. 3, a state in which the base portion 2 and a pair of side walls 3 and 4 rising from the base portion 2 so as to have an upper opening 5 appear in a substantially U shape is defined as the front view of the clip 1. And the orientation of the clip 1 is defined based on the orientation defined as this front view. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the front-rear direction is defined as the front-back direction of the paper surface.

[0028] First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, the clip 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the clip 1 holds a bus bar 7 having a long shape and a rectangular cross section in a holding space 6 inside the clip 1. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the clip 1 includes a trapezoidal base portion 2 having rigidity, a pair of side walls 3 and 4 rising from the base portion 2 so as to have an upper opening 5, and is formed by being surrounded by the base portion 2 and the pair of side walls 3 and 4, and has a holding space 6 for holding the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5. The base portion 2 and the pair of side walls 3 and 4 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the upper surface 10 forming the holding space 6 in the base portion 2 has ribs 11 along the front-rear direction. The ribs 11 are for increasing the height of the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 and are formed in pairs on the left and right. The lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 has an anchor-type locking portion 13 having locking claws 13a that are paired front and back. The locking portion 13 is a known one, and by sandwiching a mounting member 8 described later between the lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 and the pair of locking claws 13a, the base portion 2 (clip 1) can be assembled to the mounting member 8.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the left edge 14 of the lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 has a protrusion 15 for preventing incorrect assembly of the base portion 2 (clip 1) to the left and right with respect to the mounting member 8. The lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 has ribs 16 along the front-rear direction. The ribs 16 are for aligning with the mounting member 8 and are formed in pairs on the left and right of the locking portion 13. Thereby, even when play occurs in the base portion 2 in a state where the base portion 2 (clip 1) is assembled to the mounting member 8, tuning for eliminating this play can be easily performed.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the front and rear surfaces of the base portion 2 each have two cutouts 17 that are substantially trapezoidal on the left and substantially rectangular on the right. The periphery of the cutout 17 portion is a rib that protrudes from the concave surface of the cutout 17. Therefore, even if the amount of resin required for molding is suppressed by the cutout 17, the necessary rigidity of the base portion 2 can be ensured by the ribs around the cutout 17.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the first side wall 3, which is one of the pair of side walls 3 and 4, has rigidity together with the base portion 2. The inner surface 20 of the first side wall 3 is provided with an inclined surface guide portion 21 having an inclined surface 22 that laterally displaces (to the right) the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5 to a position where it hangs on a retaining claw 30 formed at the tip of the second side wall 4 described later. The lower tip of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has an elastic piece 23 that extends so as to press the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 against the second side wall 4. The elastic piece 23 is flexible.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the elastic piece 23 is formed at a position where it can press below the intermediate position in the vertical direction of the bus bar 7 in a state where the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 is pressed against the second side wall 4 described later (see FIG. 12). The base portion of the first side wall 3 has an overhanging portion 26 that projects toward the second side wall 4. A virtual line L connecting the overhanging surface 27 of the overhanging portion 26 and the lower end of the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guide portion 21 is parallel to the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). The first side wall 3 has a gap 24 in which the elastic piece 23 can flex toward the first side wall 3 itself from the virtual line L. Thereby, the elastic piece 23 can flex and retract into the gap 24.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface 20 of the first side wall 3 has ribs 20a. The ribs 20a are formed with a predetermined thickness at the center in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the inner surface of the first side wall 3. Thereby, the rigidity of the first side wall 3 can be enhanced. The upper portion of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has a guide piece 25 that extends to a position above the tip of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4 described later. The gap between the guide piece 25 and the retaining claw 30 is the upper opening 5. The width length W1 of the upper opening 5 is equivalent to the width length W2 of the bus bar 7 (see FIG. 9). The equivalence mentioned here means being the same, slightly shorter, or slightly longer. When the width length W1 of the upper opening 5 is slightly longer than the width length W2 of the bus bar 7, the bus bar 7 and the retaining claw 30 interfere with each other. Therefore, the retaining claw 30 is deflected by being pushed by the bus bar 7.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the front and rear surfaces of the inclined guide portion 21 each have a substantially triangular cutout 28. The periphery of the cutout 28 portion is a rib that protrudes from the concave surface of the cutout 28. Therefore, even if the amount of resin required for molding is reduced by the cutout 28, the ribs around the cutout 28 can ensure the necessary rigidity of the inclined guide portion 21. Similarly, the front and rear surfaces of the overhanging portion 26 each have a substantially trapezoidal cutout 28.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the second side wall 4, which is the other of the pair of side walls 3 and 4, is flexible and elastically deformable in a direction away from the first side wall 3. That is, while the base portion 2 and the first side wall 3 are rigid bodies and difficult to bend, the second side wall 4 is bendable. The thickness of the second side wall 4 gradually decreases from the base portion toward the tip portion. A retaining claw 30 is formed at the tip of the second side wall 4 toward the first side wall 3.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the upper end position (base end position) of the upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4 and the tip position (upper end position) of the guide piece 25 of the clip 1 are equivalent (the same, slightly higher position, or slightly lower position) (see L1 in FIG. 3). The upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 is inclined downward toward the upper opening 5. Therefore, the tip of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4 faces the guide surface 25a, which is the inner surface of the guide piece 25 of the first side wall 3 (see L2 in FIG. 3). The claw length of the retaining claw 30 is formed to be the length at which 70% of the upper surface of the bus bar 7 is engaged (see FIG. 12). However, 70% is the best form and an effect (the effect that the upper surface of the inserted bus bar 7 is sufficiently engaged with the retaining claw 30) is expected, but it is not limited to this, and it may be larger than 70% or smaller than 70%.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, both edges in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the retaining claw 30 have downwardly inclined tongue pieces 33 formed in pairs. The tongue pieces 33 are gap-filling members for the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1, and are formed to be elastically deformable. For example, when the clip 1 is applied to a vehicle such as an automobile, the bus bar 7 may move within the holding space 6 when the running vibration of the vehicle is applied. In that case, the tongue pieces 33 can absorb the impact of the upwardly moving bus bar 7. Therefore, the bus bar 7 can be further prevented from coming out of the holding space 6.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the second side wall 4 has a rib 32 protruding from the outer surface between the base portion and the tip portion. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, the rib 32 is formed with a predetermined thickness at the center in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the second side wall 4. The protruding length of the rib 32 decreases from the base portion toward the tip portion. The height distance (inner diameter) between the tip of the rib 11 of the base portion 2 and the inner surface of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4 is equal to the height distance of the bus bar 7 (see FIG. 12). The clip 1 is configured in this way.

[0040] Next, returning to FIG. 1, the mounting member 8, which is the mating member, will be described. The mounting member 8 is a substantially inverted U-shaped mounting member formed on a vehicle body (not shown), and has an assembly hole 8a in an elliptical shape at the position where the above-described clip 1 is assembled. The assembly hole 8a is formed on the left side in the left-right direction (see FIG. 7). Therefore, when the locking portion 13 of the clip 1 is assembled to the assembly hole 8a, the protrusion 15 of the assembled clip 1 can be escaped to the left outside of the mounting member 8.

[0041] If the locking portion 13 of the clip 1 is to be assembled in the reverse (opposite left and right) direction to the assembly hole 8a, the protrusion 15 of the clip 1 interferes with the mounting member 8. Therefore, the locking portion 13 of the clip 1 cannot be assembled to the assembly hole 8a. Therefore, the operator can be made aware of the incorrect assembly of the clip 1 to the left and right. Further, the vehicle body can assemble a battery component 9 (such as a battery stack) through an assembly means (not shown) at a predetermined position. The mounting member 8 is configured in this way.

[0042] Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 12, the procedure for attaching the bus bar 7 to the attachment member 8 using two of the above-described clips 1 will be described. A battery 9 is assembled in a predetermined position of the attachment member 8 in advance. First, each locking portion 13 of the two clips 1 is inserted into the assembly hole 8a of the attachment member 8, and the operation of assembling each locking portion 13 of the two clips 1 to the attachment member 8 is performed. Thereby, two clips 1 are assembled to the attachment member 8. At that time, the left and right orientations of the clip 1 are adjusted so that the protrusion 15 of the clip 1 faces outward to the left of the attachment member 8.

[0043] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the operation of placing the bus bar 7 so as to bridge the upper surfaces 31 of the retaining claws 30 of the second side wall 4 of the two clips 1 is performed. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation of laterally displacing the placed bus bar 7 toward the upper opening 5 is performed. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, since the tip of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4 is positioned below the tip of the guide piece 25 of the first side wall 3, the laterally displaced bus bar 7 is stopped by the guide piece 25 of the first side wall 3.

[0044] As a result, since the width length W1 of the upper opening 5 is equal to the width length W2 of the bus bar 7, the lower part of the laterally displaced bus bar 7 enters the holding space 6 from the upper opening 5 and is supported by the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guiding portion 21 of the first side wall 3. Therefore, the lower part of the bus bar 7 is temporarily placed by the guide piece 25, the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guiding portion 21, and the retaining claw 30. That is, the clip 1 has a temporary placement function of temporarily placing the lower part of the bus bar 7 to be held when holding the bus bar 7 in the holding space 6.

[0045] Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the operation of dropping the bus bar 7 with the lower part temporarily placed into the holding space 6 is performed. Then, the lower left corner of the dropped bus bar 7 descends along the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guiding portion 21, and the bus bar 7 laterally displaces to the right to a position where the upper surface of the dropped bus bar 7 catches on the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the right surface of the bus bar 7 that has laterally displaced to the right presses against the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4.

[0046] Therefore, the second side wall 4 is bent in a direction (right direction) in which the tip end moves away from the first side wall 3. At the same time, the tip end of the elastic piece 23 of the first side wall 3 presses against the left surface of the inserted bus bar 7. Accordingly, the inserted bus bar 7 is pressed against the second side wall 4. Eventually, as shown in FIG. 12, when the right surface of the inserted bus bar 7 gets over (passes through) the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4, the bent second side wall 4 is returned to the state before bending. Thereby, the bus bar 7 inserted into the holding space 6 can be held in the holding space 6. That is, the bus bar 7 can be held in the holding space 6 by a simple and quick operation such as insertion.

[0047] Note that since approximately half of the upper surface of the bus bar 7 that has been laterally displaced to the right by insertion is caught by the retaining claw 30, the regulation of the protrusion of the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 by the retaining claw 30 becomes strong. That is, the engagement of the retaining claw 30 with the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 becomes strong. Therefore, the possibility that the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 comes out of the holding space 6 of the clip 1 can be suppressed. Further, since the elastic piece 23 is bendable, even if the bus bar 7 has a different thickness, the elastic piece 23 can press against the left surface of the bus bar 7. In this way, as shown in FIG. 13, the bus bar 7 can be attached to the attachment member 8 by using two clips 1. Further, the elastic piece 23 can prevent rattling in the left - right direction of the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1.

[0048] Note that, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 18, the procedure for attaching the bus bar 7 along the right edge and the rear edge of the rectangular battery component 9 mounted on the vehicle body will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the bus bar 7 is long and is formed in a substantially L - shaped form in which one part 7a and the other part 7b are orthogonal. Further, on the vehicle body, two clips 1 are assembled in a vertical row so as to correspond to one part 7a of the bus bar 7 along the right edge of the battery component 9. Similarly, on the vehicle body, two clips 1 are assembled in a horizontal row so as to correspond to the other part 7b of the bus bar 7 along the rear edge of the battery component 9.

[0049] First, as shown in FIG. 15, a first operation is performed in which one portion 7a of the bus bar 7 is temporarily placed so as to bridge the upper openings 5 of two vertically arranged clips 1. At the same time, a second operation is performed in which the other portion 7b of the bus bar 7 is temporarily placed so as to bridge the upper openings 5 of two horizontally arranged clips 1. Next, as shown in FIG. 16, a third operation is performed in which one portion 7a of the bus bar 7 is dropped into the holding spaces 6 of the two clips 1 respectively. Then, one portion 7a of the bus bar 7 is held in the holding spaces 6 of the two vertically arranged clips 1 respectively.

[0050] Next, a fourth operation is performed in which the other portion 7b of the bus bar 7 is dropped into the holding spaces 6 of the two clips 1 respectively. Then, the other portion 7b of the bus bar 7 is held in the holding spaces 6 of the two horizontally arranged clips 1 respectively. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, the long bus bar 7 formed in a substantially L shape can be held by the clips 1. Therefore, even if the bus bar 7 is long and formed in a substantially L shape, it can be easily attached to the vehicle body without being obstructed by the battery component 9.

[0051] In this case, even if the bus bar 7 is long and formed in a substantially L shape, it is possible to cope with problems such as improving the workability of attaching to attachment members such as the vehicle body. Also, as shown in FIG. 18, the procedures of the above-described third operation and fourth operation may be interchanged. Of course, the above-described third operation and fourth operation may be performed simultaneously.

[0052] The clip 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as described above. According to this configuration, the clip 1 holds the long bus bar 7. The clip 1 includes a base portion 2 having rigidity, a pair of side walls 3 and 4 rising from the base portion 2 so as to have an upper opening 5 for receiving the bus bar 7, and a holding space 6 formed by being surrounded by the base portion 2 and the pair of side walls 3 and 4 and holding the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5. The first side wall 3, which is one of the pair of side walls 3 and 4, has rigidity together with the base portion 2. The second side wall 4, which is the other of the pair of side walls 3 and 4, is flexible and elastically deformable in a direction away from the first side wall 3. The inner surface 20 of the first side wall 3 is provided with an inclined surface guide portion 21 having an inclined surface 22 that laterally displaces the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5 toward a position where it catches on a retaining claw 30 formed at the tip of the second side wall 4. The lower tip of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has an elastic piece 23 that extends so as to press the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 against the second side wall 4.

[0053] Therefore, the bus bar 7 can be held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 by a simple and quick operation of dropping the bus bar 7 from the upper opening 5 toward the holding space 6 of the clip 1. At that time, the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5 is laterally displaced to the right by the inclined surface guide portion 21 having the inclined surface 22 toward a position where it catches on the retaining claw 30 formed at the tip of the second side wall 4. Therefore, since the upper surface of the bus bar 7 that has been laterally displaced to the right by dropping catches sufficiently on the retaining claw 30, the regulation of protrusion by the retaining claw 30 against the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 becomes strong. That is, the catch of the retaining claw 30 on the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 becomes strong. Therefore, the possibility that the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 will come out of the holding space 6 of the clip 1 can be suppressed.

[0054] Also, according to this configuration, the upper part of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has a guide piece 25 that extends to a position above the retaining claw 30. Therefore, the bus bar 7 supported by the inclined surface guide portion 21 can be sandwiched between the retaining claw 30 and the guide piece 25. Therefore, the bus bar 7 before being held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 can be temporarily placed on the clip 1.

[0055] Further, according to this configuration, the upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 slopes downward toward the upper opening 5. Therefore, when holding the bus bar 7 in the holding space 6 of the clip 1, the bus bar 7 placed on the retaining claw 30 can be guided toward the upper opening 5.

[0056] Further, according to this configuration, the width length W1 of the upper opening 5 is equal to the width length W2 of the bus bar 7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bus bar 7 temporarily placed on the clip 1 from rattling.

[0057] Further, according to this configuration, the elastic piece 23 is formed at a position where it can press below the intermediate position in the vertical direction of the bus bar 7 in a state where the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 is pressed against the second side wall 4. Therefore, the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1 can be firmly pressed against the second side wall 4.

[0058] Further, according to this configuration, the second side wall 4 becomes thinner from the base portion toward the tip portion. Therefore, the tip portion of the second side wall 4 can be made more flexible than the base portion. Thus, the bus bar 7 can be smoothly held in the holding space 6 of the clip 1.

[0059] Further, according to this configuration, the second side wall 4 has a rib 32 protruding from the outer surface between the base portion and the tip portion. The protruding length of the rib 32 decreases from the base portion toward the tip portion. Therefore, while ensuring the rigidity of the base portion of the second side wall 4, the tip portion can be made more flexible.

[0060] Further, according to this configuration, the clip 1 has a locking portion 13 that can assemble the base portion 2 to the mounting member 8. The base portion 2 has a protrusion 15 that prevents misassembly to the left and right with respect to the mounting member 8 when the base portion 2 itself is assembled to the mounting member 8 by the locking portion 13. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to assemble the base portion 2 to the mounting member 8 so as to cause misassembly, the protrusion 15 of the base portion 2 interferes with the mounting member 8. Therefore, the base portion 2 cannot be assembled to the mounting member 8. Thus, the operator can recognize misassembly of the clip 1.

[0061] Also, according to this configuration, the base of the first side wall 3 has an overhanging portion 26 that projects toward the second side wall 4. A virtual line L connecting the overhanging surface 27 of the overhanging portion 26 and the lower end of the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guide portion 21 is parallel to the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 swings left and right, the swung bus bar 7 abuts against the overhanging surface 27 of the overhanging portion 26 and the lower end of the inclined surface 22 of the inclined surface guide portion 21. Accordingly, the play of the bus bar 7 due to the swinging movement can be suppressed.

[0062] Also, according to this configuration, the first side wall 3 has a gap 24 in which the elastic piece 23 can bend toward the first side wall 3 itself from the virtual line L. Therefore, when the thickness of the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 is large, the elastic piece 23 retracts into the gap 24. Accordingly, even a bus bar 7 with a large thickness can be held in the holding space 6.

[0063] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 23. The clip 101 of the second embodiment is different from the clip 1 of the first embodiment already described in terms of whether or not the holding space 6 and the locking portion 13 are offset in the left - right direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the clip 1 of the first embodiment, the holding space 6 and the locking portion 13 are offset in the left - right direction.

[0064] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20, in the clip 101 of the second embodiment, the holding space 6 and the locking portion 13 are not offset in the left - right direction, and the holding space 6 is located directly above the locking portion 13. Therefore, the clip 101 of this second embodiment can be made more compact in the left - right direction compared to the clip 1 of the first embodiment. In the following description, members having the same or equivalent configurations as the reference numerals described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. This also applies to the third to fifth embodiments described later.

[0065] As shown in FIGS. 19 to 20, unlike the base portion 2 of the clip 1, the base portion 2 of the clip 101 is formed in a square shape. Different from the clip 1, the clip 101 does not have the protrusion 15. As shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, different from the clip 1, the lower edge 18 of the right side surface of the base portion 2 of the clip 101 is provided with an auxiliary plate 19 protruding rightward. Thereby, when the bus bar 7 received from the upper opening 5 is laterally displaced to the right by the inclined surface guide portion 21 having the inclined surface 22 toward the position where it hangs on the retaining claw 30, even if the clip 101 tries to fall to the right starting from the locking portion 13, the auxiliary plate 19 interferes with the mounting member 8. Therefore, the rightward fall of the clip 101 can be suppressed. Accordingly, the stability of the clip 101 can be enhanced.

[0066] Also, if the locking portion 13 of the clip 101 is assembled in the assembly hole 8a in the reverse direction (left and right are opposite), the auxiliary plate 19 of the clip 101 interferes with the peripheral components (in this case, the battery component 9). Therefore, the locking portion 13 of the clip 101 cannot be assembled in the assembly hole 8a. Accordingly, the operator can be made aware of the incorrect assembly of the clip 101 in the left and right directions.

[0067] (Third Embodiment) Finally, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 24. The clip 201 of the third embodiment is in a form in which the upper part of the inclined surface guide portion 21 does not have the guide piece 25 as compared with the clip 1 of the first embodiment already described. Also, in the clip 201, the inclined guide portion 21 is provided upward accordingly. In this case, in a state where the elastic piece 23 presses the bus bar 7 held in the holding space 6 against the second side wall 4, the elastic piece 23 presses above the intermediate position in the vertical direction of the bus bar 7.

[0068] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 to 33. Since the clip 301 of the fourth embodiment is similar to the clip 1 of the first embodiment already described, only the differences from the clip 1 of the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 25 and 27, the guide piece 25 of the clip 301 extends upward compared to the guide piece 25 of the clip 1. That is, the tip position of the guide piece 25 of the clip 301 is located sufficiently above the upper end position of the upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 25 to 26, the locking portion 13 includes locking claws 13a that are paired not only front and back but also left and right. Therefore, when the locking portion 13 of the clip 301 is assembled into the assembly hole 8a, the prevention of the locking portion 13 from coming out of the assembly hole 8a can be strengthened. Since the locking claws 13a are also provided on the left and right of the locking portion 13, due to the arrangement of the slide mold of the molding die for molding the clip 301, the protrusion 15 has a structure that is divided front and back. Due to the same molding die conditions, the rib 16 also has a structure that is divided front and back.

[0070] With this clip 301 as well, the same operational effects as those of the clip 1 can be obtained. That is, As shown in FIGS. 28 to 33, the bus bar 7 can be attached to the attachment member 8 using two clips 301. As described above, the tip position of the guide piece 25 of the clip 301 is located sufficiently above the upper end position of the upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 29 to 30, when the bus bar 7 placed so as to bridge the upper surfaces 31 of the retaining claws 30 of the second side walls 4 of the two clips 301 is laterally displaced toward the upper opening 5, the guide piece 25 can stably support the laterally displaced bus bar 7.

[0071] (Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 34 to 36. Since the clip 401 of the fifth embodiment is similar to the clip 101 of the second embodiment already described, only the differences from the clip 101 of the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 34 and 36, the guide piece 25 of the clip 401 extends upward compared to the guide piece 25 of the clip 101. That is, the tip position of the guide piece 25 of the clip 401 is located sufficiently above the upper end position of the upper surface 31 of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4.

[0072] As shown in FIGS. 34 to 35, the locking portion 13 includes locking claws 13a that are paired not only front and back but also left and right. Therefore, when the locking portion 13 of the clip 401 is assembled to the assembly hole 8a, it is possible to strongly prevent the locking portion 13 from coming out of the assembly hole 8a. The right edge of the lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 has a protrusion 15 that prevents the left and right misassembly of the base portion 2 (clip 401) with respect to the mounting member 8.

[0073] Note that since the locking claws 13a are also provided on the left and right sides of the locking portion 13, due to the arrangement of the slide mold of the molding die for molding the clip 401, the protrusion 15 is structured to be divided front and back. Due to the same molding die convenience, the rib 16 is also structured to be divided front and back. With this clip 401 as well, the same operational effects as those of the clip 101 can be obtained.

[0074] The above-described content is merely related to one embodiment of the present invention and does not mean that the present invention is limited to the above content.

[0075] In the first to fifth embodiments, the bus bar 7 has been described as an example of the conductive rigid body. Without being limited to this, a long flat cable or the like may be used. Further, the longitudinal cross-section of the conductive rigid body is not limited to a rectangular shape and may be a substantially elliptical shape. Also, the bus bar 7 may or may not be covered with an insulating member or the like on its surface.

[0076] In the first to fifth embodiments, as an example of the arrangement of the locking portion 13, the form provided on the lower surface 12 of the base portion 2 has been described. However, without being limited thereto, the locking portion 13 may be provided on the left and right or front and rear surfaces of the base portion 2. In the first to fifth embodiments, the locking portion 13 has been described as an anchor type. However, without being limited thereto, any structure that can be fastened to the attachment member 8 can be appropriately applied. Also, in the first to fifth embodiments, the attachment member has been described as the attachment member 8 of the vehicle body. However, without being limited thereto, the attachment member may be a panel, a bracket, or the like.

[0077] In the first to fifth embodiments, the upper part of the inclined surface guide portion 21 has been described as having a guide piece 25 that extends to a position above the tip of the retaining claw 30 of the second side wall 4. However, without being limited thereto, the upper part of the inclined surface guide portion 21 may not be provided with the guide piece 25.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0078] 1 Clip (First Embodiment) 2 Base Portion 3 Pair of Side Walls (First Side Wall) 4 Pair of Side Walls (Second Side Wall) 5 Upper Opening 6 Holding Space 7 Bus Bar (Conductive Rigid Body) 20 Inner Surface 21 Inclined Surface Guide Portion 22 Inclined Surface 30 Retaining Claw 101 Clip (Second Embodiment) 201 Clip (Third Embodiment) 301 Clip (Fourth Embodiment) 401 Clip (Fifth Embodiment)

Claims

1. A clip for holding a long conductive rigid body, comprising: a base portion having rigidity; a pair of side walls rising from the base portion so as to have an upper opening for receiving the conductive rigid body; a holding space formed and surrounded by the base portion and the pair of side walls for holding the conductive rigid body received from the upper opening; a first side wall which is one of the pair of side walls and has rigidity together with the base portion; a second side wall which is the other of the pair of side walls and is flexible so as to be elastically deformable in a direction away from the first side wall; an inner surface of the first side wall is provided with an inclined surface guide portion having an inclined surface for laterally displacing the conductive rigid body received from the upper opening toward a position where it catches on a retaining claw formed at a tip of the second side wall; A clip having an elastic piece at a lower tip of the inclined surface guide portion, the elastic piece extending so as to press the conductive rigid body held in the holding space against the second side wall.

2. The clip according to claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the inclined surface guide portion has a guide piece extending to a position above the retaining claw.

3. The clip according to claim 2, wherein an upper surface of the retaining claw is inclined downward toward the upper opening.

4. The clip according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a width length of the upper opening is equal to a width length of the conductive rigid body.

5. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the elastic piece is formed at a position where it can press below an intermediate position in the vertical direction of the conductive rigid body in a state where the conductive rigid body held in the holding space is pressed against the second side wall.

6. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the second side wall is thinner from a base portion toward a tip portion.

7. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the second side wall has a rib protruding from an outer surface between a base portion and a tip portion, and the rib has a protruding length decreasing from the base portion toward the tip portion.

8. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the base portion has a locking portion capable of being assembled to a mating member, and the base portion has a protrusion for preventing a left - right misassembly with respect to the mating member when the base portion is assembled to the mating member by the locking portion.

9. The clip according to claim 1, wherein a base portion of the first side wall has an overhanging portion protruding toward the second side wall. A clip in which a virtual line connecting the stretching surface of the protruding portion and the lower end of the inclined surface of the inclined surface guide portion is parallel to the vertical direction.

10. The clip according to claim 9, wherein the first side wall has a gap through which the elastic piece can bend toward the first side wall itself from the virtual line.

Images