CN220324163U

CN220324163U - Flexible cable and sliding vehicle door device using same

Info

Publication number: CN220324163U
Application number: CN202320775985.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李阳; 李庆森
Original assignee: Shanghai Fuerxin Cable Co ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Fuerxin Cable Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-07
Filing date: 2023-04-07
Publication date: 2024-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-07

Abstract

A flexible cable and a sliding door apparatus using the flexible cable, the flexible cable including: a flat cable and a flexible reinforcing member attached to the flat cable; the outer periphery of the flat cable and the flexible reinforcing member is wrapped with a sheath. The side of the flexible reinforcement close to the flat cable is a convex surface, the side far away from the flat cable is a concave surface, and the flexible reinforcement is formed into a flexible reinforcement with an arc-shaped surface. A sliding door apparatus using a flexible cable, comprising: a lower rail for supporting and guiding the sliding door, a first clamp and a second clamp; a first clamp fixedly connects a first portion of the flexible cable to the vertical wall of the lower track in a cantilevered manner; the second clamp attaches a second portion of the flexible cable to the lower roller assembly of the sliding door in a cantilevered fashion with a loop portion between the first and second portions of the flexible cable such that the flexible cable remains electrically connected throughout the sliding door in either the open or closed state.

Description

Flexible cable and sliding vehicle door device using same

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the technical field of vehicle door cables, and particularly relates to a flexible cable and a sliding vehicle door device using the same.

Background

Vans typically have push-pull side doors (also referred to as "sliding doors"), as shown in fig. 1, the sliding door 14 is supported and guided by an upper track 16, a center track 18, and a lower track 20. The upper roller assembly 22 is connected to the upper front corner of the sliding door 14 and runs in the upper rail 16, the upper rail 16 being located at the top of the side door opening. The lower roller assembly 24 is attached to the lower front corner of the sliding door 14 and runs in a lower track 20 located at the bottom of the side door opening. A hinge and roller assembly 26 is pivotally connected to the middle rear portion of the sliding door 14 and runs in a central track 18 in the rear side panel of the truck.

The operation of the sliding door of a van is well known and understood and need not be described in detail. It is only necessary that the sliding door 14 moves horizontally from the open position shown in solid lines in fig. 1, toward the front of the van and horizontally inward to the closed position for closing and sealing the side opening. A latch 28 is provided at the front of the sliding door 14 to lock the door 14 in the closed position. Inward horizontal movement of the sliding door 14 is achieved by bending the front ends 30, 32 and 34 of the tracks 16, 18 and 20 inwardly. A latch 36 is provided at the rear end of the sliding door 14 to lock the sliding door 14 in the open position shown in solid lines.

In the past, push-pull side doors of vans have been equipped with electrical connectors at the front edge of the door, such as an obstruction detection switch 42 mounted on the front edge of the sliding door 14 or a brake switch 44 mounted on the latch 28, which contact mating electrical connectors in the door jamb when the sliding door is closed. This arrangement provides power to electrical components mounted on the sliding door when the sliding door is closed. However, when the sliding door is partially opened, the electrical components do not have any source of electrical power.

Therefore, the conventional van has no power supply when the sliding door is opened, and cannot operate electric equipment such as electric glass and the like which needs electricity.

Disclosure of Invention

One of the technical problems to be solved by the utility model is to provide a flexible cable which can be conveniently used for a sliding vehicle door.

The second technical problem to be solved by the present utility model is to provide a sliding door device using a flexible cable, which can ensure that the sliding door has a power supply when in an open state.

The utility model is realized in the following way:

the technical scheme is as follows:

a flexible cable comprising: a flat cable and a flexible reinforcing member attached to the flat cable; the peripheries of the flat cable and the flexible reinforcing member are wrapped with a sheath.

Further, the side of the flexible reinforcement close to the flat cable is a convex side, the side of the flexible reinforcement away from the flat cable is a concave side, and the flexible reinforcement is formed into a flexible reinforcement with an arc-shaped surface.

Further, the flexible stiffener is made of spring tempered steel.

The second technical scheme is as follows:

a sliding door apparatus using the flexible cable according to claim one, comprising: a lower rail for supporting and guiding the sliding door, a first clamp and a second clamp;

the first clamp fixedly connects a first portion of the flexible cable to a vertical wall of the lower track in a cantilevered manner;

the second clamp attaches the second portion of the flexible cable to the roller assembly of the sliding door in a cantilevered fashion with a loop-like portion between the first and second portions of the flexible cable such that the flexible cable remains electrically connected throughout the sliding door in either the open or closed state.

Further, the first clamp includes: a connection strip attached to the flat cable and the flexible stiffener within the sheath, the connection strip having a slot passing through the sheath to connect to the lower track.

Further, the second clamp includes: two spaced apart outer and inner clamp members, and a rib for maintaining the arcuate curved surface of the flexible reinforcement member.

The utility model has the advantages that:

1. when the flexible cable is used for sliding the vehicle door, the flexible cable can be safely positioned above the ground and below the vehicle floor, and passengers are not obstructed.

2. The present utility model employs a sliding door apparatus of a flexible cable, a first clamp connecting one end of the flexible cable to a lower rail in a cantilever manner, and a second clamp connecting the other end of the flexible cable to a lower roller assembly of a sliding door in a cantilever manner. Once inside the sliding door, the flexible cable is connected by conventional mating electrical connectors to a harness for electrical components mounted on the sliding door. Thus, the sliding door is ensured to have a power supply in both a door closing state and a door opening state.

Drawings

The utility model will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in conjunction with examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art van having a sliding door.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of the flexible cable of the present utility model.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flexible cable for the lower rail of the present utility model.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial schematic view of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the flexible cable of the present utility model for a passenger car.

Fig. 6 is a B-B cross-sectional view of fig. 5.

Reference numerals:

10-car, 40-flexible cable, 70-flat cable, 72-flexible reinforcement, 74-jacket, 14-sliding door, 52-first clamp, 54-second clamp, 16-upper rail, 18-center rail, 20-lower rail, 30-upper rail front end, 32-center rail front end, 34-lower rail front end, 42-check switch, 44-brake switch, 28-latch, 26-latch, 24-lower roller assembly, 76-connection bar, 58-electrical connector, 60-electrical connector, 56-harness, 62-harness, 64-electrical connector, 66-electrical connector, 80-slot, 81-screw, 82-bracket 82, 84-support roller, 85-guide roller, 86-guide roller, 88-support arm, 90-outer clamp, 92-inner clamp, 94-mechanical screw, 96-machine screw, 98-longitudinal rib, 40 a-outer linear cantilever cable portion of flexible cable, 40 b-inner linear cantilever cable portion of flexible cable, 40 c-reverse bend or loop of flexible cable.

Detailed Description

First embodiment: flexible cable

As shown in fig. 2, a flexible cable 40 includes: a flat cable 70 and a flexible reinforcing member 72 attached to the flat cable 70. The flexible reinforcement 72 is convex on the side close to the flat cable 70 and concave on the side far from the flat cable 70, and the flexible reinforcement 72 is formed as a flexible reinforcement having an arc-shaped surface. The outer periphery of the flat cable 70 and the flexible reinforcement 72 is wrapped with a sheath 74 (woven polyester insulator).

The flexible stiffener 72 is made of spring tempered steel.

One well-known type of flat cable 70 is a laminate consisting of a flexible copper tape sandwiched between two sheets of Mylar (Mylar is a trademark of Mylar sold by dupont). The flexible stiffener 72 is preferably a thin, flexible, spring tempered steel strip. The steel strip is preferably slightly curved in cross section to increase the stiffness in the longitudinal direction while maintaining a high degree of bending flexibility in the transverse direction. Such materials are commonly used for retractable metal tape measures wound on reels. The flexible stiffener 72 is fixedly attached to the flat cable 70, such as by an adhesive or by wrapping electrical tape around the flat cable 70 and stiffener 72 at a plurality of spaced locations. The flexible stiffener 72 is preferably located within the annular flat cable 70 with the convex side engaging the flat cable 70 and the concave side of the stiffener looped inside. When the flexible cable 40 is used in a sliding door, this provides a smooth rolling motion of the flexible cable 40 as the sliding door 14 is opened and closed, and maintains a linear, non-sagging shape for the cantilevered portion of the flexible cable 40.

Second embodiment: sliding door apparatus using flexible cable of first embodiment

As shown in fig. 3 to 6, a sliding door apparatus using a flexible cable 40 of a first embodiment includes: a lower track 20 for supporting and guiding the sliding door 14, a first clamp 52 and a second clamp 54;

the first clamp 52 fixedly connects the first portion 40a of the flexible cable 40 to the vertical wall of the lower track 20 in a cantilever manner; the first clamp 52 includes: a connection strip 76 attached to the flat cable 70 and the flexible stiffener 72 within the sheath 74, the connection strip 76 having a slot passing through the sheath to connect to the lower track 20.

The second clamp 54 attaches the second portion 40b of the flexible cable 40 to the lower roller assembly 24 of the sliding door 14 in a cantilevered fashion, with an annular portion 40c between the first portion 40a and the second portion 40b of the flexible cable 40, such that the flexible cable 40 remains electrically connected throughout the sliding door 14 in either the open or closed state. The second clamp 54 has ribs for holding the arcuately curved face of the flexible stiffener 72.

The flexible cable 40 is attached to the lower track 20 of the vehicle body by a first clamp 52. The flex cable 40 then travels forward in a linear cantilever fashion, wraps around and then travels back to the lower roller assembly 24 where the flex cable 40 is connected to the sliding door 14 in a linear cantilever fashion by a linear cantilever fashion.

The flex cable 40 travels rearward from the first clamp 52 and then through aligned holes in the lower track 20 and the vehicle body. Once inside the vehicle body, the flexible cable 40 is connected to the harness 56 by conventional mating electrical connectors 58 and 60, the harness 56 including at least one power cord. The flex cable 40 also extends rearwardly from the second clamp 54 and then through an aperture in the lower inner panel of the sliding door 14. Once inside the sliding door 14, the flexible cable 40 is connected to a wiring harness 62 for electrical components mounted on the side door 14 by conventional mating electrical connectors 64 and 66.

The first clamp 52 includes a connecting strip 76, preferably made of stainless steel. The connection strip 76 is suitably secured to the flat cable 70 and the flexible stiffener 72 within the jacket 74, such as by tight wrapping 78 of electrical tape. The connection strap 76 then protrudes through a slot 80 in the sheath 74. The protruding portion of the connecting strap 76 is then secured to the vertical wall of the track 20 by screws 81 or other suitable fasteners.

The articulating lower roller assembly 24 includes a bracket 82, the bracket 82 carrying a support roller 84 for rotation about a horizontal axis and two guide rollers 85 and 86 for rotation about two spaced apart vertical axes. The support rollers 84 support a substantial portion of the weight of the sliding door 14 while the guide rollers 85 and 86 engage the lower track 20 to guide the sliding door 14 as the sliding door 14 moves back and forth between the open and closed positions, as described below. The lower roller assembly 24 also includes a support arm 88 pivotally connected at an inboard end to the bracket 82 and secured at an outboard end to the sliding door 14.

The second clamp 54 includes two spaced apart outer clamp members 90 and two inner clamp members 92 that mate with the respective outer clamp members 90. The clamp member may be aluminum to reduce weight. The outer clip 90 is fixedly attached to the bracket 82 by two machine screws 94 or other suitable fasteners. Each outer clamp member 90 is secured to the inner clamp member 92 by three machine screws 96, with the flex cable 40 sandwiched between the clamp members 90 and 92. Each internal clip 92 is preferably shaped with two longitudinal grooves separated by a longitudinal rib 98, the longitudinal rib 98 engaging the stiffener 72 through the jacket 74 to help maintain the inward facing concave shape of the stiffener 72.

The flexible cable 40 operates as follows assuming that the sliding door 14 is locked in the closed position, as shown by the dashed line in fig. 1. The sliding door 14 is opened by releasing the latch 28 via a conventional internal or external latch operating handle (not shown) and then sliding the sliding door 14 back to the open position shown in solid lines.

As sliding door 14 slides rearward, lower roller assembly 24 carries the attached end of outer linear cantilever cable portion 40a rearward. This results in the free end portion of the inner linear cantilever cable section 40b passing through the vertically oriented reverse bend or loop 40c such that the length of the outer section 40a increases and the length of the inner section 40b decreases. The outer portion 40a is at its maximum length and the inner portion 40b is at its shortest length when the sliding door 14 is fully open, as shown by the solid line in fig. 1. When the sliding door 14 is closed, the lower roller assembly 24 moves the attached end of the outer cable portion 40a forward and the process is reversed. That is, the length of the inner portion 40b increases and the length of the outer portion 40a decreases until the sliding door 14 is closed. In either case, the straight cantilevered shapes 40b and 40b of the inner and outer portions 40a are maintained by the flexible stiffener 72 while the free end portions of these portions roll into and out of the loop or reverse bend 40c. In this regard, it should be noted that the slight curvature of the flexible stiffener 72 enhances the longitudinal stiffness of the straight inner and outer portions 40a and 40b while maintaining the bending flexibility of the flexible stiffener 72 in the transverse direction, particularly when the curvature is facing inward. This allows for the positioning and association of the flex cable 40 with the lower track 20, wherein the flex cable 40 is safely located above the ground and below the vehicle floor, without interfering with passengers.

The embodiment provides a sliding door device using a flexible cable, which can ensure that a sliding door has a power supply in an open state.

The above examples and drawings are not intended to limit the form or form of the present utility model, and any suitable variations or modifications thereof by those skilled in the art should be construed as not departing from the scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A flexible cable, characterized in that: comprising the following steps: a flat cable and a flexible reinforcing member attached to the flat cable; the peripheries of the flat cable and the flexible reinforcement are wrapped with a sheath; the flexible reinforcement is a convex surface on one surface close to the flat cable, a concave surface on one surface far away from the flat cable, and the flexible reinforcement is formed into a flexible reinforcement with an arc-shaped surface.

2. A flexible cable according to claim 1, wherein: the flexible reinforcement is made of spring tempered steel.

3. Sliding door apparatus using the flexible cable according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: comprising the following steps: a lower rail for supporting and guiding the sliding door, a first jig and a second jig;

4. A sliding door apparatus using a flexible cable as defined in claim 3, wherein: the first clamp comprises: a connection strip attached to the flat cable and the flexible stiffener within the sheath, the connection strip having a slot passing through the sheath to connect to the lower track.

5. A sliding door apparatus using a flexible cable as defined in claim 3, wherein: the second clamp comprises: two spaced apart outer and inner clamp members, and a rib for maintaining the arcuate curved surface of the flexible reinforcement member.