Abstract:
The invention relates to a device to connect two parts, which is characterized by at least two needles which are connected on a base side to separate carriers, of which at least one carrier is operatively connected to the drive element for adjusting the needles, wherein in an initial position of the needles the needle tip are axially displaced with respect to one another and in a bracing position the needle tips are opposite one another in such a way that the supporting areas thereof are situated at the same axial level. The needles have in the region of their tips relative to their mutually facing areas integrated elevations and depressions in order to thereby control the spreading of the needle tips when the needles are actually displaced with respect to one another.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a National Phase Patent Application of International Patent Application Number PCT/EP2012/063985, filed on Jul. 17, 2012, which claims priority of German Patent Application Number 10 2011 108 624.6, filed on Jul. 27, 2011. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to a connecting device for temporarily connecting two preferably plate-like parts, in particular for connecting two parts to be glued and/or to be riveted. Furthermore, the invention relates to a needle for such connecting devices, which can guarantee a reduced area pressing at the parts to be connected. The preferred field of application of the invention is the aerospace sector. 
     A known connecting device of the principle according to the invention, which is used in the aviation industry, is described in DE 20 2010 015 746. It comprises a guiding body mounted torque-proof in a housing, the guiding elements thereof engage into guiding openings of the needle carrier. The needle carrier carries two needles distanced from each other with terminal sided hook-shaped needle tips. A spreading of the needle tips occurs if the needle tips projecting at first beyond the end of the spreading tongue connected to the guiding body are moved by the driving element axially into the housing. For this reason the needle carrier and the driving element comprise screw threads engaging into each other. 
     This connecting device has the disadvantage that the spreading tongue covers a note-worthy part of the hole cross section, which is provided for guiding the needles transferring the tensioning force. The spreading tongue itself can transfer a tensioning force. It is furthermore of a disadvantage that the length of the spreading tongue has to be adapted to the thickness of the parts to be tensed or to be connected. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is to develop an improved connecting device and a novel system of needles with hook-shaped abutments, which provides an enlarged abutment area of the needle tips at a predetermined diameter provided for the needles and thus can reduce the area pressing. 
     The essence of the connecting device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention consists in the following feature combination: 
     The connecting device, which is based on a as such known combination of housing, hook-shaped abutment with integrated supporting areas at the free ends of the assigned needles and a drive element for axial adjustment of the needles as well as for spreading the hook-shaped needle tips, is essentially characterized by
         at least two needles, which are firmly connected on the base side to respective separate carriers, of which at least one carrier is operatively connected to the drive element such that the needles can be adjusted relative to each other in axial direction;   an axial movement of the needles in a starting position before the connecting device is tensed with the parts to be connected, and in fact with needle tips moved axially to each other, while in the tensed position the needle tips are opposite to one another such that the supporting areas thereof are situated at the same axial level;   integrated elevations and depressions in the area of the needle tips in respect to their areas facing each other, wherein said elevations and depressions are nested into each other in a space-saving manner in the starting position of the needles, and wherein the elevations slide on each other during the transition into the tensed position of the needle tips and thus press the needle tips apart from each other such that the supporting areas of the needle tips overlap the assigned area sections of the parts to be connected on the edge side of the assembly hole.       

     According to a preferred variant of the invention, a first needle-carrier-combination consisting of a first shorter needle, which is firmly connected to a first carrier, and a second needle-carrier-combination consisting of a second longer needle, which is firmly connected to a second carrier, are nested into each other, wherein the first carrier comprises a lateral free punch or a passage opening for the second larger needle adapted to the cross section of the needle such that the two carriers can be arranged axially one after the other and the two needles can be arranged preferably next to each other. 
     Guiding openings continuing in alignment in the two carriers in combination with guiding bodies of a support-guiding body-combination, wherein the guiding bodies are inserted into the carriers in a sliding movable manner, provide the anti-twist protection of both needle-carrier-combinations. 
     A further preferred feature of the invention is that the first carrier comprises a coupling element which can be inserted into a coupling opening of the second carrier. A limitation of the axial movability of the needles is guaranteed when interacting with a contact area arranged in the region of said coupling opening and a projection of the coupling element. In this contact position, the supporting areas of the needle tips are aligned to each other and are provided for tensing the parts to be connected. 
     At first, however, in the starting position of the needles not yet tensed, the first and the second carrier are arranged next to each other without a distance or with a small distance, wherein the supporting areas of the needle tips do not yet align to each other and are thus also not yet spread radially. 
     The carrier comprise a screw thread for axial adjustment of the carrier and the movement of the needles connected thereto, wherein said screw thread is operatively connected to an assigned internal screw thread of the drive element. The screw thread of the drive element is preferably formed as an internal thread arranged sectional in order to achieve a simple demoulding of a drive element injection molded of plastic. 
     A cylindrical area without a thread is arranged upstream of the screw thread at the open end of the sleeve-shaped drive element, the height thereof corresponds at least to the height of the first carrier. Thereby it is guaranteed that at first the second carrier with the longer needle is moved with its tip onto the axial level of the needle tip of the shorter needle. Only then both needle tips are adjusted synchronously until the connecting device is tensed with the parts to be tensed. The drive element is driven via a tool intersection at the bottom of the drive element, where a rotating tool can be positioned. 
     In an alternative embodiment a first carrier is provided with an external thread, which can be engaged with the internal thread of the drive, and a second carrier, which is preloaded by means of a spring element in direction of the first carrier arranged upstream. This variant has the advantage that no measures have to be provided in order to guarantee an engagement of the threads of the needle carriers into the thread of the drive part which is coordinated between the needle carriers. 
     The needles comprise preferably in the area of the needle tips projections and depressions, which engage alternating into each other, if the needle tips are moved axially to each other. Thereby, the needle tips cover a comparatively small cross section and almost completely fill out the assembly holes in the plane of the supporting areas of the needle tips. If the needle tips are located axially on the same level, thus the projections and depressions do not engage any longer with each other, but at least do not engage anymore completely into each other, the needle tips are pressed apart from each other by the projections resting on top of each other. As a consequence, the supporting areas of the hook-shaped abutments of the needle tips overlap the assigned areas of the parts to be connected. 
     A further invention relates to a novel needle system of the previously described connecting device. At least two needles, the tips thereof are formed as hook-shaped abutments, comprise at the areas facing each other a contour deviating from the axial moving plane, in particular in form of projections and depressions. They engage alternating into each other in a nested manner, if the needle tips are moved axially to each other. However, they do not engage or only partially engage with each other, if the needle tips are located axially on the same level. The needle tips are then pressed apart from each other by the projections resting on top of each other, whereby the supporting areas of the needle tips overlap the assigned areas of one of the parts to be connected. 
     The projections and depressions or the like are preferably integrated in one piece into the needles made of plastic or metal, in particular in the region of the needle tips. Plastic needles should be formed fiber-enforced in order to be able to absorb high mechanical loadings. Plastic needles can be, in a simple manner, integral part of the assigned carrier. 
     If the needles are made of a metallic material, for instance in form of a casting or a cold impact extrusion part, form-fit regions should be formed on the base side for a stable embedding of the needles into a carrier of plastic. The needles and the carrier can be made of course also as one piece metallic castings. 
     For minimizing the area pressing, the sum of the cross sections of all needle tips in the plane of their supporting areas should correspond approximately to the cross section of the assembly holes in the parts to be connected. It is recommended that the cross sections thereof cover in sum preferably more than 90% of the cross section of the assembly hole. 
     In a particular embodiment of the needles in the region of their tips the sum of the cross sections of all needle tips in the plane of their supporting areas can be larger than the cross section of the assembly holes in the parts to be connected. This is achieved by projections in the region of the needle tips, which are formed by the needle tips themselves by a curved course of the contour of the needles continuing opposite to the locking direction of the supporting areas. Thereby, the projections of the shorter needles engage into the assigned free spaces of the longer needles, while the projection of the longest needle overlaps the needle tips of the other needles. 
     The areas of the needles or needle tips facing each other comprise preferably guiding contours directed essentially axially and engaging form-fit into each other in order to guarantee a defined positioning of the needle tips during the adjustment process. For this reason the needle tips are connected elastically to the needle shafts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is explained in the following by means of embodiments and the illustrated Figures. 
         FIGS. 1 a , 1 b    show perspective views of a connecting device, 
         FIGS. 2 a , 2 b    show explosion illustration of the singular parts of the connecting device, 
         FIGS. 3 a , 3 b    show perspective views of the first needle-carrier-combination with a passage opening for the second needle, 
         FIGS. 4 a , 4 b    show perspective views of the second needle-carrier-combination with a coupling opening for the passage of a coupling element of the first carrier, 
         FIGS. 5 a , 5 b    show perspective views of the two needle-carrier-combination with spread needle tips nested into each other, 
         FIGS. 6 a , 6 b    show perspective illustration of a carrier side view of the second needle-carrier-combination as well as an enlarged illustration of the coupling opening, 
         FIGS. 7 a , 7 c    show perspective views of the needle-carrier-combinations with non-spread needle tips nested into each other, 
         FIG. 7 b    shows enlarged illustration of the needle tips moved to each other and nested into each other on the attachment side, 
         FIGS. 8 a -8 c    show perspective views of the needle-carrier-combinations nested into each other in combination with the support-guiding body-combination, wherein it shows: 
         FIG. 8 a    shows non-spread needle tips moved maximal to each other, 
         FIG. 8 b    shows needles with a beginning spreading of the needle tips partially moved to each other, 
         FIG. 8 c    shows needle tips on the same height (not moved anymore to each other) and spread apart, 
         FIGS. 9 a -9 c    show different perspective views of the drive element acting onto the needle-carrier-combination, 
         FIGS. 10 a , 10 b    show perspective views of the supporting guiding body combination with form-fit elements to the external housing, 
         FIGS. 11 a , 11 b    show perspective views of the external housing, 
         FIGS. 12 a , 12 b    show side views of the needle-carrier-combination nested into each other with non-spread and spread needle tips, 
         FIGS. 13 a -13 e   , show principal illustration of different variants of needles nested into each other from the back side via form-fit regions, the tips thereof comprise in the region of their supporting area in sum a cross section, which is larger than the cross section of the assembly hole, 
         FIG. 14  shows principle illustration of a variant of needles nested from the backside via a region reduced in its thickness, 
         FIGS. 15 a -15 b    show cross section of a connecting device with only one driven needle carrier and needles according to the principle illustrated in the  FIGS. 13 a    to  13   c,    
         FIG. 15 c    shows top view of the contour of the driven needle carrier with its lateral free punch for introducing the other needle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The perspective views of the connecting device shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    illustrate two so-called sewing needles  10 ,  20  in a position in which a tensioning with the parts (not shown here) could occur. Thereby, the needle tips  100 ,  200  are on the same axial level in respect to the supporting area  301 , which provides the contact to one of the parts to be connected. Should the supporting area  301  be contaminated by a glue then, by exchanging part  3  in a simple manner, the advantage of the modular system can be used and costs can be saved. 
     The housing  5  of the connecting device comprises on the opposite side a form-fit region  51 , which serves in connection with the rotating tool as anti-twist protection, if the adjusting force is transferred via a second form-fit element  41 . This second form-fit element  41  is shaped at the bottom  40  of the drive element  4  which is provided for adjusting the needles  10 ,  20  and tensing the needle tips  100 ,  200  to the in particular plate-like parts to be connected. 
     All parts of the connecting device are deducible from  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   . Accordingly, a first needle-carrier-combination  1  is provided, which consists of a needle  10  and a carrier  11 , wherein both are firmly connected to each other. The needle  10  comprises a circular sectional cross section, which—as far as possible—should be approximately a semi-circle in order to use the available space as good as possible and thus to maximize the carrying capacity thereof. On the essentially flat side of the needle  10  a passage opening is formed in the carrier  11  through which the needle  20  of the second needle-carrier-combination  2  can be guided. 
     Both carriers  11 ,  21  comprise screw threads  110 ,  210  at their cylindrical external faces for the purpose of engaging into assigned thread segments  43  of the drive element  4 . Furthermore, aligned guiding openings  112 ,  212  of both carriers  11 ,  21  form in connection with the inserted guiding bodies  31  of the support-guiding body-combination  3  an anti-twist protection for the needles  10 ,  20 . Thereby, the needles  10 ,  20  pass the opening  300  of the supporting body  30 . The supporting body  30  comprises on the one hand form-fit elements  302 , which form in connection with assigned form-fit elements  502  of the housing  5  (see  FIG. 11A ) a further anti-twist protection. 
     The assembly of parts  1  to  5  is to be carried out in the following order: 
     At first, the first and the second needle-carrier-combination  1 ,  2  are nested with each other by inserting the second needle  20  into the passage opening  111 , and indeed until both carriers  11 ,  21  rest on top of each other. In this status, the end of the second needle tip  200  projects somewhat beyond the end of the first needle tip  10 , wherein the protrusions  101 ,  201  and depressions  102 ,  202  incorporated into the flat sides of the needles  10 ,  20  engage into each other in a space saving manner. Thereby, the needle tips  100 ,  200  are essentially directly adjacent to each other with their flat sides and comprise the smallest radial extension. 
     The needle-carrier-combinations  1 ,  2  joint such are now nested with the support-guiding body-combination  3  by inserting the needles  10 ,  20  from the side of the guiding body  31  through the opening  300  of the supporting body  30  until the carrier  11  rests against the supporting body  30 . Thereby, the guiding bodies  31  reach through the guiding openings  112 ,  212  and form an anti-twist protection in order to be able to guarantee the drive force for adjusting the needles  10 ,  20  by means of the rotatable drive element  4 . 
     In the next step, the combination of parts  1 ,  2  and  3  is inserted into the drive element  4 , wherein the carrier  21  abuts at first against the first thread of the internal thread segment  43  and fills out largely the cylindrical space  45  (which does not comprise a thread). Due to a screwing movement the external thread  210  of the carrier is brought into engagement with the internal thread  43  of the drive, and indeed until the first carrier  11  is completely received by the space of the cylindrical face  45 . In this status, the supporting body  30  rests on the outer edge of the drive element. 
     Finally, the combination of the parts  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  is inserted from the side of the form-fit region  51  into the opening  510  of the housing  5  until the supporting area  301  projects through the front-sided opening  500 , wherein the supporting body  30  of the support-guiding body-combination  3  engages with its form-fit elements  302  in assigned form-fit elements  502  (see  FIG. 11A ) and forms an anti-twist protection. A protection not illustrated in the  FIGS. 2 a , 2 b    shall guarantee that the axial position of the drive element  4  is maintained in the housing  5 . 
       FIG. 3 a , 3 b    or  4   a ,  4   b  show a possible embodiment of needle-carrier-combinations  1  and  2 , the assembly thereof is illustrated in different axial positions of their elements in the  FIGS. 5 a    to  7   c.    
     Accordingly, the needle tips  100 ,  200  of the needles  10 ,  20  comprise at their sides directed outwards conical or cone-sector shaped formed areas  102 ,  203  which lead to radial continuing supporting areas  104 ,  204 . On the sides of the needles  10 ,  20  directed inwards (which are formed essentially flat) projections  101 ,  201  and depressions  102 ,  202  are incorporated in the region of the needle tips  100 ,  200  or in close proximity thereto, which engage alternating into each other in a starting position of needles  10 ,  20  such that the needle tips  100 ,  200  adjoin each other at their sides directed inwards. See also  FIGS. 7 a  to 7 c   . In this this position, the needle tips  100 ,  200  occupy the smallest radial cross section, which is somewhat smaller than the cross section of the assembly holes M of the parts to be connected. Thereby, the carriers  11 ,  21  rest on top of each other and the second needle tip  200  projects somewhat beyond the first needle tip  100 . 
     Furthermore, means are provided which delimit a relative movement of the needles  10 ,  20  or their needle tips  100 ,  200  such that the supporting areas  104 ,  204  thereof can be displaced exactly on the same axial level, wherein the projections  101 ,  201  slide on each other and spread thereby the needle tips  100 ,  200  apart. Only then, a tensing of the parts to be connected can occur. 
     For controlling the relative movement of the needles  10 ,  20  a coupling element  12  with a coupling region  120  forming a projection is provided at the carrier  11 , which can engage into a coupling opening  211 . The coupling opening  211  comprises according to the detailed illustration of the  FIGS. 6 a , 6 b    a round hole  211   a  being sufficiently wide for the passage of the coupling element  12 , which is followed by a blind hole  211   b  with a contact area  211   c  in circumferential direction. In the already described starting position of the needles  10 ,  20  shifted to each other according to  FIGS. 7 a  to 7 c    the coupling element  12 ,  120  projects the furthest through the coupling opening  211 . If the coupling region  120  of the coupling element  12  reaching behind comes into engagement with the contact area  211   c  due to an axial drive movement of the second carrier  21  the first carrier  11  is taken along and its external thread  100  is picked up by the internal thread  42  of the drive element  4 . This contact position, in which the needle tips  100 ,  200  are spread apart, is shown in  FIGS. 5 a   ,  5   b.    
     It has to be mentioned at this point that—in contrast to the simplified illustration in the FIGS.—the needles  10 ,  20  are progressively less spread apart when spreading their needle tips  100 ,  200  in direction to their fastening to the carriers  11 ,  21 . With this in mind, the side views of the  FIGS. 12 a , 12 b    are also to be seen as schematic illustrations, which show the needles  10 ,  20  and the carrier  11 ,  21  in their starting position as well as in their functional position (thus with needle tips  100 ,  200  spread apart). 
       FIG. 8 a    shows the starting position with needle tips  100 ,  200  moved against each other, which are nested with each other in a space-saving manner, wherein the carriers  11 ,  21  rest on top of each other and the guiding bodies  31  formed at the supporting body  31  are inserted with a certain length into the guiding openings  112 ,  212 . According to  FIG. 8 b    a slight relative movement between the needles  10 ,  20  or the needle tips  100 ,  200  took place what can be recognized by means of the small gap between the carriers  11 ,  21 . The maximum movement between the needles  10 ,  20  is shown in  FIG. 8 c   . Here, the axial aligned contact areas  104 ,  204  are located on the same level. Simultaneously, the projections of the needle tips  100 ,  200  standing on top of each other are spread apart at a maximum. The carriers  11 ,  21  have now the maximum distance, which is delimited by the already described coupling opening  2011  and the coupling element  12 ,  120 . 
     In order to prevent an undesired early engagement of the thread  43  of a drive element  4  into the thread  110  of the first carrier  11  it is recommended to provide the engagement between the guiding bodies  31  and the guiding openings  112  with sufficient friction. As an alternative, a compression spring can also be installed for this reason between the carriers  12 ,  21 , wherein said compression spring can be eventually a single piece part of a carrier  11 ,  21  made by injection moulding. 
       FIGS. 9 a  to 9 c    show the sleeve-shaped drive element  4  which has already been described in principle in context with the  FIGS. 2 a , 2 b   , enlarged in different views. It is of an advantage to produce this element out of plastic, wherein the internal thread  43  is not continuously formed but segment-like alternating to threadless free punches  44  in order to be able to guarantee in a simple manner a demoulding of a slider of an injection moulding tool. Otherwise, this part of the injection moulding tool must be elaborately unscrewed. The threadless cylindrical front region  45  of the drive element  4  serves for receiving the first carrier  11  in the starting position of the parts of the connecting device. A hexagon form-fit element  41  is provided at the rear bottom  40  for the engagement of a rotating tool. 
     The contrasting of the support-guiding body-combination  3  of  FIGS. 10 a , 10 a    and the housing of  FIGS. 11 a , 11 b    shall clarify the form-fit engagement of the supporting body  3  with its form-fit elements  302  into the assigned form-fit regions  502  in proximity of the edge  501  of the opening  500  in the housing  5 . The supporting area  301  of the supporting body  30  projects through the opening  500  and overlaps the front side area  50  of the housing  5 . 
     Another variant of needles  10   a ,  20   a  according to the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 13 a -13 c   . The needles  10   a ,  20   a  are inserted into the concentric assembly holes M of the parts T 1 , T 2  to be connected, wherein the needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  project with their supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  beyond the upper edge of part  1 . The sides of the needles  10   a ,  20   a  facing each other and directed inwards are nested with each other according to the notch-spring principle as shown exemplarily in the  FIG. 13 b    or  13   c  and  13   d . In the illustrated starting position of  FIG. 13 a    the needle tip  200   a  of the shorter needle  20   a  is inserted on the back side partially “within” the longer needle  10   a . The region characterized by the dotted line shall mark the projection  201 ′ which engages into an adaptable contour of the other needle  10   a . In case of a relative movement of the two needles  10   a ,  20   a , which brings the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  to the same axial level, the contours of the projections  101 ′,  201 ′ run onto each other and pivot the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  over the edge area of the assembly hole M of part T 1 . 
     The special feature of this embodiment is that the sum of the cross sections of the needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  in the plane of their supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  is larger than the cross section of the assembly hole M. In the embodiment shown according to  FIG. 13 c    the guiding contours  106   aa  and  206   aa  engaging into each other form-fitted form a notch-spring system, and indeed according to the starting position of the needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  shown in  FIG. 13 a   . When moving the needles  10   a ,  20   a  the depth of engagement of the guiding contours  106   aa  forming the notch and the guiding contours  206   aa  forming the spring change as illustrated in  FIG. 13 d   . As a consequence, the needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  are pressed apart such that the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  overlap the edges of the assembly hole M. As soon as the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  have reached the same axial level the provided loading force can be transferred to the parts T 1 , T 2  to be connected by rotating the drive element  4 . 
       FIG. 13 e    shows a further variant of guiding contours of the notch-spring principle. The contours interlocking wedge-shaped represent the starting position of the needles in analogy to the  FIGS. 13 a  and 13 c   , thus with needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  moved towards each other. This wedge-shaped contour has the advantage that it is less susceptible to tolerances and is always guided centrically. The corner edges  105   a ,  205   a  of the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  are formed in circular section curved in this embodiment and approach thus the contour of the assembly hole M. Hereby, the size of the supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  is maximized and the area pressure is minimized. 
     The variant illustrated in  FIG. 13 b    of an L-shaped cross section of back-sided contours of the needles  10   a ,  20   a  in the region of their tips has the advantage that one can manage with only one variant of needles. 
     A variant of the previously described embodiment principle of  FIG. 14  which is developed extremely further to a certain extend is shown in  FIG. 14 . Here, the so called depression  102 ′ in the longer needle  10   b  is provided by a material reduction, in which a considerable part of the head (analogue to projection  201 ′) of the needle tip  200   b  is placed. For this embodiment a sufficient pivotability of the needle tips  100   b ,  200   b  has to be guaranteed. When using plastic as material for the needles  100   b ,  200   b  the mechanical loading capacity should be improved by incorporating longitudinal fibers (preferably made of aramid or similar materials). 
     Finally, it still should be pointed to a variant of a connecting device (see  FIGS. 15 a  to 15 c   ) in which only the carrier  11   a  of the needle  10   a  projecting the furthest is directly driven via an external thread, which is in engagement with the internal thread  43  a of the drive element. The carrier  21   a  of the other needle  20   a  is indeed pressed upwards by a spring F. However, the needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  are in engagement with each other elastically preloaded in radial direction such that these needle tips  100   a ,  200   a  can only then reach the same axial level with their supporting areas  104   a ,  204   a  if the needle tip  200   a  is already in engagement with the part T 1  to be tensed and the carrier  11   a  is further adjusted until it comes finally into abutment with the second carrier  21   a . When further actuating the drive element  4  the provided tension force is built up. See also the principle illustration of  FIG. 15 b   , where the tensing of the parts T 1 , T 2  to be connected occurs only after a longer adjustment path with mostly compressed spring F. 
       FIG. 15 c    shows schematically the top view onto the carrier  11   a , which comprises a free punch  13  aligned radially, through which the other needle  20   a  can be inserted sideways in order to join together the two needle-carrier-combinations. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
       1  needle-carrier-combination 
       10 ,  10   a ,  10   b  needle 
       11 ,  11   a  carrier with external thread 
       12  coupling element 
       13  free punch 
       100 ,  100   a ,  100   b  needle tip/hook-shaped abutment 
       101 ,  101 ′ projection 
       102 ,  102 ′ depression 
       103  conically continuing area 
       104 ,  104   a ,  104   b  holding area/supporting area 
       105   a  corner edge of the supporting area 
       106   a ,  106   aa  guiding contour/form-fit element 
       110  thread 
       111  passage opening 
       112  guiding opening 
       120  coupling region (overlapping) 
       121  connecting region 
       2  needle-carrier-combination 
       20 ,  20   a ,  20   b  needle 
       21 ,  21  a carrier with external threat 
       200 ,  200   a ,  200   b  needle tip/hook-shaped abutment 
       201 ,  201 ′ projection 
       202  depression 
       203  conically continuing area 
       204 ,  204   a ,  204   b  holding area/supporting area 
       205   a  corner edge of the supporting area 
       206   a ,  206   aa  guiding contour/form-fit element 
       210  thread 
       211  coupling opening 
       211   a  round hole 
       211   b  pocket hole 
       211   c  contact area 
       212  guiding opening 
       3  support-guiding body-combination 
       30  supporting body 
       31  guiding body 
       300  opening 
       301  supporting area 
       302  form-fit elements 
       4  drive element/thread sleeve 
       40  bottom 
       41  tool interface/form-fit element/hexagon element 
       42  cylindrical external area of the thread sleeve 
       43 ,  43   a  internal thread segment 
       44  free punch (for deforming the slider of an injection tool) 
       45  cylindrical area without thread 
       5  housing 
       50  front side area  50   
       51  form-fit region 
       52  external wall 
       500  opening, front side 
       501  edge of the opening  500   
       502  form-fit region 
       503  latching element 
       510  opening 
     F spring 
     M assembly hole 
     T 1  part  1   
     T 2  part  2