U.S. patent application number 09/800135 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-06 for cable holder for attaching cables to a support structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to EADS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH. Invention is credited to Koziol, Siegmund.
Application Number | 20010019093 09/800135 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7633738 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010019093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Koziol, Siegmund |
September 6, 2001 |
Cable holder for attaching cables to a support structure
Abstract
A cable holder for attaching cables to a support structure,
wherein the cable holder has a mounting bracket attachable to a
support structure and a cable supporting portion extending at an
angle from the mounting bracket at an edge thereof. The cable
supporting portion has a bottom portion for supporting the cables,
and two end portions extending upwardly from the bottom portion,
and having openings through which a cable connector can pass for
securing the cables to the holder. Two cylindrical pins are
provided on the mounting bracket in proximity to the end portions
and face in a direction away from the cable supporting portion. The
mounting bracket has a mounting hole for a fastener at a distance
from the pins, the cable holder is secured to the support structure
by the fastener while the pins engage a support edge of the support
structure to prevent rotation of the cable holder around the
fastener.
Inventors: |
Koziol, Siegmund;
(Hohenlinden, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Ladas & Parry
26 West 61st Street
New York
NY
10023
US
|
Assignee: |
EADS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
|
Family ID: |
7633738 |
Appl. No.: |
09/800135 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/68.1 ;
248/69; 248/74.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L 3/23 20130101; B60R
16/0215 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/68.1 ;
248/69; 248/74.1 |
International
Class: |
F16L 003/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 6, 2000 |
DE |
100 10 933.0 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cable holder for attaching cables to a support structure, said
cable holder comprising a mounting bracket attachable to the
support structure, a cable supporting portion extending at an angle
from said mounting bracket at an edge thereof, said cable
supporting portion including a bottom portion for supporting the
cables, and two end portions extending upwardly from said bottom
portion, said end portion having openings through which a cable
connector can pass for securing the cables to the holder, and two
cylindrical pins on said mounting bracket in proximity to said end
portions, said pins facing in a direction away from said cable
supporting portion, said mounting bracket having a mounting hole
for a fastener at a distance from said pins, said cable holder
being secured to the support structure by said fastener while said
pins engage a support edge of the support structure to prevent
rotation of the cable holder around the fastener.
2. The cable holder of claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket and
said cable supporting portion are formed as a one-piece body.
3. The cable holder of claim 2, wherein said one-piece body is made
of polyether ether ketone.
4. The cable holder of claim 3, wherein said one-piece body
contains 10 to 30% by weight of glass fibers.
5. The cable holder of claim 1, wherein said openings are formed as
rectangular slots.
6. The cable holder of claim 5, wherein each said slot is between 3
and 10 mm in length.
7. The cable holder of claim 1, wherein each pin has a length of 3
to 4 mm and a diameter of 2 to 5 mm.
8. The cable holder of claim 1, wherein said cable supporting
portion includes a back flange forming a recess for the cable
connector.
9. The cable holder of claim 8, wherein said recess has a width of
25 to 30 mm and a depth between 12 and 18 mm.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] [0001] The invention relates to a cable holder for attaching
cables to a support structure and particularly to a vehicle
structure.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
[0002] [0002] It is known to provide cable holders on vehicle
structures by integrating the cable holder with the vehicle
structure usually as an integrated member. The cable holders can
employ connectors for the cable in the form of eye and hook
elements. A disadvantage of these cable holders is that they are
made as part of the support structure and thereby involve great
complexity in the production of the support structure.
[0003] [0003] DE-GM 1989458 discloses a cable holder for attaching
cables to a support structure by means of cable connectors such as
straps in which the cable holder has a fastening bracket and a
cradle-shaped portion integrally formed with the bracket for
receiving the cables in a slot in the cradle-shaped portion.
[0004] [0004] DE-GM 1886744 shows a cable holder with a
cradle-shaped support having two branches each provided with a slot
for passage therethrough of the cable strap.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] [0005] An object of the invention is to provide a cable
holder for attachment of cables to a vehicle structure in which the
cable holder can be mounted with extreme simplicity even in
difficult to reach places and can be attached with high stability
with simple means.
[0006] [0006] In accordance with the invention the cable holder
comprises a mounting bracket which is attachable to a support
structure and a cable supporting portion extending at an angle from
the mounting bracket and integrally formed therewith at an edge of
the mounting bracket. The cable supporting portion includes a
bottom portion for receiving the cables and two end portions
extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the end portions having
openings through which a cable connector can pass for securing the
cables to the holder. Two cylindrical pins are provided on the
mounting bracket in proximity to the end portions of the cable
supporting portion and the pins face in a direction away from the
cable supporting portion. The mounting bracket has a mounting hole
for a fastener at a distance from the pins and the cable holder is
secured to the support structure by the fastener while the pins
engage a support edge of the support structure to prevent rotation
of the cable holder around the fastener.
[0007] [0007] According to a feature of the invention, the mounting
bracket and cable supporting portion is formed as a one-piece body
made of polyether ether ketone.
[0008] [0008] According to a further feature of the invention, the
openings in the end portions of the cable supporting portion are
formed as rectangular slots.
[0009] [0009] According to a another feature of the invention, the
cable supporting portion has a back flange which forms a cradle
recess for the cable connector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING
[0010] [0010] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing the cable
holder of the present invention in which the cables have been
omitted.
[0011] [0011] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing the cable
holder with the cables secured thereto.
[0012] [0012] FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the cable
holder with the cables secured thereto.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] [0013] Referring to the drawing, therein is shown a cable
holder 1 constructed as a molded, one-piece body which includes a
mounting bracket 3 attachable to a support structure and a cable
supporting portion 5 extending at a right angle from the mounting
bracket at an upper edge 17 thereof. The cable supporting portion 5
has a bottom portion 6 for supporting the cables and two end
portions or branches 9a and 9b extending upwardly at an angle from
the bottom portion 6. The branches 9a and 9b have upper terminal
edges 11a and 11b and the mounting bracket 3 extends from edges 11a
and 11b in narrowing tapered fashion towards the rounded free end
12 thereof. In the region of the lower end 12 of the mounting
bracket 3 is a hole 15 for a fastener (not shown) to attach the
mounting bracket and thereby the holder to the support structure
(not shown).
[0014] [0014] Secured to the mounting bracket 3 in proximity to the
edge 17 are two cylindrical pins 20a, 20b which extend
perpendicularly to the flat surface 21 of the mounting bracket 3 in
a direction away from the cable supporting portion 5. In order to
attach the cable holder to the support structure, the cylindrical
pins 20a and 20b are engaged with an edge of the support structure
and the fastener is secured to the support structure via the hole
15 in the mounting bracket. By virtue of the engagement of the
cylindrical pins 20a and 20b on the edge of the support structure,
a stable and secure attachment is made for the holder on the
support structure due to the bracing of the pins against rotation
of the holder around the fastener. The mounting of the cable holder
to the vehicle structure is therefore achieved very simply and only
involves the attachment of the fastener to the supporting
structure.
[0015] [0015] The supporting structure requires an edge against
which the pins can be engaged and if such an edge is not on the
structure itself, an opening can be formed by a hole in the
supporting structure of circular, elliptical, or prismatic shape.
It is only necessary that the hole provide a bearing surface for
the pins to prevent rotation of the holder after the fastener has
been installed.
[0016] [0016] The cable supporting portion has a back flange 15
spaced from the mounting bracket 3 to define a recess 22 in which
the cable connector can be retained. The width of the recess 22 is
between 25 and 30 mm and its depth is between 12 and 18 mm. The
openings 7 are preferably rectangular and have a length of between
3 and 10 mm. As a consequence, of this construction a particularly
favorable capability for attaching the cables 21 to the holder by
means of a conventional cable connectors 22 is achieved.
[0017] [0017] After the cable holder has been mounted on the
support structure the cables 21 are placed on the cable supporting
portion resting on the bottom portion 8 and the cables are secured
to the cable supporting portion by the conventional cable connector
by passage thereof through the openings 7.
[0018] [0018] The cable holder is made of polyether ether ketone
which can be reinforced with 10 to 30 percent by weight of glass
fibers preferably 30 percent by weight.
[0019] [0019] The cylindrical pins 20a and 20b are preferably
located on the mounting bracket 3 at a distance from edge 17 by not
more than one half the diameter of the cylindrical pin. The pins
have a length of between 2 and 4 mm and preferably 3 mm and a
diameter of 2 to 5 mm and preferably 2.5 mm. Although the pins have
been disclosed as being cylindrical they can also have a
non-cylindrical shape, for example, elliptical or prismatic.
[0020] [0020] The width of the recess 22 is defined as the distance
between the free ends 11a, 11b of branches 9a, 9b and the depth is
defined as the distance between a line connecting the free ends of
branches 9a, 9b and the point on the bottom portion 6 most distant
therefrom in the vertical direction.
[0021] [0021] Instead of being at right angles to the cable
supporting portion the mounting bracket 3 can be at a different
angle depending on the particular application.
[0022] [0022] Although the invention has been described in
conjunction with a specific embodiment thereof, numerous
modifications and variations can be made without departing from the
scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the attached
claims.
* * * * *