JP2011226548A - Relay device and cable connecting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a relay device easy in a composition and assembling work.SOLUTION: The relay device 10 connects a first cable 11 and a second cable 12. A cable connecting structure connects their cables to the relay device 10. The relay device 10 comprises a substantially conical lock member 14, and a connecting member 13 for housing the lock member. The lock member 14 has a slit 38 of a vertical direction allowing expansion, contraction, and deformation from an upper end 35 to a lower end 36. The connecting member 13 has a cylindrical shape provided with a first end wall 16 and a second end wall 17 arranged with space therebetween. The first end wall 16 forms a cable end insertion hole 20 inserting a first cable end 19 in an axial direction. A part adjacent to the first end wall 16 out of an inner space 37 of the connecting member 13 is a lock member housing part 27 housing the lock member 14. The second end wall 17 has a slit 22 for inserting the second cable 12 in a radial direction, and an inner face of the second end wall 17 is a second cable end engaging part 24.

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay device that connects two cables and relays one operation to the other, and a cable connection structure using the relay device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a control cable relay connection device that relays and connects two sets of control cables each consisting of a conduit and an inner cable inserted through the conduit. Such a relay connection device is used for facilitating wiring work of a control cable in a car and facilitating replacement work for maintenance. In the device of Patent Document 1, one control cable and the other control cable each have a coupling case and a coupling piece, and the ends of the conduits are fixed to the respective coupling cases. The end of the inner cable is engaged. The one control cable further includes a cylinder portion adjacent to the coupling case, and the coupling case of the other control cable can be fitted to the coupling case of the one control cable. The coupling piece and the other coupling piece are engaged so that the one and the other control cables are coaxially arranged, and the coupling piece of the one and the other control cable is the coupling case of the one control cable It is possible to slide in the cylinder. The coupling case of the one control cable has a regulating means for regulating the sliding operation of the coupling piece of the one and the other control cable.

JP 2006-38217 A

  The conventional relay device has a complicated device configuration and requires time and effort for assembly. Moreover, since the spring is provided toward the outside of the relay device, the spring is easily caught by other members. The present invention provides a relay device that has a simple device configuration, is easy to assemble, and does not require the use of a spring. It is an issue.

The relay device of the present invention is a relay device that connects a first cable and a second cable, has an internal space that communicates the upper end and the lower end, the upper end and the lower end each have an upper surface and a lower surface, and extends from the upper end to the lower end. A locking member having a longitudinal slit connected from the outer periphery to the inner space, having an engaging claw on the outer peripheral surface, and two end portions arranged in the longitudinal direction, the first cable at the first end portion A cable end insertion hole into which the cable end is inserted and a lock member accommodating portion for accommodating the lock member are provided, and a second end engaging portion for engaging the cable end of the second cable is provided at the second end portion. The locking member accommodating portion is provided with a first end engaging portion and an engaging hole, and when the locking member is accommodated in the locking member accommodating portion, The bottom is the first The engagement member engages with the end engagement portion, and the engagement claw engages with the engagement hole. The lock member pushes the cable end of the first cable into the internal space of the lock member. The width of the slit is expanded, and the diameter of the inner space is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the cable end, so that the diameter of the cable end of the first cable is increased. When the cable end of the first cable is pushed into the connecting member through the cable end insertion hole, the cable end of the first cable passes through the internal space, passes through the lock member, and engages with the upper surface of the lock member. Is connected to the relay device, the cable end of the second cable is accommodated inside the coupling member, and the proximal end of the cable end of the second cable is engaged with the second end engaging portion. two And said relay device Buru is characterized by comprising connected. The “end portion” is a concept including an end engaging portion and a space for accommodating the cable end adjacent to the end engaging portion. The “engagement hole” includes a notch groove and a hole that does not penetrate.

  The cable connection structure of the present invention is a cable connection structure including a first cable, a second cable, and the relay device described above, wherein the first cable is connected via the lock member, and the second cable is Connected to a connecting member, the first cable and the second cable are connected via the relay device, and the first cable or the second cable is an operated device for unlocking a brake, transmission, or vehicle seat The lock member is characterized in that the deformation when pressed by the cable end of the first cable is a deformation that does not affect the operation of the operated device.

(1) The relay device of the present invention has a simple device configuration and easy assembling work. Moreover, since the lock member exhibits a spring action, it is not necessary to use a spring. Therefore, unlike the conventional product, the spring is not caught on other members, and the workability is excellent.

(2) When the lock member has a substantially conical shape, when the cable end of the first cable is inserted into the internal space from the opening at the lower end of the lock member, the assembly work is further performed because the diameter is smoothly expanded. Easy.

(3) When the lock member is made of a synthetic resin that has a deformation or less that does not affect the operation of the operated device when pressed by a longitudinal pressure of 1000 N by the cable end of the first cable. Even if a strong tension is applied to the cable, the cable does not substantially deform in the vertical direction and is safe.

  (4) Since the cable connection structure of the present invention includes the above-described relay device of the present invention, the connection portion can be formed by adopting as an operation cable connected to an operated device for unlocking a brake, transmission, or vehicle seat. Since the attachment / detachment operation of the vehicle is easy, the wiring work and the maintenance work in the car are facilitated. In addition, the operation can be reliably transmitted to the connecting holder.

It is a top view shown with the cable which connects one Embodiment of the relay apparatus of this invention. 2a and 2b are a side view and a front view, respectively, before assembly of the relay device of FIG. It is a side view of the relay apparatus of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows one Embodiment of the cable connection structure of this invention. It is the VV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view before the assembly of the relay apparatus of FIG.

A relay device 10 shown in FIG. 1 connects an end portion of a first cable 11 and an end portion of a second cable 12 and relays an operation applied to one to the other. The relay device 10 includes a substantially cylindrical connecting member (joint piece) 13 and a substantially conical or cylindrical lock member (lock piece) 14 accommodated therein.

  The connecting member 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has thick disc-shaped first end walls 16 and second end walls 17 at both ends, which are connected by a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall 18. The first end wall 16 and a portion adjacent thereto constitute a first end portion, and the second end wall 17 and a portion adjacent thereto constitute a second end portion. A cable end insertion hole 20 through which the cable end 19 of the first cable 11 passes is formed at the center of the first end wall 16. The inner surface of the first end wall 16 is a first end engaging portion 21 in which a cable end (hereinafter referred to as a first cable end) 19 of the first cable is engaged via the lock member 14. A slit 22 through which the second cable 12 passes is formed in the second end wall 17 so as to reach the center from the upper end (see FIG. 3). An inner surface of the second end wall 17 is a second end engaging portion 24 with which a cable end (hereinafter referred to as a second cable end) 23 of the second cable 12 is engaged.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the upper portion of the peripheral wall 18 is cut away, and the internal space is a hollow having a substantially U-shaped cross section opened upward by an opening 25. The upper opening 25 is used for inserting the lock member 14 into the connecting member 13 and for inserting and removing the second cable end 23 into and from the connecting member 13. In addition, in this connection member 13, the partition 26 which cross | intersects a center axis | shaft is provided in the axial direction intermediate position, and the internal space is partitioned into the 1st end part side and the 2nd end part side. The space on the first end side is a lock member accommodating portion 27 that accommodates the lock member 14, and the space on the second end side is a second cable end accommodating portion 28 that accommodates the second cable end 23. The partition wall 26 functions as a rib that reinforces the connecting member 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a U-shaped groove 30 with which the tip of the first cable end 19 abuts is formed in the partition wall 26. The groove 30 is opened upward, and its inner surface is tapered so that the tip side becomes narrower in accordance with the shape of the first cable end 19. Thereby, the positioning of the first cable 11 is easy, and the center position can be reliably maintained even by a reciprocating operation. Further, in order to connect the first cable end 19 to the relay device 10, when the first cable end 19 is pressed against the inner surface of the lock member 14 to expand the diameter, the lock member 14 does not escape to the second end side. Has a supporting function. Instead of the groove 30, a through hole or a bottomed hole may be used. However, since the molding becomes complicated, a groove opened upward is preferable. The connecting member 13 can be formed of a synthetic resin. Further, when the connecting member 13 is made of a synthetic resin, the weight can be reduced and the sliding noise during operation can be reduced compared to a metal material.

  As shown in FIG. 2 a, a substantially L-shaped groove 31 is formed in a portion of the peripheral wall 18 corresponding to the lock member accommodating portion 27. The L-shaped groove 31 includes a vertical groove 31a that continues to the upper edge, and a horizontal groove 31b that extends from the lower end of the vertical groove to the second end side in parallel with the axis. Thereby, a substantially rectangular locking piece 32 surrounded by the upper edge, the vertical groove 31a and the horizontal groove 31b is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, the lateral groove 31 b engages with a locking claw 33 provided on the lock member 14 to support the position of the lock member 14. The lock member 14 is easy to move in the lock member accommodating portion 27, but when the first cable end 19 is pushed into the lock member 14 by the engagement of the locking claw 33 and the lateral groove 31b, the lock member 14 is moved. Hold it so that it does not move. In addition, the lock member 14 once accommodated can also be prevented from coming off.

As shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the lock member 14 has a substantially conical shape, in particular, a form obtained by rolling a thin plate into a conical shape, and has an internal space 37 that communicates from the upper end 35 to the lower end 36. It can also be columnar or cylindrical. The upper end 35 and the lower end 36 are a flat upper surface and a lower surface, respectively. The reason why the upper surface is flat is to ensure the engagement with the first cable end 19, and the reason why the lower surface is flat is to ensure the engagement with the inner surface of the connecting member 13 ( (See FIG. 4). The lock member 14 further includes a longitudinal slit 38 that extends from the outer periphery to the internal space 37 from the upper end 35 to the lower end 36. The slit 38 is for allowing the lock member 14 to be elastically deformed with an enlarged diameter and a reduced diameter. A pair of knobs 38a are provided on both sides of the slit 38 so as to facilitate expansion and contraction. The slit 38 is not particularly limited as long as the first cable end 19 can be pushed in.

  Further, the locking claw 33 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lock member 14 so as to protrude left and right. The lock member 14 can be inserted into the lock member accommodating portion 27 by tilting the lock member 14 and inserting the locking claws 33 into the lateral grooves 31b one by one. As can be seen from FIG. 1, since the overlap between the locking claw 33 and the locking piece 32 is slight, the lock member 14 is accommodated in the lock member accommodating portion 27 by reducing the diameter using the slit 38. Can be made. The locking claw 33 and / or the locking piece 32 may have a flexible shape, and may be bent when the lock member 14 is inserted into the connecting member 13.

  The lock member 14 has a high strength such as polyoxymethylene (POM), and can be molded from an elastic synthetic resin. However, in order to resist the tension of the cable, the lock member 14 is deformed in the vertical direction by a pressing force of at least 1000 N. What does not substantially occur is preferable. In such a case as well, elastic deformation that expands and contracts in the radial direction is necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first cable end 19 is a substantially cylindrical component that is fixed concentrically to the end of the first cable 11. The first cable end 19 has an engagement step portion 40 that engages with the front end surface of the lock member 14 at a position slightly retracted from the front end, instead of being engaged with the rear end surface 39 (see FIG. 4). A region 41 (hereinafter referred to as a “tip region”) on the tip side from the engagement step portion expands the lock member 14 when being inserted into the lock member 14, so that the taper shape or smooth bullet shape becomes narrower toward the tip. (See FIG. 4). The vicinity 42 of the engaging step portion 40 is substantially cylindrical. The vicinity of the rear end surface 39 has a cylindrical shape so as to be fitted to the cable end insertion hole 20 of the relay device.

  Of the region 44 between the cylindrical portion 43 (hereinafter referred to as a cylindrical portion) and the engagement step portion 40, a tip end region 44 a following the engagement step portion 40 is a taper that fits with the inner surface of the lock member 14. It is a surface. Also, the rear end side region 44 b of the region 44 is a part that connects the front end side region 44 a and the cylindrical portion 43. Since this portion corresponds to the boundary between the rear end surface of the lock member 14 and the first end portion of the connecting member, the portion has a substantially cylindrical shape that is somewhat smaller in diameter than the column portion 43.

  The second cable end 23 has a conventionally known substantially cylindrical shape and is provided concentrically with the second cable 12. The first cable 11 and the second cable 12 are each made by twisting metal wires, and an inner cable of a pull control cable is used. The first cable end 19 and the second cable end 23 can be provided by die-casting with zinc alloy or the like at the ends of the first cable 11 and the second cable 12, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 4, the connecting member 13 and the lock member 14 configured as described above are inserted into the lock member accommodating portion 27 from the upper opening 25 of the connecting member 13. Thus, the relay device 10 is obtained. The lock member 14 has play inside the lock member accommodating portion 27, and even if the locking claw 33 is in the lateral groove 31b, its position and posture are not clearly determined. And when the 1st cable end 19 is connected with the relay apparatus 10, it will become settled only when the front-end | tip area | region 41 of the 1st cable end 19 engages with the lower end of the groove | channel 30 of the partition 26 (refer FIG. 4).

To connect the first cable 11 to the relay device 10 obtained as described above, first, the first cable 11 is arranged concentrically with the relay device 10 and the first cable end 19 is inserted into the cable end. Fit into the hole 20. As a result, the tapered surface of the distal end region 41 of the first cable end 19 presses the inner surface of the lock member 14 to increase the diameter. At this time, the partition wall 26 supports the lock member 14.

  When the distal end region 41 passes through the internal space 37 of the lock member 14, the engagement step portion of the first cable end 19 engages with the upper end 35 of the lock member 14 as shown in FIG. 4. At the same time, the distal end region 41 of the first cable end 19 contacts the lower end of the groove 30 of the partition wall 26. As a result, the position of the lock member 14 in the lock member accommodating portion 27 is determined. Next, the second cable end 23 is accommodated in the second cable end accommodating portion 28 while the base portion of the second cable 12 is passed through the slit 22 of the second end portion 17, and the proximal end of the second cable end 23 (the tip end) The opposite end 23a is engaged with the second end engaging portion 24. In this state, the entire relay device 10 is slidably accommodated in, for example, a cylindrical outer case 45 indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. In the accommodated state, the second cable 12 is not likely to come out of the slit 22. Further, the lock member 14 is not likely to come out of the lock member accommodating portion 27.

  The connection structure 50 thus obtained is an embodiment of the cable connection structure of the present invention. According to this connection structure 50, the first cable 11 is connected to the connecting member 13 via the lock member 14, and the proximal end 23 a of the second cable 12 is connected to the inner surface (second end) of the second end wall 17 of the connecting member 13. Engaged with and connected to the end engaging portion 24). Therefore, the first cable 11 and the second cable 12 are connected to each other via the relay device 10. That is, when the first cable 11 is pulled in the direction of arrow P1, the second cable 12 is also pulled in the direction of arrow P1, and when the second cable 12 is pulled in the direction of arrow P2, the first cable 11 is also pulled in the direction of arrow P2. Is done. When the first cable 11 is removed from the relay device 10, the relay device 10 is extracted from the outer case 45, the knob 38 a of the lock member 14 is picked, and the diameter is expanded using the slit 38. Thereby, the first cable end 19 can be extracted from the lock member 14, and the first cable 11 can be detached from the relay device 10.

  In such a connection structure 50, the first cable 11 or the second cable 12 can be an operation cable connected to an operated device of a vehicle brake, a transmission, or a headrest of a vehicle seat. The first cable 11 and the second cable 12 can be guided by a flexible outer casing (conduit) used for a pull control cable. In that case, one end of the outer casing of either cable is fixed in the vicinity of an operating device such as an operating lever, and the other end is fixed in the vicinity of the relay device 10. The outer casing of the other cable has one end fixed in the vicinity of the relay device 10 and the other end fixed in the vicinity of an operated device such as a brake, transmission, or headrest. When fixing an outer casing to the vicinity of the relay apparatus 10, it can fix to the cap which closes the edge part of the outer case 45 of FIG. 4, or the edge part, for example.

  As the outer casing, one provided with a synthetic resin coating around a spiral tube of metal wire, and further provided with a liner made of a synthetic resin tube inside are used. When the connection structure of the present invention is interposed in the operation cable of the mechanism for unlocking the seat of the automobile described in Patent Document 1, it can be connected to the relay device simply by pushing the first cable from the axial direction. There is an advantage that assembly is easy.

In the embodiment, the lock member 14 is provided with a pair of knobs 38a. These are easy to handle, but are not always essential and can be omitted. In the above-described embodiment, the lock member 14 is described as a conical shape having a narrow tip. However, the outer periphery is cylindrical or the outer and inner circumferences are cylindrical. Also good. Even in this case, it is preferable to provide a tapered surface at the front end of the first cable end 19 or the rear end of the lock member, so that it can be easily fitted. Note that a columnar shape and a tapered cavity may be provided inside. Furthermore, although the connecting member 10 has been described as being cylindrical in the embodiment, it may be prismatic.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Relay apparatus 11 1st cable 12 2nd cable 13 Connecting member 14 Lock member 16 1st end wall 17 2nd end wall 18 Perimeter wall 19 1st cable end 20 Cable end insertion hole 21 1st end part engaging part 22 Slit 23 Second cable end 24 Second end engaging portion 25 Opening 26 Partition 27 Lock member accommodating portion 28 Second cable end accommodating portion 30 (U-shaped partition wall) groove 31 (L-shaped circumferential wall) groove 31a Vertical Groove 31b Lateral groove 32 Locking piece 33 Locking claw 35 Upper end 36 Lower end 37 Internal space 38 Slit 38a Knob piece 39 Rear end surface 40 Engagement step part 41 Tip region 42 Near (on the engagement step part) 43 Area between cylindrical parts 44 44a Front end region 44b Rear end region 45 Outer case 50 Connection structure

Claims (4)

A relay device connecting the first cable and the second cable,
It has an internal space that communicates the upper end and the lower end, the upper end and the lower end are respectively provided with an upper surface and a lower surface, and has a longitudinal slit that extends from the outer periphery to the internal space from the upper end to the lower end, and the engaging claw on the outer peripheral surface A locking member comprising:
A cable end insertion hole into which the cable end of the first cable is inserted and a lock member accommodating portion for accommodating the lock member are provided at the first end; A connecting member provided with a second end engaging portion that engages with the cable end of the second cable in the portion,
The lock member accommodating portion is provided with a first end engaging portion and an engaging hole,
When the lock member is accommodated in the lock member accommodating portion, the lower surface of the lock member is engaged with the first end engaging portion, and the engaging claw is engaged with the engaging hole. Being
When the lock member pushes the cable end of the first cable into the internal space of the lock member, the width of the slit is expanded so that the diameter of the internal space is equal to or larger than the outer diameter of the cable end. And has the flexibility to expand the diameter,
By pushing the cable end of the first cable into the connecting member through the cable end insertion hole, the cable end of the first cable passes through the lock member through the internal space and the upper surface of the lock member. The first cable is connected to the relay device by engaging,
The cable end of the second cable is accommodated inside the connecting member, and the proximal end of the cable end of the second cable is engaged with the second end engaging portion, whereby the second cable and the relay device are connected. A connected relay device.   The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the lock member has a substantially conical shape.   The said lock member is a product made from a synthetic resin which becomes below deformation | transformation of the grade which does not affect the operation of a to-be-operated apparatus, when it is pressed by the cable end of said 1st cable with the vertical pressing force of 1000N. 2. The relay device according to 2. A cable connection structure comprising the first cable, the second cable, and the relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The first cable is connected via the lock member, the second cable is connected to the connecting member, the first cable and the second cable are connected via the relay device, and the first cable Or the second cable is an operation cable that leads to the operated device for unlocking the brake, transmission or vehicle seat,
The cable connection structure, wherein the lock member is deformed to such an extent that deformation when pressed by the cable end of the first cable does not affect the operation of the operated device.