Fastener for pipe or the like

A fastener (21) for a pipe or the like, comprising a base (22) and a pipe holder portion (23–26) supported by the base. The pipe holder portion includes a wall (30, 31) defining a recess for receiving a pipe or the like therein, and a resilient holding finger (34) extending obliquely from the vicinity of the end of the wall into the recess. The pipe holder portion is supportedly connected to the base (22) through a hollow tubular cushion portion (41). The end of the wall of the pipe holder portion is connected, through a short sheet-like thin connecting piece (43), to either an adjacent wall of another pipe holder portion or an adjacent wall integrated with the base. The thin connecting piece (43) is formed in a thin plate having the same length as that of the pipe holder portion in the longitudinal direction of the pipe. The thin connecting piece is formed with a slit (45) extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fastener for holding an elongated component such as a pipe or wire harness to a member such as an automobile body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a support structure for attaching an elongated component such as a fuel pipe, brake pipe or wire harness of an automobile, it is desired to have vibration absorbability for preventing vibration of an automobile body from transmitting to the above pipe or the like. Heretofore, for the purpose of such vibration insulation, a technique of attaching the pipe or the like to a fastener with winding a rubber vibration insulator around the pipe or the like has been typically employed. In view of a poor workability of this technique, it is desired to provide a vibration insulation function to the fastener itself. From this point of view, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-310866 discloses a clip fastener suitable for holding a fuel pipe, in which a pipe holder portion is connected to a support through a hollow portion. This clip is intended for supporting an elongated component such as a pipe, and designed to prevent vibration transmission from the pipe or the like to an automobile body or the like (or vibration transmission from the automobile body to the pipe or the like) as much as possible. In the disclosed clip fastener for a pipe or the like, a structure having four pipe holder portions arranged in line is disclosed as an embodiment. However, a significant difference in vibration insulation characteristics can be caused between the line center and the line ends of the pipe holder portion.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-18433 discloses a fastener for a pipe or the like, which has an improvement in the above point.FIGS. 1 and 2show this fastener. InFIG. 1, the fastener1comprising a base2and a pipe holder portion3supported by the base2. The pipe holder portion3includes a curved wall6defining a recess5for receiving an elongated component such as a pipe therein, and a resilient holding finger7extending obliquely from the end of the curved wall6into the recess. The pipe holder portion3is supportedly connected to the base2through a hollow tubular cushion portion9. The fastener1provides excellent vibration insulation characteristics between the base2and the pipe holder portion3. Further, even if a plurality of retaining portions3are arranged in line, the fastener1desirably provides unnoticeably suppressed difference in vibration insulation characteristics between the respective retaining portions3.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, in the fastener disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-18433, the end of the curved wall6of the pipe holder portion3is connected to the end of the adjacent curved wall6of another pipe holder portion3through a flexible V-shaped thin connecting piece10. The end of the curved wall6of the pipe holder portion3is also connected to the end of the adjacent wall13of the base through a flexible thin connecting piece11arranged obliquely. While these flexible thin connecting pieces10and11were desirable in terms of vibration insulation, it was found that there was the need to be improved in a fastening force of the pipe holder portion3. This will be explained with reference toFIG. 2showing the portion designated by the circle14inFIG. 1. InFIG. 2, when a force of pushing out a pipe in the direction of the arrow17is applied to a pipe15held by the pipe holder portion3, the thin connecting piece10is, for example, deformed from the angle “a” to the angle “b” inFIG. 2because the thin connecting pieces10and11are flexible. Then, the curved wall6at the right side ofFIG. 2is deformed rightward. Simultaneously, the thin connecting piece11is also deformed slightly, and thereby the curved wall6adjacent to the wall13is deformed leftward. As a result, the inlet of the curved wall6is widely opened, and the resilient holding finger7is displaced rightward with respect to the pipe15. Thus, it was found that the pipe15could be pulled out of the pipe holder portion3due to insufficiently degraded engagement force of the pipe15.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fastener for holding an elongated component such as a pipe to an attachment member such as an automobile body, capable of maintaining a fastening force of the elongated component such as a pipe at high levels while maintaining insulating characteristics against vibration transmitted from the pipe or the like to an automobile body or vice versa at high levels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fastener for a pipe or the like, comprising a base and a pipe holder portion supported by the base. The pipe holder portion includes a wall defining a recess for receiving an elongated component such as a pipe therein, and a resilient holding finger extending obliquely from the end of the wall or the vicinity thereof into the recess. The pipe holder portion is supportedly connected to the base through a hollow tubular cushion portion. Further, the end of the wall of the pipe holder portion is connected to either an adjacent wall of another pipe holder portion or an adjacent wall integrated with the base through a sheet-like thin connecting piece. As above, since the pipe holder portion is connected to the base through the tubular cushion portion and the thin connection piece, vibration insulation characteristics between the pipe holder portion and the base can be maintained in high levels. Further, the end of the wall is connected to the adjacent wall (or the wall of the base) through the short sheet-like thin connecting piece. Thus, even if a pushing-out force is applied to a held pipe to force the wall to be deformed in the direction causing the inlet to be opened, the thin connecting piece strains to resist the deformation. This prevents the wall from being deformed and allows the fastening force of the pipe to be maintained in high levels.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a base of a fastener for a pipe or the like includes an elongated bottom portion and an upright portion extending perpendicularly from the opposite ends of the bottom portion, and a plurality of pipe holder portions are supported by the base to be arranged each other with a certain distance therebetween in the longitudinal direction of the base. Each of the pipe holder portions includes a wall defining a recess for receiving an elongated component such as a pipe therein, and a resilient holding finger extending obliquely from the end of the wall or the vicinity thereof into the recess. Each of the pipe holder portions is supportedly connected to the base through a hollow tubular cushion portion. Further, in the pipe holder portion adjacent to the upright portion of the base among the pipe holder portions, the end of the wall adjacent to the upright portion is connected to the upright portion by a short sheet-like thin connecting piece, and the opposite end of the wall is connected to the end of the wall of the adjacent pipe holder portion by a short sheet-like thin connecting piece.

In the aforementioned fasteners for a pipe or the like, the thin connecting piece may be formed in a thin plate having the same length as that of the pipe holder portion in the longitudinal direction of the elongated component to be attached to the recess, and the thin connecting piece may be formed with a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the component. This provides an improved, enhanced vibration insulation characteristics. The bottom portion of the base may be provided on the opposite side of the pipe holder side with a coupling leg to be coupled with an attachment member. This allows an elongated component such as a pipe to be attached to an attachment member such as an automobile body. In addition, the base may be formed with an attaching portion to be attached to an anchor member such as a stud fixed to an attachment member. This allows an elongated component such as a pipe to be attached to an attachment member such as an automobile body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.FIGS. 3 and 4show a construction of a fastener21for a pipe or the like according to the present invention.FIGS. 5 and 6show the fastener21in the state when pipes are held thereby.FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate a fastening force of a pipe in the fastener21.FIGS. 9 and 10show an example of attaching a pipe as an elongated component to an automobile body as an attachment member by using the fastener21. The fastener21according to the present invention is an integrally formed product made of a plastic material. As shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, the fastener21comprises a base22and a plurality (four in the illustrated embodiment) of pipe holder portions23-26supported by the base22. The base22includes an elongated bottom portion28and upright portions29extending perpendicularly from opposite ends of the bottom portion28. The pipe holder portions23–26are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the elongated bottom portion28of the base22. Each of the outer pipe holder portions23and26is formed to hold a larger-diameter pipe, and each of the inner pipe holder portions24and25is formed to hold a smaller-diameter pipe.

InFIG. 3, each of the pipe holder portions23–26includes a main holder portion30forming a bottom wall having an approximately semicircular section and an upright wall31extending perpendicularly upward from each of the edges of the main holder portion30, and defines therein a recess for receiving or housing an elongated component such as a pipe or the like. An inward holding-protrusion33is formed at each of the inner sides of two boundaries between the main holder portion30and the upright walls31. At each outer end of the upright walls31is formed with a resilient holding finger34extending obliquely inward. As shown inFIG. 6, each of the pipes36–39is received in the corresponding one of the pipe holder portions23–26to allow the lower and both lateral sides of each outer peripheral surface of the pipes to be brought into contact with the central upper surface and the protrusions33of the corresponding main holder portion30, respectively. Further, the upper side of each outer peripheral surface of the pipes is pushed downward by the two resilient holding fingers34to allow each of the pipes to be held by the corresponding one of the pipe holder portions23–26.

Further, a hollow tubular cushion portion41is formed on the outer and lower surface of the main holder portion30of each of the pipe holder portions23–26. The lower surface of the cushion portion41is connected to the bottom portion28of the base22through a support post42. In this manner, each of the pipe holder portions23–26is supported by the base22through the hollow tubular cushion portion41. Thus, the cushion portion41brings out a cushioning action against vertical vibrations, and substantially no vibration of the pipe is transmitted from the cushion portion41to the base22. Thus, the cushion portion41can acts as vibration insulation means.

As best shown inFIGS. 3 and 4, the adjacent two pipe holder portions23and24,24and25,25and26are connected with each other at the adjacent ends of their upright walls through a short sheet-like thin connecting piece43. The thin connecting piece43is formed in a plate configuration, and is hardly deformed. Further, the pipe holder portion23and the upright portion29(i.e. the wall) of the base22adjacent to this pipe holder portion23are connected with each other through the short sheet-like thin connecting piece43. In the same manner, the pipe holder portion26and the upright portion29adjacent to this pipe holder portion26are connected with each other through the short sheet-like thin connecting piece43. Each of the sheet-like thin connecting pieces43is formed in a thin plate having the same length as that of the pipe holder portion in the longitudinal direction of the pipe. As above, the connecting piece43is formed to have a thin thickness. This reduces lateral vibration transmission between the adjacent pipe holder portions and another lateral vibration transmission between the upright portion29of the base22and the pipe holder portion23or26. The thin connecting piece43can sufficiently resist against a pulling-out force applied from both ends of the thin connecting piece43, and can strain against a pushing force applied in the opposite direction without any bending to resist against any pressing forces. Thus, even if a pulling-out force is applied to the pipe to create a force which deforms the upright wall31of the pipe holder portion toward the adjacent upright wall of the neighbor pipe holder portion, the thin connecting piece43strains on the basis of the adjacent upright wall31of the neighbor pipe holder portion and thereby the upright wall31having the pipe applied with the pulling-out force is not deformed. This allows the fastening force of the pipe to be maintained in high levels.

Each of the thin connecting pieces43is also formed with a slit45(seeFIG. 4) extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe. The slit45is formed at the center of the thin connecting piece43based on the longitudinal direction of the pipe, and each of the thin connecting pieces43connects the pipe holder portions23–26and the upright portions29at the opposite ends of the slit45. By forming this slit, the lateral vibration transmission between respective pipe holder portions is further reduced, and the lateral vibration transmission between the upright portions29of the base22and the pipe holder portions23–26is further reduced. The size of the slit45can be formed to allow the straining force of the thin connecting piece43to be maintained.

An engagement leg46having a conventional anchor-type resilient engagement pawl is provided at the center of the lower surface in the longitudinal direction of the bottom portion28of the base22. The fastener21can be attached to an automobile body or the like by inserting the engagement leg46into a mounting hole of the automobile body, a bracket fixed to an automobile body or the like.

FIGS. 5 and 6show the state when pipes36–39are held by the fastener21. Generally speaking, where a fuel pipe, brake oil pipe, or a pipe such as a wire harness is attached to an automobile, the fastener21is practicality delivered to a manufacturer of the fuel pipe, the wire harness or the like. Then, the fastener21is attached in a plurality of predetermined positions to hold a plurality of pipes under a predetermined schematic design. Thereafter, a plurality of pipes such as a fuel pipe or wire harness, to which the plurality of fasteners are attached under the predetermined design, are delivered to an automobile manufacturer, and are attached to predetermined positions of an automobile body by using the fastener21or the like. Thus, the state when the pipes36–39are held by the fastener21as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6corresponds to the state when it is carried to the automobile manufacturer. For example, if the pipes are carried in the above state, a force acting to pull the pipes36–39out of the fastener21can be applied. In the conventional fastener1, the pipe15can come off as explained with reference toFIG. 2. However, in the fastener21according to the present invention, even if a force acting to pull the pipes36–39out of the fastener21is applied, the pipes do not come off. This reason will be described with reference toFIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 7shows the state when a pulling-out force is applied to one pipe36in the direction of the arrow Y. In this case, the pulling-out force Y of the pipe36applies a force Y1to the pair of resilient holding fingers34, and applies a force Y2to the pair of thin connecting pieces43. The thin connecting pieces43are thin, but not deformed. Thus, the left-side thin connecting piece43applies the force Y2to the upright portion29of the base. The upright portion29receives this force without its deformation because of its high rigidity. In this state, while the force Y2itself and a reaction force Y2from the upright portion29act on the thin connecting piece43, the thin connecting piece43is not deformed because of its anti-bendability and strains and resistively strains against these forces. Thus, the left-side resilient holding finger34is maintained in a posture for engaging the pipe36even if the force Y1acts thereon. On the other hand, the right-side thin connecting piece43connected to the upright wall31of the neighbor pipe holder portion24applies the force Y2as a force Y3to the resilient holding finger34. While this force acts on the pipe37held by the pipe holder portion24, the pipe37receives the force without its deformation because of its high rigidity. The force Y2itself and a reaction force from the pipe37and the resilient holding finger34act on the thin connecting piece43. However, the thin connecting piece43resistively strains so as not to be deformed. Thus, the right-side resilient holding finger34is also maintained in a posture for engaging the pipe36even if the force Y1caused by the pulling-out force Y acts thereon. In this manner, even if the pulling-out force is applied to one pipe, the inlet of the pipe holder portion is not opened, and thereby the pipe does not come off.

FIG. 8shows the state when a pulling-out force is applied to the two adjacent pipes36and37in the direction of the arrows Ya and Yb. In this case, the pulling-out force Ya of one pipe36applies a force Ya1to the pair of resilient holding fingers34and applies a force Ya2to the pair of thin connecting pieces43. As described inFIG. 7, the upright portion29receives the force without its deformation because of its high rigidity, and the force Y2itself and the reaction force from the upright portion29each having the same magnitude act on the thin connecting piece43. However, the thin connecting piece43resistively strains these forces without its deformation. Thus, even if the force Y1is applied to the left side resilient holding finger34, the left side resilient holding finger34is maintained in a posture for engaging the pipe36. On the other hand, the force Ya2is applied to the right-side thin connecting piece43connected to the upright wall31of the neighbor pipe holder portion24. The pulling-out force Yb of the other pipe37applies a force Yb1to the pair of resilient holding fingers34, and applies a force Yb2to the pair of thin connecting pieces43. Thus, the force Ya2from the right-side resilient holding finger34of the pipe holder portion23and the force Yb2from the left-side resilient holding finger34of the pipe holder portion24act on the thin connecting piece43connected between the pipe holder portions23and24. However, the thin connecting piece43resists so as not to be deformed. Thus, the right-side resilient holding finger34of the pipe holder portion23and the left side resilient holding finger34of the pipe holder portion24are maintained in each posture for engaging the pipes36and37. Further, the force Yb1of the right-side resilient holding finger34of the pipe holder portion24applies the force Yb2to the thin connecting piece43on the right side of the right-side resilient holding finger34. However, even if the force Yb1caused by the pulling-out force Yb is applied to the right-side resilient holding finger34, for the same reason as that in the right-side thin connecting piece43of the pipe holder portion23inFIG. 7, the right-side resilient holding finger34is maintained in a posture for engaging the pipes37. In this manner, even if a pulling-out force is applied to the two adjacent pipes, each inlet of the pipe holder portions are not be opened, and the pipe does not come out.

FIG. 9shows an example of attaching the fastener21to an automobile body47. The fastener21is attached to a mounting bracket49by inserting an engagement leg46into a hole formed in the mounting bracket49. The one end of the mounting bracket49is attached to an automobile body47with a bolt51and a nut53through an elastic bush50, and thereby the pipes36–39are held by the automobile body47. Thus, no vibration is transmitted from the pipes to the automobile body47, and no vibration is transmitted from the automobile body47to the pipes36–39. Further, even if a pulling-out force is applied to an attached pipe, the pipes do not come off, and a high fastening force is maintained.

FIG. 10shows another embodiment according to the present invention. Elements or components corresponding to the aforementioned embodiment are represented by the same reference numerals, and their detailed description will be omitted. In this embodiment, individual structures of pipe holder portions23–26are the same as those in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. The pipe holder portions23–26are supported to the base22through the hollow tubular cushion portion41. The pipe holder portions23–26are connected with each other through the sheet-like thin connecting pieces43, and the pipe holder portion23is connected to the upright portion29of the base22through the thin connecting piece43. The slit45shown inFIG. 4is formed in each of the thin connecting pieces43.

Instead of the wall-shaped upright portion, a stud-mounting portion54is formed to extend vertically upward at one of the opposite ends of the elongated bottom portion28of the base22. The stud-mounting portion54has a rectangular block-like shape and includes a through hole55in the longitudinal direction therewithin. Two pairs of engagement pawls57and58extending into the through hole55are formed in the stud-mounting portion54. An automobile body47is provided with a stud59standing thereon. When the fastener21is pressed to the automobile body47to allow the stud59to be received in the through hole55of the stud-mounting portion54, the two paired engagement pawls57and58are engaged with the threads of the stud. Thus, the fastener21is fixed to the automobile body47, and the pipes36–39are held by the automobile body47. In this case, no vibration is also transmitted from the pipes to the automobile body, no vibration is transmitted from the automobile body to the pipes. Further, even if a pulling-out force is applied to an attached pipe, the pipes do not come off and a high fastening force is maintained.

According to the present invention, the pipe holder portion is connected to the base through both the tubular cushion portion and the thin connection piece, so that vibration insulation characteristics between the pipe holder portion and the base can be maintained in high levels. Further, the end of the wall is connected to the adjacent wall (or the wall of the base) through the short sheet-like thin connecting piece, whereby, even if a pushing-out force is applied to a held pipe and thereby the wall is urged to deform in the direction allowing the inlet to be opened, the thin connecting piece strains to resist the deformation. This prevents the wall from being deformed and allows the fastening force of the pipe to be maintained in high levels.