Patent Application
20140116189
The technique disclosed in the present specification relates to an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a terminal supporting apparatus) for supporting an end of a control cable (e.g., a control cable disposed between a shift lever and a transmission of an automobile).
Generally, a control cable has a tubular outer cable and an inner cable inserted in the outer cable. One end of the outer cable is attached to a housing or the like of an input device, and the other end of the outer cable is attached to a housing or the like of an output device. The inner cable is guided from the input device to the output device by the outer cable. An operation (e.g., a pushing/pulling operation) performed on the input device by an operator is input to one end of the inner cable. The operation input to the one end of the inner cable is transferred through the other end of the inner cable to the output device.
When the input device and the output device are connected by the control cable as described above, vibration of the output device may be transmitted to the input device via the control cable, or vibration of the input device may be transmitted to the output device via the control cable. Therefore, a technique for preventing the transmission of vibration between the input and output devices via the control cable has been developed (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-019977). In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-019977, an end of an outer cable is attached to a housing via a cushion member. A plurality of protrusions is formed on a surface of the cushion member that is in contact with the housing. The plurality of protrusions, formed on the contact surface with the housing, restrains the transmission of vibration.
Although a certain level of vibration control effect is achieved by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-019977, it is desired to realize a technique capable of providing higher vibration control effect. In the present specification, therefore, it is an object to provide a terminal supporting apparatus capable of further restraining transmission of vibration.
A first terminal supporting apparatus disclosed in the present specification supports at least one of two ends of a control cable having an inner cable and an outer cable in which the inner cable is inserted. The terminal supporting apparatus includes: a hub that is attached to an end of the outer cable, and has a flange on an outer periphery thereof; a cushion member that is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the hub, and is in contact with the flange at both a front surface and a rear surface of the flange; and a housing having a housing part that houses the cushion member. When an angle (so-called twisting angle) formed between an axis of the housing part and an axis of the hub is varied in a range of 0.0° to 6.0°, a diagonal static spring constant of the cushion member in an axial direction thereof is in a range of 350 to 600 N/mm.
In the first terminal supporting apparatus, when the twisting angle is varied in the range of 0.0° to 6.0°, the diagonal static spring constant of the cushion member in the axial direction thereof is in the range of 350 to 600 N/mm. As described later, according to an experiment performed by the inventors of the present invention, it is found that transmission of vibration can be restrained as compared to the conventional technique if the above condition is satisfied. According to the first terminal supporting apparatus, vibration transmitted via the control cable can be successfully restrained by setting the diagonal spring constant to an appropriate value.
In the first terminal supporting apparatus, the condition of the diagonal static spring constant may be satisfied by controlling a clearance between the cushion member and a supporting member. For example, according to an aspect of the first terminal supporting apparatus, dimensions of the cushion member and the housing part may be set such that no clearance is formed between the cushion member and an inner wall surface of the housing part in a direction along which the axis of the housing part extends, while a clearance is formed in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the housing part. Whether a clearance is formed between the cushion member and the inner wall surface of the housing part depends on the load applied to the cushion member, or the housing state of the cushion member in the housing part (e.g., a twisting angle or the like). Therefore, it doesn't matter whether the clearance is actually formed when the cushion member is housed in the housing part, so long as the dimensions are set to values that allow the formation of the clearance.
A second terminal supporting apparatus disclosed in the present specification supports at least one of two ends of a control cable having an inner cable and an outer cable in which the inner cable is inserted. The terminal supporting apparatus includes: a hub that is attached to an end of the outer cable, and has a flange on an outer periphery thereof; a cushion member that is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the hub, and is in contact with the flange at both a front surface and a rear surface of the flange; and a housing having a housing part that houses the cushion member. When a clearance in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the cushion member and the housing part is C, 0.1 mm≦C≦0.8 mm is satisfied. More preferable range of the clearance C is 0.25 mm≦C≦0.8 mm.
In the second terminal supporting apparatus, transmission of vibration via the control cable can be successfully restrained by setting the clearance C between the cushion member and the housing part (specifically, the clearance in the direction perpendicular to the axes thereof) to an appropriate value.
Further, in the second terminal supporting apparatus, when a length of the cushion member in the axial direction thereof is Xc, 9.5 mm≦Xc≦13.5 mm is preferably satisfied.
In the first and second terminal supporting apparatuses, the hub and the cushion member may be integrally molded so that no clearance is formed between the hub and the cushion member. By integrally molding the hub and the cushion member, assembly of the terminal supporting apparatus is facilitated.
A terminal supporting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described. The terminal supporting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 supports an end of an automatic transmission cable (hereinafter referred to as an AT cable) arranged between a shift lever and an automatic transmission (hereinafter referred to as a transmission) of an automobile. As shown in
A hole 20a is formed at a tip end of the input rod 20. A shift lever (not shown) is connected to the hole 20a. A tip end of the output rod 23 is connected to a transmission (not shown) provided in an engine room, via a link member 22. An operation (displacement) input to the shift lever by a driver is transferred to the inner cable 29 via the input rod 20. The displacement transferred to the inner cable 29 is transferred to the transmission via the output rod 23 and the link member 22.
An end of the outer cable 34 on the input rod 20 side is supported by a terminal supporting apparatus 11. The terminal supporting apparatus 11 is fixed to a housing of a shift lever device. An end of the outer cable 34 on the output rod 23 side is supported by a terminal supporting apparatus 10. The terminal supporting apparatus 10 is fixed to a cable fixing member 26 in the engine room. An intermediate part of the outer cable 34 is clamped to a predetermined portion of a vehicle body by means of a fastener 24 and a retainer 28. In Embodiment 1, the input-side terminal supporting apparatus 11 has the same configuration as the conventionally known terminal supporting apparatus, and therefore, the output-side terminal supporting apparatus 10 will be described hereinafter.
The configuration of the terminal supporting apparatus 10 of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to
The housing 17 has a mounting plate 16 and a bracket 18. The mounting plate 16 is formed of a metal such as iron. An open hole 16b is formed through the mounting plate 16. One ends of the hub 12 and the cushion 14 are attached to the open hole 16b. The mounting plate 16 is fixed to the cable fixing member 26 in the engine room.
The bracket 18 is formed of a metal such as iron, and is fixed to the mounting plate 16. As shown in
As shown in
The cushion 14 is provided on the outer periphery of the hub 12 (guide part 12a) so as to surround the flange 12b. The cushion 14 may be formed of, for example, a rubber material such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber), NR (natural rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber), or the like. The cushion 14 has a first small-diameter part 14a fitted in the open hole 16b of the mounting plate 16, a large-diameter part 14b housed in the housing part 19 of the housing 17, and a second small-diameter part 14c fitted in the open hole 62 of the bracket 18. The first small-diameter part 14a, the large-diameter part 14b, and the second small-diameter part 14c are integrally molded.
The first small-diameter part 14a is disposed on the guide part 12a side of the hub 12. An outer peripheral surface of the first small-diameter part 14a is in firm contact with an inner wall surface of the open hole 16b. The second small-diameter part 14c is disposed on the main body 12c side of the hub 12. An outer peripheral surface of the second small-diameter part 14c is in firm contact with an inner wall surface of the open hole 62. The large-diameter part 14b is disposed surrounding an outer surface (front and rear surfaces, outer peripheral surface) of the flange 12b. When the cushion 14 is housed in the housing part 19 so that the axis of the housing part 19 and the axis of the hub 12 coincide with each other (i.e., twisting angle=0°), no clearance is formed between the large-diameter part 14b and the inner wall surface of the housing 17 (housing part 19) in the direction (axial direction) along which the axis (cable axis) of the housing part 19 extends, while a clearance is formed therebetween in the direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the axis (cable axis) of the housing part 19.
That is, in the state where the cushion 14 is not housed in the housing part 19 of the housing 17, an axial dimension Xc (refer to
The cushion 14 and the hub 12 can be integrally molded by insert molding. When the cushion 14 and the hub 12 are integrally molded, no clearance is formed between the cushion 14 and the hub 12. The integral molding of the hub 12 and the cushion 14 facilitates assembly of the terminal supporting apparatus 10.
Further, in Embodiment 1, protrusions, grooves, and the like are not formed on the surface of the cushion 14. The cushion 14 has a flat surface. Since protrusions, grooves, and the like are not formed on the surface of the cushion 14, deformation of the cushion 14 is restrained, and so-called stroke loss is restrained. As shown in
As described above, in the terminal supporting apparatus 10 of Embodiment 1, the dimensions (Xb and Db) of the housing part 19 and the dimensions (Xc and Dc) of the cushion 14 (specifically, the large-diameter part 14b) are appropriately set. Therefore, when the cushion 14 is housed in the housing part 19 so that an angle (twisting angle) formed between the axis of the housing part 19 and the axis of the hub 12 is in a range of 0.0° to 6.0° as described later, the diagonal static spring constant of the cushion 14 in the axial direction is in a range of 350 to 600 N/mm, regardless of the twisting angle. That is, in the terminal supporting apparatus 10, when the cushion 14 is housed in the housing part 19 of the housing 17, the hub 12 and the cushion 14 are attached to the housing 17. Further, the cushion 14 is formed of an elastically deformable material, and a clearance is formed between the cushion 14 and the inner wall surface of the housing part 19. Therefore, the hub 12 and the cushion 14 might be tilted when attached to the housing 17 (i.e., the axis of the hub 12 might be tilted as shown by line A in
Hereinafter, a description will be given of an experiment in which terminal supporting apparatuses according to Embodiment 1 were actually produced and the vibration control effects thereof were measured. In the experiment, terminal supporting apparatuses having cushions of different dimensions were actually produced, and the diagonal static spring constants of the cushions in the axial direction and the vibration control effects thereof were measured. Specifically, terminal supporting apparatuses having three types of cushions shown in Table 1 were produced. In experimental examples 1 and 2, the axial length Xb of the housing part 19 was 13.5 mm, and the radial length Db of the housing part 19 was 24.0 mm. The cushion of experimental example 1 had the shape shown in
Next, the diagonal static spring constants of the cushions of the respective produced terminal supporting apparatuses were measured. First, the hub 12 and the cushion 14 were housed in the housing 17, and an attachment angle of the hub 12 to the housing 17 was adjusted. Specifically, the attachment angle was adjusted so that the twisting angle was 0.0°, 2.0°, 4.0°, and 6.0°. Next, the diagonal static spring constants were measured for the respective twisting angles of 0.0°, 2.0°, 4.0°, and 6.0°. That is, as shown in
Next, the vibration control characteristics of the respective produced terminal supporting apparatuses were measured. The measurement of the vibration control characteristics was performed as follows. One end of the hub 12 was vibrated by a vibrator, vibration transmitted to the other end of the hub 12 was measured in the housing 17 (bracket 18), and the measured vibration level was subtracted from the input vibration level, thereby calculating vibration control effect dB. The frequency of the vibration input from the vibrator to the hub 12 was in accordance with the frequency of the vibration input from the engine. In this embodiment, the frequency was 800 to 3000 Hz. The measurement of the vibration control characteristics was performed with the twisting angle being varied from 0° to 6°. The measurement results are shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the diagonal static spring constants are also shown. The larger the negative value of the vibration control effect is, the more the vibration transmitted from the hub to the housing is reduced, which indicates that high vibration control effect is achieved.
As is apparent from Table 2, the terminal supporting apparatuses of experimental examples 1 and 2 can provide satisfactory vibration control effects at all the twisting angles, as compared to the terminal supporting apparatus of comparative example 1.
Hereinafter, a terminal supporting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The terminal supporting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 supports an end of an AT cable, as in Embodiment 1. In Embodiment 2, however, the terminal supporting apparatus (the terminal supporting apparatus 11 in
The configuration of a terminal supporting apparatus 71 according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to
The housing 74 has a cover 74b and a cap 74a. The cover 74b is formed of resin. A part of the hub 72, the cushion 75, and a part of the guide pipe 13 are housed inside the cover 74b. A part of the hub 72 protrudes from one end (left end in
The cap 74a is formed of resin, and is attached to the one end (left end in
The hub 72 is formed in a tubular shape, and has a cylindrical part 72a and a flange part 72b. An outer cable 34 is fixed to one end of the cylindrical part 72a (left side relative to the flange part 72b in
The guide pipe 13 is formed in a tubular shape, and the inner cable 29 and an input rod 20 are inserted in the guide pipe 13. The input rod 20 is guided by the guide pipe 13. A base end (left end in
The cushion 75 is disposed on an outer periphery of the hub 72 so as to surround the flange part 72b. The cushion 75 may be formed of, for example, a rubber material such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber), NR (natural rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber), or the like. Preferably, the dynamic-to-static modulus ratio of the cushion 75 is not higher than 1.7. The dynamic-to-static modulus ratio of the cushion 75 not higher than 1.7 enhances the vibration control effect. The dynamic-to-static modulus ratio is represented by the ratio of the dynamic spring constant to the static spring constant.
The cushion 75 has a large-diameter part 76 in contact with front and back surfaces of the flange part 72b, a first small-diameter part 78a provided on one end side (left side in
A clearance is formed between an outer peripheral surface 76a of the large-diameter part 76 and an inner peripheral surface of the cover 74b. That is, in the state where the cushion 75 is not housed in the housing 74, a radial dimension Dc of the large-diameter part 76 is smaller than a radial dimension Db of the inner space of the housing 74 (Db>Dc). The clearance between the outer peripheral surface 76a of the large-diameter part 76 and the inner peripheral surface of the cover 74b is in a range of 0.1 mm≦C≦0.8 mm, as in Embodiment 1. The clearance not smaller than 0.1 mm ensures high vibration control effect. In addition, the clearance not larger than 0.8 mm prevents the rigidity of the cushion 75 in the axial direction from being excessively low.
On the other hand, no clearance is formed between the end surface of the large-diameter part 76 and the inner surface of the housing 74. That is, in the state where the cushion 75 is not housed in the housing 74, an axial dimension Xc of the large-diameter part 76 is equal to or larger than an axial dimension Xb of the internal space of the housing 74 (Xc≧Xb). Accordingly, the end surface of the large-diameter part 76 (the end surface in the axial direction of the cable) is in contact with the inner surface of the housing 74. The axial dimension Xc of the large-diameter part 76 is in the range of 9.5 mm≦Xc≦13.5 mm, as in Embodiment 1. The axial dimension Xc of the large-diameter part 76 not smaller than 9.5 mm enhances the vibration control effect. In addition, the axial dimension Xc of the large-diameter part 76 not larger than 13.5 mm reduces the stroke loss to a satisfactory level.
An inner peripheral surface of the first small-diameter part 78a is in contact with the hub 72 at one end side (left side in
The second small-diameter part 78b extends in the cover 74b from the large-diameter part 76 toward the guide pipe 13, and is connected to the base end of the guide pipe 13. One end side of the inner peripheral surface of the second small-diameter part 78b is in contact with the hub 72, and the other end side thereof is in contact with the guide pipe 13. The outer peripheral surface of the second small-diameter part 78b is in contact with the inner surface of the cover 74b in a region connected to the guide pipe 13. In the other region (including a range in contact with the hub), a clearance is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the second small-diameter part 78b and the inner surface of the cover 74b. A tip end of the second small-diameter part 78b is located inside the housing 74 (cover 74b). A protruding portion 80b that protrudes in the radial direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second small-diameter part 78b. The protruding portion 80b is formed in a ring shape around the outer periphery of the cushion 75.
The protruding portions 80a and 80b are located in symmetrical positions with respect to the flange part 72b of the hub 72. As is apparent from
As described above, in the terminal supporting apparatus 71 of Embodiment 2, a clearance is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cushion 75 (specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter part 76) and the housing 74. This clearance is in the range of 0.1 mm≦C≦0.8 mm. Further, the axial dimension of the large-diameter part 76 of the cushion 75 is in the range of 9.5 mm≦Xc≦13.5 mm. Therefore, high vibration control effect can be achieved.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of an experiment in which terminal supporting apparatuses 71 according to Embodiment 2 were actually produced and the vibration control effects thereof were measured. In the experiment, terminal supporting apparatuses having cushions of different dimensions were actually produced, and the diagonal static spring constants of the cushions in the axial direction and the vibration control effects thereof were measured. Specifically, terminal supporting apparatuses having nine types of cushions shown in Table 3 were produced. As for the dimensions of the inner space of the housing 74 (the space where the large-diameter part of the cushion is housed (corresponding to the housing part 19 of Embodiment 1)), the axial length thereof is “the axial dimension of the cushion−0.55 mm”, and the radial dimension thereof is 24.0 mm.
Next, the diagonal static spring constants of the cushions of the respective produced terminal supporting apparatuses were measured. The measurement was performed under the condition that the twisting angle was 0.0°. The procedure to measure the diagonal spring constants was identical to that in the experiment of Embodiment 1. The measurement results are shown in Table 4. As shown in Table 4, in experimental examples 3 to 9, the diagonal static spring constants are in a range of 400 to 600 N/mm. On the other hand, in comparative examples 2 and 3, the diagonal static spring constants exceed 600 N/mm.
Next, the vibration control characteristics of the respective produced terminal supporting apparatuses were measured. The measurement of the vibration control characteristics was identical to that in the experiment of Embodiment 1, and was performed under the condition that the twisting angle was 0.0°. The measurement results are shown in Table 4. As is apparent from Table 4, in the terminal supporting apparatuses of experimental examples 3 to 9, great vibration control effects not smaller than −16.5 dB are achieved. On the other hand, in the terminal supporting apparatuses of comparative examples 2 and 3, the vibration control effects are not so great as compared to the terminal supporting apparatuses of experimental examples 3 to 9.
While specific embodiments of the terminal supporting apparatuses disclosed in the present specification have been described in detail, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. The techniques described in the claims encompass various modifications and changes made to the specific embodiments illustrated above.
For example, in the terminal supporting apparatus of Embodiment 2, a cable assembly 90 shown in
Further, the terminal supporting apparatus of Embodiment 2 may adopt a cable assembly 100 shown in
Further, the terminal supporting apparatus of Embodiment 2 may adopt a cable assembly 110 shown in
Further, as shown in
Furthermore, a cushion 148 may be divided into three parts 142, 144, and 146 as in a terminal supporting apparatus 140 shown in
The technical elements described in this specification or in the drawings exhibit technical utility singly or in various combinations and are not limited to the combinations recited in the claims as filed. Moreover, the techniques illustrated in this specification or in the drawings simultaneously attain a plurality of purposes, and attaining one of the purposes per se offers technical utility.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-128699 | Jun 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-128701 | Jun 2011 | JP | national |
| 2011-250104 | Nov 2011 | JP | national |
| PCT/JP2012/064473 | Jun 2012 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2012/064473 | 6/5/2012 | WO | 00 | 12/5/2013 |
