Clips for attaching fluid lines to the arms

Abstract

The present invention relates to a clip (1) for attaching a fluid conduit (102) to a wiper arm (100) of an injection system for a motor vehicle, the clip (1) having an overall V-shaped configuration, the base of the V-shape forming a receptacle (5) for a portion of the fluid conduit (102), the clip (1) comprising a first retaining arm (3 a) and a second retaining arm (3 b) located at a first end (1 a) and a second end (1 b) of the V-shape and extending towards each other, the retaining arms (3 a, 3 b) being axially asymmetrical, intended to be parallel to the fluid conduit (102), such that the space between the two retaining arms (3 a, 3 b) forms an opening having a diverging shape in an axial direction (Δ).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of washer fluid injection systems for motor vehicles, in particular to washer systems comprising injection nozzles on the wiper arms on which the wiper blades are arranged and / or on the wiper blades themselves. [Background technology]

[0002] Spraying the cleaning fluid onto the wiper arms and / or blades involves conveying the cleaning fluid to the spray nozzles. This conveyance is achieved by piping, also called hoses, through which the cleaning fluid circulates. The impelling of the cleaning fluid through the piping is achieved, for example, by a pump of the cleaning system, which is configured to pump the cleaning fluid from a reservoir to the spray nozzles.

[0003] Therefore, the tubing must be attached to the wiper arm. For this purpose, clips exist that can be evenly positioned along the tubing and the wiper arm. However, prior art clips often have certain drawbacks, such as being tedious and / or requiring a long time to install, and interfering with the tubing when installed on the wiper arm. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is therefore necessary to find a solution that allows for easy attachment of the tubing to the wiper arm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To that end, the invention proposes a clip for attaching a fluid pipe to a wiper arm of an injection system for a motor vehicle, said clip having an overall shape that is V-shaped, the base of the V-shape forming a receptacle for a portion of the fluid pipe, said clip comprising a first retaining arm and a second retaining arm that are located at the first and second ends of the V-shape and extend towards each other, said retaining arms being axially asymmetrical in order to be parallel to the fluid pipe so that the space between the two retaining arms forms an opening that has an axially flared shape.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, the end of the holding arm is linear and forms an inclination angle of 5° to 10° with the axial direction.

[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, the distance between the support arms is 90% to 110% of the width of the wiper arm at the maximum spacing of these support arms.

[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, the distance between the support arms is 70% to 90% of the width of the wiper arm at the smallest spacing between these support arms.

[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, the retaining arms have a chamfered shape on their outer surface to facilitate insertion of the clip onto the wiper arm.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, the angle of the chamfered shape is 15° to 20°.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the overall V-shaped configuration has rounded corners.

[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, the clip comprises two ridges disposed on two inner walls of the V-shape, respectively, to define a receptacle adapted to receive a portion of the fluid tube.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, the raised portion extends from the V-shaped inner wall at an angle of 90° to 120° and has a height of 0.1 to 0.3 times the diameter of the fluid pipe.

[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, the clip is made from a plastic material, particularly ethylene propylene.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for attaching a fluid conduit to a wiper arm of an injection system for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: - providing at least one clip as described above; - placing a portion of the fluid tube in a receptacle of at least one clip, in particular by moving the ends of the V-shape apart or by sliding the fluid tube into the bottom of the V-shape; - placing at least one clip on the wiper arm by pushing the clip towards the wiper arm while placing the retaining arm against the wiper arm so that a portion of the wiper arm can be inserted inside the V-shape; The present invention relates to a method comprising:

[0016] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent on reading the following description, given by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, and from the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a clip according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a clip positioned around a portion of a fluid conduit. [Figure 3] 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the positioning of the clip on the wiper arm. [Figure 4] 3 shows a flow chart of the various steps of a method for attaching a fluid conduit to a wiper arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In these figures, identical elements have the same reference numbers.

[0019] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference relates to the same embodiment or that a feature applies only to one embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments can be combined or substituted to provide other embodiments.

[0020] Implementations and embodiments of the present invention relate in particular to a clip 1 for a liquid injection system for a motor vehicle. As shown in Figure 3, the clip 1 is adapted to allow attachment to the wiper arm 100 of a fluid conduit 102 for supplying a cleaning fluid to a spray nozzle (not shown) arranged on the wiper arm 100 and / or a wiper blade attached to said wiper arm 100.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an overall V-shaped clip 1, including a first retaining arm 3a and a second retaining arm 3b located at first and second ends 1a and 1b of the V, respectively, and extending toward each other. The space between the two retaining arms 3a and 3b forms an opening that flares in the axial direction, such that the retaining arms 3a and 3b are asymmetric in the axial direction. The axial direction, indicated by axis Δ in the figure, corresponds to a direction parallel to the orientation of the fluid conduit 102 or the wiper arm 100 when the clip 1 is attached to a portion of the fluid conduit 102 and / or a portion of the wiper arm 100. In the example of FIGS. 1-3, the ends of the retaining arms 3a and 3b are straight and angled 5° to 10° relative to the axial direction, although other non-linear shapes can also be used, such as flaring, e.g., curved, and particularly convex. The flaring shape formed by the space between the retaining arms 3a and 3b facilitates attachment of the clip 1 to the wiper arm 100 and allows for proper centering of the clip 1. The distance between the retaining arms 3a, 3b at their maximum spacing is, for example, 90% to 110% of the width of the wiper arm 100 so that the clip 1 can be easily inserted and positioned on the wiper arm 100, and the distance between the retaining arms 3a, 3b at their minimum spacing is, for example, 70% to 90% of the width of the wiper arm 100 so that the clip 1 can be securely attached to the wiper arm 100.

[0022] The holding arms 3a and 3b may have a chamfered shape on their outer surfaces to facilitate insertion of the clip 1 onto the wiper arm 100. The angle of the chamfered shape is, for example, 15° to 20°.

[0023] The V-shaped base of the clip 1 forms a receptacle 5 for a portion of the fluid conduit 102. Raised portions 7a and 7b may be formed on the inner wall of the V-shape to define this receptacle and avoid any interference with the fluid conduit 102 when the clip 1 is attached to the wiper arm 100. The raised portions 7a and 7b may extend, for example, at an angle of 90° to 120° (from the wall of the V-shape) and have a height, for example, of 0.1 to 0.3 times the diameter of the fluid conduit 102, so that a portion of the fluid conduit 102 can be easily inserted into the receptacle 5 while still being retained therein. The ends of the raised portions 7a and 7b may have a rounded shape. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of the fluid conduit 102 positioned within the receptacle 5.

[0024] Depending on the requirements, the ridges 7a, 7b allow either sliding of the fluid tube or clamping of the fluid tube, thereby allowing the fastener to be held in place on said fluid tube.

[0025] Various angles of the clip 1, particularly the V-shaped angles, may be rounded as in the embodiment of Figures 1-3. Furthermore, the thickness of the walls of the clip 1 may vary. The base of the V-shape may have a thinner wall than the two side walls to provide elasticity that allows the two ends of the V-shape to be easily separated. Furthermore, the retaining arms 3a, 3b may have a thin thickness to facilitate positioning on the wiper arm 100.

[0026] Preferably, the clip 1 is made from a plastic material, in particular ethylene propylene.

[0027] The invention also relates to a method for attaching a fluid conduit 102 to a wiper arm 100 of an injection system for a motor vehicle using one or more clips 1 as described above. Figure 4 shows the various steps of the method.

[0028] The first step 101 involves providing one or more clips.

[0029] The second step 102 involves placing a portion of the fluid conduit 102 in the receptacle 5 of the clip 1 as described above, in particular by separating the ends of the V-shape or by sliding the fluid conduit into the V-shape. To allow the fluid conduit 102 to be inserted into the clip 1, in particular into the receptacle 5, the ends of the V-shape can be separated by positioning the clip 1 so that the opening of the clip 1 located between the retaining arms 3 a, 3 b is in contact with the fluid conduit 102, and then by pressing the outer part of the base of the V-shape of the clip 1 in the direction of the fluid conduit 102. The second step 102 ends when a portion of the fluid conduit 102 is located in the receptacle 5, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0030] The third step 103 involves placing the clip 1 on the wiper arm 100 by pressing the clip 1 towards the wiper arm 100 while placing the retaining arms 3a, 3b against the wiper arm 100 so that after the ends of the clip 1 have been separated, part of the wiper arm 100 can be inserted inside the V-shape, i.e., between the receptacle 5 and the retaining arms 3a, 3b, as shown by the arrows in Figure 3.

[0031] If the installation requires multiple clips 1, steps 102 and 103 can be repeated for each clip 1. The order of these steps can be changed. For example, after all clips 1 are placed on the hydraulic pipe 102, the various clips 1 can be attached to the wiper arm 100, or the clips 1 can be positioned on the hydraulic pipe 102 and the wiper arm 100 sequentially.

Claims

1. 1. A clip (1) for attaching a fluid conduit (102) to a wiper arm (100) of an injection system for a motor vehicle, the clip (1) having an overall shape that is V-shaped, a base of the V-shape forming a receptacle (5) for a portion of the fluid conduit (102), the clip (1) comprising a first retaining arm (3 a) and a second retaining arm (3 b), the retaining arms (3 a, 3 b) being located at a first end (1 a) and a second end (1 b) of the V-shape and extending towards each other, the retaining arms (3 a, 3 b) being axially asymmetrical intended to be parallel to the fluid conduit (102) such that the space between the two retaining arms (3 a, 3 b) forms an opening having a diverging shape in an axial direction (Δ).

2. 2. A clip (1) according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the retaining arms (3a, 3b) are straight and form an inclination angle of 5° to 10° with the axial direction (Δ).

3. A clip (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the retaining arms (3a, 3b) is 90% to 110% of the width of the wiper arm (100) at the maximum spacing between the retaining arms (3a, 3b).

4. A clip (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the retaining arms (3a, 3b) is 70% to 90% of the width of the wiper arm (102) at the smallest spacing between the retaining arms (3a, 3b).

5. The clip (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the retaining arms (3a, 3b) have a chamfered shape on the outer surface of the retaining arms (3a, 3b) to facilitate insertion of the clip (1) onto the wiper arm (100).

6. The clip (1) according to claim 5, wherein the angle of the chamfered shape is between 15° and 20°.

7. A clip (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the overall V-shaped configuration has rounded corners.

8. The clip (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising two ridges (7a, 7b) arranged on two inner walls of the V-shape, respectively, to define the receptacle (5) adapted to receive the portion of the fluid tube (102).

9. The clip (1) according to claim 8, wherein the ridges (7a, 7b) extend at an angle of 90° to 120° from the inner wall of the V-shape and have a height of 0.1 to 0.3 times the diameter of the fluid conduit (102).

10. A method for attaching a fluid conduit (102) to a wiper arm (100) of an injection system for a motor vehicle, the method comprising: Providing at least one clip (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9; placing a portion of the fluid conduit (102) in the receptacle (5) of said at least one clip (1), in particular by moving the ends (1 a, 1 b) of said V-shape apart or by sliding said fluid conduit towards the bottom of said V-shape; placing the at least one clip (1) on the wiper arm (100) by pushing the clip (1) towards the wiper arm (100) while placing the retaining arms (3a, 3b) against the wiper arm (100) so that a portion of the wiper arm (100) can be inserted inside the V-shape; A method comprising:

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