Clip

Abstract

Provided is a clip that enables the clip to be reliably and easily pulled out without a tool slipping off a release operation part during an operation of gripping the release operation part with the tool to remove the clip from an attachment hole of a member.　A clip 3 comprises: a leg part 1 that is inserted into an attachment hole 5a provided in a mating attachment member 5; a flange part 2 that is integrated around the upper periphery of the leg part; an elastic engagement piece part 12 that forms a portion of the leg part, is pressed by the inner edge of the attachment hole in the process of inserting the leg part into the attachment hole and flexes inward as a result thereof, and elastically restores upon passing through the attachment hole so as to engage with the attachment hole; and a release operation part 13 that is integrated with the upper end of the elastic engagement piece part and enables disengagement by flexing the elastic engagement piece inward. The release operation part 13 also has an outer surface side facing the inner peripheral surface of the attachment hole set as an abutment surface 13a for a tool during a disengagement operation, and has a fragile rib 16 that is formed protruding from the abutment surface and restricts slipping of a tool 9.

Description

Clip

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a clip suitable for fastening members to each other or fixing an attachment member to an attachment counterpart member.

[0002] FIGS. 10A to 10C show an attachment structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In this structure, a clip (connector) is used to fix a hood molding, which is an attachment member, to an outer panel, which is a member to be attached. The clip includes: a leg portion (wall column portion) inserted into an attachment hole (engagement hole) provided in the outer panel; a flange portion (base plate portion) integrated around the upper periphery of the leg portion; a pair of elastic engagement pieces that form part of the leg portion, are pressed by the inner edge of the hole to bend inward during insertion of the leg portion into the attachment hole, restore by elastic force after passing through the hole, and engage with the attachment hole; and a release operation unit integrated on the upper side of each elastic engagement piece, which enables disengagement by being bent inward. Among these, the release operation unit is accommodated in an operation space provided in the flange portion in a state where the engagement pieces are engaged with the engagement hole as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C.

[0003] When removing the clip from the attachment hole, the tips of both arms of needle-nose pliers are brought into contact with the outer surface of the release operation unit through the operation space, the distance between the two arms is narrowed, the disengaged state is maintained, and the clip is pulled out from the attachment hole.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-214234

[0005] In the above-described disengagement operation, the tips of both arms of the needle-nose pliers easily slip off from the release operation unit, resulting in poor workability for pulling out the clip. This point becomes a factor that increases time and cost when, as in the use example of Patent Document 1, an attachment member such as a hood molding is fixed to an attachment counterpart member such as an outer panel using a large number of clips, since each clip must be disengaged and pulled out. Such a problem becomes more serious as the clip is downsized, and becomes a troublesome work in maintenance, disassembly, and the like.

[0006] The present invention aims to easily resolve the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, it aims to provide a clip that, when disengaging or pulling out the clip while pressing the disengagement portion with a tool such as needle-nose pliers, makes it less likely for the tool to slip off the disengagement portion of the clip, allowing for reliable and quick removal. Other objectives will be clarified in the following description.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a clip comprising: a leg portion inserted into a mounting hole provided in a target member; a flange portion integrated around the upper circumference of the leg portion; an elastic engaging piece portion that constitutes a part of the leg portion and is pressed inward by the inner edge of the mounting hole during the process of inserting the leg portion into the mounting hole, and elastically returns to its original shape after passing through the mounting hole to engage with the mounting hole; and a release operation portion integrated with the upper end of the elastic engaging piece portion to allow disengagement by bending the elastic engaging piece portion inward, wherein the release operation portion has an outer surface facing the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole set as a stop surface for a tool during disengagement operation, and has a fragile rib that protrudes from the stop surface to restrict the slippage of the tool 8.

[0008] The present invention described above is more preferably implemented in the following embodiments: (a) The rib extends in the vertical direction of the abutment surface. According to this embodiment, there is no undercut in mold forming, and thus it can be implemented without complicating the mold and reducing manufacturing costs. (b) The rib is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the horizontal cross-section, and the width dimension w is set to 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. According to this embodiment, the rib can be easily crushed to prevent the tool from coming off unintentionally. (c) Multiple ribs are provided. According to this embodiment, the multiple ribs reliably prevent the tool from slipping, thereby improving the ease of pulling out the clip in particular.

[0009] (e) The width dimension of the release operation portion is formed to be wider than the width of the elastic engagement piece portion. In this embodiment, the area of ​​the contact surface for the tool is also increased, making it easier to prevent the tool, such as needle-nose pliers, from coming off due to inadvertent lateral movement during the pulling operation, thereby improving work efficiency. (f) The elastic engagement pieces are provided in pairs corresponding to the opposing rectangular corners of the mounting hole, and the release operation portion penetrates the mounting hole while in contact with the inner surface portion of the corner of the mounting hole. In this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the elastic engagement piece from inadvertently slipping into the mounting hole.

[0010] In this invention, when pulling out a clip, if the release mechanism is grasped with a tool such as needle-nose pliers, the ribs are crushed, and the tool does not slip due to the gripping and sticking action of the crushed ribs against the contact surface, allowing for quick release and removal. As a result, even with a large number of clips, the engagement of the elastic engagement piece can be efficiently released and the clips removed, improving work efficiency.

[0011] [Correction based on Rule 91 09.03.2026] This is a schematic external view of the clip of the invention as seen from diagonally above. This is a schematic external view of the clip with a part of the flange portion broken off. Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D show the details of the clip, with 3A being a top view, 3B a front view, 3C a bottom view, and 3D a right side view. Figure 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3B along the line IVA-IVA, and Figure 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3D along the line IVB-IVB. Figure 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3B along the line VA-VA, and Figure 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3C along the line VB-VB. Figure 6A is a schematic diagram showing the mounting hole of the target member, Figure 6B is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the leg portion and the mounting hole before insertion into the mounting hole, and Figure 6C is a schematic cross-sectional view of Figure 3B along the line VIB-VIB, i.e., a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the leg portion and the mounting hole after insertion into the mounting hole. As examples of the use of the above clip, Figure 7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of using the clip to fix a mounting member to a mating member, and Figure 7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of using the clip to connect or fasten connecting members together. Figure 8A is a schematic diagram showing the state in which needle-nose pliers are inserted between the release operation part and the mounting hole in order to pull the above clip out of the mounting hole of the target member, and Figure 8B is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the elastic engaging piece is disengaged by bringing the release operation parts together with needle-nose pliers. Figure 9A is an enlarged view of section Y in Figure 1, and Figures 9B and C are schematic diagrams showing modified examples 1 and 2 with a changed rib shape. The clip (connecting device) of Patent Document 1 is shown, Figure 10A is Figure 2 of the same document 1, and Figures 10B and C are Figures 7(a) and (b) of the same document 1.

[0012] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. This description will detail the structure of the clip, clarify examples of its use and the main operation, such as the procedure for removing a clip used for maintenance from the mounting hole for retrieval, and then refer to modified examples. Note that the drawings are enlarged to make the details of the clip easier to understand.

[0013] (Structure) In Figures 1 to 6C, the example clip 3 is made of a resin injection molded body and can be used together with a tapping screw 4 to fix the mounting member 6 to the mounting mating member 5 or to fasten the connecting members 8 together, or it can be used alone. The structural features are as shown in Figures 6A to 6C, and include a substantially tubular leg portion 1 that is inserted into mounting holes 5a and 8a provided in the mounting mating member 5 and the connecting member 8, a flange portion 2 integrated around the upper end of the leg portion 1, a pair of support columns 11 and a pair of elastic engagement pieces 12 that each constitute a part of the leg portion 1, a release operation portion 13 integrated at the upper end of the elastic engagement piece 12 that allows the engagement to be released by bending the elastic engagement piece 12 inward, and a slip-restricting rib 16 formed on the release operation portion 13. The leg portion 1 and the flange portion 2 are provided with a vertical through hole 22 in the center, and the flange portion 2 is provided with an operating space 23 that allows the release operation portion 13 to be operated with a tool such as needle-nose pliers 9.

[0014] Of these, the leg portion 1 and flange portion 2 are provided with through holes 22 located in the center and opening in the vertical direction, as can be seen in Figures 3A to 4B. The through holes 22 are partitioned by the inner surfaces of both support portions 11 and both elastic engagement pieces 12. In this example, a pre-drilled portion is formed on the inner surface of the through hole 22, which is threaded by a tapping screw 4. The through hole 22 is formed at the lower part of the leg portion 1, as shown in Figure 3C, by opening an elongated hole in the roughly rectangular bottom wall 15, and at the upper part, as shown in Figures 3A and 4B, by inclining the inside of the elastic engagement pieces 12 on both sides so that the spacing gradually widens from approximately the middle to the upper end. The inner surface of each support portion 11 is provided with an elongated protrusion 24 with a convex cross-section extending from the top to the bottom wall 15. Each protrusion 24 is threaded by a tapping screw 4. Reference numeral 15a in Figure 4B indicates a reinforcing projection provided on the lower inner side of the elastic engagement piece 12 from the bottom wall 15.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the flange portion 2 has arc-shaped recesses 20 provided on both sides of the upper surface flanking the through hole 22, and an operating space 23 provided in communication with the upper opening of the through hole 22, which allows the release operation part 13 to be operated with needle-nose pliers 9. The recesses 20 are indentations that make it easier to operate the release operation part 13, but they may be omitted. The operating space 23 penetrates the flange portion 2 and is sized to allow ample space above the release operation part 13.

[0016] The leg portion 1 has four vertically extending slits 10 provided on both sides of each elastic engagement piece 12 or on both sides of each support column 11 around the leg. Each slit 10 is provided between the lower part of the leg portion 1 and the flange portion 2, with its upper part connecting to an operating space 23 provided in the flange portion 2, and its lower part extending to near the lower portion 12d which will serve as the pivot point of the elastic engagement piece 12, as described later.

[0017] Each support column 11, as shown in Figures 5A to 6C, forms a leg circumference corresponding to the opposing rectangular corners of the mounting hole 5a. It consists of a base end 11a positioned in the mounting hole 5a and an inclined portion 11b that forms a space between the base end 11a and the lower end or tip 11c, and is inclined from the outer circumference of the base end 11a toward the through hole 22, i.e., in the direction of decreasing diameter. The inclined portion 11b corresponds to a part that is thinner than the base end 11a. That is, this inclined portion 11b is formed so that when its diameter expands due to the threading of the tapping screw into the through hole 22, it does not protrude beyond the outer diameter of the base end 11a.

[0018] On the other hand, each elastic engaging piece 12 consists of an upper inclined portion 12a, a larger diameter portion 12b in the middle of the upper and lower sections, and a lower inclined portion 12c. As can be seen from Figures 3A to 4B, each is divided in the circumferential direction by slits 10 on both sides, and also has a release operation portion 13 integrated at the upper end that protrudes into the operation space 23. The upper inclined portion 12a is the part that elastically engages with the mounting hole 5a when the flange portion 2 contacts the mounting mating member (target member) 5 and is fully inserted, as shown in Figure 4B. In this engaged state, the larger diameter portion 12b is the largest diameter portion and is the part that maintains the engaged state of the upper inclined portion 12a with respect to the mounting hole 5a. The lower inclined portion 12c is a guide portion that facilitates insertion of the leg portion 1 into the mounting hole 5a. Furthermore, each elastic engaging piece 12 is elastically oscillated with the lower portion 12d as a pivot point, but its oscillation in the expanding diameter direction is restricted by the operation space 23, which is the range of motion of the release operation portion 13.

[0019] Furthermore, each of the elastic engaging pieces 12 is provided in pairs, with the upper inclined portion 12a corresponding to the opposing corners that make up the rectangular mounting hole 5a in relation to the mounting hole 5a of the mounting mating member 5. When each elastic engaging piece 12 is inserted into the mounting hole 5a, the upper inclined portion 12a is slightly elastically tilted inward with the lower portion 12d as a pivot point, and the release operation portion 13 passes through the mounting hole 5a in contact with the inner surface of the corner portion, as shown in Figure 6C. These features prevent the release operation portion 13 from unintentionally slipping into the mounting hole 5a by contacting the edge of the mounting hole 5a with a predetermined force.

[0020] In addition, the release operation section 13 is formed with a width that is wider than the width of the elastic engagement piece 12. This is because when the release operation section 13 is formed wider than the elastic engagement piece 12, the abutment surface for the tool is also wider, making it easier to prevent accidental lateral movement of tools such as needle-nose pliers. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8A, the release operation section 13 is positioned in the operating space 23, and its outer surface 13a, which faces the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole 5a, is set as the abutment surface for the tool during the engagement release operation. It has fragile ribs 16 that protrude from this abutment surface to restrict the slippage of the tool 8. As can be seen from the enlarged view in Figure 9A, there are two parallel ribs 16 that extend in the vertical direction of the outer surface 13a. Each rib 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the horizontal cross-section, and its width w is set to 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. This is because if the width w is greater than 0.5 mm, it becomes difficult to crush when gripped by the needle-nose pliers 9, and therefore cannot be relied upon as much of a tool slip resistance. On the other hand, if the width w is smaller than 0.1 mm, the contact with the tool becomes smaller, and the tool slip resistance cannot be relied upon. From the adhesion tests with the ribs, the most preferable result was to set the width w to be wider than 0.1 mm and narrower than 0.5 mm. Also, the number of ribs 16 should be set to multiple rather than one, preferably 2 to 4.

[0021] (Example of Use) The above examples of how to use the clip will be explained with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. Example 1 in Figure 7A shows a configuration in which the clip 3 is temporarily attached by inserting the leg portion 1 into the mounting hole 5a of the mounting mating member 5, and then the mounting member 6 is placed on top of the flange portion 2 and fixed with a tapping screw 4. In the temporary attachment state to the mounting mating member 5, the elastic engaging piece 12 of the clip 3 is pressed against the mounting hole 5a with its base end portion 12a slightly displaced inward, as shown in Figure 6C, so as to prevent it from rotating or moving unintentionally. The support portion 11 is enlarged in diameter by threading the tapping screw 4 through the hole in the washer 7, through the mounting hole 6a, and into the pilot hole of the through hole 22. As a result, the mounting member 6 is fixed to the mounting mating member 5 on top of the flange portion 2 via the tapping screw 4.

[0022] Example 2 in Figure 7B shows a configuration in which the connecting members 8 are simply connected by the clip 3 after overlapping them with their mounting holes 8a aligned. This example shows a method of temporarily connecting the connecting members 8 using only the clip 3. In addition, as Example 3, the clip 3 can be connected or fastened more strongly than when the clip 3 is used alone by using the tapping screw 4, which is shown as a dashed line in the same figure, in the same way as in Example 1.

[0023] (Example of removal operation after use of the clip) Next, the procedure for removing the tapping screw 4 from the clip 3, as shown in the usage configurations of Figures 7A and 7B, and then pulling out the clip 3 from the mounting holes 5a and 8a, will be explained with reference to Figures 8A and 8B.

[0024] Figures 8A and 8B show the operation to release the engagement of the elastic engagement pieces 12 and pull out the clip 3 from the state in which the clip 3 is temporarily fixed to the mounting hole 5a by the pressure force of the pair of elastic engagement pieces 12 as shown in Figure 6C. In this operation, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B, a tool such as needle-nose pliers 9 is used to place the tips of both arms of the needle-nose pliers 9 against the outer surface 13a of the release operation parts 13 of both elastic engagement pieces from the operating space 23 as shown in Figure 8A, and the release operation parts 13 are brought closer together as shown in Figure 8B to release the engagement of each elastic engagement piece 12 with respect to the mounting hole 5a, and the clip 3 is pulled out from the mounting hole 5a in this released state.

[0025] In conventional designs, the needle-nose pliers 9 would easily slip off the release mechanism 13, making it difficult to remove the clip 3 from the mounting hole 5a. However, in the above configuration, the rib 16 on the release mechanism 13 is pressed and crushed by the needle-nose pliers 9, causing it to grip or stick to the contact surface of the pliers 9, making it difficult to detach. As a result, the clip 3 can be easily released from the mounting hole 5a and removed, eliminating the difficulty in retrieving the clip 3 as in conventional designs.

[0026] (Main Operation) Next, the advantages of using the clip 3 described above are listed. (a) In the example clip 3, as shown in the enlarged section of Figure 8B, when the clip 3 is pulled out from the mounting hole 5a, when the release operation part 13 is grasped with a tool such as needle-nose pliers 9, the rib 16 is crushed, and the crushed rib portion grips and sticks to the surface against which the tool is applied, making it difficult to slip, thereby enabling quick disengagement and removal. For this reason, even when many clips 3 are used, the engagement of the elastic engagement piece 12 with the mounting hole 5a can be easily and quickly released and retrieved, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0027] (i) Furthermore, in this clip 3, multiple ribs 16 are located on the abutment surface of the release operation part 13 and extend in the vertical direction, so there are no undercuts in the mold molding process, and it is possible to manufacture it without complicating the mold and keeping manufacturing costs down. In particular, if the ribs 16 are thin, with a width of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, they will easily be crushed, and if multiple ribs 16 are provided in addition, it is possible to more reliably prevent the tool from coming off unintentionally.

[0028] (c) Furthermore, in this clip 3, the release operation portion 13 is formed to be wider than the elastic engagement piece portion 12, so the area of ​​the outer surface 13a of the rib 16, which is the contact surface for tools such as needle-nose pliers 9, is also increased, making it easier to prevent the clip from coming off due to accidental lateral movement of tools such as needle-nose pliers 9 during the pulling operation, thereby further improving work efficiency.

[0029] (e) Furthermore, since the elastic engaging pieces 12 are provided in pairs corresponding to the opposing corners of the rectangular mounting hole 15a, and the release operation part 13 penetrates the mounting hole 15a while in contact with the inner surface of the corner of the mounting hole 15a, it is possible to prevent the elastic engaging pieces 12 from unintentionally slipping into the mounting hole 15a.

[0030] (Modified Versions) Figures 9B and 9C show two modified versions in which the shape of the ribs described above has been changed. First, the rib 18 in Figure 9B is formed in a triangular shape in the horizontal cross-section. In contrast, the rib 17 in Figure 9C is formed in a manner similar to the rib 16 in Figure 9A, but processed into a sawtooth shape. With these ribs 17 and 18, when a tool such as needle-nose pliers 9 is pressed against them, a gripping or bonding effect can be expected with ribs 17 and 18 using a relatively weaker pressing force compared to rib 16.

[0031] The present invention can be embodied as shown in the above-described embodiments and modifications, but it is modifiable except for the technical elements described in claim 1. For example, the number and shape of the elastic engaging pieces 12 and the support columns 11, the shape of the head 40 of the tapping screw 4 and the pitch of the screw 41, the location and dimensions of the pilot holes for the screws in the through holes 22, etc., can be changed as needed. In addition, the names can be arbitrarily changed, such as calling the clip a connector or grommet, or the leg part a body part, etc.

[0032] 1. Leg portion 2. Flange portion 3. Clip 4. Tapping screw 5. Mounting mating member (target member, 5a is a mounting hole) 6. Mounting member (6a is a mounting hole) 7. Washer 8. Connecting member (target member, 8a is a mounting hole) 9. Needle-nose pliers (tool) 10. Slit 11. Support column portion 12. Elastic engaging piece portion 13. Release operation portion 16. Rib 17. Rib 18. Rib 22. Through hole 23. Operating space w. Width of the rib The entire contents of the specification, claims, drawings and abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-039835, filed on March 13, 2025, are incorporated herein by reference as the disclosure of the specification of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clip comprising: a leg portion inserted into a mounting hole provided in a target member; a flange portion integrated around the upper circumference of the leg portion; an elastic engaging piece portion that constitutes a part of the leg portion and is pressed inward by the inner edge of the mounting hole during the process of inserting the leg portion into the mounting hole, and elastically returns to its original shape after passing through the mounting hole to engage with the mounting hole; and a release operation portion integrated with the upper end of the elastic engaging piece portion to allow the elastic engaging piece portion to be released by bending it inward, wherein the release operation portion has an outer surface facing the inner circumferential surface of the mounting hole that is set as a stop surface for a tool during release operation, and has a fragile rib that protrudes from the stop surface to restrict the slippage of the tool.

2. The clip according to claim 1, characterized in that the rib extends in the vertical direction of the abutment surface.

3. The clip according to claim 2, characterized in that the ribs are provided in a substantially rectangular shape in the horizontal cross-section and have a width dimension of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

4. The clip according to claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of ribs are provided.

5. The clip according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the width dimension of the release operation portion is formed to be wider than the width of the elastic engaging piece portion.

6. The clip according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic engaging pieces are provided in pairs corresponding to the opposing rectangular corners of the mounting hole, and the release operation portion penetrates the mounting hole while in contact with the inner surface portion of the corner of the mounting hole.

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