Abstract:
A clamp support for holding and guiding a cable loom has a basic element and a wedge, which can be shifted relative to the basic unit to clamp the basic unit to a structural component. While clamping the basic unit with the structural component, the wedge is arranged in a position between the basic unit and structural component to reflect the width of the transverse carrier.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/598,237 filed Aug. 3, 2004, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to clamp supports. In particular; the invention relates to cable supports, for holding and guiding electrical cable bundle, lines and pipes (water, climate, etc.) in airplanes.  
         [0003]     In aircraft, cable supports made of plastic are preferably used due to their low intrinsic weight. In this case, the supports are each tailored to specific connection conditions of a structural component, such as a carrier or frame, etc. Such connection conditions include the thickness of transverse carrier webs, bore diameter or the like.  
         [0004]     One disadvantage to known cable supports is that changes in the carrier thickness of a carrier (e.g., transverse carrier) result in cost and time-intensive changes in the supports, since the injection molding tools must be altered accordingly to manufacture the supports.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a clamp support is provided, hereinafter also referred to as cable support, which comprises two parts, a basic unit and a wedge, which are interconnected by means of an joining element (e.g., screw, cable binder, etc.). The support or clamp is inserted into an installation hole of a transverse carrier and fixed with the wedge placed on the basic unit and a loose cable binder. The wedge is drawn upward using the cable binder until it hits the stop (wedge-web carrier/transverse carrier bearing surface). In this case, it may move toward the top on two guide strips. The wedging effect may hold the support in place.  
         [0006]     According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a clamp support is provided that covers a portion of changes in carrier thickness, and can hence be flexibly used for several different carrier thicknesses.  
         [0007]     The wedge may move along an inclined plane at an angle α relative to the web. Depending on the web thickness (width), the wedge clamps at varying heights. The joining element and suitable surface structure of the wedge prevent a spontaneous detachment.  
         [0008]     The wedge structure and corresponding design of the basic unit make it possible to use the cable support for different carriers (web thicknesses). For example, five supports (e.g., five injection molded tools) would normally be required for guiding a bundle of lines through the eyelets of a transverse carrier with thicknesses of 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 4.5 mm, while an exemplary embodiment of the invention necessitates only one support accordingly designed to cover carrier widths of 2 to 4.6 mm. This yields a significant savings in tool costs, in particular for injection-molded tools, and reduces the number of components per carrier thickness.  
         [0009]     Exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained below, drawing reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numbers denote the same elements in the figures. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     In the figures:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cable support according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention secured to a carrier.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view of a basic unit of the cable support according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 2   b  is a perspective view of a wedge of the cable support according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 2   c  is a perspective view of a cable support according to  FIG. 1 , separated from the carrier.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a cross section of the cable support secured to the carrier according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 4   a  is a side view of the cable support according to  FIG. 1 , secured to a first carrier.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4   b  is a side view of the cable support according to  FIG. 1 , secured to a second carrier.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a magnified perspective view of the cable support according to  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a cable support  1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]     The cable clamp  1  is secured in an eyelet  2  of a transverse carrier  3 , e.g., in order to support the lines running through the eyelet  2 .  
         [0021]     The cable clamp  1  has a basic unit  4  and a wedge  5 .  
         [0022]     As shown on  FIG. 1 , two V-shaped cable guides  6  are formed on a side facing the eyelet  2  of the transverse carrier  3  according to the exemplary embodiment. These cable guides may be integrated with the basic unit. As an alternative, however, they can be attached or slipped on, and have a different shape.  
         [0023]     On the side of the transverse carrier  3  accommodating the wedge  5 , the basic unit  4  has a web  7  extending away from the eyelet  2 , which web  7  is preferably integrated with the basic unit  4 .  
         [0024]     The lateral surfaces of the web  7  each have guide rails  8   a,    8   b,  which guide the wedge  5  while it is pushed from the bottom up in the figure between a surface of the transverse carrier  3  and the web  7  of the basic unit  4 . Pushing the web  5  in the figure from the bottom up along the guide rails  8   a,    8   b  of the web  7  exerts a clamping effect depending on the thickness (width) of the transverse carrier  3  when the wedge  5  is inserted far enough between the surface of the transverse carrier  3  and an inside surface of the web  7 .  
         [0025]     According to the exemplary embodiment, the side of the wedge  5  facing the transverse carrier  3  is completely in contact with the transverse carrier  3  with the cable support fixed in place (i.e., when the cable support  1  is securely clamped with the transverse carrier  3 ), in order to ensure a reliable clamping.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2   a  to  2   c  show the cable support  1  according to  FIG. 1  demounted into its individual components, and after assembled.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2   a  shows the basic unit  4  of the cable support  1  according to the invention. As shown on  FIG. 2   a,  the basic unit  4  has a projection  9 , which is essentially longer in design than the web  7 . One end area of the projection  9  has a pin  10  on the surface that essentially extends perpendicularly away from the projection  9  in the direction of the web  7 . The web  7  and projection  9  are arranged relative to each other in such a way as to generate a space  11  between them serving to accommodate the transverse carrier  3  according to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2   a  also shows the guide rails  8   a  and  8   b  formed on lateral surfaces of the web  7 . According to the exemplary embodiment, the projection  9  extends essentially perpendicularly away from the basic unit  4 , and the web  7  preferably extends away from the basic unit  4  at an angle. Hence, the projection  9  and the web  7  may be not parallel to each other.  
         [0028]      FIG. 2   b  shows the wedge  5  with wedge guide rails  12   a,    12   b,  which are designed according to the guide rails  8   a,    8   b  of the web  7  to be guided therein.  
         [0029]     The wedge  5  may be designed as a single piece, e.g., fabricated via injection molding technology. The side of the wedge  5  facing away from the wedge guide rails  12   a,    12   b  has a surface  13  that is in contact with a surface of the transverse carrier  3  when the cable support  1  is clamped to the transverse carrier  3 . The wedge surface  13  preferably is structured in such a way as to prevent the cable support  1  from spontaneously detaching, or the rigidly fixed wedge  5  from slipping out.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2   c  shows the basic unit  4  according to  FIG. 2   a  with wedge  5  according  FIG. 2   b  slipped on. As evident from  FIG. 2   c,  a joining element 14 , e.g., a cable binder, is additionally provided to prevent the wedge  5  from sliding out of the guide rails  8   a,    8   b  of the web  7 , e.g., due to vibrations, and lifting a clamping effect on the transverse carrier  3 . Other joining elements are possible, e.g., screws, pins, etc.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows a cross sectional view of the cable support  1  secured to the carrier  3  according to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0032]     As evident from  FIG. 3 , the pin  10  of the basic unit  4  extending away from the projection  9  is inserted through an installation hole  15  formed in the transverse carrier  3  with the cable support  1  in an assembled state. The pin  10  is a molded-on, split wedge pin according to the exemplary embodiment. The installation hole  15  can be used to easily fix the cable support  1  in a specific position.  
         [0033]     As shown on  FIG. 3 , an end area of the transverse carrier  3  facing the transverse carrier eyelet  2  is located inside the space  11  defined by the projection  9  and the web  7 . In this case, an essentially flat surface of the projection  9  is in complete contact with the surface of the transverse carrier  3 .  
         [0034]     The wedge  5  is introduced into the space  11  in  FIG. 3 , and with the cable support  1  clamped with the transverse carrier  3 , the surface  13  of the wedge  5  is essentially in contact with a surface of the transverse carrier  3  lying opposite the surface of the transverse carrier that contacts the surface of the projection  9 . With the cable support  1  securely fixed to the transverse carrier  3 , the wedge  5  is additionally secured with a cable binder  14  in the exemplary embodiment to prevent the wedge  5  from unintentionally detaching, i.e., slipping out.  
         [0035]      FIG. 4   a  shows a side view of the cable support  1  in a state secured to a first transverse carrier  3   a.    
         [0036]     In order to arrive at the clamped state of the cable support  1  shown on  FIG. 4   a,  the cable support  1  with secured wedge  5  and detached cable binder  14  is inserted and fixed in the installation hole  15  of the transverse carrier  3   a.  Fixation takes place with the molded-on, split wedge pin  10 . The wedge  5  is then pulled up with the cable binder  14 , i.e., until the surface  13  of the wedge  5  tightly abuts the transverse carrier  3   a.  The wedge  5  here moves along the guide rails  8   a,    8   b,  which are laterally formed on web  7 , as described above. The wedging effect and latching cam or stop cam on the side of the basic unit fixes the support in place.  
         [0037]     Hence, the wedge moves along an inclined plane at an angle α relative to web  7 , and becomes fixed in place at a varying height, depending on the web thickness  3   a.  In the case shown on  FIG. 4 , the wedge  5  is fixed at height h 1 , for example.  
         [0038]     For comparison purposes,  FIG. 4   b  shows a transverse carrier  3   b  that is less wide than the transverse carrier  3   a  shown on  FIG. 4   a.  Therefore, the web of the transverse carrier  3   b  according to  FIG. 4   b  is less thick than the web of the transverse carrier  3   a  shown on  FIG. 4   a.    
         [0039]     As clearly evident from  FIG. 4   b,  the wedge  5  is also moved up at an angle α relative to the web according to the invention, wherein the wedging effect only sets in significantly later than for the transverse carrier  3   a  according to  FIG. 4   a.  The cable support  1  only becomes clamped or fixed in place at height h 2 , which exceeds height h 1  according to  FIG. 4   a.    
         [0040]     Hence, the wedge according to the invention becomes clamped at varying heights depending on the web thickness.  
         [0041]      FIG. 4   a  and  4   b  each show a cable  16  supported and guided by the cable support according to the invention.  
         [0042]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the web  7  of the basic unit  4  of the cable support  1 .  
         [0043]     In  FIG. 5 , the wedge  5  is directed along the guide rails  8   a  and  8   b  of web  7 , and arranged within the space  11  formed between the web  7  and projection  9 .  
         [0044]     Even though the invention was described above drawing reference to an exemplary embodiment, it goes without saying that the person skilled in the art can introduce changes and modifications in this area without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. Further, it goes without saying for an expert in this area that the cable support according to the invention can also be used in other areas than aircraft construction, e.g., in automobiles, or where reliably mounting and guiding cable looms or lines is important. The support according to the invention can also be used to mount and guide not just cables, cable looms and the like, but also pipes and tubes or other objects.  
         [0045]     It should be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and the “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined.  
         [0046]     It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.