Energy guide chain with flexible joint connectors as well as side plates and joint connectors for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135070-B2
Application number	US-202117999897-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2021
Priority date	May 27, 2020
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Energy chains having flexible joint connectors, and lateral tabs and a joint connector therefor. The lateral tabs are symmetrical by stop surfaces thereof, wherein each lateral tab comprises two protrusions having stop surfaces and two pockets having counterpart stop surfaces. According to one aspect, the protrusions and the pockets are provided symmetrically on the lateral tab. According to one aspect, the joint connector for lateral tabs has a plate-like body having a resiliently flexible joint region, two material regions opposingly arched outward having a cavity therebetween, and two opposite fastening regions on the end. According to one aspect, the energy chain is designed such that, continuously over a chain portion comprising at least more than three adjacent chain links, which comprises the at least two tab strands, the tab strands are structured overall continuously from tabs which are identical to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy guide chain to guide at least one line, the energy guide chain comprising:
two parallel plate lines, wherein each plate line includes side plates which are connected together by a flexible joint connector and are angleable relative to each other,
wherein the flexible joint connector is elastically deformable in an angulation direction of the side plates and the plate lines are connected together by transverse bars,
wherein the transverse bars with the side plates define a receiving space to receive the at least one line,
wherein the side plates include abutment surfaces which, in a straight relative position of the side plates, bear against each other and include abutment surfaces which, in a completely angled relative position of the side plates, bear against each other,
wherein laterally protruding projections of a first side plate engage into recessed pockets of an adjacent second side plate and, in the straight relative position, at least first abutment surfaces of the projections cooperate with first counterpart abutment surfaces of the pockets and, in the completely angled relative position, at least second abutment surfaces of the projections cooperate with second counterpart abutment surface of the pockets,
wherein the first side plate and the second side plate, at least with their abutment surfaces are in themselves of a symmetrical configuration, wherein each side plate of the first side plate and the second side plate has at least two projections having first and second abutment surfaces and each side plate of the first side plate and the second side plate has at least two pockets having first and second counterpart abutment surfaces, the two projections and the two pockets of each side plate of the first side plate and the second side plate being provided symmetrically,
wherein the at least two projections of each side plate of the first side plate and the second side plate project away from the receiving space and the at least two abutment pockets of each side plate of the first side plate and the second side plate open towards the receiving space, or vice-versa.

2. The energy guide chain according to claim 1 , wherein provided in both of the plate lines as the side plates are respectively different outer plates and inner plates which alternate in a longitudinal direction of the chain,
wherein both the inner plates and the outer plates in relation to their heightwise plane, which extends perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction and which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the chain and at least substantially perpendicularly to the side plates, are respectively of a mirror-image symmetrical configuration in themselves with their abutment-operative abutment surfaces so that identical outer plates and identical inner plates are useable in both plate lines and that each outer plate includes two projections and two pockets and each inner plate includes two projections and two pockets.

3. The energy guide chain according to claim 1 , wherein the outer plates and the inner plates in each case with respect to a longitudinal plane which extends in a longitudinal direction of the chain and at least substantially perpendicularly to the side plates, has two mutually opposite heightwise regions and provided at the outer plates and the inner plates are respective projections in the one heightwise region and pockets are provided in the other opposite heightwise region.

4. The energy guide chain according to claim 2 , wherein
the pockets of the outer plates open towards the receiving space and the projections of the outer plates project away from the receiving space and the pockets of the inner plates open towards the receiving space and the projections of the inner plates project away from the receiving space.

5. The energy guide chain according to claim 1 , wherein there are provided in both plate lines continuously successive structurally identical side plates which are rotationally symmetrical at least with their abutment-operative abutment surfaces in relation to a heightwise axis which extends perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the chain and at least substantially parallel to the side plates.

6. The energy guide chain according to claim 5 , wherein the side plate has two projections which project away from the receiving space and two projections which project towards the receiving space and the side plate has two pockets which open towards the receiving space and two pockets which open away from the receiving space.

7. The energy guide chain according to claim 2 , wherein the transverse bars are fixed releasably to transverse bar receiving means of the side plates.

8. The energy guide chain according to claim 7 , wherein each of the transverse bar receiving means forms a clamping receiving means which is in one piece with the side plate having two clamping surfaces which are in opposite relationship in the longitudinal direction of the chain and between which a fixing portion of complementary shape of the transverse bar is or can be clamped, wherein the clamping surfaces include a convex latching region.

9. The energy guide chain according to claim 3 , wherein the energy guide chain is configured to guide the at least one line between connecting locations, of which at least one connecting location is moveable relative to another connecting location and the energy guide chain is displaceable upon relative movement of the connecting locations with a formation of an upper run and a lower run which merge into each other by way of a direction-changing region and wherein the side plates have narrow sides which extend substantially in the longitudinal direction and face away from each other.

10. The energy guide chain according to claim 9 , wherein the narrow sides which are inward in the direction-changing region or face towards the respective other run form a rectilinear support which is interruption-free in the longitudinal direction, and/or
wherein the narrow sides of the side plates, that are outward in the direction-changing region or face away from the respective other run, include a deformable damping region to damp the transition of the direction-changing region into the lying lower run.

11. The energy guide chain according to claim 10 , wherein the damping region includes a bridge-shaped spring element which is formed in one piece with the narrow side of the side plate and which is connected at both sides to the narrow side.

12. The energy guide chain according to claim 1 , wherein two adjacent side plates are respectively connected together by a separate joint connector or a longitudinal portion with three or more side plates are connected together by a common joint connector.

13. The energy guide chain according to claim 2 , wherein each side plate respectively has a thickened central region and adjoining same at least two thinner overlap regions, with which the side plates overlap in the longitudinal direction,
wherein further end abutment surfaces which face substantially in the longitudinal direction are provided at the end at the central region and at the end at the overlap regions to cooperate in abutment-operative relationship.

14. The energy guide chain according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second abutment surfaces and cooperating therewith first and second counterpart abutment surfaces are of a mutually congruently convexly or concavely curved configuration.

15. The energy guide chain according to claim 14 , wherein the respectively connected side plates are held to each other by the joint connector with a lateral air gap.

Assignees

• Igus Gmbh

Inventors

• Jaeker Thilo-Alexander
• Hermey Andreas

Classifications

• H02G11/006

  using extensible carrier for the cable, e.g. self-coiling spring (extensible conductors or cables H01B7/06) · CPC title

• H02G3/0475

  formed by a succession of articulated units · CPC title

• F16G13/16 Primary

  with arrangements for holding electric cables, hoses, or the like · CPC title