JPH05274922A - Flat cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve space efficiency, ensure flexibility without any harm to equipment operation, and enable wiring and piping to be easily undertaken by arranging an insulated cable and a hollow hose in parallel to each other and integrating both of the wire and hose. CONSTITUTION:One or a plurality of insulated cables 2 are arranged in parallel to one or a plurality of hollow hoses 1, and integrated therewith. In this case, the hoses 1 are positioned at both ends with the cables 2 placed inside. As a result, the cables 2 can be protected with the resilient force of the hoses 1. Alternatively, the hoses 1 are placed inside, and a flat cable so formed can be bent like a triangle for use. Also, the cables 2 can be protected in both upper and lower directions of a flat cable by making the outer diameter of the hose 1 larger than that of the cable 2. In this case, the suitable outer diameter of the hose 1 is within twice the outer diameter of the cable 2. As a result, wiring and piping can be laid without any use of an extra retainer or the like, and piping and wiring treatment in a terminal section can be simplified.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a flat cable used for external wiring of electronic equipment, and particularly used for equipment having a control method other than control by electric signals such as a robot having an air cylinder. The present invention relates to a flat cable having a structure in which a hollow hose for fluid is provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A device such as a robot is generally known as a device having an operating mechanism such as an air cylinder and having a structure in which a portion associated with the operating mechanism can move. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of cable wiring in an XY-axis robot as an example thereof. The controlled part 7 having an air cylinder or the like has a wiring / piping unit 8 which is wired so as to follow its movement. The wiring and piping are usually composed of a power cable, a control cable, a sensor cable, a hollow hose for fluid, and the like.

Conventionally, as a method of wiring and piping, FIG.
It was necessary to control the wiring and piping in some form, such as by using the cable holder 9 as shown in FIG.

However, the conventional wiring / piping methods have various problems that the flexibility of taking space is easily impaired and the wiring / piping is not easy because the respective cables / hoses are not integrated.

A flexible duct-shaped object is often used as the holder, but this is expensive and has the drawback of increasing the labor of passing a cable or the like through the duct.

[0006]

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, to provide a new flat cable which is excellent in space efficiency, has flexibility not to impair the operation of equipment, and can be easily wired / piped. It is intended to be provided.

[0007]

The gist of the present invention resides in that the insulating cable and the hollow hose are arranged in parallel and integrated so that the integrated wiring and piping of the cable and hose can be achieved without using a holder such as a case. Is made possible.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. One or more insulated cables 2,
By arranging one or a plurality of hollow hoses 1 in parallel and integrating them, a desired flat cable can be obtained.

The structure of the insulated cable may be one in which only an insulating layer is provided on the outer circumference of the conductor, but depending on the application,
Like the cable cores 4, 5, and 6, the size and number may be increased or decreased according to the purpose. Further, a shield layer such as 3 may be provided or a coaxial structure may be adopted.

The material of the insulator and the hollow hose around the cable is urethane, PVC, polyethylene, rubber,
Fluorine resin, nylon, silicone and other resins are suitable. The material should be selected according to the application of the cable. Urethane, PVC when cable flexibility is required
Etc. are suitable. Considering the availability of hollow hoses, urethane, nylon, rubber, etc. are suitable. Considering the workability during the production of the insulated cable, PVC, polyethylene, etc. are suitable. If heat resistance is required, silicone, fluororesin, etc. may be used. The materials of the cables and hoses arranged in parallel are preferably the same in consideration of the ease of adhesion and fusion, but different materials may be used for each of them.

The most convenient and suitable method for integrating the cable and the hose is hot air fusion.
Other methods include heat fusion with a heat roll, adhesive with adhesive, fusion with inclusions vertically, fusion by melting the surface with a solvent, or insulation after arranging cables and hoses in parallel. And a method of collectively coating

When the flat cable of the present invention is applied to the wiring schematic diagram of FIG. 2, 7 is a movable controlled portion and 8 is a flat cable.

The positions of the hollow hoses are best at the positions of both ends with the insulated cable sandwiched between them. This is to protect the insulated cable by using the elasticity of the hose. Also,
The hose can be positioned in the middle and bent into a V-shape.

It is preferable that the outer diameter of the hollow hose is larger than that of the insulated cable so that the insulated cable can be protected from the vertical direction of the flat cable. In this case, considering the flexibility of the cable, it is appropriate that the outer diameter of the hollow hose is within twice the outer diameter of the insulated cable.

In the description of this embodiment, the hollow hose is arranged at both ends, but as another embodiment, the hose is arranged at the center, the hose is arranged at one end, and the hose is arranged every other cable. However, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, since other transmission means such as an optical fiber may be used as the constitution of the insulated cable.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, by integrating the insulating cable and the hollow hose, space efficiency is excellent, and wiring / piping can be performed without using an extra holder, etc. By arranging the cables and hoses in parallel, it is possible to simplify the wiring and piping processing especially at the terminal portion.

By not using a retainer or the like, it is possible to save the cost of parts, labor for wiring and piping. By arranging the cables and hoses in parallel, the cable arrangement can be easily checked by, for example, putting a mark on a certain wire core. Especially, when a plurality of insulated cables with similar configurations are arranged, the identification can be made. Will be easier.

Further, when the hollow hose is arranged at both ends, it has an effect of protecting the insulating cable portion from external damage by the elasticity of the hose, and its industrial value is great.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a flat cable of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment when the flat cable of the present invention is used.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a conventional flat cable.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hollow Hose 2 Insulated Cable 3 Shield Layer 4 Cable Core 5 Cable Core 6 Cable Core 7 Controlled Part 8 Flat Cable 9 Holder

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi 5-1-1 Hidaka-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi Cable Co., Ltd. Hidaka factory (72) Inventor Yoshiro Yoshiro, Hidaka-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki 1-1-1 Hitachi Cable Co., Ltd. Hidaka Factory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An insulating cable and a hollow hose are arranged in parallel,
A flat cable characterized by being constructed by integrally joining adjacent comrades. 2. The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein hollow hoses are arranged at least at both ends. 3. The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein the hollow hose has a diameter larger than that of the insulating cable.