Adjusting device and control cable with adjusting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9038496-B2
Application number	US-16278207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2007
Priority date	Jan 30, 2006
Publication date	May 26, 2015
Grant date	May 26, 2015

Abstract

An adjusting device is equipped with a rod and a holder disposed movably in the direction of the length of the rod at an end of the rod, and adjusts the allowance length of the inner cable coupled to the rod and (or) holder. The adjusting device is provided with a lock-discriminating member protruding from the periphery of the holder and a cover covering the periphery of the holder including the lock-discriminating member and the lock. The lock piece does not protrude from the periphery of the holder in the lock state and protrudes to the same height with the lock-discriminating member in the unlock state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adjusting device comprising:
a rod;
a holder which is movably disposed in the length direction of the rod;
a first spring fitted to the rod to bias the holder in a given position;
a lock piece provided movably between an unlock position where the lock piece protrudes from the holder in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction and does not constrain the relative motion of the holder and the rod and a lock position where the lock piece is pushed in the holder and constrains the relative motion of the holder and the rod;
a lock-discriminating member protruding from a periphery of the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction;
a flexible cover which covers the periphery of the holder including the lock-discriminating member and the lock piece, the cover having a cylindrical portion extending over at least a part of the lock piece and a bead portion extending over the lock-discriminating member and extending from one end of the cylindrical portion, wherein the lock piece has an upper face, the lock-discriminating member has an upper face, and the lock piece does not protrude from the periphery of the holder at the lock position and the lock piece protrudes from the periphery of the holder such that the upper face of the lock piece is disposed at about the same height as the upper face of the lock-discriminating member at the unlock position;
an engaging claw extending radially outwardly from a lower outer surface of the lock piece to engage with the holder;
a slider slidably connected at the periphery of the holder;
a tapered face formed in an upper face of a front face of the slider;
a second spring interposed between a back face of the slider and a front end of a slider holding portion, the second spring biasing the slider toward a back of the lock piece;
a knob piece extending from the slider to enable manual operation of the slider, the knob piece is disposed over an upper part of the tapered face and holds down the upper face of the lock piece when in a locked state;
protrusions extending from an upper end of a front face of the lock piece, and
wherein an under face of the protrusions is tapered and contacts the tapered face of the slider, so that the lock piece receives an energizing force of the second spring through the slider and is energized upward in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction toward the unlock position,
wherein an upper face of each of the protrusions is a flat plane which contacts a lower face of the slider so as to enable the slider to slide toward the lock piece when the lock piece is inserted into the holder; and
wherein in the lock piece above the flat plane of the protrusions, an inclined plane faces downwardly toward the flat plane,
wherein when the lock piece is in the unlock position, the cylindrical portion and the bead portion are flush with one another, and when the lock piece is in the lock position, the bead portion extends annularly outwardly from the cylindrical portion.

2. The adjusting device according to claim 1 , wherein the lock piece causes the cover to form a mound from an inside of the cover when the lock piece is in the unlock position.

3. The adjusting device according to claim 1 , wherein the lock-discriminating member is provided in the slider and the lock-discriminating member doubles as the knob piece for sliding the slider.

4. The adjusting device according to claim 2 , wherein the bead portion is formed annularly at a periphery of the cover and the knob piece of the slider provided in the holder is disposed inside of the bead portion.

5. The adjusting device according to claim 4 , the cylindrical portion has a part covering the lock piece;
wherein when the lock piece is in the lock position, a diameter of the part covering the lock piece is smaller than a diameter of the bead portion; and
wherein when the lock piece is in the unlock position, the lock piece cause the part covering the lock piece to form a mound from inside, the part covering the lock piece and the bead portion are flush with one another.

6. An adjusting device comprising:
a rod;
a holder which is movably disposed in the length direction of the rod;
a first spring fitted to the rod to bias the holder in a given position;
a lock piece provided movably between an unlock position where the lock piece protrudes from the holder in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction and does not constrain the relative motion of the holder and the rod and a lock position where the lock piece is pushed in the holder and constrains the relative motion of the holder and the rod;
a lock-discriminating member protruding from a periphery of the holder in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction;
a flexible cover which covers the periphery of the holder including the lock-discriminating member and the lock piece, wherein the lock piece has an upper face, the lock-discriminating member has an upper face, and the lock piece does not protrude from the periphery of the holder at the lock position and the lock piece protrudes from the periphery of the holder such that the upper face of the lock piece is disposed at about the same height as the upper face of the lock-discriminating member at the unlock position;
a slider slidably connected at the periphery of the holder, for locking or for releasing so as to prevent the lock piece from returning to the unlock position when the lock piece reaches the lock position, and wherein the lock-discriminating member is provided in the slider and the lock-discriminating member doubles as a knob piece for sliding the slider,
a tapered face formed in an upper face of a front face of the slider, wherein the knob piece is disposed over an upper part of the tapered face and holds down the upper face of the lock piece when in a locked state;
a bead portion formed annularly at a periphery of the cover and the knob piece of the slider provided in the holder is disposed inside of the bead portion;
an engaging claw extending radially outwardly from a lower outer surface of the lock piece to engage with the holder;
a second spring interposed between a back face of the slider and a front end of the slider holding portion, the second spring biasing the slider toward a back of the lock piece;
protrusions extending from an upper end of the front face of the lock piece, and
wherein an under face of the protrusions is tapered and contacts the tapered face of the slider, so that the lock piece receives an energizing force of the second spring through the slider and is energized upward in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction toward the unlocked position,
wherein an upper face of each of the protrusions is a flat plane which contacts a lower face of the slider so as to allow the slider to slide toward the lock piece when the lock piece is inserted into the holder; and
wherein in the lock piece, above the flat plane of the protrusions, an inclined plane faces downwardly toward the flat plane.

Assignees

• Horinaka Takahiro
• Nishimura Atsushi
• Hi Lex Corp

Inventors

• Horinaka Takahiro
• Nishimura Atsushi

Classifications

• F16C1/14

  Construction of the end-piece of the flexible member; Attachment thereof to the flexible member · CPC title

• F16C1/223 Primary

  by adjusting the effective length of the flexible member · CPC title

• Y10T74/20462

  Specific cable connector or guide · CPC title

• Y10T74/2045

  and sheath support, connector, or anchor · CPC title

• Y10T74/20402

  Flexible transmitter [e.g., Bowden cable] · CPC title