JP2583191Y2 - Control cable connection members - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting member for easily connecting end portions of an inner cable when connecting a control cable. The control cable is a means for transmitting a force composed of an inner cable and an outer casing, which is used for connection between a carburetor of an engine and a throttle lever, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a brush cutter (mower), a control cable 3 (3A, 3B) connects a throttle lever 53 on a handle 52 and a carburetor 56 attached to an engine 55, as shown in FIG. ing. The operator can remotely control the carburetor 56 located behind the operator through the control cable 3 by operating the throttle lever 53 at hand. Control cable 3 as is well known
Is an inner cable in which a wire is twisted is passed through the inside of an outer casing that is configured to have flexibility but hardly change in length.
Since the length of the outer casing is constant, when the inner cable is pulled from one (for example, the throttle lever 53), its tension and displacement are transmitted to the other (for example, the carburetor 56).

In the brush cutter, only the engine 55 may be removed from the frame 51 for adjustment or replacement. Therefore, the control cable 3 can be disconnected and connected again along the way. In the example of FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes the connection portion, and the control cable 3 is configured so that disconnection and reconnection can be easily performed here.

FIG. 4A shows a control cable 3A.
3B shows details of such a connection. In the connection portion, as shown in the figure, the ends of the inner cables 1A and 1B are connected by a connecting member 30, and a cylindrical spacer 6 is mounted between the ends of the outer casings 2A and 2B.

[0005] The cylindrical spacer 6 keeps the distance between the ends of the outer casings 2A and 2B when a tensile force acts on the inner cables 1A and 1B and the connecting member 30. Therefore, in addition to the space 6a for accommodating the connecting member 30 so as to be movable in the axial direction, the stopper portion 6 against which the end portion 4 of the one outer casing 2A contacts.
b, and an end face 6c against which the length adjustment nut 5 attached to the other outer casing 2B abuts. Also, the inner cable 1A, 1B can be freely opened and closed with the hinge 6d interposed therebetween so that the inner cable 1A can be connected and released.
It is configured to be engaged with e.6f to form a cylindrical shape. The distance between the ends of the outer casings 2A and 2B is maintained only when the inner cable 1A
In order to effectively transmit the tensile force of 1B, for the same purpose, instead of the cylindrical spacer 6, each end (or length adjustment nut) of the outer casing is a bracket (not shown, for example). (Fixed to the frame or engine).

Conventionally, as a connecting member 30 for connecting the inner cables 1A and 1B, two members (a first member 31 and a second member 32) shown in FIGS. 1B and are engaged with each other. The first member 31 attached to the end of one inner cable 1A is a small block of a columnar shape (a diameter of several millimeters) formed by casting or the like, and has a diameter larger than that of the inner cable 1A. The second member 32 provided at the end of the other inner cable 1B is a hole for accommodating the first member 31 and an accommodation hole 32a having an opening on the side, and a second member 32 extending from the opening of the accommodation hole 32a. It is a small block having a cable passage groove 32c connected to the shaft end of the two members 32 and also formed by casting or the like. When the first member 31 (the inner cable 1A) is parallel to the second member 32 (the inner cable 1B) and inserted into the receiving hole 32a from the side thereof, the inner cable 1A also enters the through groove 32c, and the first member 31 It is held on the center line of the second member 32 so as not to fall out of the housing hole 32a in the axial direction. That is, a tensile force and a displacement are transmitted between the inner cables 1A and 1B by the two members 31 and 32. To release this connection, the first member 31 may be taken out from the accommodation hole 32a of the second member 32 through an open portion on the side. The above example is described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-28912.

As another connecting means of the inner cable, there is one as shown in FIG. 5 which uses a part made of sheet metal processing. Small blocks 41 and 42 are attached to the ends of the inner cables 1A and 1B, respectively.
A connecting tool 42 formed by pressing a sheet metal;
It is housed inside the third claw 43a and the cable passage groove 43b.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A connecting member 3 shown in FIG.
0 is in principle very easy to connect and disconnect,
Until the completion of the connection work, the first and second members 31
It is often the case that the gap between the 32 is lost, and rather the connection is troublesome. That is, although this does not occur when the cylindrical spacers 6 are closed and the projections 6e and 6f are fixed, before the closing, the inner cables 1A and 1B are closed as shown in FIG. A slight angle between them causes the first member 31 to protrude from the receiving hole 32a of the second member 32 to the side, thereby disengaging the members 31 and 32. Even when the cylindrical spacer 6 is not used, a similar situation tends to occur at a stage before the fixing of the outer casings 2A and 2B is completed. Control cable 3A
It is not uncommon for the path of 3B to be bent, and especially in the vicinity of the connection part, the path is bent in many cases, so such inconvenience occurs frequently in reality.

On the other hand, when connecting as shown in FIG.
Since it takes time (man-hours) to manufacture the connecting tool 43 by sheet metal processing, there is a disadvantage in cost. Further, if the connecting tool 43 and the like are housed in the cylindrical spacer 6 as shown in FIG. 4A, the connecting tool 43 is caught on the inner surface of the spacer 6 due to its shape and burrs during processing. In many cases, the movement of the inner cables 1A and 1B is not smooth.

An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost connecting member that can be easily connected / disconnected and keep the movement of the inner cable smooth. An object of the present invention is to provide a control cable connecting member which can be easily performed.

[0011]

The connecting member of the present invention is a connecting member for releasably connecting the ends of the inner cable of the control cable, and includes the following a).
b) and c). At the end of a) one of the inner cable, cable
Remote thick (i.e., greater than the diameter axis and perpendicular dimension of the cable when viewing in the axial direction) with a cylindrical shape
The axis is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the cable (that is,
(A shape seen from the side is rectangular and a shape seen from the side is a rectangle) is provided. b) At the end of the other inner cable to be connected, b-1) an accommodation hole for accommodating the first member and holding it so as not to come out in the axial direction, and b-2) a side portion (of the second member). An insertion hole in which the first member can be inserted only from the shaft end of the member (first member) from the side end) to the accommodation hole, and b-3) an insertion hole from the shaft end (the shaft end of the second member) to the side. It provided a second member having a cable through groove formed over the opening of the insertion hole ──
You.

Further, c) With respect to the second member, c-1) The receiving hole is formed by casting or the like which does not require a core on the side opposite to the insertion hole.
There is no part where the opening size is reduced on the outside to make it possible
Was opened to, c-2) inserting holes in the circular opening of diameter through which the first member is provided only at one position, c-3) cable through grooves,
It is formed only from the shaft end to the insertion hole so as not to be connected to the open portion of the accommodation hole.

[0013]

In the connecting member of the present invention, the first member of the above a) is:
It engages with the second member of b) in a state where the inner cable is inserted into the accommodation hole of b-1) and the inner cable is passed through the cable passage groove of b-3) from the position of the shaft end. The first member is thicker than the inner cable and does not protrude from the cable passage groove, and is held in the accommodation hole of the second member even when a tensile force in the axial direction is applied to the inner cable, and the tensile force is reduced by the first member. It is transmitted to the inner cable of the other party via two members.

Until such an engagement state, that is, as an operation for connection, through the insertion hole of b-2) formed from the side portion of the second member to the accommodation hole, the second member is inserted into the accommodation hole. Insert one member. At this time, the axis of the first and second members is substantially perpendicular to the insertion hole only from the shaft end (that is, the shaft end of the first member enters the insertion hole first). State only) can be inserted. The first member is
Since the shape viewed in the axial length direction (that is, the shape of the shaft end) is different from the shape viewed from the side, the insertion hole is positioned from the side, that is, with the axes of the first and second members parallel to each other. This is because it cannot be inserted.

As described above, the first member is inserted from the end of the shaft through the insertion hole from the side of the second member, and after the first member enters the receiving hole of the second member, the first member is inserted along the cable passage groove. If the direction of the first member and its inner cable is changed by 90 °, both members will engage in the state described at the beginning of this section. In order to release the connection again, the direction of the first member and the cable may be changed from the normal engagement state, and the first member may be pulled out through the insertion hole of the second member. The direction near the end of the inner cable is 90 °
Since only the operation of changing is increased, there is no difficulty in connection / disconnection work. In addition, in the case of this connecting member, after the first member is once placed in the accommodation hole of the second member, the engagement of the two members will not be released unless the direction of the inner cable or the like is changed by 90 °. Therefore, before the connection work is completed, the engagement between the two members is not unintentionally disengaged while fixing the end of the outer casing or attaching the cylindrical spacer or the like, and the work is always smooth and Done quickly.

The outer shape of the second member accommodating the first member can be formed in accordance with the inner shape of the cylindrical spacer by, for example, casting, so that the inner cable can be smoothly moved without being caught. It is also possible to keep it.

Further the connecting member of the present invention is an action such as addition to One <br/> technique described above. That is, a) Since the second member has one side portion of the accommodation hole opened as in the above c-1) , the second member is easily formed by simple casting or the like without using a core, and is easy to manufacture. Low cost.

B) Although the side of the accommodation hole is open, c-
As described in 3), since the cable passage groove is not connected to the open side of the receiving hole, even if the first member inserted into the receiving hole from the insertion hole slightly starts to protrude from the open portion, the inner cable connected to the first member may not be connected. As a result of being restrained by the two members, the engagement between the two members does not come off unexpectedly.

(C) Since the first member has a cylindrical shape as described in a), it can be easily manufactured at low cost.

D) As in the above c-2), the insertion hole of the second member is a circular opening having a diameter that allows the first member to be inserted from the shaft end (that is, a diameter slightly larger than the first member). Is also easy to form.

[0021]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. This example is applied to the connection portion 8 of the control cable 3 (3A, 3B) in the brush cutter of FIG. 2 introduced earlier. As described above, the handle 52 on the frame 51
Although the throttle cable 53 on the engine 55 is connected to the throttle lever 53 attached to the engine 55 by the control cable 3, the frame 51 and the engine 55 may be separated from each other.
B, and are connected at this connection portion 8. In addition, since the frame 51 and the engine 55 are separated and connected at the location of the flange 54, the connection portion 8 is provided at a location near the flange 54.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged view showing the inside of the connecting portion 8. As shown in the figure, the outer casing 2A
The tubular spacer 6 is mounted between the inner cables 2B, and the inner cables 1A and 1B are connected by a connecting member 10. The cylindrical spacer 6 is a resin component for accommodating the connecting member 10 therein and maintaining a distance between the end 4 of the outer casing 2A and the length adjusting nut 5 attached to the outer casing 2B. Since the configuration and function are not different from those of the cylindrical spacer 6 of FIG. 4, the description is omitted.

This connection part is an inner cable 1A
There is a feature in the connecting member 10 that connects between 1B. That is, the connecting member 10 is the first member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 (b), (c) and (d).
The first and second members 12 are releasably connected to each other, and each of the members 11 and 12 is configured as follows. First, the first member 11 has a conventional shape and size (for example, FIG.
Of the inner cable 1A is formed by a zinc alloy (other metals are also acceptable) at the end of the inner cable 1A.

One of the second members 12 is a small block made of a slightly larger zinc alloy (or another metal) so that the first member 11 can be inserted inside and engaged with the end portion of the inner cable 1B. Which is cast-formed into
An accommodation hole 12a, an insertion hole 12b, and a cable passage groove 12c are provided. The accommodation hole 12a is a space for accommodating the first member 11, and is a part for holding the first member 11 so as not to come off in the axial length direction (left and right in the drawing). As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the receiving hole 12a is open to one side of the second member 12, so that the receiving hole 12a can be easily formed by casting together with the following insertion hole 12b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1D, the insertion hole 12b is a circular opening that is connected to the accommodation hole 12a from the side of the second member 12 (the side opposite to the open side of the accommodation hole 12a). The inner diameter of the first member 11 is slightly larger (about 0.5 mm in diameter) than the outer diameter of the first member 11 so that the first member 11 can be inserted into the hole 12a. Since the first member 11 is circular and has such an inner diameter, the first member 11 can be inserted through the insertion hole 12a only through the insertion hole 12b only from the axial end thereof, that is, only when the axis of the second member 12 is perpendicular to the axis. Can be put in and out. The cable passage groove 12c is as shown in FIG.
-The insertion hole 12b extends from the shaft end of the second member 12 as shown in (d).
And a groove-shaped gap formed with a width that allows the inner cable 1A to pass through. However, this through groove 12c is not continuous up to the open portion on the side of the accommodation hole 12a, and a wall 12d is left between the shaft end of the second member 12 and the open portion of the accommodation hole 12a. I have.

The first member 11 and the second member 12 as described above
1 (a) to 1 (d) are engaged and become tension transmitting means for the inner cables 1A and 1B, and the work of engaging and disengaging these is shown in FIGS. Perform according to f). That is, when engaging both members 11 and 12,
First, as shown in (f), the axes of the two members 11 and 12 are made perpendicular to each other, and the first member 11 is placed on the second member 1 with the shaft end first.
2 through the insertion hole 12b and into the accommodation hole 12a.
By changing the direction as in (e), the normal (ie, (b)
(c) and (d)). On the contrary, when the engagement is released, the direction of the first member 11 is changed together with the inner cable 1A as shown in FIG.
When each axis of the second cable becomes 90 °, the inner cable 1
A is pulled out, and the first member 11 is extracted. Cable passage groove 1
There is a wall 12d between the opening portion 2c and the opening of the accommodation hole 12a, and the inner cable 1A cannot cross this portion. Therefore, unless an operator intentionally performs the same operation as shown in FIG. The two members 11 and 12 do not come off inside. After the connection is completed and the cylindrical spacer 6 is fastened as shown in FIG. 1A, it goes without saying that the two members 11 and 12 cannot be removed.

The connecting member 10 is a first member (for example, the first member 3 shown in FIG. 4) used in a conventional connecting member.
Since the first member 11 having the same shape and the same size as 1) is used, it is possible to connect the conventional control cable 3A and the new control cable 3B with the second member 12 attached thereto. Thus, for example, FIG.
Of the mower of the original frame 51 (handle 52
And the throttle lever 53) with the control cable 3A and the conventional first member (31 in FIG. 4) attached.
It is also possible to attach the engine 55 having the second member 12 of the above embodiment and connect the control cables 3A and 3B.

Next, FIGS. 3A and 3B show reference examples.
Examples (those not included in the utility model registration claims)
Is shown. Although only the inner cables 1A and 1B and the connecting member 20 (the first member 21 and the first member 22) are shown in the figure, the inner cables 1A and 1B are also in the outer casing (same) of the control cable (not shown). Each end of the outer casing is fitted with a cylindrical spacer (same as above) or fixed with brackets (same as above).

In the connecting member 20 of this embodiment, although the shape and dimensions of the first member 21 attached to one inner cable 1A are also the same as those of the conventional one, the second member provided on the other inner cable 1B 22 is newly formed as follows. That is, two insertion holes 22b for inserting and removing the first member 21 are provided on the side of the second member 22, and the cable passage groove 2 through which the inner cable 1A passes.
2c is formed so as to connect between the two insertion holes 22b via the shaft end, and in addition to the insertion hole 22b and the through groove 22c, a first member is provided at the center so that there is no open portion. 21 is formed.

The insertion hole 22b of the second member 22 is a circular opening having a diameter slightly larger than that of the first member 21, and allows the first member 21 to pass only from the shaft end in the axial direction.
For this reason, the engagement and disengagement of the two members 21 and 22 is performed by setting the axes of the two members 21 and 22 at substantially right angles in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 1E and 1F). It is not realized unless it is. Therefore, the two members 21 and 22 do not come off unexpectedly during the connection work of the control cable, and the connection is always made smoothly and quickly. However
However, the second member 22 in this example is inserted at two places on the side.
Although it has an inlet hole 22b, all of the
The receiving hole 22a and the circular opening having a slightly larger diameter
Cross-sectional dimensions (for cross-sections parallel to cables 1A and 1B)
Has the same or larger opening
Not so easy to manufacture. One
That is, the second member 22 is manufactured by casting, for example.
In order to form the receiving hole 22a,
Can be removed from the small insertion hole 22b or
You need a special core that can disappear.

The connecting member of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated brush cutters, but can be used for a wide range of mechanical devices using control cables, such as bicycles, automobiles, various working machines, and the like. .

[0031]

[Effect of the Invention] The connecting member of the control cable according to the present invention has the following effects.

1) At the time of connection or disconnection, the operation of changing the direction of the inner cable (in the vicinity of the end) is increased compared to the case of the conventional connection member, so that the operation of connection and release can be performed easily.

2) Once the first member has been inserted into the accommodation hole of the second member, the engagement of the two members will not be released unless the direction of the inner cable or the like is changed by 90 °. The engagement between the two members does not come off unintended before, and the connection operation can always be performed smoothly and quickly.

3) Since the first member and the second member can be formed into a shape having no corners by casting or the like, they can move smoothly without being caught when used in a cylindrical spacer. I do.

Furthermore, 4) after the first member is a simple shape, so it is not difficult even for the second member is formed by casting or the like, production costs can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a connecting member and the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (a) is an overall view of a connecting portion including the connecting member;
(b), (c), and (d) are detailed views of the connecting member (the (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line cc of the (b), and the (d) is a view taken along the line dd of the (b). (E) and (f) are explanatory diagrams showing the points of connection or release.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of a brush cutter using the connecting member and the like of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are detailed views of a connecting member according to a reference example .

FIG. 4 is a view showing a conventional connecting member and the like, FIG. 1 (a) is an overall view of a connecting portion including the connecting member, and FIGS. 1 (b) and (c) are detailed views of the connecting member (FIG. (B) is a sectional view taken along the line c-c), and (d) is an explanatory view showing a case where the engagement state is released.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another conventional connecting means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1A ・ 1B Inner cable 2A ・ 2B Outer casing 3A ・ 3B Control cable 10.20 Connecting member 11.21 First member 12.22 Second member 12a ・ 22a Housing hole 12b ・ 22b Insertion hole 12c ・ 22c Cable passage groove

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A connecting member for releasably connecting ends of an inner cable to a control cable in which an inner cable is passed through an outer casing, wherein one end of the inner cable has a lower end than the cable. A first member that has a thick cylindrical shape and whose axis is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the cable is provided.The first member is housed at the end of the connected inner cable so that it does not come off in the axial direction. An insertion hole through which the first member can be inserted only from the shaft end of the first member from the side portion to the accommodation hole, and a cable passage groove formed from the shaft end to the opening of the side insertion hole. The second member having a, the accommodation hole of the second member, on the side opposite to the insertion hole ,
Opened outside to enable forming by casting etc. that does not require a core
Open so that there is no part to reduce the mouth size , the insertion hole,
A circular opening of the diameter through which the first member passes is provided in only one place,
A connection member for a control cable, wherein the cable passage groove is formed only from the shaft end to the insertion hole so as not to be connected to the open portion of the accommodation hole.