BARBED ANCHOR

Abstract

An anchor device is disclosed for securing a mounting accessory, such as a wire management device, to a panel or circuit board. The body of the anchor device includes a post having barbs protruding from the post. A hole or recess in the mounting accessory corresponds to the post and is engaged by the barbs to secure the mounting accessory onto the post.

Description

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to the management of wires, cables and optical fibers, which are often found in large numbers in industrial machines and electronics assemblies to distribute electrical signals and/or light pulses. The routing of these wires, cables or fibers may be critical to prevent harmful contact or damage, and therefore, these items are routinely guided through the machines or electronics using routing accessories or “anchors” which are secured at predetermined locations.

Anchors for wire management functions are generally well-known. One common type of anchor has an adhesive applied to the bottom surface of a molded plastic mount, and the adhesive bottom of the mount is hand-pressed onto a panel in a selected location. Examples of these attachments are cable tie mounts and wire management saddles such as the type FTH and MWSB sold by Richco and the type ABM sold by Panduit. One disadvantage of the adhesive-backed mounts is that final placement of the mount is often inaccurate and inconsistent as the process of locating the mount is done by hand. Other disadvantages of the adhesive-backed mounts include (i) the adhesive tends to dislodge over time due to creep from sustained loads; (ii) the adhesive can be heat sensitive; (iii) the adhesive has limited shelf-life; (iv) the adhesive bond is sensitive to sheet metal surface cleanliness; and (v) the routing direction of the wires is permanently fixed since the anchor cannot be moved or rotated.

Other common types of mounts include integrally formed molded plastic barbed posts that are pressed through the sheet metal, or anchors that are attached using screws or rivets, such as the type WS-SE-A sold by Richco, and the type TM sold by Panduit. In each case, there is an undesirable protrusion on the opposite side of the sheet metal. This protrusion can be visually unpleasing, or it may interfere with other components of the machine.

Another type of self-clinching mount is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,683. However, this mount requires a special, uncommon rectangular punch to create a square hole in the sheet metal. Further, the routing is permanently fixed in such a mount.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a top perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a self-clinching anchor having a barbed post.

FIG. 1B is a top perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a self-clinching anchor having a barbed post.

FIGS. 2A-2C illustrate a sequence for installing the anchors of FIG. 1A or 1B.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of an anchor having a barbed post.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a sequence for installing the anchor of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A is a top perspective view illustrating a fourth embodiment of an anchor having a barbed post.

FIG. 5B is a bottom perspective view of the anchor shown in FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate a sequence for installing the anchor of FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate an alternative sequence for installing the anchor of FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 8A-8E are top perspective views of exemplary mounting accessories that may be used with the disclosed anchors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Several embodiments of an anchor device are described. The anchor is used to secure a mounting accessory, such as a wire management device, to a sheet such as a metal panel or electronic circuit board. The body of the anchor includes a head portion and a post portion extending from the head portion, with barbs protruding from a portion of the post. A suitable mounting accessory includes a hole or recess sized in correspondence with the post, such that the barbs engage the walls of the hole or recess and thereby secure the mounting accessory onto the post.

In one preferred embodiment, the body of the anchor includes a head portion and a ring portion formed proximate to the head portion, which is useful for self-clinching to the underside of a panel. In another embodiment, the ring portion includes teeth for broaching engagement with the panel. Another embodiment includes an annular ring instead of the head and ring portions, useful for inserting from the top side of a panel, and then swaging or flaring the annular ring with a tool from the underside of the panel. Although some dimensions are provided, they are intended to be illustrative only.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a first embodiment of a self-clinching barbed anchor 10 is illustrated. The anchor 10 is preferably formed from solid lathe-turned carbon steel, stainless steel, brass or aluminum to be a solid body, and includes a post portion 12, a head portion 14, barbs 16 disposed on the post portion, and a ring portion 18 also disposed on the post portion. The barbs 16 are shown as three discrete ribs formed around the circumference of the post portion 12 at a location on the post distal from the head portion such that when the anchor 10 is mounted in a panel, the barbs are exposed above the panel for use in coupling with a mounting accessory. However, the barbs could take any number of physical forms to present one or more protrusions extending from the post portion 12 in order to exert pressure against the walls of a corresponding recess formed in the mounting accessory, for example. The ring portion 18 is shown as a single raised surface formed around the circumference of the post portion 12 nearer the head portion 14, but in this embodiment, the ring portion is spaced apart from the head 14 by a groove 15. In another embodiment that is not self-clinching, the ring portion 18 may be adjacent to the head portion 14. Preferably, the post 12 includes a chamfered portion 12a at the top or free end of post.

Because there are a number of different types and sizes of mounting accessories, such as wire management devices, including cable tie mounts and wire saddles, the anchor 10 can be provided in a variety of configurations and sizes, and several different embodiments are described herein. In general, however, the diameter of the post 12 will be smaller than the opening in the sheet such that the post fits easily through the opening. In this embodiment, the ribs 16 and ring portion 18 have approximately the same diameter, which is larger than the diameter of the post 12 but still slightly smaller than the diameter of the opening. The head 14 has a larger diameter than the opening by approximately 15 to 20 percent. Typical panel openings range in size from approximately 0.150 inches to 0.240 inches.

FIG. 1B shows an alternative embodiment for a self-clinching barbed anchor boa, which is nearly identical to the anchor 10 shown in FIG. 1A, except that the post 12b is a dog point, i.e., a taller post. Thus, the mounting accessories are provided with a deeper recess to accommodate the dog point 12b, for example, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8C.

In use, the metal sheet or panel 20 is turned upside down so that the underside 19 of the panel is facing up and the top side 21 is facing down, as depicted in FIG. 2A. An anvil 2 is securely positioned adjacent the panel 20 underneath a hole 22 formed in the panel by punching or drilling, for example. The post portion 12 of anchor 10 is inserted by hand into the hole 22, and the head portion 14 of the anchor 10 is then pressed downward with a punch 4 toward the anvil 2 in a known manner. This causes the head portion 14 to displace the sheet metal material around the hole 22, forcing the displaced metal into the groove 15 between the head and the ring portion 18. The applied pressing force should be consistent with typical values for minimum installation loads with conventional self-clinching hardware, depending upon the size of the part, the installation procedure, the sheet material and the sheet hole size. The head 14 is pressed until it becomes flush with the surface of the panel 20, and the fully mounted anchor 10 is shown after reversing the sheet again in FIG. 2B. At this point, the barbs 16 are exposed above the top surface 21 of the metal sheet such that a suitable mounting accessory can be pressed onto the anchor 10. The mounting accessory may be any type of wire management device or other device that has a corresponding recess or opening adapted to receive the barbed post.

Lastly, the mounting accessory 30 is pressed onto the post 12, as shown in FIG. 2C. The mounting accessory 30 includes a recess 32 that corresponds to the post 12 and is slightly smaller than the barbs 16, such that when the device 30 is pressed onto the anchor 10, the barbs 16 engage the inside walls 31 of recess 32 to hold the device in place on the anchor. Alternatively, other mounting devices may simply have a hole or opening instead of a recess, although the same principles apply. See, for example, FIGS. 8B, 8D and 8E.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a third embodiment is illustrated as a barbed anchor 110 that is suitable for broaching into softer metals or plastics, such as printed circuit boards. The construction of anchor 110 is similar to that of anchor 10, with post section 112 including chamfered edges 112a, head portion 114 and barbs 116. The difference is that ring portion 118 includes teeth 117 extending radially from the ring. The toothed ring 118 is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole, for example, by approximately 0.010 to 0.015 inches. Also, the ring portion 118 is shown as immediately adjacent to the head 114 on the proximal portion of the post 112, rather than spaced apart from the head as with ring portion 18 and head 14 in FIG. 1A. However, in another embodiment, the toothed ring could be spaced apart from the head (not shown). Further, the ring portion 118 is taller in dimension w than the ring portion 18, measuring approximately 0.060 inches.

In use, the metal sheet or panel 120 is once again turned upside down so that the underside 119 of the panel is facing up and the top side 121 is facing down, as shown in FIG. 4A. The anvil 2 is securely positioned adjacent the panel 120 underneath the hole 122. The anchor 10 is inserted into the hole 122 such that the barbs 116 are exposed above the top side 121 and the toothed ring portion 116 is immediately adjacent the hole on the bottom side 119. The head portion 114 is pressed downward with the punch 4 toward the anvil 2, as depicted in FIG. 4A. This causes the teeth 117 of the ring portion 118 to engage and deform the material in walls 124 of the circuit board 120, and the fully installed anchor 110 is shown in FIG. 4B. Finally, a mounting accessory 30 having a recess 32 (or an opening) sized in mating correspondence with the post 112 is pressed onto the anchor 110, and the barbs 116, which are slightly larger than the recess, engage the wall surfaces 31 of the device 30 inside the recess 32, as shown in FIG. 4C. Note that this embodiment does not necessarily result in the head 114 being flush with the bottom surface 119 of the circuit board 120.

A fourth embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5B. Like the prior embodiments, anchor 210 is formed to include a post portion 212 and barbs 216, but instead of a larger head portion and a ring portion, this embodiment has smaller head portion that is formed as an annular ring 213 defining an opening 213a. The annular ring 213 is really part of the post 212, but with a reduced diameter and a hollowed-out interior that allows the annulus to be flared or swaged in place. The diameter of the annular ring 213 is preferably approximately 80 percent of the diameter of the post 212.

The fourth embodiment may secured to a panel by flaring or swaging the annulus. The flaring process is illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C, and the swaging process is illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the anchor 210 is hand-placed (upside down) into the annular opening 203 of anvil 202. Next, the panel 220 is placed between the anvil 202 and press 204 such that the panel hole 223 is placed over the annular ring 213 of the anchor 210. Note that panel hole 223 has chamfered edges 224 formed by drilling or stamping, depending on the type of material. Force is then applied by punch 204 such that the annular ring 213 is flared (bent outwardly) to clinch against the chamfered walls 224 of the opening 223, and the fully mounted anchor 210 is shown (turned rightside up) in FIG. 6B. Finally, a mounting accessory 30 having a recess 32 (or an opening) for mating correspondence with post 212 is pushed onto the post such that barbs 216 clinch against the walls 31 of the recess 32, securing the mounting accessory in place, as shown in FIG. 6C.

Referring now to FIG. 7A, as before, the anchor 210 is hand-placed (upside down) into the annular opening 303 of anvil 302. Next, the panel 320 is placed between the anvil 302 and press 304 such that the panel hole 323 is placed over the annular ring 213 of the anchor 210. Force is applied by the punch 304 such that the annular ring 213 is swaged to clinch against the underside 319 of the panel 320 adjacent to the opening 323, and the fully mounted anchor 310 shown (turned rightside up) in FIG. 7B. Lastly, the mounting accessory 30 with recess 32 (or an opening) is pushed onto the post 212 such that barbs 216 clinch against the walls 31 of the recess, thereby securing the mounting accessory in place, as shown in FIG. 7C.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A-8E, various types of mounting accessories are illustrated as secured onto a barbed post, as described above.

FIG. 8A shows a stand-off 130 having a snap-top 131 for receiving and supporting another sheet (not shown). The other sheet has a number of holes distributed across the sheet, and a corresponding number of stand-offs 130 mounted on the first panel have their snap-tops 131 pushed through the holes to hold the sheet in place. A recess 132 (shown in dashed lines) is formed in the stand-off 130 for receiving the anchor 10 to secure the stand-off to the first panel. The barbs 16 engage against the walls of the recess 132.

FIG. 8B shows a cable clamp 230 having a p-shape, that is, it is bent back over itself to create a throughway 231 for holding wiring. Further, rather than a recess, the clamp 230 has an opening 232 that is defined by an annular portion 233. The clamp is pushed onto post 12 such that the barbs (not shows) clinch against the walls of the annular portion 233.

FIG. 8C shows a wire guide 330 having a throughway 331 mounted on top of a post 333 for routing wiring. A recess 332 (shown in dashed lines) is formed in the bottom of post 333 in order to mate with the barbed post 12.

FIG. 8D shows a wire saddle 430 having a pair of arms 434 that define a throughway 431 for routing wires. The base 435 of the wire saddle 430 includes an opening 432 that provides mating correspondence with the barbed post 12 such that the barbs (not shown) clinch against the walls of the base 435 in opening 432.

FIG. 8E shows a cable tie mount 530 having a pair of arms 534 each with opening 536. The base 535 of the cable tie mount 530 includes an opening 532 that provides mating correspondence with barbed post 12 such that the barbs (not shown) clinch against the walls of the base 535 in opening 532. The arms 534 are used as anchors for cable ties, which are threaded through the arms and looped around wiring that is routed between the arms.

In general, those skilled in the art to which this disclosure relates will recognize that many changes in construction and materials as well as widely differing embodiments will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of this disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosures and descriptions herein are intended to be illustrative, and not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. An anchor for securing a mounting device to a panel via a hole formed in the panel, wherein the mounting device includes an opening, comprising:

a body having a head portion, a post portion extending from the head portion, and barbs protruding from the post portion;

wherein the anchor is installed in the panel hole such that post portion extends from the panel, and wherein the barbs engage the mounting device within the opening when the mounting device is pressed onto the post portion.

2. The anchor of claim 1, the body further comprising:

a ring portion formed on the post portion.

3. The anchor of claim 2, wherein the ring portion is spaced apart from the head portion forming a groove therebetween.

4. The anchor of claim 3, wherein the head portion is larger than the hole and adapted to clinch against the panel adjacent to the hole when installed, the post portion is smaller than the hole and extends through the hole when installed, and the barbs and ring portion are larger than the post portion and smaller than the hole.

5. The anchor of claim 2, wherein the ring portion is proximate to the head portion and includes teeth extending perpendicularly from the ring portion.

6. The anchor of claim 5, wherein the head portion is larger than the hole, the post portion is smaller than the hole, the barbs are smaller than the hole and larger than the post portion, and the ring portion is larger than the hole and smaller than the head portion, wherein the teeth of the ring portion are adapted to engage with the hole when the anchor is installed.

7. The anchor of claim 1, wherein the head portion is an annular section of the post portion with an opening at a proximal end of the post portion, the head portion is slightly smaller than the hole and adapted to clinch against the panel after being flared or swaged, and the post portion is slightly larger than the hole.

8. An anchor for securing a mounting device to a panel via a hole in the panel, comprising:

a head portion;

a post portion extending from the head portion; and

a plurality of barbs protruding from the post portion at a position distal from the head portion;

wherein the barbs securely engage an opening in the mounting device when the mounting device is pressed onto the anchor.

9. The anchor of claim 8, wherein the head portion is larger than the hole and, when the anchor is pressed into the panel hole, the head portion displaces a portion of the panel adjacent to the hole to thereby clinch against the panel.

10. The anchor of claim 8, wherein the head portion is smaller than the hole and includes an annular ring having an annular opening that is bent backwards when the anchor is placed into the panel hole thereby clinching against the panel.

11. The anchor of claim 9, further comprising a ring portion disposed on the post portion.

12. The anchor of claim 11, wherein the ring portion is spaced apart from the head portion forming a groove therebetween, and wherein the head portion displaces the portion of the panel into the groove when the anchor is pressed into the panel hole.

13. The anchor of claim 11, wherein the ring portion is adjacent to the head portion and includes teeth extending outwardly from the post portion, wherein the teeth broach the panel when the anchor is pressed into the panel hole.

14. A system for securing a mounting device to a panel via a hole in the panel, comprising:

an anchor having a head portion, a post portion extending from the head portion, and a plurality of barbs protruding from the post portion; and

a mounting device having an opening adapted to mate with the post portion;

wherein the anchor is pressed into the panel hole, then the mounting device is pressed onto the anchor, and the barbs engage the mounting device within its opening.