TWI634273B - Cable chain - Google Patents

Abstract

The cable chain includes: a pair of side walls (20) connecting a plurality of unit members (200) so as to be rotatable relative to each other; the bridging member (25) bridging between the upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls (20) And the elastically deformable elastic connecting member (31) is locked to the inner side of the pair of side walls (20), and divides the cable-type accommodating space formed between the pair of side walls (20) into upper and lower sides. The elastic connecting member (31) includes: a pair of columnar portions (31X) extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the cable chain extends; and a connecting portion (31Y) connecting the columnar portions (31X) between. a plurality of elastic connecting members (31) are arranged in parallel with each other in a state in which the columnar portions (31X) of the adjacent elastic connecting members (31) are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain, adjacent columns The portions (31X) are respectively locked to the inner sides of the unit members (200).

Description

Cable chain

The present invention relates to a cable chain that bends and guides a cable that supplies or transmits power, signals, fluids, and the like to a movable body that reciprocates linearly with respect to the body.

In Patent No. 5307701, a cable chain is disclosed, the cable chain comprising: a pair of side walls connected by a plurality of unit members so as to be rotatable relative to each other; and a bridging member bridging the pair of side walls Between the upper part and the lower part. The unit member of the cable chain is coupled by an elastically deformable belt member that is locked to the inner side of the pair of side walls. The belt member is divided into upper and lower cables by a cable-type housing space formed between the pair of side walls. Therefore, by arranging the cables in the space below the division and performing the bending guidance, the damage of the cable caused by the external contact and the cable contact with each other is prevented.

In the cable chain described in Japanese Patent No. 5307701, when the cable chain is disposed between the main body and the movable body, it is necessary to shorten or extend the cable chain when it is desired to change the movable distance of the movable body. However, when the cable chain is to be shortened, it is necessary to cut off the belt member which is redundant by reducing the number of connection of the unit members. Therefore, the tool for cutting the belt member is required, which is not easy. problem. Further, when the cable chain is to be extended, it is necessary to increase the number of connection of the unit members. However, since the belt member that connects the unit members is a member that cannot be extended, there is a problem that the cable chain cannot be extended.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable chain having a pair of side walls that are connected to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and formed between the pair of side walls The cable-type accommodating space is divided into upper and lower cable chains, and the length can be easily adjusted.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a cable is held as a flexible cable chain, comprising: a pair of side walls, wherein a plurality of unit members are coupled to be rotatable relative to each other; and the bridging member bridges the cable At least one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the pair of side walls; and an elastically deformable elastic connecting member are locked to the inner side of the pair of side walls, and accommodate the cable type formed between the pair of side walls The space is divided into upper and lower sides; the elastic connecting member includes: a pair of columnar portions extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the cable chain; and a connecting portion connecting the columnar portions; The elastic connecting members are disposed in a state in which the adjacent column portions of the elastic connecting members are arranged in parallel with each other and are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain, and the adjacent column portions are respectively carded It ends on the inner side of each unit member.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the member for connecting the unit members and dividing the cable-type accommodating space into upper and lower portions is not a continuous belt member, but a plurality of elastic connecting members respectively connecting the adjacent unit members. Composition. Therefore, by removing the elastic connecting member from the unit member at a desired length portion, it is not necessary to cut, and the number of joints of the unit members can be simply reduced. The cable chain is shorter. Further, by adding the unit member and the elastic connecting member, the number of connections of the unit members can be simply increased, and the cable chain can be lengthened.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the columnar portion includes a core material that is harder than the connecting portion.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the columnar portion of the elastic connecting member has a core material that is harder than the connecting portion. Therefore, the strength of the elastic connecting member can be improved and the excessive twist of the elastic connecting member can be suppressed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the core material is made of a material having a higher melting point than a material constituting the connecting portion.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the core material is composed of a material having a higher melting point than the material constituting the joint portion. Therefore, when the elastic connecting member is produced by two-color molding of the connecting portion between the core material and the connecting portion, it is difficult to mix the material constituting the core material with the connecting portion, and the quality can be easily ensured.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect to the third aspect of the present invention, the columnar portion is provided between the adjacent columnar portions so as to extend in a direction in which the cable chain extends. The notch is provided with a partition member that partitions a space between the upper side and the lower side of the elastic connecting member of the cable-type housing space in the width direction of the cable chain.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cable-like accommodating space is divided into upper and lower cables by the elastic connecting member, and for example, a plurality of cables arranged in the left-right direction can be separated by a partition member. Therefore, even when a plurality of cables are accommodated in one of the cable-type housing spaces divided into the upper and lower sides, the partition members are disposed between the cables, thereby preventing the cables from coming into contact with each other.

1‧‧‧Cable chain

20‧‧‧ side wall

25‧‧‧Bridge components

31‧‧‧Flexible joint members

31A‧‧‧1st elastic joint member

31B‧‧‧2nd elastic joint member

31X‧‧‧ Column

31Y‧‧‧Link Department

50‧‧‧ Separate components

200‧‧‧unit components

200L‧‧‧unit components

200R‧‧‧unit components

201‧‧‧Snap hole

215‧‧‧Snap protrusion

251‧‧‧Card claws

252‧‧‧Clamping recess

311‧‧‧Flexible joint member body

312‧‧‧ core material

312a‧‧‧Snap joints.

313‧‧ ‧ gap

S‧‧‧ Cable accommodating space

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a central portion of a cable chain according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the central portion of the cable chain of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the outer surface of the unit member of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the inner side surface of the unit member of the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the elastic connecting members of the embodiment are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain as seen from above.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the central portion of the cable chain of Fig. 1 as seen from the front.

Fig. 7 is a left side view showing a state in which the cable chain of the embodiment extends linearly.

Fig. 8 is a left side view showing a state in which the cable chain of the embodiment is bent.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the end portion of the cable chain of the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a view showing a state in which a partition member is attached to the cable chain of the embodiment.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the cable chain.

Fig. 1 through Fig. 11 show an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 11, the overall shape of the cable chain 1 of the present invention is shown. In each of the drawings, when the extending direction of the cable chain 1 is regarded as the front-rear direction, the vertical direction and the left-right direction are indicated by arrows. In the following description, the description of the direction is performed based on this direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable chain 1 is constructed to include the following members, and the pair of right and left side walls 20 are unit members in the front-rear direction. 200 is coupled to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other; and the bridging member 25 extends between the upper portion and the lower portion of the pair of side walls 20 in the left-right direction. A plurality of elastic connecting members 31 are locked to the inner side of the pair of side walls 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the unit member 200 is a substantially block-shaped member which is formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon and which is thin in the left-right direction. Further, the unit member 200 is a pair of left and right as described above, and since the unit member 200L on the left side and the unit member 200R on the right side are bilaterally symmetrical, the unit member 200L on the left side will be mainly described. In the unit member 200L, the left side surface of the outer side surface is formed into a predetermined uneven surface shape, and the right side surface of the inner side surface is formed into a substantially flat surface shape. The unit member 200L is formed on the lower side of the center portion, and the left and right side surface portions are formed in the engagement holes 201 which are openings having a long hole shape which is open to the front and rear. On the upper and lower sides of the inner peripheral surface of the engaging hole 201, a stopper protrusion 202 which is a protrusion extending in the front-rear direction is formed. In the rear end portion of the central portion of the unit member 200L in the downward direction, a circular recessed portion 203 having a rear hole is formed, and a recessed portion 204 having a circular notch shape of the front hole is formed in the distal end portion of the central portion of the unit member 200L in the downward direction. .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer upper superimposed portion 205 and the outer lower superimposed portion 206 which are formed in a substantially fan shape around the concave portion 203 are provided in the upper portion and the lower rear portion of the unit member 200L. The outer upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206 have a thickness which is about half of the thickness of the central portion of the unit member 200L, and the left end surface is substantially flush with the left side surface of the central portion of the unit member 200L.

The upper restricting projection 205a and the lower restricting projection 206a projecting to the right side are provided at the rear end portions of the outer upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206, respectively. Moreover, it is heavy in the central portion and the outer upper portion of the unit member 200L. The inner upper upper wall 207 formed by the boundary portion of the stacked portion 205 in the thickness direction is formed such that the outer peripheral shape of the rear half of the outer upper overlapping portion 205 is reversed. On the other hand, the inner lower wall 208 which is formed by the boundary portion between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the outer lower portion overlapping portion 206 in the thickness direction is a shape in which the rear half of the outer lower overlapping portion 206 is reversed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an inner upper superimposed portion 209 and an inner lower superimposed portion 210 which are formed in a substantially fan shape around the concave portion 204 are provided in the upper portion and the lower portion of the unit member 200L. The inner upper superimposing portion 209 and the inner lower superimposing portion 210 have a thickness which is about half of the thickness of the central portion of the unit member 200L, and the right end surface is substantially flush with the right side surface of the central portion of the unit member 200L.

On the left side surface of the inner upper superimposing portion 209, an upper circular arc groove portion 209a that is substantially circularly curved upward is formed around the concave portion 204. An upper restricting wall 209b that divides the upper circular arc groove portion 209a in the front and rear is formed in the vicinity of the central portion in the rear direction of the upper circular arc groove portion 209a. Further, on the left side surface of the inner lower overlapping portion 210, a lower circular arc groove portion 210a that is substantially circularly curved downward is formed around the concave portion 204. A lower restricting wall 210b that divides the lower circular arc groove portion 210a in the front-rear direction is formed in the vicinity of the front portion slightly before the lower circular arc groove portion 210a in the rear direction. In addition, the outer upper wall 211 which is formed in the boundary portion between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the inner upper portion overlapping portion 209 in the thickness direction is formed such that the outer peripheral shape of the front half of the inner upper overlapping portion 209 is reversed. On the other hand, the outer lower wall 212 formed in the boundary portion between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the inner lower portion overlapping portion 210 in the thickness direction has a shape in which the front half of the inner lower overlapping portion 210 is reversed.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of front and rear angular columnar upper restraining bodies 213 are formed on the upper portion of the unit member 200L. Cylindrical locking projections 215 extending in close proximity to each other are formed on opposite faces of the upper restricting body 213. Similarly, a pair of front and rear corner cylindrical lower restricting bodies 214 are formed at a lower portion of the unit member 200L. Cylindrical locking projections 215 extending in close proximity to each other are formed on opposite faces of the lower restricting body 214. The locking projection 215 is configured to mount the bridge member 25.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bridging member 25 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and is formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon which is the same as the unit member 200L. The locking claws 251 that are engageable with the locking projections 215 of the unit member 200L are formed at the left and right end portions of the bridge member 25. Further, a plurality of engagement recesses 252 are formed on one side surface in the thickness direction of the bridge member 25 (the side surface on which the locking claw 251 is locked to the locking projection 215 of the unit member 200L is the inner side of the cable chain 1). In the present embodiment, the engagement recessed portion 252 is provided so as to be arranged at the same interval in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7, the elastic connecting member 31 is a member for connecting the unit members 200L, and a plurality of elastic connecting members 31 are arranged in series in the front-rear direction. The elastic connecting member 31 is a substantially sheet-shaped resin member whose thickness direction is aligned with the vertical direction. The elastic connecting member 31 is composed of the elastic connecting member body 311 and the core member 312, and is formed by two-color molding to form the elastic connecting member body 311 and the core member 312. The elastic connecting member body 311 is softer than, for example, 12 nylon. The core material 312 is embedded in the front and rear end portions of the elastic joint member body 311, and is formed of, for example, a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon. Core material 312 is upper and lower To a flat, generally rectangular plate, extending in the left and right direction. The left and right end portions of the core member 312 protrude from the left and right edge portions of the elastic connecting member body 311, and the protruding portion of the core member 312 serves as an engaging projection 312a for locking the elastic connecting member 31 to the unit member 200L. The width dimension of the engaging projection 312a in the front-rear direction is about half of the inner diameter dimension of the engaging hole 201 of the unit member 200L in the front-rear direction. Further, the half groove portion 312b extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the engagement projection 312a by a width of about half of the dimension in the front-rear direction of the stopper projection 202 (see FIG. 4). The stopper 312c extending in the front-rear direction is erected in the vicinity of the center portion in the left-right direction of the half groove portion 312b. The front and rear end portions of the elastic connecting member body 311 and the embedded core member 312 serve as the columnar portion 31X of the elastic connecting member 31. A portion where the elastic connecting member body 311 is located between the core members 312 serves as a connecting portion 31Y of the elastic connecting member 31. Further, the dimension of the joint portion 31Y of the elastic joint member 31 in the front-rear direction is set as the arrangement pitch of the unit member 200 of the cable chain 1, that is, when the cable chain 1 is in a straight line as shown in Fig. 7 The distance between the adjacent two rotation centers P is about 1/3.

As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of notches 313 which are substantially semicircular when viewed from the upper side are formed on both edge portions in the front-rear direction of the core member 312. In other words, the elastic connecting member 31 has the following two types, and the first elastic connecting member 31A has three notches 313 formed on the front core member 312 and four notches 313 formed on the rear side core member 312; 2 The elastic connecting member 31B has four notches 313 formed on the front core material 312 and three notches 313 formed on the rear core material 312. Since the first elastic connecting member 31A and the second elastic connecting member 31B are alternately disposed, the fitting portion 313a is formed such that the notches 313 of the adjacent core members 312 are aligned with each other in the front-rear direction. In addition, the left and right directions of the gap 313 The arrangement pitch corresponds to the seven engagement recesses 252 of the bridge member 25 (see FIG. 1). The fitted portion 313a is a portion to which the partition member 50 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the partition member 50 is a columnar member which is formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon and which is flat on the right and left, and can be erected on the bridge member 25 and the elastic joint member 31. between. One end portion of the partition member 50 in the vertical direction is an elastic connecting member side fitting portion 51 that can be fitted to the fitted portion 313a of the elastic connecting member 31, and the other end portion is an engaging recess portion 252 that can be applied to the bridge member 25. The fitting bridging member side fitting portion 52. Further, in Fig. 10, in order to facilitate the observation of the partition member 50, a part of the members (the unit member 200L on the left side, the bridge member 25 on the upper side, and the like) are omitted. Further, in addition to the sixth and tenth drawings, the illustration of the partition member 50 is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the end portion elastic connecting member 32, the end cover 41, the end bracket 42, and the bracket cover 45 are attached to the end portion of the cable chain 1. The end elastic connecting member 32 is formed to cut the general elastic connecting member 31 into a half shape at the central portion in the front-rear direction. In other words, the end portion elastic connecting member 32 is provided with the core member 312 only at one end portion in the front-rear direction, and the other end portion is the free end portion 32A composed only of the elastic connecting member body 311. The end cap 41 is a member for covering and fixing the free end portion 32A of the end elastic connecting member 32. The end bracket 42 is fixed to a member of the body or the movable body, and can be attached to a predetermined portion of the unit member 200 at the end of the cable chain 1. The bracket cover 45 is a member for blocking a gap formed between the unit member 200 and the end bracket 42 at the end portion of the cable chain 1, and is provided with a lock that can be locked to the unit member 200. The protrusion 215 and the locking claw 451 of the locking protrusion 425 formed on the upper and lower portions of the end bracket 42.

A method of assembling the central portion of the cable chain 1 will be described based on FIGS. 2 to 5 and FIG. In addition, in order to make the description easy to understand, it is illustrated in FIG. 7 that the front side of the unit member 200L adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction is the front side unit member F, and the rear side is the rear side unit member B. In addition, in the seventh embodiment, the elastic connecting member 31 that connects the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B is used as the central elastic connecting member X2, and the front side unit member F and the unit member 200L that is closer to the front side are omitted (omitted The elastic connecting member 31 shown in the figure is the front side elastic connecting member X1, and the elastic connecting member 31 that connects the rear side unit member B and the unit member 200L (not shown) on the rear side is the rear side elastic connecting member X3.

In the method of assembling the central portion of the cable chain 1, first, the two unit members 200L are arranged in the front-rear direction, and the rear side unit members F are disposed on the right side surface of the outer side upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206. The inner upper superimposed portion 209 and the inner lower superimposed portion 210 of B overlap. Thereby, the concave portion 203 of the front side unit member F and the concave portion 204 of the rear side unit member B are combined, and the state in which the circle is formed when viewed from the side. At this time, the upper restricting projection 205a of the front side unit member F is inserted into the rear end portion of the upper circular arc groove portion 209a of the rear side unit member B from the rear side of the upper restricting wall 209b. Further, the lower restricting projection 206a of the front side unit member F is inserted into the lower end portion of the lower arcuate groove portion 210a of the rear side unit member B than the rear end portion of the lower restricting wall 210b. In this manner, the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are disposed in the front-rear direction. Repeatedly, the unit member 200L is disposed to have a desired length in the front-rear direction to form the side wall 20 on the left side. Similarly, the unit member 200R on the right side is also disposed in the front-rear direction to form the side wall 20 on the right side.

Next, the elastic connecting member 31 is attached to the unit member 200L. Specifically, the engagement protrusion 312a on the left side of the front side of the central elastic coupling member X2 is inserted into the rear half of the engagement hole 201 of the front side unit member F, and the engagement protrusion 312a on the left side of the center elastic connection member X2 is inserted into the rear side. The front half of the engaging hole 201 of the unit member B. Further, the engagement projection 312a on the left side of the front side elastic coupling member X1 is inserted into the front half of the engagement hole 201 of the front side unit member F, and the engagement protrusion 312a on the left side of the front side elastic coupling member X1 is inserted in the front side unit. The member F is the rear half of the engaging hole 201 of the unit member 200L (not shown) adjacent to the front side. Further, the engagement projection 312a on the left side of the rear side elastic coupling member X3 is inserted into the rear half of the engagement hole 201 of the rear unit member B, and the engagement projection 312a on the left side of the rear side elastic coupling member X3 is inserted. The front half of the engaging hole 201 of the unit member 200L (not shown) adjacent to the rear side unit member B. The same as the following, the unitary member 200L is gradually joined in the front-rear direction by the elastic connecting member 31. Similarly, the engagement projections 312a on the right side of the corresponding elastic coupling members 31 are gradually inserted into the engagement holes 201 of the right unit member 200R, and the right unit members 200R are also coupled in the front-rear direction. Further, when the engagement projection 312a is inserted into the engagement hole 201, the release projection 312c (see FIG. 5) of the engagement projection 312a is engaged with the release projection 202 of the engagement hole 201. Thereby, the engagement protrusion 312a is prevented from being accidentally detached from the engagement hole 201.

Further, the bridge member 25 is attached to the upper portion and the lower portion of the unit member 200L on the left side and the unit member 200R on the right side, respectively. In other words, the right and left locking claws 251 of the bridge member 25 are locked to the locking member 215 above and below the unit member 200L on the left side and the unit member 200R on the right side, and the unit member 200L and the unit member on the right side are connected to the left side. Upper and lower parts of the 200R. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the side wall 20 formed on the left side and the side wall of the right side are formed. The cable-type accommodating space between the 20 (the space surrounded by the left side wall 20, the right side wall 20, and the upper and lower two bridging members 25) S is divided into the upper side space S1 and the upper side of the elastic connecting member 31. The state of the lower side space S2 of the lower side of the elastic joint member 31. Further, the locking claw 251 and the locking projection 215 of the bridge member 25 are detachable, and the upper space S1 or the lower space S2 is opened as needed, and the cable C can be housed or taken out. Further, as described above, since the engagement hole 201 of the unit member 200 is located slightly below the central portion of the unit member 200, the upper space S1 which is curved with a large curvature when the cable chain 1 is bent downward is used. The lower side space S2 that is curved with a small curvature is wider on the upper and lower sides.

In this state, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the partition member 50 is attached to the elastic connecting member 31. In other words, the arbitrary bridging member 25 at the center of the assembled cable chain 1 is removed, the partition member 50 is inserted from the gap formed, and the elastic connecting member side fitting portion 51 of the partition member 50 is elastically coupled. The member 31 is fitted by the fitting portion 313a. Then, the bridge member 25 to which the detached bridge member 25 is reattached so that the bridge member side fitting portion 52 of the partition member 50 and the engaging recess portion 252 of the bridge member 25 are fitted. As a result, when a plurality of cables C are accommodated in the upper space S1 or the lower space S2 of the cable chain 1, the cables C can be spaced apart from each other and hardly contact each other. The left and right partition widths of the partition members 50 can be arbitrarily adjusted in accordance with the number of the partition members 50 to be attached or the mounting position.

A method of assembling the end portions of the cable chain 1 will be described based on Figs. 9 and 11 . The assembly method of the end portion of the cable chain 1 is first, in place of the general elastic connecting member 31, the end portion elastic connecting member 32 is locked to the unit member 200 located at the end of the cable chain 1. At this time, the free end portion 32A of the end elastic connecting member 32 is disposed so as to face the end side of the cable chain 1. then, The end cap 41 is attached to the free end portion 32A of the end elastic connecting member 32, and the winding of the free end portion 32A is suppressed. Further, the end bracket 42 is attached to a predetermined portion of the unit member 200 located at the end of the cable chain 1. Then, the bracket cover 45 is attached by locking the locking claws 451 of the bracket cover 45 to the locking projections 215 of the unit member 200 and the locking projections 425 of the end brackets 42.

The operation of the cable chain 1 will be described based on the seventh and eighth drawings. Here, an example in which the cable chain 1 operates between the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B will be described. However, the cable chain 1 may operate in the same manner as the other unit members 200. In a state in which the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are joined front and rear, the front unit unit F upper portion restricting projection 205a may be in the region of the rear side of the upper side arcuate portion 209a of the rear unit member B than the upper portion of the upper restricting wall 209b. The front side unit member F lower portion restricting projection 206a is movable forward and backward in a region of the lower arc groove portion 210a of the rear side unit member B in the rear side of the lower restricting wall 210b. Thereby, the center of the circle in which the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are formed to overlap the concave portion 203 and the concave portion 204 as the rotation center P can be obtained from the straight line state as shown in FIG. 7 to the eighth figure. Rotate between the curved states shown.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are in a straight state, the lower restricting projection 206a of the front side unit member F abuts against the lower restricting wall 210b of the rear side unit member B. At this time, by the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B abutting at a plurality of positions, the rotation is restricted to prevent the rear side unit member B from moving above the front side unit member F. Specifically, first, as described above, the lower restricting projection 206a of the front side unit member F abuts against the lower restricting wall 210b of the rear unit member B; second, the front side unit member F The upper restricting body 213 on the rear side abuts against the upper restricting body 213 on the front side of the rear side unit member B. Third, the outer peripheral surface of the outer side upper overlapping portion 205 of the front side unit member F and the outer side upper wall 211 of the rear side unit member B In addition, the fourth inner side upper wall 207 (see FIG. 4) of the front side unit member F abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the inner upper superimposed portion 209 of the rear side unit member B, whereby the rotation is restricted. When the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are in a straight state, the joint portion 31Y of the center elastic connecting member X2 is in a substantially unbent state. In other words, the central elastic connecting member X2 is in a state in which no elastic restoring force is applied to the cable chain 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B are in a curved state, the front side unit member F upper portion restricting projection 205a abuts against the upper restricting wall 209b of the rear side unit member B. At this time, by the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B abutting at a plurality of positions, the rotation is restricted to prevent the rear side unit member B from moving further upward. Specifically, first, as described above, the upper restricting projection 205a of the front side unit member F abuts against the upper restricting wall 209b of the rear unit member B; and second, the lower restricting body 214 and the rear of the rear side unit member F are rearward. The lower restricting member 214 on the front side of the side unit member B abuts; the third outer peripheral surface of the outer unit overlapping portion 206 of the front side unit member F abuts against the outer lower wall 212 of the rear unit member B; and the fourth, front unit The inner lower wall 208 (see FIG. 4) of the member F abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the inner lower overlapping portion 210 (see FIG. 3) of the rear unit member B, whereby the rotation is restricted. When the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in a curved state, the connecting portion 31Y of the central elastic connecting member X2 is bent downward in a state in which the rear end portion thereof is bent. In other words, the central elastic connecting member X2 is in a state in which the elastic returning force is applied to the cable chain 1 so that the front side unit member F and the rear side unit member B return to the straight state.

The present embodiment configured as described above has the following effects. The member for connecting the unit member 200 and dividing the cable accommodating space S into upper and lower portions is not a continuous belt member, but is constituted by a plurality of elastic connecting members 31 that respectively connect the adjacent unit members 200. Therefore, by removing the elastic connecting member 31 from the unit member 200 at a desired length, it is not necessary to cut, and the number of connections of the unit member 200 is simply reduced, and the cable chain 1 can be shortened. Further, by adding the unit member 200 and the elastic connecting member 31, the number of connections of the unit members 200 is simply increased, and the cable chain 1 can be lengthened.

Further, the core member 312 of the elastic connecting member 31 is formed of a material that is harder than the soft elastic connecting member body 311. Therefore, the strength of the elastic connecting member 31 can be increased and excessive distortion of the elastic connecting member 31 can be suppressed.

Further, the core material 312 is made of a material having a higher melting point than the elastic connecting member body 311. Therefore, when the elastic connecting member 31 is manufactured by the two-color molding of the core member 312 and the elastic connecting member body 311, the material constituting the core member 312 is hardly mixed with the connecting portion 31Y, and the quality is easily ensured.

Furthermore, since the partition member 50 is attached, the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 in the cable-type accommodating space S can be separated, for example, between a plurality of cables C arranged in the left-right direction. Therefore, even when a plurality of cables C are accommodated in one of the upper space S1 or the lower space S2, the partition members 50 are disposed between the cables C, thereby suppressing the cables C from each other. contact.

Further, since a generally thick cable type is more rigid and harder to bend than a thin cable type, when bending guidance is to be performed with a small curvature, it may be blocked by a thick cable, and the action of the cable chain becomes Not sleek. In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the bending of the cable chain 1 is performed with a large curvature. The upper side space S1 that can be bent and guided is curved wider than the lower side space S2 that is bent by a small curvature. In other words, it is easy to accommodate the thick cable type in the upper space S1, and it is easy to ensure the smooth bending operation of the cable chain 1.

Further, as shown in Fig. 7, since the elastic connecting member 31 of the present embodiment is in a state in which the front and rear ends are fixed to the beam, the stress applied to the connecting portion 31Y during the bending operation of the cable chain 1 is reduced. The long-term quality is maintained, and the length of the connecting portion 31Y in the front and rear directions is preferably long. However, when the dimension of the connecting portion 31Y in the front-rear direction is too long, the space in which the columnar portion 31X can be disposed becomes small, and the mounting strength of the elastic connecting member 31 to the unit member 200 may be lowered. In the present embodiment, the dimension of the connecting portion 31Y of the elastic connecting member 31 in the front-rear direction is about 1/3 of the arrangement pitch of the unit member 200. Thereby, the stress applied to the connection portion 31Y at the time of the bending operation of the cable chain 1 can be reduced, and the space in which the columnar portion 31X can be disposed can be secured.

The form of the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described constructions, but many alternatives, modifications, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and variations of the embodiments of the invention. For example, the aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described special structure, and can be changed as shown below.

In the above embodiment, the unit member 200, the bridge member 25, and the core member 312 of the elastic connecting member 31 are formed of 66 nylon, and the elastic connecting member body 311 of the elastic connecting member 31 is formed of 12 nylon. However, the elastic connecting member 31 is not limited thereto, and as long as the connecting portion 31Y is elastically deformable, The core member 312 or the elastic connecting member body 311 may be formed of another resin or the like. Further, the unit member 200 and the bridge member 25 may be formed of another resin or the like.

In the above embodiment, the elastic connecting member 31 is manufactured by two-color molding of the elastic connecting member body 311 and the core member 312. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be manufactured by another method. For example, after the elastic connecting member body 311 and the core member 312 are separately formed, two steps are assembled.

In the above-described embodiment, the elastic connecting member 31 is provided with the core member 312, and the left and right end portions of the core member 312 are configured to be engageable with the engaging projection portion 312a of the unit member 200. However, it is not limited thereto, and for example, the elastic connecting member 31 may be formed only by the elastic connecting member body 311 without the configuration of the core member 312. In other words, both of the columnar portion 31X and the connecting portion 31Y of the elastic connecting member 31 may be formed of a relatively soft resin such as 12 nylon. In such a configuration, the left and right end portions of the columnar portion 31X made of a relatively soft resin such as 12 nylon are protruding portions that are inserted into the engaging holes 201 of the unit member 200.

In the above embodiment, the partition member 50 is attached between the elastic connecting member 31 and the bridge member 25. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the partition member 50 may not be attached. In such a configuration, the cable-type accommodating space S is divided into two upper and lower sides of the upper space S1 and the lower space S2, and is not spaced apart in the left-right direction.

In the above-described embodiment, each of the upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls 20 is coupled by the bridging member 25. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the bridging member 25 may be attached to only one of the upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls 20.

Claims (4)

A cable chain for holding a cable to be bendable, comprising: a pair of side walls, wherein a plurality of unit members are coupled to be rotatable relative to each other; and a bridging member bridging between the upper portions of the pair of side walls and At least one of the lower portions and the elastically deformable elastic connecting member are locked to the inner side of the pair of side walls, and the cable-type accommodating space formed between the pair of side walls is divided into upper and lower sides; the elastic connection The component system includes: a pair of columnar portions extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the cable chain; and a connecting portion connecting the columnar portions; the plurality of the elastic connecting members are in a mutual a state in which the columnar portions of the adjacent elastic connecting members are arranged in parallel and arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain, and the adjacent columnar portions are respectively locked to the inner side of each of the unit members . The cable chain of claim 1, wherein the columnar portion has a core material that is harder than the joint portion. The cable chain of claim 2, wherein the core material is composed of a material having a higher melting point than a material constituting the joint portion. The cable chain according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the columnar portion has a notch extending between the adjacent columnar portions in a direction in which the cable chain extends; a gap-mounting partition member that is detachable from the cable chain The width direction is spaced apart from the space on the upper side and the lower side of the elastic connecting member of the cable-type housing space.