GB2499647A

GB2499647A - A segmented flexible casing system for a cable

Info

Publication number: GB2499647A
Application number: GB201203265A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mohamed Karim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-02-24
Filing date: 2012-02-24
Publication date: 2013-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-02-24
Also published as: GB201203265D0; GB2499647B

Abstract

A casing system for a cable is provided. The casing system comprises a cable, a hollow tube for the cable and a casing 3 for wrapping about the hollow tube. The casing comprises a plurality of casing units 4 concatenated end to end to form a cavity through which the cable and tube pass. Each casing unit 4 comprises a first male portion 4a defined by a spherical convex surface and a second female portion 4b defined by a spherical concave surface which. The first portion 4a has a substantially greater diameter than that of the second portion. In use a first potion 4a of a first casing unit 4 is interconnected with a second portion 4b of an adjacent second casing unit.

Description

A casing system

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connecting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a casing system comprising a cable and a 5 case formed by concatenating a plurality of casing units.

Background of the Invention

Currently, the brake transmission in cars, motorcycles, and bicycles in the market utilizes a steel cable in a soft pipe with the steel helical structure, which transfers the acting force via the steel in the steel soft pipe 10 so as to realize the effect of transmission of external force. However, there are many disadvantages of the steel soft pipe with this structure. First, with the increasing use and rust caused by lost plating layer because of friction, more and more force is generated by the transmission power due to the resistance produced by rust, which leads to more operational difficulties for 15 operators. Second, as the steel soft pipe is manufactured and wrapped helically, the loss and effect of acting force caused by the void produced in the wrapping are not obvious. Third, due to the helical structure of the steel soft pipe, space will be enlarged by the void in bending, which obstructs the movement of internal cable line, accelerates the abrasion of cable line, and 20 reduces the flexibility of cable line. Fourth, the traditional steel cable is covered with PVC materials in general, which cause the difficulty in the separation recycling of single material and environmental pollution because of the poisonous gas produced by PVC in the recycling. The above disadvantages threaten the life of vehicle operators, as well as cause 25 environmental pollution.

Attempts have been made in the art to move the technology of dragline used in cars, motorcycles, bike etc. ahead. EP0832364 discloses a

pull cable system, includes a cable for transmitting a tensile force, a flexible tube for accommodating the cable, and a casing surrounding the tube for absorbing a pressure force. The casing is composed of a plurality of form-parts so joined to one another as to form a continuous axial passageway 5 which is defined by an inside dimension. However, the pull cable system disclosed in the above mentioned European patent is not economic as it has a higher manufacturing cost. Further, when the pull cable system is bent to a certain degree, the cracks are visible as the inner tube is exposed. This occurs mainly because the surface area of the formed parts could not 10 effectively cover the inner tube completely and the dust, pollution can enter thereby reducing the life span of the cable. It has been found that dust and other pollutants enter between the cracks shown in the bent casing system and grind the beads casing great noise and broken edges within the casing.

US20090071284 discloses a bicycle cable assembly including an 15 external protection tube composed of several hollow sleeves hooking together. Hooks and engaging edges of the sleeves hook together so that the external protection tube is formed and can be properly adjusted according to a length of a cable and a special position by increasing or decreasing the number of sleeves. However, the locking mechanism disclosed 20 herein required complex fabrication technology and is not economical. A further drawback of the cable disclosed herein is that the engagement between the hook and the sleeves may snap open when bent exposing the housed cable to external environment.

Another drawback of the casing system that is known in the art is that 25 the constituent beads have stopping edges that can limit the movement of the casing and hampering the turning capability. There exists a need in the art for a casing unit that is devoid of any limiting edges or any stopping mechanism.

Therefore, despite the ingenuity of the above discussed prior arts, there exists a need in the art for a casing system that effectively and completely covers the cable thereby facilitating a free movement of the 5 cable while in work. The casing system also needs to protect the cable from dust and pollution etc. thereby increasing its life span. A desired casing system also needs to fit and accommodate in extremely tight cable routes without losing any functionality.

Summary of the Invention

10 According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a casing system comprising a cable and a casing for wrapping the cable, wherein said casing comprises a plurality of casing units concatenated end to end to form a cavity, each said casing unit comprising a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being defined by a spherical convex surface and 15 the second portion being defined by a spherical concave surface; said casing system being characterized by the first portion of each said casing unit having a substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the second portion.

Object of the present invention

20 Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a casing system of a dragline for motorcycle, bike, cars etc. that effectively covers the cable.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a casing system wherein casing units have spherical-convex surface at the first portion and spherical-concave surface at the second portion that provides wider surface 25 area that provides free movement and ability to turn more and tighter curves without exposing the interior tube.

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Further object of the present invention is to provide a casing system that confers an ability to the cable to turn at sharp angles upto at least 30 degrees in any direction.

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Yet another object of the present invention is to increase the life of the cable line.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a casing system wherein the casing units are aerodynamic in shape.

10 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a casing system wherein the casing units do not scratch against the surfaces in frictional contact with the units.

Brief Description of the Drawings

15 The invention will now be described in connection with the drawings described hereinafter.

Figure 1 illustrates the perspective view of the casing system dragline according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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Figure 2 illustrates the first portion of the casing units comprising a spherical convex surface and the second portion having a spherical concave surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

25 Figure 3 illustrates the perspective view of the casing system dragline in a bent position wherein casing units are assembled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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Figure 4 illustrates the cross sectional view of the dragline according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 Figure 5 illustrates the perspective view of the assembled casing units in a bent position according to the prior art.

Figure 6 illustrates the comparison between the dragline of the present invention and of the prior art in a bent position.

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Detail description of the Invention

Thus, in an aspect, the present invention provides a casing system comprising a cable and a casing for wrapping the hollow tube, wherein said casing comprises a plurality of casing units concatenated end to end to 15 form a cavity, each said casing unit comprising a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being defined by a spherical convex surface and the second portion being defined by a spherical concave surface; said casing system being characterized by the first portion of each said casing unit having a substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the second 20 portion.

In an embodiment, the cable is housed within a hollow tube. The hollow tube may be wrapped within the casing.

In an embodiment, the term "substantially greater than" as used herein shall denote the internal diameter (excluding the wall thickness) of the first portion 25 of each of the casing units being at least 1.5 times, preferably about twice that of the second portion (excluding the wall thickness). It has been surprisingly found that in a casing system comprising casing units wherein

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the first portion has a diameter substantially greater than or at least 1.5 times, preferably about or greater than twice the diameter of the second portion excluding the wall thickness, provides wider surface area for the encased cable thereby providing free movement and ability to turn more and 5 tighter curves without exposing the interior tube. More particularly, it has been found that the casing system of the present invention confers an ability to the cable to turn at sharp angles upto 30 degrees in any direction, which has hitherto not been possible.

It has further been found that the casing units of the present invention 10 having spherical convex surface at first portion and spherical concave surface at second portion provides wider surface area that facilitates free movement of the casing units and also completely covers the inner hollow tube without creating any gaps when the casing system of the invention is bent thereby causing no energy loss in the total transference of acting force 15 under the stress. Further, due to the adoption of the spherical connection between two casing units and gliding spherical surface, the present casing system overcomes the defects of the rigidity in the existing pipe having helical structure, and provides an effective protection of cable line due to no breakage in the casing in the process of bending.

20 In an embodiment, the first portion of each casing unit is capable of receiving and completely accommodating a part of the second portion of the subsequently placed casing unit and so on to provide a gapless casing for the inner tube housed within.

Thus, in an embodiment, the hollow tube accommodating the cable is 25 housed within the casing units. The spherical convex surface of a casing unit is engaged to a spherical concave surface of the other unit.

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In an embodiment, the cable is composed of any metallic material. In a preferred embodiment, the cable is made of steel.

In another preferred embodiment, the hollow tube accommodating the said cable is composed of a plastic material although other suitable materials 5 evident to a skilled artisan are not excluded.

In an embodiment, the casing units are composed of any metallic material. In a preferred embodiment, the casing units are made of aluminum.

In an embodiment, the casing system of the present invention is used in suspension bikes, preferably full suspension bikes. Many bikes today have 10 both front and rear suspension systems. The suspension lets the wheels and the entire rear portion of the bikes move up and down to absorb small bumps while keeping the tires in contact with the ground for better control It also helps the rider and bike absorb large shocks when landing jumps. During such operation, the casing system of the present invention will move 15 along and will provide flexible bending and shock absorbance capability to the bike.

The content of the referenced art above are reproduced herein in its entirety by reference and is not repeated for the sake of brevity.

Figure 1 illustrates the perspective view of the casing system 1 according to 20 an embodiment of the present invention comprising, a cable 2 (not shown), a hollow tube for accommodating the said cable and plurality of casing units 4 wherein one end has spherical convex surface, 4a and the other end has spherical convex surface 4b. The spherical convex and concave surface of the said casing units provides wider surface area that facilitates free 25 movement of the casing units and also completely covers the inner hollow tube without showing cracks when the casing system is bent. During the

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operation, the spherical convex surface and the concave surface of the casing units glide over each other due to the smooth surface and facilitate free movement without any hindrances. The portion having a wider diameter receives and accommodates a portion having narrower diameter of the 5 subsequently placed casing unit. The plurality of casing units is joined end to end to form a cavity.

Figure 2 illustrates the front views of the casing units 4 alone wherein a first portion has a spherical convex surface 4a and the second portion has 10 spherical concave surface 4b according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is seen that a portion having a wider diameter is capable of receiving and accommodating a portion having narrower diameter of the subsequently placed casing unit. The plurality of casing units is joined end to end to form a cavity.

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Figure 3 illustrates the perspective view of the casing system 1 in a bent position wherein casing units 4 are assembled according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is clearly shown that no crack is seen in the bent position, which occurs in part, due to a selective combination of the first 20 portion and second portion relative dimensions.

Figure 4 illustrates the cross sectional view of the dragline according to an embodiment of the present invention. The portion having a wider diameter receives and accommodates a portion having narrower diameter of the 25 subsequently placed casing unit. The plurality of casing units is joined end to end to form a cavity. The dimensions of the portion having larger diameter is seen to be at least twice the diameter of the narrow portion.

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Figure 5 illustrates the perspective view of the assembled casing units in a bent position according to the prior art. It is clearly seen that prior art casing units do not completely cover the inner hollow tube and cracks 5 are visible in a bent position. The cracks allow dust; pollution etc. to enter that 5 decreases the life of the dragline. Further, the prior art casing units have edge on the convex surface that do not allow the free movement of the casing units and also do not provide a wider surface area for covering the inner tubes.

io Example 1

Figure 6 illustrates the comparison between the dragline of the present invention and of the prior art in a bent position. For the purpose of comparison, a 9.47 mm casing unit according to the present invention was 15 made. The second portion (larger cross-section) diameter was maintained at 3.4 mm inside diameter and 5.2 mm outside diameter while at the second portion, the internal diameter was 2.6 mm inside and 3.2 mm outside. The wall thickness of the casing unit was kept at 0.25 mm. This portion had a 1.3 mm concave depth tapering towards the inside of the casing unit at a 20 sloping angle of 45°. At the end of the concave depth was provided at 0.3 mm which led to the inside of the casing unit.

A casing unit having 5 mm external diameter and 3.25 mm internal diameter was taken as available in the art. The rear portion of the casing unit 25 reached the inside portion via a provided 0.9 mm inclined slap. The wall thickness was 0.5 mm.

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The casing unit was compared against the casing unit available in the art at the following performance parameters:

Parameter

Casing unit of the present invention

Casing units available in the art

Bend angle

30°

14°

Maximum travel angle

178.2°

148°

Maximum distance of travel

8.21 mm

6.71 mm

5 It is clearly evident from the figure that the dragline of the present invention has significant ability to bend, around 30°as compared with the prior art, around 14°. Further due to the spherical convex and concave surface area of the casing units, the present dragline provides tighter curves and do not expose the inner hollow tube. The present dragline has maximum angle of 10 travel, around 178° and the distance of travel, around 8.2mm as compared to prior art that is around 148 0 and 6.7mm respectively.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be 15 understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

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Claims

I Claim:

1. A casing system comprising a cable and a casing for wrapping the cable, wherein said casing comprises a plurality of casing units 5 concatenated end to end to form a cavity, each said casing unit comprising a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being defined by a spherical convex surface and the second portion being defined by a spherical concave surface; said casing system being characterized by the first portion of each said casing unit having 10 a substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the second portion.

2. The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cable is housed within a hollow tube.

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3. The casing system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hollow tube is wrapped within the casing.

4. The casing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said first portion 20 of each casing unit is capable of receiving and accommodating the second portion of the subsequently placed casing unit.

5. The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable is composed of a metal or an alloy thereof.

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6. The casing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the metal is steel.

7. The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hollow tube accommodating the said cable is composed of a plastic material.

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8. The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said casing units are composed of a metal.

9. The casing system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the metal is aluminum or an alloy thereof.

10.The casing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the internal diameter of the first portion of each of the casing units is at least 1.5 times the diameter of the second portion.

11.The casing system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of casing units is joined end to end to form a cavity.

11.The casing system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the internal diameter of the first portion of each of the casing units is at least twice the diameter of the second portion.

12.The casing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said hollow tube accommodating the cable is housed within said plurality of casing units.

13.The casing system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spherical convex surface of a casing unit is engaged to a spherical concave surface of at least another unit.

14.The casing system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of casing units is joined end to end to form a cavity.

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r t

AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS FILED AS FOLLOWS:-Claims:

1. A casing system comprising a cable and a casing for wrapping the cable, wherein said casing comprises a plurality of casing units concatenated end to end to form a cavity, each said casing unit comprising a first portion and a second portion, said first portion being defined by a spherical convex surface and the second portion being defined by a spherical concave surface; said casing system being characterized by the second portion of each said casing unit having a substantially greater diameter than the diameter of the first portion. The casing system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the metal is aluminum or an alloy thereof. The casing system, wherein the internal diameter of the first portion of each of the casing units is at least 1.5 times the diameter of the second portion. The casing system, wherein the internal diameter of the first portion of each of the casing units is at least twice the diameter of the second portion.

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4. The casing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said first portion of each casing unit is capable of receiving and accommodating the second portion of the subsequently placed casing unit.

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5: The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable is composed of a metal or an alloy thereof.

6. The casing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the metal is steel.

8. The casing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said casing units are composed of a metal. .

9. The casing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said hollow tube accommodating the cable is housed within said plurality of casing units.

10.The casing system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spherical convex surface of a casing unit is engaged to a spherical concave surface of at least another unit.