Clamping assembly

• US 20030152424A1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nieslony, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 7,040,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/403
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 2200/8076 involving threaded members
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 61/168 Assembling; Disassembling; Manufacturing; Adjusting
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/67 Rigid angle couplings
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 19/0231 with specially adapted means for positioning the threaded member behind the collar
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/088 by means of a split elastic ring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/921 Snap-fit

Abstract

In a clamping assembly having a first component (1) and a second component (2), which has an essentially cylindrical outer jacket (21), is attachable to the first component, has a support surface (20) supported against the first component (1) and which is able to be clamped against the first component (1) via a clamping sleeve (3) that is slid onto the outer jacket (21) and can be screwed onto the first component and via a snap ring (4) that comes to rest against a first clamping shoulder (35) formed on the inner wall (33) of the clamping sleeve (3) and against a second clamping shoulder (22) formed on the outer jacket (21) of the second component (2), it is proposed that the snap ring (4) be configured as a detent that deflects elastically in a radial direction and that the outer jacket (21) of the second component (2) be provided with an undercut (24) behind the second clamping shoulder (22), when viewed in the axial direction, into which the elastically deflecting snap ring (4) is able to be deformed radially inwardly so that the clamping sleeve (3) may be guided over the snap ring (4) when slid onto the outer jacket (21) of the second component (2) and the snap ring (4) is able to be brought into engagement in an annular groove (31) on the inner wall (33) that is designed as an opposing detent.

Claims

1. A clamping assembly, especially for use on a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine, comprising a first component (1) and a second component (2) that is fastenable to, and which has a support surface (20) that is supported against, the first component (1), having an essentially cylindrical outer jacket (21), the second component (2) being clampable via a clamping sleeve (3) that is slid onto the outer jacket (21) and that may be screwed together with the first component (1) and via a snap ring (4) against the first component (1), the snap ring (4) coming to rest against a first clamping shoulder (35), which is formed on the inner wall (33) of the clamping sleeve (3), and against a second clamping shoulder (22), which is formed on the outer jacket (21) of the second component (2).

wherein the snap ring (4) is configured as a detent that elastically deflects radially, the outer jacket (21) of the second component (2) has an undercut (24), behind the clamping shoulder (22) in the axial direction as viewed looking out from the support surface (20), into which undercut the elastically deflecting snap ring (4) is able to deform radially inwardly so that the clamping sleeve (3), when slid onto outer jacket (21) of the second component (2), is guidable from the support surface (20) out over the snap ring (4), and the snap ring (4), which in the process is pretensioned against the inner wall (33) of the clamping sleeve (3), is able to be forced to snap into engagement in an annular groove (31) that is formed on the inner wall (33) of the clamping sleeve (3) as an opposing detent.

2. The clamping assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the second clamping shoulder (22) is disposed to the side of the support surface (20) and functions as an axial delimitation of an annular groove (27) in the second component (2), which has a depth greater than the wire cross-section of the snap ring (4).

3. The clamping assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein the annular groove (27) of the second component (2) has a stop face (23) for the snap ring (4) situated opposite the second clamping shoulder (22).

4. The clamping assembly as recited in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner wall (33) of the clamping sleeve (3) has a peripheral chamfer (32) on its end that is slid onto the second component (2).

5. The clamping assembly as recited in claims 3 and 4, wherein the chamfer (32) of the clamping sleeve (3) cooperates with the stop face (23) of the second component (2) in such a manner that the snap ring (4) that comes to rest against the stop face (23) when the clamping sleeve is slid on is able to deform radially inwardly, sliding into the undercut (24) along the chamfer (32). (FIG. 5)

6. The clamping assembly as recited in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the undercut (24) is formed by an essentially conical face that is directly adjacent to the second clamping shoulder (22).

7. The clamping assembly as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the second clamping shoulder (22) is adapted to the shape of the wire cross section of the snap ring (4).

8. The clamping assembly as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the wire of the snap ring (4) has a circular cross-section.

9. The clamping assembly as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the annular groove (31) that is provided as an opposing detent encompasses the wire of the snap ring (4) in a press fit over approximately half of the perimeter.

10. The clamping assembly as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the snap ring (4) that snaps into the annular groove (31) is clampable between the first clamping shoulder (35) and the second clamping shoulder (22) by screwing together the clamping sleeve (3) and the first component (1). (FIG. 7)

11. The clamping assembly as recited in one of the preceding claims,

wherein the clamping shoulder (3) has an internal thread (34) and the first component (1) an external thread (11).