Spiral cable with fixed cable windings

Abstract

Cable (100) with at least one conductor and a sheath, wherein the cable (100) has at least one spirally formed first section (10) with a plurality of cable turns (12), wherein the cable (100) has at least one connecting element (13) for mechanically connecting the cable (100) to a counterpart (110), characterized in that the at least one connecting element (13) is arranged in the region of the first section (10), and the at least one connecting element (13) is designed as a clamping means and / or the cable (100) has at least one clamping means in the region of the connecting element (13), wherein a plurality of cable turns (12) in the first section (10) are fixed by the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or by the separate clamping means.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The invention relates to a cable with at least one conductor and a sheath, wherein the cable has at least one spirally formed first section with a plurality of cable windings, wherein the cable has at least one connecting element for mechanically connecting the cable to a counterpart.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a device with a cable which is mechanically connected to a counterpart at its connecting element. State of the art

[0003] Cables with a spiralized section are also called spiral cables.

[0004] Such coiled cables are used, for example, for handheld electrical devices such as razors or hair dryers. Using a coiled cable makes it easier to move the electrical devices around the room.

[0005] When the cable is mechanically fastened to a fixed point, for example a connection element on the electrical handset, for example via strain relief or clamping devices, point-like stresses are exerted on the cable structure. Description of the invention: task, solution, advantages

[0006] The object of the present invention is to improve a cable with at least one conductor and a sheath, wherein the cable has at least one spirally formed first section with a plurality of cable turns, wherein the cable has at least one connecting element for mechanically connecting the cable to a counterpart, in such a way that the stress on the cable structure of the cable is reduced during the mechanical connection to the counterpart.

[0007] According to the invention, a cable as described above is proposed for this purpose, wherein the at least one connecting element is arranged in a region of the first section, and the at least one connecting element is designed as a clamping means, and / or the cable has at least one separate clamping means in the region of the connecting element. As a result, several cable windings of the cable windings in the first section are fixed by the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or by the separate clamping means.

[0008] In the following, the cable is also referred to as a spiral cable, since at least one section of the cable is spiraled. According to the present invention, this section is referred to as the first section. The first section does not refer to the arrangement of this section along the cable. For example, the beginning of the cable could be straight, a middle section spiraled, and the end of the cable straight again. In this case, the middle, spiraled section would be understood as the first section within the meaning of the invention.

[0009] The cable can be designed as a power cable, a data cable, or another type of cable. Furthermore, the cable can also have additional spiral sections. A plurality of cable turns means that the first section, namely the at least one spiral section, has more than two, preferably more than ten, cable turns. A cable turn is one turn of the cable 360° around a longitudinal axis of the cable.

[0010] The connecting element serves as a mechanical connection to a counterpart. The counterpart can be provided or arranged in a stationary or movable manner. For example, the counterpart can be part of a robot, a robot arm, or a trailer coupling. The counterpart could also be a freely movable control element of a machine or a part of the control element.

[0011] If the cable were to be mechanically connected to the counterpart without a clamping element, high mechanical stress would be exerted at a single point on the cable, namely the connection point between the cable and the counterpart. Because, according to the invention, several turns of the cable are fixed in the first section and the connection to the counterpart takes place in this area, the force is distributed in the connection area and the load is extended or distributed over the entire area. This makes the mechanical connection between the cable and the connecting element much more robust and the cable experiences much less stress on its cable structure. This avoids point-specific stress on the cable structure, which would otherwise occur with conventional mechanical fastenings such as strain reliefs and clamping devices that are attached to the straight course of the cable or to specific points on the cable.

[0012] The cable windings in the first section of the cable are secured either by the connecting element designed as a clamping device or by the separate clamping element arranged in this area. A combination of connecting element and separate clamping element could also be provided to secure the cable windings in this area.

[0013] In other words, the connecting element and / or a separate clamping means fix a plurality of cable turns in a region of the first section of the spiral cable. Fixing the cable turns within the meaning of the invention means that the fixed cable turns are fixed to one another or to one another, so that when the spiralized section, namely the first section, of the cable is stretched, these fixed cable turns are further held together. Thus, when the spiral cable is stretched, the fixed cable turns do not pull apart accordion-like with the remaining cable turns of the first section. Furthermore, the fixation creates a force-locking connection between the cable turns to be fixed in the first section of the cable and the connecting element and / or the separate clamping means.

[0014] Preferably, the connecting element configured as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means circumferentially encloses the cable windings secured together, at least in some areas. In principle, the clamping means could have any suitable configuration. In the simplest case, several cable windings are held together or secured together by means of a tension-like connection, for example a cable tie. Preferably, however, the connecting element configured as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means are arranged circumferentially, in some areas or sections, around the first section, i.e., the at least one spiralized section, of the cable.

[0015] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is cylindrical and / or sleeve-shaped. For example, the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means could be designed as a type of clamping sleeve and arranged circumferentially completely around the cable windings to be fixed in the region of the first section. The clamping sleeve would be circumferentially and force-fit connected to the spiral cable in this region of the first section and would exert pressure from the outside or circumferentially from the outside on the cable windings to be fixed in order to fix them to one another.

[0016] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is arranged at one end of the first section, so that the cable windings are thereby fixed in the transition area to a second section of the cable. This thus achieves a fixation of the last or first cable windings of the first section.

[0017] Preferably, the cable has a second section, wherein the cable is not spiralized in this second section. For example, the cable can be straight in this second section. The second section directly adjoins the first section, i.e., the spiralized section, of the cable.

[0018] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping element is / are designed as a separate component, but is / are firmly connected to the cable. In principle, the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means could also be formed integrally with the cable. Preferably, however, the clamping means is designed as a separate component. In this case, the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is firmly connected to the cable and immovably relative to the latter. The fixed connection can be designed as a detachable or non-detachable connection.

[0019] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means secures at least three, particularly preferably at least four, cable windings. By securing multiple cable windings, a larger-area force distribution is achieved and the stress on the cable structure in the area of ​​the connection or attachment to a counterpart is further significantly reduced.

[0020] Preferably, the cable exits the connecting element configured as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means at an angle, wherein the angle is less than 20°, particularly preferably less than 15°, very particularly preferably less than 12°, and extremely preferably less than 10°. This exit angle of the cable from the connecting element configured as a clamping element and / or the separate clamping means refers to the unstretched state of the spiral cable.

[0021] Because the exit angle of the cable from the fixation area into the remaining area of ​​the first section of the cable is particularly flat, the stress on the cable structure in this area is also reduced and the force distribution over the entire fixation area is promoted.

[0022] The cable has a cable diameter and, in the first section, a spiral diameter. Preferably, the spiral diameter is greater than or equal to the quotient of the cable diameter and the tangent of this angle or the exit angle of the cable from the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means. The cable diameter is the outer diameter of the cable, i.e. including the sheath. The spiral diameter is the diameter of the cable windings measured from the cable center to the cable center. This preferred minimum ratio further promotes force distribution in the area of ​​the cable exit from the connecting element designed as a clamping means or the separate clamping means with the flattest possible angle.

[0023] Preferably, a core enclosed by the fixed cable windings is arranged in the region of the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means. The core can be formed integrally with the cable, the connecting element, and / or the separate clamping means. However, the core is preferably formed as a separate component. By arranging a core enclosed by the fixed cable windings, compression of the cable windings in this area is prevented by the clamping means when a large force is applied. As a result, the cable windings are not as easily compressible despite the large force applied by the clamping means.Therefore, when the core is arranged within the fixed cable windings, it is possible to exert a greater force on the cable windings using the connecting element designed as a clamping means or the separate clamping means in order to achieve an even better and more stable fixation of these cable windings without damaging the cable due to the clamping force.

[0024] The at least one conductor of the cable preferably has several strands and is particularly preferably designed to be fine-stranded and flexible. In principle, the conductor can comprise or consist of any suitable conductor material, for example, copper or aluminum. A fine-stranded and flexible design of the cable strands means that a large number of fine strands are provided per conductor. This makes the cable structure even more resilient and less likely to break under constant stress.

[0025] The cable sheath is preferably polyurethane or made of polyurethane. In principle, any suitable plastic material, including PVC, could be used. However, polyurethane gives the cable even greater stability.

[0026] According to the invention, a device is further provided with a cable as described above, which is mechanically connected to a counterpart at the connecting element of the cable. The counterpart is thus part of the device or forms the device itself. The device can be freely movable in space or stationary. For example, the device could be a freely movable operating part of a machine. The device could also be, for example, a robot or a robot arm, as well as a trailer coupling or the like. In all cases, the connecting element designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means in the region of the connection with the counterpart serves to reduce the stress on the cable structure or to distribute the force in the region of this connection and to avoid any punctual force acting on the cable. Short description of the drawings

[0027] The invention is explained below using preferred embodiments as examples. The following schematically show: Fig. 1: a perspective view of a cable with a spiralized first section and fixed cable windings, Fig. 2: a sectional view of a cable with a spiralized first section and fixed cable windings, Fig. 3: another sectional view through a cable with a spiralized first section and fixed cable windings, and Fig. 4: another sectional view through a cable with a spiralized first section and a core in the fixation area. Preferred embodiments of the invention

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a cable 100 with at least one conductor and a sheath, wherein the cable 100 has a spiralized first section 10 with a plurality of cable windings 12. The cable 100 has a connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means for mechanically connecting the cable 100 to a counterpart 110.

[0029] In this example, the counterpart 110 is arranged in a stationary manner, and movement of the cable 100 results in increased stress on the cable 100 or the cable structure in the connection area or in the area of ​​the connecting element 13. To reduce the stress on the cable structure, the connecting element 13 is designed as a clamping means such that several cable windings 12 are thereby fixed. Furthermore, the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means is cylindrical or sleeve-shaped and thus designed as a type of clamping sleeve.

[0030] This clamping sleeve holds or clamps the fixed cable windings 12 in a force-locking manner, so that when the cable 100 is stretched, these fixed cable windings 12 cannot be pulled apart accordion-like with the remaining cable windings 12 of the first section 10 of the cable 100. The force or stress on this connection area between the cable 100 and the counterpart 110 is thus distributed over the entire area of ​​the fixed cable windings 12. In contrast to spiral cables known from the prior art, this avoids point-specific stress on the cable structure.

[0031] Fig. 2 shows a sectional view through a cable 100 made of Fig. 1. For the sake of clarity, the counterpart 110 is not shown here. Fig. In the example shown in Figure 2, five cable windings 12 are fixed at the end of the first section 10, i.e., the spiralized cable section, by the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means. Thus, the cable windings 12 are fixed at the transition to the non-spiralized section, namely the second section 11, of the cable, by means of the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means.

[0032] In Fig. 3 is also a longitudinal section through the cable 100 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shown. In Fig. 3 shows only a few cable windings 12 of the first section 10, particularly in the exit area from the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means. The connecting element 13 itself is in Fig. 3 not shown for clarity.

[0033] As from Fig. As can be seen from Figure 3, the cable 100 exits the connecting element 13, which is designed as a clamping means, at an angle 14. This angle 14 is particularly shallow, for example, less than 10°. The angle 14 refers to the cable 100 in the non-stretched state.

[0034] Fig. 4 shows another sectional view through a cable 100. In contrast to the Fig. 1 to 3, the cable 100 in Fig. 4 has a core 17. The core 17 is arranged in the region of the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means and is enclosed by the fixed cable windings 12.

[0035] The core 17 thus serves, in a sense, as a counterpart to the connecting element 13 designed as a clamping means. Since the connecting element 13 is designed as a clamping sleeve that circumferentially encloses the cable windings 12 and thus exerts a force on the cable windings 12 to be fixed from the outside, the core 17 prevents these fixed cable windings 12 from being indented. This allows for a greater force to be provided for fixing the cable windings 12, ensuring even more robust fixation and secure force distribution in this area. List of reference symbols 100 cables 200 device 10 First Section 11 Second Section 12 cable turns 13 Connecting element 14 angles 15 cable diameters 16 spiral diameters 17 core 110 counterpart

Claims

[1] Cable (100) with at least one conductor and a sheath, wherein the cable (100) has at least one spirally formed first section (10) with a plurality of cable windings (12), wherein the cable (100) has at least one connecting element (13) for mechanically connecting the cable (100) to a counterpart (110), characterized by that the at least one connecting element (13) is arranged in the region of the first section (10), and the at least one connecting element (13) is designed as a clamping means and / or the cable (100) has at least one clamping means in the region of the connecting element (13), wherein a plurality of cable windings (12) are fixed in the first section (10) by the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or by the separate clamping means. [2] Cable (100) according to claim 1, characterized bythat the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means circumferentially encloses the cable windings (12) fixed to one another at least in some areas. [3] Cable (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is cylindrical and / or sleeve-shaped. [4] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is arranged at one end of the first section (10), so that the cable windings (12) are thereby fixed in the transition region to a second section (11) of the cable (100). [5] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the cable (100) has a second section (11), wherein the cable (100) is not spiralized in the second section (11). [6] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means is designed as a separate component, but is firmly connected to the cable (100). [7] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means fixes at least three, preferably at least 4 cable windings (12). [8] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the cable (100) emerges at an angle (14) from the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means, wherein the angle is less than 20°, preferably less than 15°, particularly preferably less than 12° and most preferably less than 10°. [9] Cable (100) according to claim 8, characterized by that the cable (100) has a cable diameter (15) and in the first section (10) a spiral diameter (16), wherein the spiral diameter (16) is greater than or equal to the quotient of the cable diameter (15) and the tan(angle (14)). [10] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in the region of the connecting element (13) designed as a clamping means and / or the separate clamping means, a core (17) enclosed by the fixed cable windings (12) is arranged. [11] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the at least one conductor of the cable (100) has a plurality of strands and is preferably fine-stranded and flexible. [12] Cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the sheath contains or consists of polyurethane. [13] Device (200) with a cable (100) according to one of the preceding claims and a counterpart (110) mechanically connected to the cable (100) on the connecting element (13).

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