Cable

Abstract

To provide a cable capable of increasing an amount of extension and contraction that is restorable in an axial direction.SOLUTION: A cable 10 that is extendable and contractible in one axial direction L, the cable comprising a plurality of elastic wires 11 arranged so as to be extendable and contractible in the one axial direction L, and an electric wire 12 that is braided by being stretched across between the plurality of elastic wires 11 and arranged in a direction intersecting obliquely with respect to the one axial direction L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an expandable cable that can be suitably used as various wiring cords, such as wiring cords for plugs, headphones, earphones, transmitting / receiving devices, and wiring cords for movable parts of various structures such as robots. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cables that are stretchable in one axial direction have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 below proposes an expandable electric cable in which multiple core wires, each of which has a conductive wire disposed around the outer periphery of a stretchable core material, are collectively covered with a braided or twill-like covering made of one-heater false twisted yarn. This expandable electric cable is said to be a stretchable electric cable with a simple configuration that is not only flexible to bending but also durable against stretching and twisting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-134313 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional cables used for various applications are insufficient in terms of elasticity, even though they are said to be elastic, and there is a demand for cables with greater elasticity.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cable that can achieve a greater amount of recovery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a cable whose axial length can be easily expanded or contracted, and is constructed by weaving together a plurality of elastic wires arranged so as to be expandable in one axial direction, and electric wires that are stretched between the plurality of elastic wires and arranged obliquely with respect to the one axial direction.

[0007] According to the present invention, a plurality of elastic wires are arranged to be stretchable in a uniaxial direction, which is the cable's stretch direction, and electric wires are arranged diagonally between the plurality of elastic wires and strung across each other in a staggered pattern. Therefore, when the elastic wires stretch due to their elasticity, the orientation of the electric wires arranged between the elastic wires changes between a direction diagonal to the uniaxial direction and a direction along the uniaxial direction in response to the stretching. Therefore, even with non-stretchable electric wires, the distance in the uniaxial direction can be changed in response to the stretching of the plurality of elastic wires, thereby providing a cable that can increase the amount of restorable stretch of the cable.

[0008] In the cable of the present invention, it is preferable that the multiple elastic wires are arranged in parallel with a gap between them, so that the multiple elastic wires can all stretch evenly, and the amount of stretch of the entire cable can be prevented from decreasing due to the arrangement of some elastic wires reducing the amount of stretch.

[0009] In addition, in the cable of the present invention, multiple electric wires may be electrically connected in parallel. In this way, each electric wire can be formed thin, which makes the multiple electric wires more easily deformable and improves flexibility. As a result, the cable can be elongated to a greater extent within its restorable range.

[0010] In the cable of the present invention, the plurality of elastic wires may be arranged flat along one axial direction, which allows the cable to be formed flat, resulting in a cable that is thin and has a large amount of elasticity.

[0011] In the cable of the present invention, the multiple elastic wires may be arranged in a direction that diagonally intersects the uniaxial direction. With this configuration, when the cable extends in the uniaxial direction, the orientation of the elastic wires can be changed between a direction that intersects the uniaxial direction and a direction that is along the uniaxial direction, and the elastic wires can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction due to elasticity, allowing the cable to be elongated to a greater extent within its restorable range.

[0012] In the cable of the present invention, the elastic wires and the electric wires may be arranged spirally in opposite directions to form a hollow portion that is continuous in one axial direction. In this way, when the cable is stretched in the axial direction, the elastic wires and the electric wires deform inward to reduce the hollow portion, allowing the cable to stretch more greatly.

[0013] In the above configuration, the elastic wire and the electric wire may be wires whose core wire is covered with an elastic and insulating covering material. With this configuration, current can be passed through both the core wire of the elastic wire and the core wire of the electric wire. Furthermore, the elasticity of both the covering material of the elastic wire and the covering material of the electric wire allows the cable to expand and contract in a uniaxial direction by elastically deforming in directions oblique to and along the uniaxial direction. This makes it possible to use a common elastic wire and electric wire, thereby reducing the number of wires used and facilitating cable manufacture. It goes without saying that the present invention provides the cable with sufficient flexibility in bending and durability against twisting. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cable that can have a larger amount of recovery expansion and contraction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially enlarged view of a cable according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cable according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along the line BB in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cable according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic diagram showing the cross section taken along the line DD in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 taken along line E-E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to several embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a part of the cable of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross section AA of FIG.

[0017] This cable 10 is suitable for use as, for example, wiring cords for plugs, headphones, earphones, transmitting / receiving devices, etc., or wiring cords for movable parts of various structures such as robots, and is made of a long member that electrically connects one end and the other end in a deformable manner. This cable 10 is formed to be stretchable along the axial direction L when arranged along a uniaxial direction. Here, the uniaxial direction (or simply referred to as the axial direction) refers to the direction in which the cable 10 stretches linearly or bendably when one end and the other end of the cable 10, which is a long member, are pulled in opposite directions.

[0018] The cable 10 is configured so that when pulled in one axial direction, it stretches against elasticity, and when the pulling force is released, it returns to its original length due to the elasticity of the cable 10 itself.

[0019] This cable 10 comprises a plurality of elastic wires 11 arranged so as to be stretchable in an axial direction L, and electric wires 12 that are hung between the plurality of elastic wires 11 while crossing each other in a staggered manner, and are arranged diagonally with respect to the axial direction L in a plain weave or twill weave pattern. Here, elastic wires refer to wires that have elasticity.

[0020] The elastic wire 11 in this embodiment is a long rubber wire having a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape. In this embodiment, a plurality of elastic wires 11 having a circular cross section, substantially the same diameter, and made of the same material are arranged in parallel at intervals. In Fig. 1, three elastic wires 11 are arranged flat and substantially parallel to each other along one axial direction L.

[0021] On the other hand, the electric wire 12 is composed of a wire material in which a core wire 13 made of a metal conductor such as copper is covered with an insulating covering material 14. The electric wire 12 is formed to have a strength that allows it to be easily deformed, such as bent, and in the example shown in Fig. 1, two electric wires 12 are arranged electrically in parallel. The two electric wires 12 are wound spirally around the three elastic wires 11, sandwiching the front and back of the central elastic member of the parallel elastic wires 11, above and below, so as to cross each other in a plain weave or twill weave pattern.

[0022] To use such cable 10 of the first embodiment, multiple electric wires are connected to one end and the other end, respectively. When one end and the other end of cable 10 are displaced away from each other during use, this displacement causes tension between the two ends.

[0023] As a result, each elastic wire 11 stretches in one axial direction against its elasticity. Meanwhile, each electric wire 12 changes its orientation relative to the one axial direction. Specifically, each electric wire 12 changes its orientation in a direction more aligned with the one axial direction, i.e., linearly, thereby allowing the length of the electric wires 12 in the one axial direction L to increase in accordance with the extension of the length of each elastic wire 11. As a result, the cable 10 as a whole can stretch in the one axial direction L.

[0024] On the other hand, by displacing the cable 10 in a direction in which one end and the other end are closer to each other, the multiple elastic wires 11 contract, and the length of the multiple electric wires 12 in the uniaxial direction L shortens in accordance with the elastic wires 11, so that the cable 10 as a whole contracts elastically and returns to its original length.

[0025] The cable 10 of this embodiment as described above is structured such that a plurality of elastic wires 11 are arranged stretchably in an axial direction L, which is the stretching direction of the cable 10, and the electric wires 12 are suspended between the plurality of elastic wires 11 and arranged in a direction diagonally intersecting the axial direction L. Therefore, when the elastic wires 11 elastically stretch, the electric wires 12 arranged between the elastic wires 11 can change their orientation between a direction diagonally intersecting the axial direction L and a direction along the axial direction L. Therefore, even if the electric wires 12 are not stretchable, the distance in the axial direction L can be changed in accordance with the stretching of the plurality of elastic wires 11. This makes it possible to provide a stretchable cable 10 that can increase the amount of restorable stretching of the stretchable cable 10.

[0026] In the cable 10 of this embodiment, the multiple elastic wires 11 are arranged in parallel at intervals, allowing all of the multiple elastic wires 11 to stretch evenly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the stretch amount of the entire cable 10 due to the positioning of some of the elastic wires 11 reducing the stretch amount.

[0027] Furthermore, the cable 10 of this embodiment has a plurality of electric wires 12, which are electrically connected in parallel, so that each electric wire 12 can be formed thin, which makes the plurality of electric wires 12 more easily deformable and improves flexibility. As a result, the cable 10 can be elongated to a greater extent within its restorable range.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cable 10 has multiple elastic wires 11 arranged flat along the axial direction L, so that the cable 10 can be formed into a flat shape, and a cable 10 with a thin thickness and a large amount of elasticity can be obtained.

[0029] The cable 10 of the first embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the first embodiment shows an example in which three elastic wires 11 are used as the plurality of elastic wires, the number of elastic wires 11 may be two, or four or more. In this case, each electric wire 12 can be laid across the plurality of elastic wires 11 arranged flat and substantially parallel to each other by alternately winding approximately half a turn on one side and the other side. Furthermore, it is also possible to suspend the electric wires 12 alternately on one side and the other side of each of the plurality of elastic wires 11 . Furthermore, the orientation of each electric wire 12 relative to the axis of each elastic wire 11 can be set arbitrarily, but if each electric wire is arranged in an orientation as close to perpendicular as possible to the axis of each elastic wire 11, each electric wire 12 can more easily follow the expansion and contraction of the cable 10.

[0030] [Second embodiment] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the cable of the second embodiment, Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged view thereof, Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 3 for easy understanding, and Fig. 6 is a cross section taken along line CC in Fig. 4.

[0031] The cable 10 of the second embodiment is formed into a cylindrical shape in which a plurality of elastic wires 11 are arranged spirally around one side at small intervals in a direction obliquely intersecting with the axial direction L. A hollow portion 15 is formed inside the cylindrical shape of the plurality of elastic wires 11 arranged spirally in the same direction.

[0032] Like the elastic wires 11, the multiple electric wires 12 are also arranged in a direction that diagonally intersects with the axial direction L, but these electric wires 12 are arranged spirally around the other side, which is the opposite direction to the elastic wires 11, and are arranged side by side in a plain weave or twill weave, alternately intersecting between the elastic wires 11. In this case, for example, the multiple elastic wires 11 may be wound in a Z-winding pattern and the multiple electric wires 12 may be wound in an S-winding pattern, or conversely, the multiple elastic wires 11 may be wound in an S-winding pattern and the multiple electric wires 12 may be wound in a Z-winding pattern.

[0033] In the cable 10 of the second embodiment, such multiple elastic wires 11 and multiple electric wires 12 are arranged spirally in opposite directions to each other, thereby forming a hollow portion 15 that is continuous in a single axial direction L, as shown in Figure 9. In the second embodiment, the number of elastic wires 11 and electric wires 12 is not particularly limited, and a large number of each can be used. However, FIG. 5 shows an example in which four elastic wires 11 and four electric wires 12 are spirally arranged in opposite directions to form a hollow portion 15.

[0034] In addition, in the cable 10 of the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 are arranged spirally in opposite directions and are braided so that they are arranged alternately inside and outside each other, one above the other. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0035] The cable 10 of the second embodiment as described above can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Moreover, in the cable 10 of the second embodiment, a plurality of elastic wires 11 are braided in a direction that obliquely intersects with the axial direction L, and the entire cable 10 is formed into a cylindrical shape. Therefore, when the cable 10 extends in the axial direction L, the elastic wire 11 can change its orientation between a direction diagonally intersecting the axial direction L and a direction along the axial direction L, and can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction due to its elasticity, allowing the cable 10 to expand and contract more greatly within its restorable range.

[0036] In the cable 10 of the second embodiment, the elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 are arranged spirally in opposite directions to each other so as to form a hollow portion 15 that is continuous in the axial direction L. Therefore, when the cable 10 is stretched in the axial direction L, the multiple elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 deform inward to reduce the hollow portion 15, allowing the cable 10 to be stretched even further.

[0037] The cable 10 of the second embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the second embodiment, an example was described in which the same number of elastic wires 11 and electric wires 12 are arranged, but different numbers can also be used. Furthermore, the number of wires used is not limited in any way and can be increased or decreased as appropriate. Although the example in which the multiple elastic wires 11 and the multiple electric wires 12 are spirally arranged in the same direction from left to right in Fig. 3 has been described, some of the multiple elastic wires (for example, the left half) and the remaining part (the right half) may be spirally arranged in different directions.Similarly, some of the multiple electric wires 12 may be spirally arranged in different directions from the remaining part.

[0038] Furthermore, in the above, the elastic wire 11 and the electric wire 12 are alternately arranged inside and outside each other and hung up and down, but it is also possible to arrange the electric wires 12 alternately above and below each of multiple elastic wires 11 and hang them up. The arrangement pitch and arrangement lead of the spirally arranged elastic wire 11 and the spirally arranged electric wires 12 can be set arbitrarily. In this case, it is preferable to arrange each electric wire 12 so that it is as close to a direction perpendicular to the axial direction L as possible, so that each electric wire 12 can easily follow the expansion and contraction of the cable 10.

[0039] [Third embodiment] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of the cable of the third embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a partially enlarged view thereof. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified DD cross section of Fig. 7 for easy understanding, and Fig. 10 is an EE cross section of Fig. 8.

[0040] In the cable 10 of the third embodiment, the elastic wire 11 is made of a wire in which a core wire 13 is covered with an elastic and insulating covering material 14. The electric wire 12 is also made of a wire in which a core wire 13 is covered with an elastic and insulating covering material 14. These may be different wires, but in this embodiment, the same wire is used.

[0041] The elastic wire 11 and the electric wire 12 of the cable 10 of the third embodiment are configured by a wire in which a core wire 13 made of a metal conductor such as copper is covered with an insulating and elastic covering material 14. As the insulating and elastic covering material 14, for example, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be used. In this cable 10, it is preferable that the core wire 13 is covered with the covering material 14 to a thickness that provides elasticity.

[0042] The multiple elastic wires 11 and electric wires 12 made of the same wire material are all arranged to cross in a diagonal direction with respect to the axial direction L. A portion of these wires are arranged in a Z-winding spiral with the same pitch and lead, with a gap between them. The remaining multiple wires are arranged in a S-winding spiral with the same pitch and lead, with a gap between them.

[0043] Although not particularly limited, in the cable 10 of the third embodiment, the multiple elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 are braided in a state where they are simply crossed and hung above and below each other without being joined to each other. The rest is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0044] The cable 10 of the third embodiment as described above can also achieve the same effects as those of the second embodiment. Moreover, in the third embodiment, the elastic wire 11 and the electric wire 12 are formed of wires in which the core wire 13 is covered with the covering material 14 having elasticity and insulating properties.

[0045] Therefore, electricity can be passed through both the core wire 13 of the elastic wire 11 and the core wire 13 of the electric wire 12. Furthermore, due to the elasticity of both the covering material 14 of the elastic wire 11 and the covering material 14 of the electric wire 12, the arrangement cable 10 can be stretched and contracted in the uniaxial direction by elastically deforming between a direction oblique to the uniaxial direction L and a direction along the uniaxial direction L. Therefore, by sharing the elastic wire 11 and the electric wire 12, the number of wires used can be reduced, and the cable 10 becomes easier to manufacture.

[0046] The cable 10 of the third embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which all of the elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 were configured from a common wire material in which the core wire 13 was covered with an elastic and insulating covering material 14, but this is not particularly limited. For example, some of the multiple elastic wires 11 may be made of long rubber wire material as in the first or second embodiment, and some of the multiple electric wires 12 may be made of wire material in which the core wire 13 is covered with a flexible covering material 14 that does not have sufficient elasticity and is insulating as in the first or second embodiment. In the above embodiment, the elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 are alternately arranged above and below one another, but it is also possible to arrange multiple wires alternately above and below one another. Furthermore, the arrangement pitch and arrangement lead of the elastic wires 11 and the electric wires 12 arranged in a spiral shape can be set as desired. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Cable 11 Elastic wire 12 Electric wire 13 Core Wire 14 Covering material 15 Hollow part L Uniaxial direction

Claims

1. A cable that is stretchable in one direction, A plurality of elastic wires arranged so as to be stretchable in the uniaxial direction; and an electric wire that is stretched between the plurality of elastic wires and arranged obliquely with respect to the uniaxial direction.

2. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elastic wires are arranged in parallel with intervals between them.

3. The cable of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said wires, said plurality of wires being electrically connected in parallel.

4. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elastic wires are arranged flatly along one axial direction.

5. The cable according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elastic wires are arranged in a direction obliquely intersecting with one axial direction.

6. 6. The cable according to claim 5, wherein the elastic wire and the electric wire are spirally arranged in opposite directions to each other so as to form a hollow portion that is continuous in one axial direction.

7. 7. The cable according to claim 6, wherein the elastic wire and the electric wire are made of a wire having a core wire covered with a covering material having elasticity and insulating properties.

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