A highly flexible elastomeric soft cable and installation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a highly flexible elastic body soft cable and an installation method. The soft cable includes a cable body and an adjusting device provided on the cable body. The adjusting device includes a lock core and a bending arm connected to the lock core. Among them, the lock core includes an inner lock ring provided with a plurality of inner sliding grooves, an outer lock ring sleeved outside the inner lock ring, and a plurality of rollers respectively arranged in the plurality of inner sliding grooves. During the rotation of the outer lock ring relative to the inner lock ring, the plurality of rollers can approach each other along the inner walls of the plurality of inner sliding grooves respectively to clamp the outer wall of the cable body. The bending arm has a plurality of clamping plates covering the outer wall of the cable body. The plurality of clamping plates are hinged to each other through a locking assembly, and during the switching process between the locked state and the unlocked state of the locking assembly, the bending arm can switch between different bending angles. The present invention enables the cable to be bent and adjusted as needed during use, so that it can adapt to different installation environments and equipment layouts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cable installation, and particularly to a highly flexible elastic body flexible cable and an installation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the application scenarios of modern electrical equipment and various automation systems, as an important component for power and signal transmission, the performance requirements of cables are becoming increasingly diverse and complex. With the continuous improvement of industrial automation and the development of equipment towards miniaturization and precision, higher requirements are put forward for the flexibility and adjustability of cables.

[0003] The structure of traditional cables is relatively fixed, and it often faces many limitations when it is necessary to bend or change the shape to adapt to different installation environments or equipment layouts. For example, inside some equipment with limited space or in occasions where the cable needs to move and be adjusted frequently, the rigid cable structure cannot meet the requirements of flexible wiring. In addition, in some special environments, the cable may need to withstand a certain amount of external pulling or frequent bending actions, and traditional cables are prone to damage, affecting their electrical performance and service life.

[0004] Based on this, some flexible cables have emerged in the market to solve the problem of limited scenarios of the existing cable structure. Although such flexible cables have good flexibility, they often lack an effective angle adjustment mechanism to precisely control the bending angle and pose of the flexible cable. This lack of precise control may affect the stability of the flexible cable during installation, and it is easy to change its shape due to external forces or equipment vibrations during subsequent use, thereby affecting the normal operation of the equipment. Moreover, at some positions where the flexible cable needs to be bent frequently, without a special clamping and fixing device, it is very likely that the structural strength at the bent part of the cable cannot be ensured, resulting in local wear of the cable and affecting the overall performance and service life of the cable. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the problem that the shape and pose of the flexible cable cannot be effectively fixed in the prior art, the present invention provides a highly flexible elastic body flexible cable and an installation method thereof, so that the flexible cable can still maintain good stability and structural strength at some positions that need to be bent frequently, thereby facilitating the improvement of the overall performance and service life of the cable.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a highly flexible elastic body soft cable, which includes a cable body and an adjusting device provided on the cable body. The adjusting device includes a lock core and a bending arm connected to the lock core. Among them, the lock core includes an inner lock ring provided with a plurality of inner sliding grooves, an outer lock ring sleeved outside the inner lock ring, and a plurality of rollers respectively arranged in the plurality of inner sliding grooves. During the relative rotation of the outer lock ring with respect to the inner lock ring, the plurality of rollers can approach each other along the inner walls of the plurality of inner sliding grooves respectively to clamp the outer wall of the cable body. The bending arm has a plurality of clamping plates covering the outer wall of the cable body. The plurality of clamping plates are hinged to each other through a locking assembly. And during the switching process between the locked state and the unlocked state of the locking assembly, the bending arm can switch between different bending angles.

[0007] In some embodiments, the outer lock ring is provided with a plurality of outer sliding grooves, and during the relative movement of the inner lock ring and the outer lock ring, the plurality of outer sliding grooves are respectively communicated with the plurality of inner sliding grooves, so that the plurality of rollers can move between the plurality of inner sliding grooves and the plurality of outer sliding grooves.

[0008] In some embodiments, the inner sliding groove is a trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the trapezoidal groove on the side close to the axis of the cable body is smaller than the diameter of the roller; the outer sliding groove is an inverted trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the inverted trapezoidal groove on the side far from the axis of the cable body is smaller than the diameter of the roller.

[0009] In some embodiments, the inner sliding groove is an arc-shaped groove, and the arc-shaped groove has a connected accommodating section and a guiding section. The minimum inner diameter of the accommodating section is not less than the diameter of the roller, and the minimum inner diameter of the guiding section is not greater than the diameter of the roller.

[0010] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped groove further has a recessed section connected to the accommodating section. A protrusion extending towards the arc-shaped groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the outer lock ring, and the outer shape of the protrusion is adapted to the contour of the recessed section.

[0011] In some embodiments, the locking assembly includes a sleeve, an upper locking member, a lower locking member, a locking column and an elastic member. Among them, the sleeve and the lower locking member are respectively arranged at the corners of adjacent clamping plates. The locking column passes through the sleeve. The upper locking member and the lower locking member are respectively sleeved outside the locking column. The elastic member is located between the sleeve and the upper locking member. And under the elastic force of the elastic member, the upper locking member can be locked and matched with the lower locking member.

[0012] In some embodiments, a button is provided at the top end of the locking column, a limiting hole is opened at the bottom end of the locking column, and the locking assembly further includes a limiting pin matched with the limiting hole.

[0013] In some embodiments, the limiting hole is a gourd-shaped hole or a strip-shaped hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, anti-slip stripes are provided on the surface of the outer lock ring.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides an installation method for a highly flexible elastic body soft cable, which is applied to the highly flexible elastic body soft cable as described above, and includes the following steps:

[0016] Move the adjusting device to the bending position of the cable body;

[0017] Screw the lock core to drive the outer lock ring to rotate relative to the inner lock ring, and make the plurality of rollers clamp the outer wall of the cable body;

[0018] Switch the locking assembly to the unlocked state and adjust the bending angles of the plurality of clamping plates in the bending arm;

[0019] After the bending angle is determined, switch the locking assembly from the unlocked state to the locked state to fix the pose of the cable body.

[0020] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the technical effects achieved by the present invention are as follows:

[0021] First of all, the highly flexible elastic body soft cable provided by the present invention includes a cable body and an adjusting device provided on the cable body. Through the design of the adjusting device, the cable can be bent and adjusted as needed during use, so that it can adapt to different installation environments and equipment layouts, improving the flexibility and operability of the cable. Specifically, the adjusting device includes a lock core and a bending arm. The setting of the lock core can effectively clamp the outer wall of the cable body, preventing the cable body from loosening or sliding relative to the adjusting device during use, which is beneficial to ensuring the stability of the cable body and the reliability of the electrical connection with other electrical equipment; and, through the relative rotation between the inner lock ring and the outer lock ring in the lock core, the clamping of the outer wall of the cable body by the plurality of rollers is realized, and the operation method is simple and has a stable clamping effect. The setting of the plurality of clamping plates in the bending arm expands the angle adjustment range of the cable body to a certain extent, enabling the cable to be applied to various complex scenarios. In addition, the cable body can also be processed with high-quality flexible materials to further improve the anti-bending performance and service life of the cable, and greatly reduce the wear at the frequently bent parts of the cable.

[0022] In addition, the installation method for the highly flexible elastic body soft cable provided by the present invention can achieve rapid and precise installation and adjustment of the cable, improving the installation efficiency and quality of the cable, and ensuring the stability and reliability of the cable during use.

[0023] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention. In order to understand the technical means of the embodiments of the present invention more clearly, it can be implemented according to the content of the description. And in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following specifically gives the specific implementation manners of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a highly flexible elastic body soft cable provided by the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an adjusting device provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an inner locking ring provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an outer locking ring provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another highly flexible elastic body soft cable provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cable body provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 is a top view of a lock core provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 is provided by the present invention Figure 7 a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in;

[0033] Figure 9 is a top view of another lock core provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 10 is provided by the present invention Figure 9 a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in;

[0035] Figure 11 is provided by the present invention Figure 10 an enlarged schematic view of part C in;

[0036] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a locking assembly provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 13 This is a schematic structural view of another locking assembly provided by the present invention.

[0038] Description of main reference numerals:

[0039] 100 Cable body, 110 Conductor, 120 Insulator, 130 Filler, 140 Inner liner, 150 Sheath;

[0040] 200 Adjusting device, 210 Lock core, 211 Inner lock ring, 2111 Inner sliding groove, 2112 Inner lock hole, 2113 Inner flange, 2114 Accommodating section, 2115 Guiding section, 2116 Depressed section, 212 Outer lock ring, 2121 Outer lock hole, 2122 Outer flange, 2123 Protrusion, 2124 Outer sliding groove, 213 Roller, 220 Bent arm, 221 Clamping plate, 222 Locking assembly, 2221 Sleeve, 2222 Upper locking member, 2223 Lower locking member, 2224 Locking column, 2225 Elastic member, 2226 Button, 2227 Limit hole, 2228 Limit pin. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present invention, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0042] Referring to Figures 1-5 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a highly flexible elastic body soft cable, including a cable body 100 and an adjusting device 200 provided on the cable body 100. The adjusting device 200 includes a lock core 210 and a bent arm 220 connected to the lock core 210. Among them, the lock core 210 includes an inner lock ring 211 provided with a plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111, an outer lock ring 212 sleeved outside the inner lock ring 211, and a plurality of rollers 213 respectively arranged in the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111. During the rotation of the outer lock ring 212 relative to the inner lock ring 211, the plurality of rollers 213 can approach each other along the inner walls of the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111 respectively to clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100. The bent arm 220 has a plurality of clamping plates 221 covering the outer wall of the cable body 100. The plurality of clamping plates 221 are hinged to each other through a locking assembly 222. During the switching process between the locked state and the unlocked state of the locking assembly 222, the bent arm 220 can switch between different bending angles.

[0043] It should be noted that the highly flexible elastomeric flexible cable provided in this application refers to a cable made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE, Thermoplastic Elastomer). TPE is also known as artificial rubber or synthetic rubber. Its products have excellent properties such as high elasticity, aging resistance, and oil resistance of traditional cross-linked vulcanized rubber, and at the same time have the characteristics of convenient processing and a wide range of processing methods of ordinary plastics. When TPE is applied to cables, its performance at the use temperature is similar to that of vulcanized rubber, and it can also be processed and reprocessed by increasing the temperature like thermoplastic plastics.

[0044] In addition, the cable body in the highly flexible elastomeric flexible cable usually includes structures such as a conductor, an insulator, a filler, and a sheath. Among them, the material of the conductor can be annealed copper wire. The single wire can be uncoated or tinned, and the tinned copper wire can be covered with an effective tin layer; there can be various different specifications for the number of conductor cores, the nominal cross-sectional area of the conductor, the maximum diameter of the single wire in the conductor, and the maximum value of the conductor resistance at 20 °C (specifically refer to Table 1 below). This application does not limit the specific values of each parameter in the conductor; the material of the insulator can be thermoplastic elastomer, preferably one of nitrile-polyvinyl chloride elastomer insulation (PVC / NBR), styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer insulation (TPS), or thermoplastic vulcanizate insulation (TPV), and the average value of the insulator thickness is not less than the specified value listed in Table 1. However, the thickness at a certain point of the insulator can be less than the specified value, as long as the thickness at this point is not less than 90% of the specified value; the filler can be made of a non-hygroscopic material or formed by the sheath being embedded between the cores. There should be no harmful interaction between the components of the filler and the insulation and / or sheath; the sheath can also be made of thermoplastic elastomer, preferably one of nitrile-polyvinyl chloride elastomer insulation (PVC / NBR), styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer insulation (TPS), or thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer sheath (TPD), and the average value of the sheath thickness is not less than the specified value listed in Table 1 below. However, the thickness at a certain point of the sheath can be less than the specified value, as long as the thickness at this point is not less than 85% of the specified value; in addition, the average outer diameter of the cable body can refer to the range specified in Table 1, and the ovality of the cable body should not exceed 15% of the upper limit of the specified average outer diameter.

[0045] Table 1:

[0046]

[0047] In a specific example, the specific structure of the cable body 100 can be referred to Figure 6As shown, the cable body 100 includes a conductor 110, an insulator 120, a filling body 130, an inner liner 140, and a sheath 150, which are arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside; preferably, the number of cores of the conductor 110 can be three, and the three-core conductor 110 is arranged in a triangular pattern, and the filling body 130 is located in the gap between the inner liner 140 and the insulator 120. Among them, the conductor 110 can be a tinned copper wire, the insulator 120 and the sheath 150 can both be made of thermoplastic elastomer, the material of the filling body 130 can be polypropylene fiber, glass fiber, polyurethane foam, etc., and the material of the inner liner 140 can be polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, steel strip, steel wire, aluminum strip, etc. This application does not limit the specific materials of the above-mentioned various layer structures. Further, in order to better improve the tensile strength of the highly flexible elastomer soft cable, the cable body 100 can also include a tensile member (not shown in the figure) arranged in the gap between the filling body 130 and the insulator 120. Among them, the tensile member can be a galvanized tensile soft steel wire rope, Kevlar tensile fiber, etc. This application does not limit the specific structure of the tensile member.

[0048] It should also be noted that in different application scenarios of the cable body 100, due to differences in its actual length, the type of electrical equipment it is connected to, the wiring path, etc., the cable body 100 itself may have multiple positions that need to be bent during the wiring process. Therefore, in this application, multiple adjusting devices 200 can be configured and respectively arranged at multiple positions that need to be bent in the cable body 100, so that the cable body 100 presents a more stable shape as a whole. Exemplarily, the number of adjusting devices 200 can be three, and this application does not limit its specific quantity.

[0049] The inner lock ring 211 and the outer lock ring 212 in the lock core 210 are nested and matched with each other. On the one hand, the user can rotate the outer lock ring 212 clockwise or counterclockwise with one hand while holding the inner lock ring 211 still with the other hand to drive the relative rotation between the inner lock ring 211 and the outer lock ring 212; on the other hand, the user can also rotate the inner lock ring 211 clockwise or counterclockwise with one hand while holding the outer lock ring 212 still with the other hand to drive the relative rotation between the inner lock ring 211 and the outer lock ring 212. This application does not limit the operation method of the user on the lock core 210.

[0050] It should be noted that since both the inner locking ring 211 and the outer locking ring 212 are sleeved on the outer side of the cable body 100, commonly, the inner locking ring 211 is provided with an inner locking hole 2112 for accommodating the cable body 100, and the outer locking ring 212 is provided with an outer locking hole 2121 adapted to the contour of the inner locking ring 211. Among them, both the inner locking hole 2112 and the outer locking hole 2121 can be circular holes, or both the inner locking hole 2112 and the outer locking hole 2121 can be polygonal holes (such as triangular holes, square holes, hexagonal holes, etc.); and the shapes of the inner locking hole 2112 and the outer locking hole 2121 can be the same or different, and the present application does not limit the specific shapes of the inner locking hole 2112 and the outer locking hole 2121. In addition, the outer contour of both the inner locking ring 211 and the outer locking ring 212 can be in the shape of a circular ring, or can be in the shape of a square ring, a hexagonal ring, etc., and the present application does not limit the outer contour of the inner locking ring 211 and the outer locking ring 212 either.

[0051] Optionally, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, both sides of the inner locking ring 211 have inner flanges 2113 extending radially outward along it, and both sides of the outer locking ring 212 have outer flanges 2122 extending radially outward along it, and the two outer flanges 2122 on both sides are located between the two inner flanges 2113 on both sides. Among them, the inner flange 2113 can be a polygonal convex edge, and the outer flange 2122 can be a circular convex edge, and the present application does not limit the specific shapes of the inner flange 2113 and the outer flange 2122.

[0052] The settings of the inner flange 2113 and the outer flange 2122 can limit the position of the outer locking ring 212 during the relative rotation of the inner locking ring 211 and the outer locking ring 212, and to the greatest extent avoid the shaking of the outer locking ring 212 relative to the inner locking ring 211 along the axial direction of the cable body 100, thereby facilitating the improvement of the structural stability of the lock core 210.

[0053] Preferably, a plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111 in the inner locking ring 211 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the inner locking ring 211. Correspondingly, a plurality of rollers 213 located in the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111 are also evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the inner locking ring 211. Exemplarily, the number of both the inner sliding grooves 2111 and the rollers 213 can be eight. This setting method can make the clamping forces of the plurality of rollers 213 acting on the outer wall of the cable body 100 more evenly distributed when the plurality of rollers 213 clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100, thereby facilitating the improvement of the clamping stability and clamping effect of the lock core 210 on the cable body 100.

[0054] It can be understood that when the roller 213 moves in the inner chute 2111, on the one hand, the sliding fit between the inner chute 2111 and the roller 213 can be achieved by reasonably configuring the structures of the inner chute 2111 and the roller 213; on the other hand, the relative movement between the two can also be achieved by reasonably configuring the sizes of the inner chute 2111 and the roller 213. In one way, sliding shafts are provided at both ends of the roller 213, and chutes are provided on both side walls of the inner chute 2111. Through the cooperation between the chutes and the sliding shafts, the sliding fit between the roller 213 and the inner chute 2111 can be achieved; in another way, the axial dimension of the roller 213 is configured to be slightly smaller than the width of the inner chute 2111, so that a gap is formed between the roller 213 and the inner chute 2111. This gap can not only ensure that the roller 213 moves in the inner chute 2111, but also prevent the roller 213 from disengaging from the inner chute 2111 due to an excessive gap.

[0055] In addition, the multiple clamping plates 221 in the bending arm 220 are used to clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100. They can be U-shaped plate clamping plates, circular clamping cylinders, semi-circular clamping plates, etc. The present application does not limit the specific structure of the clamping plate 221. Moreover, the number of the clamping plates 221 can be two, three, four, five, etc. The present application also does not limit the specific number of the clamping plates 221.

[0056] In order to make the clamping area or clamping angle formed between the multiple clamping plates 221 match the bending angle and shape of the cable body 100, the multiple clamping plates 221 are connected by a hinged manner, which can make the bending arm 220 adapt to the cable body 100 with different bending angles and different shapes. Further, in order to keep the multiple clamping plates 221 at a certain determined angle, the present application sets a locking component 222 to lock the positions of the multiple clamping plates 221, and the locking component 222 is arranged at the hinged positions of the multiple clamping plates 221.

[0057] Regarding the specific structure of the locking component 222, the present application can have various different implementation manners. For example, the structure of the locking component 222 can be a gear locking structure, a magnetic attraction locking structure, or a threaded locking structure, etc. The present application also does not limit this.

[0058] The highly flexible elastomeric soft cable provided by the present invention, through the design of the adjusting device 200, enables the cable to be bent and adjusted as needed during use, so that it can adapt to different installation environments and equipment layouts, improving the flexibility and operability of the cable. First of all, the adjusting device 200 includes a lock core 210 and a bending arm 220. The setting of the lock core 210 can effectively clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100, preventing the cable body 100 from loosening or sliding relative to the adjusting device 200 during use, which is beneficial to ensuring the stability of the cable body 100 and the reliability of the electrical connection with other electrical equipment; moreover, through the relative rotation between the inner lock ring 211 and the outer lock ring 212 in the lock core 210, the clamping of the outer wall of the cable body 100 by multiple rollers 213 is realized, and the operation method is simple and has a stable clamping effect. Secondly, the setting of multiple clamping plates 221 in the bending arm 220 expands the angle adjustment range of the cable body 100 to a certain extent, enabling the cable to be applied to various complex scenarios. In addition, the cable body 100 can also be processed with high-quality flexible materials to further improve the anti-bending performance and service life of the cable, greatly reducing the wear at the frequently bent parts of the cable.

[0059] In some embodiments, with continued reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4 as shown, the outer lock ring 212 is provided with a plurality of outer sliding grooves 2124, and during the relative movement of the inner lock ring 211 and the outer lock ring 212, the plurality of outer sliding grooves 2124 are respectively communicated with the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111, so that the plurality of rollers 213 can move between the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111 and the plurality of outer sliding grooves 2124.

[0060] During the movement of the outer lock ring 212 relative to the inner lock ring 211, on the one hand, the outer sliding groove 2124 and the inner sliding groove 2111 are misaligned, and the bottom wall of the outer lock ring 212 can squeeze the outer wall of the roller 213, thereby driving the roller 213 to move along the inner wall of the inner sliding groove 2111 towards the axis of the cable body 100, that is, the plurality of rollers 213 approach each other to clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100; on the other hand, the inner sliding groove 2111 is communicated with the outer sliding groove 2124, and the roller 213 can move in the inner sliding groove 2111 and the outer sliding groove 2124, and the reaction force of the outer wall of the cable body 100 on the roller 213 drives the roller 213 away from the axis of the cable body 100, that is, the plurality of rollers 213 move away from each other to unlock the outer wall of the cable body 100.

[0061] It should be noted that the number of the outer sliding grooves 2124 may be the same as or different from the number of the inner sliding grooves 2111, and the present application has no limitation in this regard. When the number of the outer sliding grooves 2124 is the same as that of the inner sliding grooves 2111, during the rotation process of the outer locking ring 212 relative to the inner locking ring 211, the lock core 210 has two gears, namely a locking gear and an unlocking gear (see the above content for details); when the number of the outer sliding grooves 2124 is different from that of the inner sliding grooves 2111, during the rotation process of the outer locking ring 212 relative to the inner locking ring 211, the lock core 210 has three gears, namely a locking gear, an unlocking gear and a semi-locking gear; when the lock core 210 is in the semi-locking gear, a part of the plurality of inner sliding grooves 2111 communicates with the outer sliding grooves 2124, and the remaining inner sliding grooves 2111 are in a closed state under the blockage of the inner wall of the outer locking ring 212; at this time, a part of the plurality of rollers 213 enters the inner sliding grooves 2111 and / or the outer sliding grooves 2124 under the reaction of the outer wall of the cable body 100, and the other part of the rollers 213 still clamps the outer wall of the cable body 100 under the extrusion of the inner wall of the outer locking ring 212. However, since only part of the rollers 213 clamp the cable body 100, compared with the locking gear, the clamping force in the semi-locking gear becomes smaller and the clamping stability becomes worse, and the user can adjust the position of the lock core 210 on the cable body 100 without worrying about over-adjustment.

[0062] Further, as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the inner sliding groove 2111 may be a trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the trapezoidal groove on the side close to the axis of the cable body 100 is smaller than the diameter of the roller 213; the outer sliding groove 2124 may be an inverted trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the inverted trapezoidal groove on the side far from the axis of the cable body 100 is smaller than the diameter of the roller 213.

[0063] The structures of the trapezoidal groove and the inverted trapezoidal groove can effectively limit the roller 213 during the clamping process of the roller 213 or when the roller 213 moves to the outer sliding groove 2124, preventing the roller 213 from disengaging from the inner sliding groove 2111 or the outer sliding groove 2124, and further improving the stability and reliability of the lock core 210.

[0064] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 9-11 , in addition to the trapezoidal groove, the inner sliding groove 2111 may also be an arc groove, and the arc groove has a connected accommodating section 2114 and a guiding section 2115, and the minimum inner diameter of the accommodating section 2114 is not less than the diameter of the roller 213, and the minimum inner diameter of the guiding section 2115 is not greater than the diameter of the roller 213.

[0065] The inner sliding groove 2111 of the arc-shaped structure makes the movement process of the roller 213 in the inner sliding groove 2111 smoother. Among them, the accommodating section 2114 is used to accommodate the roller 213 when the lock core 210 is in the unlocking gear position, and the guiding section 2115 is used to clamp the outer wall of the cable body 100 by the roller 213 when the lock core 210 is in the locking gear position. Moreover, by defining the sizes of the accommodating section 2114 and the guiding section 2115, not only can the inner locking ring 211 have sufficient accommodating space to accommodate the roller 213, but also the roller 213 can be prevented from disengaging from the inner sliding groove 2111 when in the locking gear position.

[0066] It should be noted that when the inner sliding groove 2111 is an arc-shaped groove, the arc-shaped groove is formed by enclosing an arc-shaped top wall, an arc-shaped bottom wall and the side wall of the inner locking ring 211, and both the top end and the bottom end of the arc-shaped groove have through openings; among them, the arc-shaped top wall is a continuous regular arc, the arc-shaped bottom wall is a continuous irregular arc, and the irregular arc is respectively formed by connecting two arcs with different radii and different arc lengths, and the orientation of one arc segment with a longer arc length is opposite to the orientation of the other arc segment with a shorter arc length. The longer arc segment and the arc-shaped top wall enclose the accommodating section 2114, and the shorter arc segment and the arc-shaped top wall enclose the guiding section 2115. In addition, no transition treatment is made at the connection between the longer arc segment and the shorter arc segment, so that a convex structure is formed at the connection, so that when the roller 213 moves along the arc-shaped bottom wall and passes through the connection between the longer arc segment and the shorter arc segment, the user can clearly perceive a sense of jerk, and even can hear a slight "click" prompt sound, which is beneficial to the user to confirm the gear state of the lock core 210 and thus beneficial to the user experience.

[0067] Furthermore, continue to refer to Figure 11 As shown, the arc-shaped groove also has a recessed section 2116 connected to the accommodating section 2114. A protrusion 2123 extending towards the arc-shaped groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the outer locking ring 212, and the shape of the protrusion 2123 is adapted to the contour of the recessed section 2116. Through the setting of the protrusion 2123 in the outer locking ring 212, when the outer locking ring 212 rotates, the roller 213 can be driven, which is beneficial to ensuring the switching of the lock core 210 between the unlocking gear position and the locking gear position.

[0068] Preferably, the protrusion 2123 can be an arc-shaped protrusion; correspondingly, the contour of the recessed section 2116 is also arc-shaped. The setting of the recessed section 2116 can, to a certain extent, ensure that the outer locking ring 212 remains in a stable relative position relative to the inner locking ring 211 by limiting the protrusion 2123 in the recessed section 2116 when the lock core 210 is in the unlocking gear position, thereby avoiding unnecessary relative rotation between the outer locking ring 212 and the inner locking ring 211, and thus being beneficial to improving the stability and reliability of the structure of the lock core 210.

[0069] It should also be noted that the bottom wall of the recessed section 2116 is connected to the arc-shaped bottom wall of the accommodating section 2114, and both the arc length and radius of the bottom wall of the recessed section 2116 are different from those of the arc-shaped bottom wall of the accommodating section 2114. Based on this, a convex structure can also be formed at the connection position between the bottom wall of the recessed section 2116 and the arc-shaped bottom wall of the accommodating section 2114. When the roller 213 moves between the accommodating section 2114 and the recessed section 2116, the user can also clearly perceive a sense of jerk, or can hear a slight "click" prompt sound.

[0070] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 12 and Figure 13 as shown, the locking assembly 222 includes a sleeve 2221, an upper locking member 2222, a lower locking member 2223, a locking column 2224, and an elastic member 2225. Among them, the sleeve 2221 and the lower locking member 2223 are respectively arranged at the corners of adjacent clamping plates 221. The locking column 2224 passes through the sleeve 2221. The upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223 are respectively sleeved on the outer side of the locking column 2224. The elastic member 2225 is located between the sleeve 2221 and the upper locking member 2222. Under the elastic force of the elastic member 2225, the upper locking member 2222 can be locked and cooperated with the lower locking member 2223.

[0071] It can be understood that since there are multiple clamping plates 221 in the bending arm 220, especially when the multiple clamping plates 221 are U-shaped clamping plates, the connection positions of the respective clamping plates 221 actually show an up-and-down staggered connection form, that is, the dimensions between adjacent two clamping plates 221 will be slightly different to a certain extent to avoid the problem that it is not convenient to hinge when the dimensions of the respective clamping plates 221 are the same.

[0072] Exemplarily, when there are three clamping plates 221 and all the clamping plates 221 are U-shaped clamping plates, they are respectively named the first clamping plate, the second clamping plate, and the third clamping plate. Among them, one end of the first clamping plate is connected to the inner locking ring 211, and the other end is hinged to the first end of the second clamping plate. The second end of the second clamping plate is then hinged to the end of the third clamping plate. And when the bending arm 220 is in a horizontal state, the upper side walls of the first clamping plate and the third clamping plate can be located above the upper side wall of the second clamping plate, that is, the distance between the two side walls of the first clamping plate and the third clamping plate is greater than the distance between the two side walls of the second clamping plate. At this time, the sleeve 2221 in the locking assembly 222 can be arranged in the two side walls of the first clamping plate and the third clamping plate, and the lower locking member 2223 can be arranged in the two side walls of the second clamping plate; or, the sleeve 2221 can be arranged in the two side walls of the second clamping plate, and the lower locking member 2223 can be arranged in the two side walls of the first clamping plate and the third clamping plate.

[0073] It should also be noted that the locking cooperation mode between the upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223 in the locking assembly 222 can be gear cooperation, magnetic attraction cooperation, snap connection cooperation, etc. When the cooperation mode is gear cooperation, the upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223 can be face gears; when the cooperation mode is magnetic attraction cooperation, the upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223 can be magnets; when the cooperation mode is snap connection cooperation, one of the upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223 can be a snap, and the other can be a slot. The present application does not limit the specific structures of the upper locking member 2222 and the lower locking member 2223.

[0074] In addition, since the upper locking member 2222 can be locked and cooperated with the lower locking member 2223 under the elastic force of the elastic member 2225. Therefore, it can be understood that when the lower locking member 2223 is fixed in the side wall of the clamping plate 221, the locking column 2224 should be able to pass through the lower locking member 2223 and slide up and down relative to it, and the upper locking member 2222 should be able to move along with the movement of the locking column 2224, and both ends of the elastic member 2225 can respectively abut against the sleeve 2221 and the upper locking member 2222; and, the elastic member 2225 can be a compression spring, a reed, a spring plate, etc. The present application does not limit the specific structure of the elastic member 2225.

[0075] Furthermore, referring to Figure 13 As shown, a button 2226 is provided at the top of the locking column 2224, a limiting hole 2227 is opened at the bottom of the locking column 2224, and the locking assembly 222 further includes a limiting pin 2228 that cooperates with the limiting hole 2227. Among them, the setting of the button 2226 facilitates the user to operate the locking assembly 222 and is conducive to the switching between the unlocking process and the locking process of the locking assembly 222; the cooperation between the limiting hole 2227 and the limiting pin 2228 can prevent the locking column 2224 from disengaging from the clamping plate 221, which is conducive to the stable exertion of the locking effect of the locking assembly 222, and further can improve the locking effect and stability of the locking assembly 222, and prevent loosening or misoperation during use.

[0076] Optionally, the limiting hole 2227 is a gourd hole or a strip hole. When the limiting hole 2227 is a gourd hole and the locking assembly 222 is in the locked state, the limiting pin 2228 cooperates with the lower hole in the gourd hole; when the locking assembly 222 is in the unlocked state, the limiting pin 2228 cooperates with the upper hole in the gourd hole; the design of this gourd hole structure can improve the locking effect of the locking assembly 222 to a certain extent. When the gourd hole is a strip hole, it is beneficial to improve the smoothness of the switching between the unlocked state and the locked state of the locking assembly 222.

[0077] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 4As shown, anti-slip stripes (not marked in the figure) are provided on the surface of the outer lock ring 212. The anti-slip stripes can increase the friction on the surface of the outer lock ring 212, facilitating the operator to apply force better when screwing the outer lock ring 212. At the same time, it can also prevent the accidental rotation of the outer lock ring 212 due to slippery hands during use, improving the safety and operability of the adjusting device 200.

[0078] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention also provides an installation method for a highly flexible elastomeric flexible cable, which is applied to the highly flexible elastomeric flexible cable as described above, and includes the following steps:

[0079] S100. Move the adjusting device to the bending position of the cable body.

[0080] S200. Screw the lock core to drive the outer lock ring to rotate relative to the inner lock ring, and make the plurality of rollers clamp the outer wall of the cable body.

[0081] S300. Switch the locking assembly to the unlocked state and adjust the bending angles of the plurality of clamping plates in the bending arm.

[0082] S400. After the bending angle is determined, switch the locking assembly from the unlocked state to the locked state to fix the pose of the cable body.

[0083] The installation method for the highly flexible elastomeric flexible cable provided by the present invention can achieve rapid and precise installation and adjustment of the cable, improve the installation efficiency and quality of the cable, and ensure the stability and reliability of the cable during use.

[0084] Although the present invention has been described in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions to the embodiments of the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be within the scope of the present invention. / Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A highly flexible elastic cable, characterized in that: It comprises a cable body and an adjusting device arranged on the cable body, wherein the adjusting device comprises a lock core and a bending arm connected to the lock core; The lock core includes an inner lock ring with a plurality of inner slide grooves, an outer lock ring sleeved on the outer side of the inner lock ring, and a plurality of rollers respectively arranged in the plurality of inner slide grooves. When the outer lock ring rotates relative to the inner lock ring, the plurality of rollers can approach each other along the inner walls of the plurality of inner slide grooves to clamp the outer wall of the cable body. The bending arm has a plurality of clamping plates wrapped around the outer wall of the cable body, the plurality of clamping plates are hingedly connected by a locking assembly, and when the locking assembly switches between a locked state and an unlocked state, the bending arm can switch between different bending angles.

2. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer locking ring is provided with a plurality of outer sliding grooves, and during the relative movement of the inner locking ring and the outer locking ring, the plurality of outer sliding grooves are respectively connected with the plurality of inner sliding grooves, so that the plurality of rollers can move between the plurality of inner sliding grooves and the plurality of outer sliding grooves.

3. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner slide groove is a trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the trapezoidal groove close to the axis of the cable body is smaller than the diameter of the roller; The outer sliding groove is an inverted trapezoidal groove, and the width of the opening of the inverted trapezoidal groove away from the axis of the cable body is smaller than the diameter of the roller.

4. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner slide groove is an arc groove, and the arc groove has a receiving section and a guiding section connected to each other, and the minimum inner diameter of the receiving section is not less than the diameter of the roller, and the minimum inner diameter of the guiding section is not greater than the diameter of the roller.

5. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 4, characterized in that: The arc-shaped groove also has a recessed section connected to the accommodating section, and the inner bottom wall of the outer locking ring is provided with a protrusion extending toward the arc-shaped groove, and the shape of the protrusion is adapted to the contour of the recessed section.

6. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking assembly includes a sleeve, an upper locking piece, a lower locking piece, a locking column and an elastic piece; wherein the sleeve and the lower locking piece are respectively arranged at the corners of adjacent clamping plates, the locking column passes through the sleeve, the upper locking piece and the lower locking piece are respectively sleeved on the outside of the locking column, the elastic piece is located between the sleeve and the upper locking piece, and under the elastic force of the elastic piece, the upper locking piece can be locked and matched with the lower locking piece.

7. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 6, characterized in that: A button is disposed at the top end of the locking column, a limiting hole is provided at the bottom end of the locking column, and the locking assembly further comprises a limiting pin matched with the limiting hole.

8. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 7, characterized in that: The limiting hole is a gourd-shaped hole or a strip-shaped hole.

9. The high-flexibility elastic soft cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the outer locking ring is provided with anti-slip stripes.

10. A method for installing a highly flexible elastic flexible cable, applied to the highly flexible elastic flexible cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The steps include: Move the adjusting device to the position of the cable body to be bent; The lock core is rotated to drive the outer lock ring to rotate relative to the inner lock ring, and the plurality of rollers clamp the outer wall of the cable body; Switch the locking assembly to an unlocked state to adjust the bending angles of the multiple clamping plates in the bending arm; After the bending angle is determined, the locking assembly is switched from an unlocked state to a locked state to fix the position of the cable body.

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