US-12620795-B2 - Strain relief clamp

US12620795B2US 12620795 B2US12620795 B2US 12620795B2US-12620795-B2

Abstract

A strain relief clamp ( 100 ), which has a first body part ( 110 ) and a second body part ( 120 ) creating a passage ( 160 ) for clamping cables upon the two body parts securely attached together by using locking mechanisms ( 105,106 ). An individual locking mechanism ( 105 ) has a first plurality of teeth ( 115 ) protruded from the first body part ( 110 ), and a spring strip ( 130 ) formed with a second plurality of teeth ( 135 ). The second plurality of teeth ( 135 ) faces and engages with the first plurality of teeth ( 115 ) to lock the individual locking mechanism ( 105 ). The spring strip ( 130 ) is bendable, allowing a user to bend the spring strip ( 130 ) and subsequently cause the second plurality of teeth ( 135 ) to disengage from the first plurality of teeth ( 115 ) to release the individual locking mechanism ( 105 ). Tool-free release of the cables is achieved, offering the user convenience.

Inventors

Xiaobin Guo
Canbang Yang

Assignees

TRIDONIC GMBH & CO KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20200924

Claims (16)

1 . A strain relief clamp comprising: first and second body parts detachably attachable together, the first and second body parts being configured to create a passage used for clamping one or more cables upon the first body part securely attached to the second body part; and a plurality of locking mechanisms each configured to releasably lock the first and second body parts together, the first and second body parts being securely attached together when respective locking mechanisms in the plurality of locking mechanisms are locked, an individual locking mechanism comprising: a first plurality of teeth protruded from the first body part; a spring strip having first and second end portions, the first end portion being attached to the second body part, the spring strip being formed with a second plurality of teeth detachably engageable with the first plurality of teeth, the first and second pluralities of teeth being respectively located in the first body part and the spring strip such that the second plurality of teeth faces and engages the first plurality of teeth so as to lock the individual locking mechanism, wherein the spring strip is bendable such that the second end portion is movable by a user, allowing the user to move the second end portion to bend the spring strip and subsequently cause the second plurality of teeth to disengage from the first plurality of teeth so as to release the individual locking mechanism, thereby enabling the first and second body parts originally securely attached together to be separated manually without using a tool during releasing the one or more cables from the strain relief clamp; and one or more hooks mounted to the second body part for temporarily fixing the spring strip so as to prevent the spring strip from rebounding back to re-engage the first and second pluralities of teeth after being disengaged by the user and after the releases the second end portion.
2 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the second body part comprises a finger insert area adjacent to the spring strip, allowing the user to conveniently insert at least one finger into the finger insert area to bend the spring strip.
3 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of teeth and the spring strip are located in the first body part and the second body part, respectively, such that the spring strip is pulled outwardly from the second body part to disengage the second plurality of teeth from the first plurality of teeth in releasing the individual locking mechanism.
4 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of teeth and the spring strip are located in the first body part and the second body part, respectively, such that the spring strip is pushed inwardly toward the second body part to disengage the second plurality of teeth from the first plurality of teeth in releasing the individual locking mechanism.
5 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the spring strip is resilient, resilience of the spring strip allowing the second plurality of teeth originally disengaged from the first plurality of teeth to press towards and subsequently engage with the first plurality of teeth to automatically lock the individual locking mechanism, thereby enabling the first and second body parts originally detached from each other to be securely attached by the user manually without using a tool during fixing the one or more cables in the strain relief clamp.
6 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the first and second body parts are made of plastic.
7 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the first body part further comprises a first edge, and the second body part further comprises a second edge, the first and second edges being configured to clamp the one or more cables when the passage is created.
8 . The strain relief clamp of claim 7 , wherein the first or second edge is grooved or corrugated for enhancing friction with the one or more cables.
9 . The strain relief clamp of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of locking mechanisms consists of a first locking mechanism and a second locking mechanism.
10 . The strain relief clamp of claim 9 , wherein the first and second locking mechanisms are respectively positioned on two opposite lateral sides of the clamp.
11 . A light emitting diode (LED) converter comprising: a plurality of electrical terminals for connecting to a plurality of external cables; and a strain relief accessory for clamping the plurality of external cables, the strain relief accessory being the strain relief clamp of claim 1 .
12 . The LED converter of claim 11 further comprising: a housing installed with the plurality of electrical terminals, wherein the strain relief accessory is detachably attachable to the housing.
13 . The LED converter of claim 11 further comprising: a housing installed with the plurality of electrical terminals, wherein the first body part of the strain relief accessory is integrated to the housing.
14 . A light emitting diode (LED) converter comprising: a plurality of terminal groups, an individual terminal group comprising a plurality of electrical terminals for connecting to a plurality of external cables; and a plurality of strain relief accessories each for clamping a respective plurality of external cables, an individual strain relief accessory being the strain relief clamp of claim 1 .
15 . The LED converter of claim 14 further comprising: a housing installed with the plurality of terminal groups, wherein the individual strain relief accessory is detachably attachable to the housing.
16 . The LED converter of claim 14 further comprising: a housing installed with the plurality of terminal groups, wherein the first body part of the individual strain relief accessory is integrated to the housing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to a strain relief clamp for clamping one or more cables. In particular, the present disclosure relates to such strain relief clamp configured to enable a user to release the one or more cables from the strain relief clamp manually without a need to use a tool, thus offering user convenience. BACKGROUND A strain relief clamp is a mechanical device for attaching and securing an end of an electrical cable to an equipment. A major purpose of using the strain relief clamp is to provide strain relief to the electrical cable such that when the electrical cable is pulled abruptly, or is subject to a constant pulling force, the electrical cable is made more difficult to be detached from the equipment. Unintended detachment of the electrical cable from the equipment is undesirable or even dangerous. For example, if the electrical cable used for supplying power to the equipment, such as a lighting device driver, is suddenly detached from the equipment, it may result in damage to the equipment, or exposed terminals of the electrical cable may lead to safety hazard to nearby personnel. The strain relief clamp is indispensable in increasing equipment reliability and safety. It is important to offer user convenience in using the strain relief clamp. For current existing strain relief clamp structures, such as the ones used in EP 2,413,433 and DE 102009009496, a tool is need to release a cable from a strain relief clamp. To offer user convenience, it is desirable to have a new structure of strain relief clamp having an advantage of allowing tool-free release of the cable. Other desirable features and characteristics of the strain relief clamp as disclosed herein will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure. SUMMARY A first aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a strain relief clamp for clamping one or more cables with an advantage that a user is able to release the one or more cables from the strain relief clamp manually without a need to use a tool. Convenience to the user is thus provided. The strain relief clamp comprises a first body part, a second body part and a plurality of locking mechanisms. The first and second body parts are detachably attachable together, and configured to create a passage used for clamping one or more cables upon the first body part securely attached to the second body part. Each locking mechanism is configured to releasably lock the first and second body parts together. The first and second body parts are securely attached together when respective locking mechanisms in the plurality of locking mechanisms are locked. An individual locking mechanism comprises a first plurality of teeth and a spring strip. The first plurality of teeth is protruded from the first body part. The spring strip has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is attached to the second body part. The spring strip is formed with a second plurality of teeth. The second plurality of teeth is detachably engageable with the first plurality of teeth. The first and second pluralities of teeth are respectively located in the first body part and the spring strip such that the second plurality of teeth faces and engages the first plurality of teeth so as to lock the individual locking mechanism. Advantageously, the spring strip is bendable such that the second end portion is movable by a user. It allows the user to move the second end portion to bend the spring strip and subsequently cause the second plurality of teeth to disengage from the first plurality of teeth so as to release the individual locking mechanism. Thereby, it enables the first and second body parts originally securely attached together to be separated manually without a need to use a tool during releasing the one or more cables from the strain relief clamp. Preferably, the individual locking mechanism further comprises one or more hooks mounted to the second body part for temporarily fixing the spring strip. It avoids the spring strip from rebounding back to re-engage the first and second pluralities of teeth after disengaged by the user and after the user withdraws his or her hand from the second end portion. Preferably, the second body part is formed with a finger insert area adjacent to the spring strip, and, in particular, adjacent to the second end portion. It allows the user to conveniently insert his or her fingers into the finger insert area to bend the spring strip. In one embodiment, the first plurality of teeth and the spring strip are located in the first body part and the second body part, respectively, such that the spring strip is pulled outwardly from the second body part to disengage the second plurality of teeth from the first plurality of teeth in releasing the individual locking mechanism. In another embodiment, the first