Retention clamp
A cable or conduit retention system includes a first clamp with a first body coupleable to a second body by a hinge and a latch. The first body includes a retention clip extending from an edge around a cable or conduit receiving channel in the first body, with the cable or conduit receiving channel and the retention clip having a combined arc angle greater than 180 degrees to retain a cable or conduit in the cable or conduit receiving channel prior to the second body being coupled to the first body during assembly. The first body may also include integral fasteners for engaging holes in a mounting support coupled to a vehicle. A second clamp may include integral fasteners for engaging the first clamp in a stacking arrangement. The second body of the first clamp includes an alignment protrusion for engaging an alignment recess in the second clamp to assist in preventing movement between the clamps in the stacked arrangement.
1. A cable or conduit retention system, comprising:
a clamshell clamp including a first body pivotably coupled to a second body, the first body and the second body selectively coupleable together in a face-to-face arrangement to define one or more cable or conduit receiving passages, the first body including one or more cable or conduit receiving channels and a respective pair of retention clips on opposite sides of each of the one or more cable or conduit receiving channels in the first body, each pair of retention clips being structured to retain a respective cable or conduit in the corresponding cable or conduit receiving channel prior to the second body being coupled to the first body in the face-to-face arrangement to secure the cable or conduit in the clamshell clamp,
wherein the first body of the clamshell clamp includes an alignment recess, and a pair of fasteners extending from the first body on opposite sides of the alignment recess, and
wherein the second body of the clamshell clamp includes an alignment protrusion, and a pair of fastener holes extending through the second body on opposite sides of the protrusion.
2. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 1 , wherein each pair of retention clips of the first body extend from opposing peripheral edges about a respective one of the one or more cable or conduit receiving channels in the first body.
3. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 2 , wherein each of the retention clips extend around a corresponding one of the cable or conduit receiving channels at an arc angle between and excluding 0 degrees and 20 degrees.
4. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mounting support structured to be coupled to a vehicle, the mounting support including fastening holes structured to receive the pair of fasteners extending from the first body for securing the clamshell clamp to the mounting structure; and
a spring clip nut on the mounting support, and
wherein the alignment recess of the first body is structured to accommodate the spring clip nut and enable mounting surfaces on opposing sides of the alignment recess to abut the mounting support.
5. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 4 , wherein the clamshell clamp includes an axial bore through the first body and through the second body, the cable or conduit retention system further comprising:
a fastener insertable through the axial bore of the clamshell clamp to engage the spring clip nut on the mounting support to securely fasten the clamshell clamp to the vehicle.
6. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a supplemental clamshell clamp including a first body pivotably coupled to a second body and selectively coupleable to the second body in a face-to-face arrangement, the supplemental clamshell clamp including:
an alignment recess in the first body;
a pair of fasteners extending from the first body on opposite sides of the alignment recess;
an alignment protrusion extending from the second body; and
a pair of fastening holes through the second body on opposite sides of the alignment protrusion.
7. The cable or conduit retention system of claim 6 , wherein the alignment recess in the first body of the supplemental clamshell clamp is structured to receive the alignment protrusion of the second body of the clamshell clamp in a stacking arrangement and the pair of fastening holes of the second body of the clamshell clamp are structured to receive the pair of integral fasteners of the first body of the supplemental clamshell clamp to secure the further clamshell clamp to the clamshell clamp in a stacked arrangement.
8. A system, comprising:
a clamp including a first body removably coupleable to a second body in a face-to-face arrangement;
a receiving passage in the clamp defined at least in part by a receiving channel in the first body;
at least one retention clip extending from the first body at an edge of the receiving channel in the first body, the at least one retention clip extending away from a mating surface of the first body beyond a midplane of the receiving channel to retain a cable or conduit in the receiving channel prior to the second body being coupled to the first body in the face-to-face arrangement to secure the cable or conduit in the receiving passage; and
a pair of fasteners extending from a coupling surface of the first body, each fastener including an extension and a flange configured to engage a mounting support to couple the clamp to the mounting support.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one retention clip includes a pair of retention clips extending from the first body on opposing edges of the receiving channel and along a majority of the opposing edges of the receiving channel, and
wherein the receiving channel in the first body defines a first arc angle about the receiving passage and the pair of retention clips collectively define a second arc angle about the cable receiving passage, and a sum of the first arc angle and the second arc angle is greater than 180 degrees, and
wherein each of the pair of retention clips has a continuous arc angle with the receiving channel.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the pair of retention clips are resilient and are configured to flex away from each other during insertion of the cable or conduit into the receiving channel and to return to a neutral position to assist in retaining the cable or conduit in the receiving channel, and
wherein an outer one of the pair of retention clips extends across the mating surface of the first body to an outer surface of the first body, and
wherein an inner one of the outer pair of retention clips has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the outer one of the pair of retention clips.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second body further includes an opposing receiving channel, and
wherein the receiving passage is collectively defined by the receiving channel in the first body and the opposing receiving channel in the second body when the first body is coupled to the second body in the face-to-face arrangement.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second body includes a depression at an edge of the opposing receiving channel of the second body, the depression in the second body structured to receive the at least one retention clip when the first body is coupled to the second body in the face-to-face arrangement.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the clamp in one of a plurality of clamps that are coupleable together in a stacked configuration.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein each clamp is identical to each other.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein each clamp comprises a similar form factor and includes one or more receiving passages having a size corresponding to standard electrical cables or standard fluid conduits.
16. A system, comprising:
a clamp including a first body removably coupleable to a second body in a face-to-face arrangement;
a receiving passage in the clamp defined at least in part by a receiving channel in the first body;
at least one retention clip extending from the first body at an edge of the receiving channel in the first body, the at least one retention clip extending away from a mating surface of the first body beyond a midplane of the receiving channel to retain a cable or conduit in the receiving channel prior to the second body being coupled to the first body in the face-to-face arrangement to secure the cable or conduit in the receiving passage;
a mounting support structured to be coupled to a vehicle; and
a spring clip nut on the mounting support, the first body including an alignment recess structured to receive the spring clip nut when the first body is adjacent to the mounting support.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first body of the clamp includes a fastener extending from the first body, the second body includes an alignment protrusion extending from the second body and a hole through the second body, the system further comprising:
a supplemental clamp including:
a first body;
a second body removably coupleable to the first body in a face-to-face arrangement;
an alignment recess in the first body; and
a fastener extending from the first body.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the alignment recess in the first body of the supplemental clamp is structured to receive the alignment protrusion of the second body of the clamp in a stacking arrangement and the hole through the second body of the clamp is structured to receive the fastener of the first body of the supplemental clamp to couple the second clamp to the first clamp.
19. A clamp system, comprising:
a clamp, including:
a first clamp portion having a cable or conduit receiving channel and latching arms that extend away from a mounting surface of the first clamp portion and are configured to engage a bracket to couple the clamp to the bracket;
a second clamp portion selectively coupleable to the first clamp portion in a face-to-face arrangement; and
a cable or conduit receiving passage defined at least in part by the cable or conduit receiving channel in the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion when in the face-to-face arrangement, the first clamp portion structured to retain a cable or conduit in the cable or conduit receiving channel prior to the second clamp portion being coupled to the first clamp portion in the face-to-face arrangement to secure the first cable or conduit in the cable or conduit receiving passage.
20. The clamp system of claim 19 , wherein the first clamp portion includes a pair of retention clips proximate the cable or conduit receiving channel in the first clamp portion, a combined arc angle of the pair of retention clips and the cable or conduit receiving channel in the first clamp portion being greater than 180 degrees to retain the cable or conduit in the cable or conduit receiving channel prior to the second body being coupled to the first body in the face-to-face arrangement, and
wherein the pair of retention clips have a continuous arc angle with the cable or conduit receiving channel.
21. The clamp system of claim 19 , further comprising:
a supplemental clamp structured to be coupled to the first clamp in a stacked configuration and including a first clamp portion selectively coupleable to a second clamp portion in a face-to-face arrangement, the supplemental clamp further including:
an alignment recess in the first clamp portion; and
a fastener extending from the first clamp portion.
22. The clamp system of claim 21 , wherein the alignment recess of the first clamp portion of the supplemental clamp is structured to receive an alignment protrusion of the second clamp portion of the clamp and the fastening hole of the second clamp portion of the clamp is structured to receive the fastener of the first clamp portion of the supplemental clamp to couple the supplemental clamp to the clamp in the stacked configuration.
23. The clamp system of claim 19 , wherein the clamp includes a fastener extending from a lower mating surface of the first clamp portion, and the clamp system further comprising:
a mounting support structured to be coupled to a vehicle, the mounting support including at least one hole structured to receive the fastener of the first clamp portion of the clamp to couple the clamp to the vehicle.
24. The clamp system of claim 19 , wherein the first clamp portion includes a plurality of cable or conduit receiving channels and at least one respective retention clip proximate each of the plurality of cable or conduit receiving channels to retain a plurality of cables or conduits within the first clamp portion prior to the second clamp portion being coupled to the first clamp portion in the face-to-face arrangement.
25. The clamp system of claim 19 , wherein the latching arms each include an extension and a flange perpendicular to the extension to enable a snap fit connection between the latching arms and the bracket, and
wherein the latching arms are a pair of latching arms positioned on opposite sides of an alignment protrusion that extends away from the mounting surface of the first clamp portion.