Cable protection and guide device and tubular member

Abstract

To provide a cable protective guide device capable of facilitating replacement work of a cable inserted through a tubular member, and the tubular member in the same device.SOLUTION: A cable protective guide device 11 guides a cable 15 inserted through a tubular member 12b while protecting it with the tubular member accompanied by a displacement action of the tubular member. In a spread state, the tubular member has an elongated sheet-shape. On one side edge in a width direction crossing a lengthwise direction of the elongated sheet-shape, is provided with a recessed line such as to extend in the lengthwise direction, while, on the other side edge in the width direction is provided with a protruded line that can engage with or disengage from the recessed line such as to extend in the lengthwise direction. At least one end portion in the lengthwise direction is formed with a cut-out portion 33 that enables a connector member 17 attached to an end portion of the cable 15 to pass.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable protection and guide device and a tubular member used in the device, which protects long, flexible cables used to supply power to a moving object, such as a machine tool, by passing them through a similarly flexible tubular member and guiding them in accordance with the movement of the moving object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a tubular member used in this type of cable protection and guide device, for example, a bundling protection member described in Patent Document 1 is known. This bundling protection member has a flexible, long sheet-like protective cover portion, and one side edge and the other side edge of the protective cover portion are provided with a male attachment portion and a female attachment portion along the length direction. The bundling protection member is formed into a tubular shape by wrapping the protective cover portion around a plurality of filaments, which are cables, and the male attachment portion and the female attachment portion, which face each other in the circumferential direction, are fitted together over the entire length direction, thereby forming a tubular member through which cables are inserted to protect them.

[0003] When replacing the filament inserted in the tubular protective cover of this bundling protection member, first, the male mounting portion and the female mounting portion of the tubular protective cover are released from their mated state. Then, an opening is created in the protective cover along the length direction due to the separation of the male mounting portion and the female mounting portion, and the old filament is replaced in the protective cover through the opening. Next, the male mounting portion and the female mounting portion, which are separated by the opening in the protective cover, are mated. Then, the bundling protection member returns to the state of a tubular member in which the protective cover passes through and protects the filament, which is a cable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-90290 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above bundling protection member, when replacing the filament inserted in the tubular protective cover, the male mounting portion and the female mounting portion of the protective cover are once released from their mated state over the entire length direction, and then mated again to return to their original mated state over the entire length direction. In this case, when mating the separated male mounting portion and the female mounting portion to return to their original mated state over the entire length direction, it was necessary to carefully align one end of the male mounting portion and the female mounting portion in the length direction. This caused a problem that the work of replacing the filament, which is a cable, inserted in such a tubular protective cover was complicated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cable protection and guide device that solves the above-mentioned problems is a cable protection and guide device that inserts long, flexible cables into a long, flexible tubular member and guides the cables while protecting them with the tubular member as the tubular member is displaced, wherein the tubular member is in an unfolded state and has a long sheet-like shape, and a first joint is provided on one widthwise side edge that intersects with the lengthwise direction so as to extend along the length, while a second joint that can be joined to and released from the first joint is provided on the other widthwise side edge so as to extend along the length, and at least one lengthwise end portion is formed with a passage portion that allows the end portion of the cables to pass through.

[0007] According to this configuration, the connection state between the first joint part and the second joint part of the tubular member is maintained at the end part where the passing part is formed in the length direction of the tubular member, and is released at a predetermined length part other than the end part, and the replacement work of the old and new cables is performed on the tubular member. In this state, the connection state between the first joint part and the second joint part of the tubular member is not released over the entire length direction. Therefore, when the first joint part and the second joint part of the tubular member are subsequently fitted to each other so as to be in the original fitted state over the entire length direction, there is no need to carefully align one end part of the first joint part and the second joint part in the length direction. In this case, even if a connector member of a size that cannot be inserted into the tubular member is attached to the end part of the cable, such a connector member can pass through the passing part at the end part of the tubular member, and therefore the replacement work of the cable inserted into the tubular member can be easily performed.

[0008] In the above-mentioned cable protection and guide device, it is preferable that a joint holding portion is provided at the end portion of the tubular member in the longitudinal direction where the passing portion is formed, for holding the joint between the first joint portion and the second joint portion in an unreleasable state.

[0009] According to this configuration, when replacing cables in the tubular member, it is possible to prevent the joint between the first joint portion and the second joint portion from being accidentally released over the entire length. In the above-mentioned cable protection and guide device, it is preferable that the passage portion is configured by a notch portion formed by cutting out a certain area from an end edge in the longitudinal direction of the tubular member, or a slit portion cut into a certain length.

[0010] According to this configuration, a passage portion that allows the end portion of a cable to pass through can be easily formed relative to the end portion of the tubular member. The tubular member that solves the above problem is a long, flexible tubular member through which long, flexible cables can be inserted, and in an unfolded state is in the shape of a long sheet, with a first joint portion extending along the length at one widthwise side edge that intersects with the lengthwise direction, and a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion and extends along the length at the other widthwise side edge, and at least one end of the lengthwise direction is formed with a passage portion that allows the end of the cable to pass through.

[0011] According to this configuration, as in the case of the above-mentioned cable protection and guide device, the replacement work of cables inserted into the tubular member can be easily performed even if the joined state between the first joint portion and the second joint portion is not released over the entire length direction.

[0012] The tubular member that solves the above problem is a long, flexible tubular member through which long, flexible cables can be inserted, and in an unfolded state is in the form of a long sheet, with a first joint extending along the length at one widthwise side edge that intersects with the length, and a second joint that can be joined to and released from the first joint at the other widthwise side edge that extends along the length, and at least one of the lengthwise ends is provided with a pattern that serves as a guide when forming a passage portion through which the ends of the cables can pass.

[0013] According to this configuration, a passage portion that allows the end of a cable to pass through can be easily formed at the end of the length of the tubular member in accordance with the pattern drawn on that end. The tubular member that solves the above problem is a long, flexible tubular member through which long, flexible cables can be inserted, and in an unfolded state is in the form of a long sheet, with a first joint extending along the length at one side edge in a width direction that intersects with the length, while a second joint that can be joined to and released from the first joint is provided along the length at the other side edge in the width direction, and at least one end in the length direction has a hole that serves as a guide when forming a passage portion through which the end of the cable can pass, provided at a position spaced a certain length in the length direction from the edge of the end.

[0014] According to this configuration, by forming, for example, a slit portion toward a hole provided at a position a certain length away from the longitudinal end of the tubular member, a passage portion through which the ends of cables can pass can be easily formed. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, the replacement work of cables inserted in a tubular member can be facilitated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a cable protection and guide device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of the cable protection and guide device in use; [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the vicinity of an end portion where a passage portion is formed in the tubular member in an expanded state. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view of the vicinity of an end of a tubular member in which a portion other than the end having a passage portion is open. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which an end portion of a cable passes through a passage portion at an end portion of a tubular member. FIG. [Figure 8]13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which cables are housed from the side in a tubular member through an opening. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway plan view of a tubular member in an expanded state according to a first modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway plan view of a tubular member in an expanded state in a second modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a plan view of the vicinity of an end portion where a passage portion is formed in a tubular member of a third modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cable protection and guide device and a tubular member through which cables are inserted and protected by the device will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable protection and guide device 11 has a belt-shaped portion 13 made of a plurality of flexible tubular members 12 made of synthetic resin and shaped into a long cylinder. In this embodiment, the belt-shaped portion 13 is made of four tubular members 12, and the four tubular members 12 are arranged in parallel and connected to each other by welding to be integrally formed into a belt-like shape. Among the four tubular members 12, a multi-joint support member 14 longer than the tubular members 12a is inserted into two tubular members 12a located at both ends in the parallel direction. In addition, a flexible cable 15, which is an example of a cable longer than the tubular member 12b, is inserted into two central tubular members 12b other than the tubular members 12a at both ends.

[0018] The multi-joint support member 14 is a long member formed by connecting adjacent link members 16 in series so that they can rotate freely. The multi-joint support member 14 is allowed to bend within a set bending radius in one direction intersecting with the length direction, which is the direction in which the link members are arranged, but is restricted from bending in the opposite direction. In the case of this embodiment, the multi-joint support member 14 is allowed to bend in the direction that becomes the inner periphery when the band-shaped portion 13 is curved in a semicircular arc as shown in FIG. 1, but is restricted from bending in the opposite direction that becomes the outer periphery.

[0019] The cable 15 is formed with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cable tubular member 12b so that the cable 15 can be inserted into the cable tubular member 12b. As shown in Fig. 1, a cylindrical connector member 17 with an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cable tubular member 12b is attached to each end of the cable 15 protruding outward from both ends of the cable tubular member 12b in the longitudinal direction. That is, in the cable protection and guide device 11 of this embodiment, the middle part of the cable 15 in the longitudinal direction can be inserted into the cable tubular member 12 in the band-shaped portion 13, but the connector members 17 attached to both ends of the cable 15 cannot be inserted.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the cable protection and guide device 11 is used to guide, while protecting, a cable 15 that is routed to supply power to a movable body 19 that is movably provided on equipment 18, such as a machine tool, in accordance with the movement of the movable body 19. The strip-shaped portion 13 has a first end 13a on one side in the length direction clamped by a first clamp member 21, and a second end 13b on the other side in the length direction clamped by a second clamp member 22. The first end 13a of the strip-shaped portion 13 that is clamped by the first clamp member 21 is a fixed end. The second end 13b of the strip-shaped portion 13 that is clamped by the second clamp member 22 is a moving end that moves along a moving direction X in which the cable 15 is guided while being protected by the tubular member 12b.

[0021] That is, the first end 13a of the strip 13 on one side in the length direction is fixed via the first clamp member 21 to a predetermined position on the installation surface 23 along a direction parallel to the moving direction X of the moving body 19 in the facility 18. Then, the connector member 17 of the cable 15 protruding from the end of the cable tubular member 12b at the first end 13a in the length direction of the strip 13 is connected to a power source 24 arranged on the installation surface 23. On the other hand, the second end 13b of the strip 13 in the length direction is fixed to the moving body 19 in the facility 18 via the second clamp member 22. Then, the connector member 17 of the cable 15 protruding from the end of the cable tubular member 12b at the second end 13b in the length direction of the strip 13 is connected to an electric device 25 arranged inside the moving body 19.

[0022] Between the first end 13a and the second end 13b in the length direction of the band-shaped portion 13, at a position farther from the second end 13b than the first end 13a in the moving direction X of the moving body 19, a curved portion 26 is formed, which is curved in a semicircular arc shape toward the opposite side to the second end 13b. In the length direction of the band-shaped portion 13, the portion between the first end 13a and the curved portion 26 extends along the installation surface 23, and the portion between the second end 13b and the curved portion 26 is disposed in a state of extending in a direction parallel to the installation surface 23 at the height at which the moving body 19 moves. As the second end 13b of the band-shaped portion 13 moves together with the moving body 19 of the equipment 18, the curved portion 26 displaces in the moving direction X of the moving body 19.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, of the four tubular members 12a, 12b constituting the belt-shaped portion 13, the two tubular members 12a located at both ends in the parallel direction are formed to have a larger outer diameter than the two tubular members 12b located between the two tubular members 12a in the parallel direction. In other words, of the four tubular members 12a, 12b constituting the belt-shaped portion 13, the cable tubular member 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted at positions other than both ends in the parallel direction is formed to have a smaller outer diameter than the tubular member 12a through which the multi-joint support member 14 is inserted at both ends in the parallel direction. The cable 15 inserted into the cable tubular member 12b is formed by covering a bundle of multiple electric wires 27, for example, seven wires, with a long cylindrical insulator 28.

[0024] Here, the cable tubular member 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, the cable tubular member 12b has a long sheet shape in an unfolded state before it is shaped like a tube. For convenience of explanation, other tubular members 12a, 12b that are connected by welding to one tubular member 12b shown in each figure are omitted from Figs. 5 to 7 and 9 to 11 to form the band-shaped portion 13.

[0025] A concave rib 31 is provided on one side edge of the tubular member 12b in the width direction intersecting with the length direction so as to extend along the length direction. Meanwhile, a convex rib 32 is provided on the other side edge of the tubular member 12b in the width direction intersecting with the length direction so as to extend along the length direction. The concave rib 31 and the convex rib 32 are extrusion molded integrally with the tubular member 12b made of synthetic resin, and are capable of being male-female mated with and released from each other. In this embodiment, the concave rib 31 corresponds to a first joint portion, and the convex rib 32 corresponds to a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion.

[0026] When the tubular member 12b is deformed from the unfolded state into a tubular shape, the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the tubular member 12b. Therefore, when the tubular member 12b for the cable is deformed from the unfolded state into a tubular shape and the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 are fitted together over the entire length of the tubular member 12b, the tubular member 12b becomes a long cylindrical shape, i.e., a tubular shape, into which the cable 15 can be inserted. In this embodiment, the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 are provided in a portion of the tubular member 12b that is on the inner circumferential side of the curved portion 26.

[0027] In addition, a rectangular cutout 33 is formed at the end of the length of the cable tubular member 12b as an example of a passage portion that allows the end of the cable 15 to pass through. This cutout 33 is formed by cutting out a certain area in the center of the width direction at the end of the tubular member 12b from one end edge of the tubular member 12b in the length direction to the other. As can be understood from the second end 13b of the band-shaped portion 13 in FIG. 1 and the illustrated contents of the peripheral surface of the tubular member 12b in FIG. 4, the cutout 33 is formed at a position opposite to the position where the concave ribs 31 and the convex ribs 32 are formed in the radial direction of the tubular member 12b. The cutout 33 is formed to a size that allows the connector member 17 at the end of the cable 15 to pass through.

[0028] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the case where the cable 15 inserted in the tubular member 12b of the belt-shaped portion 13 of the cable protection and guide device 11 in use is broken or the like, the old cable 15 is replaced with a new one. At that time, the engagement between the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 of the tubular member 12b in which the cable 15 needs to be replaced among the multiple tubular members 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted in the belt-shaped portion 13 is released. If the engagement between the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 is released over the entire length of the tubular member 12b at that time, it will be complicated to re-engage the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 so that the original engagement over the entire length is resumed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the engagement between the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 in such a case is released as follows.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the engagement between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32, which are engaged over the entire length of the tubular member 12b, is not released at the end where the notch 33 is formed in the length direction of the tubular member 12b. In other words, the engagement between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 in the tubular member 12b is released only in the portion of the tubular member 12b other than the end where the notch 33 is formed in the length direction, that is, only in a predetermined length portion other than the end in the length direction of the tubular member 12b. Then, as shown in Fig. 6, the cross section of the predetermined length portion of the tubular member 12b other than the end in the length direction becomes approximately C-shaped, and an opening 34 is formed along the length direction of the tubular member 12b by the separation between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32.

[0030] As shown by the dotted line in Fig. 6, it is preferable that a joint retaining portion 35 is provided at the end of the tubular member 12b, which retains the fitted state between the groove 31 and the protrusion 32, i.e., the joined state between the first joint portion and the second joint portion, in an unreleaseable state at the end. If such a joint retaining portion 35 is provided at the end of the tubular member 12b, the fitted state between the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 will not be released over the entire length of the tubular member 12b. In this embodiment, the joint retaining portion 35 is formed by an adhesive portion that bonds the groove 31 and the protrusion 32 with an adhesive near the end of the tubular member 12b so that they cannot be separated.

[0031] 7 and 8, when the engagement between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 in a predetermined length portion of the tubular member 12b other than the end portion is released, the old and new cables 15 are replaced with each other in the tubular member 12b. First, the old cable 15 is removed from the tubular member 12b held by the fingertips 36. In this case, of the entire cable 15, the intermediate portion between both ends of the cable 15 is first removed from the tubular member 12b through the opening 34 formed by the separation between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32, as shown by the arrow A in FIG.

[0032] At this point, the end of the cable 15 is still hooked on the end of the tubular member 12b together with the connector member 17. Next, from this state, the end of the cable 15 is pulled out in the direction shown by arrow A in Fig. 7 through the notch 33 together with the connector member 17 attached to the end. At this time, the connector member 17 passes through the notch 33 while pushing and spreading the opening edge of the notch 33 in the tubular member 12b toward the inside of the tubular member 12b. This completes the removal of the old cable 15 from the tubular member 12b.

[0033] Next, a new cable 15 is inserted through the tubular member 12b after the old cable 15 has been removed. In this case, the end of the new cable 15 is first passed through the notch 33 at the end of the tubular member 12b in the direction shown by arrow B in Fig. 7 together with the connector member 17 attached to the end. Next, from this state, the intermediate portion between both ends of the cable 15 is housed in the tubular member 12b through the opening 34 formed by the separation between the recessed ribs 31 and the protruding ribs 32, as shown by arrow B in Fig. 8.

[0034] Thereafter, the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32, which face each other across the opening 34 in the circumferential direction in a predetermined length portion of the tubular member 12b other than the end portion, are fitted together again over the entire length of the tubular member 12b. This completes the replacement of the old and new cables 15 in the tubular member 12b. At this time, the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 are kept in a fitted state without being released at the end portion of the tubular member 12b where the notch 33 is formed, so that the troublesome work of aligning the ends of the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 in the longitudinal direction is also unnecessary.

[0035] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) When replacing the old and new cables 15, the engagement state between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 of the tubular member 12b over the entire length direction is released only for a predetermined length portion other than the end of the tubular member 12b, and is maintained near the end of the tubular member 12b. Therefore, when subsequently engaging the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 of the tubular member 12b over the entire original length direction, it is possible to eliminate the need for a tedious task of carefully aligning the ends of the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 in the length direction.

[0036] (2) When replacing the cable 15 inserted in the tubular member 12b, even if the connector member 17 attached to the end of the cable 15 is too large to be inserted into the tubular member 12b, the connector member 17 can pass through the notch 33 at the end of the tubular member 12b. Therefore, the replacement work of the cable 15 inserted in the tubular member 12b can be easily performed without releasing the engagement between the recessed ribs 31 and the protruding ribs 32 of the tubular member 12b over the entire length of the tubular member 12b.

[0037] (3) At the end of the tubular member 12b where the notch 33 is formed in the longitudinal direction, a joint holder 35 is provided to hold the fitted state between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 in an unreleasable state. This makes it possible to prevent the fitted state between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 from being accidentally released over the entire longitudinal direction when replacing the cable 15 in the tubular member 12b.

[0038] (4) The passage portion at the end of the tubular member 12b that allows the end of the cable 15 to pass together with the connector member 17 is formed by a notch 33 cut out from a certain area of ​​the end edge in the longitudinal direction of the tubular member 12b. Therefore, by cutting out and forming the notch 33 at the end of the tubular member 12b, it is possible to easily form a passage portion that allows the end of the cable 15 with the connector member 17 to pass through.

[0039] The above embodiment may be modified as in the following modified examples. In addition, the configurations included in the embodiment may be arbitrarily combined with the configurations included in the following modified examples, or the configurations included in the following modified examples may be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0040] As in the first modified example shown in FIG. 9, the passage portion formed at the end of the tubular member 12b may be constituted by a slit portion 37 cut a certain length from one end edge of the tubular member 12b to the other end in the longitudinal direction.

[0041] In the case of the tubular member 12b of the first modification shown in FIG. 9, as shown in the figure, it is preferable to provide a hole 38 having a curved outline, such as a circle or an ellipse, at the end of the tubular member 12b opposite to the edge of the slit portion 37 in the length direction. When such a hole 38 is provided, the risk of the slit portion 37 being unnecessarily torn can be reduced. Of course, such a configuration without the hole 38 is also acceptable. Also, the hole 38 alone may be formed at the end of the tubular member 12b at a position spaced a certain length from the edge of the end in the length direction, and then, when a passage portion becomes necessary later, the slit portion 37 from the edge of the tubular member 12b to the hole 38 may be additionally formed in a later operation.

[0042] As shown in the second modified example in Fig. 10, the end of the tubular member 12b may have a pattern 39 drawn thereon to serve as a guide for forming a certain area of ​​the notch 33, the slit 37, and the hole 38 as a passage portion through which the end of the cable 15 can pass together with the connector member 17. In this case, a user who has installed a cable protection and guide device 11 using the tubular member 12b can form a passage portion according to the pattern 39 as necessary. Note that the pattern 39 may be a pattern 39 that depicts at least one of the notch 33, the slit 37, and the hole 38, other than the pattern 39 that depicts all three of the notch 33, the slit 37, and the hole 38 shown in Fig. 10.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 11, the tubular member 12b may have a fastener 40 along the length direction instead of the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 on one side edge and the other side edge. In this case, the tubular member 12b preferably has a stopper portion 42 that stops the movement of the gripping piece portion 41, which moves while opening and closing the fastener 40, when the gripping piece portion 41 moves to the end portion of the tubular member 12b where the notch portion 33 is formed, so as not to open the fastener 40 any further. The presence of such a stopper portion 42 can prevent the gripping piece portion 41 from falling off the end portion of the tubular member 12b and the fastener 40 from opening over the entire length of the tubular member 12b.

[0044] In the third modified example shown in FIG. 11, the fastener 40 does not have to be configured so that the stopper portion 42 is fixed to the end, but the end of the fastener 40 may be configured so that the fastener 40 is not fully opened by sewing the end of the fastener 40 or fastening it with a metal fastener.

[0045] In the second modified example shown in FIG. 10, the pattern 39 may be drawn with straight lines and curves, or may be illustrated with color-coded pictures. 9, as shown by the two-dot chain lines in the figure, an extension line for further lengthening the slit portion 37 and a line serving as a guide when forming the tear prevention hole 38 may be drawn on the extension line of the slit portion 37. With this configuration, the length of the slit portion 37 functioning as a passage portion can be adjusted according to the difference in size of the connector member 17 at the end of the cable 15.

[0046] The joint holding portion 35 is not limited to an adhesive portion formed by an adhesive, but may be formed by a sewn portion, a stapled portion, or a crimped portion formed by a crimping metal fitting or the like. The joint holding portion 35 does not have to be provided. In this case, when releasing the engagement between the grooves 31 and the protrusions 32 that are engaged over the entire length of the tubular member 12b in order to replace the cable 15 in the tubular member 12b, it is sufficient to release only a predetermined length of the tubular member 12b in the length direction other than the ends.

[0047] The number of cable tubular members 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted in the band-shaped portion 13 is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. In the band-shaped portion 13, the tubular member 12 may be only the tubular member 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted, and the tubular member 12a through which the articulated support member 14 is inserted may be omitted.

[0048] The passage portion constituted by the notch portion 33 and the slit portion 37 may be provided only at one of the ends in the longitudinal direction of the tubular member 12b, instead of at both ends. For example, if the connector member 17 attached to one of the ends of the cable 15 is large enough to be inserted into the tubular member 12b, the passage portion may be provided only at one of the ends in the longitudinal direction of the tubular member 12b.

[0049] The cable 15 may be sized so that the connector members 17 attached to both ends in the length direction can be inserted into the tubular member 12b, or may be configured so that the connector members 17 are not attached to both ends in the length direction. Even in this case, when replacing the cable 15, the replacement work can be facilitated by passing the end of the cable 15 through the passing portion at the end of the tubular member 12b without releasing the engagement between the recessed ribs 31 and the protruding ribs 32 of the tubular member 12b over the entire length direction.

[0050] The first and second joints may be formed not of mating concave and convex strips 31 and 32, but of hook-and-loop fasteners or the like that can be joined in a surface-contact state and are provided on the overlapping end edge portions of the tubular member 12b in the circumferential direction.

[0051] Of the four tubular members 12a, 12b constituting the belt-shaped portion 13, the two tubular members 12a located at both ends in the parallel direction may be formed to have a smaller outer diameter than the two tubular members 12b located between the two tubular members 12a in the parallel direction. In other words, of the four tubular members 12a, 12b constituting the belt-shaped portion 13, the cable tubular member 12b through which the cable 15 is inserted at a position other than both ends in the parallel direction may be formed to have a larger outer diameter than the tubular members 12a through which the articulated support member 14 is inserted at both ends in the parallel direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 11…Cable protection and guide device 12, 12a, 12b...tubular members 15...Cable, which is an example of a cable 31...The groove corresponding to the first joint 32...Convex strip corresponding to the second joint 33...A notch which is an example of a passage portion 35…Joint holding part

Claims

1. A cable protection and guide device for inserting a long, flexible cable into a long, flexible tubular member, and guiding the cable while protecting it with the tubular member as the tubular member moves, comprising: The tubular member has a long sheet shape in an expanded state, a first joint portion is provided on one side edge in a width direction intersecting with a length direction of the tubular member in an expanded state so as to extend along the length direction, while a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion is provided on the other side edge in the width direction so as to extend along the length direction; a passage portion is formed at at least one end portion in a longitudinal direction of the tubular member, through which an end portion of the cable can pass; The passing portion is A cutout portion formed by cutting out a certain area along the length direction from an end edge in the length direction of the tubular member, the cutout portion being located between the first joint portion and the second joint portion in the width direction of the tubular member in an expanded state; or A cable protection and guide device characterized in that it is composed of a slit portion cut to a certain length along the longitudinal direction from an end edge of the tubular member, and which is located between the first joint and the second joint in the width direction of the tubular member in an unfolded state.

2. The cable protection and guide device according to claim 1, characterized in that a joint holding portion is provided at the end portion of the tubular member at which the passing portion is formed in the longitudinal direction, which holds the joint between the first joint portion and the second joint portion in an unreleaseable state.

3. A flexible, elongated tubular member, It is capable of passing long, flexible cables through it, and when deployed, it is in the shape of a long sheet. a first joint portion is provided on one side edge in a width direction intersecting with a length direction of the tubular member in an expanded state so as to extend along the length direction, while a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion is provided on the other side edge in the width direction so as to extend along the length direction; a passage portion is formed at at least one end portion in a longitudinal direction of the tubular member, through which an end portion of the cable can pass; The passing portion is A cutout portion formed by cutting out a certain area along the length direction from an end edge in the length direction of the tubular member, the cutout portion being located between the first joint portion and the second joint portion in the width direction of the tubular member in an expanded state; or A tubular member characterized in that it is composed of a slit portion cut to a certain length along the longitudinal direction from an end edge of the tubular member in the longitudinal direction, and is located between the first joint and the second joint in the width direction when the tubular member is in an expanded state.

4. A flexible, elongated tubular member, It is capable of passing long, flexible cables through it, and when deployed, it is in the shape of a long sheet. a first joint portion is provided on one side edge in a width direction intersecting with a length direction of the tubular member in an expanded state so as to extend along the length direction, while a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion is provided on the other side edge in the width direction so as to extend along the length direction; At least one end of the tubular member in the length direction is provided with a pattern that serves as a guide for forming a passage portion through which the end of the cable can pass, A tubular member, characterized in that the pattern is located between the first joint and the second joint in the width direction when the tubular member is in an unfolded state.

5. A flexible, elongated tubular member, It is capable of passing long, flexible cables through it, and when deployed, it is in the shape of a long sheet. a first joint portion is provided on one side edge in a width direction intersecting with a length direction of the tubular member in an expanded state so as to extend along the length direction, while a second joint portion that can be joined to and released from the first joint portion is provided on the other side edge in the width direction so as to extend along the length direction; A tubular member characterized in that at least one end of the tubular member in the longitudinal direction has a hole provided at a position spaced a certain length from the edge of the end, which hole serves as a guide for forming a passage portion through which the ends of the cables can pass.

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