WO1999008563A1

WO1999008563A1 - Clamping assembly for a portable electronic unit

Info

Publication number: WO1999008563A1
Application number: PCT/NL1998/000426
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johann Herman Schuurmans
Original assignee: Ericsson Radio Systems B.V.
Priority date: 1997-08-20
Filing date: 1998-07-24
Publication date: 1999-02-25
Also published as: NL1006798C2; AU8564198A

Abstract

Clamping assembly (2) for a housing (1) of a portable electronic unit, comprising a base part (5) for coupling to a housing wall, a clamping part (6) and spring means (7) between the base part (5) and the clamping part (6). A first part (6) has axle stubs (36) with a common centre line or axis of rotation which is parallel to the housing wall. A second part (5) has recesses (32) which are suitable for accommodating the axle stubs (36). The spring means (7) press a clamping end (42) of the clamping part (6) towards the housing wall. The recesses (32) of the second part (5) are open on a side which faces away from the first part (6), in such a manner that the axle stubs (36) can only be moved into and out of the recesses (32) via the open side of the recesses (32).

Description

Short title: Clamping assembly for a portable electronic unit

The invention relates to a clamping assembly for a portable electronic unit which is to be clamped to an item of clothing, comprising a base part, which can be releasably coupled to a wall of a housing of the electronic unit, a clamping part, and spring means, which are arranged between the base part and the clamping part, a first part of said parts having axle stubs with a common centre line or axis of rotation which is parallel to the housing wall, a second part of said parts having recesses which are suit- able for accommodating the axle stubs, in such a manner that the clamping part has an actuating end and a clamping end on either side of the axis of rotation and the spring means press the clamping end of the clamping part towards the housing wall. A clamping assembly of this type is known from

American patent 5,361,459 (Figs. 5 to 8) . The base part of the known clamping assembly has two parallel flanges which are perpendicular to a main plane of the base part . The axle stubs are arranged on mutually facing sides of the flanges. The clamping part has two parallel flanges which are perpendicular to a main plane of the clamping part. In sides which face away from one another, the flanges of the clamping part have recesses into which the axle stubs of the flanges of the base part fit. As an alternative to the recesses, the flanges of the clamping part may have continuous openings. The axle stubs of the base part and the recesses of the clamping part form a snap-in coupling which can be brought about by the fact that the flanges of the base part and/or of the clamping part can bend elastically parallel to the axis of rotation. The spring means comprise a U-shaped leaf spring, one limb of which starts from the base part, at a short distance from the axis of rotation, and the other limb of which has a free end at a greater distance from the axis of rotation. When the base part and the clamping part are not coupled, the base of the spring is situated beyond the axle stubs with respect to a main plane of the base part, while the free end of the other limb is situated a certain distance above the base part. _. After the clamping part has been coupled to the base part, the clamping assembly is complete. By then pressing the actuating end of the clamping part in sufficiently far counter to the action of the spring, specially shaped edges of the base part, which are parallel to the axis of rotation, can be pushed into matching slots in the housing wall and, when the clamping part is released, can be retained in the slots .

The known clamping assembly has the drawback that the snap- in coupling can also act when not desired, for example if the clamping part is actuated with excessive forces in a direction perpendicular to the axis and/or rotation of the clamping part and the base part about an axis which is not parallel to the axis of rotation of the axle stubs. It is also easy for the coupling to become detached when not desired if the clamping part comes into contact with the ground when the electronic unit is dropped. Since the snap-in coupling only allows short axle stubs, as seen parallel to the axis of rotation, this detachment can take place easily. Furthermore, in view of the short axle stubs, it will be necessary for the flanges and the axle stubs to be moulded with low tolerances with regard to their dimensions and positions. The combination of the said elastic property, the low tolerances and the relatively high clamping force required makes it difficult to select a suitable material for the base part and the clamping part.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the known clamping assembly.

This object is achieved according to the invention for the clamping assembly of the type mentioned in the preamble by the fact that the recesses of the second part are open on a side which faces away from the first part, and the dimensions of the axle stubs and the recesses parallel to the axis of rotation and the rigidity of the material of the parts in the vicinity of the axle stubs and the recesses are such that the axle stubs can only be moved into and out of the recesses via the open sides of the recesses.

As seen in a section perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the recesses each form a hook into which the associated axle stub can be hooked. As a result, the clamping part cannot be removed from the base part unless the base part is free of the housing of the electronic unit .

Moreover, the axle stubs and the recesses may have substantial dimensions parallel to the axis of rotation, so that undesired detachment of the parts is further counteracted.

Furthermore, the said properties make it possible to select from a relatively large number of materials. According to another characteristic of the invention, the clamping assembly is such that the depth, as seen perpendicular to a main plane of the clamping part, of the recesses is greater than the height, as seen perpendicular to the main plane of the clamping part, of the axle stubs. As a result, the clamping part can be pressed a certain distance towards the housing wall counter to the action of the spring means. This provides a shock-absorbing action for the electronic unit if the clamping part is subjected to an impact, for example if it comes into contact with the ground when dropped.

According to a further characteristic, the clamping assembly according to the invention is moreover such that the width, as seen perpendicular to the axis of rotation and parallel to the main plane of the clamping part, of each recess increases towards the open side of the recess.

In addition to the possibility of pressing the clamping part in towards the housing wall, this also allows a certain displacement and rotation of the clamping part. As a result, the shock-absorbing property is improved. The invention is explained below on the basis of preferred embodiments of the invention in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a housing with a clamping assembly according to the invention, shown in section on line I - I of Fig . 3 ;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a spring of the clamping assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the clamping assembly of Fig. 1, from which a clamping part has been removed and is shown in side view;

Fig. 4 shows a section through a part of another embodiment of the clamping assembly according to the invention, on a line such as the line V-V of Fig. 3, with its clamping part coupled and shown in an at-rest position;

Fig. 5 shows a section similar to that of Fig. 4 for the preferred embodiment of the clamping assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 6 shows a section similar to that of Fig. 5, with the clamping part in another position;

Fig. 7 shows a section similar to that of Fig. 5, with the clamping part in yet another position;

Fig. 8 shows a side view of the housing and the clamping assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 shows a plan view of the housing and the clamping assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 shows a section through a clamping assembly like that of Fig. 1 during an assembly step;

Fig. 11 shows a section through the clamping assem- bly as shown in Fig. 4 during a subsequent assembly step.

Fig. 1 shows a housing 1 of an electronic unit, for example a personal telephone receiver, to which a clamping assembly 2 according to the invention is coupled. The clamping assembly 2 comprises only a base part 5, a clamp- ing part 6 and a spring 7. In the embodiment shown, the base part 5 is designed as a clip comprising a base section 11 and flanges 12. The base section 11 is arranged against a wall of the housing 1. The flanges 12 engage on sides of the housing 1, ribs 13 of the flanges 12 engaging in corre- sponding grooves (not shown separately) of the housing 1.

As shown in Fig. 2, the spring 7 is substantially in the shape of a U, the limbs of which comprise wire torsion springs. A bottom or intermediate section 15 of the spring 7 fits into a depression 16 in the clamping part 6 opposite the housing 1. In so doing, a projection 17, which starts from the bottom of the depression 16, fits between first limb sections 21 of the spring 7, while second limb, sections 22 of the spring 7 are supported against the base section of the base part 5. Each limb of the spring 7 has a coil section 23 between the limb sections 21, 22. Projections 25 of a central section 26 of the base section 11 of the base part 5 fit through openings in the coil sections 23. The base section 11 of the base part 5 has a central indent 30. The central section 26 starts from the bottom of the indent 30. Flanges 31, which have recesses 32 which are open opposite one another and opposite the housing 1, are formed on the sides of the indent 30. Opposite the housing 1, the clamping part 6 has flanges 35 which have axle stubs 36 on sides which face away from one another. The flanges 35 of the clamping part 6 each fit between one side of a coil section 23 of the spring 7 and the opposite flange 31 of the base part 5, the axle stub 36 of the flange 35 being accommodated in the recess 32 of the flange 31. After assembling the base part 5, the clamping part 6 and the spring 7, the base part 5 and the clamping part 6 can rotate with respect to one another about an axis which is parallel to a common centre line of the axle stubs 36. If the clamping assembly 2 is coupled to the housing 1 in the manner shown in Fig. 1, and if pressure is exerted on an actuating end 40 of the clamping part 6 on the side of the axle stubs 36 where the spring limb sections 21 are situated, the clamping part 6 will rotate in the direction of the arrow 41 shown in Fig. 1, with the result that an opposite clamping end 42 of the clamping part 6 comes off the housing 1, so that the clamping part 6 can be pushed, for example, over an edge of an item of clothing (not shown) , and after the actuating end 40 is released the clamping end 42, together with the housing 1, clamps fixedly onto the item of clothing. For this application, it is sufficient for the axle stubs 36 to be able to rotate in the spaces 32 without play. The clamping assembly can then be designed, according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4, components which have the same function as components shown in Figs. 1 and 3 are indicated by the same reference numerals with the addition of the letter a.

As shown in Fig. 4, it is sufficient, for use of the invention, for the base part 5a to have hook-shaped sections 31a into which axle stubs 36a, which may or may not have a circular cross-section, of the clamping part 6 fit. The only condition is that the hook sections 31a be open towards the housing 1 and have a shape and dimensions which are such that the axle stubs 36a can be pushed into the spaces 32a of the hook sections 31a in a manner explained below.

However, the recesses 32 preferably provide a degree of play between the axle stubs 36 and the housing 1, and even more preferably a degree of play on either side of the axle stubs 36. As a result, the axle stubs 36 can be displaced counter to the action of the spring 7, in the direction of the arrow 50 shown in fig. 5, towards the housing 1 and, in the direction of the arrows 51 and 52 of Figs. 6 and 7, respectively, parallel to a main plane of the housing 1. Preferably, as shown in Figs. 1, 5 to 7, 10, 11, the recesses 32 are in the shape of an inverted V, with its open side towards the housing 1 and with a base against which the axle stubs 36 are supported when the clamping assembly 2 is at rest. As a result, when the clamping part 6 is displaced in the direction of the arrows 51, 52 parallel to a main plane of the housing 2, the axle stubs 36 will also move along the limbs of the V-shaped recesses 32 towards the housing 1. This implies that the clamping part 6, from an at-rest position, not only can be displaced perpendicular to a main plane of the housing 1 towards the housing 1, but the clamping part 6 can also rotate to a certain extent, with respect to the housing 1, about each of two orthogonal axes which are perpendicular to the com- mon centre line of the axle stubs 36. The possible directions of movement are indicated in Figs. 8 and 9 by the arrows 50 to 54.

Owing to the fact that the clamping part 6 can move in the various directions 50 to 54 with respect to the housing 1 without the axle stubs 36 coming out of the recesses 32, the clamping assembly 2 according to the preferred embodiment of the invention provides a shock-absorbing property, in particular against impacts such as those which occur when the housing 1 falls onto a table or onto the ground and the clamping part 6 is the first part to hit the table or ground. The shock-absorbing property is also advantageous during operation of the clamping part 6, for example when the housing 1 is clamped to or removed from an item of clothing using the clamping assembly 2. In this case, sudden movements are damped. The shock-absorbing property is advantageous for maintaining the coupling of the clamping assembly 2 on the housing 1 and for maintaining the integrity of electronic means which are present in the housing 1.

Fig. 10 shows a first step for assembling the clamping assembly 2 according to the invention. After the spring 7 has been arranged on the base part 5, the clamping part 6 is pushed towards the base part 5, at a suitable angle with respect to the flanges 31, in the direction of the arrow 57, in such a manner that the axle stubs 36 are received in the recesses 32. Then, the clamping part 6 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 58, as shown in Fig. 11. When the axle stubs 36 have been pushed sufficiently far into the recesses 32 and the clamping part 6 has been rotated sufficiently far in the direction of the arrow 58, the limb sections 51 and the intermediate section 15 of the spring 7 will move into the depression 16. When the clamping part 6 is rotated further in the direction of the arrow 58, it will move into a position with respect to the base part 5 in which the clamping assembly 2 can be attached to the housing 1. For this purpose, it would be possible for the depression 16 in the clamping part 6 to be absent. However, the presence of the depression 16 prevents the clamping part 6 from coming off the base part 5 when the clamping assembly 2 is assembled but not yet coupled to the housing 1. Owing to the fact that, in the preferred embodiment, the assembled state of the clamping assembly 2 in accordance with Fig. 11 is maintained, the clamping assem- bly 2 can easily be assembled in advance in large numbers and can be further processed as a single entity.

Although the invention is explained above in par-. ticular with reference to a preferred embodiment of the clamping assembly according to the invention, other embodiments are possible within the scope of the appended claims. One of these embodiments is explained with reference to Fig. 4. In addition, the axle stubs could be arranged on the base part, while the associated recesses may then be formed in the clamping part, the open side of the recesses being situated at such a distance from a main plane, facing towards the base part, of the clamping part that the axle stubs can fit into and out of the recesses . The ends of the recesses over which the axle stubs then pass may, as desired, be situated opposite the actuating section or the clamping section of the clamping part.

Furthermore, the base part may be designed in various ways for coupling or attachment to the housing. By way of example, the base part may be designed as a carriage or, as is known per se from US-A-5 , 361, 459 and US-A-5 , 356 , 060 , edge sections thereof, which are parallel to the axis of rotation, may be bent into a special shape and engage in corresponding slots in the housing.

Claims

1. Clamping assembly (2) for a portable electronic _. unit which is to be clamped to an item of clothing, comprising a base part (5) , which can be releasably coupled to a wall of a housing (1) of the electronic unit, a clamping part (6) , and spring means (7) , which are arranged between the base part (5) and the clamping part (6) , a first part (6) of said parts (5, 6) having axle stubs (36) with a common centre line or axis of rotation which is parallel to the housing wall, a second part (5) of said parts having recesses (32) which are suitable for accommodating the axle stubs (36) , in such a manner that the clamping part (6) has an actuating end (40) and a clamping end (42) on either side of the axis of rotation and the spring means (7) press the clamping end (42) of the clamping part (6) towards the housing wall, characterized in that the recesses (32) of the second part (5) are open on a side which faces away from the first part (6) , and the dimensions of the axle stubs (36) and the recesses (32) parallel to the axis of rotation and the rigidity of the material of the parts (5, 6) in the vicinity of the axle stubs (36) and the recesses (32) are such that the axle stubs (36) can only be moved into and out of the recesses (32) via the open sides of the recesses (32) .

2. Clamping assembly (2) according to claim 1, charac- terized in that the depth, as seen perpendicular to a main plane of the clamping part (6) , of the recesses (32) is greater than the height, as seen perpendicular to the main plane of the clamping part (6) , of the axle stubs (36) .

3. Clamping assembly (2) according to claim 2, charac- terized in that the width, as seen perpendicular to the axis of rotation and parallel to the main plane of the clamping part (6) , of each recess (32) increases towards the open side of the recess (32) .

4. Clamping assembly (2) according to claim 3, charac- terized in that the spring means comprising a U-shaped spring (7) which is arranged in a space (30) between the axle stubs (36) , a limb piece (21) of each limb of the to to H H

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