Tool-Free Fastening Clip for Cooling Apparatus Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastening arrangements for cooling devices, such as air conditioning units, are cumbersome to use due to the need for precise alignment and the use of tools for screwing in bolts, making them difficult to handle and requiring more effort than necessary.
Innovation Solution
A fastening clip with a clasp and a plug-in lug that includes elastically deformable abutments and support edges, allowing for easy alignment and tool-free installation by compressing an elastically compressible sealing element, and featuring a disassembly tab for quick release without tools, ensuring correct orientation and secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bolts and screwdrivers are used to fix the body to the flat part, then reliable attachment is achieved, but the installation process becomes complex and requires tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical fastening system (bolts, screwdrivers, threaded holes) with a clip-based mechanical interlocking system. The clip features a clasp that engages with the flange and a plug-in lug with an abutment that inserts into a slot, eliminating the need for threaded fasteners and hand tools while maintaining secure attachment through elastic deformation and geometric interlocking.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip is designed to be self-installing through a simple plug-in motion where the abutment is inserted into the slot and the clasp engages with the flange automatically. The elastic material allows the clip to deform during insertion and then lock into place without requiring external tools or complex alignment procedures, making the installation process intuitive and tool-free.
2Manufacturing precision
If precise alignment is required for the body relative to the cutout, then proper positioning is achieved, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The clip incorporates a clasp with a specific geometry that engages with the flange in a predetermined manner, and a plug-in lug with an abutment designed to fit into a slot at a specific position. This preliminary design of the engagement geometry ensures that when the clip is inserted, it automatically achieves the correct alignment and positioning without requiring manual adjustment or precise pre-alignment by the installer.
Solution Approach 2:
The slot in the flat part serves as an intermediary guide that directs the abutment of the plug-in lug into the correct position. The slot's geometry mediates the alignment process by constraining the insertion path of the abutment, ensuring that the clip automatically positions itself correctly relative to the cutout and flange during the plug-in operation.
3Reliability
If the sealing element is compressed to ensure sealing, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but the installation force required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clip is made of elastic material that allows it to deform dynamically during the installation process. When the plug-in lug is inserted into the slot, the elastic clip compresses the sealing element between the flange and the flat part. The elastic properties enable the clip to gradually apply compressive force to the seal during insertion, distributing the force over the insertion process rather than requiring a single high-force application, thereby reducing the peak installation force while ensuring effective sealing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution simplifies the installation and removal of cooling devices by eliminating the need for tools and ensuring secure attachment with adjustable compression stages, enhancing user convenience and reducing installation complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the flange is pressed against the edge region by means of a fastening clamp, with compression of the sealing element
Implementation Method 2
The abutment itself can be made of an elastically deformable material and can therefore be mechanically prestressed in order to provide additional holding force and/or to facilitate the insertion of the insertion tab into the slot
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fastening arrangement with a flat part (1) having a cutout (2) and with a body (3) having at least a section of its circumference a flange (4) with which the body (3) bears against the edge region of the cutout (2) via an elastically compressible sealing element (5), wherein the flange (4) is pressed against the edge region by means of a fastening clip (6) by compressing the sealing element (5), characterized in that the fastening clip (6) has a clamp (7) which bears against the flange (4) and a locking tab (8) extending substantially perpendicular to it, the locking tab (8) projecting with its free end (9) through a slot (10) in the edge region, and wherein the locking tab (8) has at least one retainer (11) which presses against the rear side (12) of the edge region facing away from the flange (4).