Cable tie for mounting cables against a panel

Abstract

A cable tie with means to form a loop in order to mount cables against a panel or a marking badge. The cable tie has an integrated panel anchor having an elongated body in an area where the cable tie has an elongated cross-section and changes direction at least one time. The cable tie is intended to be mounted in a panel that has an opening with a shape that is a combination of a circular hole and a elongated opening. The mounting starts with a bending around the panel anchor which is then mounted into the openings elongated part. Then the cable tie is rotated typically 90 around the axis of the circular part of the opening. Then by releasing the bending, the band on each side of the panel anchor is fixed in the elongated part of the opening and the panel anchor is fixed towards the back-side of the panel.

Claims

1. A cable tie with means to form a loop, said cable tie is intended to attach cables or similar details against a panel with use of an integrated panel anchor, said panel anchor is mounted into an opening in said panel, the cable tie is characterized by; a, having an elongated band in a vicinity of the panel anchor and; b, the panel anchor having a long and narrow body with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to, or at least not parallel with, the elongated band and; c, that portions of the cable tie proximal and distal to the panel anchor are configured to change direction in, and/or in a vicinity of a point where the panel anchor is integrated with the cable tie and; d, the panel anchor intended to be mounted into a panel opening having a shape that is a combination of a long and narrow opening which is longer than the panel anchor and a circle with a diameter that is smaller than a length of the panel anchor and; e, that said panel anchor is intended to be mounted in and completely through the long and narrow opening while said portions of the cable tie proximal and distal to the panel anchor are gently bent toward each other and that the cable tie thereafter is rotated around the axis of a circular part of the opening so that a top-side of utmost parts of the panel anchor thereby is locked towards a back-side of the panel and the band on each side of the panel anchor is locked against further rotation on a front-side when said portions of said cable tie proximal and distal to the panel anchor are released so to restore the cable tie to its original shape and at least part of said portions of said cable tie proximal and distal to the panel anchor are positioned in both ends of the long and narrow part of the opening; and wherein an integration point between the cable tie and the panel anchor is indented into the panel anchor.

2. A cable tie according to claim 1 that is intended to be mounted in panels of different thicknesses in that it has curves in a vicinity of the panel anchor.

3. A cable tie according to claim 1 with thinner sections on both sides of the panel anchor.

4. A cable tie according to claim 1 with segments of a circle extruded from an elongated body of said panel anchor and with a common diameter being slightly smaller than a diameter of the circular part of the opening.

5. A cable tie according to claim 1 where parts of the band have at least one of its two flattened surfaces ribbed.

6. A cable tie as in claim 5 with a locking device in one of its ends consisting of a hole aimed to receive at least part of the ribbed band therein and completely therethrough and thus creating a loop and where a locking mechanism locks the loop in a tightened position.

7. A cable tie as in claim 6 with a release mechanism to release the locking mechanism and by that opening up the loop.

8. The cable tie according to claim 6 whereby rotation of said panel anchor relative to said panel and tightening said band around said cables or similar details by positioning the first end of said band in and completely through said locking mechanism further locks and further tightens said panel anchor against said panel.

9. A cable tie according to claim 1 where the panel is replaced with a marking badge.

10. A cable tie, comprising: an elongated and generally planar band comprising means to form a loop; a panel anchor defined within the band, the panel anchor having a long and narrow body configured to fit completely within a corresponding elongated part of an aperture defined within a panel; wherein portions of the band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are configured to change direction in, and/or in a vicinity of a point where the panel anchor is defined within the band and wherein when the long and narrow body is positioned within the elongated part of the aperture while said portions of the band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are gently bent toward each other, rotation of the band causes the band to be secured within the aperture when said portions of said band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are released so to restore the band to its original shape and so that said portions of said band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are partially positioned within the elongated part of the aperture; and wherein the band forms an indented portion at the panel anchor.

11. The cable tie of claim 10, wherein the means to form the loop can form the loop so that one or more cables are secured within the loop.

12. The cable tie of claim 10, wherein rotation of the band 90 causes the band to be secured within the aperture.

13. The cable tie of claim 10, wherein when the long and narrow body is positioned within the elongated part of the aperture, the long and narrow body is located at a relative back of the panel, and wherein the means to form the loop is/are located at a relative front of the panel.

14. The cable tie of claim 10, wherein a portion of the band comprises a ribbed surface, and wherein the means to form the loop comprises a locking mechanism defining a hole therein and a release mechanism adjacent to the hole.

15. A cable tie according to claim 10 with thinner sections on both sides of the panel anchor.

16. A cable tie according to claim 10 where an integration point between the cable tie and the panel anchor is indented into the panel anchor.

17. A system, comprising: a panel defining an aperture therein, the aperture having an elongated part; and a cable tie, comprising: an elongated and generally planar band comprising means to form a loop comprising a locking mechanism at or near a first end of the band defining a hole therein configured to receive a second end of the band therein and completely therethrough and a release mechanism adjacent to the hole; a panel anchor defined within the band, the panel anchor having a long and narrow body configured to fit completely within a corresponding elongated part of an aperture defined within a panel; wherein portions of the band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are configured to change direction in, and/or in a vicinity of a point where the panel anchor is defined within the band and wherein when the long and narrow body is positioned within the elongated part of the aperture while said portions of the band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are gently bent toward each other, rotation of the band causes the band to be secured within the aperture when said portions of said band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are released so to restore the band to its original shape and so that said portions of said band proximal and distal to the panel anchor are partially positioned within the elongated part of the aperture.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the aperture of the panel further has a circular part, the circular part configured so that a portion of the cable tie at or near the panel anchor fits within the circular part and so that the portion of the cable tie at or near the panel anchor can rotate within the circular part of the aperture.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the means to form the loop can form the loop so that one or more objects can be secured within the loop while the cable tie is secured within the aperture of the panel.

20. A system according to claim 17 where parts of the band have at least one of its two flattened surfaces ribbed.

Description

STATE OF THE ART AND DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED

(1) Cable ties made of plastic, normally Nylon (PA), is a commonly used technique to mount things to each other. The big advantage is that they are very robust and the loop they create is very flexible in size in the way that one single cable tie can be used to fasten things of different sizes. But when fastening a bunch of cables against something, you normally do need to let the cable tie go around that something. When it is to be fastened against a panel or a plate, two holes can make it, if you enter in one and go back out through the other and then form the loop around the cables. One problem is that one does not always have access to the backside of the plate. In different kinds of machines it is normal that the cables are fastened against the chassis or similar where there is no access to the backside to enable you to enter one hole and go back in another. With the present invention and the specially shaped hole in the same chassis we can just enter the anchor part through the hole and rotate 90, and then form the loop around the cable bunch.

(2) One type of existing cable tie has a snap function in order to snap into a round or square hole, see for example Franks Patent WO2005/099402. These are mostly adapted for one particular panel thickness, but there are types that are designed to fit for two different thicknesses by having two snap functions at different depth. The type that snaps into a round hole doesn't have a locking function against rotation. Normally these are also difficult to dismount without having access to the backside of the panel since you normally have to squeeze the snap function together from the back in order to dismount it. There are cable ties that are dismountable from the front but then the snap function tends to grow so that the cable(s) no longer is close to the panel. When the cable is mounted offset from the panel the robustness against mechanical vibration declines significantly. Also, for reason of electromagnetic disturbances (EMC-problems) it is better to have the electrical cables clamped close to a metallic plate, it prevents the cable from becoming an antenna dipole that can send or receive electromagnetic noise.

(3) Yet another type of panel mounting for cable ties is a so called tree-mounting type, it has a protruding mechanism that looks like a Christmas-tree with branches of decreasing length closer to the top. The mechanism is mounted into a round or square hole with the top first and its branches are deformed and the mechanism gets stuck.

(4) This type is independent of the panel thickness and it can even fit into different sizes of holes but is not very robust against vibrations and can easily get loose if exposed to forces and vibrations. A somewhat similar type has a part of a plastic rivet integrated with the cable tie, it's a tube like protrusion that is split in two halves from the tip. The protrusion is mounted into the hole and then a plastic sprint is pushed into the tube protrusion forcing the two halves aside and making it expand on the backside of the panel. They are robust but consist of two parts and are therefore more expensive. When mounted, the bend is quite tough and puts a lot of stress to the split tube part and can cause it to break, especially in the winter when the humidity in the air is low. It works on one thickness only and also lacks protection against rotation.

(5) There are also cable ties with one surface covered with adhesive to be attached to the plate, or a hole for screw mounting it towards the panel. They can either be integrated with the cable tie or a separate part with a small loop that the cable tie can be mounted through. The advantage with the adhesive type is that you don't have to make a hole in the panel but it is hard to find the balance between sticking to the plate and a possibility to remove it later on. With time adhesives also have a tendency to dry out and loose the adhesiveness, especially in a warm environment, as in many machines. The type with a screw is very robust but a threaded hole has to be made either directly in the panel if it is thick enough or by mounting a thread insert. The problem is that it takes time to both make the thread and then screwing it in place. To simply punch a hole, even if it is a little bit complex is very cheap and is made automatically.

(6) To summarize, the existing cable ties often have one or more of the following drawbacks: 1. Difficult to mount to a panel without access to the backside of the panel. 2. Difficult to dismount from a panel without access to the backside of the panel. 3. Is only designed for one or two panel thicknesses 4. Protrudes too much from the panel. 5. Gives a bad EMC-immunity to the cables mounted. 6. Lack of locking against rotation of the cable tie. 7. Uses adhesive that dries out and loosens with time, and/or is hard to dismount. 8. Is not robust against strong vibrations. 9. Need threads, making the panel more expensive and takes more time to mount. 10. Is made of two parts with increasing costs.

(7) The points above are also the problems that this invention claims to be the solution to.

(8) The most important benefits with the invention are: 1. One type can handle many panel thicknesses. 2. Simple to mount. 3. Simple to dismount. 4. Very robust against strong vibrations. 5. Simple and cheap to manufacture. 6. Takes up very little space. 7. Does not protrude much on the backside. 8. Backside can be inaccessible both for mounting and dismounting. 9. Gives good EMC-immunity to electrical cables. 10. Can be mounted on panels that are not flat but vaulted or bent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(9) FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c

(10) Shows a cable tie (1) with a panel anchor (8) and example of means (17,18) forming a loop (5) in different perspectives

(11) FIG. 2a

(12) Shows a main view of the cable tie (1) with associated section view A-A and example of details (2,3,4) for forming a loop (5) and direction changes (10,10) and at point (11), also section B-B showing the cross section of the band and its long side (20) in the vicinity of the panel anchor (8).

(13) FIG. 2b

(14) Shows a projected view from FIG. 2a

(15) FIG. 3

(16) Shows the design of the opening (9) in the panel (7), with a long and narrow part (13) and a circular part (12)

(17) FIG. 4a

(18) Shows an alternative panel anchor (8) with extruded segments of a circle (16)

(19) FIG. 4b

(20) Shows an alternative panel anchor (8) with extruded segments of a circle (16) mounted in a panel (7)

(21) FIG. 5

(22) Shows the cable tie (1) with panel (7) before mounting

(23) FIG. 6

(24) Shows the gentle bending of the cable tie prior to mounting

(25) FIG. 7

(26) Shows how the panel anchor (8) is inserted into the panel (7)

(27) FIG. 8

(28) Shows how the cable tie (1) is rotated 90 in the opening (9)

(29) FIG. 9

(30) Shows the cable tie after recovering from the initial bend

(31) FIG. 10

(32) Shows how the cable tie have formed a loop (5) around four cables (6) that have been mounted against the panel (7)

(33) FIG. 11

(34) Shows marking of cables with the use of a marking badge (19)