Vehicle Cable Feedthrough Assembly With Offset Slits for Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable feedthrough assemblies in vehicles, especially working vehicles like tractors and excavators, fail to effectively seal multiple stiff control cables passing through a single aperture, leading to water and dirt ingress due to deformation of elastomeric seals and incomplete closure of slits.
Innovation Solution
A cable feedthrough assembly featuring two thin and flexible seal members with offset cable insertion slits that can adapt to cable movement, ensuring the aperture remains sealed by resiliently deflecting to accommodate cable passage and prevent water and dirt ingress, even if one slit does not fully close.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single elastomeric seal with multiple holes and slits is used to guide multiple cables through a body panel aperture, then the device complexity is reduced, but the sealing reliability deteriorates because the seal deforms under cable movement and the slits do not fully close
Solution Approach 1:
The single seal is divided into multiple separate seal members (typically two or more), each with its own cable passage and slit. This segmentation allows each seal member to independently accommodate cable movement and maintain sealing, preventing the deformation issues that occur with a single multi-hole seal.
2Reliability
If the seal is made thick and rigid to maintain sealing integrity, then the sealing reliability improves, but the ease of operation deteriorates because the cable insertion slits cannot open sufficiently to allow cable passage
Solution Approach 1:
The seal members are designed with dynamic slits that can open and close. During cable insertion, the slits open to allow cable passage; during normal operation, the slits close to maintain sealing. This dynamic behavior allows the seal to be sufficiently flexible for cable insertion while maintaining sealing integrity during operation.
3Ease of operation
If the cable insertion slits are made large to facilitate cable passage, then the ease of operation improves, but the sealing reliability deteriorates because the slits cannot close completely, allowing water and dirt ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The seal members are made from flexible elastomeric material that forms thin, compliant sealing elements. This flexibility allows the slits to open wide for easy cable insertion while still enabling complete closure for effective sealing, as the thin flexible material can conform completely around the cable when closed.
4Device complexity
If a single seal with multiple holes is used to reduce the number of components, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability deteriorates because the seal cannot accommodate stiff cables that move and deform during operation
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the sealing function into multiple separate seal members, each member can independently adapt to cable movement and deformation. Each seal member focuses on sealing a single cable passage, allowing it to be more adaptable to cable motion without requiring a complex multi-hole design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The assembly effectively prevents water and dirt ingress by ensuring that any opening in one seal member is usually closed by the other, maintaining a sealed path through the body panel aperture, even with cable deformation, thus enhancing the sealing efficiency for multiple cables.
Implementation Method 1
the first and second seal members are relatively thin and sufficiently flexible that they can adapt to the shape of the cable passing through the aligned first and second through-holes and accommodate cable movement
Implementation Method 2
any opening formed about the cable in one of the seal members will usually be closed by the other seal member
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~7
AI summary
A cable feedthrough assembly (10) for guiding at least one cable through an aperture (26) in a vehicle body panel (20) has first and second elastomeric seal members (12, 14) and a clamping member (16). The first seal member abuts the vehicle body panel, the second seal member abuts the first seal member, and the clamping member clamps the seal members together against the body panel. The seal members define at least one cable passageway comprising a first through-hole (52) in the first seal member and a corresponding second through-hole (54) in the second seal member. A cable insertion slit (56, 58) is provided in each seal member extending from a peripheral edge to the respective through-hole. The cable insertion slits are offset from one another. The seal members are able to conform to the shape and movement of the cable and any opening between one seal member and the cable or through its cable insertion slit is closed by the other seal member.