Clamping Strap for Mounting a Component

Abstract

A device for holding a tubular component on a vehicle is proposed. The device includes a bracket, two strap parts and at least two trunnions. Both strap parts on one end include a loop and on an opposed end a connection surface. The bracket includes at least one receiving opening for each trunnion to hold the respective trunnion in the at least one receiving opening. Each loop is dimensioned to allow one of the trunnions to extend through the loop when being placed in the respective at least one receiving opening of the bracket. The connection surfaces are shaped so as to be connectable to each other and to form a closed strap and the bracket includes a holding device for attaching the bracket to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A device for holding a tubular component on a vehicle, the device comprising a bracket, two strap parts and at least two trunnions, wherein both strap parts on one end comprise a loop and on an opposed end a connection surface, wherein the bracket comprises at least one receiving opening for each trunnion to hold the respective trunnion in the at least one receiving opening, wherein each loop is dimensioned to allow one of the at least two trunnions to extend through the loop when being placed in the respective at least one receiving opening of the bracket, wherein the connection surfaces are shaped so as to be connectable to each other and to form a closed strap and wherein the bracket comprises a holding device for attaching the bracket to the vehicle.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the bracket has a box-like shape, wherein two opposed faces in the circumferential direction of the device are open to lead the strap parts through.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the bracket has a radial outer face, into which the holding device is integrated or to which it is attached.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the holding device comprises a hole in the radial outer face for inserting a fastening device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the bracket comprises two axial faces, which each comprise a receiving opening for each trunnion.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein an inner radial face of the bracket comprises the shape of a segment of a lateral cylinder surface.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein each strap part is based on a belt-like workpiece, wherein one end of the belt-like workpiece is folded to form the loop of the respective strap part.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two trunnions comprise a fastening hole in at least one end section, wherein the fastening hole extends perpendicularly to a main extension direction of the at least two trunnions, wherein the device further comprises a correspondingly dimensioned fastening element for each fastening hole of each trunnion.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the connection surfaces protrude radially from the strap parts and comprise through-holes for inserting a clamping device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0026] Further features, details and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure arise from the wording of the claims as well as from the following description of exemplary embodiments on the basis of the drawings. It is shown:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of the device according to the disclosure.

[0028] FIGS. 2a and 2b show different two-dimensional view of the bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1 depicts a device 2 for holding a tubular component 4 on a vehicle (not shown). In this regard it is indicated that the term “tubular” does not necessarily relate to a component, which is completely tubular. Instead, the component to be held may simply comprise a tubular or cylindrical section that is capable of being enclosed by the device 2 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] The device 2 comprises a bracket 6, a first strap part 8, a second strap part 10, a holding device 12 and two trunnions 14. Both strap parts 8 and 10 are based on a belt-like workpiece, which may preferably be made from a metallic material. The first strap 8 comprises a first loop 16, which is created by folding or bending an end of the first strap about 180°, such that an end section 18 rests flushly on an outer radial surface 20 of a first clamping section 22, which is bent to conform the shape of the component 4. The end section 18 is rigidly connected to the clamping section 22 exemplarily in a number of fastening spots 24, which may be conducted by introducing rivets or by spot-on welding. The loop 16 allows to connect the first strap 8 to the bracket 6 by a trunnion 14, such that high tensile forces can be introduced, while a swiveling motion around the trunnion 14 is still possible. The same principle applies to the second strap part 10, which has a second loop 28 with a similar end section 18 attached to a second clamping section 30.

[0031] The first strap part 8 and the second strap part 10 are intended for clamping the tubular component 4. For this, the first strap part 8 comprises a first connection surface 32, which is connectable to a second connection surface 34 arranged at the second strap part 10. In this regard, the connection surfaces 32 and 34 may each belong to a projecting web 36 and 38, respectively and face each other. The webs 36 and 38 each comprise a through-hole 40 and 42, respectively. As an example, the second web 38 comprises an elongate through-hole 42 for compensating manufacturing tolerances of the device 2 or the component 4 for being able to smoothly lead a clamping device (not shown) through both through-holes 40 and 42.

[0032] For an optimum alignment of the webs 36 and 38, the first web 36 comprises an outer edge 44 that is folded about 90 degrees towards the second web 38. When the second web 38 is pressed against the first web 36 it cannot move in a radial direction further than the edge 44 allows.

[0033] Hence, the device 2 may be wrapped around the tubular component 4 under swiveling the strap parts 8 and 10 radially outwards, placing the device 2 onto the component 4 and swiveling the strap parts 8 and 10 back into place. Afterwards, a clamping device can be inserted into the through-holes 40 and 42 to exert a tensioning force onto the webs 36 and 38 to tighten the device 2 on the component 4. In doing so, the connection surfaces 32 and 34 gradually decrease their distance and the space enclosed by the strap parts 8 and 10 decreases accordingly.

[0034] Exemplarily, the bracket 6 has a box shape, which is apparent from the illustration in FIG. 1 as well as from FIGS. 2a and 2b. The bracket 6 comprises a radial inner face 46, a radial outer face 48 opposed thereto, a first circumferential face 50, a second circumferential face 52 opposed thereto, a first axial face 54 and a second axial face 56 opposed thereto. As apparent from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2a, the inner radial face 46 is rounded so as to conform with the curved outer shell of the tubular component 4. The outer radial face 48, at which the holding device 12 is present, is exemplarily flat. For allowing the loops 16 and 28 to reach into an interior space of the bracket 6, the circumferential faces 50 and 52 are open.

[0035] Exemplarily, the axial faces 54 and 56 both comprise two receiving openings 58 arranged at a distance to each other. They may preferably be placed in a symmetrical fashion on the axial faces 54 and 56. The receiving openings 58 of both axial faces 54 and 56 are positioned to be directly opposed to the receiving openings 58 of the respective other axial face 56 or 54. Hence, there are two pairs of directly opposed receiving openings 58 for receiving a trunnion 14 in each case.

[0036] Both trunnions exemplarily comprise a stepped portion 60 having a diameter larger than the receiving opening 58. Thus, the trunnions 14 can be inserted into one of the receiving openings 58 on one of the axial faces 50 or 52, pushed through one of the loops 16 or 28, when placed in the bracket 6, and afterwards pushed through the opposed receiving opening 58 of the other axial face 52 or 50. The stepped portions 60 stop the trunnions 14 when completely pushed through and placed in the desired locations.

[0037] At an end opposite to the stepped portion 60, a fastening hole 62 exemplarily extends through each trunnion 14. The fastening hole 62 is substantially aligned vertically to a main extension direction of the trunnion 14. This allows to put a split pin 64 into the fastening hole 62. After bending at least a section of the split pin 64 the trunnion 14 is secured in place. However, other securing elements are possible.

[0038] In the shown example, the outer radial surface 48 comprises a hole 66, through which a fastening device 68 extends. It may be realized as an elongate part that is connectable to the vehicle. However, the fastening device 68 may also be material-bonded to the bracket 6 or secured through a nut at an inner side of the bracket 6 between the loops 16 and 28. Other variants are further conceivable.

[0039] The invention is not limited to one of the above-described embodiments but may be modified in a variety of ways.

[0040] All features and advantages of the claims that emanate from the description and the drawings, including design details, spatial arrangements and method steps may be essential to the invention both by themselves and in various combinations.

[0041] All the features and advantages, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, which follow from the claims, the description and the drawing can be fundamental to the invention both on their own and in different combinations. It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0042] The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.

[0043] As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0044] 2 device [0045] 4 tubular component [0046] 6 bracket [0047] 8 first strap part [0048] 10 second strap part [0049] 12 holding device [0050] 14 trunnion [0051] 16 first loop [0052] 18 end section [0053] 20 outer radial surface [0054] 22 first clamping section [0055] 24 fastening spot [0056] 26 longitudinal axis [0057] 28 second loop [0058] 30 second clamping section [0059] 32 first connection surface [0060] 34 second connection surface [0061] 36 first web [0062] 38 second web [0063] 40 through-hole [0064] 42 elongate through-hole [0065] 44 outer edge [0066] 46 radial inner face [0067] 48 radial outer face [0068] 50 first circumferential face [0069] 52 second circumferential face [0070] 54 axial face [0071] 56 axial face [0072] 58 receiving opening [0073] 60 stepped portion [0074] 62 fastening hole [0075] 64 split pin [0076] 66 hole (in the outer radial surface) [0077] 68 fastening device