Device for protecting and guiding an elongate part connected via a hinge to two mutually hinged rigid elements, and industrial applications thereof

Device for protecting and guiding an elongate part connected via a hinge to two mutually hinged elements, and industrial applications thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is the 35 USC 371 national stage of international application PCT/FR97/00460 filed on Mar. 14, 1997 which designated the United States of America.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for protecting and guiding an elongate component, such as a filament or a tube, attached, in the vicinity of the joint, to two rigid elements hinged to each other, and industrial applications of this system.

Specifically, the invention relates to such a system in which the rigid elements are connected to each other by a hinge enabling them to occupy different relative angular positions and in which the elongate component is laid along two successive channels positioned end-to-end and formed one in each of the rigid elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many technical fields employ hinges designed to allow two rigid elements to pivot about at least one pivot point and thus occupy different relative angular positions. These hinges may take the form of, for example, metal hinges, extensible joints, ball joints, universal joints, etc. In some applications it may also be necessary to establish an electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, optical or mechanical connection between the rigid elements, for example in order to transmit some kind of command, signal, power, force or information from one rigid element to the other. Thus, in the automotive industry, it is sometimes desirable to pass electrical wiring between the doorframe of a vehicle and the door hinged to this frame in order to power a motor and adjust the angle of the wing mirrors in response to a signal transmitted from the interior. Clearly, this electrical wiring must neither interfere with the smooth operation of the hinge nor risk being damaged by it.

In the systems of the prior art, the passing of such wiring or other elongate components from one rigid element to the other is generally done in one of two ways: passing it directly through the hinge, or passing it through a boot independent of the joint.

Direct passage is illustrated by international patent application WO 92/15916 which discloses an extensible or elastic hinge comprising two rigid elements which have complementary bearing faces and are capable of pivoting relative to each other about a physical hinge pin or geometrical axis of rotation. A passage designed to take one end of an elongate elastic connecting element, capable of transmitting a force, is provided in each of the two rigid elements. Another example of an elastic hinge is disclosed in European patent application No. 0,689,634 in the name of Chene et al, in which the above general characteristics are also found. The disadvantage with these systems is that the surfaces of the hinges in contact with the elongate component must be perfectly smooth and have no sharp edges, in order to prevent premature wear of the component. This necessitates expensive and complicated operations which affect the costs of manufacture of these joints.

In prior art systems using a boot, the boot gives some protection to the elongate component, but it has nonetheless been found that this protection is insufficient inasmuch as the danger of pinching, shearing or cutting through the component is not negligible. There are moreover certain constraints involved in this technique, in that when using a boot it is necessary not only to prepare a certain number of holes by which to fix it to the two rigid elements, but also to adjust the maximum degree of expansion of the boot to the maximum angle of opening of the joint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention solves the above disadvantages of the prior art in that it provides a system for protecting and guiding an elongate component, in which a movable member is situated between the rigid elements of the joint, which member can at least be rotated about an axis of rotation of the joint and contains a passage suitable for accommodating the elongate component.

A movable member of the above mentioned general type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,297 which discloses a rotatable bushing between a display screen and a portable computer keyboard.

The function of the movable member is to guide the elongate component, in order, for example, to prevent it from interfering with an adjacent hinge, if any, or, in the case of extensible hinges, to direct the transmitted force. Furthermore its rotational mobility allows it to position itself with respect to the elongate component, so providing better control of the radius of curvature of the elongate component in the vicinity of the movable member and consequently reducing the likelihood of the component's becoming kinked undesirably along its length. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, this likelihood can be still further reduced by giving the passage formed in the movable member a configuration such that each of its open ends has a radius of curvature that is at most equal to the minimum radius of curvature of the elongate component in the vicinity of the end. For example, the movable member may contain an essentially cylindrical passage which is flared out at its open ends. Alternatively, and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the passage formed in the movable member may be shaped essentially like the inner part of a torus, of circular or elliptical cross-section, the meridian circles of which have a radius that is at most equal to the minimum radius of curvature of the elongate component in the vicinity of the open ends of the passage.

In addition, in order to prevent wear of the elongate component where it contacts the inside walls of the movable member, the member must be composed of a material offering minimal roughness, such as a ceramic, a polished metal or the like.

The movable member is preferably free to move in a plane parallel to a plane of rotation of the joint, or even in two orthogonal planes each of which is parallel to a plane of rotation of the joint.

The channels formed in the two rigid elements advantageously each open into a cavity formed in the ends, of the rigid elements, which cavities are opposite each other, and the ends have mating forms, so that, when the rigid elements are engaged with each other, the mating forms of their ends fit together, and the movable member fits inside the ends. In this way it is possible to give the rigid elements a stable relative angular position. Other such positions may be obtained, for example by so configuring the ends of the rigid elements as to produce a cam action during the relative angular movement of the elements in a plane of rotation of the joint.

Also, at least one of the rigid elements may be provided with stop means that limit the relative angular movements of the elements in at least one plane of rotation of the joint, e.g. as far as an unstable relative angular position.

The elongate component may be solid or hollow. It may be a filament or a tube composed of an inelastic flexible material associated with at least one elastic part, such as a helical spring, the filament or tube being immobilized by stop parts provided one in each of the rigid elements. According to another possibility, the elongate component may be an elastic filament, each of whose ends is anchored in one of the rigid elements. Thus, the elongate component may take the form of, among other things, a yarn, wire, cord, hose or the like, which may be braided, twisted, stranded and/or sheathed. Tubular means of transmission are designed to establish, for example, an electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic or optical connection, whereas elongate components in filament form can be used to transmit a mechanical force such as an elastic force from one rigid element to the other.

In the light of the above, it will be readily appreciated that the system according to the invention can be fitted to conventional hinges having a physical point of pivoting represented by a pin, a dowel, a bolt, an axle in one or more parts, or the like, or it may itself form a joint with a purely geometrical point of pivoting—resulting from the contact between the mutually opposing faces—especially where the elongate component has elastic properties.

The scope of the invention also extends to certain preferred industrial applications of the above-mentioned system. The invention thus relates also to a spectacle frame incorporating such a system, in which, for example, the rigid elements are respective integral parts of a spectacle frame temple and of a spectacle frame front. In another application the system according to the invention is integrated with a door hinge. For example, the rigid elements are respective integral parts of a vehicle door and doorframe.

It should be noted however that the invention is also applicable to many other technical fields, for example the making of joints for prostheses and industrial robot components, although these applications are not exhaustive. It will be obvious too that in all these uses the rigid elements may either be integral with those parts of the object that are hinged with respect to each other, or be mounted on, or in, these parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A fuller explanation of the invention will be found in the following detailed description of certain non-restrictive embodiments of the invention. This description should be taken in combination with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1

is a perspective view of one embodiment of the system according to the invention as applied to a conventional hinge;

FIG. 1A

is a schematic cross-section, on a larger scale, of the movable member of the above system, taken on plane

1

A—

1

A as marked in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the system according to the invention, as applied to an extensible joint;

FIG. 3

is a perspective view, partly in section, of the system shown in

FIG. 2

as applied to a spectacle hinge, with the temple in the normal open position, that is to say at 90°;

FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the top of the system shown in

FIG. 3

;

FIG. 5

is a perspective view of the system shown in

FIG. 3

, with the temple in the closed position;

FIG. 6

is a perspective view of the system shown in

FIG. 3

, with the temple shown in one extreme open position; and

FIG. 7

is a perspective view of the system shown in

FIG. 3

; with the temple in a second extreme open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

If reference is made initially to

FIG. 1

, a system

1

according to the invention can be seen here applied to a conventional hinge. This hinge comprises, in a manner known per se, two rectangular leaves

2

and

3

that project from a first rigid element

4

and a second rigid element

5

, respectively, each leaf

2

,

3

being in the plane of the respective rigid element

4

,

5

to which it is attached. Each leaf

2

,

3

has at its free end a socket

2

a

and

3

a,

respectively. The two leaves

2

,

3

are hinged to each other by means of a dowel

6

, of which one end is pushed into and immobilized permanently in the socket

2

a

while the other end is received in the socket

3

a,

the other end, which projects vertically down (as viewed in the figure) being able to turn freely about its longitudinal axis X, X′ in the socket

3

a.

The hinge also has a spherical member

7

situated between the leaves

2

and

3

and containing a passage

7

a.

The two sockets

2

a,

3

a

extend part of the way through the spherical member

7

by entering the passage

7

a,

without being in any way fixed to the member, whether by crimping, bonding, screwing or any other means. It follows that the member

7

is able to rotate about the axis of rotation X-X′ of the dowel

6

which joins together the sockets

2

a

and

3

a,

and therefore the hinge in general.

As can be seen more clearly in

FIG. 1A

, which shows diagramatically the movable spherical member

7

in cross-section, the socket

3

a

and the dowel

6

are concentric and are housed in the passage

7

a

which runs approximately through the center of the movable member

7

. The movable member

7

additionally has a passage

8

whose longitudinal axis Y, Y′ is orthogonal to the axis X, X′. The passage

8

is roughly cylindrical and its two open ends are flared out. An elongate component

9

, such as an electric wire, runs through the passage

8

and projects out from either side of the passage into the channels

11

,

10

formed in the thickness of the rigid elements

4

and

5

, respectively.

It can be seen that the passage

8

gives efficient protection to the elongate component

9

against the danger of being sheared or cut through, etc. by keeping it away from the components of the hinge. Furthermore, the configuration of the passage

8

is such that its flared ends have a curvature which is at least equal to the maximum curvature of which the elongate component

9

is capable in the vicinity of the ends when the hinge is pivoted. This particular configuration of the passage

8

, and the rotary mobility of the movable member

7

give further protection to the elongate component

9

, in the sense that they prevent the formation of acute angles along the length of the elongate component

9

.

It will be observed that the configuration illustrated is only one embodiment of the invention and that different variants can be envisaged. In particular the assembly formed by the sockets

2

a,

3

a

and dowel

6

may be replaced by a combination of two half-pins attached to the respective leaves

2

and

3

, with two pin supports each mounted on the movable member

7

so as to be opposite the corresponding half-pin. In this embodiment, the two half-pins should not be crimped, bonded, screwed or fastened in any other way to their supports, in order that the member

7

can still rotate. Moreover, in this configuration the passage

8

can pass through the center of the movable member

7

and may, for example, be shaped like the inner part of a torus.

FIG. 2

shows another embodiment of the system according to the invention as applied to an extensible joint; in this system, parts corresponding to parts described earlier with regard to

FIGS. 1 and 1A

will be identified by identical reference numbers augmented by the value

100

. In the text that follows, the term “distal” will be applied to any part of a component that is further from the movable member than another, or “proximal” part of that component.

The system illustrated is applied to a joint between a first rigid element

104

and a second rigid element

105

.

Specifically, in this figure the rigid element

104

includes a distal part

21

of cylindrical section and a proximal part

12

. The proximal part

12

is roughly in the shape of a parallelepiped, the cross-section of the proximal part

12

having larger dimensions than the distal part

21

. However, the proximal part

12

and distal part

21

of the element

104

can of course be of similar general configuration and dimensions, in cross-section. An approximately cylindrical cavity

14

is formed in the proximal part

12

, the main axis Z-Z′ of the cavity being approximately in line with the longitudinal axis of the distal part

21

. The cavity

14

is open both on the upper face

15

of the parallelepiped and on its lateral face

16

furthest from the distal part

21

. The cavity

14

forms a constriction

29

at the junction between the distal part

21

and the proximal part

12

of the element

104

and this constriction

29

leads into a longitudinal channel

111

formed within the thickness of the distal part

21

of the element

104

.

The rigid element

105

also has a distal part

22

of generally cylindrical form and a proximal part

40

. The proximal part

40

comprises two parts, one of which is L-shaped and is denoted by the numeral

17

and the other U-shaped and denoted by the numeral

18

.

More specifically, the part

17

, whose dimensions are larger than the distal part

22

, has in profile the form of an “L” in which the vertical bar (as viewed in

FIG. 2

) forms a main rectangular wall

17

a

which follows on from the radial surface of the distal part

22

, and in which the horizontal bar is formed by a secondary rectangular wall

17

b

at right angles to the main wall

17

a

and having a longitudinal edge in common with the latter.

The part

18

forms a bowl and in profile is U-shaped with a planar base

18

a

and arms denoted

18

b

and

18

b

′. The outer surface of the arms

18

b

and

18

b

′ is planar. The base

18

a,

or rectangular bottom of the bowl

18

, constitutes an extension of the main wall

17

a,

while the wing

18

b

′ of the bowl constitutes an extension of the secondary wall

17

b,

with the arm

18

b

′ projecting beyond the secondary wall. The bowl

18

defines a cavity

36

with an open base.

As can be seen in

FIG. 3

, a longitudinal channel

110

, incorporating a proximal zone

110

a

and a distal zone

110

b

of greater diameter, is formed in the rigid element

105

and, at its emergence from the main wall

17

a

of the proximal part

17

, opens into the bowl

18

.

Returning to

FIG. 2

, the rigid elements

104

and

105

are designed to come into mutual engagement, the secondary wall

17

b

of the proximal part

40

fitting into a cutout

19

formed in the lower face

20

of the proximal part

12

, while that part of the arm

18

b

′ of the bowl

18

which projects beyond the secondary wall

17

b

is designed to be received in a recess

23

in the lateral face

16

of the proximal part

12

.

The system according to the invention includes a movable member

107

which is shaped externally like an ellipsoid and contains a passage

108

which is shaped essentially like the inner part of a torus.

As

FIG. 3

shows, when the mating proximal parts

12

and

40

of the rigid elements

104

and

105

are in mutual engagement, the movable member

107

can be housed partly in the cavity

36

of the bowl

18

belonging to the element

105

and partly in the cylindrical cavity

14

of the element

104

, and the passage

108

formed through the element

107

can be lined up with the longitudinal channels

111

and

110

formed inside the rigid elements

104

and

105

. An elongate component

109

is laid along the longitudinal channel

110

formed inside the rigid element

105

, through the cavity

36

formed at the end of the element, through the passage

108

of the movable member

107

, through the constriction

29

formed in the rigid element

104

and along the longitudinal channel

111

formed inside the element.

Although, in the embodiment illustrated in

FIG. 3

, the movable member

107

is in contact with the inside walls of the bowl

18

, it is obvious that, if wished, there may be a gap between them. It should also be noted that, in another relative angular position of the rigid elements

104

and

105

, the movable member

107

may be outside of the cavities

14

and

36

, or may be entirely contained within the cavity

14

.

If reference is made more particularly to

FIG. 3

, which shows a system according to the invention as applied to an extensible hinge for a spectacle frame, in the normal open position of the temple, it will be seen that the elongate component

109

which it is designed to protect consists of a flexible filament associated with a spring

26

. The filament

109

, which is inelastic, is under tension. The ends of the filament

109

are gripped, or otherwise immobilized, in stop parts

24

and

38

. On the stop part

24

is an enlarged portion

25

designed to abut against a shoulder

30

formed at the proximal end of the distal zone

110

b

of the channel

110

. On the stop part

38

is a surface

37

forming an end-of-travel stop designed to abut against the free end

33

of the distal part

21

of the element

104

. The distal end

28

of the spring

26

presses against the surface

37

of the stop part

38

and the other end

27

of the spring abuts against a shoulder

31

formed at the proximal end of the channel

111

.

The operation of the spectacle-frame hinge described above will now be explained with reference to

FIGS. 4

to

7

. In the remainder of the description it will be assumed that element

104

forms part of a spectacle temple and element

105

belongs to a spectacle frame front, although the invention applies equally to the reverse situation, and indeed to any form of use of an extensible hinge.

FIG. 4

shows the hinge when the temple is in the normal open position, corresponding to the position illustrated in FIG.

3

. As can be seen, when the rigid elements

104

and

105

are aligned and engaged with each other, the arm

18

b

of the bowl

18

protrudes into the cavity

14

formed inside the rigid element

104

, partly above the movable member

107

. When it is wished to close the temple of the spectacles (the position illustrated in FIG.

5

), element

104

is pivoted with respect to element

105

in the direction of arrow F

1

(FIG.

4

). In the course of this rotation the upper extremity of the side face

16

of element

104

is guided over the main wall

17

a

of element

105

, until stopped by the secondary wall

17

b,

when the upper face

15

of element

104

is against the main wall

17

a

of element

105

(FIG.

5

). The arm

18

b

of the bowl

18

is now protruding into the cavity

14

of element

104

, where it is against the inner wall

32

(

FIG. 2

) of the element. With regard to the work of the spring

26

(

FIG. 3

) during this rotation of the hinge, it will be observed that the filament

109

, which is not elastic, comes initially under tension, so that an apparent increase in length must be given to it by the spring

26

, which it does by compressing. As it compresses, the spring

26

therefore allows the filament

109

to slide in the direction of arrow F

3

(FIG.

3

). The compression of the spring

26

is limited by the arrival of the stop element

38

in abutment against the end wall

33

(

FIG. 3

) of the distal part

21

. After this, the cam action of the surfaces of the rigid elements

104

and

105

leads to a reduction in the stress experienced by the filament

109

, which has to travel a shorter distance, which reduction is also made possible by the pivoting and displacement of the movable member

107

in the plane of rotation, throughout this rotation, until an angle of approximately 45° is formed with respect to the longitudinal axes of the rigid elements

104

and

105

. The apparent extra length of the filament

109

is therefore absorbed by a corresponding expansion of the spring

26

, which thus tends to return to its rest position.

If it is now wished to pivot the hinge from the position illustrated in

FIG. 4

to the position shown in

FIG. 6

, in which the spectacle temple to which the rigid element

104

is connected is in an extreme position in which it is a further 90° open compared with the normal open position, in the normal plane of rotation of the hinge, that is to say the temple is open to 180°, all that is required is to rotate rigid element

104

through 90° in direction F

2

(

FIG. 4

) relative to rigid element

105

. During this rotation the free end of the secondary wall

17

b

of element

105

which, in the normal open position, was in abutment against the cutout

19

formed in element

104

, pivots through 90° over the said cutout

19

until the secondary wall

17

b

and the cutout

19

are abutted against each other in a second position of abutment, as illustrated in FIG.

6

.

FIG. 7

shows another extreme open position of the spectacle temple, in which the rigid elements

104

and

105

form a relative angle of 90° in the plane perpendicular both to the normal plane of rotation of the hinge and to the plane of the lenses of the spectacles. The side face

34

of rigid element

104

is abutted against part of the main wall

17

a

of element

105

which is adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the base of the bowl

18

. In this position the spectacle temple has pivoted 90° downwards relative to the position illustrated in FIG.

4

. However, it is obvious that an extreme open position corresponding to an upward pivoting of 90° can also be produced, with the side face

35

of element

104

coming into abutment against another part,

41

, of the main wall

17

a

which is adjacent to the other longitudinal edge of the base of the bowl

18

.

In the positions shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the tension has been increasingly applied to the filament

109

, so that the spring

26

has been compressed in a corresponding manner, until the stop element

38

is in abutment against the end wall

33

(FIG.

3

). The spring's tendency after this is to expand in order to regain its rest position; the rigid elements

104

and

105

therefore occupy an unstable relative angular position.

Although the movable member

107

is contained within the cavity

14

formed in the rigid element

104

in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, it should be pointed out that it could equally well be located anywhere along the line of the elongate component, between the rigid elements

104

and

105

, inasmuch as it is capable of moving in the plane of rotation of the hinge, the main purpose of the invention being to give effective guidance and protection to the elongate component during the operation of the hinge and to orientate the transmitted elastic load; doing this, moreover, even as far as extreme open positions of the hinge, which, as was seen above, can be as much as 90° or more in two orthogonal planes of rotation.