US 12,331,778 B2
Cable coupling mechanism
Takuma Imagawa, Hyogo (JP); Shuhei Mieda, Hyogo (JP); and Atsushi Nishimura, Hyogo (JP)
Assigned to HI-LEX CORPORATION, Hyogo (JP)
Appl. No. 18/575,130
Filed by HI-LEX CORPORATION, Hyogo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 31, 2022, PCT No. PCT/JP2022/016432
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 28, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/281885, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-112174 (JP), filed on Jul. 6, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0301913 A1, Sep. 12, 2024
Int. Cl. F16C 1/14 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 1/14 (2013.01) 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cable coupling mechanism, comprising:
an operating cable directly or indirectly connected to an operating portion;
a first operated cable being operated by an operating force of the operating cable;
a second operated cable being operated by the operating force of the operating cable; and
a coupling device coupling the operating cable to the first operated cable and the second operated cable,
wherein the coupling device has a housing, and a slider to slide in the housing;
wherein the housing has one pair of guide surfaces extending along a sliding direction of the slider and opposing with each other in a width direction perpendicular to the sliding direction;
wherein the slider has
an operating cable coupling portion, to which one end of the operating cable is coupled such that the operating cable extends to one side in the sliding direction;
a first operated cable coupling portion, to which one end of the first operated cable is coupled such that the first operated cable extends to another side in the sliding direction; and
a second operated cable coupling portion, to which one end of the second operated cable is coupled such that the second operated cable extends to the other side in the sliding direction,
wherein the first operated cable coupling portion is provided on one side in the width direction with respect to the operating cable coupling portion, the second operated cable coupling portion is provided on another side in the width direction with respect to the operating cable coupling portion,
wherein the operating cable coupling portion, the first operated cable coupling portion, and the second operated cable coupling portion are configured such that a part of the one end of the operating cable, a part of the one end of the first operated cable, and a part of the one end of the second operated cable that are coupled to the slider are arranged side by side in the width direction to overlap for a predetermined length in the sliding direction,
wherein the slider is configured to be rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the sliding direction and the width direction,
wherein both side edges in the width direction of the slider have curved surfaces to be convex toward each of the one pair of guide surfaces such that movement of the slider in the sliding direction is not hindered when the slider rotates around the axis,
wherein the curved surfaces are formed with arced surfaces centered on an axis to be a center of rotation of the slider and to maintain a state in which the curved surfaces of the slider are guided with respect to the one pair of guide surfaces when the slider rotates around the axis, and
wherein the slider is configured that the length in the sliding direction is shorter than the length in the width direction.