JOINING SYSTEM FOR MECHANICALLY JOINING TWO MATERIALS

Abstract

A joining system for mechanically joining two materials is disclosed. A receiving device having a sleeve which surrounds an axis of extension and which is designed to receive a pin, and a plug-in device having the pin, where the joining system is configured such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, the pin is clamped to the sleeve in the axial direction in relation to the axis of extension on account of a spring element of the receiving device being pushed radially against a belly region of the pin.

Claims

1. A receiving device for receiving a pin for mechanically joining two materials, wherein the receiving device has an elongate shape formed along an axis of extension, wherein the receiving device has at a front end a barb arrangement for anchoring the receiving device in a bore in a material, wherein the barb arrangement has a main body, surrounding the axis of extension, with spreading elements protruding radially from the main body, which spreading elements are configured such that, when the barb device is pressed into the bore, they exert a hooking effect to inhibit the release of the barb arrangement from the bore, the receiving device has a sleeve for receiving the pin, which sleeve surrounds the axis of extension, is connected to the barb arrangement and is accessible from a rear end located opposite the front end, and the sleeve has a biasing arrangement for biasing the pin in the direction of the front end, wherein the sleeve is configured such that the biasing arrangement has a spring element which is configured to interact with a belly region of the pin, when the pin is inserted, the spring element pushes against the pin by way of a force acting radially relative to the axis of extension, by virtue of the interaction of the spring element with the belly region, an axial force acting along the axis of extension towards the front end is generated on the pin, and in response to the axial force, the pin is pushed into the sleeve along the axis of extension towards the front end within a biasing section on the sleeve.

2. The receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a latching arrangement which is configured to cooperate with an edge of the pin, wherein a cooperation of the latching arrangement with the edge enables the pin to be inserted into the sleeve in the direction of the front end but inhibits it from being pulled out in the direction of the rear end.

3. The receiving device according to claim 2, wherein the latching arrangement has a pawl, wherein the pawl is biased towards the axis of extension such that it enables the pin to be inserted into the sleeve in the direction of the front end but, by engaging in the edge, inhibits it from being pulled out in the direction of the rear end, wherein the latching arrangement is arranged closer than the biasing arrangement to the front end.

4. The receiving device according to claim 3, wherein the sleeve is configured such that the biasing section on the sleeve is bounded in the direction of the rear end by the pawl, which acts as a stop for the edge when the pin is inserted.

5. The receiving device according to claim 2, wherein spring element forms the latching arrangement of the sleeve and is configured to cooperate with the edge of the pin, wherein the spring element is biased towards the axis of extension such that said spring element enables the pin to be inserted into the sleeve in the direction of the front end but, by cooperating with the edge, inhibits it from being pulled out in the direction of the rear end.

6. The receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving device is made of plastic or glass fibre reinforced plastic.

7. The receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is designed as a resilient lever element which extends along the axis of extension and which is configured such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, a region of the lever element projecting from the sleeve pushes radially against the belly region of the pin wherein the biasing arrangement has two resilient lever elements which are located opposite one another and extend along the axis of extension and which are configured such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, a region of each lever element projecting from the sleeve pushes radially against the belly region of the pin.

8. A plug-in device for plugging into a receiving device for mechanically joining two materials, wherein the plug-in device has an elongate shape formed along a plug-in axis, wherein the plug-in device has at a front end a barb arrangement for anchoring the plug-in device in a bore in a material, wherein the barb arrangement has a main body, surrounding the plug-in axis, with spreading elements protruding radially from the main body, which spreading elements are configured such that, when the barb device is pressed into the bore, they exert a hooking effect to inhibit the release of the barb arrangement from the bore, the plug-in device has at a rear end, located opposite the front end, a pin for insertion into a sleeve, which pin surrounds the plug-in axis and is connected to the barb arrangement, and the pin has a belly region which surrounds the plug-in axis and which is dimensioned and shaped such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, the belly region enters into interaction with a spring element of the sleeve such that, as a result of the spring element being pushed against a contact face of the belly region by way of a force acting radially relative to the plug-in axis, an axial force acting along the plug-in axis towards the rear end is generated on the pin.

9. The plug-in device according to claim 8, wherein the belly region of the pin is designed such that the contour of the belly region has a trapezoidal, pyramid-shaped or tubular bulge which has roundings.

10. The plug-in device according to claim 8, wherein the belly region of the pin has a waist with my waist diameter which is defined in relation to the plug-in axis, and a belly end with a maximum belly diameter which is located at a distance from the waist along the plug-in axis, wherein the maximum belly diameter is larger than the waist diameter, the belly end is arranged closer than the waist to the rear end of the plug-in device, and a distance between the waist and the belly end defines a biasing section on the pin, as a result of which, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, the spring element cooperates with the belly region such that a smaller axial force towards the rear end of the plug-in device is generated when the spring element interacts with the waist than when the spring element interacts with the belly end.

11. The plug-in device according to claim 8, wherein the pin has an edge which surrounds the plug-in axis and which is configured such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, the latching arrangement of the sleeve engages in the edge such that the plug-in device is inhibited from being pulled out of the sleeve in the direction of the front end of the plug-in device, wherein the spring element or the pawl provides the function of the latching arrangement and the edge cooperates with the spring element or the pawl.

12. The plug-in device according to claim 11, wherein the edge provides an edge face in the direction of the front end of the plug-in device, wherein a normal to the edge face is oriented substantially parallel to the plug-in axis, and/or an outer diameter of the edge, in relation to the plug-in axis, is larger than the belly diameter.

13. The plug-in device according to claim 11, wherein the edge is formed directly adjacent to the belly region, wherein the edge adjoins the belly end, and the edge, or the edge face, is provided to cooperate with the spring element of the sleeve.

14. The plug-in device according to claim 11, wherein the plug-in device has a stop which surrounds the plug-in axis and which has a stop face, provided in the direction of the front end of the plug-in device, for limiting an insertion depth for the plug-in device, wherein a normal to the stop face is oriented substantially parallel to the plug-in axis, and/or an outer diameter of the stop, in relation to the plug-in axis, is larger than the belly diameter, or is larger than the outer diameter of the edge, wherein the stop is arranged between the barb arrangement and the pin.

15. A joining system for mechanically joining two materials comprising a receiving device according to claim 1 having a sleeve which surrounds an axis of extension and which is designed to receive a pin, and a plug-in device having the pin, wherein the joining system is configured such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, the pin is clamped to the sleeve in the axial direction in relation to the axis of extension, wherein the pin and the sleeve are pushed axially against one another along a common biasing section, wherein the receiving device and the plug-in device are tailored to one another and configured such that the length of the biasing section is at least 0.5 mm, wherein the length of the biasing section is between 1 to 2 mm.

Description

[0043] The joining system according to the invention comprising a receiving device and an associated plug-in device will be described in greater detail below, purely by way of example, on the basis of exemplary embodiments which are shown schematically in the drawings. In the figures, identical elements are labelled with identical reference signs. The described embodiments are generally not shown true to scale, and they are also not to be understood as limiting. In the figures:

[0044] FIG. 1: schematically shows an example of use of the joining system to join two wooden panels;

[0045] FIG. 2: shows a lateral detail view of the receiving device and plug-in device of FIG. 1 which are each anchored in a wooden panel and are to be coupled to one another;

[0046] FIG. 3: shows an exterior view of one embodiment of the receiving device in a profile view (top), in a side view (bottom left), and in a front view (bottom right);

[0047] FIG. 4: shows a section through the side view of the receiving device of FIG. 3;

[0048] FIG. 5: shows an exterior view of one embodiment of the plug-in device in a profile view (top), in a side view (bottom left), and in a front view (bottom right);

[0049] FIG. 6: shows another embodiment of a joining system according to the invention;

[0050] FIG. 7: shows another embodiment of a receiving device according to the invention for a joining system as shown in FIG. 6, and

[0051] FIG. 8: shows another embodiment of a plug-in device according to the invention for a joining system as shown in FIG. 6.

[0052] FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of use of the joining system to join two materials A, B. The joining elements, that is to say a receiving device 1 and an associated plug-in device 2, are formed for example of plastic and are being used to join two wooden panels in furniture construction, wherein the wooden panels A, B for example are to be mechanically coupled and glued to one another.

[0053] In the embodiment shown, a plurality of receiving devices 1 are installed on the same wooden panel A, with a plurality of plug-in devices 2 being installed on a further wooden panel B. This enables the panels or materials to be stacked, for example, in order to ensure easy transportation. In a further scenario, the plug-in devices 2 may also be installed for example just before the two panels A, B are joined together. Depending on the use of the joining system, mixed arrangements of the joining elements are also possible, that is to say receiving devices and plug-in devices on each of the two wooden panels, as long as one plug-in device can be associated with each receiving device.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the two joining elements 1, 2 each have a barb arrangement 3 for respectively anchoring the elements in a bore in the respective materials A, B. Furthermore, the receiving device 1 has a sleeve 4 for receiving a pin 5 of the plug-in device.

[0055] Preferably, the receiving device 1 is fully sunk into the wooden panel A. In the embodiment shown, the joining elements 1, 2 are cylindrical such that the plug-in device 2 can be installed in the respective wooden panel by means of a single bore and the receiving device 1 can be installed in the respective wooden panel by means of a two-stage bore.

[0056] Once the bores have been made in the materials A, B to be joined, the joining elements 1, 2 are in each case pressed into the bores. The wooden panels A, B can then be coated for example with adhesive and can be coupled to one another by clicking together the joining elements 1, 2.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows in the top part an exterior profile view of one embodiment of the receiving device, and in the bottom part a side view and a front view. Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows a section through the side view of FIG. 3.

[0058] Mounted in a front part of the receiving device are spreading elements 6 of the barb arrangement, which are arranged around the axis of extension in three rings which are spaced apart in the axial direction of the axis of extension 7, each of the rings having four mutually separate spreading elements 6. As a result, three times four retaining means 6 (spreading elements) in the form of rib structures are formed, the rib structures having gaps 8 for chip flow purposes. The rib structures are arranged directly below one another and serve to anchor the receiving device and the plug-in device to the material to be joined.

[0059] Thereafter there is a cylindrical cavity, in which two pawls 9 are mounted (domes). Said pawls are a retaining catch for securely joining the materials.

[0060] These are followed in a rear part of the receiving device by the spring elements 10, designed here as clamping cones, which are configured to interact with a belly region of the pin (see FIG. 5), wherein, when the pin is inserted, the spring element 10 pushes against the pin by way of a force acting radially relative to the axis of extension 7. By virtue of the interaction of the spring element 10 with the belly region of the pin, this radial force is converted into an axial force on the pin, which acts along the axis of extension 7 towards the front end such that, in response to the axial force, the pin is pushed along the axis of extension towards the front end. This gives rise to a spring effect on the parts to be joined, which in turn generates a bias, for example to ensure optimal adhesive bonding of the two wooden elements.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows in the top part an exterior profile view of one embodiment of the plug-in device, and in the bottom part a side view and a front view.

[0062] Mounted once again in a front part of the plug-in device are spreading elements 6 of the barb arrangement, which in the example shown is identical to the barb arrangement of the receiving device shown in FIG. 3. With regard to the barb arrangement, therefore, reference is made to the description relating to FIG. 3.

[0063] In a rear part, the plug-in device has a pin, surrounding a plug-in axis 11, for insertion into the receiving device shown in FIG. 3. The pin has a belly region 12 which surrounds the plug-in axis 11 and which is configured to enter into interaction with the spring elements 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) when the plug-in device and the receiving device are clicked together. The belly region 12 is dimensioned and shaped such that, when the pin is inserted in the sleeve, an axial force acting towards the rear end of the plug-in device can be generated on the pin as a result of the spring element 10 pushing against the belly region.

[0064] In the embodiment shown, the pin also has an edge 13 which surrounds the plug-in axis 11 and which, in interaction with the two pawls 9 shown in FIG. 3, forms a retaining catch for securely joining the materials.

[0065] FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a joining system according to the invention comprising a receiving device 20 and a plug-in device 30. The receiving device 20 is additionally shown by FIG. 7, and the plug-in device 30 by FIG. 8. Here, the axis of extension 27 of the receiving device 20 and the plug-in axis 37 of the plug-in device 30 are parallel, in particular coaxial. The embodiment has a compact construction and can easily be connected to the respective workpiece by means of a respective bore on each workpiece side.

[0066] Both the receiving device 20 and the plug-in device 30 have a barb arrangement with corresponding spreading elements 26, 36.

[0067] The sleeve of the receiving device 20 has spring elements 21 which are designed to cooperate with the belly region 32 of the plug-in device 30. In the inserted state shown (FIG. 6), the spring elements 21 push against the belly region 32 and thereby generate a biasing force acting in the axial direction, which pushes the pin of the plug-in device 30 into the sleeve. Here, the spring elements 21 push against the waist 32a of the belly region. When the pin is pulled out of the sleeve, the spring elements thus act at a point closer to a belly end 32b of the belly region 32. This results in a greater (radial) force between the spring elements 21 and the belly region 32 and thus in an increased (axial) biasing force, which pushes the pin into the sleeve with correspondingly greater force.

[0068] Due to an edge 33 formed on the plug-in device 30, the pin can be pulled out at most to the point at which the spring elements 21 make contact with the edge 33. Any further pulling out is inhibited or suppressed by the spring elements 21 butting against the edge 33. Separation of the receiving device 20 and plug-in device 30 is no longer possible without destruction. For this purpose, the spring elements 21 are tailored in terms of size and arrangement to the design of the plug-in device 30, in particular to the design of the edge 33.

[0069] The plug-in device 30 has a stop 35. Said stop 35 prevents undesired sinking of the plug-in device into a workpiece. The front end of the plug-in device 30, on which the barb arrangement is provided, can thus be sunk in as far as the stop 35, that is to say until the stop 35 comes into contact with a surface of the workpiece (material). A bore provided for this purpose must accordingly be adapted to the diameter of the barb arrangement.

[0070] It will be understood that these illustrated figures schematically show only possible embodiments. The different approaches can also be combined with one another and with methods from the prior art.