Fastening device

A fastening device has a supporting part (9), adhesive fastening elements (25) attached to the supporting part and protruding from the supporting part (9), a shaft part (27) protruding beyond the supporting part (9), and at least one elastically resilient hooking part (19). Each hooking part (19) extends outward away from the shaft part (27) or a holding part (29) for the hooking part (19) in an initial position, forming an intermediate space (30), which is reduced as soon as the hooking part (19) is moved toward the shaft part (27) or the holding part (29) under the influence of an external application of force.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a fastening device comprising a support part and adhesive fastening elements attached to and protruding from the support part. A shaft part protrudes beyond the support part and is connected to at least one elastically resilient hooking part.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fastening devices, which fix objects or components to third components by forming adhesive connections, are prior art in a wide variety of arrangements. The documents DE 10 2008 007 913 A1 or DE 10 2010 027 394 A1, for example, disclose fastening devices, which may be used to fix third components at predefinable points on components, whether they are parts of motor vehicles, trains, ships or of aircraft. In the case of motor vehicles, such third components may be, for example, covers on body parts, panels or other flat coverings. In the case of buildings, such fastening devices may also serve to fix flat coverings, such as panels or textile sheets at predefinable points, for example, to conceal unsightly locations or to also form a thermal insulation and/or sound insulation.

Because the connection between the relevant component and the third component to be fixed thereto is achieved not by screw fastening, riveting or nailing, but by way of an adhesive connection by adhesively engaging adhesive fastening elements that are connected to a component to corresponding adhesive fastening elements on the respective third component, the result is, for one, a substantial reduction of the assembly effort and, for another, the particular advantage that position tolerances between the component and the third component may be compensated for during manufacture of the adhesive connection. To enable a simple and economical assembly when using such fastening devices, the support part provided with adhesive fastening elements in a fastening device of the aforementioned kind disclosed in DE 10 2010 010 893 A1 is provided with a protruding shaft part, which includes elastically resilient hooking parts with which the support part may be clipped into a fastening hole on the associated component.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening device of this type, which is distinguished, in particular, by universal applications.

According to the invention, this object is basically achieved by a fastening device including respective hooking parts in an initial position that extend outwardly away from the shaft part and/or from a holding part for the respective hooking part while forming an intermediate space. The intermediate space is reduced as soon as the respective hooking part moves toward the shaft part and/or holding part under the influence of an external application of force. Because the hook elements, in contrast to the cited known solution, are thus formed not as nubs with no intermediate space deflecting into the shaft, but rather as a type of wings, which extend outwardly from the shaft or holding part in the unloaded initial position while forming an intermediate space, the attachment to the assigned component is not limited to the presence of a correspondingly positioned matching fastening hole. Instead, it opens the possibility of designing hook positions more freely in terms of dimensioning as well as shape, so that the hooks may be engaged not only point by point, but also in positions variable in the desired direction. The hooks may be engaged, for example, by inserting them in the opening of a profile engageable from behind extending in one direction, so that the invention offers particularly universal applications.

The arrangement may be such that at least one part of the hooking parts extends away on the outer circumferential side starting directly from the shaft part. Alternatively, the holding part situated on the shaft part can support at least one hooking part.

In exemplary embodiments, in which a holding part for respective hooking parts is situated on the shaft part, preferably on the free end thereof, the holding part may have a block-shaped or rectangular-shaped design and may extend with its longitudinal axis or transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft part. The vertical axis of the holding part preferably coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shaft part.

The holding part may particularly advantageously include two opposing hooking parts, as viewed diametrically to the longitudinal axis of the shaft part. The hooking parts situated opposite one another on both front sides of the holding part preferably face in opposite directions.

In particularly advantageous exemplary embodiments having hooking parts situated on the front sides of the holding part, the hooking parts are advantageously situated such that the respective intermediate space, which is bound by at least one front side of the holding part as well as by the hooking part assigned to this front side, tapers in the direction of a connection point between the holding part and the hooking part.

To maintain the elastically resilient property of every hooking part, the connection point with the holding part extends preferably across the entire front side of the block-shaped or rectangular-shaped holding part. The connection point has a wall thickness, which preferably corresponds to one to three times the thickness of the hooking part.

In this case, the arrangement may be advantageously such that the respective wing-like hooking part lies within the imaginary continuous side surfaces of the block-shaped or rectangular-shaped holding part, fitting flush with these imaginary side surfaces in each case. Thus, in the case of a connection point located in a corner area of the assigned front side of the holding part, the length of the wing formed by the hooking part corresponds to the width of the front side.

The preferably cylindrical shaft part, the preferably plate-shaped support part and the block-shaped or rectangular-shaped holding part with its wing-like hooking part may be advantageously formed as one piece, preferably from plastic material. The adhesive fastening elements are adhesively connected or melted to the support part.

The subject matter of the invention is also a fastening system, which includes at least one of fastening device according to the invention.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1illustrates an exemplary embodiment, in which the fastening system according to the invention is used for the purpose of attaching a flat panel1to the ceiling3in a room5of a building, not depicted. The fastening device according to the invention forms adhesive connections. For this purpose, two adhesive fastening elements7are attached to the ceiling3to form connection areas. Fastening element7adhesively engage with support parts9of the fastening device according to the invention, when the panel1with its straight upper edge11is applied to the ceiling3in the direction of a movement arrow12. In the example shown, only two adhesive fastening elements7with assigned support parts9for forming the connection areas are shown in the simplified depiction ofFIG. 1. A larger number of connection points having a corresponding plurality of support parts9and assigned adhesive fastening elements7may be provided. An elongated adhesive fastening element7may likewise be provided as indicated inFIG. 1and extends essentially over the entire length of a component to be attached, such as a panel1, to adhesively engage with a corresponding number of support parts9. The details of the design of the support parts9may be seen inFIGS. 2 through 10. The manner of attachment of the support parts9to the panel1is apparent fromFIGS. 11 and 12.

As the last-mentioned figures andFIG. 1show, a profile channel13forms inner contact surfaces15and17, as is most readily apparent fromFIGS. 11 and 12. The respective support part9with hooking parts19of the respective support part9may be anchored to the contact surfaces15,17, and is provided for anchoring the support parts9along the upper edge11of the relevant component, in this case the panel1. The design of the support parts9with the hooking parts19may be seen in theFIGS. 2 through 10. As is most clearly shown by theFIGS. 2, 4as well as9and10, the support parts9include a rectangular-shaped flat support plate or member21. On the upper side of support plate21a slightly protruding circumferential edge23is located. This edge forms a surround for an adhesive fastening element25corresponding to the aforementioned prior art, attached by adhesive or thermal bonding. Fastening element25is depicted inFIG. 2before the attachment of the support plate21and is depicted separately inFIG. 3. In these figures, the associated adhesive elements are indicated schematically as mushroom heads. In this case, mushroom heads form a hermaphroditic adhesive attachment and may likewise be provided on the assigned adhesive fastening elements7of the relevant third component. Other types of adhesive elements may be provided, for example, hooks on the support part9, as schematically indicated in theFIGS. 11 and 12, which may interact with a fleece material on the adhesive fastening elements7, or loops on the support parts9for interacting with hook elements on the adhesive attachment elements7or in reverse arrangement.

The support parts9in the present example, formed from transparent plastic material, include a round cylindrical shaft part27in the center of the support plate21and protruding from the support plate at a right angle to the plate plane. The shaft part27forms the support for the hooking parts19. The shaft part27is designed as a tube-shaped hollow body, as shown inFIGS. 4, 9 and 10. In the example shown, the hooking parts19are not situated directly at the free end of the shaft part27. Rather, the hooking parts19are on a holding part29shaped as a block in the form of a rectangular cuboid. The holding part extends at the free end of the shaft part27, with its longitudinal axis and transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft part27. As may most clearly be seen from theFIGS. 4 through 10, the hooking parts19are molded onto the holding part29at connection points31, which are situated diametrically opposite one another on the holding part29. The hooking parts19in this case are designed as wings of equal shape and size, which wings, as is most readily apparent fromFIG. 4as well as9and10, protrude flexibly outward in the unloaded state away from the connection points31serving as bending points, while forming an intermediate space30between the wings and the front side33of the holding part29. The wings have rectangular shapes corresponding to the shape of the holding part29, extend accordingly over the entire area of the front sides33of the holding part29and have approximately the same wing length as the facing front side33.

FIGS. 11 and 12illustrate the mounting process or anchoring process in the profile channel13of the relevant third component, such as the panel1.FIG. 11shows the support part9in an initial position with a rotational position in which the support plate21extends projecting laterally beyond the upper edge11. In this rotational position, the wing-like hooking parts19are splayed in the longitudinal direction of the profile channel13, so that they may be inserted together with the shaft part27through the profile opening35of the profile channel13, seeFIG. 11. The hooking parts19, when twisted by 90° about the longitudinal axis38, as indicated by the rotating arrow36inFIG. 11, come into resilient contact with the side walls37. Side walls37are located in the area of the groove-shaped expansion of the profile channel13. In the rotational position shown inFIG. 12, not only is the support part19with its support plate21flush with the outer sides of the panel1, but the upper side28of the block-like holding part29on the shaft part27is also in bottom engagement with the contact surfaces15and17in the expansion of the profile channel13. The support part9is then form-lockingly secured from lifting out of the profile channel13. In this functional position, the respective support part9is friction-lockingly secured against displacement along the profile channel13by the hooking parts19, which resiliently abut the side walls37. For attaching to the ceiling3, the support parts9can be set in the assigned positions on the third component flush or aligned with the adhesive fastening elements7, but are secured by the friction lock against undesirable sliding movements during the mounting process. The component, in this case, panel1, can then be reliably and effortlessly adhesively engaged with the adhesive fastening elements7on the third component.

FIG. 13illustrates an embodiment of the fastening system, in which a component in the form of a wall covering41is to be attached by an adhesive connection and is provided to form the relevant space5as an anechoic chamber. This flat component has a pattern of projecting bodies known for this purpose, indicated only partially on the visible side inFIG. 13. To attach the wall covering41on a side wall45of the room, hooking elements7are provided on the side walls45for the adhesive engagement with the hooking parts9, which are located on the rear side of the wall covering41. The profile channel13, provided for anchoring the hooking parts9, extends spaced apart from the upper edge11in the horizontal direction at the level of the adhesive fastening parts7located on the side wall45for forming the adhesive connection when applying the wall covering41in the direction of the movement arrow12. A larger number of adhesive fastening elements7or assigned adhesive fastening elements9, which may be distributed over arbitrary surface areas of the wall covering41, may be provided on the side wall45and/or on the rear side of the wall covering41.

While the hooking parts19above are formed as identically shaped wings, which are splayed outwardly in the initial position starting from both front sides33of the block-shaped holding part29, that another number or differently shaped hooking parts could alternatively be provided.