cable cover

Abstract

To provide a retrofit cable cover that allows the position of a connector of a cable with a connector to be easily grasped even in the dark and that can protect the vicinity of the boundary between the connector and the cable of the cable with a connector. [Solution] The cable cover has a cylindrical cable cover body 1 made of thermoplastic elastomer resin with a dividing slit 2 formed in the side wall along the axial direction, and the inner peripheral wall of the cable cover body 1 is formed with an uneven surface consisting of striped grooves 3 extending along the axial direction around the entire circumference, which makes it easy to expand the slit width when the cable portion of a connector-attached cable is inserted inside through the dividing slit 2, and the uneven surface ensures sufficient gripping force on the cable. The cable cover body 1 also contains a phosphorescent agent.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a cable cover that is attached to a cable used in a mobile terminal or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Mobile devices such as smartphones are provided with connectors of various shapes (USB Type B, USB Type C, Lightning cable, etc.) to which cables for data transfer and charging are connected. Connector-equipped cables equipped with connector terminals of various shapes that can be connected to these connectors are commercially available. In such connector-attached cables, the area near the boundary between the connector body (connector housing) and the cable is prone to load due to bending stress, making this area prone to breakage. For this reason, cable covers have been proposed to reinforce the cable area near the boundary (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The main purpose of conventional cable covers is to prevent cable breakage, but they also enhance their commercial value by giving the cable cover its external shape, for example, in the shape of a cute animal or character. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6334789 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3218874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are times when you want to charge your mobile device or transfer data while you sleep. In such cases, you may need to turn off the light and then remember that you need to charge it, and then connect the connector terminal to the connector connector of the device. However, since the connector connector and the connector terminal are not visible in the dark, you have to turn the light on again before connecting. Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide an after-market cable cover that allows the position of the connector of a connector-equipped cable to be easily determined even in the dark, and that can protect the area around the boundary between the connector and the cable of the connector-equipped cable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The cable cover of the present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, has a cylindrical cable cover body made of thermoplastic elastomer resin, and a dividing slit extending along the axial direction is formed in the side wall of the cable cover body, and the cable cover body contains a phosphorescent agent. According to this invention, after inserting the cable portion of the connector-attached cable into the inside of the cable cover body through the dividing slit, by sliding the cable cover body so that one end abuts the connector of the connector-attached cable, the boundary between the connector and the cable is less likely to bend, thereby reducing problems caused by breakage near the boundary.Furthermore, according to this invention, since the entire cover body of the cable cover contains a phosphorescent agent, the entire cable cover glows even in the dark, illuminating the surrounding area with a weak light, making it easy to connect the connector terminals to the connector connection part. Here, a stripe-like groove extending along the axial direction may be formed around the entire periphery of the inner peripheral wall of the cable cover body. As a result, the cable cover body has increased elasticity due to the thin, striated grooves, making it easier for the cable cover body to expand the slit width in the circumferential direction, making it easier to insert the cable. After insertion, the cable can be firmly gripped by the restoring force, firmly fixing the cover body and expanding the range of cable diameters that can be attached. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cable cover according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cable cover of FIG. 1 perpendicular to the axial direction. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing a discharge port of an extruder for manufacturing the cable cover of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the cable cover attached to the cable in use. [Figure 5] A diagram showing the cable cover shining in the dark. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cable cover A according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cable cover A taken along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction. The cable cover A has a cylindrical cable cover main body 1 made of a thermoplastic elastomer resin, and a dividing slit 2 extending axially in its side wall is formed to divide the cable cover main body 1 vertically. The inner peripheral wall of the cable cover main body 1 is formed with an uneven surface consisting of linear grooves 3 extending axially along the entire circumference. This allows the slit width to easily expand when the cable portion of a connector-attached cable is inserted inside through the dividing slit 2, and the uneven surface ensures sufficient grip on the cable.

[0008] The thermoplastic elastomer resin used is not particularly limited as long as it is flexible and can be doped with a phosphorescent agent, but in this embodiment, EVA resin (ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin) is used. The luminescent agent used is not particularly limited, but Luminova (manufactured by Nemoto Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd.) is used here.

[0009] The outer diameter of the connector-attached cable to be used is approximately 2 to 4 mm. The inner diameter (diameter at the top of the striated groove 3) and outer diameter of the cable cover main body 1 are selected to correspond to the outer diameter of the cable to be attached. Specifically, the inner diameter can be selected within the range of 2 to 4 mm, and the outer diameter can be selected within the range of 6 to 9 mm. The axial length of the cable cover main body 1 is within the range of 100 to 150 mm, with 120 mm being the unit length of the product, so that the user can cut it to the desired length (e.g., 10 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, etc.) with a cutter or scissors before use.

[0010] To manufacture such a cable cover body 1, as shown in Fig. 3, a long size is processed by continuous molding using an extrusion molding device that uses a mold 4 having a discharge port 4a shaped to correspond to the vertical cross section of the cable cover body 1 (see Fig. 2). The product is then cut to a length (e.g., 120 mm) that is convenient for carrying and processing. Note that instead of using an extrusion molding machine, a 120 mm long cable cover body 1 may be directly manufactured using an injection molding machine.

[0011] <Example> It was manufactured using a styrene-based elastomer, a type of thermoplastic elastomer resin, under the following conditions: The cable cover body 1 was continuously molded with an inner diameter (diameter at the top of the striated groove) of 3 mm, a depth from the top to the bottom of the striated groove 3 of 0.5 mm, and an outer diameter of 8 mm, and was then cut to an axial length of 120 mm to form cable cover A of the specified length, which could be used at any length. Main ingredient: Ultrathene (manufactured by Tosoh Corporation) Luminous agent: Luminova (manufactured by Nemoto Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd.) Processing conditions: Extrusion molding machine Heat melting temperature 160~185℃ Cooling method Water cooling Take-up speed: 360cm / 60 seconds

[0012] Next, we will explain how to use the cable cover of the present invention. Figure 4 shows the state in which connector-attached cable 5 is connected to mobile terminal 10, and Figure 5 shows the state in which cable cover A is shining in the dark. Connector-equipped cable 5 has a connector terminal (such as USB Type C) (not shown) at one end of connector 6 for connecting to mobile terminal 10, and electrical connection can be made by inserting this connection terminal into connector connection section 11 provided at one end of mobile terminal 10. Cable 7 is connected to the other end of connector 6, but the boundary between connector 6 and cable 7 has a structure that makes it susceptible to load due to bending stress, making this part prone to breakage. Therefore, prepare a cable cover A cut to the desired length (for example, 25 mm), insert the cable 7 through the dividing slit 2, and slide the cable cover A until the end face of the cable cover A abuts the end face of the connector 6, thereby attaching it to cover the boundary portion and protecting the cable.

[0013] Furthermore, the cable cover A of this invention contains a luminous agent in the cable cover body 1, so it can glow in the dark. Therefore, we checked the luminous state when the light was turned off after leaving it under light. As shown in Figure 5, after the light was turned off, the entire cable cover A began to glow (green) with a moderate brightness, and this light was able to illuminate the area around the connector connection for more than an hour after the light was turned off, making it easy to connect the connection terminal and the connector connection.

[0014] Although the representative examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be appropriately modified and changed within the scope of the claims, while achieving its objectives. [Industrial Applicability]

[0015] The present invention can be used for cable covers used in mobile terminals, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0016] A Cable cover 1 Cable cover body 2 divided slits 3 Streak groove 4. Mold 4a outlet 5 Cable with connector 6 Connectors 7 Cable 10 Mobile devices 11 Connector connection part

Claims

1. A cable cover having a cylindrical cable cover body made of a thermoplastic elastomer resin, and a dividing slit extending along an axial direction formed in a side wall of the cable cover body, The cable cover contains a phosphorescent agent in the cable cover body.

2. 2. The cable cover according to claim 1, wherein a strip-like groove extending in the axial direction is formed around the entire periphery of the inner peripheral wall of the cable cover body.

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