KR20110087357A - Cable Chain Structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is configured to limit the swing (rotation) angle of the cable chain by using a member that is essential to maintain the shape and rigidity of the cable chain, because the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cable chain structure that can be easily manufactured from plastic and can also reduce deformation or cracking caused by external force or surrounding environment.
The cable chain structure according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a pair of link plates each having a stepped step in the middle; A lower spacing holding member installed at a lower edge portion of the pair of link plates so as to face each other symmetrically and to maintain a constant interval; And an upper interval maintaining member installed on an upper portion of the link plate so as to face the lower interval maintaining member.

Description

Cable Chain Structure

The present invention relates to a cable chain structure, and more particularly, by making the component that is essential in constructing the cable chain to be utilized as a stopper for limiting the rotation of the chain piece, the overall structure is simple to manufacture and install In addition, the replacement operation can be facilitated, and even a metal material can be easily manufactured, so that the structure of the cable chain is not easily deformed or damaged by external force even when installed outdoors.

In general, in the industrial fields such as office automation equipment, CNC lathes, and robotic automation machines, where a lot of automation is performed, cable chains are attached to the cables to protect the cables connecting the equipments used.

The cable chain has a structure similar to that of a two-row chain, and is a safety device for accommodating a cable to prevent damage caused by interference of the cable even if the cable moves together as the device moves.

Such a cable chain is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 1986-593 (name: cable chain). This cable chain is formed so that the insertion hole is formed to connect other adjacent links, and in particular, the slide chain using the slide pin to adjust the rotation angle.

However, such a conventional cable chain had the following problems.

First, the conventional cable chain is configured to swing only within a predetermined angle range so that the cable is not bent or pressed, for this purpose, it must be configured to have a stopper function to restrict rotation separately. Therefore, the overall configuration of the cable chain is inevitably complicated, and there is a difficulty in utilizing the space according to the arrangement of the stoppers in adding such a function.

Second, cable chains having such a complicated configuration were often made of plastic for convenience of manufacturing. However, when the plastic cable chain is installed outdoors, the cable cable chain is easily damaged or deformed due to strong sunlight, rainy season, snow, etc., thereby failing to function properly. In addition, when hitting other cable chains or other hard objects, such as shelf heads, there is a risk of breakage frequently.

Third, a cable chain was made of metal as a solution to the above problems of the plastic cable chain. However, since the metal cable chain cannot be manufactured by press working at a time, a complicated cable chain has to be repeated, so that the manufacturing process is cumbersome and the manufacturing cost increases.

Fourth, such a complicated conventional cable chain has a difficulty in mounting the cable chain. In particular, this complexity was a factor that makes part of the cable chain broken, making replacement difficult.

The present invention has been devised in view of this point, and is configured to limit the swing (rotation) angle of the cable chain by using a member that is essential to maintain the shape and rigidity of the cable chain, the structure is simple In addition, it is easy to manufacture a metal material or plastic because it is easy to manufacture, as well as to provide a cable chain structure that can reduce deformation or breakage caused by external force or the surrounding environment.

The cable chain structure according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a pair of link plates each having a stepped step in the middle; A lower spacing holding member installed at a lower edge portion of the pair of link plates so as to face each other symmetrically and to maintain a constant interval; And an upper interval maintaining member installed on an upper portion of the link plate so as to face the lower interval maintaining member.

In particular, the chain piece is a metal material including a stainless steel and galvanized steel sheet, each link plate is characterized in that the hinge holes are formed on both sides around the stepped portion, respectively, and is supported by a hinge pin having a snap ring.

In addition, the lower interval holding member and the upper interval holding member is characterized in that it is installed so as to interfere with the rotation of the link plate of the other chain piece adjacent to limit the maximum rotation angle.

Lastly, the upper gap retaining member is bent at both ends downward to form a side flange, each side flange is formed with an insertion protrusion, the link plate is formed with a fixing hole so that the insertion projection can be selectively fitted. It features.

According to the cable chain structure of the present invention has the following effects.

First, since the rotation of the chain piece is limited by using the upper and lower space keeping members, which must be essential to construct the cable chain, the configuration of the cable chain can be minimized. Therefore, the overall configuration of the cable chain is simplified, and thus the cable chain can be easily manufactured.

Second, because the structure of the cable chain can be simplified, it can be manufactured from metal as well as plastic. Therefore, not only the thickness can be manufactured but also durability can be secured. As a result, even when the cable chain is used outdoors, it is possible to prevent the cable chain from being deformed or broken by external factors even in sunlight, cold or cold.

Third, because the chainpiece is at the end of its service life, it is easy to replace because of its simple structure. In particular, such a replacement operation can be replaced more easily when replacing the chain piece in the middle of the cable chain than when replacing the entire cable chain.

1 is a side view for showing a cable chain according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view to explain the configuration of the chainpiece according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a plan sectional view showing a part of a cable chain for showing the connection state of the chain piece according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4A and 4B are side views for explaining the rocking motion of the cable chain according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a part to explain the configuration of the chainpiece according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various equivalents that may be substituted for them at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

( First embodiment )

1 is a side view for showing a cable chain according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view to explain the configuration of the chain piece according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Here, reference numeral 1000 denotes a cable chain to which the cable chain according to the present invention is applied, and reference numeral C denotes a normal cable, respectively.

The cable chain 1000 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is configured by continuously hinged so that a plurality of chain pieces having the same structure are rotatable with each other by the length of the cable (C). In the drawings, reference numerals “100a” and “100b” refer to a chainpiece according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is referred to herein as a first chainpiece 100a and a second chainpiece 100b. It is called.

Each of the first and second chain pieces 100a and 100b includes a pair of link plates 110a and 110b and a pair of link plates 110a and 110b so that the cable C can be accommodated. It comprises a lower interval maintaining member 120 for maintaining the gap, and the upper interval maintaining member 130 for maintaining the gap and rigidity of the link plate (110a, 110b).

The link plates 110a and 110b are formed such that the stepped portions 111 are formed in the middle portion of the length over the entire width thereof so that the front and rear portions thereof are located next to each other. In particular, hinge holes 112 are formed in the link plates 110a and 110b at both sides of the stepped portion 111, respectively.

In particular, the stepped portion 111 may be formed at a position such that the chain piece is not rotated abruptly due to rotational interference with the link plates 110a and 110b of the other chain piece adjacent to the chain piece. The formation position of the stepped portion 111 will be described in detail in the description of the swinging (rotating) operation of the chain piece described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, both ends of the lower interval maintaining member 120 are provided at the bottom edges of the link plates 110a and 110b. At this time, the installation method depends on the material of the cable chain 1000 of the present invention. That is, the cable chain 1000 of the present invention may be made of plastic or metal, but preferably, metal is used to prevent rigidity (durability), deformation, and cracking of the cable chain 1000. Thus, the lower space maintaining member 120 and the link plates 110a and 110b may be mounted in various ways, such as welding, riveting, and fastening using bolt-nuts. However, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method of welding such as welding may be used. As the metal at this time, for example, stainless steel or galvanized steel sheet resistant to corrosion, deformation, or breakage due to external force can be used.

The lower interval maintaining member 120 formed as described above is installed at a side with a wide interval between the pair of link plates 110a and 110b. At this time, the lower interval maintaining member 120 is installed in a position causing rotation interference with other chainpiece to limit the maximum rotation range. This will be described together in the operation for explaining the swinging operation.

The upper interval holding member 130, as shown in Figure 2, is installed in a position facing the above-described lower interval holding member 120. The upper space maintaining member 130 is mounted in the same manner as the lower space maintaining member 120, to prevent the rigidity and torsion of the cable chain (1000). Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<Combination and operation description>

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view showing a part of the cable chain for showing the connection state of the chain piece according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figures 4a and 4b is for explaining the rocking operation of the cable chain according to the present invention Side view.

The cable chain 1000 according to the present invention is coupled in a manner of connecting the second chain piece 100b to the first chain piece 100a. At this time, the second chain piece 100b inserts a narrow interval between the link plates 110a and 110b into a wide interval between the link plates 110a and 110b of the first chain piece 100a. Overlap 112). Then, the hinge pin 113 is inserted into the hinge hole 112 from the outside of the link plates 110a and 110b, and then the snap ring 114 is fixed to the hinge pin 113 from the inside thereof.

The first and second chain pieces 100a and 100b connected in this manner, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, swing (up and down) around one of the chainpieces. The drawing shows an example in which the second chain piece 100b rotates up and down about the first chain piece 100a for description.

When the second chain piece 100b is rotated downward about the first chain piece 100a, the second chain piece 100b rotates downward about the hinge pin 113 as shown by an arrow. At this time, the second chain piece 100b continues to rotate and rotates only until the link plate 110a is caught by the lower space keeping member 120 and rotates as shown in FIG. 4A. Therefore, the lower space maintaining member 120 is to have the function of the locking step as well as the space maintenance as described above.

And, the lower interval holding member 120 is to be able to adjust the maximum rotation angle in accordance with the mounting position of the link plates (110a, 110b). That is, in FIG. 4A, when the lower interval maintaining member 120 is moved to the right, the rotation angle of the second chain piece 100b is narrowed by that amount. On the contrary, when the lower interval maintaining member 120 is moved to the left and installed, the rotation angle of the second chain piece 100b is widened. The second chain piece (100b) is preferably the rotation angle of the rotational angle within the ± 80 ° angle range, because if the angle is larger than this may cause the cable (C) breaks, such as bending.

Meanwhile, when the second chain piece 100b is rotated upward with respect to the first chain piece 100a, the second chain piece 100b rotates upward as shown by an arrow about the hinge pin 113. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second chain piece 100b has its stepped portion 111 caught by an edge portion of the first chain piece 100a. In this manner, the stepped part 111 may also be used as a stopper.

In addition, since the limit of the rotation angle by the upper interval holding member 130 is the same as that of the lower interval holding member 120 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As seen from above, the lower interval maintaining member 120 and the upper interval maintaining member 130 limit the maximum rotation angle of the second chain piece 100b. In particular, the maximum rotation range of the second chain piece 100b may be limited according to the width and the mounting position of the lower space keeping member 120 and the upper space maintaining member 130.

( Second embodiment )

5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a structure of a chain piece according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The chain piece according to the second embodiment of the present invention is configured to be detachable from the upper interval maintaining member 130 described above. Thus, in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described only in the configuration different from the first embodiment, that is, the difference in the configuration of the gap holding member 130 'and thus the configuration difference of the link plates (110a, 110b).

Both ends of the gap holding member 130 'are bent to form side flanges 131 so as to be in close contact with the inner surfaces of the link plates 110a and 110b. Then, the side flange 131 is formed with an insertion protrusion 132 on the outer surface.

Here, the gap holding member 130 'is described as being bent so that the side flange 131 is fitted to the inside of the link plates (110a, 110b), it is formed in a form surrounding the outer side of the link plates (110a, 110b) It is also possible. Of course, in this case, the insertion protrusion 132 is preferably formed to face each other on the inner surface of each side flange (131).

The link plates 110a and 110b have penetrating holes 140 formed on both sides thereof at positions corresponding to the insertion protrusions 132, respectively.

In the first chain piece 110 according to the second embodiment, the side plate flange 131 is opened by slightly opening the link plates 110a and 110b and then placing the gap holding member 130 'and applying a predetermined external force. Deformation is caused, and the insertion protrusion 132 is fitted into the fixing hole 140 by the deformation.

As seen from the above, the cable chain 1000 according to the present invention has a separate stopper structure by using the lower interval maintaining member 120 for configuring the chain piece and the upper interval maintaining member 130 for securing durability as a stopper. By eliminating the need for a simple structure, the entire structure can be produced. In particular, since the cable chain 1000 according to the present invention has a simple structure, it is easy to manufacture with a metal material, and in this case, the durability can be increased, and even if the cable chain 1000 is installed outdoors, deformation and corrosion of the cable chain 1000 can be achieved. And there is an effect that can prevent damage, such as a phenomenon that is broken by an external impact.

100a, 100b: chain piece
110a ~ 110b: Link Plate
111: stepped portion
112: hinge hole
113: hinge pin
114: snap ring
120: lower interval holding member
130: upper interval holding member
131: side flange
132: insertion protrusion
140: fixing hole
1000: Cable Chain
C: cable

Claims (4)

A pair of link plates 110a and 110b each having a stepped stepped portion 111 in the middle of the length;
A lower spacing holding member (120) installed at a lower edge portion of the pair of link plates (110a, 110b) to face each other symmetrically and maintain a constant interval; And
Chain gaps comprising an upper interval maintaining member 130 which is installed on the upper side of the link plates (110a, 110b) to face the lower interval holding member 120 is formed to be repeatedly connected to each other rotationally bendable The cable chain structure characterized by the above.
The method of claim 1,
The chain piece is a metal material including stainless steel and galvanized steel sheet,
Each of the link plates 110a and 110b has hinge holes 112 formed at both sides of the stepped part 111, respectively, and is rotatably supported by a hinge pin 113 having a snap ring 114. Cable Chain Structure
The method of claim 1,
The lower spacing holding member 120 and the upper lower spacing holding member 120 are installed so as to interfere with rotation of the link plates 110a and 110b of other chain pieces adjacent to each other to limit the maximum rotation angle. .
The method according to claim 1 or 3,
Both ends of the upper interval holding member 130 are bent downward to form a side flange 131, and each side flange 131 is formed with an insertion protrusion 132,
The link plate (110a, 110b) is a cable chain structure, characterized in that the fixing hole 140 is further formed so that the insertion projection 132 can be selectively fixed.

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