Flat cable

Abstract

In flat cables used in conveying equipment, the vibration of the flat cable during sudden braking necessitates correction each time to improve the positional accuracy of the conveying equipment. This makes it difficult to replace parts or to transfer the same correction method to other models that use different cables. [Solution] To allow for easy correction of flat cable vibration on the device side, the flat cable is designed to include one or more first and second long sections with different elasticity, making it possible to adjust the vibration of the flat cable during sudden braking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flat cable used in various industrial machines, and is particularly suitable for use in industrial robots.

Background Art

[0002] In industrial robots typified by conveyors, in order to move and mount each part to a predetermined position, an arm that grasps the part is driven by a motor or the like, and mainly has a mechanism that moves in two or three axes such as the X-axis - Y-axis or the X-axis - Z-axis. In these moving mechanisms, a flat cable serving as a path for electrical wiring, air, etc. is arranged between the arm at the tip and the base end, and the flat cable is elastically deformed into a curved shape or the like according to the position of the arm so as to follow the movement of the arm. Since the parts to be handled have become finer year by year, not only the driving speed of the arm has been improved from the viewpoint of productivity, but also the requirement for the position accuracy of the arm has increased.

[0003] In a conveyor, rapid movement to the next designated position is required, so rapid acceleration and rapid braking are repeated. In rapid acceleration and rapid braking, the load applied to the flat cable becomes strong, so a flat cable with high durability is preferred.

[0004] In addition, due to the load applied to the flat cable during rapid braking, the flat cable swings before it stops at the stop position.

[0005] More specifically, when rapid braking is applied, the flat cable swings due to a load such as inertial force on the flat cable, and gradually converges as the speed decreases. However, the swing of the flat cable continues even when the device approaches the stop position.

[0006] Due to such swing of the flat cable, a force is applied to the fixed end of the flat cable such as an arm, making it difficult to improve the position accuracy.

[0007] One possible configuration for a flat cable that does not vibrate is a flat cable with such high rigidity that vibration does not occur. However, in conveying equipment where bending is repeated, high bending durability is required, and a flat cable with high rigidity has difficulty with bending durability.

[0008] In addition, the power required for the device to move increases, thus increasing the load on the device. For this reason, the application of flat cables with high rigidity that do not cause vibration to the point of failure to convey the cable is currently considered unsuitable.

[0009] Therefore, one method to improve positional accuracy while vibration occurs is to apply a correction to the vibration. This vibration correction allows for operation with high positional accuracy even when vibration occurs in the flat cable.

[0010] However, because various types of flat cables are handled when switching or replacing flat cables due to component deterioration or wear, changes in internal configuration, or when developing new equipment, each time a correction is needed to match the vibration of the flat cable being used. Therefore, flat cables that are easy to correct are preferable as they simplify the work.

[0011] As described above, flat cables used in industrial robots require high durability and ease of vibration compensation. In terms of ease of vibration compensation, if the vibration of the flat cable during operation can be compensated for by the flat cable itself, it is expected that vibration compensation work will be simplified.

[0012] Prior art documents, such as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, exist for flat cables used in industrial robots. Patent Document 1 describes a design in which a support cable is placed on at least one end of the cable harness to increase its rigidity. However, because it requires separate cables from those used for supplying drive power, control signals, gas, etc., the challenge remains of increasing the width of the flat cable.

[0013] Patent document 2 describes the relationship between the mass of the central part and the ends of a flat cable in the width direction and mentions preventing breakage at the ends, but it does not mention the behavior of the flat cable during sudden braking of the device.

[0014] While the aforementioned prior literature describes durability, it does not address the vibration of flat cables. Therefore, to address the aforementioned challenges, we developed a flat cable that is highly durable and can compensate for vibration through its structure. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0015] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-168326 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-113623 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0016] The objective of this invention is to provide a flat cable with high durability against repeated bending of the conveying machine, and to adjust the vibration of the flat cable by adjusting the configuration of the flat cable so that the vibration of the flat cable can be easily corrected on the device side. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In response to the above-mentioned problems, the inventors re-examined the flat cable structure and, after diligent study, discovered that a long body in which multiple long bodies arranged in parallel are fixed in a parallel state in at least a part of the length direction, wherein the multiple long bodies include one or more first long bodies and one or more second long bodies, and the elasticity of the first long body is different from that of the second long body, thereby enabling adjustment of the vibration of the flat cable during sudden braking. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The flat cable of the present invention can arbitrarily adjust the swing of the flat cable during sudden braking of an industrial robot such as a transporter, and can achieve both high durability, so it can be suitably used as a wiring member of the transporter.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] This is the basic structure in the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a modification of the basic structure in the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an example of a flat cable provided with a protective member in the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an example of having a concavo-convex structure on the upper and lower surfaces of a flat cable provided with a protective member in the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an example of a flat cable provided with a protective member on one side in the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an example of a flat cable having a structure in which a protective member is wound around in the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of the structures of the examples and comparative examples in the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of the test apparatus used for measuring the swing. [Figure 9] This is the measurement result of the swing. [Figure 10] This is an enlarged view of the first swing part of the measurement result of the swing. [Figure 11] This is a diagram of the tangent lines of each inflection point in the enlarged view of the first swing part. [Figure 12] This is an illustration of each point and range in the enlarged view of the first swing part.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, the flat cable 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 shows the basic structure of the present invention, which is a flat cable 1. The flat cable 1 of the present invention is a strip-shaped cable in which multiple long bodies 10 are arranged in parallel.

[0022] The flat cable 1 is composed of multiple elongated bodies 10 arranged in parallel, and each elongated body 10 has an outer sheath 20 as an outer layer. The multiple elongated bodies 10 each include at least one first elongated body 11 and at least one second elongated body 12, and in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable 1, at least a portion of the outer sheaths 20 of adjacent elongated bodies 10 are fixed together.

[0023] The first elongated body 11 is provided with a first outer covering 21, and the second elongated body 12 is provided with a second outer covering 22. The fixed area may be just one location along the length, or multiple locations may be provided at intervals. From the viewpoint of bending resistance, it is preferable that the fixed area within the bending range be wide.

[0024] Examples of methods for fixing adjacent elongated bodies 10 together include: directly bonding or fusing the outer coverings 20 of adjacent elongated bodies together; covering the outer coverings 20 together; using a first fixing member 31 (not shown) separately from the outer coverings 20; and integrating the bodies during molding by extrusion in a shape that is connected parallel to each other along the length. Examples of the first fixing member 31 include adhesives and bonding agents. The fixing method is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art.

[0025] Unless otherwise specified, the first fixing member 31 refers to a fixing member used to fix the elongated bodies 10 (outer coverings 20) together.

[0026] Although Figure 1 shows the outer coating 20 as a single layer, the outer coating 20 is not limited to a single layer. In the case of a laminated structure, the first outer coating 21 and the second outer coating 22 do not have to be the outermost layers, but may be inner layers or intermediate layers. They can be arbitrarily selected within a range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention.

[0027] The long body 10 used in the flat cable 1 only needs to have an outer sheath 20. An example of a long body 10 is an electric wire, but it is not limited to electric wires; it may also be a tubular member or an optical fiber cable.

[0028] Specific examples of electric wires include insulated electric wires and coaxial cables that transmit electricity and signals, while specific examples of tubular members include tubes that can be suitably used as fluid pathways for gases, liquids, etc. The number of lumens contained in a tubular member is not limited to one, and it may also be a tubular member having multiple lumens, such as a multi-lumen structure.

[0029] The tubular member and the outer layer of the optical fiber cable correspond to the outer covering 20.

[0030] The configuration of the conductive parts that transmit electricity and signals, such as the core wires of insulated wires, in the long body 10 may be arbitrarily adjusted by those skilled in the art. For example, the core wire may be a single core or a multi-core stranded wire. The outer conductor of the coaxial cable can be arbitrarily selected within a range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention, such as braiding or winding of multiple wires, winding of a single wire, conductive tape, or plating.

[0031] Furthermore, the elongated body 10 is not limited to a single wire or tubular member, but may be a multi-core cable containing multiple wires within a single elongated body 10. The multi-core cable may be composed of a combination of wires such as insulated wires, coaxial cables, twisted wires, and two-core parallel wires. It may also be a multi-core cable with a configuration that includes a tube as a fluid path for gases or liquids, an electrical-optical composite cable including optical fibers, or a multi-core cable including tensile strength members.

[0032] In the arrangement of the elongated bodies 10 arranged in parallel, an example configuration is shown in Figure 1, but the arrangement position of each elongated body 10 can be appropriately determined by a person skilled in the art.

[0033] The arrangement of multiple elongated bodies 10 is not limited to having the same outer diameter for each body. As shown in Figure 2, the configuration may include elongated bodies 10 with different outer diameters. The outer diameter can be arbitrarily selected within a range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention.

[0034] The outer coating 20 of the elongated body 10 is preferably made of a thermoplastic resin that is highly flexible, has excellent bending durability, and is good at forming integrated parts. Examples include polyolefin, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (hereinafter referred to as PVC), and thermoplastic polyurethane.

[0035] The outer covering material of the multiple elongated bodies 10 that form the flat cable 1 is composed of at least two types. In this case, "type" is not limited to the type of material, but rather refers to covering materials that have different elasticity due to differences in hardness, thickness, density, porosity, and the content of additives such as pigments and fillers.

[0036] Several factors influence the elasticity of flat cables, which is a cause of vibration. For example, these include the core wire and outer sheath of the electric wire, which are components of each long cable, as well as the support structure that does not serve the purpose of transmitting electricity or signals or transporting fluids.

[0037] In this regard, the configuration of the core wire is an element whose configuration is limited by the required device configuration (so-called specifications), so there is little room for adjustment, and the support structure leads to an increase in the width dimension of the flat cable 1, which is undesirable for the configuration of the flat cable 1.

[0038] Based on the above, the present invention focuses on an outer covering that is not affected by external factors such as the device configuration and dimensions.

[0039] The structure may also consist of a protective member 40 covering the outer circumference of the flat cable 1. While a sheet-like material is one example of the protective member 40, its form is not particularly limited.

[0040] The presence of the protective member 40 makes it less likely for each elongated body 10 to separate in the outer direction of the flat cable 1, thereby increasing the stability of the elongated body 10.

[0041] As an example of a flat cable having a protective member 40, as shown in Figure 3(a), the upper and lower surfaces of the flat cable 1 are flat, and there is a gap 41 between the protective member 40 and each elongated body 10. However, the invention is not limited to this. Any configuration can be arbitrarily selected within a range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention.

[0042] Other examples include the configuration shown in Figure 3(b), where the upper and lower surfaces of the flat cable 1 are flat and there is no gap 41 between the protective member 40 and each elongated body 10, or the configurations shown in Figures 3(c) and 3(d), where the upper and lower surfaces of the flat cable 1 are flat and partitions 42 are formed between each elongated body. The partitions 42 do not need to be present between all elongated bodies 10, and their positions and number can be arbitrarily selected.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4(a) to 4(d), the upper and lower surfaces of the flat cable 1 may have an uneven structure that conforms to the shape of the elongated body 10.

[0044] The shape of the flat cable 1 in the lateral direction is not limited; it may be a curved surface as shown in Figure 3(a), or it may have a roughly rectangular cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 3(e). Together with the shapes of the top and bottom surfaces, the appearance and fixing strength of the flat cable 1 can be arbitrarily selected within a range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention.

[0045] When there is no gap 41 between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, the degree of integration between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40 increases, and the rigidity of the flat cable 1 increases, resulting in superior stability as a flat cable.

[0046] When a gap 41 exists between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, there is a region in which the protective member 40 can expand and contract independently of the elongated body 10 when the flat cable 1 is bent, thus increasing the flexibility of the flat cable. From the viewpoint of bending resistance, high flexibility is preferable.

[0047] Since the protective member 40 will be repeatedly bent, it is preferable that the protective member 40 be made of a material with excellent bending durability. From the viewpoint of reducing the load on the mounted device, a highly flexible material is preferable. Examples of materials include flexible materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane and stretched polytetrafluoroethylene. The above-mentioned materials are preferable because they have excellent flexibility and high bending durability.

[0048] When using the protective member 40, the configuration may include the outer covering 20 and the protective member 40 to adjust the runout. In that case, not only the material but also the shape of the protective member 40 may be included. By using the protective member 40 as an adjustment element, finer adjustment of the runout becomes possible.

[0049] The fixing method between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40 may be determined at the discretion of a person skilled in the art. The second fixing member 32 (not shown), which is a fixing member that fixes the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, reduces friction between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, thereby increasing the stability of the flat cable 1.

[0050] Unless otherwise specified, the second fixing member 32 refers to a fixing member used to fix the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40.

[0051] One example of a method for fixing the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40 using the second fixing member 32 is to provide the second fixing member 32 between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40. In this method, the second fixing member 32 is provided between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, so adjacent elongated bodies 10 are fixed in parallel by being covered by the protective member 40. Therefore, a person skilled in the art may arbitrarily decide whether to fix the outer coverings 20 of adjacent elongated bodies 10 directly or via the first fixing member 31.

[0052] Although the first fixing member 31 and the second fixing member 32 have different members to be fixed and different fixing locations, the same fixing member may be used. The selection of each fixing member may be judged appropriately by a person skilled in the art according to the application and the material to be fixed.

[0053] When providing a second fixing member 32 between the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40, a protective member with a fixing member 40, which integrates the protective member 40 and the second fixing member 32 in advance, may be used. By providing a layer having the function of the second fixing member 32 on one surface of the protective member 40, the elongated body 10 and the protective member 40 can be fixed together. Examples of layers having the function of the second fixing member 32 include fusion layers and adhesive layers.

[0054] When a fusion layer is provided on one surface of the protective member 40 as a layer having the function of a second fixing member 32, a fusion layer that can be melted and fixed at a relatively low temperature so as not to affect the elongated body 10 is preferred.

[0055] The protective member 40 is not limited to a configuration that covers the entire circumference of the cross-section of the flat cable 1. As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), it may be a structure that covers only one side of the upper and lower surfaces. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, it may be configured to move back and forth across the upper and lower surfaces of the elongated body 10. Those skilled in the art may arbitrarily select a configuration that is suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention, depending on the application.

[0056] The length of the protective member 40 covering the flat cable 1 is not limited. It may cover the entire length, or it may cover only a part of it. It may also be arranged in multiple locations at intervals. Any range suitable for the purpose and effect of the present invention can be arbitrarily selected. <Examples>

[0057] (Example 1) Figure 7 shows the cross-sectional structure of Example 1. Three elongated bodies 11, whose outer coating 20 is made of PVC with a Shore hardness of 78, and four elongated bodies 12, whose outer coating 20 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane (indicated as TPU in Table 1) with a Shore hardness of 91, were arranged in parallel as shown in Figure 7 and in Table 1 described later.

[0058] Numbers No. 1 to No. 7 in Figure 7 correspond to the long section numbers in Table 1. The total length of flat cable 1 is 420 mm, and the outer sheath thickness and outer diameter of each long section are also listed in Table 1.

[0059] The thickness of the PVC and thermoplastic polyurethane in each of the elongated sections 10 is shown in Table 1 below.

[0060] A thermoplastic polyurethane sheet 43, which is a protective member 40 having a fusion layer in its inner layer, was placed over the outer circumference of a plurality of elongated bodies 10 arranged in parallel. The thermoplastic polyurethane sheet 43 has a thickness of 0.3 mm and a Shore hardness of 90.

[0061] The adjacent elongated sections 10 are fixed together by fusion through a fusion layer, and the flat cable 1 is fabricated so that there are no gaps 41 between the adjacent elongated sections 10 and the thermoplastic polyurethane sheet 43.

[0062] (Example 2) Five long bodies 11 with an outer covering 20 made of PVC and two long bodies 12 with an outer covering 20 made of thermoplastic polyurethane were prepared. The flat cable 1 shown in Figure 7 and Table 1 described later was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1, except for the ratio and arrangement of the number of long bodies 11 and long bodies 12.

[0063] (Example 3) Two long bodies 11 with an outer covering 20 made of PVC and five long bodies 12 with an outer covering 20 made of thermoplastic polyurethane were prepared. The flat cable 1 shown in Figure 7 and Table 1 described later was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1, except for the ratio and arrangement of the number of long bodies 11 and long bodies 12.

[0064] (Comparative Example 1) Seven long bodies 11 with an outer sheath 20 made of PVC were prepared, and the flat cable 1 shown in Figure 7 and Table 1 described later was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except for the number and arrangement of the long bodies 11.

[0065] (Comparative Example 2) Seven long bodies 12 with an outer covering 20 made of thermoplastic polyurethane were prepared, and the flat cable 1 shown in Figure 7 and Table 1 described later was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1, except for the number and arrangement of the long bodies 12.

[0066] [Table 1]

[0067] (Evaluation method) For the evaluation of flat cable 1, the deflection of Examples 1-3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was measured and compared. The method is described below.

[0068] The vibration of the flat cable was measured using the test apparatus 50 shown in Figure 8. Figure 8(a) is a view of the cross-sectional area as indicated by the arrow XX in Figure 8(b), and Figure 8(b) is a front view of the test apparatus 50. In the test apparatus 50, the flat cable fixing part 51 to which the flat cable 1 is attached is mounted on the rail part 52, and the flat cable fixing part 51 moves left and right along the rail part 52 relative to the front view.

[0069] The measurement conditions were as follows: the bending radius of the test sample, flat cable 1, was 50 mm, the travel speed was 3,500 mm / s, the acceleration was 6 G, the travel distance was 900 mm, and the length between the fixed ends of flat cable 1 was 100 mm. The operation started from the initial position on the left end, stopped for 1 second on the right end, started moving back to the left end, stopped for 1 second on the left end, moved back to the right end, and repeated the same operation. The position at the time of stopping was measured using a sensor 53 attached to the right end of the test device 50.

[0070] As shown in Figure 8(b), the stopping position was set to ±0 mm, and the relationship between the time and position from when the flat cable 1 entered the measurement range of the sensor 53 until it stopped was measured, with the left side being the + side and the right side of the stopping position being the - side.

[0071] The results of the deflection of flat cable 1 were graphed in Figure 9, with the positional change of the moving part of the test apparatus in the absence of flat cable 1 used as a reference for the deflection. Figure 10 shows a magnified view of the initial deflection, around 0.01 seconds.

[0072] In Figure 10, Comparative Example 1, where the outer coating material of all elongated bodies 10 is PVC, traces a trajectory with extrema. Extrema are points where the position changes between decreasing and increasing over time. The position furthest from Comparative Example 1 is Comparative Example 2, where the outer coating material of all elongated bodies 10 is thermoplastic polyurethane.

[0073] Figure 11 shows the tangents to the inflection point PC for each trajectory of the flat cable 1 in Figure 10. The inflection point PC is the point where the trajectory switches from a downward-convex trajectory to an upward-convex trajectory over time. In the trajectory of Comparative Example 1, the slope of the tangent at the inflection point PC is positive, while in the other trajectories, the slope of the tangent at the inflection point PC is negative. Comparing the slopes of the tangents at the inflection point PC for each trajectory from Comparative Example 1, where the inflection point PC is the lowest trajectory, to Comparative Example 2, where the inflection point PC is the highest trajectory, in Figure 11, the slopes decrease sequentially from Comparative Example 1, with the slope of the tangent at the inflection point PC in the trajectory of Comparative Example 2 being the smallest.

[0074] The reference trajectory in Figure 11 is a trajectory in which the position decreases over time. Although it is a curved trajectory, it closely resembles a straight trajectory and intersects with the tangent line at the inflection point PC in the trajectories of each embodiment and each comparative example.

[0075] Since the deviation corresponds to the deviation from the reference trajectory, it can be said that the closer the trajectory is to the reference trajectory, the less the deviation. In Figure 10, for each trajectory other than the reference, in the regions of 1.8 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less, each example and comparative example draws a curved trajectory similar to the reference trajectory, and the difference in trajectories from the reference is most pronounced around the inflection point PC.

[0076] In the time range shown in Figure 11, the slope of the tangent line at each point on the trajectory of each embodiment and comparative example is maximum at the inflection point PC, and decreases as the point moves further away from the inflection point PC. Since the region where the slope of the tangent line on the trajectory of each embodiment and comparative example is small corresponds to a trajectory closer to the reference, the magnitude of the oscillation of each embodiment and comparative example can be evaluated by comparing the slope of the tangent line at the inflection point PC, where the slope of the tangent line on the trajectory of each embodiment and comparative example is maximum, with the reference trajectory. Based on the test results, comparative example 2, where the inflection point PC is located at the top, has the smallest oscillation, and comparative example 1, where the inflection point PC is located at the bottom, has the largest oscillation.

[0077] In Examples 1 to 3, in which the ratio of PVC and thermoplastic polyurethane in the outer coating material of the elongated body 10 was changed, the ratio of PVC with lower hardness was in the relationship Example 2 > Example 1 > Example 3, and including the comparative examples, it was Comparative Example 1 > Example 2 > Example 1 > Example 3 > Comparative Example 2. This matches the relationship of magnitude of the oscillation in the graph of Figure 10, and can be rephrased as saying that the oscillation can be increased by increasing the number of elongated bodies 10 with PVC as the outer coating material.

[0078] The specific desirable configuration of the flat cable 1 for industrial robots varies depending on the specific robot, but generally, it is preferable that the runout is small relative to a reference and that the runout is approximately uniform. In addition, it is preferable that the trajectory traced by the flat cable 1 does not have any extreme values ​​where the position changes in a decrease / increase over time. Having extreme values ​​means that the position increases or decreases over time around the inflection point PC, which can cause unnecessary vibration and load on the equipment.

[0079] Figure 12 illustrates the points used to evaluate the uniformity of the oscillations in the trajectory shown in Figure 10. The extremum, which is the point where the position changes from decreasing to increasing over time, is defined as the local minimum PA1. In reality, there are no extremums in the trajectories other than Comparative Example 1, but the point where the curvature is smallest in each trajectory around 0.008 seconds is considered equivalent to the local minimum PA1, and is set as the local minimum PA1 in the same way as in Comparative Example 1.

[0080] Similarly, in Figure 12, the extreme value PA2 is defined as the point where the position changes from increasing to decreasing over time. In reality, there is no extreme value PA2 in the trajectories other than Comparative Example 1, but the point where the curvature is smallest in each trajectory around 0.012 seconds is considered equivalent to the extreme value PA2, and is therefore defined as the extreme value PA2, as in Comparative Example 1.

[0081] The uniformity of the oscillation can be evaluated by taking the difference (=T2-T1) between the time T1 (=PB-PA1) between the intersection point PB where the trajectory traced by flat cable 1 intersects with the reference trajectory and the local minimum PA1, and the time T2 (=PA2-PB) between the local maximum PA2 and the intersection point PB. The closer the difference is to 0, the more equivalent T1 and T2 are, and the higher the uniformity of the oscillation can be judged. Figure 12 shows T1 and T2 in Example 2 as an example.

[0082] When comparing each trajectory from the above-mentioned perspectives, Comparative Example 2 has the smallest amplitude, but it has shortcomings in terms of amplitude uniformity. In terms of amplitude uniformity, Example 2 has the smallest difference between T1 and T2, and can be said to be closer to the preferred trajectory from the viewpoint of both amplitude magnitude and uniformity. Therefore, it can be evaluated that the present invention is able to adjust the amplitude and uniformity of the amplitude of the flat cable 1. [Industrial applicability]

[0083] The flat cable of the present invention allows for adjustment of vibration during sudden braking, making correction on the device side easy. Therefore, it can be suitably used as a wiring component in locations where high positional accuracy is required amid repeated bending, such as surface mount machines. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 1 Flat cable 10 Long body 11. First long body 12. Second long body 20 Outer coating 21 First outer coating 22 Second outer coating 31 First fixing member 32 Second fixing member 40 Protective component 41 Cavity 42 Partition section 43 Thermoplastic polyurethane sheet 50 Test equipment 51 Flat cable fixing part 52 Rail section 53 Sensors PA1 local minimum (equivalent to local minimum) PA2 maximum value (equivalent to maximum value) Intersection with the trajectory based on the PB standard PC inflection point T1: Time between the intersection of the local minimum and the reference locus. Time between the intersection with the T2 reference trajectory and the local maximum.

Claims

1. A flat cable comprising multiple long bodies arranged in parallel, fixed in a parallel state in at least a portion of its length, The plurality of elongated bodies each include one or more first elongated bodies and one or more second elongated bodies. A flat cable characterized in that the elasticity of the first long body is different from the elasticity of the second long body.

2. The flat cable according to claim 1, characterized in that the elasticity of the first long body differs from that of the second long body due to the difference in hardness between the first long body and the second long body.

3. The long body according to claim 2, wherein the difference in hardness is due to the difference in the material of the outer coating between the first long body and the second long body.

4. The long body according to claim 2, wherein the difference in hardness is due to the difference in the additives in the outer coating of the first long body and the second long body.

5. The flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the multiple elongated bodies are fixed by fixing members.

6. A flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a protective member is provided on the outer circumference of a plurality of elongated bodies arranged in parallel.

7. The flat cable according to claim 6, wherein a gap exists between adjacent elongated bodies and the protective member.

8. The flat cable according to claim 7, characterized in that the protective member has a fusion layer in its inner layer.

9. The flat cable according to claim 5, characterized in that a protective member is provided on the outer circumference of a plurality of elongated bodies arranged in parallel.

10. The flat cable according to claim 9, wherein a gap exists between adjacent elongated bodies and the protective member.

11. The flat cable according to claim 6, characterized in that a protective member is provided on the outer circumference of a plurality of elongated bodies arranged in parallel.

12. The flat cable according to claim 11, wherein a gap exists between adjacent elongated bodies and the protective member.

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