Toothed cable

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a toothed cable that can reduce generation of abnormal noise when the toothed cable is guided by a guide member. A toothed cable 1 comprises a cable body 2, and an end member 3 provided at an end portion 2a of the cable body 2 in an axial direction D1. The cable body 2 comprises a body portion 2A extending along the axial direction D1, and a smaller diameter portion 2B having a smaller diameter than an outer diameter d2 of the body portion 2A at the end portion 2a of the cable body 2. The end member 3 is installed at the end portion 2a of the cable body 2 in the axial direction D1 such that at least a part of the smaller diameter portion 2B in the axial direction D1 is positioned on the body portion 2A side from the end member 3 in the axial direction D1. The smaller diameter portion 2B is formed such that an outer diameter d3 of the smaller diameter portion 2B at a position adjacent to a proximal end 3a of the end member 3 is smaller than an outer diameter d1 of the proximal end 3a of the end member 3 so as to prevent the smaller diameter portion 2B from projecting in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1 from an outer periphery of the proximal end 3a of the end member 3.

Description

Toothed cable

[0001] The present invention relates to a geared cable.

[0002] Conventionally, a toothed cable as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 has been used to operate an object such as a sunroof of a vehicle. The toothed cable of Patent Document 1 includes a cable body and a cap attached to the tip of the cable body. By providing the cap at the tip of the cable body, the toothed cable can move smoothly inside the guide member when guided by the guide member.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-100069

[0004] The cap is attached to the tip of the cable body by, for example, injection molding. In injection molding, the cable body is inserted into a mold, and resin is poured into the portion of the mold where the tip of the cable body is located to form the cap on the tip of the cable body. The mold into which the cable body is inserted needs to be formed slightly wider than the cable body to accommodate manufacturing errors of the cable body. Therefore, when the cable body is inserted into the mold, the cable body may be misaligned (misaligned perpendicular to the axial direction) or tilted relative to the axial direction of the mold. If the cap is injection molded in this state, the cap may be misaligned or tilted relative to the axis of the cable body, causing the cable body to protrude radially outward from the outer periphery of the base end of the cap near the base end of the cap. If a toothed cable is guided by a guide member with the cable body protruding radially outward from the outer periphery of the base end of the cap, the protruding portion of the cable body may collide with the wall of the guide member, generating abnormal noise.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a geared cable that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise when guided by a guide member.

[0006] The geared cable of the present invention is a geared cable comprising a cable main body and an end member provided at the axial end of the cable main body, wherein the cable main body comprises a main body portion extending along the axial direction and a small diameter portion provided at the end of the cable main body along the axial direction, continuous with the main body portion and having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion, the end member is provided at the axial end of the cable main body so that at least a portion of the small diameter portion in the axial direction is located on the main body side of the end member in the axial direction, and the small diameter portion is formed so that the outer diameter of the small diameter portion at a position adjacent to the base end of the end member is smaller than the outer diameter of the base end of the end member so that it does not protrude from the outer periphery of the base end of the end member in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0007] According to the geared cable of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise when guided by the guide member.

[0008] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operating device incorporating the toothed cable of one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the toothed cable of one embodiment of the present invention is housed inside a guide member. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the toothed cable of Fig. 2, showing only the molding portion in cross section. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the toothed cable of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a further modified example of the toothed cable of Fig. 3.

[0009] A geared cable according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the geared cable of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0010] In this specification, expressions such as "perpendicular to A" and similar expressions do not refer only to a direction that is completely perpendicular to A, but also refer to a direction that is approximately perpendicular to A. In this specification, expressions such as "parallel to B" and similar expressions do not refer only to a direction that is completely parallel to B, but also refer to a direction that is approximately parallel to B. In this specification, expressions such as "C-shape" and similar expressions do not refer only to a perfect C-shape, but also refer to a shape that visually resembles a C-shape (approximately a C-shape).

[0011] As shown in Fig. 2, the geared cable 1 of this embodiment is a flexible, elongated member having a central axis X (hereinafter simply referred to as "axis X") and extending along an axial direction D1 parallel to the axis X. The geared cable 1 operates an operation object O (see Fig. 1) by moving along the axial direction D1. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the geared cable 1 can be used in an operation device OD for operating the operation object O by transmitting the driving force of a drive unit DR to the operation object O to operate the operation object O. However, the geared cable 1 can also be used for other purposes as long as the operation object can be operated by moving along the axial direction D1.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1 , the operating device OD includes a geared cable 1, a drive unit DR that drives the geared cable 1 along an axial direction D1, and a guide member G that guides the geared cable 1. The operating device OD is attached to an attachment object such as a vehicle. The operating object O is directly or indirectly connected to the end (one end and / or the other end in the axial direction D1) of the geared cable 1 and is operated in accordance with the movement of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1. The operating object O is not particularly limited as long as it can be operated by the geared cable 1, and examples include an opening / closing object such as a sunroof or window glass of a vehicle.

[0013] The drive unit DR moves the geared cable 1 along the axial direction D1. The configuration of the drive unit DR is not particularly limited as long as it can move the geared cable 1 along the axial direction D1. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the drive unit DR includes a drive source DR1 that generates a driving force and a transmission mechanism DR2 that transmits the driving force generated by the drive source DR1 to the geared cable 1. An example of the drive source DR1 is an electric motor that generates the driving force, and an example of the transmission mechanism DR2 is a meshing member such as a gear that meshes with the geared cable 1. The drive unit DR drives (e.g., rotates) the meshing member using the driving force (e.g., rotational driving force) of the electric motor, thereby moving the geared cable 1 meshed with the meshing member along the axial direction D1.

[0014] The guide member G guides the geared cable 1 along a predetermined routing path. The guide member G is formed in a generally U-shape (groove-like) with a width W (see FIG. 2 ) greater than the outer diameter of the geared cable 1 in a cross section perpendicular to the axis X of the geared cable 1, and slidably accommodates the geared cable 1 inside the guide member G. Note that the guide member G may be formed in a tubular shape that covers the entire circumference of the geared cable 1 around the axis X as long as it can slidably accommodate the geared cable 1. The guide member G may be arranged linearly, curved, or bent relative to an object (e.g., a vehicle) to which the geared cable 1 is attached, or may be arranged in a combination of linear and curved or bent shapes. The guide member G is only required to have sufficient strength to suppress deformation even when the geared cable 1 slides inside the guide member G. The material of the guide member G is not particularly limited, and it may be made of, for example, metal or resin.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the geared cable 1 includes a cable body 2 and an end member 3 provided at an end 2a of the cable body 2 in the axial direction D1.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2 , the end member 3 is provided at the end 2a of the cable main body 2 in the axial direction D1 and constitutes the end of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1. By constituting the end of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1, the end member 3 prevents the end of the geared cable 1 (cable main body 2) in the axial direction D1 from engaging (getting caught) with the inner surface of the guide member G when the geared cable 1 is guided by the guide member G. This promotes smooth movement of the geared cable 1 inside the guide member G. In this embodiment, the end member 3 is provided only at one end 2a of the cable main body 2 in the axial direction D1. However, it may be provided at the other end or both ends of the cable main body 2 in the axial direction D1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the end member 3 constitutes the free end of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1 without being connected to another member. However, the end member 3 may be connected to another member, such as an operation target O, without constituting the free end of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1.

[0017] The end member 3 constitutes the end of the geared cable 1 in the axial direction D1 and is not particularly limited in structure as long as it can promote smooth movement of the geared cable 1 inside the guide member G. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2 , the end member 3 extends along the axial direction D1 from a base end 3a on the cable main body 2 side to a tip end 3b on the opposite side from the cable main body 2, and is formed to cover the end 2a of the cable main body 2 (see Fig. 3 ). The end member 3 includes a base end portion 31 provided on the base end 3a side in the axial direction D1 and a tip portion 32 provided on the tip end 3b side, continuous with the base end portion 31 in the axial direction D1. The base end portion 31 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending with a substantially constant diameter in the axial direction D1, and the tip portion 32 is formed in a substantially conical shape (or a substantially truncated conical shape) whose diameter continuously decreases from the connection portion with the base end portion 31 toward the tip end 3b. The end member 3 has a tip portion 32 whose diameter continuously decreases toward the tip portion 3b, which further promotes smooth movement of the geared cable 1, for example, when the geared cable 1 moves inside the guide member G with the end member 3 at the forefront. However, the end member 3 only needs to extend from the base end 3a toward the tip portion 3b along at least the axial direction D1 and cover the end portion 2a of the cable body 2, and the shapes of the base end portion 31 and the tip portion 32 are not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[0018] The end member 3 is sized to be slidable within the guide member G. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 2 , the end member 3 has an outer diameter d1 that is smaller than the inner width W or inner diameter of the guide member G. Here, the outer diameter d1 of the end member 3 refers to the outer diameter of the largest outer diameter portion of the end member 3 or the outer diameter at the base end 3 a. In this embodiment, the outer diameter d1 of the end member 3 refers to the outer diameter of the base end portion 31 that extends at approximately the same diameter in the axial direction D1, i.e., the outer diameter at the base end 3 a. The end member 3 is not particularly limited as long as it has an outer diameter smaller than the inner width W or inner diameter of the guide member G and is slidable within the guide member G. However, in this embodiment, the end member 3 has an outer diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter d2 (see FIG. 3 ) of the main body portion 2A of the cable main 2, which will be described later. Here, the outer diameter d2 of the main body 2A of the cable main body 2 refers to the outer diameter of an outer circumferential cylinder OC (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 ) of the main body 2A of the cable main body 2 that circumscribes the teeth (in this embodiment, the coil portion 22, which will be described later) of the main body 2A of the cable main body 2. The end member 3 has an outer diameter d1 that is approximately the same as the outer diameter d2 of the main body 2A of the cable main body 2, which further promotes smooth movement of the geared cable 1 inside the guide member G.

[0019] Although the end member 3 is not particularly limited, it is preferable that it be formed from a material that is resistant to breakage upon collision with the inner surface of the guide member G and that suppresses friction between the end member 3 and the inner surface of the guide member G. From this perspective, it is preferable that the end member 3 be formed from a material that has a predetermined level of rigidity or more and a predetermined level of friction coefficient (dynamic friction coefficient and static friction coefficient) or less. For example, the end member 3 can be formed from a synthetic resin such as polyacetal resin (POM). However, the end member 3 is not limited to this and can also be formed from a metal material that has a predetermined level of rigidity or more and a predetermined level of friction coefficient or less. When formed from a synthetic resin, the end member 3 can be formed on the end portion 2a of the cable main 2 by injection molding. However, the end member can also be provided by forming the end member in advance and then fixing it to the end portion 2a of the cable main 2 by a known fixing method such as adhesive or welding.

[0020] The cable main body 2 is a flexible, elongated member extending along the axial direction D1. The cable main body 2 has, on its outer periphery around the axis X, teeth along the axial direction D1 with which a mating member (see the transmission mechanism DR2 in FIG. 1 ) can mesh. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the cable main body 2 includes a core cable 21 extending along the axial direction D1 and a coil portion 22 spirally wound around the outer periphery of the core cable 21. The cable main body 2 has teeth formed on the outer periphery of the cable main body 2 by convex portions formed by the coil portion 22, and tooth grooves formed by concave portions formed between pairs of adjacent convex portions in the axial direction D1, thereby forming teeth on the outer periphery of the cable main body 2. The teeth of the cable main body 2 are configured so that teeth of a mating member fit into the tooth grooves of the teeth and mesh with the teeth of the teeth of the teeth. In the present embodiment, the cable body 2 has teeth formed by spirally winding the coil portion 22 around the outer periphery of the core cable 21, forming a toothed groove with a plurality of continuously connected teeth. However, teeth may be formed by a plurality of separate teeth. The core cable 21 and the coil portion 22 are not particularly limited, and a metal core cable and a metal coil portion used in known geared cables may be used.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cable main body 2 may further include a molding portion 23 that is spirally wound around a recess formed between a pair of coil portions 22 adjacent to each other in the axial direction D1. The molding portion 23 has greater flexibility than the coil portion 22 and is configured to easily deform when it comes into contact with another member. As a result, the molding portion 23 functions as a buffer material that suppresses, for example, abnormal noise when the cable main body 2 engages with a mating member or when the cable main body 2 collides with the inner surface of the guide member G. The molding portion 23 is not particularly limited, but may be formed, for example, by a core yarn that extends spirally along the recess on the outer periphery of the cable main body 2 and a plurality of pile threads that extend radially from the core yarn. The core yarn and pile threads are preferably made of a resin having a predetermined flexibility, more specifically, a thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic elastomer), such as a polyester-based resin, a polyurethane-based resin, a polyolefin-based resin, a fluorine-based resin, a silicone-based resin, a nylon-based resin, a polyurethane-based resin, or a vinyl chloride-based resin.

[0022] The molding portion 23 is not particularly limited as long as it is disposed between a pair of adjacent coil portions 22 and has a buffering function for suppressing the generation of abnormal noise, but as shown in Fig. 3, it is preferable that the molding portion 23 be formed to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of an outer circumferential cylinder OC that connects the outer circumferential edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22 in a main body portion 2A of the cable main 2, which will be described later. This causes the molding portion 23 to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1 beyond the outer periphery of the coil portions 22, thereby further suppressing the generation of abnormal noise, for example, when the cable main 2 and an interlocking member interlock or when the cable main 2 collides with the inner surface of the guide member G.

[0023] 3 , the cable main body 2 includes a main body portion 2A extending along the axial direction D1 and a small-diameter portion 2B that is continuous with the main body portion 2A along the axial direction D1 at the end 2a of the cable main body 2 and has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter d2 of the main body portion 2A. Here, the "small-diameter portion 2B having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter d2 of the main body portion 2A" refers to the small-diameter portion 2B having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion 2A. The respective outer diameters of the main body portion 2A and the small-diameter portion 2B refer to the outer diameter of an outer cylinder OC that circumscribes the respective teeth (coil portion 22 in this embodiment) of the main body portion 2A and the small-diameter portion 2B.

[0024] For such a cable main 2, as shown in Fig. 3 , the end member 3 is provided at the end 2a of the cable main 2 in the axial direction D1 so that at least a portion of the small diameter portion 2B in the axial direction D1 is located on the main body 2A side of the end member 3 in the axial direction D1. In this case, the small diameter portion 2B (particularly the teeth) is formed so that the outer diameter d3 of the small diameter portion 2B at a position adjacent to the base end 3a of the end member 3 is smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the base end 3a of the end member 3 (see Fig. 2 ) so that the small diameter portion 2B (particularly the teeth) does not protrude in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1 from the outer periphery of the base end 3a of the end member 3 in this manner. Since the small diameter portion 2B (particularly the teeth) does not protrude in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1 from the outer periphery of the base end 3a of the end member 3 in the vicinity of the base end 3a of the end member 3, collision of the cable main 2 near the end member 3 with the inner surface of the guide member G is suppressed when the geared cable 1 is guided by the guide member G, thereby suppressing the generation of abnormal noise due to such collision. Furthermore, the cable main body 2 has a small diameter portion 2B that is smaller in diameter than the main body portion 2A at the end 2a of the cable main body 2 to which the end member 3 is attached, which makes it easier to attach the end member 3 to the end 2a of the cable main body 2 so that the cable main body 2 does not protrude in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1 from the outer periphery of the base end 3a of the end member 3. This makes it possible to easily manufacture a geared cable 1 that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise when guided by the guide member G.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the small diameter portion 2B is a tapered portion whose diameter decreases toward the tip of the cable main 2 in the axial direction D1. More specifically, the small diameter portion 2B is formed so that the outer circumscribing cylinder OC circumscribing the teeth (the coil portion 22 in this embodiment) continuously decreases in diameter toward the tip of the cable main 2 in the axial direction D1. By forming the small diameter portion 2B in this tapered shape, for example, when the geared cable 1 slides inside the guide member G with the end member 3 at the front, even if the small diameter portion 2B (the portion not covered by the end member 3) collides with the inner surface of the guide member G, the geared cable 1 can smoothly slide inside the guide member G, thereby suppressing the generation of abnormal noise. In this tapered portion, the coil portion 22 and the molding portion 23 are formed so that their diameters decrease toward the tip of the cable main 2 in the axial direction D1. As described above, the molding portion 23 is formed in the main body 2A so as to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral cylinder OC connecting the outer peripheral edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22, while the small-diameter portion 2B (tapered portion) is formed so as to have an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the outer peripheral cylinder OC connecting the outer peripheral edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22. That is, the molding portion 23 is arranged so as not to protrude in the small-diameter portion 2B (particularly the portion not covered by the end member 3) from the outer periphery of the coil portion 22 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1. This makes it possible to prevent the piles of the molding portion 23 from falling off even if the small-diameter portion 2B collides with the inner surface of the guide member G, thereby preventing a reduction in the sliding properties of the geared cable 1 due to the fallen piles being interposed between the geared cable 1 and the inner surface of the guide member G.

[0026] The small diameter portion 2B has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter d2 of the main body portion 2A at least, and at a position adjacent to the base end 3a of the end member 3 in the axial direction D1, the small diameter portion 2B needs only to have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the base end 3a of the end member 3, and does not necessarily have to be formed in a tapered shape that continuously reduces in diameter toward the tip in the axial direction D1 of the cable main 2. The small diameter portion 2B may be formed to extend with approximately the same diameter along the axial direction D1, as shown in Fig. 4A, for example, or may be formed to reduce in diameter in a stepwise (step-like) manner toward the tip in the axial direction D1 of the cable main 2, as shown in Fig. 4B. In these cases, too, the coil portion 22 and the molding portion 23 can be formed to reduce in diameter to approximately the same diameter along the axial direction D1 or to reduce in diameter in a stepwise (step-like) manner toward the tip in the axial direction D1 of the cable main 2, as shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the molding portion 23 can be formed in the small diameter portion 2B so as to have an outer diameter that is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the outer cylinder OC that connects the outer peripheral edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22, and can be arranged so as not to protrude from the outer periphery of the coil portion 22 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction D1.

[0027] Note that, in the main body 2A, the molding portion 23 may be formed to have an outer diameter that is approximately the same as or smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral cylinder OC that connects the outer peripheral edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22. Furthermore, in the small diameter portion 2B (tapered portion), the molding portion 23 may be formed to have an outer diameter that is smaller or larger than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral cylinder OC that connects the outer peripheral edges of a pair of adjacent coil portions 22.

[0028] The small diameter portion 2B may have an outer diameter d3 that is smaller than the outer diameter d1 of the base end 3a of the end member 3 at least at a position adjacent to the base end 3a of the end member 3 in the axial direction D1, and the length in the axial direction D1 is not particularly limited. However, as shown in Fig. 3 , it is preferable that the length L1 in the axial direction D1 of the small diameter portion 2B (the portion not covered by the end member 3) from the base end 3a of the end member 3 toward the main body 2A in the axial direction D1 is shorter than the length L2 in the axial direction D1 of the end member 3. The diameter of the cable main 2 is reduced in the small diameter portion 2B, which may reduce the strength of the cable main 2 at the small diameter portion 2B. However, by shortening the length L1 in the axial direction D1 of the small diameter portion 2B from the base end 3a of the end member 3 toward the main body 2A, this reduction in strength can be suppressed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the molding portion 23 is also reduced in diameter in the small diameter portion 2B, there is a possibility that the effect of the molding portion 23 in suppressing the generation of abnormal noise in the small diameter portion 2B may be reduced. However, this reduction in effect can be suppressed by shortening the length L1 in the axial direction D1 of the small diameter portion 2B from the base end 3a of the end member 3 to the main body portion 2A side.

[0029] 3 to 4B , the small diameter portion 2B may extend beyond the base end 3a of the end member 3 into the interior of the end member 3 in the axial direction D1 so that the coil portion 22 extends into the interior of the end member 3. With the small diameter portion 2B extending into the interior of the end member 3 in this manner and the coil portion 22 extending into the interior of the end member 3, a portion of the end member 3 fits into a recess between a pair of coil portions 22 adjacent in the axial direction D1 when the end member 3 is injection molded, and the end member 3 engages with the coil portion 22 in the axial direction D1. This allows the end member 3 to be firmly fixed to the small diameter portion 2B, improving the end member 3's resistance to separation.

[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Note that the above-described embodiments mainly describe the invention having the following configurations.

[0031] (1) A geared cable comprising: a cable main body; and an end member provided at an axial end of the cable main body, wherein the cable main body comprises: a main body portion extending along the axial direction; and a small diameter portion provided at the end of the cable main body along the axial direction, continuous with the main body portion, the small diameter portion being smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion; the end member is provided at the axial end of the cable main body such that at least a portion of the small diameter portion in the axial direction is located on the main body side of the end member in the axial direction; and the small diameter portion is formed so that the outer diameter of the small diameter portion at a position adjacent to the base end of the end member is smaller than the outer diameter of the base end of the end member so that it does not protrude from the outer periphery of the base end of the end member in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0032] (2) The geared cable according to (1), wherein the cable main body includes a core cable extending along the axial direction and a coil portion wound spirally around the outer periphery of the core cable, and the small diameter portion is a tapered portion whose diameter decreases toward the tip of the cable main body in the axial direction, and extends in the axial direction beyond the base end of the end member to the inside of the end member so that the coil portion extends inside the end member.

[0033] (3) The geared cable according to (1) or (2), wherein the cable main body comprises: a core cable extending along the axial direction; a coil portion spirally wound around the outer periphery of the core cable; and a molding portion spirally wound along a recess formed between a pair of the coil portions adjacent in the axial direction; the coil portion and the molding portion are formed in the tapered portion so as to decrease in diameter toward the axial tip of the cable main body; and the molding portion is formed in the main body portion so as to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of an outer cylinder connecting outer peripheries of the pair of adjacent coil portions, and in the tapered portion so as to have an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of an outer cylinder connecting outer peripheries of the pair of adjacent coil portions.

[0034] (4) A geared cable described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the axial length of the small diameter portion from the base end of the end member toward the main body portion in the axial direction is shorter than the axial length of the end member.

[0035] 1 Geared cable 2 Cable body 21 Core cable 22 Coil portion 23 Molding portion 2A Body portion 2B Small diameter portion 2a End portion of cable body 3 End member 31 Base end portion 32 Tip portion 3a Base end 3b Tip D1 Axial direction DR Drive portion DR1 Drive source DR2 Transmission mechanism d1 Outer diameter of end member d2 Outer diameter of body portion of cable body d3 Outer diameter of small diameter portion of cable body G Guide member L1 Axial length from base end of end member to small diameter portion on the body portion side L2 Axial length of end member O Operation object OC Outer cylinder OD Operation device W Inner width of guide member X Central axis

Claims

1. A geared cable comprising: a cable main body; and an end member provided at an axial end of the cable main body, wherein the cable main body comprises: a main body portion extending along the axial direction; and a small diameter portion provided at the end of the cable main body along the axial direction, continuous with the main body portion, the small diameter portion being smaller than the outer diameter of the main body portion; the end member is provided at the axial end of the cable main body such that at least a part of the small diameter portion in the axial direction is located on the main body side of the end member in the axial direction; and the small diameter portion is formed so that the outer diameter of the small diameter portion at a position adjacent to the base end of the end member is smaller than the outer diameter of the base end of the end member so that it does not protrude from the outer periphery of the base end of the end member in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

2. A geared cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable main body comprises a core cable extending along the axial direction and a coil portion wound spirally around the outer periphery of the core cable, and the small diameter portion is a tapered portion whose diameter decreases towards the tip of the cable main body in the axial direction, and extends in the axial direction beyond the base end of the end member to the inside of the end member so that the coil portion extends inside the end member.

3. A geared cable according to claim 2, wherein the cable main body comprises: a core cable extending along the axial direction; a coil portion wound spirally around the outer periphery of the core cable; and a molding portion wound spirally along a recess formed between a pair of the coil portions adjacent in the axial direction, wherein the coil portion and the molding portion are formed in the tapered portion so as to decrease in diameter toward the axial tip of the cable main body, and the molding portion is formed in the main body portion so as to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of an outer cylinder connecting the outer peripheries of the pair of adjacent coil portions, and is formed in the tapered portion so as to have an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the outer cylinder connecting the outer peripheries of the pair of adjacent coil portions.

4. A geared cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the axial length of the small diameter portion from the base end of the end member toward the main body portion in the axial direction is shorter than the axial length of the end member.

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