US2221668A - Flexible shaft coupling - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 12, w40. J, M BOWMN 2,221,668

FLEXIBLE SHAFT COUPLING yFiled June-2.9,' 1937 Patented Nov. '12, 19.40

UNITED STATES FLEXIBLE SHAFT ooUPLiNG Joh M. Bowman, vPhila mesne assignments, t Inc., Carson City, Ne vada delphia, Pa., assgnorfby o Pennsylvania Patents, v., .a corporation 'of Ne- Application June 9, 1937, serial 147,324

This invention relates'to a n ovel method of terminating a, flexible shaft conduit and to a novel terminal structure provided by such method. `Although th/e invention is Yapplicable to flexible shaft conduits used for various purposes, it is particularly directed to those vemployed in connection with vehicle radio receivers, such as the automobile radio receivers now in general use.

As Well known in the art, flexible shafts are used to control the adjustable elements -of an automobile vradio receiver, such as the tuning and volume control elements, from-a point remotely located with respect to the receiving set.

` The set is usually controlled by means of a control device mounted on the instrument panel of the automobile, andthe flexible shafts extend be- .tween the said controldevice and the radio set. The conduit for suchv a flexible shaft comprises a flexible metal tube' formed of spirally-Wound strip material, and a loom covering on the said tube. The rotatable exible shaft extends through the exible tube. Considerable difliculty has been encountered in the past in providing a. suitable terminating structure for such a conduit v in order to anchor the ends of the conduit firmly the end of the conduit and the .assembled elements are crimped to interlock them together. Moreover, the flexible metal tube forming a part of the conduit is held in Afirm engagement with -the metal terminal so that when the terminal is grounded by virtue of its mechanical attachment to thehousing of either the radio set or the control device, the flexible tube is likewise grounded.

The invention may be more clearly understood 40 by reference to the accom which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a. cap-like terminal which may be employed according to the invention; and f Figs. 2 to 4 illustrate successive steps in the method of forming the terminal structure. Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a terminal in the form of a metallic cap having'the shape, shown 'in Figs. 1 and 2 may be employed. This terminal 'has a head portion I witli an aperture 2 at the center thereof, and a cylindrical wall 3, the ,end of which is fiared 'outward as shown at 4. The ter-V 55 minal may be formed from. sheet metal inv ac'- V2 Claims. (o1. 28s-72).

panying drawing, in

cordance with` any of the l: working such material. y

The exible shaft conduit Vabove mentioned is shown in Figs. 2 to l and comprises the fiexible tube-5 formed of spirally-wound flat -metallic'strip 5 material and a loom covering 6 over the said tube.

As stated above, the exlble control shaft extends through the conduit during use of the same.

In accordance with'the present invention,the cap-like material is placed over an end of the conduit as shown in Fig. 2 and the end portion of the conduit, to'getherwith the terminalthereon,

is placed in a two-part hollow die member l` having the form shown clearly in Fig. 2. It will be noted that this die member has an annular shoul- 15 der'8, a conical-surface 9 and another annular l shoulder IIJ;` The member is also preferably provided with corrugations Illa to enhance the frictional gripping of the conduit. The initial positioning of the conduit and terminal in die mem- 20 ber 'I is as shown-in Fig. 2. Following the positioning-of 'the assembled parts in 'the die member 1, a complementary` die member II having a pointed end is brought into' the position shown in Fig. 2 with its pointed end seated in theopening 25 2 ofthe terminal. 'Ifhe member II has a cylindrical portion I2 of such diameter that it is adapted to slide snugly within the Iiexible tube 5. The die member II also has an annular shoulder I 3, and an arcuate annular surface I4 between the 30 shoulder I3 and the cylindrical portion I5. The lattercylindrical portion is adapted to seat snugly Y within the complementary end portion I5aof the die member l. i Asthe die member II is moved toward the`35 right from the position shown in Fig. 2, the con-- duit and the' terminal are held frictionally by the die member 1, and the pointed end enlarges the opening in the terminal anddeforms the head of the terminal by pressing it inward. When the surface I4 of die member I I engages the inner wall of the vterminal it exerts longitudinal-pressure on the conduit and causes the conduit and the terminal to slide within the die member 'I tothe position of Fig. 3. During suchmovement, the ared end 4 is crimped inward bythe surface 9 and nally rests against the shoulder 8, while the opposite flared end of the terminal comes to rest against the shoulder I0, as shown in Fig. 3. The conduit` and terminal arethen held firmly by thedie member 1 while the die member I I exerts further longitudinal pressure. The surface ilA of die member 'Ig presses the outer part of the terminal against theloom 6, while the shoulderv I3 of die,v

nown methods l of member .II crimps the tube 5, as shown -at I6, and

the surface I4 presses the inner part of the terminal firmly against the inner surface of tube 5. The end portions of the tube 5 and the loom 6 are flared and compressed between the inner and outer parts of the terminal.

When the die member I I is removed, the resilience of the'tube 5 causes the deformed end thereof to take the form shown in Fig. 4. The parts are thus firmly attached to one another and are interlocked with respect to one another and, at the same time, the metal terminal is in snug engagement with vthe end of the deformed end of tube -5. The flexible shaft conduit thus terminated may be attached to the metallic radio set housing or to the metallic housing of the control device above mentioned in any suitable manner, for example by means of a collar adapted to engage the ared end or flange of the terminal and which may be secured to either one of the housings. This, the end of the flexible shaft conduit may be firmly anchored and, at the same time, the metallic tube 5 may be eiiciently grounded.

It `will be understood that various other embodiments of the invention are possible. The invention contemplates broadly the die-forming of a terminal and an associated end of a flexible shaft conduit, so as to press the elements into firm engagement and to crimp -them to interlock them together.v It will beapparent, therefore, that the invention is not limited yto the specific forms herein illustrated and described. y

I claim:

1. A terminal structure for a flexible condui including a flexible metal tube and a loom covering thereon, said structure comprising a stamped metal terminal member tted onto an end of said being deformed or crimped inwardly to tightlyengage the loom covering, and the end of the composite structure being flared outwardly, whereby said terminal member and said conduit are interlocked with one another against longitudinal relative movement.

2. A terminal structure for a flexible conduit including a flexible resilient metal tube and a covering thereon, said structure comprising a stamped metal terminal member fitted onto an end of said conduit, said member having inner and outer concentric parts connected together by an annular connecting portion extending about and covering the edge of the conduit end, the inner part of said member engaging the inner wall of said tube at the end thereof, the outer part of said member embracing said covering over a substantial end area thereof and. being deformed or crimped inwardly to tightly engage the covering, and the end of the composite structure being flared outwardly, the diameter of the flared end beinggreate than the diameter of the inwardly crimped portion of said outer part, wherebysaid terminal member and said conduit are interlocked with one another against longitudinal relative movement.

JQHN M.) BOWMAN.

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