GB2166211A - Linkage clip - Google Patents

Abstract

A linkage clip (10, 45) for attaching a rod 84 to a support 82 comprising means 16, 18, 58 for mounting the clip on the support, a retaining section 34, 36 configured to hold the rod 84 whilst permitting longitudinal sliding movement relative to the support 82 and locking means 74,76 movable relative to the retaining section 34, 36 and configured for engagement with formations 86 on the rod 84 to lock the rod in position. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Linkage Clip The present invention relates to a linkage clip for attaching a rod to a support.

It is known to attach a rod having a cranked end to a support using a fastener having a bush mounted in an aperture in the support and a channelled section adjacent the bush. The rod is attached to the support by inserting the cranked end of the rod into the bush and pressing the rod into the channelled section. It is a disadvantage of this arrangement that no lengthwise adjustment of the position of the rod is possible.

A linkage clip for adjustably holding a rod is disclosed in U.K. Patent No. 1592136. The clip has a serrated channel which is split to receive a rod formed with differently sized rings. The rod is pushed into the channel transversely of the length of the channeJ so that the serrations engage between the rings to hold the rod in a fixed position.

A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the rod needs to be completely removed from the clip if it is to be adjusted lengthwise.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a linkage clip for attaching a rod to a support whilst permitting longitudinal adjustment of the rod.

Accordingly we provide a linkage clip for attaching a rod to a support comprising means for mounting the clip on the support, a retaining section configured to hold the rod whilst permitting longitudinal sliding movement relative to the support and locking means movable relative to the retaining section and configured for engagement with formations on the rod thereby to lock the rod in position.

An advantage of a linkage clip according to the present invention is that longitudinal adjustment of the rod is permitted whilst the rod is held in position in the clip. This is especially useful in situations where access to the rod is restricted.

In a particular embodiment, the locking means is rotatable relative to the retaining section and, preferably, means are provided for limiting the rotation of the locking means relative to the retaining section.

The particular configuration of the locking means will depend on the type of formations on the rod to be retained. The locking means may be configured to engage with annular ribs formed on the rod and may comprise a projection for location in a groove between two ribs on the rod. In that case, the locking means preferably comprises two opposed projections and these may themselves each be a rib.

Alternatively, the locking means may be configured for engagement with a coarse screw thread on the rod.

A linkage clip according to the present invention may be a two-part clip, one part comprising the retaining section and the other part comprising the locking member. In a particular embodiment, a linkage clip comprises a female member comprising the retaining section and a male part comprising the locking means wherein the female part is configured for snap engagement through an aperture support and the male part is configured for engagement with the female part.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide an assembly comprising a support, a linkage clip mounted on the support and a rod held in the linkage clip wherein the linkage clip comprises a retaining section holding the rod so as to permit longitudinal sliding of the rod relative to the support and locking means movable relative to the retaining section from a first position in which the locking means does not engage the rod to a second position in which the locking means engages with formations on the rod thereby to lock the rod in position.

Preferably, the locking means is rotatable relative to the retaining section about an axis which is generally perpendicular to the length of the rod.

In a particular embodiment, the linkage clip is configured so that the rod needs to be moved in a first direction for removal from the retaining means and needs to be moved in a second direction for removal from the locking means wherein the first direction and the second direction are non-aligned.

This feature ensures that the rod cannot be accidentally removed from the linkage clip.

A particular embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 to 3 are respectively an under plan, a side view and a perspective view of the female part of a linkage clip according to the present invention; Figures 4to 6 are respectively an under plan, a side view and a perspective view of the male part of a linkage clip according to the present invention; Figure 7 is a side view of the linkage clip shown separately in Figures 1-6 mounted in a support and holding a rod; Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of the linkage clip forming part of a heater control assembly.

Referring first to Figures 1-3, a female part, indicated generally at 10, of the linkage clip is made of plastics material and comprises a generally circular bush 12 integral with a generally rectangular retaining section 14. The bush 12 comprises an annular flange 16 from which depend four resiliently deformable legs 18,20,22 and 24.

Each of the legs 18,20,22 and 24 is part annular (see Figure 1) and comprises a thickened end portion 26 which is bevelled to form a shoulder 28 facing the underside of the flange 16. The interior surfaces of the legs 18,20,22 and 24 define a bore 30 which has a slight inward taper towards its lower end and an outwardly radiused portion 32 at its upper end.

The retaining section 14 comprises two upstanding side walls 34 and 36 each of which has a rounded upper edge 38 adjacent a smooth arcuate upwardly opening channel portion 40. The outer end of the channel portion 40 is bevelled at 42.

There is a cavity 44 on the underside of the mounting section 14 which reduces the amount of plastics material used in the female part 10.

Referring now to Figures S6, a male part, indicated generally at 45, of the linkage clip is also made of plastics material and comprises a mounting section 46 and a locking section 48.

The mounting section 46 comprises a flat, generally circular flange 50 having a stud 52 depending therefrom. The stud 52 has an upper portion 54 of uniform circular cross section adjoining the flange 50 and an inwardly tapering lower portion 56 which terminates in a hemispherical head 58. The flange 50 is formed with a cam surface 60 the purpose ofwhich will be described hereinafter. The flange 50 adjoins an upright wall 62 and a horizontal flange 64 which extends along the length of the wall 62.

The locking section 48 comprises two opposed jaws 66 and 68 each having a re-entrant portion 70 at its free end defining an inwardly turned shoulder 72. The jaws 66 and 68 are each formed with a central rib, 74 and 76 respectively. The ribs 74 and 76 are aligned and extend from the shoulder 72 and terminate partway along the length of each of the jaws 66 and 68 (see Figure 4).

The upright wall 62 has a rectangular aperture 78 aligned with the jaws 66 and 68 and is contiguous with an end wall 80.

Referring now also to Figures 7 and 8, a linkage clip comprising the female part 10 and the male part 45 is shown mounted in a lever plate 82 and holding a rod 84.

The female part 10 is mounted in an aperture in the lever plate 82 by placing the free ends of the legs 18,20,22 and 24 into the aperture and pressing downwardly. This causes the thickened part 26 of each of the legs to ride downwardly against the periphery of the aperture thus causing the legs to deform inwardly until the shoulder 28 on each leg passes through the aperture thus allowing the legs to spring outwardly so thatthe female part 10 is secured in the plate with a snap action. The plate thickness is approximately equal to the gap between the shoulders 28 and the flange 16 (see Figure 7).

The stud 52 of the male part 45 is then inserted into the bore 30 in the bush 12 and pressed downwardly. The head 58 causes outward deflection of the legs 18, 20,22 and 24 as it passes downwardly through the bore 30 until it clears the bore 30 and allows the legs to snap engage behind it to lock the male part 45 on the female part 10. The slight inward taper of the bore 30 mates with the inwardly tapering lower portion 56 of the stud 52 more securely to retain the stud 52 in the bore 30.

With the stud 52 in the bore 30, it is then no longer possible to squeeze the legs 18,20,22 and 24 of the female part 10 so that the linkage clip is nonremovably mounted in the lever plate 82.

The male part 45 is rotatable relative to the female part 10 in the direction of arrow A in Figure 8 to the position shown in dotted lines in that figure. Further rotation is prevented by abutment of the cam surface 60 against the wall 36 of the retaining section 14 of the female part 10. Rotation of the male part 45 in an anti-clockwise direction relative to the female part 10 in Figure 8 is prevented by abutment of the wall 62 on the male part 45 against the wall 34 on the female part 10, in which position the channel 40 in the female part 10 is aligned with the gap between the jaws 66 and 68 in the locking section 48 of the male part 45.

The rod 84 is formed with annular ribs 86 at one end and is attached to the lever plate 82 as follows.

The male part 45 of the linkage clip is rotated as indicated by arrow A in Figure 8 until the locking section 48 of the male part 45 is no longer aligned with the retaining section 14 of the female part 10.

The ribbed end of the rod 84 is then pressed downwardly into the channel 40 on the female part 10. The walls 34 and 36 of the retaining section 14 flex outwardly to accommodate the rod 84 and then resile to hold the rod 84 in the female part 10 whilst permitting longitudinal sliding movement of the rod 84 relative to the lever plate 82. When the rod 84 has been longitudinally positioned as required, the male part 45 is rotated anti-clockwise relative to the female part 10 and the locking section 48 of the male part 45 is pressed onto the rod 84. This causes the opposed re-entrant portions 70 on the jaws 66 and 68 of the locking section to ride over the rod 84 so that the jaws 66 and 68 flex outwardly. The reentrant portions 70 then snap over the rod 84 to hold it in the locking section 48 of the male part 45.The opposed ribs 74 and 76 engage between a pair of the annular ribs 86 on the rod 84 thereby to lock the rod against longitudinal sliding movement.

When the rod 84 is locked in the linkage clip, accidental removal of the rod 84 is impossible. This is because the rod 84 needs to be moved sidewardly relative to the male part 45 to be pulled free of the jaws 66 and 68 but needs to be moved upwardly relative to the female part 10 to be pulled out of the channel 40.

If it is desired subsequently to adjust the longitudinal position of the rod 84, the locking section 48 of the male part 45 can be detached from the rod 84 simply by pushing the locking section 48 in the direction of arrow A in Figure 8 causing the jaws 66 and 68 to snap free of the rod 84. The rod 84 can then be slidably moved whilst being held in the channel 40 of the female member 10 and the jaws 66 and 68 clipped back into the position shown in Figure 8 when the rod 84 is in its required position.

Figure 8 is a schematic representation of part of a car heater assembly. The lever plate 82 is pivotable about pivot point 88 in the direction of arrows B and C and is connected to a control member 90 which in practice will be positioned in the dashboard of a vehicle for movement by the user. Pivoting movement of the lever plate 82 causes longitudinal movement of the rod 84 from side to side as indicated by the arrows at D. The other end (not shown) of the rod 84 is attached, for example by a cranked end mounted in a female part 10, to another lever arm which is attached to a heater flap and causes the flap either to open or close an aperture for influx of warm air into the vehicle in response to the movements of the lever plate 82.

A linkage clip according to the present invention can be used in any circumstance where it is desirable to fasten a rod to a support whilst permitting longitudinal adjustment of the rod during assembly and thereafter if required. A linkage clip of the present invention permits the longitudinal position of a rod to be adjusted simply and quickly thus greatly facilitating the assembly process in many instances. Other examples of situations in which a linkage clip according to the present invention might be used are in a vehicle door lock in which a rod interconnects a lever for opening the door to the lock itseif and also in arrangements where a rod is used in adjusting accelerator cables in a carburettor.

Claims (28)

1.A A linkage clip for attaching a rod to a support comprising means for mounting the clip on the support, a retaining section configured to hold the rod whilst permitting longitudinal sliding movement relative to the support and locking means movable relative to the retaining section and configured for engagement with formations on the rod to lock the rod in position.

2. A linkage clip according to Claim 1 wherein the locking means is rotatable relative to the retaining section.

3. A linkage clip according to claim 2 wherein the locking means is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the length of a rod held in the clip.

4. A linkage clip according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 comprising means for limiting the rotation of the locking means relative to the retaining section.

5. A linkage clip according to Claim 4 wherein the limiting means comprises a cam surface.

6. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim wherein the locking means is removably snapengagable on a rod.

7. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim wherein the locking means comprises two opposed jawsforgripping a rod.

8. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim wherein the locking means is configured to engage with annular ribs formed on a rod.

9. A linkage clip according to Claim 8 wherein the locking means comprises a projection for location in a groove between two ribs on a rod.

10. A linkage clip according to Claim 8 or Claim 9 wherein the locking means comprises two opposed projections.

11. A linkage clip according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein the or each projection on the locking means is a rib.

12. A linkage clip according to any of Claims 1-7 wherein the locking means is configured to engage with a coarse screw thread on a rod.

13. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim wherein the retaining section is provided with an open-sided channel for slidably holding a rod.

14. A linkage clip according to any of Claims 1-12 wherein the retaining section is provided with a bore for slidably holding the rod.

15. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim comprising two separable parts, one part comprising the retaining section and the other part comprising the locking means.

16. A linkage clip according to any preceding claim comprising a female part comprising the retaining section and a male part comprising the locking means wherein the female part is configured for snap engagement through an aperture support and the male part is configured for engagement with the female part.

17. A linkage clip according to claim 16 wherein the female part has a bush configured for mounting the female part in an aperture and wherein the male part comprises a stud configured for insertion into the bush.

18. A linkage clip according to claim 17 wherein the stud of the male part is configured so that, when it is in position in the bush of the female part, the clip is non-removable from the support.

19. A linkage clip according to claim 18 wherein the stud terminates in a head which is nonremovably snap-engageable with the bush of the female part.

20. A linkage clip substantially as herein described and with reference to Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings.

21. An assembly comprising a linkage clip according to any preceding claim mounted on a support and attaching a rod to the support wherein formations on the rod cooperate with the locking means on the clip thereby to lock the rod.

22. An assembly comprising a support, a linkage clip mounted on the support and a rod held in the linkage clip wherein the linkage clip comprises a retaining section holding the rod so as to permit longitudinal sliding of the rod relative to the support and locking means movable relative to the retaining section from a first position in which the locking means does not engage the rod to a second position in which the locking means engages with formations on the rod thereby to lock the rod in position.

23. An assembly according to Claim 22 wherein the locking means is rotatable relative to the retaining section about an axis which is generally perpendicular to the length of the rod.

24. An assembly according to Claim 22 or Claim 23 wherein the linkage clip is configured so that the rod needs to be moved in a first direction for removal from the retaining means and needs to be moved in a second direction for removal from the locking means wherein the first direction and the second direction are non-aligned.

25. An assembly according to claim 24 wherein the linkage clip is configured so that the first and second directions are generally perpendicular.

26. An assembly according to Claim 24 or Claim 25 wherein the rod is held in an open-sided channel in the retaining means and wherein the locking means is provided with opposed jaws adapted to grip the rod.

27. An assembly according to any of Claims 22-26 wherein the linkage clip comprises a female part comprising the retaining section and a male part comprising the locking means and wherein the female part comprises a bush which is engaged through an aperture in the support and the male part comprises a stud which is engaged in the bush.

28. An assembly substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 14 of the accompanying drawings.