Fastening device for cable ties

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastening device (1). The fastening device (1) has a fastening opening (5) for a cable tie (KB). The fastening opening (5) has, at a first end (1a), two locking grooves (6) which lie opposite one another and are separated from one another in the width direction of the fastening opening (5) by a web (11), a free end of which projects into the fastening opening (5), and the fastening opening has, at a second end (1b), a mounting cutout (7), which extends over the entire width of the fastening opening (5), for threading in a cable tie (KB). Each of the two locking grooves (6) lying opposite one another is connected to the mounting cutout (7) via connecting slots (9) which are likewise separated from one another in the width direction of the fastening opening (5) by the web (11), and the locking grooves (6) are dimensioned so as to extend further towards one another and further away from one another in the width direction of the fastening opening (5) than the connecting slots (9) such that the locking grooves form projections into the web (11) and also in the opposite direction in the width direction. The invention also relates to a cable support system (51), to a rail vehicle (50), and to a method for locking a cable (EK) to a fastening device (1).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Mounting device for cable ties

[0003] The invention relates to a fastening device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a cable support system with such a fastening device. In addition, the invention relates to a rail vehicle. Moreover, the invention relates to a method for securing a cable to a fastening device.

[0004] Electrical cables in complex systems must be routed and secured to achieve a clear arrangement, especially for maintenance and repair purposes.

[0005] To save time in production and maintenance, it is desirable that securing cables with cable ties to mounting holes takes as little time as possible. The ability to insert a cable tie into a mounting hole with just one hand would be advantageous. However, current mounting hole geometries, due to their narrow opening or unfavorable overall geometry, do not allow for one-handed cable tie insertion. A groove on one side does not prevent the cable tie from slipping after insertion. A wide tongue restricts smaller cable bundles or cable diameters by pulling the cable tie at an angle, preventing optimal pre-tensioning of the cable tie when tightening.

[0006] Conventional cable tie fastening devices with horseshoe-shaped or U-shaped mounting holes are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, these arrangements are not suitable for pre-assembling the cable ties, even with one hand, and do not allow for optimal pre-tensioning of the cable tie for tightening. Pre-assembly is understood to mean inserting the cable tie into the mounting hole and positioning it around a cable within the hole.

[0007] The objective is therefore to provide a fastening device for cable ties and a suitable assembly method which, compared to the prior art, enable improved pre-assembly of a cable tie on the fastening device. This objective is achieved by a fastening device according to claim 1, a cable support system according to claim 7, a rail vehicle according to claim 8, and a method for locking a cable to a fastening device according to claim 9.

[0008] The fastening device according to the invention has a fastening opening for a cable tie. At a first end, the fastening opening comprises two opposing locking grooves, which are separated from each other by a rib projecting into the fastening opening with a free end in the direction of the width of the fastening opening. To illustrate, the two locking grooves form the feet of an omega-shaped recess. The rib forms the space, also referred to as the tongue, between the two feet and projects further into the fastening opening. The width is thus understood to be the horizontal direction or extent of the omega, and the length or longitudinal direction is understood to be the vertical extent of the omega.

[0009] Furthermore, the mounting opening includes a mounting cutout at a second end opposite the first end in the longitudinal direction of the mounting opening. This cutout extends across the entire width of the mounting opening and allows for the insertion of a cable tie. Visually, this mounting cutout forms the head of the omega-shaped recess.

[0010] The mounting opening also has two opposing connecting slots, which are also separated from each other by the web in the direction of the width of the mounting opening and connect the mounting cutout to the locking grooves.

[0011] In other words, the two opposing locking grooves, which form the "feet" of the Omega, are each connected to the mounting cutout via the connecting slots, i.e., slot-shaped connections, which are also separated from each other by the bridge in the direction of the width of the mounting opening.

[0012] The locking grooves are dimensioned more extensively in the direction of the width of the mounting opening, both towards and away from each other, than the connecting slots, so that they form projections into the web in the width direction and also in the opposite direction. The open cable tie is secured by the outer locking groove, which is adapted in its extent to the dimensions of the cable tie, in particular its width. Due to the geometry of the locking grooves, the cable tie remains in its position after insertion into the mounting opening. Any external influence cannot change the position of the cable tie.Due to the projections of the locking grooves, the web in the area of ​​the opposing locking grooves is narrower than in the area of ​​the connecting slots, thus allowing for increased preload of the cable tie compared to conventional locking recesses with a wider web. This prevents any vertical slippage of the cable or cable bundle caused by gravity.

[0013] Once the cable bundle is secured with a cable tie, the internal locking grooves prevent the closed cable tie from slipping. The optimized width of the web promotes optimal pre-tensioning of the cable tie, thus preventing any vertical slippage of the cable or cable bundle caused by gravity.

[0014] Furthermore, the geometry of the mounting hole can be adapted to different cable tie widths. This makes it versatile, flexible, and usable regardless of the cable tie manufacturer.

[0015] The cable support system according to the invention comprises a fastening device according to the invention. A cable support system preferably comprises one of the following types of cable support systems: a cable duct, a cable holder, a frame, or a side wall of a rail vehicle. Each of these components is suitable for fastening a cable to it. The cable support system according to the invention shares the advantages of the fastening device according to the invention.

[0016] The rail vehicle features a fastening device according to the invention. The rail vehicle according to the invention shares the advantages of the fastening device according to the invention. In particular, production, maintenance, and repair work involving the laying, replacement, or removal and installation of cables can be accelerated, since the fixing or pre-assembly of the cables can now be carried out with one hand.

[0017] In the inventive method for securing a cable, preferably a cable to a fastening device, a cable tie is inserted into a mounting cutout of a fastening opening of the fastening device. The term "cable" is to be understood as both a single cable and a cable bundle, in particular an electrical cable or even an electrical cable bundle.

[0018] The cable tie is preferably inserted into the mounting cutout of the fastening opening, also referred to as the head area or mounting area, using only one hand, and pushed through the connecting slots into the locking grooves and released.

[0019] The cable tie is then moved through the connecting slots into the locking grooves.

[0020] The cable is then moved to the mounting opening in the longitudinal direction of the bridge.

[0021] Finally, the cable tie is closed and tightened.

[0022] For this purpose, a cable or cable bundle, in particular an electrical cable or electrical cable bundle, is placed on the mounting opening in the longitudinal direction of the bridge and then the cable tie is closed and tightened.

[0023] A simplified cable tie can be advantageously used to mount a cable to a fastening device with increased reliability and speed.

[0024] The dependent claims and the subsequent description each contain particularly advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention. In particular, the claims of one claim category may also be further developed analogously to the dependent claims of another claim category and their descriptive parts. Furthermore, within the scope of the invention, the various features of different embodiments and claims may also be combined to form new embodiments.

[0025] In one variant of the fastening device according to the invention, its opening cross-section has at least one of the following geometries:

[0026] - an omega-shaped geometry,

[0027] - an approximately square outline, which is only interrupted by the projections of the locking grooves,

[0028] - a bridge with a mushroom-shaped outline. As mentioned previously, this omega-shaped geometry offers the advantage of one-handed pre-assembly of the cable tie compared to a horseshoe-shaped geometry. Compared to a U-shaped geometry, the mushroom-shaped bridge and its narrower, and therefore optimized, width in the area of ​​the locking grooves (compared to a uniformly shaped bridge without tapering) result in increased preload after tightening the cable tie. This prevents any vertical slippage of the cable caused by gravity. The projections of the locking grooves allow for the temporary, reliable, and immovable positioning of the cable tie ends in the locking grooves before the cable tie is tightened. This improves process reliability.The omega-shaped geometry also allows for improved scalability of the mounting opening compared to previous geometries.

[0029] In one embodiment of the fastening device according to the invention, the two locking grooves have a longitudinal extension, i.e., transverse to the direction of the width of the fastening opening, that is at least the width of a cable tie intended for fastening. Particularly preferably, the locking grooves have a longitudinal extension that is not significantly larger than the width of the cable tie, so that the cable tie is held in the locking mechanism during pre-assembly and can be inserted more easily with one hand.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the fastening device according to the invention, the projections of the locking grooves are therefore designed to fix a cable tie in a longitudinal position within the locking grooves. Advantageously, this prevents the cable tie from slipping longitudinally.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the connecting slots are arranged parallel to each other. Advantageously, a cable tie, after being inserted into the mounting cutout, can be easily moved with both ends towards the locking grooves.

[0032] Preferably, the mounting cutout runs transversely, preferably vertically, aligned with the connection slots and, since it extends over the entire width of the mounting opening, offers sufficient space for the placement and threading of a cable tie. The locking grooves are also preferably rectangular, particularly preferably with rounded corners, so that the special shape particularly facilitates and simplifies the placement, fixing, and locking of a cable tie.

[0033] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures and exemplary embodiments. The figures show:

[0034] FIG 1 shows a schematic representation of a first conventional fastening device,

[0035] FIG 2 shows a schematic representation of a second conventional fastening device,

[0036] FIG 3 shows a schematic top view of two fastening devices according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0037] FIG 4 shows a schematic side view of a web of a fastening device according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0038] FIG 5 shows a representation of a rail vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention with a fastening device according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0039] FIG 6 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for locking an electrical cable to a fastening device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0040] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation 10 of a first conventional fastening device 1. Figure 1 shows a top view of the conventional fastening device 1 in an upper partial view and a side view of the conventional fastening device 1 in a lower partial view.

[0041] The fastening device 1 includes a horseshoe-shaped mounting opening 5. A tongue-shaped rib 11 projects into the mounting opening 5. As can be seen in the lower partial view, an electrical cable EK to be fastened is placed on the fastening device 1, and a cable tie KB is first inserted through a semi-circular recess 4, which is part of the mounting opening 5. The two ends of the cable tie KB are then moved to the locking grooves 6 and tightened. Since the tongue-shaped rib 11 is relatively wide, the angle at which the cable tie KB is pre-tensioned by being wrapped around the electrical cable EK and the wide rib 11 is greater than 90°. This contributes to the fact that the pre-tension of the cable tie is not optimal when tightened.Due to the narrow design of the mounting opening 5 and especially the geometric design of the semi-circular recess 4, one-handed pre-assembly of a cable tie KB is not easily possible.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation 20 of a second conventional fastening device 1, again with a top partial view and a bottom partial view. The top partial view is a top view and the bottom partial view is a side view.

[0043] The fastening device 1 includes a fastening opening 5, which, unlike the conventional version shown in FIG. 1, has a U-shape. A T-shaped web 11 projects into the fastening opening 5. As can be seen in the lower partial view, an electrical cable EK to be fastened is placed on the fastening device 1, and a cable tie KB is first inserted through a mounting cutout 7, which is part of the fastening opening 5. The two ends of the cable tie KB are then moved via connecting slots 9 to the locking grooves 6 and tightened. Since the T-shaped web 11 is relatively wide, the angle at which the cable tie KB is pre-tensioned by wrapping it around the electrical cable EK and the wide web 11 is greater than 90°.This fact contributes to the fact that the pretension of the cable tie is not optimal when tightening, and therefore the cable to be fastened may slip during the installation of the cable tie.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view 30 of two fastening devices 1 according to an embodiment of the invention, with different scales. The left fastening device 1 is slightly smaller than the right fastening device 1, but they both have an analogous shape.

[0045] The mounting openings 5 ​​are each omega-shaped and are characterized by two protruding locking grooves 6 at a first end 1a and by a wide mounting cutout 7 at a second end 1b. The further development of the previously known horseshoe and U-shaped geometries into an omega-shaped profile improves the mounting options. On the one hand, it is now possible to position the cable tie KB (not shown in FIG. 3, see FIG. 4) in the mounting opening 5 with just one hand, due to the special shape of the mounting opening 5. Furthermore, the special shape of the mounting opening 5 allows an open cable tie KB to retain its position after being inserted into the mounting cutout 7 and slid into the locking grooves 6, before the electrical cable KB is tightened in the locking grooves 6.The entire mounting opening 5, and in particular the width of the locking grooves 6, is specifically adapted to a cable tie width. Furthermore, the so-called mushroom geometry of the web 11, due to the rounded tip of the web 11, facilitates the insertion and placement of the cable tie KB in the mounting opening 5.

[0046] As illustrated in side view 40 in FIG. 4, an electrical cable EK to be fastened is placed on the fastening device 1 (see FIG. 3) or on the web 11 of the fastening device 1, and a cable tie KB is first passed through a mounting cutout 7, which is part of the fastening opening 5. The two ends of the cable tie KB are then moved via connecting slots 9 to the locking grooves 6 and tightened. Since the mushroom-shaped web 11 is relatively narrow at its "stem," the angle at which the cable tie KB is pre-tensioned by wrapping it around the electrical cable EK and the narrow "stem" of the mushroom-shaped web 11 is less than 90°.This fact contributes to improving the preload of the cable tie when tightening compared to the configurations shown in FIG 1 and FIG 2, and prevents vertical slippage of the electrical cable EK caused by gravity after tightening the cable tie KB.

[0047] FIG 5 shows a representation of a rail vehicle 50 according to an embodiment of the invention with a fastening device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention in a cable carrier system 51.

[0048] FIG 6 shows a flowchart 600 illustrating a method for locking an electrical cable KB to a fastening device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0049] In step 6.I, a cable tie KB is inserted into a mounting cutout 7 of a fastening opening 5 of a fastening device 1. In step 6.11, the cable tie KB is pushed through the connecting slots 9 into the locking grooves 6.

[0050] In step 6.III, the electrical cable EK is placed on the mounting opening 5 in the longitudinal direction of the web 11.

[0051] In step 6.IV, the cable tie KB is closed and tightened.

[0052] Finally, it should be noted once again that the methods and devices described above are merely preferred embodiments of the invention and that the invention can be varied by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, insofar as it is defined by the claims. For the sake of completeness, it should also be noted that the use of the indefinite articles "a" or "an" does not preclude the possibility that the features in question may be present multiple times. Likewise, the term "unit" does not preclude the possibility that it consists of several components, which may also be spatially distributed.

[0053] Reference symbol list

[0054] 1 fastening device

[0055] 1a first end

[0056] I b second end

[0057] 4 semi-circular recesses

[0058] 5 Mounting opening

[0059] 6 locking slots

[0060] 7 Mounting cutout

[0061] 9 connection slots

[0062] 10 Schematic representation of a first conventional fastening device

[0063] II Bridge

[0064] 20 Schematic representation of a second conventional fastening device

[0065] 30 Schematic top view of two fastening devices

[0066] 40 side view

[0067] 50 rail vehicles

[0068] 51 Cable tray system

[0069] EK Electrical Cables / Cables

[0070] KB cable ties

Claims

Patent claims 1. Fastening device (1) comprising a fastening opening (5) for a cable tie (KB), wherein the fastening opening (5) comprises: - at a first end (1a) two opposing locking grooves (6) which are separated from each other by a web (11) projecting into the fastening opening (5) with a free end in the direction of the width of the fastening opening (5), and - at a second end (1b) opposite the first end (1a) in the longitudinal direction of the mounting opening (5) a mounting cutout (7) extending over the entire width of the mounting opening (5) for threading a cable tie (KB), - two opposing connecting slots (9), which are also separated from each other by the web (11) in the direction of the width of the mounting opening (5) and connect the mounting cutout (7) to the locking grooves (6), wherein the locking grooves (6) are dimensioned more extensively in the direction of the width of the mounting opening (5) both towards each other and away from each other than the connecting slots (9), so that they form projections into the web (11) in the direction of the width and also in the opposite direction to it.

2. Fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the opening cross-section has at least one of the following geometries: - an omega-shaped geometry, - an approximately square outline, which is only interrupted by the projections of the locking grooves (6), - a bridge (11) with a mushroom-shaped outline.

3. Fastening device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two locking grooves (6) have a longitudinal extension, i.e. transverse to the direction of the width of the fastening opening (5), which has at least the width of a cable tie (KB) provided for fastening.

4. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the projections of the locking grooves (6) are formed to fix a longitudinal position of a cable tie (KB) in the locking grooves (6).

5. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting slots (9) are designed to run parallel to each other.

6. Fastening device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting cutout (5) is designed to extend transversely to the connecting slots (9).

7. Cable support system (51) comprising a fastening device (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

8. Rail vehicle (50) comprising a fastening device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 6.

9. Method for locking a cable (EK) to a fastening device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps: - Inserting a cable tie (KB) into a mounting cutout (7) of a fastening opening (5) the fastening device (1), - Moving the cable tie (KB) through the connecting slots (9) into the locking grooves (6) - Place the cable (EK) onto the mounting opening (5) in the longitudinal direction of the web (11), - Closing and tightening the cable tie (KB).

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