Joints and connections – Manually releaseable latch type – Spring biased manipulator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-13
2004-03-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3679)
Joints and connections
Manually releaseable latch type
Spring biased manipulator
C074S502400, C074S502600, C074S50150R, C188S067000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698967
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for longitudinal adjustment, in particular of a remote control in motor vehicles, having a substantially bar-shaped component that has an external profiling, for example a set of teeth. The component for example is a tension or pressure rod, sleeve or bar. The component is at least partly received in a receptacle of a base body which optionally has a pivotal connecting piece or similar binding. At least one profiled segment is guided radially displaceably on the base body by axial movement of a hollow element such as a sleeve or locking sleeve on the base body. The hollow element is spring biased in a first axial position to hold the profiled segment in a locking position in which the base body and component are rigidly coupled in the axial direction. Movement of the hollow element to a second axial position against the spring bias transfers the profiled segment to an unlocking position in which the base body and component are displaceable relative to one another in the axial direction.
Such a device is known for instance from European Patent Disclosure EP 0 638 733 A1. This involves a device with parts in the form of hollow bars and tubes that can be slipped inside one another and locked to one another at various insertion depths by means of a detent element retained in the detent position by the force of a spring, and on their free ends they each have a receptacle for the outer sleeve of an actuating cable, for instance, whose inner cable extends through the part in the form of the hollow bar and the tube. To make a fast adjustment possible, a sleeve-like part can be slipped over the hollow-bar and the tubular part and joined to the tubular part, and the sleeve-like part in the region of the hollow-bar part has a conical contact face, on which the annularly embodied detent element, slipped over the hollow-bar part, slides with a radially outer stop face and is retained in the detent position on the hollow-bar part by means of the compression spring.
From German Patent Disclosure DE 197 04 053 A1, a compensation element for a tension and pressure rod is known, which element is used for instance in motor vehicle transmissions between the shift lever and the transmission. To achieve a continuously variable length compensation, a spring is provided which directly or indirectly brings about clamping between the tension and pressure rod in the housing of the compensation element or a binding.
German Patent Disclosure DE 196 20 496 A1 also discloses a device for correcting or adjusting the length of Bowden cables, actuating cables or the like with a detent segment sleeve, whose detent segments, which have toothing, are disposed on flexible arms. By means of the detent segments, a detent sleeve that has a counterpart toothing can be locked in detent fashion in different axial positions relative to a longitudinal axis of the device. The detent sleeve and the detent segment sleeve are under the influence of a first compression spring that forces the two sleeves apart. Under the influence of a second compression spring, a securing sleeve can be positioned in a detent-locking position in which the detent segments are in engagement with the detent sleeve. Guide means for the arms are disposed on the securing sleeve, and a shift of the securing sleeve out of the locking position into an unlocking position is converted into a guided motion of the arms, so that the toothing comes out of engagement with the counterpart toothing.
From German Patent Disclosure DE 38 76 208 T2, an automatic adjusting device for Bowden cables is also known in which a rod is separably joined to a tubular housing by means of a coupling device. To that end, clamping jaw parts are provided that are disposed inside an end portion of the tubular housing, around the rod. Each clamping jaw part has an outer, partially conical surface that cooperates with a complementary conical surface of the end part. An embracing restraining spring extends circumferentially in grooves in each clamping jaw part and in a resiliently yielding way forces the clamping jaw parts radially inward. A helical spring is also provided, which subjects the rod to bias such that this rod is urged axially inward into the housing by means of the bias. Finally, a device with a locking part and an unlocking part is provided that has the following function. To fit the adjusting device into a Bowden cable, the locking part is rotated into a position in which the rod extends freely through a bore in the locking part. The locking part and the tubular unlocking part are then axially forced toward the tubular housing, so as to displace the tubular unlocking part axially into the tubular housing; the inner end comes into contact with clamping jaws, and as a result the clamping jaw parts are brought axially and radially out of engagement with the undulations of the rod. Then, tension is exerted on the rod in tubular housing, in order to pull the rod axially out of the housing into an extended position in which the helical spring is compressed. Once the rod is in the extended position, the locking part is rotated in order to bring the undulations of the locking part into engagement with the undulations on the rod, thus preventing the rod from being retracted into the tubular housing by the action of the helical spring. The adjusting device is then secured to the Bowden cable, whereupon the locking part is rotated back into the original place in which the rod, as a consequence of the spring force, is retracted axially into the housing, and tension is applied to the Bowden cable.
Although these known devices have proven themselves quite well in practice, the problem exists in the industry for assembly workers, for instance on the assembly line of an automobile manufacturer, of performing a simple initial length adjustment once the device for length adjustment has been installed. In the known devices, major force must sometimes be expended to shift the hollow element from the first axial position into the second axial position, and the hollow element must be held in this position by the assembly worker so that he can then with his other hand perform a length adjustment, for instance of the bar-shaped component. Next, the hollow element, by being let go, is shifted automatically back into the first axial position under the influence of the spring force.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By comparison, the object of the present invention is to perform a simplified, smooth length adjustment by means of the device, and in a secondary aspect, the length adjustment can be performed with one hand by the assembly worker.
According to the invention, in the device having the characteristics recited at the outset, this object is essentially attained in that the device has an actuator or locking member with two actuating positions or locking member positions; in the first actuating or locking position the hollow element is held in the first axial position by the action of the spring bias, and in the second actuating or locking position the hollow element is held in the second axial position by means of the actuator counter to the action of the spring bias.
This provision makes it possible to shift the device into a stable unlocking state or into a stable locking state, depending on the actuation position of the actuating means. For length adjustment, first the actuating means is shifted from the first actuating position into the second actuating position, so that the hollow element is in the second axial position, in which the profiled segment is shifted into the unlocking position. The device is designed such that the hollow element, when the actuating means is in the second actuating position, is retained stably in the second axial position. After that, the bar-shaped component, for length adjustment, can then be axially displaced relative to the base body. Once the displacement process of the bar-shaped component has been completed, the actuating means is shifted from the second actuating position into the first ac
Bock Bernd
Henrich Willi
Boukus, Jr. Charles P.
Browne Lynne H.
Flandro Ryan M.
Küster Automotive Control Systems GmbH
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