Clamp mounting structure

Abstract

To provide a mounting structure for a clamp, for allowing easy mounting of the clamp to a long object being covered with a protection material.SOLUTION: A mounting structure for a clamp 11 includes a pair of holding parts 23 mounted while holding a hose 14 being covered with a protection material 13 through the upside of the protection material 13, and a mounting member 15 mounted to the front end of the hose 14 being partially exposed from the protection material 13, the pair of holding parts 23 including a diameter enlarged storage part 28 for, when holding the front end of the hose 14 through the upside of the protection material 13, engaging with the mounting member 15 to fix the position of the mounting member 15 relative to the pair of holding parts 23, and a rib 38 for engaging with the protection material 13 to fix the position of the protection material 13 relative to the pair of holding parts 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a clamp that is attached to a long object such as a hose that is covered with a protective material. [Background technology]

[0002] A hose clamp described in Patent Document 1 is known as a conventional clamp. This hose clamp includes a pair of first and second gripping members, each of which has three recesses. The first and second gripping members clamp three hoses so that the three hoses fit into the three recesses of the first and second gripping members. The hose clamp is then attached to the hose by fastening the first and second gripping members together with bolts and nuts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-308588 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned hose may be covered with a protective material such as a corrugated pipe. In such a case, in order to attach a hose clamp to the hose, it is necessary to cut off the protective material from the portion of the hose corresponding to the portion where the hose clamp is to be attached, and then attach the hose clamp to the portion of the hose exposed from the protective material. This creates a problem in that it is not easy to attach the hose clamp to the hose.

[0005] Furthermore, these problems are not limited to cases where a hose clamp is attached to a hose covered with a protective material, but are also generally common when attaching a clamp to a long object other than a hose covered with a protective material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. The clamp mounting structure that solves the above-mentioned problems is a clamp mounting structure that is attached to a long object that extends from a module mounted on a vehicle and is covered with a long, cylindrical protective material, and includes a pair of clamping portions that are attached to the long object covered with the protective material by clamping it from above the protective material, and a mounting member that is attached to an end of the long object with a portion of it exposed from the protective material, and the pair of clamping portions include a first fixing portion that engages with the mounting member to fix the position of the mounting member relative to the pair of clamping portions when the end of the long object is clamped from above the protective material, and a second fixing portion that engages with the protective material to fix the position of the protective material relative to the pair of clamping portions.

[0007] According to this configuration, the first fixing portion can fix the position of the elongated object relative to the pair of clamping portions via the mounting member, and the second fixing portion can fix the position of the protective material relative to the pair of clamping portions. Therefore, the position of the elongated object and the position of the protective material relative to the pair of clamping portions can be fixed without cutting the protective material. Therefore, the clamp can be easily attached to the elongated object covered with the protective material.

[0008] In the above-mentioned clamp mounting structure, it is preferable that the pair of clamping portions are formed integrally via a hinge portion and are configured to be rotatable around the hinge portion between a clamping position in which the long object is clamped from above the protective material and a non-clamping position in which the long object is not clamped from above the protective material.

[0009] According to this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a case in which the pair of clamping portions are formed from separate members. In the above clamp mounting structure, it is preferable that the pair of clamping portions have a symmetrical shape with respect to a plane perpendicular to the elongated object at the center in the direction in which the elongated object extends.

[0010] According to this configuration, the pair of clamping parts can be attached to the tip end of the elongated object covered with the protective material by clamping the tip end of the elongated object from above the protective material without considering the orientation of the pair of clamping parts in the direction in which the elongated object extends, thereby improving the efficiency of the clamp attachment work to the tip end of the elongated object covered with the protective material. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a clamp can be easily attached to a long object covered with a protective material. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a clamp is used in one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the clamp when a pair of clamping parts are in a non-clamping position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view showing the state when the mounting member of the modified example is attached to the tip of a long object covered with a protective material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a clamp mounting structure will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, the clamp 11 is attached to a pair of hoses 14, which are an example of long objects, by using an attachment member 15. The hoses 14 extend from a module 12 mounted on a vehicle and are covered with long cylindrical protective materials 13. The module 12 is composed of, for example, a transmission and a differential gear.

[0014] The hose 14 is used, for example, as a so-called breather hose that opens the inside of the module 12 to the atmosphere while suppressing the intrusion of water or the like into the module 12 from the outside and the leakage of lubricating oil or the like from the inside of the module 12. The hose 14 is, for example, made of a flexible material such as rubber.

[0015] The protective material 13 is, for example, a corrugated pipe made of resin. The corrugated pipe is a pipe whose pipe wall has bellows-like pleats (concave and convex) and has flexibility. The attachment member 15 is attached to the tip of the hose 14. A part of the attachment member 15 is exposed from the protective material 13.

[0016] <Mounting material 15> 2 and 5, the mounting member 15 has a cylindrical main body 16. One end of the main body 16 is an insertion portion 17 that is inserted into the tip of the hose 14, and the other end is a fitting portion 19 that fits into a cap 18. A circular first flange 20 is provided in the center of the main body 16. A circular second flange 21 is provided between the fitting portion 19 and the first flange 20 of the main body 16.

[0017] A gap is formed between the first flange 20 and the second flange 21. The diameter of the first flange 20 is larger than the diameter of the second flange 21. The surface of the second flange 21 on the fitting portion 19 side forms a seal surface 21a with which the end face of the cap 18 comes into close contact when the cap 18 is fitted into the fitting portion 19. Therefore, when the cap 18 is fitted into the fitting portion 19, the opening of the fitting portion 19 is closed by the cap 18.

[0018] A return portion 22 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 17 to prevent the insertion portion 17 from coming off the hose 14 when the insertion portion 17 is inserted into the tip portion of the hose 14. The cap 18 is, for example, made of a waterproof and moisture-permeable material (such as Gore-Tex (registered trademark)) that prevents the permeation of liquids such as water and allows the permeation of gases such as water vapor.

[0019] <Clamp 11> 1 and 2, the clamp 11 is made of resin, for example. The clamp 11 includes a pair of clamping parts 23 and a vehicle body fixing part 24 that can be fixed to a vehicle body. The pair of clamping parts 23 are attached to a pair of hoses 14, which are each covered with a protective material 13 and arranged in parallel to each other, by clamping them together from above the protective material 13. The vehicle body fixing part 24 has a hook hole 24a that is hooked onto a hook (not shown) formed on the vehicle body.

[0020] 2 to 4, each of the pair of clamping parts 23 has two cylindrical divided parts 25 each having a shape obtained by dividing a cylinder into two halves. That is, each clamping part 23 has two cylindrical divided parts 25 arranged in parallel. At positions immediately inside both ends of the cylindrical divided part 25 of each clamping part 23, a semicircular divided expanded diameter part 26 having a diameter larger than that of the other parts of the cylindrical divided part 25 is provided.

[0021] The pair of clamping parts 23 form two cylindrical accommodating parts 27 capable of accommodating a part of the hose 14 covered with the protective material 13 by mating the two cylindrical divided parts 25 of each of the pair of clamping parts 23 so that they face each other. In this case, expanded diameter accommodating parts 28 capable of accommodating the first flange 20 of the mounting member 15 are formed at positions immediately inside both ends of the two cylindrical accommodating parts 27. The expanded diameter accommodating parts 28 are formed by mating the two divided expanded diameter parts 26 so that they face each other.

[0022] Of the pair of clamping portions 23, one is a first clamping portion 29 and the other is a second clamping portion 30. The first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 are shaped symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to the hose 14 at the center in the direction in which the hose 14 extends (the vertical direction in Figs. 2 to 4). That is, the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 are shaped symmetrically up and down in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0023] At one end of the first clamping portion 29 in the direction in which the two cylindrical divided portions 25 are aligned, the second clamping portion 30 is integrally formed via a hinge portion 31. That is, the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 are integrally formed via the hinge portion 31. The first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 are configured to be relatively rotatable with respect to each other with the hinge portion 31 as the center of rotation.

[0024] Therefore, when the first clamping portion 29 is fixed, the second clamping portion 30 is rotated between a non-clamping position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) in which it is aligned sideways with the first clamping portion 29, and a clamping position (position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) in which it is aligned opposite to the first clamping portion 29. When the second clamping portion 30 is in the clamping position, the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 clamp the hose 14 from above the protective material 13. When the second clamping portion 30 is in the non-clamping position, the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 do not clamp the hose 14 from above the protective material 13.

[0025] The vehicle body fixing portion 24 is integrally provided at the end of the first clamping portion 29 opposite the hinge portion 31 side. A first hook hole 32 is provided at the end of the first clamping portion 29 facing the vehicle body fixing portion 24. A first hook claw 33 that can be hooked to the first hook hole 32 is provided at the end of the second clamping portion 30 opposite the hinge portion 31 side. A second hook hole 34 is provided between the two cylindrical divided portions 25 of the second clamping portion 30.

[0026] A second latch claw 35 capable of being latched into the second latch hole 34 is provided between the two cylindrical divided portions 25 of the first clamping portion 29. A third latch hole 36 is provided at the end of the second clamping portion 30 on the hinge portion 31 side. A third latch claw 37 capable of being latched into the third latch hole 36 is provided at the end of the first clamping portion 29 on the hinge portion 31 side.

[0027] When the first clamping portion 29 is fixed and the second clamping portion 30 is in the above-mentioned clamping position, the first latching claw 33, the second latching claw 35, and the third latching claw 37 are latched to the first latching hole 32, the second latching hole 34, and the third latching hole 36, respectively.

[0028] A plurality of ribs 38 (four in this example) are provided at equal intervals in the axial direction at the center of each cylindrical divided portion 25 of the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30. Each rib 38 has a semicircular ring shape that can fit into a plurality of projections and recesses on the outer surface of the protective material 13 made of a corrugated pipe.

[0029] Therefore, when the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 clamp the hose 14 from above the protective material 13, each rib 38 fits (engages) with the unevenness on the outer surface of the protective material 13 to form a second fixing portion that fixes the position of the protective material 13 relative to the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30.

[0030] The diameter of the portion other than the expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 in each cylindrical accommodating portion 27 formed by combining the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 is set to be large enough to fit with the protective material 13 and smaller than the diameter of the first flange 20 of the mounting member 15. The diameter and thickness of the expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 in the cylindrical accommodating portion 27 are set to be slightly larger than the diameter and thickness of the first flange 20, respectively.

[0031] Therefore, when the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 clamp the tip portion of the hose 14 from above the protective material 13, the expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 engages with the first flange 20 to fix the position of the mounting member 15 relative to the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30.

[0032] <Function of Clamp 11> Next, the operation of attaching the clamp 11 to the tip ends of the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0033] When attaching clamp 11 to the tip ends of a pair of hoses 14 covered with protective material 13, first, mounting member 15 is attached to the tip ends of each hose 14 by inserting insertion portion 17 of body 16 of mounting member 15 into the opening at the tip of each hose 14. At this time, since insertion portion 17 of mounting member 15 is provided with return portion 22, insertion portion 17 of mounting member 15 is prevented from coming off hose 14.

[0034] Furthermore, at this time, the mounting member 15 from the first flange 20 to the fitting portion 19 is exposed from the hose 14. Next, the cap 18 is attached to the fitting portion 19 of the main body 16 of the mounting member 15. Next, the two cylindrical divided portions 25 of the first clamping portion 29 of the clamp 11 with the second clamping portion 30 in the non-clamping position are respectively fitted to the tip portions of the pair of hoses 14 from above the protective material 13. At this time, the first flanges 20 of the two mounting members 15 are inserted into and engaged with the divided enlarged diameter portions 26 of the two cylindrical divided portions 25 of the first clamping portion 29, respectively.

[0035] Next, the second clamping portion 30 of the clamp 11 is rotated from the non-clamping position to the clamping position with the hinge portion 31 as the center of rotation. Then, the first latching claw 33, the second latching claw 35, and the third latching claw 37 are latched to the first latching hole 32, the second latching hole 34, and the third latching hole 36, respectively. As a result, the second clamping portion 30 is locked in the clamping position.

[0036] That is, the tip ends of the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 are clamped by the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 from above the protective material 13. In this state, the tip ends of the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 are respectively housed in the two cylindrical housing portions 27 formed between the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30. At this time, the ribs 38 formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical housing portion 27 fit into the unevenness of the outer surface of the protective material 13. Therefore, the position of the protective material 13 relative to the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30 is fixed.

[0037] Further, the first flanges 20 of the two mounting members 15 attached to the respective tip portions of the pair of hoses 14 are respectively accommodated in the two expanded diameter accommodating portions 28 formed between the first clamping portion 29 and the second clamping portion 30. At this time, the diameter of the portion of the cylindrical accommodating portion 27 other than the expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 is smaller than the diameter of the expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 of the cylindrical accommodating portion 27.

[0038] Therefore, expanding diameter accommodating portion 28 inhibits movement of first flange 20 by engaging with first flange 20, thereby fixing the position of mounting member 15 relative to first clamping portion 29 and second clamping portion 30. In other words, expanding diameter accommodating portion 28 fixes the position of hose 14 relative to first clamping portion 29 and second clamping portion 30 via mounting member 15. In this manner, the operation of mounting clamp 11 using mounting member 15 from above protective material 13 to the tip ends of a pair of hoses 14 in a state covered with protective material 13 is completed.

[0039] The clamps 11 are attached to the ends of the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 from above the protective material 13 using the attachment members 15, and are then hooked to hooks (not shown) formed at predetermined positions on the vehicle body in the hooking holes 24a of the vehicle body fixing parts 24. As a result, the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 are fixed to the vehicle body via the clamps 11.

[0040] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved. (1) In the mounting structure of the clamp 11, the pair of clamping portions 23 include an expanded diameter accommodating portion 28 that engages with the mounting member 15 to fix the position of the mounting member 15 relative to the pair of clamping portions 23 when the tip of the hose 14 is clamped from above the protective material 13, and each rib 38 that engages with the protective material 13 to fix the position of the protective material 13 relative to the pair of clamping portions 23.

[0041] According to this configuration, the position of the hose 14 can be fixed relative to the pair of clamping parts 23 via the mounting member 15 by the expanded diameter accommodating part 28, and the position of the protective material 13 can be fixed relative to the pair of clamping parts 23 by each rib 38. Therefore, the position of the hose 14 and the position of the protective material 13 can be fixed relative to the pair of clamping parts 23 without cutting the protective material 13. Therefore, the clamp 11 can be easily attached to the hose 14 covered with the protective material 13.

[0042] (2) In the mounting structure of the clamp 11, the pair of clamping portions 23 are integrally formed via the hinge portion 31. The pair of clamping portions 23 are configured to be rotatable about the hinge portion 31 between a clamping position where the hose 14 is clamped from above the protective material 13 and a non-clamping position where the hose 14 is not clamped from above the protective material 13.

[0043] According to this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a case in which the pair of clamping portions 23 are configured from separate members. (3) In the mounting structure of clamp 11, pair of clamping portions 23 are symmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to hose 14 at the center in the direction in which hose 14 extends.

[0044] According to this configuration, the pair of clamping parts 23 can be attached to the tip end of hose 14 covered with protective material 13 by sandwiching them from above protective material 13, without considering the orientation of the pair of clamping parts 23 in the extension direction of hose 14. Therefore, the efficiency of the attachment work of clamp 11 to the tip end of hose 14 covered with protective material 13 can be improved.

[0045] (Example of change) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other as long as they are not technically inconsistent.

[0046] 6, the long object is not limited to a hollow material such as the hose 14, but may be made of a long solid material 39 having a solid cross section. In this case, the main body 16 of the mounting member 15 is made solid, and a bottomed tubular outer fitting portion 40 that can be fitted onto the tip of the solid material 39 is provided on the main body 16 instead of the insertion portion 17.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the clamps 11 may be attached from above the protective material 13 not only to the tip ends of the pair of hoses 14 covered with the protective material 13 but also to the middle portion of the pair of hoses 14 other than the end portions.

[0048] The pair of clamping portions 23 of the clamp 11 do not necessarily have to be symmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to the hose 14 at the center in the direction in which the hose 14 extends. The pair of clamping portions 23 of the clamp 11 may be configured as separate members.

[0049] The number of cylindrical receiving portions 27 in the clamp 11 may be one or three or more. The protective material 13 is not limited to a corrugated pipe, and may be a pipe having no irregularities on its outer surface. In this case, the protruding length of each rib 38 provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical housing portion 27 of the pair of clamping parts 23 in the clamp 11 is set to an extent that the position of the protective material 13 relative to the pair of clamping parts 23 can be fixed by pressing the rib 38 against the protective material 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 11…Clamp 12…Module 13...Protective material 14...Hose as an example of a long object 15...Mounting material 16…Main body 17...Insertion part 18…Cap 19…Fitting part 20…First flange 21...Second flange 21a…Seal surface 22…Returned part 23...Holding part 24…Vehicle body fixing part 24a...Latching hole 25…Cylinder division section 26...Divided enlarged diameter section 27…Cylindrical housing section 28...Expanded diameter housing portion constituting the first fixing portion 29...First clamping part 30…Second clamping part 31…Hinge part 32...1st latching hole 33…First latching claw 34…Second latching hole 35…Second latching claw 36…Third latching hole 37…Third latching claw 38…Rib constituting the second fixing part 39…Solid material 40…Outer fitting part

Claims

1. A mounting structure for a clamp that is attached to a long object that extends from a module mounted on a vehicle and is covered with a long cylindrical protective material, a pair of clamping parts that are attached to the elongated object covered with the protective material by clamping the elongated object from above the protective material; and an attachment member attached to the tip end of the elongated object in a state where a part of the attachment member is exposed from the protective material, the pair of clamping parts includes a first fixing part that engages with the mounting member to fix a position of the mounting member relative to the pair of clamping parts when the tip end of the elongated object is clamped from above the protective material, and a second fixing part that engages with the protective material to fix a position of the protective material relative to the pair of clamping parts, A clamp mounting structure characterized in that the pair of clamping portions are shaped symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to the elongated object at the center in the direction in which the elongated object extends.

2. The clamp mounting structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the pair of clamping portions are formed integrally via a hinge portion and are configured to be rotatable around the hinge portion between a clamping position in which the long object is clamped from above the protective material and a non-clamping position in which the long object is not clamped from above the protective material.

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