Bolt for clamping adjoining parts

Abstract

A bolt for clamping adjoining parts includes a bolt body adapted for insertion in openings of the adjoining parts from one side of the adjoining parts. An actuator is received in the bolt body and actuatable from one end of the bolt body. Mounted in the bolt body and interacting with the actuator is a clamping mechanism which includes tilting elements configured to tilt out of the bolt body in opposition to a restoring force, when the actuator is actuated.

Claims

1. A bolt for clamping adjoining parts, comprising: a bolt body adapted for insertion in openings of the adjoining parts from one side of the adjoining parts; an actuator received in the bolt body and actuatable from one end of the bolt body; a clamping mechanism mounted in the bolt body and interacting with the actuator, said clamping, mechanism including tilting elements which are configured to tilt out of the bolt body in opposition to a restoring force, when the actuator is actuated; and an anti-rotation mechanism configured to prevent the tilting elements from rotating, wherein the clamping mechanism includes balls, said actuator engaging the tilting elements via the balls, said anti-rotation mechanism being realized by providing each of the tilting elements with a notch for engagement by the balls.

2. The bolt of claim 1, wherein the tilting elements are configured for formfitting contact with one of the adjoining parts, when the tilting elements are caused to tilt out by the actuator.

3. The bolt of claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism includes at least two of said tilting elements, each said tiling element having a cross section in the form of a circular ring sector in a longitudinal direction of the bolt.

4. The bolt of claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism includes at least four of said tilting elements, each said tiling element having a cross section in the form of a circular ring sector in a longitudinal direction of the bolt.

5. The bolt of claim 1, further comprising an elastic O-ring placed in surrounding relationship to the tilting elements and applying the restoring force.

6. A bolt for clamping adjoining parts, comprising: a bolt body adapted for insertion in openings of the adjoining parts from one side of the adjoining parts; an actuator received in the bolt body and actuatable from one end of the bolt body; a clamping mechanism mounted in the bolt body and interacting with the actuator, said clamping mechanism including tilting elements which are configured to tilt out of the bolt body in opposition to a restoring force, when the actuator is actuated; and an anti-rotation mechanism configured to prevent the tilting elements from rotating, said anti-rotation mechanism being realized by providing guide pins or guide ribs between the tilting elements on the bolt body.

7. The bolt of claim 6, wherein the clamping mechanism includes balls, said actuator engaging the tilting elements via the balls.

8. The bolt of claim 6, wherein the tilting elements are configured for formfitting contact with one of the adjoining parts, when the tilting elements are caused to tilt out by the actuator.

9. The bolt of claim 6, wherein the clamping mechanism includes at least two of said tilting elements, each said tiling element having a cross section in the form of a circular ring sector in a longitudinal direction of the bolt.

10. The bolt of claim 6, wherein the clamping mechanism includes at least four of said tilting elements, each said tiling element having a cross section in the form of a circular ring sector in a longitudinal direction of the bolt.

11. The bolt of claim 6, further comprising an elastic O-ring placed in surrounding relationship to the tilting elements and applying the restoring force.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. It is shown in:

(2) FIG. 1 a perspective view of a bolt,

(3) FIG. 2 an exploded view of the bolt of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 a top view of the bolt of FIG. 1,

(5) FIG. 4a a section along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3 in the unclamped state of the bolt,

(6) FIG. 4b a section along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3 in the clamped state of the bolt,

(7) FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c various views of a tilting element of the bolt of FIG. 1,

(8) FIG. 6 a section along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5a,

(9) FIG. 7 a perspective view of another bolt,

(10) FIG. 8 an exploded view of the bolt of FIG. 7,

(11) FIG. 9 a top view of the bolt of FIG. 7,

(12) FIG. 10a a section along the line X-X of FIG. 9 in the unclamped state of the bolt,

(13) FIG. 10b a section along the line X-X of FIG. 9 in the clamped state of the bolt,

(14) FIG. 11 a section along the line XI-XI of FIG. 9 in the clamped state of the bolt,

(15) FIGS. 12a, 12b and 12c different views of a tilting element of the bolt of FIG. 7,

(16) FIG. 13 a section along the line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12a,

(17) FIG. 14 a perspective view of a further bolt,

(18) FIG. 15 an exploded view of the bolt of FIG. 14,

(19) FIG. 16 a top view of the bolt of FIG. 14,

(20) FIG. 17a a section along the line 16 in the unclamped state of the bolt,

(21) FIG. 17b a section along the line XVII-XVII of FIG. 16 in the clamped state of the bolt,

(22) FIG. 18 a section along the line XVIII-XVIII 16 in the clamped state of the bolt,

(23) FIGS. 19a, 19b and 19c different views of a tilting element of the bolt of FIG. 14 and

(24) FIG. 20 a section along the line XX-XX of FIG. 19a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(25) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a bolt 1 for clamping adjoining parts, which have openings, with the bolt being configured as a type of locking bolt. For explanation, reference is additionally made to FIGS. 4a, 4b, which show sectional representations of the bolt 1, and FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c and 6, which show a tilting element of the bolt 1.

(26) The bolt 1 includes a bolt body 2 which can be inserted into the openings of adjoining parts not shown in the drawing. The openings can be designed as round throughbores, which can be chamfered, i.e., they can have a frustoconical depression. The bolt body 2 is penetrated in an end region by openings 3 in which balls 4 can be moved radially back and forth.

(27) At the other end region of the bolt body 2, a sliding sleeve 5 is non-rotatably but displaceably arranged in longitudinal direction of the bolt body 2 and configured to protrude radially outwardly beyond the bolt body 2.

(28) A bore 6 is provided in the interior of the bolt body 2 and has an internal thread 7 in the upper region. A threaded spindle 8, which has a corresponding external thread 9, can be screwed into the bore 6 as actuator in relation to the bolt body 2. The threaded spindle 8 protrudes hereby at an end face beyond the bolt body 2 and the sliding sleeve 5 and is widened there to form a handle 10. The handle 10 is non-rotatably connected, optionally in one piece, to the threaded spindle 8 and has a hexagon socket 11 at its end face for receiving a corresponding key with lever arm.

(29) The handle 10 and/or the sliding sleeve 5 can be knurled or provided with a non-slip coat to increase the gripping capability.

(30) The sliding sleeve 5 is axially displaceable in longitudinal direction with respect to the bolt body 2 along non-round, preferably flat, sliding surfaces 12, but due to the non-roundness, these sliding surfaces 12 are non-rotatably connected to the bolt body 2. The sliding sleeve 5 preferably has hereby the same outer diameter as the handle 10 and, in particular, a greater outer diameter than the diameter of the openings in the adjoining parts, so that the sliding sleeve 5 with its end face 13 bears upon the part to be clamped.

(31) A groove for receiving an O-ring 14 is provided in the end face 13 of the sliding sleeve 5 so that the sliding sleeve 5 and thus also the bolt body 2 cannot easily rotate on the part to be clamped.

(32) Securing pins 15 are inserted through bores 16 in the bolt body 2 in the area of the sliding surfaces 12. The securing pins 15 cooperate with stops, which are not shown in the drawing but sufficiently known from EP 2 333 356 B1, and which are arranged on the sliding sleeve 5 and thus form a securing device to secure the sliding sleeve 5 on the bolt body 2. The threaded spindle 8 hereby secures the position of the securing pins 15 in the bores 16 of the bolt body 2. The sliding sleeve 5 can thus only be displaced on the bolt body 2 until the stop of the sliding sleeve 5 is adjacent to the securing pin 15 so that the sliding sleeve 5 cannot be pushed completely from the bolt body 2, even when the threaded spindle 8 is loosened.

(33) Tilting elements 18 are mounted in the bolt body 2 in a clamping means receptacle 17 in the form of a circumferential wide groove and become particularly apparent from FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c and 6. Instead of the four tilting elements 18, shown in the exemplary embodiment, at least two tilting elements 18 or a different number could also be provided. The tilting elements 18 are located radially outwards in front of the balls 4, respectively.

(34) FIG. 5c shows that the cross-section of the tilting elements 18 in longitudinal direction of the bolt 1 is a circular ring sector.

(35) The region 19 of the tilting elements 18 that comes into contact with the part to be clamped is designed for the form-fitting contact on one of the adjoining parts in the tilted-out state explained in more detail further below. The precise configuration of the region 19 can hereby be chosen in dependence on the configuration of the openings in the adjoining parts. The region 20 of the tilting elements 18 in opposition to the region 19 is chamfered in cross-section for tilting.

(36) The tilting elements 18 have a groove 21 for receiving an elastic O-ring 22 which surrounds the tilting elements. The O-ring 22 generates a restoring force upon the tilting elements 18 in the direction of the bolt body 2.

(37) In order to prevent twisting of the tilting elements 18 during the tilting operation, the tilting elements 18 have a notch 23 in which the balls 4 respectively engage the tilting elements 18, as is readily apparent in FIGS. 4a and 4b.

(38) During clamping, the threaded spindle 8 engages the balls 4 with its end opposite the handle 10 and shifts the balls 4 radially outwards, for which purpose the end of the threaded spindle is designed conical. It is understood that another configuration, for example rounded, would also be possible. The balls 4 engage the respective tilting elements 18 during displacement and tilt the tilting elements out of the bolt body 2 in opposition to the restoring force of the O-ring 22. This is ensured by the position of the engagement points of the balls 4 on the tilting elements 18 and the position of the grooves 21 or the O-ring 22, as is readily apparent in FIGS. 4a and 4b.

(39) In the unclamped state of the bolt 1 shown in FIG. 4a, the balls 4 and tilting elements 18 are located in the interior of the bolt body 2 so that the bolt body 2 can be guided through the openings in the adjoining parts to be clamped, until the end 13 of the sliding sleeve 5 rests with the O-ring 14 on one of the adjoining parts.

(40) The bolt 1 is clamped, as shown in FIG. 4b, by using the handle 10 to screw the threaded spindle 8 forwards, i.e., in FIG. 4b toward right with respect to the bolt body 2. As a result, the end of the threaded spindle 8 in opposition to the handle 10 comes into contact with the balls 4 and presses them radially outwards, so that the tilting elements 18 tilt out of the bolt body 2. Since the balls 4 engage in the notch 23 on the tilting elements 18, twisting of the tilting elements 18 during tilting is prevented. As the threaded spindle 8 is further screwed in, the handle 10 ultimately comes into contact with the sliding sleeve 5 and displaces it on the bolt body 2 in the direction of the tilting elements 18 until the not shown adjoining parts are clamped between the tilting elements 18, i.e., between the region 19 of the tilting elements 18 coming into contact with the part to be clamped and the end face 13 of the sliding sleeve 5. The bolt 1 thus enables clamping of adjoining parts with different overall thicknesses.

(41) FIGS. 7 to 13 show another bolt 1 and FIGS. 14 to 20 show a further bolt 1 for clamping adjoining parts, which differ by the design of the anti-rotation mechanism for the tilting elements 18. Corresponding components of the bolt 1 are therefore provided with the same reference signs and the detailed description of the bolt 1 of FIGS. 1 to 6 is referred to in order to avoid repetitions.

(42) Tilting elements 18 are mounted in the bolt body 2 in a clamping means receptacle 17 in the form of a circumferential groove. Also, instead of the four tilting elements 18 shown in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 13 and 14 to 20, at least two tilting elements 18 or another number could be provided. The tilting elements 18 are located radially outwards in front of the balls 4 and have no notch 23.

(43) Guide pins 24 are respectively located between the tilting elements 18 for the bolt 1 of FIGS. 7 to 13 and held in openings 25 in the bolt body 2, for example, screwed, glued or press-fitted. The position of the guide pins 24 between the tilting elements 18 is readily apparent when comparing the sectional representations of FIGS. 10b and 11.

(44) Guide ribs 26 are provided between the tilting elements 18 for the bolt 1 of FIGS. 14 to 20 to divide the clamping means receptacle 17 into a respective region for one of the tilting elements 18. It is understood that the guide ribs also have a groove 27 for receiving the O-ring 22.

(45) The angle area of the circular ring sector, which forms the cross-section of the tilting elements 18, is smaller in the embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 13 and 14 to 20 in order to leave space between the tilting elements 18 for the guide pins 24 or guide ribs 26, as this is readily apparent from FIGS. 12c and 19c in comparison to FIG. 5c.

(46) The guide pins 24 and guide ribs 26 ensure that the tilting elements 18 cannot twist, when tilting out of the bolt body 2.

(47) With regard to the further design options of bolts for clamping adjoining parts, as described in the introductory part of the description, in particular as disclosed in DE 202 19 317 U1 and DE 199 17 209 C2, it is noted that the tilting elements 18 according to the invention, which can be tilted out from the bolt body 2 in opposition to a restoring force, can also be used in the case of bolts without sliding sleeve, but with support elements and/or pot-shaped handles or with quick-release mechanism.