JP7505928B2 - Geared Cables and Drives - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a geared cable and a drive device equipped with the geared cable.

A known mechanism for transmitting the driving force of gears and the like is a toothed cable, which transmits the driving force in the axial direction by means of teeth (coil portion) wound in a spiral shape around the outer periphery of a core cable made of metal wire. This toothed cable has alternating concave and convex portions formed along the axial direction of the toothed cable by the teeth (coil portion), and the gear teeth mesh with the concave portions to drive the toothed cable in the axial direction and transmit the driving force of a driving source such as a gear.

One example of a toothed cable is a flocked type toothed cable that has a coil portion wound in a spiral shape around a core cable and a molding wound between the coil portions (see Patent Document 1). In the case of this flocked type toothed cable, when the toothed cable and the gear mesh, the coil portion of the toothed cable come into contact with the gear, generating abnormal noise due to metal-on-metal contact. In addition, abnormal noise is generated by contact between the inner surface of a guide member such as a pipe through which the toothed cable is inserted and the coil portion of the toothed cable.

Another type of geared cable is known to have a coating layer that continuously covers the outside of the core cable and coil portion of the geared cable with resin (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-294460 JP 2012-233510 A

A toothed cable with a coating layer as shown in Patent Document 2 can reduce the above-mentioned contact noise between the coil and the gears and between the inner surface of the guide member and the coil, but produces noise as the gears bite into the resin of the coating layer, crushing the resin.

The present invention aims to provide a geared cable, a drive unit including the geared cable, and a method for manufacturing the geared cable, which can reduce abnormal noises that occur when the resin of the coating layer is crushed when the outer periphery of the geared cable has a coating layer in which the core cable and the outside of the coil portion are covered with resin.

The toothed cable of the present invention is a toothed cable comprising a core cable and a coil portion wound in a spiral shape around the outer circumference of the core cable, the toothed cable having a convex portion formed by the spirally wound coil portion and a concave portion formed between a pair of convex portions adjacent in the axial direction of the toothed cable, the toothed cable further comprising a coating layer that continuously covers the convex portion and the concave portion with resin, and a molding that is wound in a spiral shape around the concave portion on the coating layer and fused to the coating layer.

The drive device of the present invention also includes the above-mentioned toothed cable, an engagement member that engages with the coating layer at a portion of the toothed cable that corresponds to the recess, and a guide member through which the toothed cable is inserted and which guides the toothed cable along a predetermined routing path.

According to the geared cable, drive unit, and manufacturing method of the geared cable of the present invention, when the outer circumference of the geared cable has a coating layer in which the outside of the core cable and the coil portion are covered with resin, it is possible to reduce abnormal noise when the resin of the coating layer is crushed.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a geared cable according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a coating layer of the geared cable is cut in the axial direction. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a drive device with a geared cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a coil portion is wound around a core cable and before the core cable is covered with a covering layer. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a coating layer is applied to the state shown in FIG. 3 . 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a molding is wound around a covering layer, following the state shown in FIG. 4 . FIG.

The following describes a toothed cable according to one embodiment of the present invention, a drive unit including the toothed cable, and a method for manufacturing the toothed cable, with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the toothed cable, drive unit, and method for manufacturing the toothed cable of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiment.

The toothed cable 1 of this embodiment, which will be described in detail later, includes a core cable 2 and a coil portion 3 wound in a spiral shape around the outer circumference of the core cable 2, as shown in FIG. 1. The toothed cable 1 has a protrusion C1 formed by the spirally wound coil portion 3, and a recess C2 formed between a pair of protrusions C1 adjacent to each other in the axial X direction of the toothed cable 1.

The toothed cable 1 is applied to a drive device D (see FIG. 2) that operates a predetermined operation object (not shown) by the operation of the toothed cable 1. The operation object is not particularly limited as long as it can be operated by the toothed cable 1, but it can be, for example, an opening and closing object such as a sunroof or window glass of a vehicle.

The structure of the drive unit D is not particularly limited as long as it can operate a predetermined operation target by the operation of the toothed cable 1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit D includes the toothed cable 1, an engagement member G that engages with the coating layer 4 (described later) at a portion corresponding to the recess C2 of the toothed cable 1, and a guide member P through which the toothed cable 1 is inserted and which guides the toothed cable 1 along a predetermined routing path.

The meshing member G meshes with the toothed cable 1 to drive the toothed cable 1 or is driven by the toothed cable 1. In this embodiment, the meshing member G is driven by a drive unit (not shown). More specifically, in this embodiment, the meshing member G, which is made of gears, rotates by the driving force of a drive unit such as a motor, and the toothed cable 1 meshed with the teeth of the meshing member G moves in the axial X direction. An object to be operated is directly or indirectly connected to the end (one end and/or both ends) of the toothed cable 1, and the object to be operated is operated as the toothed cable 1 moves in the axial X direction. The toothed cable 1 may be operated in the axial X direction by the driving force from the meshing member G, or the meshing member G may be operated by transmitting the movement of the toothed cable 1 in the axial X direction to the meshing member G. When the meshing member G is driven by the toothed cable 1, the drive unit D may be configured so that, for example, the toothed cable 1 is moved in the axial direction X by a drive unit (not shown), and the movement of the toothed cable 1 in the axial direction X rotates the meshing member G. In this case, the rotational force of the meshing member G is transmitted to an object to be operated that is directly or indirectly connected to the meshing member G, thereby operating the object to be operated.

In this embodiment, the meshing member G is shown as a spur gear, but the structure of the meshing member G is not particularly limited as long as the meshing member G is configured to drive the toothed cable 1 or the toothed cable 1 is configured to drive the meshing member G.

The guide member P guides the toothed cable 1 along a predetermined routing path. In this embodiment, the guide member P is a tubular member having an inner diameter capable of accommodating the toothed cable 1. The toothed cable 1 is slidably accommodated inside the guide member P. The guide member P does not need to cover the entire circumference of the toothed cable 1, and may be a guide groove having a substantially U-shape with a width greater than the outer diameter of the toothed cable 1 in a cross section perpendicular to the axis X of the toothed cable 1. The guide member P may be arranged linearly, but is usually arranged in a curved path around the attachment target (e.g., a vehicle, etc.) of the toothed cable 1. The material of the guide member P is not particularly limited, but the guide member P may be made of, for example, metal or resin.

Next, we will explain each component of the geared cable 1.

The core cable 2 is the cable that forms the core of the geared cable 1. The core cable 2 is resistant to stretching and twisting. The structure of the core cable 2 is not particularly limited, and it can be the same structure as that used in known geared cables. Specifically, the core cable 2 can have a multi-layer structure in which a reinforcing layer made of multiple metal wires is spirally wound around a core wire made of a single metal wire, and another reinforcing layer made of multiple metal wires is further spirally wound around the core wire.

The coil portion 3 is a coil-shaped portion that is spirally wound around the outer periphery of the core cable 2. In this embodiment, the coil portion 3 is formed by spirally winding a metal wire around the outer periphery of the core cable 2 so that equally spaced gaps are formed in the axial X direction, as shown in FIG. 1. By spirally winding the coil portion 3 around the outer periphery of the core cable 2, the convex portion C1 and the concave portion C2 of the toothed cable 1 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the geared cable 1 further includes a coating layer 4 that continuously coats the convex portion C1 and the concave portion C2 with resin, and a molding 5 that is spirally wound around the concave portion C2 on the coating layer 4 and fused to the coating layer 4.

The coating layer 4 coats the core cable 2 and the outer periphery of the coil portion 3 that is spirally wound around the core cable 2. The coating layer 4 is formed by continuously coating the outer side of the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 with resin in the circumferential direction and the axial direction of the toothed cable 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the coating layer 4 of the toothed cable 1 has a coil portion coating portion 41 formed by coating the coil portion 3 with resin, and a core cable coating portion 42 formed by coating the outer periphery of the core cable 2 between adjacent convex portions C1 in the axial direction with resin. The coil portion coating portion 41 prevents noise when the coil portion 3 and the engaging member G come into contact when the toothed cable 1 engages with the engaging member G. The core cable coating portion 42 protects the portion where the teeth T (see FIG. 2) of the engaging member G engage with the coating layer 4 of the toothed cable 1. In this embodiment, the coil portion covering portion 41 and the core cable covering portion 42 are provided in close contact with each other so that no gaps are created between the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 and the covering layer 4.

The material of the coating layer 4 is preferably, for example, a resin having a certain flexibility, particularly a thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic elastomer). More specifically, the material of the coating layer 4 may be, for example, a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyolefin resin, a fluorine resin, a silicone resin, a nylon resin, a polyurethane resin, or a vinyl chloride resin. In FIG. 1, the coating layer 4 has a substantially equal thickness in the coil coating 41 and the core cable coating 42. However, the coating layer 4 may have a thickness in which the core cable coating 42 is thinner than the coil coating 41, or the core cable coating 42 is thicker than the coil coating 41.

The method for providing the coating layer 4 is not particularly limited, but for example, the core cable 2 (see FIG. 3) with the coil portion 3 wound in a spiral is coated with a thermoplastic resin by extrusion molding. When the thickness of the coating layer 4 is to be changed between the coil portion coating portion 41 and the core cable coating portion 42, the thickness of the coating layer 4 can be changed by adjusting the resin temperature or the take-up speed of the core cable 2, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mole 5 includes a core thread 51 and a plurality of piles 52 extending radially from the core thread 51. The core thread 51 is, for example, a bundle of a plurality of resin fibers. The material of the core thread 51 is preferably, for example, a thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic elastomer). More specifically, the material of the core thread 51 may be, for example, a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyolefin resin, a fluorine resin, a silicone resin, a nylon resin, a polyurethane resin, or a vinyl chloride resin.

The pile 52 is a resin fiber having a predetermined thickness and length, and is radially planted around the core thread 51. The material of the pile 52 is preferably a resin having a predetermined flexibility, in particular a thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic elastomer). More specifically, the pile 52 may be made of a material such as polyester resin, polyurethane resin, polyolefin resin, fluorine resin, silicone resin, nylon resin, polyurethane resin, or vinyl chloride resin.

The molding 5 is wound in a spiral shape around the recess C2 and fused to the coating layer 4 as described below. There are no particular limitations on the method for fusing the molding 5 to the coating layer 4, but the molding 5 can be easily fused to the coating layer 4 by, for example, using high frequency to inductively heat the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3, which are metallic materials, to melt the coating layer 4.

As described above, the toothed cable 1 of this embodiment includes a coating layer 4 and a molding 5 fused to the coating layer 4, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this case, when the toothed cable 1 meshes with a meshing member G such as a gear, the molding 5 functions as a buffer member, and can reduce abnormal noises that occur when the resin of the coating layer 4 is crushed when the coating layer 4 is bitten by the meshing member G. This point will be explained in more detail below.

When the teeth T of the engaging member G are engaged with the covering layer 4 (in the same state as shown in FIG. 4) that is provided with a predetermined thickness without the molding 5, a relatively loud sound may be generated, not every time, but when the resin material of the covering layer 4 is crushed and partially broken by the engaging member G. In this embodiment, the part where this sound is generated is mainly the position of the recess C2 (core cable covering portion 42) of the covering layer 4, but the resin material of the covering layer 4 (core cable covering portion 42) that is crushed by the engaging member G is covered by the molding 5. Therefore, the molding 5 serves as a buffer member between the engaging member G and the covering layer 4, and the sound generated when the covering layer 4 is crushed is reduced by the molding 5 that covers the part where the sound is generated. Therefore, it is possible to reduce unpleasant noise caused by the crushing of the resin of the covering layer 4. In addition, when the engaging member G enters between a pair of convex portions C1 adjacent to each other in the axial X direction during operation of the drive device D, a small but continuous contact sound is generated between the molding 5 and the engaging member G. Due to the structure of the flexible molding 5, this contact sound is not loud enough to bother the user. The contact sound between the molding 5 and the interlocking member G makes it difficult for the user to recognize the sound of the resin of the coating layer 4 being crushed. In other words, in this embodiment, the user recognizes the gap between the sound of the resin of the coating layer 4 being crushed and the contact sound of the molding 5 as an abnormal sound, making it difficult for the user to notice the sound of the resin of the coating layer 4 being crushed. In this way, the configuration in which the molding 5 is interposed between the coating layer 4 and the interlocking member G not only reduces the sound of the resin of the coating layer 4 being crushed, but also reduces the gap between the sound of the resin of the coating layer 4 being crushed and the sound just before the resin is crushed.

In addition, by providing the coating layer 4 and the molding 5, not only can the abnormal noise at the position of the recess C2 be reduced as described above, but when the teeth T of the engaging member G abut against the portion (coil portion coating 41) corresponding to the protrusion C1 of the toothed cable 1, a part of the molding 5 pushed aside by the teeth T of the engaging member G that has entered the recess C2 deforms so as to cover the coating layer 4 toward the outermost portion 41a of the coating layer 4 (the outermost portion of the coil portion coating 41 in the radial direction of the toothed cable 1), and is interposed between the engaging member G and the coating layer 4. Therefore, without increasing the thickness of the coating layer 4 between the outermost portion 41a of the coating layer 4 and the core cable coating 42, the deformed molding 5 (pile 52) can provide the same sound reduction effect as when the thickness of the coating layer 4 is increased. In addition, the portion between the outermost portion 41a of the coating layer 4 and the core cable coating portion 42 is subject to a large force from the engaging member G when driven by the engaging member G, and is prone to wear and tear, but by having the molding 5, wear and tear between the outermost portion 41a of the coating layer 4 and the core cable coating portion 42 is suppressed.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tip of the pile 52 extends beyond the outermost part 41a of the coating layer 4 in the radial direction of the toothed cable 1. In this case, when the toothed cable 1 engages with a meshing member G such as a gear, the pile 52 is easily deformed to cover the vicinity of the outermost part 41a of the coating layer 4, and the contact noise when the meshing member G comes into contact with the part (coil part coating part 41) corresponding to the protruding part C1 of the toothed cable 1 can be further reduced. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, when the toothed cable 1 is inserted into a guide member P such as a pipe, the outermost part 41a of the coating layer 4 of the toothed cable 1 is less likely to come into contact with the inner surface of the guide member P. Therefore, it is possible to suppress abnormal noise and an increase in sliding resistance due to contact between the inner surface of the guide member P and the coating layer 4.

In addition, in this embodiment, the molding 5 is fused to the coating layer 4. Therefore, in order to connect the coating layer 4 and the molding 5, it is not necessary to apply adhesive to the coating layer 4 before spirally winding the molding 5 or to use other members. This makes it easier to manufacture the geared cable 1.

In this embodiment, the coating layer 4 and the molding 5 are each made of a thermoplastic resin that can be fused to each other, and the melting point of the resin material of the coating layer 4 is lower than the melting point of the resin material of the molding 5. In this case, when the coating layer 4 and the molding 5 are fused together, if the coating layer 4 is heated to the melting point of the material of the coating layer 4, only the coating layer 4 melts and the molding 5 does not melt. Therefore, by melting only the coating layer 4, the coating layer 4 and the molding 5 are fused together, and the molding 5 is kept in a state where it is almost not melted. Therefore, the coating layer 4 and the molding 5 can be easily fused together while maintaining the flexibility of the molding 5.

Next, we will explain the manufacturing method of the geared cable 1. Note that the following explanation is merely an example, and the structure of the geared cable 1 is not limited to the following explanation, and the geared cable 1 can also be manufactured by other manufacturing methods.

First, the core cable 2 and the coil section 3 are prepared, and the coil section is wound helically around the outer circumference of the core cable. The core cable 2 can have, for example, a core wire that is a straight galvanized hard steel wire with a diameter of 0.6 to 0.8 mm, an inner layer in which six galvanized hard steel wires with a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm are wound around the core wire, and an outer layer in which six galvanized hard steel wires with a diameter of 0.4 to 0.6 mm are wound in the opposite direction to the inner layer on the inner layer. The coil section 3, which is a galvanized hard steel wire with a diameter of 1.0 to 1.2 mm, is wound helically around this core cable 2 so that the distance in the axial direction is 2.4 to 2.6 mm.

Next, the outer periphery of the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 is coated with the coating layer 4. For example, the coating layer 4 can be made of nylon 6, and the coating layer 4 can be formed by extrusion molding so that it adheres closely to the outer periphery of the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3. After the coating layer 4 is coated, the molding 5 is wound spirally on top of the coating layer 4 along the recess C2. The molding 5 (pile 52) is made of a material with a higher melting point than the material of the coating layer 4, such as nylon 66.

After the molding 5 is wound around the coating layer 4, the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 are heated to fuse the coating layer 4 and the molding 5. Specifically, the toothed cable 1 is placed in a high-frequency induction heating device or a heating furnace to heat the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3. The heating of the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 at this time is adjusted so that the temperature exceeds the melting point of the coating layer 4 but does not exceed the melting point of the molding 5. When the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 are heated, the coating layer 4 melts due to the heat of the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3. Since the material of the molding 5 has a higher melting point than the material of the coating layer 4, it is hardly melted when the coating layer 4 melts. Then, with part of the molding 5 penetrating the molten coating layer 4, the coating layer 4 is cooled and solidified, and the coating layer 4 and the molding 5 are fused together, and the toothed cable 1 is completed. The covering layer 4 not only has a sound-deadening function that suppresses contact noise between the coil portion 3 and the interlocking member G, but also has a bonding function that integrates the molding 5 with the covering layer 4 without using adhesives or other materials, as described above. Furthermore, since the molding 5 does not melt when the core cable 2 and the coil portion 3 are heated, the molding 5 is fused to the covering layer 4 while maintaining the flexibility of the pile 52 of the molding 5. Therefore, the geared cable 1 can be easily manufactured without compromising the soundproofing performance of the geared cable 1 described above.

In the covering layer 4, the thickness of the coil covering portion 41 may be made thicker than the thickness of the core cable covering portion 42. In this case, since the coil covering portion 41 is thicker than the core cable covering portion 42, the melting of the coil covering portion 41 is slower than the melting of the core cable covering portion 42, and the periphery of the outermost portion 41a of the coil covering portion 41 is more likely to be maintained in a predetermined covering state. Therefore, the core cable covering portion 42 can be easily fused to the molding 5, while the coil covering portion 41 can reliably cover the coil portion 3 in a predetermined covering state.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 toothed cable 2 core cable 3 coil portion 4 covering layer 41 coil portion covering portion 41a outermost portion of covering layer 42 core cable covering portion 5 molding 51 core thread 52 pile C1 convex portion C2 concave portion D driving device G interlocking member P guide member T teeth of interlocking member X shaft of toothed cable

Claims (6)

A geared cable including a core cable and a coil portion wound helically around an outer periphery of the core cable, the geared cable having a convex portion formed by the helically wound coil portion and a concave portion formed between a pair of convex portions adjacent to each other in an axial direction of the geared cable,
The toothed cable further comprises:
a coating layer made of a flexible resin that continuously covers the protrusions and the recesses with resin;
a molding that is spirally wound around the recess on the covering layer and fused to the covering layer ;
The toothed cable is configured to engage with a mating member having teeth that mesh with the coating layer at a portion of the toothed cable that corresponds to a recess,
the covering layer is provided with a predetermined thickness such that at least a portion of the covering layer is crushed by the engaging member when the toothed cable engages with the engaging member,
The molding is configured to cover the resin material of the coating layer that is crushed by the engaging members, thereby reducing noise generated when the molding is crushed by the engaging members . The toothed cable according to claim 1, wherein the molding comprises a core yarn and a plurality of piles extending radially from the core yarn, and the tips of the piles extend beyond the outermost part of the covering layer in the radial direction of the toothed cable. The molding comprises a core yarn and a plurality of piles extending radially from the core yarn,
3. The geared cable according to claim 1, wherein the pile is configured to deform toward an outermost portion of the protrusion so as to cover the coating layer up to a vicinity of the outermost portion of the protrusion when the teeth of the engaging member engage with each other at the portion corresponding to the recess. A geared cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ;
a coupling member that engages with the coating layer at a portion corresponding to a recess of the geared cable;
a guide member through which the geared cable is inserted and which guides the geared cable along a predetermined routing path. A method for manufacturing a geared cable, the geared cable comprising:
a core cable and a coil portion wound in a spiral shape around an outer periphery of the core cable, the geared cable having a convex portion formed by the coil portion wound in a spiral shape and a concave portion formed between a pair of convex portions adjacent to each other in an axial direction of the geared cable,
The toothed cable further comprises:
a coating layer made of a flexible resin that continuously covers the protrusions and the recesses with resin;
a molding that is spirally wound around the recess on the covering layer and fused to the covering layer;
Equipped with
The toothed cable is configured to engage with a mating member having teeth that mesh with the coating layer at a portion of the toothed cable that corresponds to a recess,
The molding comprises a core yarn and a plurality of piles extending radially from the core yarn,
the pile is configured to deform toward an outermost portion of the protrusion so as to cover the covering layer up to a vicinity of the outermost portion of the protrusion when the teeth of the engaging member engage with each other at a portion corresponding to the recess,
The method for producing the geared cable comprises:
winding the coil portion in a spiral shape around an outer periphery of the core cable;
providing a coating layer on an outer periphery of the core cable and the coil portion by extrusion molding;
winding the molding spirally on the covering layer along the recess;
Heating the core cable and the coil portion to fuse the coating layer and the molding.
A method for manufacturing a geared cable, comprising: The method for manufacturing a geared cable according to claim 5, wherein the covering layer and the molding are each made of a thermoplastic resin that can be fused to each other, and the melting point of the resin material of the covering layer is lower than the melting point of the resin material of the molding.

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