Clip and sensor device

Abstract

A clip (20) for securing a wire comprises: a base (21) on which is formed a wire attachment part to which the wire is attached; and a hook part (24, 24a) provided upright from the base (21) and having a claw (25, 25a) formed at the distal end thereof. The claw (25, 25a) is bent in an inverted taper shape.

Description

Clip and sensor device Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-24430, filed on 18 February 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to clips and sensor devices.

[0003] Sensor devices equipped with ultrasonic sensors, etc., are used by connecting a harness when mounted on the bumper of a vehicle. To reduce the load on the sensor device due to the bending and tension of the harness, it is necessary to determine the position of the harness. One method of fixing the harness is to fix the harness to the housing of the sensor unit that houses the ultrasonic sensor, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another method is to attach clips to the harness and then attach the clips to the sensor unit to fix the harness.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-264264

[0005] When using a clip, for example, one method is to provide a protrusion on the housing of the sensor unit, a claw on the front of the clip, and engage the claw of the clip with the protrusion on the sensor unit to fix the clip to the sensor unit. In this method, if the angle of the claw is set to 90 degrees, when the clip is pulled to the back side by the harness and bent, the protrusion and the claw will make line contact. Specifically, the back surface of the claw and the corner of the protrusion will only come into contact in a narrow, straight area. In such line contact, the contact area between the claw and the protrusion is small and the frictional force is insufficient, so the holding force of the clip decreases and the clip is more likely to come off the sensor unit. In view of the above points, this disclosure aims to provide a clip and sensor device with high holding force.

[0006] To achieve the above objective, according to one aspect of this disclosure, a clip for fixing an electric wire comprises a base having an electric wire attachment portion to which the electric wire is attached, and a hook portion erected from the base and having a claw formed at its tip, wherein the claw is bent in an inverse tapered shape.

[0007] When the claws are bent in a reverse taper shape, when the clip bends due to being pulled by the wire, the claws and the protrusions formed on the sensor unit or other component to which the clip is attached come into surface contact. As a result, the contact area between the claws and the protrusions increases, and the friction between the claws and the protrusions firmly secures the clip to the sensor unit or other component. Therefore, the holding force of the clip increases.

[0008] The reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between that component and the specific components described in the embodiments described later.

[0009] This is a perspective view of the sensor device according to the first embodiment. This is a perspective view of the harness, connector, and clamp. This is a front view of the clip. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. This is a cross-sectional view near the hooking portion. This is a cross-sectional view near the hooking portion. This is a cross-sectional view near the hooking portion. This is a perspective view showing the assembly process of the sensor device. This is a perspective view showing the assembly process of the sensor device following Figure 8A. This is a perspective view showing the assembly process of the sensor device following Figure 8B. This is a cross-sectional view near the hooking portion when the clip is pulled in the comparative example. This is a cross-sectional view near the hooking portion when the clip is pulled in the first embodiment.

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equivalent to each other will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0011] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment will now be described. As shown in Figure 1, the sensor device 1 of this embodiment comprises a sensor unit 10 and a clip 20. Figure 1 illustrates how the sensor device 1 is mounted on a vehicle 100. The sensor unit 10 houses, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter-wave sensor, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) sensor, and is positioned on the back surface of the bumper 101 of the vehicle 100.

[0012] The front-to-back direction of the sensor device 1 is defined as the x-direction, the up-and-down direction perpendicular to the x-direction is defined as the y-direction, and the left-to-right direction perpendicular to both the x-direction and the y-direction is defined as the z-direction. One side of each component of the sensor device 1 in the x-direction is defined as the front, and the other side as the back.

[0013] The sensor unit 10 includes a housing 11. The housing 11 is a box-shaped member with a space formed inside, and inside the housing 11 are sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor and a control circuit for the sensor. A cylindrical connection part 12 is formed on one side of the housing 11 in the z direction. Wiring connected to the control circuit is passed through the inside of the connection part 12, and when a connector 3 (described later) is inserted into the connection part 12, the control circuit is connected to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) etc. via a harness 2 (described later). The housing 11, the connection part 12, and the protrusions 13a and 13b (described later) are made of a resin such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate).

[0014] Clip 20 is used to secure the harness 2, which is an electric wire as shown in Figure 2. A connector 3 is connected to the tip of the harness 2. A clamp 4 is attached to the portion of the harness 2 that is away from the connector 3. The clamp 4 is used to secure the harness 2 to the clip 20. An annular harness fixing portion 41 is formed on the back of the clamp 4, and the harness 2 is passed through the harness fixing portion 41. In addition, a portion of the front of the clamp 4 protrudes to form an engaging portion 42. The engaging portion 42 is the part that engages with the clip 20. Clip 20 is made of a resin that is flexible and tough. For example, clip 20 is made of POM (polyacetal) resin.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1, 3, and 4, the clip 20 is equipped with a plate-shaped base 21. The base 21 is positioned so that the x-direction is the thickness direction. A wire attachment portion 22 to which the harness 2 is attached is formed on the upper part of the base 21. Specifically, a through hole 23 is formed on the upper part of the base 21 that penetrates the base 21 in the thickness direction, and the harness 2 is fixed to the clip 20 via the clamp 4 by the engagement portion 42 with the through hole 23.

[0016] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a hook portion 24 is erected on the front side of the base portion 21. The hook portion 24 is the part that fixes the base portion 21 to the sensor unit 10. As shown in Figure 4, the hook portion 24 is erected in the x direction from the front of the base portion 21, and its tip is bent to form a claw 25.

[0017] Four hooking portions 24 are formed on the base portion 21. Two of the four hooking portions 24 are designated as hooking portions 24a, and the other two as hooking portions 24b. Hooking portions 24a correspond to the first hooking portions, and hooking portions 24b correspond to the second hooking portions. The claws 25 on hooking portions 24a are designated as claws 25a, and the claws 25 on hooking portions 24b are designated as claws 25b. Claws 25a correspond to the first claws, and claws 25b correspond to the second claws.

[0018] In the y-direction, the two hooking portions 24a are located between the wire attachment portion 22 and the two hooking portions 24b. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the two hooking portions 24a are positioned to the right and left of the z-center of the base portion 21, respectively. Similarly, the two hooking portions 24b are positioned to the right and left of the z-center of the base portion 21, respectively.

[0019] As shown in Figure 4, protrusions 13a and 13b are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 11, respectively. Two protrusions 13a and 13b are formed and are positioned corresponding to the hooking portions 24a and 24b. The clip 20 is fixed to the sensor unit 10 by hooking the claws 25a onto the protrusions 13a and the claws 25b onto the protrusions 13b.

[0020] The protrusion 13a has a front surface perpendicular to the x-direction, a top surface perpendicular to the y-direction, and an angle of 90 degrees between the front and top surfaces. The protrusion 13b has a front surface perpendicular to the x-direction, a bottom surface perpendicular to the y-direction, and an angle of 90 degrees between the front and bottom surfaces.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the claw 25a is bent in an inverse tapered shape. Specifically, the hook portion 24a extends in the x direction so as to have a lower surface 24c perpendicular to the y direction, and the claw 25a is bent downwards in the y direction. The back surface 25c of the claw 25a is inclined so that the upper part is located in front of the lower part. That is, the angle between the lower surface 24c and the back surface 25c is θ １ Therefore, angle θ １ The angle is set to less than 90 degrees. In the x-direction, the base of the claw 25a is located in front of the tip of the claw 25a, and the distance between the tip of the claw 25a and the base 21 is shorter than the distance between the base of the claw 25a and the base 21. As shown in Figure 6, when the claw 25a is engaged with the protrusion 13a, a gap is formed between the lower surface 24c, the back surface 25c, and the front surface of the protrusion 13a.

[0022] As shown in Figure 7, the hook portion 24b extends in the x direction so as to have an upper surface 24d perpendicular to the y direction, and the claw 25b is bent upward in the y direction. The back surface 25d of the claw 25b is perpendicular to the x direction. That is, the angle between the upper surface 24d and the back surface 25d is θ ２ Then, θ ２ = 90°, θ １ <θ ２ It is said that...

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, a plate-shaped cover 26 is formed on the z-outward side of the hook portion 24 so as to cover the inner portion of the claw 25. The cover 26 is intended to prevent the clip 20 from detaching from the sensor unit 10 when the clip 20 is pulled in the z-direction by the harness 2.

[0024] The method for assembling the sensor device 1 to the vehicle 100 will be explained using Figures 8A to 8C. In the process shown in Figure 8A, a harness 2, a connector 3, and a clamp 4 are prepared. The tip of the harness 2 is connected to the connector 3, and the harness 2 is passed through the harness fixing portion 41 of the clamp 4. Then, as shown by the white arrow, the harness 2 is fixed to the clip 20 via the clamp 4 by engaging the engaging portion 42 with the through hole 23.

[0025] In the process shown in FIG. 8B, the sensor unit 10 is attached to the bumper 101, and the clip 20 is attached to the sensor unit 10. Specifically, as shown by the white arrow, the front surface of the base portion 21 is abutted against the rear surface of the housing 11, and the claw 25a is engaged with the convex portion 13a and the claw 25b is engaged with the convex portion 13b, so that the clip 20 is fixed to the sensor unit 10.

[0026] In the process shown in FIG. 8C, the connector 3 is inserted into the connection portion 12, and the harness 2 is connected to the sensor unit 10. In this way, the sensor device 1 and the harness 2 are assembled to the vehicle 100.

[0027] The effects of this embodiment will be described. In the comparative example shown in FIG. 9, the angle θ １ is 90 degrees. In such a configuration, when the load on the clip 20 is small, the front surface of the convex portion 13a and the rear surface 25c of the claw 25a are in surface contact. However, when the clip 20 is pulled to the rear side by the harness 2 from this state, as shown in FIG. 9, the front surface of the convex portion 13a and the rear surface 25c of the claw 25a are in line contact, so the holding force of the clip 20 is low.

[0028] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the angle θ １ is less than 90 degrees. In such a configuration, when the load on the clip 20 is small, the front surface of the convex portion 13a and the tip of the claw 25a are in line contact. Then, when the clip 20 is pulled to the rear side by the harness 2 from this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the front surface of the convex portion 13a and the rear surface 25c of the claw 25a are in surface contact.

[0029] As a result, the contact area between the convex portion 13a and the claw 25a becomes large, so that the clip 20 and the sensor unit 10 are firmly fixed by the friction between the convex portion 13a and the claw 25a. In addition, the surface pressure increases due to the force pulling the claw 25a to the rear side, and the frictional force increases, so that the clip 20 is more firmly fixed. Therefore, the holding force of the clip 20 becomes high.

[0030] And, by improving the holding force of the clip 20, the assembled state is stabilized and the rattling of the engaging portion between the sensor unit 10 and the clip 20 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the fluctuation of the position of the sensor device 1 due to the tension and weight of the harness 2, maintain the mounting position of the sensor device 1 well, and ensure the quality of the product performance.

[0031] Further, in the present embodiment, since the holding force is improved with a simple configuration in which the claw 25a is formed in an inverted taper shape, an increase in the size of the sensor device 1 is suppressed, and the sensor device 1 can be arranged in a narrow space behind the bumper 101. Further, the sensor device 1 of the present embodiment maintains the workability of assembly to the same extent as when θ １ = 90°, and since it is configured to be easily assembled by an operator, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defects in the assembly process.

[0032] Note that, the smaller the angle θ １ is, the more difficult it is for the clip 20 to come off from the sensor unit 10, but it becomes difficult to assemble the clip 20 to the sensor unit 10. Therefore, the angle θ is set so that it is easy for the operator to assemble the clip 20 to the sensor unit 10 and it is possible to prevent the clip 20 from coming off from the sensor unit 10 after assembly. １ and the depth of the claw 25a are preferably set.

[0033] As described above, in the present embodiment, the claw 25a is bent in an inverted taper shape. As a result, when the clip 20 is bent by being pulled by the harness 2, the convex portion 13a and the claw 25a come into surface contact with each other, so that the holding force of the clip 20 is increased due to an increase in frictional force.

[0034] Further, according to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0035] (1) θ １ < θ ２ is set. Since the claw 25a is closer to the wire attachment portion 22 than the claw 25b, a larger force is applied to the claw 25a than to the claw 25b. Therefore, θ １ < θ [[ID=By making the holding force of claw 25a higher than that of claw 25b, the overall holding force of the clip 20 can be efficiently improved.

[0036] (2) θ ２ The angle is set to 90°. This makes it easier to engage the claw 25b with the protrusion 13b, thereby improving the holding force of the clip 20 with the claw 25a and making it easier to assemble the clip 20 to the sensor unit 10.

[0037] (Other Embodiments) This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally essential. Furthermore, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiments are mentioned in the embodiments, they are not limited to those specific numbers unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally limited to a specific number. Furthermore, when the shapes, positional relationships, etc., of the components are mentioned in the embodiments, they are not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless explicitly stated or considered to be fundamentally limited to specific shapes, positional relationships, etc.

[0038] For example, the clip 20 may have only one hook portion 24a and 24b each, or it may have three or more hook portions 24a and 24b, or both. Also, θ ２ It may also be set to <90°. ２ <If 90°, then θ １ It may also be considered as =90°. ２ <θ １ It may be as follows. Depending on how the force is applied from harness 2 to clip 20, a greater force may be applied to claw 25b than to claw 25a. In such cases, θ ２ <θ １ By doing so, the overall holding power of the clip 20 can be efficiently improved.

[0039] (Perspectives of this Disclosure) [First Perspective] A clip (20) for fixing an electric wire (2), comprising: a base (21) having an electric wire attachment portion (22) to which the electric wire is attached; and a hook portion (24, 24a, 24b) erected from the base and having claws (25, 25a, 25b) formed at its tip, wherein the claws are bent in an inverse tapered shape. [Second Perspective] The clip according to the first perspective, wherein the hook portion is erected from the base on one side in the x direction, and in the x direction, the base of the claws is located on the one side relative to the tip of the claws. [Third viewpoint] The device has two hooking parts, the two hooking parts are designated as a first hooking part (24a) and a second hooking part (24b), the hooking parts are erected on one side in the x direction from the base, the first hooking part is located between the wire attachment part and the second hooking part in the y direction perpendicular to the x direction, the claws of the first hooking part and the second hooking part are designated as a first claw (25a) and a second claw (25b), and the angle between the first hooking part and the first claw is θ １ The angle between the second hook and the second claw is defined as θ. ２ As θ １ <θ ２ A clip as described in the first or second viewpoint. [Fourth viewpoint] θ ２ The clip described in the third viewpoint, which is set to 90°. [Fifth viewpoint] The clip has two hooking parts, the two hooking parts are designated as a first hooking part (24a) and a second hooking part (24b), the hooking parts are erected on one side in the x direction from the base, in the y direction perpendicular to the x direction, the first hooking part is located between the wire attachment part and the second hooking part, the claws of the first hooking part and the second hooking part are designated as a first claw (25a) and a second claw (25b), and the angle between the first hooking part and the first claw is θ １ The angle between the second hook and the second claw is defined as θ. ２ As θ ２ <θ １A clip as described in the first or second aspect. [Sixth aspect] A sensor device comprising a clip as described in any one of the first to fifth aspects, and a sensor unit (10), wherein the clip is fixed to the sensor unit by the claws being hooked onto protrusions (13a, 13b) provided on the sensor unit.

Claims

1. A clip (20) for fixing an electric wire (2), comprising: a base (21) having an electric wire attachment portion (22) to which the electric wire is attached; and hook portions (24, 24a, 24b) erected from the base and having claws (25, 25a, 25b) formed at their tips, wherein the claws are bent in an inverse tapered shape.

2. The clip according to claim 1, wherein the hook portion is erected on one side in the x-direction from the base portion, and in the x-direction, the base of the claw is located on the one side relative to the tip of the claw.

3. The device has two of the aforementioned hooking parts, the two hooking parts being designated as a first hooking part (24a) and a second hooking part (24b), the hooking parts being erected on one side in the x-direction from the base, the first hooking part being located between the wire attachment part and the second hooking part in the y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction, the claws of the first hooking part and the second hooking part being designated as a first claw (25a) and a second claw (25b), and the angle between the first hooking part and the first claw being θ １ The angle between the second hook and the second claw is defined as θ. ２ As θ １ <θ ２ The clip according to claim 1.

4. θ ２ The clip according to claim 3, wherein the angle is set to 90°.

5. It includes two hooking parts, and the two hooking parts are respectively the first hooking part (24a) and the second hooking part (24b). The hooking part is erected from the base part to one side in the x direction. In the y direction perpendicular to the x direction, the first hooking part is between the wire mounting part and the second hooking part. The claws included in the first hooking part and the second hooking part are respectively the first claw (25a) and the second claw (25b). The angle formed by the first hooking part and the first claw is θ １ Let it be, and the angle formed by the second hooking part and the second claw is θ ２ Let it be, and θ ２ <θ １ The clip according to claim 1, which is so provided.

6. A sensor device comprising a clip according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a sensor unit (10), wherein the clip is fixed to the sensor unit by the claws being hooked onto protrusions (13a, 13b) provided on the sensor unit.

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