FASTENER

Abstract: A fastener for bundling together a group of tubes has an insert 10 which holds the tubes in their correct relative positions, and a holder 12 which holds the insert and provides means 18,20 for locating the fastener on a struc­ ture. The holder is rotatable around the insert and has a limited amount of axial freedom relative to the insert. Furthermore, the insert can be removed from the holder.

Description: This invention relates to a fastener for securing together a number of elongate members such as pipes, tubes or cables into one bundle, and then allowing this bundle to be secured to a structure. Particularly where a number of tubes are to be bundled together and then bent as a bundle to follow a specific contour, (so-called bundle bending), it is important that the pipes be firmly secured to one another. Subsequently, for serviceability of the pipes in the bundle, it must be possible for individual tubes or pipes to be removed or replaced from within the bundle. According to the present invention there is provided a fastener for securing together a group of elongate members and for allowing the group to be attached to a fixed structure, the fastener comprising a first body having a cylindrical circumference, a bore or bores parallel to the cylinder axis and adapted to accommodate the elongate members, the bores being connected to the circumference through access passages, and a second body having a cylindrical recess and a supporting member by which the second body can be attached to a fixed structure, the cylindrical recess being adapted to removably and rotatably receive the first body. With this construction, the individual elongate members can be held relative to one another in the first body, and the first body can be held by the second body in the correct position in relation to the structure. The bore or bores in the first body are preferably shaped so as to provide a form-fitting recess for each individual elongate member in order that the elongate members be held accurately in the correct relative positions. The bore or bores can be arranged so that the elongate members snap into their final positions. The first body preferably has a limited degree of axial freedom of movement and complete rotational freedom of movement relative to the second body. This makes it easier to align the supporting member on the second body with a particular point on the fixed structure. There may also be a ratchet engagement between teeth on the first and second bodies to provide click-stop rotational location between the two parts, while allowing unimpeded relative axial movement. The axial movement between the two bodies may be limited by moulding deflectable ears on the first body, or by moulding ears on one side of the body and a continuous lip on the other side. Such a lip can have a strengthening function on the first body. The first body can be removed from the second body in an axial direction, after releasing a retaining catch. The recess in the second body either is open at one portion around its circumference, or has a gate which can be opened to allow one of the elongate members to be radially withdrawn. Both the first and second bodies are preferably made from plastics material, preferably injected moulded. The supporting member which forms part of the second body can be a socket adapted to be fitted to a fir tree stud on the fixed structure. The elongate members may be metal tubes or pipes for conducting the fuel and brake fluid in a motor vehicle, and the fixed structure can be the underbody of a motor vehicle. The invention will now be further described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of fastener in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a second embodiment; Figure 3 is a top plan view of the fastener of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a detail view of a first body for a fastener in accordance with the invention; Figure 5 is a detailed section on the lines V-V from Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a fastener forming a third embodiment of the invention; and Figure 7 is a detail of the parts of the first and second bodies. Figure 1 shows a fastener with a first body 10 and a second body 12. The first body is a disc-like plastics moulding with a cut-­ out region 14 which provides recesses for four tubular pipes. The position of the centre of each pipe is marked by a cross in Figure 1. From the geometry of the recess 14, it will be seen that when all four pipes are present in the recess, they will be retained there by contact with the walls of the recess and with each other. The body 10 is received in an annulus 16 of the second body 12, and this annulus can be opened (the open position being shown in Figure 1) to allow pipes to be removed from within its centre. The body has three distinct regions, one being the annulus 16 and the other two being co-operating wings 18 and 20 which form a supporting member and are joined to the annulus 16 by plastics hinges at 20 and 22. The "closed" position of the wing 20 is shown in dotted lines at 24, and the other wing 18 can take up a similar position. When the two wings are in their closed positions, they will be locked by a snap locking feature consisting of an arm 26 and a detent 28. Each wing 18, 20 has a recess 30, 32 for receiving a fir-tree stud (not shown) on the fixed structure such as a vehicle body. Only one of the recesses 30, 32 will be in use at any one time, but the provision of two recesses means that the fastener can be secured at either side. It will be seen from Figure 1 that the first body 10 has a pair of diametrically opposite retaining clips 34, 36 and these will be described in more detail in connection with the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5. In Figure 2 the second body 12 does not form a complete circle around the first body 10, and the first body has a gate 40 which can be opened and closed to allow the tubes 42 to be inserted or removed from the body. In this construction, the supporting member 44 is a single compo­ nent as opposed to the two wings 18 and 20 of Figure 1. The supporting member 44 has a socket 46 for receiving a fir tree stud in the same way as in the previous embodiment. Also shown is an additional receiving clip 48 for a separately mounted pipe. As can be seen from Figures 3, 4 and 5 the retaining clips 36, 38 are part of the first body 10 and extend axially beyond the surfaces of the body. The spacing between the two opposing parallel faces 50 and 52 on each pair of clips is greater than the axial length of the second body 12 so that a limited degree of axial movement of the body 10 in the body 12 is permitted. Movement beyond this limited degree is prevented when one of the surfaces 50 or 52 comes into contact with the respective side face of the body 12. However because the clips are formed at the end of relatively unsupported arms (see Figure 5) it is possible for them to be bent back as indicated by arrow 54 in Figure 5 so that the body 10 can be axially separated from the body 12. This may be necessary in order to allow a particular pipe or pipes to be removed from the body 10, for servicing or replacement. In Figure 4, the gate 40 of the body 10 is connected to the body through a plastics hinge 56. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the second body 12 now has a closable gate 58 with a snap-locking catch arrangement 60. Alternative catch forms are possible, and one alternative would be to place the catch at the hinge end of the gate 58 so that a detent (or recess) engages with a recess (or detent) on the second body itself. The first body 10 is held in the second body in the same way as before, and can be slid axially out of the body by manipulating the retaining clips 36, 38. Once the body 10 is out of the surrounding body 12, individual pipes can be separated. However to remove a separated pipe from the system entirely it is also necessary to open the gate 58, and this gate is connected to the rest of the body by a plastics hinge at 62. Because of the circular shape of the body 10 and its retention in a circular recess in the body 12, the orient­ ation of the supporting member 44 (or the wings 18 and 20 at Figure 1) can be set at an infinite number of angular positions relative to the orientation of the bundle of tubes 42. However Figure 7 shows a detail of the adjacent faces of the first and second bodies, where the faces are both given a toothed form 70, 72. The teeth are of a shallow height so that they provide some resistance to rotation of the first body in the second, but do not prevent such turning. the bodies can then be aligned with one another by turning them a predetermined number of "clicks" in one direction or the other. The teeth lie parallel to the axis of the fastener, so that they do not impede axial sliding of the bodies within the limits to which this movement is subject. In this way, it is not necessary to orient the supporting member at the time when the tubes are bundled together; the orientation can be done in a separate, possibly later stage.

Claims: 1. A fastener for securing together a group of elongate members and for allowing the group to be attached to a fixed structure, characterised by a first body (10) having a cylindrical circumference, a bore or bores (14) parallel to the cylinder axis and adapted to accommodate the elongate members, the bores being connected to the circumference through access passages, and a second body (12) having a cylindrical recess and a supporting member (18,20) by which the second body can be attached to a fixed structure, the cylindrical recess being adapted to removably and rotatably receive the first body (10). 2. A fastener as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the bore or bores in the first body are shaped so as to provide a form-fitting recess (14) for each individual elongate member in order that the elongate members be held accurately in the correct relative positions. 3. A fastener as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the bore or bores are arranged so that the elongate members snap into their final positions. 4. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the cylindrical circumference of the first body (10) and the cylindrical recess of the second body (12) have mutually engaging, axially parallel teeth to provide a ratchet connection giving a click-stop action to relative rotational movement between the bodies. 5. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the first body (10) has a limited degree of axial freedom of movement relative to the second body (12). 6. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the first body (10) can be removed from the second body (12) in an axial direction, after releasing a retaining catch. 7. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the recess in the second body (12) is open at one portion around its circumference to allow one of the elongate members to be radially withdrawn. 8. A fastener as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the recess in the second body (12) has a gate (40) which can be opened to allow one of the elongate members to be radially withdrawn. 9. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that both the first and second bodies are injection moulded from plastics material. 10. A fastener as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the supporting member (18,20) which forms part of the second body (12) is a socket adapted to be fitted to a fir tree stud on the fixed structure.

Inventors: SNOWTON, MARK
Applicants: FORD FRANCE S. A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F16L3
IPC codes: B60K15, F16B5, F16L3