CN-114483743-B - Fastening clip assembly with expandable cap

Abstract

A clip assembly having an expandable cap includes a cap top, one or more cap legs extending from the top, one or more feet at the bottom of the legs, and one or more tabs extending on the interior of the one or more legs. The fastening clip assembly also includes a pin configured to slide around and within the cap based at least on the pin being configured to snap closed around the cap to form a cap-pin assembly. Based at least on the cap-pin assembly being configured to attach to a slot in the chassis and to the panel, the cap-pin assembly is configured to couple the panel to the slot in the chassis. The cap is configured to expand around the slot of the chassis based at least on the pin being configured to push the tabs outwardly in response to the pin being pushed up over the tabs.

Inventors

• Daniel james dickinson
• David frisoliger

Assignees

• 特迈驰有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20211112

Priority Date

20211103

Claims (18)

1. 1. A fastening clip assembly comprising: a cap, the cap comprising: A cap top; One or more of the cap leg portions, the one or more cap legs extending from the top; one or more feet at the bottom of the leg; one or more tabs extending on an interior of the one or more legs; A pin configured to slide around and within the cap based at least on the pin being configured to snap closed around the cap to form a cap-pin assembly, wherein the cap is first placed within the pin, and then the pin is snapped closed over the cap to interlock the cap and the pin with each other, Wherein, based at least on the cap-pin assembly being configured to attach to a slot in a chassis and to a panel, the cap-pin assembly is configured to couple the panel to the slot in the chassis, Wherein the cap is configured to expand around the slot of the chassis based at least on the pin being configured to push the tab outwardly in response to the pin being pushed up over the tab.
2. 2. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises one or more wings attached to the one or more cap legs, wherein the wings are configured to expand outwardly around the slot of the chassis in response to the pin being configured to push the tab outwardly in response to the pin being pushed upwardly past the tab.
3. 3. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the pin comprises one or more downwardly sloping surfaces configured to urge the one or more tabs outwardly based on the pin being urged upwardly relative to the cap.
4. 4. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the pin is configured to be pushed upward relative to the cap based at least on a foot of the cap reaching the chassis and resting on the chassis.
5. 5. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises a cap lock and wherein the pin comprises a pin lock, wherein the pin is configured to be secured to the cap based at least on the pin being pushed upward and the pin lock engaging the cap lock.
6. 6. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, further comprising a seal attached to the pin, wherein the seal is configured to form a seal with respect to the chassis based at least on the pin being pushed up into the chassis.
7. 7. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap is made of metal.
8. 8. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap is molded from plastic and is configured to be assembled together by at least one cap snap lock.
9. 9. The fastening clip assembly of claim 1, wherein the cap includes ribbed portions on the cap legs at locations where the cap engages the slots in the chassis.
10. 10. A fastening clip assembly comprising: A chassis including a chassis slot configured to receive a cap from a pin-cap assembly; A panel including a receiving opening configured to receive a pin; a cap, the cap comprising: A cap top; One or more of the cap leg portions, the one or more cap legs extending from the top; one or more feet at the bottom of the leg; one or more tabs extending on an interior of the one or more legs; A pin configured to slide around and within the cap based at least on the pin being configured to snap closed around the cap to form a cap-pin assembly, wherein the cap is first placed within the pin, and then the pin is snapped closed over the cap to interlock the cap and the pin with each other, Wherein, based at least on the cap-pin assembly being configured to attach to the slot in the chassis and to the panel, the cap-pin assembly is configured to couple the panel to the slot in the chassis, Wherein the cap is configured to expand around the chassis slot based at least on the pin being configured to push the tab outwardly in response to the pin being pushed up over the tab.
11. 11. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the cap comprises one or more wings attached to the one or more cap legs, wherein the wings are configured to expand outwardly around the chassis slot in response to the pin being configured to push the tab outwardly in response to the pin being pushed upwardly past the tab.
12. 12. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the pin comprises one or more downwardly sloping surfaces configured to urge the one or more tabs outwardly based on the pin being urged upwardly relative to the cap.
13. 13. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the pin is configured to be pushed upward relative to the cap based at least on the foot of the cap reaching the chassis and resting on the chassis.
14. 14. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the cap comprises a cap lock and wherein the pin comprises a pin lock, wherein the pin is configured to be secured to the cap based at least on the pin being pushed upward and the pin lock engaging the cap lock.
15. 15. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, further comprising a seal attached to the pin, wherein the seal is configured to form a seal with respect to the chassis based at least on the pin being pushed up into the chassis.
16. 16. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the cap is made of metal.
17. 17. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the cap is molded from plastic and is configured to be snapped together by at least one cap snap lock.
18. 18. The fastening clip assembly of claim 10, wherein the cap includes ribbed portions on the cap legs at locations where the cap engages the slots in the chassis.

Description

Fastening clip assembly with expandable cap Technical Field The present invention relates generally to devices for fastening objects, and more particularly to a fastening clip assembly for insertion into an engagement structure such as a vehicle chassis, hollow substrate, wall, panel, or any suitable surface. Background There are a variety of devices and fasteners currently available for fastening panels, such as body panels and automotive interior trim panels, to the chassis of a vehicle. As used herein, a body panel refers to, for example, any interior or exterior body panel, plastic interior trim, door panel, roof, or any interior trim on a vehicle. Additionally, the panel may be any suitable exterior body panel, such as a fender, bumper, wing panel, or door panel. The chassis of the vehicle may include any substrate, panel, body panel, structural backbone, chassis component or sub-component, wall, or any suitable object. These conventional fastener devices provide approximately equal levels of insertion and extraction forces. These body panels are typically attached to the chassis of the vehicle with a relatively high level of insertion force while providing a relatively low level of extraction force. Fastening clips, such as two-piece fasteners (multi-piece) are known for attaching body panels to automobile chassis. Two-piece fasteners are used so that if the panel is removed after initial installation (e.g., for servicing components in a vehicle door), the two-piece fasteners can be pulled apart so that one portion remains attached to the sheet metal and another portion remains attached to the trim panel. The two components may also be reattached after separation. However, two-piece fasteners require the manufacture of multiple parts and labor intensive assembly of the two parts, and are therefore relatively expensive. One-piece fasteners are generally less expensive than two-piece or multi-piece fasteners. The one-piece fastener has a base attached to the vehicle body panel and a pillar attached to the base, and the wings are attached to the top of the pillar at least at the top ends of the fasteners for fastening to the frame slots. However, if the frame slot and the fastener are misaligned, the forces on the wings are unequal because the wing closest to the slot edge may experience higher wing compression while the other wing may not have sufficient spring force to engage the slot. Such high forces on one of the wings may cause the wing to break when the clip is driven into the slot, thereby rendering the fastener incapable of fastening the body panel to the vehicle frame. Worse still, broken, damaged or weakened wings may cause the body panel to fall out or rattle. The wings of conventional fasteners have sharp, non-smooth grooves for engaging the edges of the frame slots. However, when the clip is removed, the sharp edge of the frame groove cuts into the softer plastic and cuts the groove. During manufacture, these grooves are typically formed in the frame of the vehicle, such as in the interior roof or door panel structure, by stamping the metal sheet. When the punch enters the metal plate, the outer portion of the metal plate is pushed inward, and metal perforations or ridges are formed on the inner side of the metal plate. The groove edges created on the outside portions of the groove are relatively smooth, whereas the inside portions of the groove edges are sharp and rough. Upon removal of the fastening clip, the sharp edges of the frame cut the groove so that the clip may not be reinserted and reused. For example, if the slot is off-center or if the thickness of the sheet metal varies, or if there is a tolerance in the production of the slot in the vehicle chassis or trim piece, engagement of a portion of the hole in the chassis with one of the wings may not provide a proper frictional engagement. The twisting of the body panels may be more prevalent because not all points of contact are actually formed by the channels of the vehicle chassis. Thus, when the fastener and body panel are misaligned, the conventional one-piece fastener does not self-align and the wing is prone to breakage, thereby failing to reattach the fastener. Conventional fasteners often fail to adequately secure a panel to a vehicle chassis having varying slot sizes and positions or to metal plates having different curvatures or thicknesses throughout. When the fastener and body panel are misaligned, conventional one-piece fasteners do not self-align and are prone to wing breakage, thereby failing to reattach the fastener. Furthermore, conventional fasteners are not suitable when subjected to various environmental conditions, such as in the presence of vibrations at various amplitude and frequency levels. For example, conventional fasteners of this type often fail to prevent or minimize buzzes, rattles, or any other type of noise that may draw the attention of the vehicle occupant or otherwise impair the attachment. Conven