Cable duct and method for producing a three-dimensional cable duct

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065582-B2
Application number	US-201615049300-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Aug 21, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A cable duct has a cable floor with side walls that are attached to the cable floor. The cable floor has a three-dimensional laying structure, running inside a base plane and also in a z-direction, and it is divided into several floor segments. The segments form a combined injection-molded component and are joined together by hinges, so that at least a major portion of all floor segments is located in the base plane. In addition, cover segments preferably form part of the combined injection-molded component, such that, by way of just one injection molding tool, the entire three-dimensional cable duct can be produced as a two-dimensional injection-molded component, from which the three-dimensional structure of the cable duct is produced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cable duct extending in a duct longitudinal direction, comprising:
a duct floor formed with side walls, said duct floor having a three-dimensional laying structure and extending within a base plane and additionally in a z-direction;
said duct floor being divided into a plurality of floor segments, said floor segments forming a common injection-molded component and being hinged to one another at hinge positions along the duct longitudinal direction, enabling all of said floor segments to be unfolded at least substantially into said base plane;
said side walls being formed by first side parts molded onto respective ones of said plurality of floor segments for defining a substantially U-shaped cross-section of said plurality of floor segments;
a duct cover and connecting elements connecting said duct cover to said side walls, said duct cover having a three-dimensional laying structure corresponding to said duct floor, and said duct cover being divided into a plurality of cover segments, which are at least indirectly mutually hinge-connected to one another and unfoldable at least substantially into said base plane.

2. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said floor segments are connected to one another via film hinges.

3. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said floor segments are movable relative to one another.

4. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said duct floor has at least one curved region extending in the z-direction, which selectively forms a further floor segment or which is at least part of one of said floor segments.

5. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said connecting elements are selected from the group consisting of links, link receptacles, and latching elements.

6. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said cover segments and said floor segments jointly form said injection-molded component.

7. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein said cover segments are connected to said floor segments via connecting links.

8. The cable duct according to claim 1 , which comprises second side parts respectively molded onto said cover segments, wherein said second side parts are connected to said first side parts.

9. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein individual said floor segments and cover segments are formed in some sections with reduced wall thicknesses or material cutouts.

10. The cable duct according to claim 1 , wherein individual said floor segments and cover segments are formed in sections with reduced wall thicknesses or material cutouts, the cable duct is constructed in a substantially netlike manner with stability defining struts and regions of reduced wall thickness or with aperture in between.

11. The cable duct according to claim 10 , wherein said regions of reduced wall thickness are defined by large-area surface regions delimited from one another by webs and each of said floor segments have a plurality of said regions of reduced wall thickness or with apertures, said plurality of said regions of reduced wall thickness or with apertures are distributed over a total length of each of said floor segments in the duct longitudinal direction.

12. A method of producing a three-dimensionally cable duct extending in a duct longitudinal direction and having a duct floor and having side walls adjoining said duct floor, the method comprising:
in a first step, producing an unfolded duct floor with the aid of a mold, the duct floor being formed of a plurality of floor segments that extend substantially within a base plane and that are hinge-connected to one another via hinge joints at hinge positions along the duct longitudinal direction and forming the side walls by first side parts molded onto respective ones of the plurality of floor segments for defining a substantially U-shaped cross-section of the plurality of floor segments, and forming a duct cover and connecting elements connecting said duct cover to the side walls, the duct cover having a three-dimensional laying structure corresponding to the duct floor, and the duct cover being divided into a plurality of cover segments, which are at least indirectly mutually hinge-connected to one another and unfoldable at least substantially into the base plane; and
in a second step, angling the floor segments off from one another at the hinge joints to form a three-dimensional course of the cable duct.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first step comprises fully producing, with the aid of the one mold, the cable duct with a duct cover in the form of an unfolded cable duct.

Assignees

• Leoni Bordnetz Sys Gmbh

Inventors

• Steiner Peter
• Dohlus Peter

Classifications

• B60R16/0215 Primary

  Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor · CPC title

• B62D65/00

  Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B29C45/006

  Joining parts moulded in separate cavities · CPC title

• H02G3/0418

  Covers or lids; Their fastenings · CPC title