JP2006017186A - Length adjusting device of control cable - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make fine adjustment by minimizing the adjustment unit not to be irregular in fitting position in a length adjusting device of a control cable. <P>SOLUTION: This length adjusting device of a control cable is composed of a control cable having a cylindrical rod end provided with projecting and recessed groove on the outer periphery at the end part, an assembling member having a case part for storing the rod end, and a lock member having a substantially U-shaped section, which is provided with a groove formed in the inner periphery to engage with the projecting and recessed groove, and fitted to the case part storing the rod end to fix the control cable to the case part with the rod end held between them after the axial position is selected. The lock member is formed of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and the pitch of the projecting and recessed groove formed at the rod end and the groove formed in the inner periphery of the lock member is set under 1 mm. The ratio of the pitch of the groove formed in the inner periphery of the lock member and the pitch of the projecting and recessed groove at the rod end is 2:3 or 3:2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting and connecting a length of a control cable. More specifically, the present invention relates to a control cable length adjusting device that reduces the adjustment unit to avoid uneven mounting positions or enables fine length adjustment.

  The control cable connects the transmission of the vehicle and a selection device with a selection lever. Then, the driver's select lever operation state is transmitted to the transmission, and a shift operation according to the select lever operation state is realized.

  It is necessary to adjust the installation length of the control cable according to the assembly position tolerance of the selector device and the transmission, the tolerance of the control cable length, and the variation in the route position of the control cable.

  A conventional control cable length adjusting device is configured such that a lock member having a groove (lock groove) formed inside is fitted into a groove (adjuster groove) formed at an end (rod end) of the control cable. It fixes, adjusting attachment length (refer patent document 1 or 2).

  In the control length adjusting device described in Patent Document 1, the rod end adjuster groove is formed by fitting the cap into the cable, and the lock member (holder) fitted into the mounting bracket is fitted into the groove portion (adjuster groove) of the cap. Then, fix it while adjusting the mounting length.

  In the control length adjusting device described in Patent Document 2, the rod end is inserted into an assembly member having a case portion, and the lock member having a groove (lock groove) formed on the inner side so as to engage with the adjuster groove is provided in the case portion. The control cable is fixed to the assembly member having the case portion.

  In the conventional control cable length adjusting device, the pitch of the adjuster groove and the lock groove is the same (for example, “the concave / convex groove of the cylindrical portion of the cap is set at a predetermined position of the concave / convex groove of the holder” To bite ").

JP-A-5-231415 JP 2003-166521 A

  In a conventional control cable length adjusting device, the lock member is formed of a glass fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and both the adjuster groove and the lock groove are a combination of grooves having a pitch of 1 mm. Therefore, the control cable is assembled with an adjustment length of 1 mm. When the adjustment unit is 1 mm, the position deviation is large at the tip of the select lever, and the mounting position is uneven. The position of the select lever is designed in an appropriate range based on ergonomics. In order to align the select lever to the proper mounting position, or to accurately reflect the operation state of the select lever to the transmission, that is, to obtain the required control cable assembly accuracy, a separate fine adjustment is required. . In order to reduce the adjustment unit, it is necessary to reduce the adjuster groove pitch and the lock groove pitch. However, the conventional lock member uses a glass fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and it is difficult to accurately form grooves having a pitch of less than 1 mm. This is because it is limited by the size and amount of the glass fiber, and it is impossible to form grooves and peaks having a small pitch.

  It is an object of the present invention to reduce the adjustment unit in a control cable length adjusting device to avoid uneven mounting positions and enable fine adjustment.

  The present invention includes a control cable having a cylindrical rod end at an end thereof with an uneven groove arranged on the outer periphery, an assembly member (hereinafter referred to as an assembly member) having a case portion for housing the rod end, and the unevenness A groove that engages with the groove is formed on the inner periphery, fitted to a case portion that accommodates the rod end, and the control cable is moved after selecting the axial position with respect to the case portion with the rod end interposed therebetween. In a control cable length adjusting device composed of a lock member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, which is fixed so that it cannot be formed, the lock member is formed of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and the unevenness formed on the rod end The pitch of the groove and the groove formed on the inner periphery of the lock member is less than 1 mm.

  The groove pitch of the lock member is different from the pitch of the control cable adjuster end groove. More specifically, the ratio of the groove pitch of the lock member to the pitch of the rod end groove is set to 2: 3 or 3: 2.

  Furthermore, the slit that is covered with the case portion when fitted to the case portion is formed on the side surface of the lock member that does not contact the rod end and slides when fitted to the case portion. It is formed along the axial direction of the rod end.

  According to the control cable length adjusting device of the present invention, the control cable is attached in an adjustment unit with an attachment length of less than 1 mm, the attachment position is within a specified range, and fine adjustment is possible.

  Also, by adjusting the lock groove pitch and adjuster groove pitch to be different, the unit that causes the lock groove and adjuster groove to disengage becomes smaller than the adjuster groove pitch, and as a result, the control cable mounting length is adjusted to be smaller than the adjuster groove pitch. Assembled in units.

  Furthermore, by setting the ratio of the lock groove pitch to the adjuster groove pitch to 2: 3 or 3: 2, the unit of engagement between the lock groove and the adjuster groove is half of the smaller groove pitch. The control cable mounting length is adjusted and assembled with a unit length that is half of the smaller pitch. Further, the adjustment unit can be reduced while using a conventional control cable.

  In addition, by forming a slit that is covered with the case portion on the side surface of the lock member, it is possible to reduce the lock member insertion force while maintaining the separation strength of the control cable within a predetermined range. Therefore, even if it is made of a hard material, it can be easily assembled.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is an overview of a control cable length adjusting device 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the shapes of the lock member and the rod end according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although FIG. 1 shows a form in which the assembly member and the select lever are separate, the present embodiment is not limited to such a form. Therefore, a form in which the assembly member and the select lever are integrated is also included in the present embodiment.

  A group in which one end of a control cable (not shown) is fixed to a transmission (not shown), the control cable is arranged in a specified path, and the rod end 3 which is the other end is engaged with the selection device. Insert into the attachment member 4. The lock member 5 is inserted from the side of the assembly member 4 (upper side in the figure) while holding the select lever at the specified position. A groove (lock groove) 5c that meshes with an uneven groove (adjuster groove) 3a (see FIG. 2b) formed on the outer periphery of the rod end 3 is formed on the inner circumference 5b of the U-shaped section 5a (see FIG. 4) of the lock member 5. Is formed. The U-shaped portion 5a of the lock member 5 sandwiches the rod end 3, and the lock groove 5c engages with the adjuster groove 3a. The locking member 5 is restricted from moving in the axial direction by a hole in the case portion 4e, and the tip 5d of the U-shaped portion 5a is fitted into a hole 4c provided in the side surface 4b facing the insertion hole 4a of the case portion 4e. Therefore, the axial position of the control cable is fixed with respect to the assembly member 4. Further, the slider 4 s provided on the assembly member 4 is slid toward the lock member 5, and the pawl N formed on the slider 4 s and the lock member 5 is hooked. Thus, the lock member is prevented from coming off.

  Since the adjuster groove 3a and the lock groove 5c are formed at regular intervals with a specified pitch, the rod end 3 can be fixed at any position within a range where the rod end 3 can move in the case portion 4e. In this way, the control cable is fixed to the assembly member 4 with its axial position adjusted and adjusted in units of the pitch of the adjuster groove 3a and the lock groove 5c.

  In the first embodiment, the lock member 5 is formed of a polyamide resin (polyamide MXD6 + carbon fiber 30%) having a molecular structure having an aromatic ring in the main chain. The adjuster grooves 3a and the lock grooves 5c are formed with a pitch of 0.5 mm as shown in FIG. Therefore, the control cable has an adjustment unit of 0.5 mm, and the attachment position is adjusted and fixed.

  In the conventional example, as shown in FIG. 6, the lock member 5 is formed of glass fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and the pitch between the adjuster groove 3a and the lock groove 5c is 1 mm.

  In the conventional glass fiber reinforced polyamide resin, the size of the mixed glass fiber is about 20 μm, and a groove smaller than 1 mm in pitch cannot be formed. In the carbon fiber reinforced polyamide resin of the first embodiment, the size of the carbon fiber is about 10 μm or less, and grooves with a pitch of 0.5 mm can be formed. Further, the separation strength, which is the force required to pull out the control cable from the assembly member 4, was sufficient as compared with the conventional example.

  In the first embodiment, the control cable mounting length adjustment unit is 0.5 mm, which is half of the conventional 1 mm, so that fine adjustment is possible and the select lever is set to an appropriate position. Can do. In addition, the operation state of the select lever can be more accurately reflected on the transmission.

Embodiment 2
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the pitch of the lock grooves 5c is made larger than the pitch of the adjuster grooves 3a. The pitch P1 of the adjuster groove 3a of the rod end 3 is 1 mm, and the pitch P2 of the lock groove 5c formed on the inner periphery 5b of the lock member 5 is 1.5 mm. In the second embodiment, the lock member 5 is formed of a glass fiber reinforced polyamide resin (polyamide 66 + glass fiber 33%). Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Since the pitch of the lock groove 5c is 1.5 times the pitch P1 of the adjuster groove 3a, when one peak 5p of the lock member 5 is engaged with one of the adjuster grooves 3a, the peak 5p adjacent to the lock member 5 is It will hit the mountain 3p (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the attachment length adjustment unit is 0.5 mm. As in the first embodiment, other adjustments are unnecessary.

  In the second embodiment, the control cable is the same as the conventional one, and the adjustment unit can be reduced by replacing only the lock member 5.

Embodiment 3
The third embodiment is not directly related to the length adjustment of the control cable, but reduces the insertion force of the lock member 5 and simplifies assembly.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the shape of the lock member 5 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The lock member 5 according to the third embodiment is not in contact with the rod end 3 and is fitted to the case portion 4e on the side surface of the lock member 5 that slides when fitted to the case portion 4e. A slit 5 e covered with the case portion 4 e is formed along the axial direction of the rod end 3.

  By forming the slit 5e, the U-shaped tip of the lock member 5 is easily spread. Therefore, the force to be applied when inserting the lock member 5 is reduced. Once inserted, the tip 5d of the U-shaped portion 5a of the lock member 5 is fitted into the hole 4c formed on the opposite side of the case portion 4e, so that the tip does not spread and the rod end 3 is fixed. The As shown in FIG. 4, since the slit 5e is covered by the wall 4d of the case 4e, both sides of the opening of the slit 5e are pressed, and the U-shape of the lock member 5 can be widened. Be regulated. Therefore, the insertion force of the lock member 5 is reduced, but the required strength is maintained without significantly reducing the separation strength of the rod end 3. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a modification of the slit of the lock member (the position of the slit is different).

  Table 1 shows measured values of the insertion force of the lock member 5 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Table 1, the insertion force is reduced by 36 to 64% compared to the lock member 5 without slits. In addition, a, b, c, d, and e in Table 1 correspond to the lock member 5 shown in (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing measured values of the lifting amount and the separation strength of the lock member 5 for the same lock member 5 as in Table 1. The amount of lifting of the lock member 5 is a state in which the lock member 5 is completely pushed into the case portion 4e (in terms of design, the surface opposite to the U-shaped opening of the lock member 5 is the assembly member 4). The length of the lock member 5 protrudes from the same plane as the side surface. Since the slider 4s provided on the assembly member 4 is formed of an elastic material so that the pawl N is caught, the pawl N of the slider 4s is caught even if the lock member 5 is slightly lifted.

  FIG. 5 shows the limit of the separation strength at 150 kgf (= 1470 N) at room temperature (RT) and 100 kgf (= 980 N) at 85 ° C. In the example of the present invention, d (separation strength: 186 kgf = 1825 N) and e (separation strength: 176 kgf = 1725 N) of FIG. ) That is, it can withstand use.

  In comparison, the slit 5e is formed near the center of the U-shaped portion 5a of the lock member 5 and the slit 5e is not covered by the case portion 4e. Since it is close to the specified value, it may become a practical problem.

It is the structure of the assembly member which has a case part, a rod, and a lock member (insertion force measuring method / explanatory drawing of lock member drawing). Embodiment 1: A rod and a lock member (pitch 0.5 mm). FIG. 5 is an imaginary view of meshing of an adjuster end groove pitch of 1 mm and a lock member groove pitch of 1.5 mm. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the assembly | attachment member which has a lock member with a slit, and a case part. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the lock member lifting amount and the separation strength. It is a conventional rod end and lock member (pitch 1.0 mm). It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of a locking member.

Explanation of symbols

1 Control cable length adjustment device
3 Rod end
3a Adjuster groove
3p mountain
4 Assembly parts
4a Insertion hole
4b side view
4c hole
4d wall
4e Case part
4s slider
5 Lock member
5a U-shaped part
5b U-shaped inner circumference
5c Lock groove
5d Tip of U-shaped part
5e slit
5p mountain
N nail P1, P2 pitch

Claims (5)

A control cable having a cylindrical rod end arranged at the outer periphery on the outer periphery, an assembly member having a case portion for accommodating the rod end, and a groove that meshes with the uneven groove are formed on the inner periphery, The cross section is substantially U-shaped, and is fixed so that the control cable cannot be moved after selecting the position in the axial direction with respect to the case part with the rod end being fitted to the case part accommodating the rod end. It is composed of a locking member of shape,
A length adjusting device for a control cable, wherein the lock member is made of a carbon fiber reinforced polyamide resin, and the pitch of the concave and convex grooves formed on the rod end and the groove formed on the inner periphery of the lock member is less than 1 mm. A control cable having a cylindrical rod end arranged at the outer periphery on the outer periphery, an assembly member having a case portion for accommodating the rod end, and a groove that meshes with the uneven groove are formed on the inner periphery, The cross section is substantially U-shaped, and is fixed so that the control cable cannot be moved after selecting the position in the axial direction with respect to the case part with the rod end being fitted to the case part accommodating the rod end. It is composed of a locking member of shape,
A control cable length adjusting device in which a groove pitch formed on an inner periphery of the lock member is different from a pitch of an uneven groove formed on an outer periphery of the rod end. 3. The control cable length adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the ratio of the groove pitch of the lock member to the pitch of the concave and convex grooves formed on the outer periphery of the rod end is 2: 3 or 3: 2. A control cable having a cylindrical rod end arranged at the outer periphery on the outer periphery, an assembly member having a case portion for accommodating the rod end, and a groove that meshes with the uneven groove are formed on the inner periphery, The cross section is substantially U-shaped, and is fixed so that the control cable cannot be moved after selecting the position in the axial direction with respect to the case part with the rod end being fitted to the case part accommodating the rod end. It is composed of a locking member of shape,
A slit that is covered with the case portion when fitted to the case portion is formed on a side surface of the lock member that slides when fitted to the case portion without contacting the rod end. Control cable length adjustment device formed along the axial direction of the cable. A control cable having the length adjusting device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4.

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