Multicore Cable Seal with Integrated Lips
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing waterproof structures for multicore cables require significant time to fill and cure sealing materials, leading to reduced operation efficiency due to the need for manual insertion of nozzles between wires and the sheath, which complicates the sealing process.
Innovation Solution
A seal structure for multicore cables featuring a rubber plug with sheath and wire penetrating portions, including lips for sealing, and a cap that presses these lips to ensure tight contact, allowing for efficient sealing between the sheath and wires without the need for manual injection of sealing material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealing material is injected between each wire and the sheath using a nozzle, then waterproof sealing is achieved, but operation time is significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the complex injection process and integrates it into the rubber plug structure itself. The lips are built into the plug, eliminating the need for separate sealing material injection between wires and sheath, thus reducing operation time while maintaining waterproof sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The rubber plug with integrated lips performs sealing automatically when installed. The lips make contact with the sheath and wires through the pressing mechanism, creating seals without requiring manual intervention to inject sealing material into each clearance, thereby achieving self-service sealing.
2Reliability
If sealing material is filled into the tubular body, then waterproof sealing is provided, but curing time is required which reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sealing material filling and curing process entirely. Instead, mechanical sealing is achieved through the lips integrated into the rubber plug structure, which create seals through physical contact and pressing, eliminating the time-consuming curing step and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical sealing mechanism (sealing material that requires curing) with a mechanical sealing system using lips made of elastic material. The sealing action is achieved through mechanical pressing and elastic deformation of the lips, which immediately create seals without requiring chemical curing time.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual insertion of nozzle between wires and sheath is performed, then precise sealing is achieved, but device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function into the rubber plug structure by integrating lips directly into the plug. This combines the positioning, sealing, and pressing functions into a single component, eliminating the need for separate nozzle insertion and sealing material application steps, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining sealing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The rubber plug with integrated lips automatically positions and creates seals when installed. The lips are designed to contact the sheath and wires at specific locations, providing precise sealing through the self-aligning nature of the elastic material under pressing, without requiring manual nozzle insertion or complex positioning procedures.
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
This solution significantly improves operation efficiency by providing reliable sealing between the sheath and wires, effectively preventing liquid intrusion, while allowing for faster and more reliable sealing of branched wire ends.
Implementation Method 1
a sheath side lip to be held in contact with an outer periphery of the sheath is provided on an inner periphery of the sheath fitting portion, and a wire side lip to be held in close contact with an outer periphery of each of the wires is provided on an inner periphery of each of the through holes
Implementation Method 2
a sheath side pressing portion for bringing the outer periphery of the sheath and the sheath side lip into close contact for sealing by pressing the sheath fitting portion of the rubber plug from outside; a wire side pressing portion for bringing the outer periphery of each of the wires and the wire side lip formed in each of the through holes into close contact for sealing by pressing the wire penetrating portion from outside
Data Source
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AI summary
A seal structure 12 for multicore cable 11 includes a multicore cable 11 configured such that a plurality of first to fourth wires 13A to 13D are surrounded by a sheath 14 and drawn out from an end part 14A of the sheath 14, and a rubber plug 15 including a sheath fitting portion 18 to be externally fitted to the end part 14A of the sheath 14 and a wire penetrating portion 21 having a plurality of first to fourth through holes 22A to 22D, through which the plurality of first to fourth wires 13A to 13D drawn out from the end part 14A of the sheath 14 are respectively passed. Sheath side lips 20 to be held in contact with an outer periphery of the sheath 14 are provided on an inner periphery of the sheath fitting portion 18. First to fourth wire side lips 26A to 26D to be respectively held in close contact with outer peripheries of the plurality of first to fourth wires 13A to 13D are provided on inner peripheries of the plurality of first to fourth through holes 22A to 22D.