Rotating Strain-Relief Clip Assembly for Cable Bundle Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automotive assembly processes often introduce unintentional twists in bundles of cables and hoses, leading to strain and potential failure of termination connections, causing rework delays and increased labor costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of strain-relief clip assemblies that secure onto bundles, allowing them to rotate independently relative to a mount, providing resistance to axial and rotational movement, thereby reducing strain and twisting caused by mishandling or vehicle vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bundle is securely fixed to the vehicle chassis, then the bundle is stable and secure, but the bundle cannot rotate or twist freely, causing stress and potential failure when subjected to vehicle movement or rough roads
Solution Approach 1:
The clip assembly incorporates a rotating element that enables the bundle to rotate relative to the vehicle chassis while remaining securely mounted. This dynamic capability allows the bundle to accommodate twisting forces and stress from vehicle movement without compromising the termination connections, thus maintaining reliability while reducing harmful stress.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the bundle is allowed to rotate freely, then stress from twisting is reduced, but the bundle becomes unstable and may move or detach from its intended position
Solution Approach 1:
The clip assembly provides controlled rotation through a rotating element that is constrained within the mounting structure. This allows the bundle to rotate to relieve twisting stress while the overall mounting structure maintains the bundle's position and prevents detachment, achieving both stress reduction and positional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip assembly changes the rotational parameter from completely fixed to controlled rotation. The rotating element permits angular movement within specific limits, transforming the bundle's rotational freedom from zero to a controlled range that relieves stress while maintaining stability through the mounting structure's constraints.
3Reliability
If workers handle the bundle carefully to avoid twists, then termination connection failures are prevented, but installation time and labor costs increase due to careful handling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating element in the clip assembly automatically accommodates any twisting that occurs during installation or vehicle operation, eliminating the need for workers to exercise extreme care to prevent twists. This reduces installation time and labor costs while maintaining termination connection integrity, as the design inherently handles stress rather than requiring perfect installation technique.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are strain-relief clip assemblies, which include a fixing portion and/or a mount portion, for providing strain relief to bundles of elongated objects (e.g., cables). In one example, a strain-relief clip assembly includes a fixing and a mount. The fixing is configured to secure onto a bundle and the mount is configured to attach the fixing to a structure. The fixing and the secured bundle are configured to rotate independently relative to the mount to provide resistance to axial and rotational movement to the bundle, which may be, in some instances, caused by the inadvertent mishandling of the bundle (e.g., wiring harness) during an installation process. Additionally, the utilization of the disclosed strain-relief clip assemblies may decrease cable rotation and twisting that is caused by vibration, which can provide a strain relief solution for high-speed data cables for sensors, cameras, radars, and the like.