Patent Publication Number: US-2004046088-A1

Title: Band clamp

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a band clamp, and more particularly to a band clamp that attaches an automotive wire harness to an aperture in a vehicle body panel through an improved installation procedure.  
       [0003] 2. Description of Related Art  
       [0004] Conventionally, wire harnesses have been attached to a vehicle body through a tape-wrapped clamp  1  as shown in FIG. 13, or a manually tightened band clamp  2  as shown in FIGS.  14 A- 14 C. As illustrated in FIG. 13, clamp  1  is a one-piece synthetic plastic resin fixture incorporating a base plate  1   a  and an anchor peg  1   b  that extends upward from the mid-portion of base plate  1   a , the purpose of peg  1   b  being to secure the clamp to the vehicle body. Clamp  1  is secured to wire harness W/H by wrapping tape T around wire harness W/H and base plate  1   a.    
       [0005] Band clamp  2 , as shown in FIG. 14A, is a one-piece synthetic plastic resin fixture incorporating band  2   a  that extends from the lower surface of box-like body  2   b , and anchor peg  2   c  that extends from the upper surface of the box-like body  2   b . As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, band clamp  2  secures wire harness W/H by band  2   a  wrapping around the wire harness and passing through slot  2   b - 1  in body  2   b . Band tightening tool G is used to tighten band  2   a  which is maintained in a tightly constricted condition around wire harness W/H by a pawl (not shown), formed on an inner surface slot  2   b - 1 , locking against one of many continuous serrations (not shown) formed on the outer surface of band  2   a . The excess portion of band  2   a  that extends from orifice  2   b - 1  is sheared off and discarded.  
       [0006] As shown in FIG. 13, the installation of clamp  1  to wire harness W/H requires a tape wrapping operation, and thus undesirably increases the number of components and procedural steps required to install the wire harness. Moreover, the commonly applied vinyl chloride tape becomes an environmental pollutant when eventually discarded.  
       [0007] There are various problems regarding the installation of band clamp  2  to wire harness W/H as shown in FIGS.  14 A- 14 C, one being the need to use an additional component in the form of tool G, and another being the additional procedure in which the excess portion of band  2   a  must be severed and discarded. Other problems exhibited by this type of band clamp are the waste of material that results from cutting off and discarding the excess length of band  2   a , the damage that the sharp severed end of band  2   a  may inflict on adjacent wires, and the possibility of technicians installing the wire harness injuring their hands through inadvertent contact with the sharp severed end of band  2   a.    
       [0008] Moreover, because the positions at which clamp  1  (FIG. 13) or band clamp  2  (FIGS.  14 A- 14 C) connect to wire harness W/H cannot be changed once the clamps are attached to the wire harness, a variation in the spacing of the clamps on the wire harness with respect to the spacing of the clamp installation holes in the vehicle (not shown) can prevent the installation of anchor pegs  1   b  or  2   c  to the vehicle.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009] Noting the above-described shortcomings in the prior art construction, the present invention provides a band clamp that is able to increase the efficiency of the wire harness installation process, and that allows for easy correction of the differences in spacing between the band clamp positions on the wire harness and the installation aperture positions on the vehicle body.  
       [0010] The invention resolves the above described shortcomings in the prior art through a band-type wire harness clamp that may be inserted into mounting apertures in a vehicle body panel. The band clamp of the present invention is a one-piece fixture including a band portion having ends that can be separated to form a space there between, and a pair of insertion members, one insertion member formed at each end of the band portion adjacent to the space and in opposition to the other insertion member. Each insertion member includes an insertion plate that extends from each end of the band portion adjacent to the space, a lock finger that extends outward and downward from the upper edge of the insertion plate, and a lip portion formed at the end of the lock finger.  
       [0011] An inwardly extending L-shaped lock claw is provided on at least one of the mutually opposed insertion plates, and a lock notch is provided as a cut out portion at the upper edge of the facing insertion plate. The wire harness is inserted into the band portion through the space, and the lock claw is hooked over the lock notch to mutually join the insertion members and securely close the band portion around the wire harness. The joined insertion members are inserted into the mounting aperture in the vehicle body, thereby placing the lip portion of each lock finger securely against the edges of the mounting aperture to secure the wire harness to the vehicle body panel.  
       [0012] The present invention eliminates the need for separate installation components, such as the previously noted tape T and band tightening tool G that are required for the installation of conventional clamps, and significantly improves the efficiency of the wire harness installation process by allowing the attachment of the band clamp to the wire harness by simply hooking the lock claw over the lock notch. Moreover, as the band clamp of the present invention eliminates the need to shear off and discard an excess portion of the band clamp, there is no sharp severed band edge to damage adjacent parts of the wire harness nor injure the installation technician, and waste of material is avoided.  
       [0013] In addition, the band clamp of the present invention need not be previously and permanently attached to the wire harness as is required by conventional tape-attached clamps and band tightened clamps, but may be removably attached to the wire harness through the joining and un-joining of the insertion members. The attachment method permits the positions of multiple band clamps on the wire harness to be adjusted by simply separating the lock claw from the lock notch, thus allowing the positions of the band clamps on the wire harness to be easily changed in cases where the initial spacing of the band clamps on the wire harness may not align with the spacing of the mounting apertures on the vehicle body panel.  
       [0014] Further, a stop tab, which may be formed as an inwardly extending portion of the lower edge of at least one insertion member, is inserted into a tab notch formed within the opposed insertion member to prevent opposed horizontal displacement of the insertion members.  
       [0015] Opposed displacement of the insertion members in the vertical plane is prevented by the contact surfaces formed by hooking the lock claw over the lock notch, and opposed displacement of the insertion members in the horizontal plane is prevented by the contact surfaces formed by the insertion of the stop tab into the tab notch.  
       [0016] An aspect of the present invention provides a band clamp including a band portion having first and second ends; a first insertion member provided on the first end of the band portion and a second insertion member provided on the second end of the band portion; a first lock finger extending outwardly and downwardly from an upper edge of the first insertion member and a second lock finger extending outwardly and downwardly from an upper edge of the second insertion member; and a joining device configured to join together the first and second insertion members; wherein, in a first position of the band clamp, a space is provided between the first insertion member on the first band portion end and the second insertion member on the second band portion end, the space configured to receive a wire harness therethrough, and in a second position, the space is closed and the first insertion member and the second insertion member are joined together by the joining device, the joined together first and second insertion members configured to be inserted into a mounting aperture in a vehicle body panel so that the first and second lock fingers secure the wire harness to the vehicle body panel. Further, the first insertion member may include a first insertion plate extending from the first band portion end; the second insertion member may include a second insertion plate extending from the second band portion end; wherein, in the second position, the first and second insertion plates are joined together forming an insertion peg configured to be inserted into the mounting aperture in the vehicle body panel. Further, the band clamp may further include a first lip portion provided at an end of the first lock finger and a second lip portion provided at an end of the second lock finger; wherein, the first and second lip portions are configured to contact edges of the mounting aperture in the vehicle body panel when the band clamp is in the second position.  
       [0017] In a further aspect of the present invention, the band clamp further includes a first semicircular flange provided on the first insertion member and a second semicircular flange provided on the second insertion member; wherein, in the second position, the first and second semicircular flanges are joined together forming a substantially circular flange, the substantially circular flange configured to contact the edges of the mounting aperture on an opposite surface of the vehicle body panel so that the edges of the mounting aperture are positioned between the first and second lip portions and the substantially circular flange. Additionally, the band clamp may be formed unitarily and in one piece. The joining device may further include an inwardly extending L-shaped lock claw provided on at least one of the insertion members; and a lock notch provided as a recessed portion at an upper edge of a facing one of the insertion members; wherein, by hooking the lock claw over the lock notch the insertion members are joined together and the band portion is securely closed around the wire harness. The band clamp may further include a stop tab provided as an inwardly extending portion of a lower edge of at least one of the insertion members; and a tab notch provided within a facing insertion member; wherein in the second position the stop tab is inserted into the tab notch to form contact surfaces that prevent relative horizontal displacement between the first and second insertion members. Further, the joining device may further include first and second L-shaped lock claws provided on the first insertion member, and a third L-shaped lock claw provided on the second insertion member; and first and second lock notches provided on the second insertion member, the third L-shaped lock claw positioned between the first and second lock notches, and a third lock notch provided on the first insertion member, the third lock notch positioned between the first and second L-shaped lock claws; wherein, by hooking the first, second, and third lock claws over the first, second, and third, lock notches, respectively, the first and second insertion members are joined together and the band portion is securely closed around the wire harness. Further, the band clamp may further include a first stop tab provided as an inwardly extending portion of a lower edge of the first insertion member and a second stop tab provided as an inwardly extending portion of a lower edge of the second insertion member; and a first tab notch provided on the first insertion member and a second tab notch provided on the second insertion member; wherein in the second position the first stop tab is inserted into the second tab notch and the second stop tab is inserted into the first tab notch to form contact surfaces that prevent relative horizontal displacement between the first and second insertion members.  
       [0018] A further aspect of the present invention provides in combination, a vehicle body panel portion; a wire harness; and a band clamp. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0019] The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, given as nonlimiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
     [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the band clamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0021]FIG. 2 is a side view of the band clamp in the embodiment of FIG. 1;  
     [0022]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the band clamp in the embodiment of FIG. 1;  
     [0023]FIG. 4 is a top view of the band clamp in the embodiment of FIG. 1;  
     [0024]FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the band clamp in the embodiment of FIG. 1;  
     [0025]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the band clamp in the embodiment of FIG. 1 attached to a wire harness;  
     [0026]FIG. 7A is a cross sectional view of the band clamp of the present invention attached to a wire harness shown in FIG. 6;  
     [0027]FIG. 7B is a side view of the band clamp of the present invention attached to a wire harness shown in FIG. 6;  
     [0028]FIG. 8 illustrates the spacing between wire harness mounting apertures on a vehicle body;  
     [0029]FIG. 9 illustrates the band clamp shown in FIG. 8 inserted into the mounting apertures on a vehicle body;  
     [0030]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a wire harness with a plurality of types of band clamps attached thereto;  
     [0031]FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the band clamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0032]FIG. 11B is a side view of the band clamp of the present invention according to the embodiment of FIG. 11A;  
     [0033]FIG. 12A is a perspective view of the band clamp according to a third embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0034]FIG. 12B is a side view of the band clamp of the present invention according to the embodiment of FIG. 12A;  
     [0035]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional wire harness clamp;  
     [0036]FIG. 14A is a side view of a conventional band clamp;  
     [0037]FIG. 14B is a cross sectional view of the band clamp of FIG. 14A attached to a wire harness;  
     [0038]FIG. 14C is a perspective view of the band clamp of FIG. 14A attached to a wire harness. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0039] The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description is taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.  
     [0040] FIGS.  1 - 5  illustrate a first embodiment of the band clamp of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows band clamp  10  as a single piece including a C-shaped band  28  whose opposed ends may be separated to define a space  40 . The band clamp  10  of the present invention may be formed unitarily and in one piece. Further, the band clamp  10  of the present invention may be constructed of any suitable material such as, for example, a synthetic plastic resin. A pair of semi-circular flanges  22  and  23  are formed at the opposed ends of band  28  adjacent to space  40 , and insertion members  12  and  13  extend from the upper surfaces of semi-circular flanges  22  and  23 . The insertion members  12  and  13  may be joined together to form an insertion peg  11 .  
     [0041] Insertion member  13  includes an insertion plate  15  that extends upward from semi-circular flange  23 , a lock finger  17  that extends downward from the center of the top edge of insertion plate  15 , and a lip portion  17   a  that projects from the lower edge of lock finger  17 . Lock claw  21  is an L-shaped member that extends inward from the top edge of insertion plate  15 , and lock notch  19  is formed at the top edge of insertion plate  15  opposite lock claw  21 . As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and  5 , insertion member  13  also includes stop tab  27  which projects from the lower edge of insertion plate  15  in opposition to lock claw  21  to prevent horizontal dislocation of the lower portion of insertion member  13 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, tab notch  25  is formed on one side of the lower edge of insertion plate  15  as a space into which opposing stop tab  26  may be inserted.  
     [0042] Insertion member  12  is a mirror-image construction of insertion member  13  and is located in opposition thereto. Lock finger  16 , which includes lip portion  16   a  formed at the lower edge thereof, extends outward and downward from the center of the upper edge of insertion plate  14  above flange  22 . Lock notch  19  is cut out from one side of the upper edge of insertion plate  15  opposite to L-shaped lock claw  20  that extends inward also from the upper edge of insertion plate  15 . As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and  5 , horizontal displacement prevention stop tab  26  extends from the lower edge of insertion plate  14  on the side of the insertion plate  15  opposite to lock claw  20 , and tab notch  24  (see FIG. 5) is formed in the lower edge of the side of insertion plate  14  opposite to stop tab  26 .  
     [0043] According to the construction of the present invention, the lock claws  20  and  21  are located opposite to lock notches  18  and  19 , respectively, and stop tabs  26  and  27  are located opposite to tab notches  24  and  25 , respectively.  
     [0044] The following will describe the procedure of installing band clamp  10  onto a wire harness W/H. Wire harness W/H is inserted into C-shaped band  28  of band clamp  10  through the space  40 , which has been created by the mutual separation of insertion members  12  and  13 , as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and  8 , insertion members  12  and  13  are then pressed together to form a construction in which lock claw  20  on insertion member  12  hooks over lock notch  19  on insertion member  13 , and lock claw  21  on insertion member  13  hooks over lock notch  18  on insertion member  12 . Insertion peg  11  is thus formed from the joining of insertion members  12  and  13 , and a circular flange is formed from the joining of semi-circular flanges  22  and  23 .  
     [0045] With insertion members  12  and  13  locked together as shown in FIG. 7A, stop tabs  26  and  27  have been inserted into oppositely located tab notches  25  and  24 , respectively. The respective hooked joining of lock claws  20  and  21  to lock notches  18  and  19  prevents the opposed vertical displacement of insertion plates  14  and  15 , and the respective contact of lock claw  20  and  21  against lock fingers  16  and  17  prevents opposed horizontal displacement of insertion members  12  and  13 . The stop tabs  26  and  27  inserted into tab notches  24  and  25 , respectively, also prevents horizontal displacement of insertion members  12  and  13 . Tabs  26  and  27  are maintained in position by their respective insertion to tab notches  24  and  25 , and can be easily removed there from.  
     [0046] Insertion peg  11 , which is formed by the joining of insertion members  12  and  13 , includes a pair of lock fingers  16  and  17  that extend downward and outward from the top edges of insertion plates  14  and  15 . The distance between lip portions  16   a  and  17   a  is larger than the width of mounting aperture H in vehicle body P. Thus, as shown in FIG. 9, the edges of the mounting aperture H are sandwiched between lip portions  16   a  and  17   a  and flanges  22  and  23 , respectively.  
     [0047] The band clamp of the present invention provides at least the advantage of eliminating the need for separate installation components, such as previously noted tape T and band tightening tool G that are required for the installation of the conventional clamps shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Further, the band clamp of the present invention significantly improves the efficiency of the wire harness installation process by allowing the band clamp  10  to be attached to wire harness W/H through the mutual joining of insertion members  12  and  13  by simply hooking lock claws  20  and  21  to lock notches  18  and  19 , respectively. Further, as the invention eliminates the need to sever and discard an excess portion of band  28 , there is no sharp severed band edge to damage the wire harness nor injure the installation technician, and there is no waste created by the installation process nor waste disposal expense.  
     [0048] In addition, the band clamp  10  of the present invention need not be earlier and permanently attached to wire harness W/H as is required by conventional tape-attached clamps and band tightened clamps, but allows the band  28  to be removably attached to wire harness W/H through the convenient joining and un-joining of insertion members  12  and  13 . This attachment method allows the position of the band clamp  10  on the wire harness W/H to be adjusted by simply separating lock claws  20  and  21  from lock notches  18  and  19 , respectively, thus allowing the positions of multiple band clamps  10  on wire harness W/H to be easily changed in cases where the initial spacing L 1  of band clamps  10  on wire harness W/H may not align with the spacing L 2  between mounting apertures H on vehicle body panel P (FIG. 8).  
     [0049] Further, as shown in FIG. 10, conventional band clamps  2  must be fixedly attached to wire harness W/H (which can be, for example, a floor harness, engine harness, engine compartment harness or other wire harness component) at points located within specific tolerances needed to align the clamps to mounting points on the vehicle. The band clamp  10  of the present invention, however, may be attached to wire harness W/IH at unspecified central locations and conveniently aligned with the vehicle mounting points at the time of installation.  
     [0050]FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate a second embodiment of the band clamp of the present invention in the form of a band clamp  10 ′ which utilizes only one lock claw  20  and one lock notch  19  as well as only one horizontal displacement prevention stop tab  26  and one tab notch  25 . The positions of stop tab  26  and tab notch  25  may be symmetrically aligned with the positions of lock claw  20  and lock notch  18  in relation to lock fingers  16  and  17 .  
     [0051] As there is only one lock claw  20  in this second embodiment, less pressure is required to hook lock claw  20  over lock notch  19  in order to join insertion members  12 ′ and  13 ′. Moreover, as lateral displacement prevention stop tab  26  and tab notch  25  are in symmetrical alignment with lock claw  20  and lock notch  19 , the structure by which lock claw  20  contacts lock finger  17  prevents insertion member  12 ′ from sliding horizontally against insertion member  13 ′ in one direction, and the structure by which stop tab  26  is inserted into tab notch  25  prevents insertion member  12 ′ from sliding horizontally against insertion member  13 ′ in the opposite direction. Descriptions of the second embodiment parts identical to those in the first embodiment have been omitted.  
     [0052]FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention in the form of band clamp  10 ″ which includes two L-shaped lock claws  20  and  29  that extend from opposite ends of the upper edge of insertion plate  14 ″, and two corresponding lock notches  19  and  30  that are formed on each side of the upper edge of insertion plate  15 ″. This third embodiment does not include a stop tab and tab notch as does the first embodiment.  
     [0053] With lock claws  20  and  29  respectively hooked over lock notches  19  and  30 , the construction by which the lock claw  20  maintains contact with one side of lock finger  17  prevents insertion member  12 ″ from sliding in one direction with respect to insertion member  13 ″, and the construction by which lock claw  29  maintains contact with the opposite side of lock finger  17  prevents insertion member  12 ″ from sliding in the opposite direction. Descriptions of the third embodiment parts identical to those of the first embodiment have been omitted.  
     [0054] As previously described, the wire clamp of the present invention provides a significantly improved method of attaching a band-type clamp to a wire harness. The invention eliminates the separate components required to install conventional wire harness clamps, components such as tape and special installation tools, through the use of the L-shaped lock claw that hooks over the lock notch. Moreover, the band clamp of the present invention eliminates the need to remove the excess portion of a conventional band clamp, thus eliminating a sharp severed band edge that may damage the wire harness or injure the installation technician, and also eliminates material wastage.  
     [0055] Further, the wire clamp of the present invention need not be permanently attached to the wire harness before the wire harness is installed onto the vehicle body, but may be initially attached to the wire harness by hooking the lock claw over the lock notch after which the lock claw may be released to change the clamp location as means of accurately aligning the clamp with the mounting apertures on the vehicle body.  
     [0056] Moreover, the mechanism whereby the stop tab, which may be provided on at least one insertion member, is joined to the tab notch formed on the other insertion member, provides contact surfaces between the insertion members that prevent opposed horizontal displacement.  
     [0057] Although the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words that have been used are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the invention has been described with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed. Rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope of the appended claims.  
     [0058] The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Japanese Application No. JP 2002-264685, filed on Sep. 10, 2002, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.