Patent Publication Number: US-10763598-B1

Title: Electric wire clip

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201910380922.2, filed on May 8, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of wire clips, and in particular to an electric wire clip. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     An electrical wire clip is a wiring device for connecting a wire. The electrical wire clip includes a housing and a contact member disposed on the housing. The housing is provided with a pressing arm. During use, the wire can be inserted into the housing and electrically connected to the contact member. The pressing arm can be pressed to allow the operator to pull away the wire. 
     In the prior art, the pressing arm and the housing are often integrally formed. During use of the electric wire clip, the wire is frequently pulled away, often causing the pressing arm to be broken, so that the electric wire clip can no longer work properly. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides an electric wire clip for insertion of a wire, where the electric wire clip comprises a housing, a contact member, and a pressing mechanism. 
     The housing can include a mounting passage and an inserting hole communicating with the mounting passage. 
     The contact member can be disposed in the mounting passage, the contact member having a clamping piece for clamping the wire. 
     The pressing mechanism can comprise a pressing arm and a rotating shaft disposed on the pressing arm and hinged with the housing. 
     The wire is able to pass through the inserting hole and be engaged with the clamping piece. The pressing arm is able to rotate downwardly with the rotating shaft as a hinge center. When rotating downwardly, the pressing arm is able to abut and drive the clamping piece to move outwardly, so that the clamping piece and the wire are disengaged to facilitate pulling away the wire. 
     In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a clamping protrusion, and the pressing arm is provided with a first hook matching with the clamping protrusion. The pressing arm is able to rotate downwardly with the rotating shaft as a hinge center, causing the first hook to swing downwardly to be engaged with the clamping protrusion. 
     In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a hinge hole adapted to the rotating shaft and having an opening. The rotating shaft can be detachably disposed in the hinge hole. 
     In some embodiments, the mounting passage is provided with a limiting protrusion, and the pressing arm is provided with a limiting groove adapted to the limiting protrusion. The limiting protrusion can limit the angle at which the pressing arm is rotated upwardly. 
     In some embodiments, the pressing arm is provided with a pressing groove, and the distance between the pressing groove and the rotating shaft is larger than the distance between the limiting groove and the rotating shaft. 
     In some embodiments, the contact member is provided with a second hook, and the pressing arm is provided a clamping groove adapted to the second hook. 
     In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a limiting station adapted to the pressing arm. The limiting station can limit the angle at which the pressing arm is rotated downwardly. 
     In some embodiments, the contact member has a base, the clamping piece comprises a fixed section disposed on the base and a movable section disposed at the fixed section and able to swing outwardly, and the pressing arm is able to abut and drive the movable section to move outwardly. 
     In some embodiments, the clamping piece comprises a laterally disposed reinforcing rib, one end of the reinforcing rib being located at the fixed section, and the other end being located at the movable section. 
     In some embodiments, the contact member comprises a welded section arranged on the base. The welded section can pass through a PCB board and be welded to a back of the PCB board. 
     The electric wire clip of the present disclosure has better operating performance than the prior art electric wire clip, and the pressing arm does not break during repeated operations. Specifically, the pressing mechanism includes a pressing arm and a rotating shaft disposed on the pressing arm and hinged to the housing. 
     When the pressing arm is in a natural state, the pressing arm is substantially horizontally disposed or abuts against the clamping piece, at which time the wire is clamped to the clamping piece. When the wire needs to be pulled away, the pressing arm is pressed down into the housing. The pressing arm can abut and extend the clamping piece to disengage the clamping piece and the wire to withdraw the wire. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the following drawings show only certain embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope. Those skilled in the art can obtain other related drawings according to these drawings without any creative work. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric structural view of an electric wire clip according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a exploded view of the electric wire clip according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a first isometric structural view of a pressing mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a second isometric structural view of a pressing mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric structural view of the housing according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional structural view of the electric wire clip according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure (in which the pressing arm is not pressed down). 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional structural view of the electric wire clip according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure (in which the pressing arm is pressed down). 
         FIG. 8  is an isometric structural view of the electric wire clip according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a exploded view of the electric wire clip according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a first isometric structural view of a pressing mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Apparently, what is described are some but not all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts are within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but to explain the selected embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts are within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the orientational or positional relationships indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transversal”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, are merely for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. 
     Moreover, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining “first” and “second” may include one or more of the features either explicitly or implicitly. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of “a plurality” is two or more unless specifically defined otherwise. 
     In the present disclosure, the terms “install”, “connected”, “connect”, “fix” and the like shall be understood broadly. For example, the connection may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection or integration; may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; may be directly connected, may be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or may be an internal communication of two elements or the interaction of two elements, unless explicitly stated and defined otherwise. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood based on specific situations. 
     In the present disclosure, when a first feature is described to be “on” or “under” a second feature, situations may include direct contact of the first and second features, and may also include indirect contact of first and second features through another feature therebetween, unless otherwise specifically defined and defined. Moreover, when a first feature is described to be “over”, “above” and “on” the second feature, situations include that the first feature is directly not directly above the second feature, or that the first feature is merely located higher than the second feature. When a first feature is described to be “under”, “below” and “down” the second feature, situations include that the first feature is directly or not directly below the second feature, or that the first feature is merely located lower than the second feature. 
     The present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. 
     First Embodiment 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7 , in the embodiment, an electric wire clip for plugging a wire  4  includes a housing  2  provided with a mounting passage  20  and an inserting hole  22  communicating with the mounting passage  20 , a contact member  3  disposed in the mounting passage  20 , the contact member  3  having a clamping piece  9  for clamping the wire  4 , and a pressing mechanism  1  comprising a pressing arm  12  and a rotating shaft  11  disposed on the pressing arm  12  and hinged with the housing  2 . 
     In the present embodiment, the housing  2  is provided with a clamping protrusion  16  and the pressing arm  12  is provided with a first hook  15  adapted to the clamping protrusion  16 . Specifically, the wire  4  is able to pass through the inserting hole  22  and engage with the clamping piece  9 . The pressing arm  12  is able to rotate downwardly with the rotating shaft  11  as a hinge center. When rotating downwardly, the pressing arm  12  is able to abut and drive the clamping piece  9  to move outwardly, so that the clamping piece  9  and the wire  4  are disengaged to facilitate pulling out the wire  4 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in the present embodiment, the clamping protrusion  16  is a protrusion that is vertically disposed in the mounting passage  20 , and the first hook  15  is disposed on the back of the pressing arm  12 . 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 6 , when the pressing arm  12  is in a natural state, the pressing arm  12  is disposed substantially horizontally or abuts against the clamping piece  9 , and the wire  4  is clamped to the clamping piece  9 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the wire  4  needs to be pulled away, the pressing arm  12  is pressed downward, so that the first hook  15  and the pressing arm  12  are synchronously rotated downwardly, and finally the first hook  15  is hooked on the clamping protrusion  16 . At the same time, when the pressing arm  12  is rotated downwardly, the clamping piece  9  is propped open by the pressing arm  12  to disengage the clamping piece  9  from the wire  4  so as to pull away the wire  4 . Since the first hook  15  is caused to be hooked on the clamping protrusion  16  when the pressing arm  12  is rotated downwardly, the pressing arm  12  can be prevented from retreating and moving upwardly, thereby ensuring that the clamping piece  9  can be reliably propped open by the pressing arm  12 . 
     In the present embodiment, the housing  2  is provided with two mounting passages  20  and two corresponding inserting holes  22 , and the pressing mechanism  1  is also provided with two corresponding pressing arms  12  and two rotating shafts  11 . In another embodiment, the electrical clip may be provided with other numbers of pressing arms  12  and rotating shafts  11 , which are all extensions of the present disclosure and will not be described herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the housing  2  is provided with a hinge hole  19  which is adapted to the rotation shaft  11  and has an opening, and the rotation shaft  11  is detachably disposed in the hinge hole  19 . Specifically, the opening communicates with the outside, and the size of the opening needs to ensure that the remaining arc length of the hinge hole  19  is greater than half of the circumference and also that the rotation shaft  11  can be pressing fitted to the hinge hole  19 . The hinge hole  19  provided with the opening ensures that the rotating shaft  11  can be conveniently disposed on the hinge hole  19 , improving the assembly efficiency of the housing  2  and the rotating shaft  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , the mounting passage  20  is provided with a limiting protrusion  17 , the pressing arm  12  is provided with a limiting groove  14  adapted to the limiting protrusion  17 , and the limiting protrusion  17  can limit the angle at which the pressing arm  12  is rotated upwardly. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the limiting protrusion  17  are vertically disposed on the left and right sides of the mounting passage  20  in pair. The pressing arm  12  is provided with a limiting groove  14  which is adapted to the limiting protrusion  17 . 
     When the force causing the pressing arm  12  to rotate downwardly is cancelled, the clamping piece  9  propped open will move inwardly to a natural state, which will drive the pressing arm  12  to rotate upwardly. Since the force applied by the clamping piece  9  to the pressing arm  12  is relatively short, the pressing arm  12  would jump up. In this embodiment, the limiting protrusion  17  can catch the pressing arm  12  and limit the angle at which the pressing arm  12  is rotated upwardly. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pressing arm  12  is provided with a pressing groove the distance of which from the rotating shaft  11  is larger than the distance of the limiting groove  14  from the rotating shaft  11 . Specifically, in the embodiment, the pressing groove is disposed in a shape of a straight line and is laterally disposed at the pressing arm  12 , and a small circular groove is further disposed therein. During the specific operation, the operator can use a screwdriver or another tool to act on the pressing groove to cause the pressing arm  12  to rotate downward. In this embodiment, the distance between the pressing groove and the rotating shaft  11  is greater than the distance between the limiting groove  14  and the rotating shaft  11 . The purpose is to prevent the pressing groove from obstructing the limiting groove  14 , to ensure that the pressing arm  12  has sufficient space, and that the pressing groove can be set wider, thus facilitating the operation of the pressing arm  12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the present embodiment, the contact member  3  is provided with a second hook  6 , and the pressing arm  12  is provided with a clamping groove  18  adapted to the second hook  6 . Specifically, when the contact member  3  is disposed in the mounting passage  20 , the second hook  6  can be hooked to the clamping groove  18  so as to position the contact member  3 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , in the present embodiment, the housing  2  is provided with a limiting station  21  adapted to the pressing arm  12 , which can limit the angle at which the pressing arm  12  is rotated downwardly. That is, the limiting station  21  defines the maximum angle at which the pressing arm  12  is rotated downwardly, and can prevent the angle of the downward movement of the pressing arm  12  from being too large, which would otherwise cause damage to the contact member  3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the present embodiment, the contact member  3  has a base  10 , the clamping piece  9  has a fixed section  8  disposed on the base  10  and a movable section  7  disposed on the fixed section  8  and able to swing outwardly. The pressing arm  12  is able to abut and drive the movable section  7  to move outwardly. The clamping piece  9  has a reinforcing rib  5  which is disposed laterally and recessed inwardly. The reinforcing rib  5  has one end located at the fixed section  8  and the other end located at the movable section  7 . The reinforcing rib  5  can enhance the strength of the clamping piece  9 , ensuring that the movable section  7  operates reliability during long-term repeated activities. 
     Second Embodiment 
     As shown in  FIG. 8-10 , in the present embodiment, the contact member  3  has a welded portion  23  disposed on the base  10 , so that the contact member  3  substantially assumes an “n” shape. Preferably, the contact member  3  is shaped as a Chinese character “ ”. The welded portion  23  may pass through the PCB board  24  and be soldered to the back side of the PCB board  24 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the region A on the welded portion  23  is the portion where the welded portion  23  is soldered to the PCB board  24 . In the present embodiment, the welded portion  23  is provided with a rib to enhance the strength of the welded portion  23 . 
     Through the above arrangement, the contact member  3  in this embodiment can be soldered to the back side of the PCB board  24 , so that the front side of the PCB board  24  can be made clearer without solder joint of the contact member  3 . Also, the contact member  3  in this embodiment has a smaller welding surface than in prior art. In addition, in the present embodiment, other structural configurations of the housing  2 , the pressing mechanism  1  and the contact member  3  are the same as those of the first embodiment, and details are not described herein again. 
     The above is only the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.