阅读说明：本技术 线缆管理盒以及线性传动器系统 (Cable management box and linear actuator system ) 是由 郭逢刚 于 2020-05-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种线缆管理盒,包括盒体和盒盖,所述盒盖相对于所述盒体能够在打开位置和关闭位置之间运动,在所述关闭位置中,所述盒盖通过锁定机构锁定在所述盒体上,所述盒体包括用于接收线缆的插头的至少一个插座,所述线缆管理盒还包括至少一个线缆锁定件,所述至少一个线缆锁定件包括至少一个凹槽,用于与线缆配合从而固定线缆,所述至少一个线缆锁定件固定在所述盒体或所述盒盖上,或与所述盒体或所述盒盖形成为一体。还提供一种线性传动器系统,包括所述线缆管理盒。本发明的线缆管理盒和线性传动器系统具有整洁、牢固、安全、方便排水的优点。(The present invention provides a cable management enclosure comprising a box body and a box cover, the box cover being movable relative to the box body between an open position and a closed position in which the box cover is locked to the box body by a locking mechanism, the box body including at least one receptacle for receiving a plug of a cable, the cable management enclosure further including at least one cable locking member, the at least one cable locking member including at least one recess for cooperating with a cable to secure the cable, the at least one cable locking member being secured to or integral with the box body or the box cover. A linear actuator system is also provided including the cable management enclosure. The cable management box and linear actuator system of the present invention have the advantages of being clean, secure, safe and convenient to drain.)

1. A cable management enclosure comprising a box body and a lid, the lid being movable relative to the box body between an open position and a closed position in which the lid is locked to the box body by a locking mechanism, the box body including at least one receptacle for receiving a plug of a cable,

the cable management enclosure further comprising at least one cable lock, the at least one cable lock comprising at least one groove for mating with a cable to secure the cable,

the at least one cable locking member is fixed to the case body or the case cover, or is formed integrally with the case body or the case cover.

2. The cable management enclosure of claim 1, wherein the cable management enclosure includes three cable locks, a first cable lock secured to or integral with the enclosure body and a second cable lock secured to or integral with the enclosure cover.

3. The cable management enclosure of claim 2, wherein the first groove of the first cable lock, the second groove of the second cable lock, and the third groove of the third cable lock are aligned with one another to form a channel to allow a corresponding cable to pass therethrough.

4. The cable management cabinet of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first cable lock is parallel to the second cable lock, the first cable lock being located closer to the front edge of the cabinet than the second cable lock, and the third cable lock being located between the first cable lock and the second cable lock when the cabinet cover is closed.

5. The cable management enclosure of claim 2 or 3, wherein the enclosure includes at least one first receptacle into which a 180 degree first plug is insertable and at least one second receptacle into which a 90 degree second plug is insertable,

the third cable locking member further includes a fourth groove portion for engaging with the flange of the first plug, thereby locking the first plug.

6. The cable management enclosure of claim 5, wherein the fourth groove portions are located at ends of the third cable lock, two adjacent fourth groove portions forming a fourth groove for mating with an outer profile of the first plug, the first, second, and third grooves being located at a higher elevation than the fourth groove portions when the cable management enclosure is in the closed position.

7. The cable management enclosure of claim 2 or 3, further comprising a first rib formed on an inner surface of the cover, the first rib supporting the third cable lock.

8. The cable management enclosure of claim 5, further including a second rib formed on an inner surface of the cover, the second rib pressing against the second plug when the cover is in the closed position.

9. The cable management enclosure of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism includes: at least one resilient leg extending downwardly from the inner surface of the lid; a jaw at the end of the leg; and a slot on the box body, the claw is matched with the slot when the box cover is in the closed position for locking the box cover, wherein the claw can be completely accommodated in the slot.

10. The cable management enclosure of claim 5, wherein the first cable is inserted into the first receptacle through at least one hole provided in the enclosure, the hole being a stepped hole with a first larger diameter hole on an outside and a second smaller diameter hole on an inside.

11. The cable management enclosure of claim 10, wherein the first cable is mounted in the second aperture with a grommet.

12. The cable management enclosure of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first groove of the first cable locking member is exposed from a front surface of the cable management enclosure in the closed position of the cover.

13. A linear actuator system comprising:

the cable management enclosure of any of claims 1-12; and

a linear actuator on which the cable management cassette is mounted, the linear actuator comprising:

a housing in which the motor and the power transmission device are accommodated;

an outer tube;

an actuating member accommodated in the outer tube and capable of being extended from and retracted into the outer tube,

the cables in the cable management enclosure are used to connect the linear actuator to an external power source and/or an external electronic device.

14. The linear actuator system of claim 13, further including a connector secured to the housing or outer tube for mounting the cable management cassette on the linear actuator.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cable management enclosure and also to a linear actuator system including the cable management enclosure.

Background

A linear actuator or transmission is an electric drive that converts the rotary motion of an electric motor into a linear reciprocating motion of an actuating member. The linear driver is a universal device and is widely applied to industries such as household appliances, kitchen utensils, medical appliances, agriculture, automobiles and the like. Cable management boxes are commonly used with linear actuators for centrally managing various cables such as power and signal lines for the linear actuators.

Depending on the equipment to which the linear actuator is applied, the cable management box may need to meet the following requirements:

-tidy, so that the cables are regularly arranged; and

is so strong that the plug cannot be accidentally pulled out of the socket easily when the cable is pulled; and/or

Safety, so that the cable is not easily plugged at will; and/or

Easy drainage, since the equipment in which the linear actuator is installed (e.g. a nursing bed) may need to be cleaned as a whole, water may enter the cable management enclosure, in which case it is necessary to enable the water to drain out of the cable management enclosure conveniently, thus reducing the risk of short-circuiting of plugs and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cable management enclosure and linear actuator system that securely connects cables.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable management enclosure and linear actuator system that does not allow cables to be easily inserted and removed at will.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable management enclosure and linear actuator system that has good drainage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cable management enclosure and linear actuator system that can neatly manage cables and plugs.

The present invention provides a cable management enclosure comprising a box body and a box cover, the box cover being movable relative to the box body between an open position and a closed position in which the box cover is locked to the box body by a locking mechanism, the box body including at least one receptacle for receiving a plug of a cable, the cable management enclosure further including at least one cable locking member, the at least one cable locking member including at least one recess for cooperating with a cable to secure the cable, the at least one cable locking member being secured to or integral with the box body or the box cover.

Preferably, the cable management box includes three cable locking members, wherein a first cable locking member and a second cable locking member are fixed to or integrally formed with the box body, and a third cable locking member is fixed to or integrally formed with the box cover, and the first groove of the first cable locking member, the second groove of the second cable locking member, and the third groove of the third cable locking member are aligned with each other to form a passage for allowing a corresponding cable to pass therethrough.

Preferably, the first cable locking piece is parallel to the second cable locking piece, the first cable locking piece is located closer to the front edge of the box body relative to the second cable locking piece, and the third cable locking piece is located between the first cable locking piece and the second cable locking piece when the box cover is closed.

Preferably, the box body includes at least one first receptacle into which a 180-degree first plug can be inserted and at least one second receptacle into which a 90-degree second plug can be inserted, and the third cable locking member further includes a fourth groove portion for engaging with a flange of the first plug, thereby locking the first plug.

Preferably, the fourth groove portions are located at the end of the third cable locking piece, two adjacent fourth groove portions form a fourth groove for matching with the outer profile of the first plug, and the first, second and third groove portions are located at a higher height than the fourth groove portions when the cable management box is in the closed position.

Preferably, the cable connector further comprises a first rib formed on an inner surface of the box cover, the first rib supporting the third cable locking member.

Preferably, the lid further comprises a second rib formed on an inner surface of the lid, the second rib pressing on the second plug when the lid is in the closed position.

Preferably, the locking mechanism comprises: at least one resilient leg extending downwardly from the inner surface of the lid; a jaw at the end of the leg; and a slot on the box body, the claw is matched with the slot when the box cover is in the closed position for locking the box cover, wherein the claw can be completely accommodated in the slot.

Preferably, the first cable is inserted into the first socket through at least one hole provided on the box body, the hole is a stepped hole, a first hole with a larger diameter is located at an outer side, and a second hole with a smaller diameter is located at an inner side.

Preferably, the first cable is mounted in the second bore by a seal ring.

Preferably, in the closed position of the cover, the first groove of the first cable locking member is exposed from the front surface of the cable management box.

There is also provided a linear actuator system comprising: a cable management enclosure according to the foregoing; and a linear actuator on which the cable management enclosure is mounted, the linear actuator comprising: a housing in which the motor and the power transmission device are accommodated; an outer tube; an actuation member housed in the outer tube and extendable and retractable from and into the outer tube, a cable in the cable management box for connecting the linear actuator to an external power source and/or an external electronic device.

Preferably, the cable management box further comprises a connector fixed to the housing or the outer tube for mounting the cable management box on the linear actuator.

The cable management system and linear actuator system of the present invention have the following advantages:

-tidy, so that the cables are regularly arranged; and

is so strong that the plug cannot be accidentally pulled out of the socket easily when the cable is pulled; and/or

Safety, so that the cable is not easily plugged at will; and/or

Good drainage properties.

Drawings

Other features of the present disclosure and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cable management enclosure according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the cable management enclosure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the cable management enclosure according to the present invention with the enclosure cover in an open position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the cable management enclosure according to the present invention with the enclosure cover in a closed position;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cable management enclosure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the cover of the cable management enclosure of FIG. 3 in an open state;

fig. 7 shows a view of the lid of fig. 6 looking in direction a;

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the cassette body of the cable management cassette with the cables removed; and is

Fig. 9 and 10 show a linear actuator system according to the invention in which a cable management box is mounted on the linear actuator.

Description of the reference numerals

1-cable management box 2-box body

3-box cover 4-hole

5-first socket 6-second socket

7-first cable lock 8-second cable lock

9-third Cable Lock 10-first Rib

11-first recess 12-second recess

13-third groove 14-fourth groove portion

15-flange 16-leg

17-pawl 18-slot

19-second Rib 20-first hole

21-second hole 22-step part

23-pivot 24-side groove

100-existing Cable management cassette 101-groove

200 existing Cable Lock 201U clip

300-socket 400-first cable plug

500-second cable plug 600-Linear actuator

601 casing 601a,601b casing halves

602-connecting piece 603-outer tube

604-actuating member

Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are used in common between different drawings to denote the same portions or portions having the same functions, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted. In some cases, similar reference numbers and letters are used to denote similar items, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be discussed further in subsequent figures.

For convenience of understanding, the positions, sizes, ranges, and the like of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like do not sometimes indicate actual positions, sizes, ranges, and the like. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the positions, dimensions, ranges, and the like disclosed in the drawings and the like.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. That is, the devices and methods herein are shown by way of example to illustrate different embodiments of the devices and methods of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that they are merely illustrative of exemplary ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and not exhaustive.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a prior art cable management enclosure 100, with fig. 1 being a perspective view and fig. 2 being an exploded view. The prior art cable management enclosure 100 includes a single, elongated cable lock 200, the cable lock 200 including a plurality of openings for mating with a plurality of first cable plugs 400 to lock the cable plugs. The locking member 200 includes U-shaped clips 201 at opposite ends thereof, which engage the grooves 101 of the cable management enclosure 100 by the resiliency of the U-shaped clips to lock the cable locking member 200 in the receptacle 300 of the cable management enclosure 100.

In practice it has been found that a disadvantage of such a separate locking member 200 is that the user often forgets to use the locking member 200 to lock the cable, but inserts the first cable plug 400 directly into the socket 300; and the separate locking member 200 is easily lost, causing inconvenience in maintenance and use. For example, in applications where the linear actuator is mounted on a nursing bed for lifting different parts of the bed support, if the plug in the cable management box is not locked, it may be inconvenient or even dangerous for the user if the cable is pulled and the plug accidentally disengages the socket when the linear actuator is in operation.

Furthermore, using the locking member 200 shown in fig. 1 and 2, anyone can easily remove the first plug 400 from the socket 300 by disengaging the U-shaped clip 201 from the recess 101, which also causes inconvenience and even danger in the above applications.

The cable management enclosure and linear actuator system of the present invention solve the above problems.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a cable management box 1 according to the invention, substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, comprising a box body 2 and a box cover 3 movably connected to the box body 2, the box cover being movable with respect to the box body between an open position and a closed position, in which the box cover 3 is locked to the box body 2 by means of a locking mechanism. Fig. 3 shows the lid 3 in an open state, and fig. 4 shows the lid 3 in a closed state. The cover is rotatably connected to the housing 2, for example by a pivot 23 (fig. 5), and can be pivotally opened and closed relative to the housing, in the open position (fig. 3) exposing the cable and plug, which plug is inserted in a socket in the housing. The plug is divided into two types: the 180 degree first plug 400 and the 90 degree second plug 500 each have different functions, such as connecting and transmitting power, signals, etc., respectively, which are not relevant to the improvement of the present invention and will not be described in detail herein. The number of plugs may be set as desired, for example, two first plugs 400 and three second plugs 500 are provided in the embodiment of fig. 3, which does not limit the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the first plug 400 is inserted into a first socket 5 (see fig. 5) provided in a front portion of the case 2 by passing through two holes 4 on a front surface of the case 2; the second plug 500 is inserted into a second socket 6 (see fig. 8) provided at a middle portion of the case body 2. The first header 400 is located lower than the second header 500 in the height direction Z.

The cable management enclosure 1 according to the present invention includes at least one generally elongated cable locking member secured to the enclosure body 2 or the enclosure cover 3 or formed integrally with the enclosure body 2 or the enclosure cover 3. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the cable management enclosure 1 includes three cable locks. A first cable lock 7 is provided at the front edge of the case 2 as an integral upward extension of the front surface of the case 2. The second cable lock 8 is formed integrally with the case, parallel to the first cable lock 7, and preferably aligned with the first cable lock 7 in the transverse direction X in fig. 3, the second cable lock 8 being arranged at a position closer to the inside of the case with respect to the first cable lock 7 in the longitudinal direction Y. The first and second cable locks 7, 8 each have grooves 11, 12 corresponding to the number of the second plugs 500, the grooves 11, 12 being for fitting with and fixing cables, wherein the grooves 11 of the first cable lock 7 are aligned one-to-one with the grooves 12 of the second cable lock 8 (fig. 5) at the same height for passing through the corresponding cables. In the closed position of the cover 3, the first recess 11 of the first cable locking member 7 is exposed from the front surface of the cable management box (fig. 4). The second groove 12 of the second cable lock 8 is used to guide the cable into the first groove 11 and a third groove 13 described below.

A third cable locking member 9 is formed integrally with the lid 3 to project downwardly from the inner surface of the lid. The third cable lock 9 is arranged on the lid 3 in a position such that, when the lid 3 is closed, the third cable lock 9 is located between the first and second cable locks 7, 8 in the longitudinal direction Y and is aligned with the first and second cable locks 7, 8. The third cable lock 9 is higher in height in the Z direction than the first and second cable locks 7, 8. Referring to fig. 7, the third cable locking member 9 also includes a third groove 13 having the same number as the first and second grooves 11, 12, and the height position of the third groove 13 on the third cable locking member 9 is such that, when the box cover 3 is closed, the third groove 14 is aligned with the first and second grooves 11, 12 one by one (fig. 5), so that each of the first groove 11, the second groove 12, and the third groove 13 forms a passage for passing a corresponding cable therethrough. The third cable locking member 9 further includes a plurality of fourth groove portions 14 at the ends thereof, the fourth groove portions 14 having an arc shape, and two adjacent fourth groove portions 14 form a substantially semicircular or arc-shaped fourth groove, which is engaged with the circular contour of the first plug 400 when the cover 3 is closed, for locking the first plug 400. As known to those skilled in the art, when the outer profile of the first plug is other than circular, the fourth groove portion 14 may be other shape to match it. As shown in fig. 7, from the view of the cover 3 in the closed position, on the third cable locking piece 9, the third recess 13 is located at a position higher than the fourth recess portion 14, which corresponds to the height position of the first header 400 and the second header 500 on the case body 2.

Fig. 4 shows the closed state of the cover 3, i.e., the state normally assumed when the cable management box 1 is mounted on a linear actuator, and as described below, the cover 3 is locked by a locking mechanism in the closed state and is not easily opened.

Referring to fig. 5, there is shown a partial cross-sectional view of the cable management enclosure of the present invention when the enclosure cover 3 is closed (fig. 4). As can be seen from fig. 5, when the box cover is closed, the fourth groove part 14 is engaged with the flange 15 on the first plug 400, thereby preventing the first plug 400 from being pulled out of the first socket 5 when the cable is pulled. Preferably, fig. 3 and 5 also show that the third cable locking member 9 has at least one first rib 10, which is arranged, for example, perpendicularly to the third cable locking member 9, for reinforcing the strength of the third cable locking member 9 against deformation, wherein the first rib 10 is shaped so as not to interfere with the fitting of the lid 3 and the case 2.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the casing 2 may be provided with side grooves 24 in addition to the first, second and third grooves described above, in order to provide different paths for the cables.

Referring to fig. 3 and 6, the box cover 3 further includes a second rib 19 at a position on the box cover 3 and at a height such that the second rib can press on the second header 500 when the box cover 3 is closed, thereby further locking the second header 500. The rib is integrally molded on the inner surface of the cap.

Still referring to fig. 3, the locking mechanism for locking the lid 3 to the body 2 comprises at least one leg (two in the figure) 16 projecting downwardly from the inner surface of the lid 3, the leg 16 having a detent 17 at its end for engaging a slot 18 in the front surface of the body 2 to lock the lid 3 to the body 2. The jaws 17 slide along the inner surface of the case body during the closing of the lid 3, and when slid to the position of the slots 18, the jaws 17 are pressed into the slots 18 due to the elasticity of the legs 16, so that the lid 3 is locked in the closed position. The thickness of the jaws is such that they do not protrude out of the front surface of the case body 2 in the slots 18, and therefore when it is desired to open the lid 3, it is necessary to push the jaws 17 inward from the outside using a tool (e.g., a screwdriver) while opening the lid 3. This ensures the safety of the cable management enclosure so that in the closed state of the enclosure cover 3 shown in fig. 4, the user cannot open the enclosure cover at will without using tools, and thus the connection state of the cables cannot be changed at will.

As described above, the first plug 400 is inserted into the first socket 5 by passing through the two holes 4 on the front surface of the case 2. Fig. 8 shows the holes 4, which shows the case 2 of the invention, with the cables and plugs omitted for clarity. The hole 4 extends through the front surface of the case 2 to a distance inside the case 2, so that the hole 4 has a certain depth in the longitudinal direction Y. As shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 5, the hole 4 is a stepped hole including two holes of different diameters arranged in series in the longitudinal direction Y, wherein a first hole 20 of a larger diameter is located at the outside, a second hole 21 of a smaller diameter is located at the inside, and a step 22 is formed between the two holes. The first plug 400 is inserted into the second hole 21 through a waterproof packing (not shown). The stepped bore facilitates water drainage compared to a uniform diameter bore, so water is less likely to be retained in the bore 4. The reason is that for uniform diameter bores, due to the greater depth of the bore 4, water tends to remain in the annular gap between the plug 400 and the bore 4 due to surface tension effects after, for example, an overall cleaning of the equipment (e.g., a nursing bed) in which the linear actuator system of the present invention is installed. If the outer portion is reamed to form the first hole 20 having a larger diameter, the surface tension of the water is broken, and therefore the water in the annular gap is easily discharged.

Fig. 9 and 10 show a linear actuator system according to the invention comprising a linear actuator 600 and a cable management cassette 1 according to the invention, wherein the cable management cassette 1 is mounted on the linear actuator 600.

The linear actuator 600 includes: a housing 601, which may be composed of two halves 601a and 601b, in which an electric motor, a power transmission device, and the like are housed; an outer tube 603; an actuating member 604 which is accommodated in the outer tube 603 and can be extended from and retracted into the outer tube. The cable management enclosure 1 is mounted on the linear actuator 600 by means of a connector 602, wherein the connector 602 is fixed to the housing, for example has a tubular shape, and surrounds a portion of the outer tube.

The cables in the cable management enclosure are used to connect the linear actuator to an external power source and/or an external electronic device.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without substantially departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the mutual positional relationship of the first, second and third cable locks in the longitudinal direction may be changed, and the third cable lock may be located at the innermost position. Alternatively, the cable management cassette may be integrally formed with the outer housing or tube of the linear actuator, thus omitting the connectors for mounting the cable management cassette to the linear actuator. Accordingly, all changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

The terms "front," "back," "left," "right," "up," "down," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

As used herein, the word "substantially" is meant to encompass any minor variations due to design or manufacturing tolerances, environmental influences, and/or other factors.

In addition, "first," "second," and like terms may also be used herein for reference purposes only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises/comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.