JP6169744B1 - Cable chain - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cable chain whose length can be easily adjusted. A cable chain includes a pair of side walls 20 formed by connecting a plurality of unit members 200 so as to be rotatable relative to each other, a bridging member 25 that bridges upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls 20, and a pair of side walls 20. And an elastically deformable elastic connecting member 31 which is locked inside the side wall 20 and divides the cable housing space formed between the pair of side walls 20 in the vertical direction. The elastic connecting member 31 includes a pair of columnar portions 31X that face each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cable chain extends, and a connecting portion 31Y that connects the columnar portions 31X. The plurality of elastic connecting members 31 are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain with the columnar portions 31X of the adjacent elastic connecting members 31 arranged in parallel with each other, and the adjacent columnar portions 31X are respectively It is locked inside each unit member 200. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable chain that bends and guides cables that supply and transmit electric power, signals, fluids, and the like to a movable body that reciprocates linearly with respect to a main body.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cable chain that includes a pair of side walls formed by connecting a plurality of unit members so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and a bridging member that bridges upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls. Has been. The unit members of the cable chain are connected by one elastically deformable belt member that is locked inside the pair of side walls. The belt member vertically divides a cable housing space formed between the pair of side walls. For this reason, cables are disposed in each of the partitioned upper and lower spaces and bent and guided, thereby preventing damage to the cables due to external contact and contact between the cables.

Japanese Patent No. 5307701

  In the cable chain described in Patent Document 1, after the cable chain is disposed between the main body and the movable body, if the movable distance of the movable body is changed for some reason, the cable chain is shortened or extended. May need to be done. However, when trying to shorten the cable chain, it is necessary to cut the remaining belt member by reducing the number of unit members to be connected, so that a tool for cutting the belt member is required and there is a problem that it is not simple. Also, when trying to extend the cable chain, it is necessary to increase the number of unit members to be connected. However, the belt member connecting the unit members is a member that cannot be extended, so that the cable chain cannot be extended. there were.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a pair of side walls formed by connecting a plurality of unit members so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and a cable housing space formed between the pair of side walls is partitioned vertically. An object of the present invention is to provide a cable chain that can be easily adjusted in length.

  A first invention of the present invention is a cable chain that holds cables in a bendable manner, and includes a pair of side walls formed by connecting a plurality of unit members so as to be relatively rotatable with each other, and upper portions of the pair of side walls; A bridging member that bridges at least one of the lower portions, an elastically deformable elastic coupling member that is locked inside the pair of side walls, and that vertically partitions a cable housing space formed between the pair of side walls; The elastic connecting member includes a pair of columnar portions facing each other and extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the cable chain extends, and a connecting portion connecting the columnar portions, The columnar portions adjacent to each other are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain with the columnar portions of the adjacent elastic coupling members arranged in parallel with each other. Previous Characterized in that it is engaged with the inside of the unit member.

  According to the first invention, the members for connecting the unit members and dividing the cable housing section vertically are not one continuous belt member, but a plurality of elastic members for connecting adjacent unit members separately. It is comprised by the connection member. For this reason, by removing the elastic connecting member from the unit member at a required length, it is possible to easily reduce the number of unit members connected without cutting and shorten the cable chain. Furthermore, by adding the unit member and the elastic connecting member, the number of connecting unit members can be easily increased and the cable chain can be lengthened.

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

  According to the second invention, the columnar part of the elastic connecting member includes a core material harder than the connecting part. For this reason, it is possible to improve the strength of the elastic connecting member and to suppress excessive twisting of the elastic connecting member.

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

  According to the third invention, the core material is made of a material having a higher melting point than the material constituting the connecting portion. For this reason, when an elastic connection member is manufactured by two-color molding of the core material and the connecting portion, the material constituting the core material is less likely to be mixed into the connecting portion, and quality can be easily ensured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the columnar portion includes a notch extending in a direction in which the cable chain extends between the columnar portion and the adjacent columnar portion. And a partition member capable of partitioning an upper space and a lower space of the elastic connection member in the cable housing space in the width direction of the cable chain is attached to the notch. To do.

  According to the 4th invention, in the cable accommodation space partitioned up and down by the elastic connection member, for example, the plurality of cables juxtaposed in the left-right direction can be partitioned by the partition member. For this reason, even if it is a case where a plurality of cables are accommodated in one of the cable accommodation spaces partitioned vertically, contact between the cables can be suppressed by arranging a partition member between the cables. .

It is a perspective view of the center part of the cable chain which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the center part of the cable chain of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the outer surface of the unit member of the said embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the inner surface of the unit member of the said embodiment. It is the top view which looked at the state which arranged the elastic connection member of the said embodiment in series in the direction where a cable chain extends from the upper direction. It is the front view which looked at the center part of the cable chain of FIG. 1 from the front. It is a left view which shows the state where the cable chain of the said embodiment extended linearly. It is a left view which shows the state which the cable chain of the said embodiment bent. It is a disassembled perspective view of the edge part of the cable chain of the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the partition member to the cable chain of the said embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the whole cable chain shape.

  1 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows the overall shape of the cable chain 1 according to the present invention. In each figure, the up-down direction and the left-right direction are shown by arrows with the extending direction of the cable chain 1 as the front-back direction. In the following description, the description regarding the direction is made based on this direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable chain 1 includes a pair of left and right side walls 20 formed by connecting unit members 200 in the front-rear direction so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and upper portions of the pair of side walls 20 extending in the left-right direction. It has the structure provided with the bridge | crosslinking member 25 which connects each other and lower parts. A plurality of elastic connecting members 31 are locked inside the pair of side walls 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the unit member 200 is a substantially block-like member that is formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon and is thin in the left-right direction. As described above, the unit member 200 is a pair on the left and right, and the left unit member 200L and the right unit member 200R have a bilaterally symmetric structure, so the left unit member 200L will be mainly described. The unit member 200L has a left side surface that is an outer side surface thereof formed in a predetermined uneven surface shape, and a right side surface that is an inner side surface is formed in a substantially flat surface shape. An engagement hole 201 that is a through-hole that is open in the shape of a long hole extending forward and backward is formed on the left and right side surface portions slightly below the center portion of the unit member 200L. On both the upper and lower sides of the inner peripheral surface of the engagement hole 201, a retaining protrusion 202 that is a protrusion extending in the front-rear direction is formed. The rear end portion of the unit member 200L in the center in the up-down direction is formed with a notch-shaped concave portion 203 lacking in the rear, and the front end portion of the unit member 200L in the center in the up-down direction is lacking in the front. The recess 204 is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an outer upper overlap portion 205 and an outer lower overlap portion 206 formed in a substantially fan shape with the concave portion 203 as the center are provided at the upper rear portion and the lower rear portion of the unit member 200L, respectively. Yes. The outer upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206 are approximately half the thickness of the central portion of the unit member 200L, and the left end surface is substantially the same as the left side surface of the central portion of the unit member 200L. It is one.

  An upper regulating projection 205a and a lower regulating projection 206a projecting to the right are provided at the rear ends of the outer upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206, respectively. Further, the inner upper wall 207, which is a step in the thickness direction formed at the boundary portion between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the outer upper overlapping portion 205, reverses the outer peripheral shape of the rear half of the outer upper overlapping portion 205. It has a shape like this. The inner lower wall 208, which is a step in the thickness direction formed at the boundary portion between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the outer lower overlapping portion 206, has a shape that is obtained by inverting the rear half of the outer lower overlapping portion 206 back and forth. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an inner upper overlap portion 209 and an inner lower overlap portion 210 formed in a substantially fan shape with the concave portion 204 as the center are provided on the front upper portion and the front lower portion of the unit member 200 </ b> L, respectively. Yes. The inner upper overlapping portion 209 and the inner lower overlapping portion 210 are approximately half the thickness dimension of the central portion of the unit member 200L, and the right end surface is substantially the same as the right side surface of the central portion of the unit member 200L. It is one.

  On the left side surface of the inner upper overlapping portion 209, an upper arc groove portion 209a extending in a substantially arc shape whose upper portion swells around the concave portion 204 is formed. An upper regulating wall 209b that partitions the upper arc groove portion 209a in the front-rear direction is formed in the vicinity of the center portion in the front-rear direction of the upper arc groove portion 209a. In addition, a lower arc groove portion 210 a extending in a substantially arc shape with a lower portion bulging around the concave portion 204 is formed on the left side surface of the inner lower overlapping portion 210. A lower regulating wall 210b that divides the lower arc groove portion 210a forward and backward is formed slightly near the front portion of the lower arc groove portion 210a in the front-rear direction center. The outer upper wall 211, which is a step in the thickness direction formed at the boundary between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the inner upper overlapping portion 209, reverses the outer peripheral shape of the front half of the inner upper overlapping portion 209 back and forth. It has a shape like this. The outer lower wall 212, which is a step in the thickness direction formed at the boundary between the central portion of the unit member 200L and the inner lower overlapping portion 210, is shaped like a front half of the inner lower overlapping portion 210 reversed in the front-rear direction. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of front and rear prism-shaped upper restriction bodies 213 are formed on the upper portion of the unit member 200 </ b> L. On the opposing surfaces of the upper restricting body 213, cylindrical locking projections 215 extending so as to approach each other are formed. Similarly, a pair of front and rear prism-shaped lower regulating bodies 214 are formed at the lower part of the unit member 200L. On the opposing surfaces of the lower restricting body 214, cylindrical locking projections 215 extending so as to approach each other are formed. The locking projection 215 has a structure for attaching the bridging member 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bridging member 25 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member extending in the left-right direction, and is formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon that is the same as the unit member 200L. Locking claws 251 that can be locked to the locking protrusions 215 of the unit member 200 </ b> L are formed at both left and right ends of the bridging member 25. Further, on one side surface in the thickness direction of the bridging member 25 (the side surface that is the inner side of the cable chain 1 in a state where the locking claw 251 is locked to the locking protrusion 215 of the unit member 200L), a plurality of engaging recesses 252 Is formed. In the present embodiment, seven engaging recesses 252 are provided side by side at the same interval in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 7, the elastic connecting member 31 is a member for connecting the unit members 200 </ b> L, and a plurality of elastic connecting members 31 are arranged in series in the front-rear direction. Yes. The elastic connecting member 31 is a substantially sheet-like resin member whose thickness direction matches the vertical direction. The elastic connecting member 31 includes an elastic connecting member main body 311 formed of a relatively soft resin such as 12 nylon, and a relatively hard material such as 66 nylon embedded in both front and rear ends of the elastic connecting member main body 311. The core material 312 is made of resin, and is formed by molding the elastic connecting member main body 311 and the core material 312 in two colors. The core material 312 is a substantially rectangular plate material that is flat in the vertical direction, and extends in the horizontal direction. The left and right end portions of the core material 312 protrude from the left and right edges of the elastic connecting member main body 311, and the protruding portion of the core material 312 engages the elastic connecting member 31 with the unit member 200L. Part 312a. The width dimension in the front-rear direction of the engagement protrusion 312a is approximately half of the inner diameter dimension in the front-rear direction of the engagement hole 201 of the unit member 200L. Half-groove portions 312b extending in the left-right direction are formed on both the upper and lower surfaces of the engaging protrusion 312a with a width approximately half the front-rear dimension of the retaining protrusion 202 (see FIG. 4). A retaining wall 312c extending in the front-rear direction is provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the left-right direction of the half groove portion 312b. The front and rear end portions of the elastic connecting member main body 311 and the core material 312 embedded in the elastic connecting member main body 311 form the columnar portion 31X of the elastic connecting member 31. A portion located between the core members 312 in the elastic connecting member main body 311 serves as a connecting portion 31 </ b> Y of the elastic connecting member 31. The longitudinal dimension of the coupling portion 31Y of the elastic coupling member 31 is adjacent to the arrangement pitch of the unit members 200 in the cable chain 1, that is, before and after the cable chain 1 is in a straight state as shown in FIG. The distance between two matching rotation centers P is about one third .

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of cutouts 313 that are substantially semicircular when viewed from above are formed at both edges in the front-rear direction of the core material 312. That is, the elastic connecting member 31 includes a first elastic connecting member 31A in which three notches 313 are formed in the front core material 312 and four notches 313 are formed in the rear core material 312; There are two types: a second elastic connecting member 31B in which four notches 313 are formed in the core material 312 and three notches 313 are formed in the rear core material 312. Since the first elastic connecting members 31A and the second elastic connecting members 31B are alternately arranged, the notched portions 313 of the adjacent core members 312 are joined together in the front and rear to form the fitted portion 313a. Note that the arrangement pitch of the notches 313 in the left-right direction corresponds to the seven engaging recesses 252 of the bridging member 25 (see FIG. 1). The fitted part 313 a is a part for attaching the partition member 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the partition member 50 is a left and right columnar member formed of a relatively hard resin such as 66 nylon, and stands between the bridging member 25 and the elastic connecting member 31. It is possible to set. In the partition member 50, one end portion in the vertical direction is an elastic connecting member side fitting portion 51 that can be fitted to the fitted portion 313 a of the elastic connecting member 31, and the other end portion is the bridge member 25. It is a bridging member side fitting portion 52 that can be fitted to the engaging recess 252. In FIG. 10, in order to make the partition member 50 easy to see, some members (the left unit member 200L, the upper bridging member 25, etc.) are omitted. In addition, in FIG. 6 and FIG. 10, the partition member 50 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, an end elastic connecting member 32, an end cap 41, an end bracket 42, and a bracket cover 45 are attached to the end of the cable chain 1. The end elastic connecting member 32 is formed in a shape such that a normal elastic connecting member 31 is cut in half at the center in the front-rear direction. In other words, the end elastic connecting member 32 includes the core material 312 only at one end in the front-rear direction, and the other end is a free end 32 </ b> A including only the elastic connecting member main body 311. The end cap 41 is a member for covering and fixing the free end 32 </ b> A of the end elastic connecting member 32. The end bracket 42 is a member that can be fixed to the main body or the movable body, and can be attached to a predetermined portion of the unit member 200 located at the end of the cable chain 1. The bracket cover 45 is a member for closing the upper and lower gaps formed between the unit member 200 positioned at the end of the cable chain 1 and the end bracket 42, and includes a locking projection 215 of the unit member 200, A locking projection 425 formed on the upper and lower portions of the end bracket 42 and a locking claw 451 that can be locked to the end bracket 42 are provided.

  A method for assembling the central portion of the cable chain 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. For easy understanding, FIG. 7 shows the front unit member F as the front unit member F and the rear unit member B as the rear unit member B among the unit members 200L adjacent in the front-rear direction. The elastic connecting member 31 that connects the front unit member F and the rear unit member B is the central elastic connecting member X2, and the front unit member F and the front unit member 200L (not shown) are connected to each other. The connecting member 31 is the front elastic connecting member X1, and the elastic connecting member 31 that connects the rear unit member B and the rear unit member 200L (not shown) is shown as the rear elastic connecting member X3 in FIG. ing.

  The assembly method of the center part of the cable chain 1 is as follows. First, the two unit members 200L are arranged in the front-rear direction, and the rear unit with respect to the right side surface of the outer upper overlapping portion 205 and the outer lower overlapping portion 206 of the front unit member F. The inner upper overlapping portion 209 and the inner lower overlapping portion 210 of the member B are overlapped. Thereby, the concave portion 203 of the front unit member F and the concave portion 204 of the rear unit member B are combined to form a circle when viewed from the side. At this time, the upper restricting projection 205a of the front unit member F is inserted into the rear end of the upper arc groove 209a of the rear unit member B on the rear side of the upper restricting wall 209b, and the lower restricting protrusion 206a of the front unit member F is inserted. Is inserted into the front end portion on the rear side of the lower arcuate groove portion 210a of the lower unit member B from the lower regulating wall 210b. Thus, the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are arranged in the front-rear direction. By repeating this, the left side wall 20 is formed by arranging the unit members 200L in the front-rear direction until a desired length is obtained. Similarly, the right unit member 200R is also arranged in the front-rear direction to form the right side wall 20.

  Next, the elastic connecting member 31 is attached to the unit member 200L. Specifically, the front left engagement protrusion 312a of the central elastic coupling member X2 is inserted into the rear half of the engagement hole 201 of the front unit member F, and the front half of the engagement hole 201 of the rear unit member B is inserted. The engagement protrusion 312a on the left side of the central elastic coupling member X2 is inserted. Further, a rear left engagement protrusion 312a is inserted into the front half of the engagement hole 201 of the front unit member F, and a unit member 200L (not shown) adjacent to the front side of the front unit member F is further adjacent. The engagement protrusion 312a on the left side of the front elastic coupling member X1 is inserted into the rear half of the engagement hole 201. Further, the front left engagement protrusion 312a of the rear elastic coupling member X3 is inserted into the rear half of the engagement hole 201 of the rear unit member B, and the unit member 200L adjacent to the rear side of the rear unit member B further. The rear left engagement protrusion 312a is inserted into the front half of the engagement hole 201 (not shown). Thereafter, the unit member 200L is connected in the front-rear direction by the elastic connecting member 31 in the same manner. Similarly, the right unit member 200R is also connected in the front-rear direction by inserting each right engagement protrusion 312a of the corresponding elastic connection member 31 into the engagement hole 201 of the right unit member 200R. To do. When the engagement protrusion 312a is inserted into the engagement hole 201, the retaining wall 312c (see FIG. 5) of the engagement protrusion 312a is engaged with the retaining protrusion 202 of the engagement hole 201. As a result, the engagement protrusion 312a is prevented from unintentionally coming out of the engagement hole 201.

  Further, the bridging members 25 are attached to the upper and lower portions of the left unit member 200L and the right unit member 200R, respectively. That is, the left and right engaging members 251 of the bridging member 25 are engaged with the upper and lower engaging protrusions 215 of the left unit member 200L and the right unit member 200R, and the left unit member 200L and the right unit member facing each other. Connect the top and bottom with 200R. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, a cable housing space formed between the left side wall 20 and the right side wall 20 (the left side wall 20, the right side wall 20, and the upper and lower two bridging members 25 are enclosed. The space S is partitioned into an upper space S1 located above the elastic connecting member 31 and a lower space S2 located below. The locking claw 251 and the locking projection 215 of the bridging member 25 can be removed, and the upper space S1 or the lower space S2 is opened to accommodate or take out the cables C as necessary. it can. Further, as described above, since the engagement hole 201 of the unit member 200 is located slightly below the center portion of the unit member 200, the upper space that bends with a large curvature when the cable chain 1 is bent downward. S1 is wider above and below the lower space S2 that bends with a small curvature.

  In this state, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the partition member 50 is attached to the elastic connecting member 31. That is, the arbitrary bridging member 25 at the center of the cable chain 1 that has been assembled is removed, the partition member 50 is inserted through the formed gap, and the partition member 50 is inserted into the fitted portion 313a of the elastic connecting member 31. The elastic connecting member side fitting portion 51 is fitted. Then, the removed bridging member 25 is reattached so that the bridging member side fitting portion 52 of the partition member 50 and the engaging recess 252 of the bridging 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 partitioned from each other to make them difficult to contact each other. The left and right partition widths of the partition member 50 can be arbitrarily adjusted by changing the number of partition members 50 to be attached, the attachment positions, and the like.

  Based on FIG.9 and FIG.11, the assembly method of the edge part of the cable chain 1 is demonstrated. The assembly method of the end portion of the cable chain 1 is as follows. First, the unit elastic member 32 for the end portion is engaged with the unit member 200 positioned at the end portion of the cable chain 1 instead of the normal elastic connecting member 31. Stop. At this time, it arrange | positions so that the free end part 32A of the elastic connection member 32 for ends may face the edge part side of the cable chain 1. FIG. Next, the end cap 41 is attached to the free end portion 32A of the end elastic connecting member 32 to suppress the free end portion 32A from rolling up. 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 claw 451 of the bracket cover 45 to the locking projection 215 of the unit member 200 and the locking projection 425 of the end bracket 42.

  Based on FIG.7 and FIG.8, operation | movement of the cable chain 1 is demonstrated. Here, an example in which the cable chain 1 operates between the front unit member F and the rear unit member B will be described, but the cable chain 1 may operate similarly between the other unit members 200. it can. In a state where the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are connected to each other in the front-rear direction, the upper restriction protrusion 205a of the front unit member F is a region on the rear side of the restriction wall 209b of the upper arc groove 209a of the rear unit member B. The lower restricting projection 206a of the front unit member F is movable back and forth within the region on the rear side of the restricting wall portion 210b of the lower arc groove 210a of the rear unit member B. . Accordingly, the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are shown in FIG. 8 from a straight state as shown in FIG. 7 with the center of a circle formed by overlapping the concave portion 203 and the concave portion 204 as a rotation center P. It is possible to rotate between such bent states.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in a straight line state, the lower regulation protrusion 206 a of the front unit member F and the regulation wall portion 210 b of the rear unit member B abut. At this time, the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in contact with each other at a plurality of locations, so that the rear unit member B is restricted from moving upward from the front unit member F. Specifically, first, as described above, the lower regulating protrusion 206a of the front unit member F and the regulating wall portion 210b of the rear unit member B abut, and second, the rear side of the front unit member F. The upper regulating body 213 of the rear unit member B and the upper upper regulating body 213 on the front side of the rear unit member B are in contact with each other. Due to the contact with the wall 211, and fourthly, the inner upper wall 207 (see FIG. 4) of the front unit member F and the outer peripheral surface of the inner upper overlapping portion 209 of the rear unit member B Rotation is restricted. When the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in a straight line state, the connecting portion 31Y of the central elastic connecting member X2 is in a basic state that is not bent. That is, the central elastic connecting member X <b> 2 is in a state where no elastic restoring force is applied to the cable chain 1.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in a bent state, the upper regulation protrusion 205 a of the front unit member F and the regulation wall portion 209 b of the rear unit member B abut. At this time, the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in contact with each other at a plurality of locations, so that the rear unit member B is restricted from rotating further. Specifically, first, as described above, the upper regulation protrusion 205a of the front unit member F and the regulation wall portion 209b of the rear unit member B abut, and second, the rear side of the front unit member F. The lower regulating body 214 of the rear unit member B and the lower regulating body 214 on the front side of the rear unit member B are in contact with each other. Third, the outer peripheral surface of the outer lower overlapping portion 206 of the front unit member F and the outer lower part of the rear unit member B The wall 212 abuts, and fourth, the inner lower wall 208 (see FIG. 4) of the front unit member F and the outer peripheral surface of the inner lower overlapping portion 210 (see FIG. 3) of the rear unit member B. The rotation is restricted by the contact. When the front unit member F and the rear unit member B are in a bent state, the connecting portion 31Y of the central elastic connecting member X2 is bent with its rear end bent downward. That is, the central elastic connecting member X2 is in a state where an elastic restoring force is applied to the cable chain 1 so that the front unit member F and the rear unit member B return to a linear state.

  The present embodiment configured as described above has the following operational effects. A member for connecting the unit members 200 and dividing the cable housing section S vertically is not a single continuous belt member, but a plurality of elastic connecting members 31 for connecting adjacent unit members 200 separately. It is configured. For this reason, by removing the elastic connecting member 31 from the unit member 200 at a required length, the number of unit members 200 can be easily reduced without cutting and the cable chain 1 can be shortened. Furthermore, by adding the unit member 200 and the elastic connecting member 31, the number of unit members 200 to be connected can be easily increased and the cable chain 1 can be lengthened.

  Furthermore, the core material 312 of the elastic connecting member 31 is formed of a material harder than the soft elastic connecting member main body 311. For this reason, the strength improvement of the elastic connection member 31 and the suppression of the excessive twist of the elastic connection member 31 can be aimed at.

  Further, the core material 312 is made of a material having a melting point higher than that of the elastic connecting member main body 311. For this reason, when the elastic connection member 31 is manufactured by two-color molding of the core material 312 and the elastic connection member main body 311, the material constituting the core material 312 is less likely to be mixed into the connection portion 31 </ b> Y, and it is easy to ensure quality. Become.

  Furthermore, since the partition member 50 is attached, in the upper space S1 and the lower space S2 of the cable housing space S, for example, a plurality of cables C juxtaposed in the left-right direction can be partitioned. For this reason, even if it is a case where a plurality of cables C are stored in one of upper space S1 or lower space S2, contact between cables C is suppressed by arranging partition member 50 between cables C. be able to.

  Furthermore, since thick cables are generally more rigid and difficult to bend than thin cables, when trying to bend and guide with a small curvature, the thick cables may obstruct the operation of the cable chain. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper space S1 that can be bent and guided with a large curvature when the cable chain 1 is bent is located above and below the lower space S2 that is bent and guided with a small curvature. wide. That is, it is easy to accommodate thick cables in the upper space S1, and the cable chain 1 can be easily secured smoothly.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, since the elastic connecting member 31 of the present embodiment is in a state where both front and rear ends are fixed, the stress applied to the connecting portion 31Y during the bending operation of the cable chain 1 is reduced to reduce the quality. In order to maintain the long term, it is preferable that the dimension of the connecting portion 31Y in the front-rear direction is long. However, if 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 attachment strength of the elastic connecting member 31 to the unit member 200 may be reduced. In the present embodiment, the dimension in the front-rear direction of the connecting portion 31Y of the elastic connecting member 31 is about one third of the arrangement pitch of the unit members 200. Thereby, while being able to make small the stress applied to the connection part 31Y at the time of the bending operation of the cable chain 1, the space which can arrange | position the columnar part 31X can be ensured.

  As mentioned above, although specific embodiment was described, this invention is not limited to those external appearances and structures, A various change, addition, and deletion are possible in the range which does not change the summary of this invention. For example, the following can be mentioned.

  1. In the above embodiment, the core member 312 of the unit member 200, the bridging member 25 and the elastic connecting member 31 is made of 66 nylon, and the elastic connecting member main body 311 of the elastic connecting member 31 is made of 12 nylon. However, the elastic connecting member 31 is not limited to this, and the core member 312 and the elastic connecting member main body 311 may be formed of another resin or the like as long as the connecting portion 31Y can be bent so as to be elastically deformable. . Further, the unit member 200 and the bridging member 25 may be formed of other resins or the like.

  2. In the embodiment, the elastic connecting member 31 is manufactured by two-color molding of the elastic connecting member main body 311 and the core material 312. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic connecting member main body 311 and the core material 312 may be separately formed and then assembled in a later process.

  3. In the above embodiment, the elastic connecting member 31 includes the core material 312, and the left and right ends of the core material 312 are used as the engaging protrusions 312 a that can be locked to the unit member 200. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, the elastic connecting member 31 may be formed only from the elastic connecting member main body 311 and may not have the core material 312. That is, both 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 31 </ b> X made of a relatively soft resin such as 12 nylon serve as protrusions inserted into the engagement holes 201 of the unit member 200.

  4). In the embodiment, the partition member 50 is attached between the elastic connecting member 31 and the bridging member 25. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and a configuration in which the partition member 50 is not attached may be used. In such a configuration, the cable housing space S is divided into two upper and lower spaces, an upper space S1 and a lower space S2, and is not partitioned in the left-right direction.

  5. In the above embodiment, the upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls 20 are connected by the bridging member 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the bridging member 25 is attached to only one of the upper portions and the lower portions of the pair of side walls 20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cable chain 20 Side wall 200 Unit member 201 Engagement hole 25 Bridging member 31 Elastic connection member 312 Core material 312a Engagement protrusion (protrusion part)
313 Notch 31X Column-shaped part 31Y Connection part 50 Partition member S Cable accommodation space

Claims (4)

A cable chain that holds cables in a bendable manner,
A pair of side walls formed by connecting a plurality of unit members so as to be rotatable relative to each other;
A bridging member that bridges at least one of the upper and lower portions of the pair of side walls;
An elastically deformable elastic coupling member that is locked inside the pair of side walls and divides a cable housing space formed between the pair of side walls vertically.
The elastic connecting member includes a pair of columnar portions that face each other and extend in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the cable chain, and a connecting portion that connects the columnar portions,
In the state where a plurality of the elastic connecting members are arranged in series in the extending direction of the cable chain with the columnar portions of the adjacent elastic connecting members arranged in parallel to each other, the adjacent columnar portions are Cable chains that are respectively locked inside the unit members. In claim 1,
The cable chain in which the columnar part includes a core material harder than the connecting part. In claim 2,
The said core material is a cable chain which consists of material whose melting | fusing point is higher than the material which comprises the said connection part. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The columnar part includes a notch extending in a direction in which the cable chain extends between the adjacent columnar part,
A cable chain to which a partition member capable of partitioning an upper space and a lower space of the elastic connecting member in the cable housing space in the width direction of the cable chain is attached to the notch.

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