Quick Fastening Clip With Conical Insertion And Tool Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clips used in the motor vehicle industry for fixing self-supporting parts to vehicle panels face challenges in ease of mounting and removal, noise due to vibration, and excessive friction zones, which hinder efficient assembly and disassembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A clip design featuring a rounded base with legs and flexible wings, optimized for easy insertion and retention of a retaining shank, with a minimal number of contact zones and a tool-accessible cavity for easy removal, utilizing a conical configuration and ratchet-like mechanism to facilitate smooth assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the clip uses a conventional design with multiple contact zones for retention, then the retention strength is improved, but the friction zones increase causing noise from vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary contact zones from the clip design. By reducing the number of retention contact zones to a minimum, the design removes sources of friction-induced vibration noise while preserving the essential retention function through strategically positioned contact points.
2Reliability
If the clip has a complex structure for secure retention, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation for assembly and disassembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is segmented into distinct functional zones: retention contact zones that engage with the panel and release zones that allow tool access. This segmentation enables the clip to maintain reliable retention through specific contact points while facilitating easy disassembly through accessible release mechanisms positioned away from the retention zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tool-accessible cavity as an intermediary mechanism. This cavity allows a removal tool to access and actuate the release mechanism without requiring direct access to the retention zones, thereby maintaining retention reliability while significantly improving ease of disassembly.
3Ease of operation
If the clip uses a conical configuration for easy insertion, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clip employs a conical (curved) configuration at its insertion end, which naturally guides the clip into the panel opening during assembly. This curvature facilitates easy insertion by providing self-alignment and reducing insertion force requirements, while the conical shape can be manufactured with standard precision tolerances.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the clip has minimal friction zones, then the noise from vibration is reduced, but the retention strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The clip design applies local quality by concentrating retention force at specific localized contact zones rather than distributing contact across multiple areas. These strategically positioned contact points provide sufficient retention strength while minimizing the total number of friction zones, thereby reducing vibration-induced noise.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7
Figure 8~10
AI summary
Quick fastening clip, such as those used in the motor vehicle industry, having formed therein, extending from a vault-like surface (5), legs (2) which by means of a fold are folded in the form of an internal extension (17), forming, when both of them on each side are joined together, the contact point for a retaining sill (6); having flanges (7) inclined so as to be directed approximately towards the centre of said bottom surface (5); flexible wings (3) are provided, being formed by means of a fold which creates a surface (4), and, by means of another fold which extends into a descending vertical zone (9), a through-opening (10) with approximately vertical access is created by means of a band (11) which protrudes transversely from said descending surface (9).