Abstract:
A carrier member includes a first section, a second section, and a third section. The first section has a first length. The second section has a second length. The first section, the third section, and the second section connect sequentially and form a U-shaped structure. The first section and the second section have curved sections. The third section has a flat section. When the second section moves relative to the first section, the first section or the second section having the curved section transform into the third section having the flat section and store a resilient recovering force, and the third section having the flat section transforms into the first section or the second section having the curved section for adjusting lengths of the first section and the second section, which prevents a cable disposed on the carrier member from interfering with other mechanism or getting knotted.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to a carrier, and more particularly, to a flexible and resilient carrier member capable of carrying a cable, a cable therewith, and a telescope therewith. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In order to prevent interference between a cable and mechanical components nearby, a conventional telescopic device usually uses a cable carrier, such as a chain mechanism, which drives the cable to fit in with the telescope device as the telescopic device extends and retracts back and forth. However, since a cable carrier in the form of chain mechanism is constructed by a plurality of track sections connected sequentially, limitation of the pitch between track sections gives the cable carrier a large bending radius, which renders such type of cable carrier not a proper choice for smaller telescopic devices. Furthermore, the longer the cable carrier, the greater weight it gets. Therefore, it has become a subject of research in the field to figure out a way to drive a cable within telescopic device with limited space and in the meantime, to reduce the weight and the manufacturing cost of the device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a telescopic device having carrier member, a carrier member, and a cable thereof for solving the aforementioned problems. 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, a telescopic device having carrier member includes a first body, a second body, a carrier member, and a cable. A first electronic device is disposed on the first body. The second body is slidably disposed on the first body. A second electronic device is disposed on the second body. The second body is selectively movable toward the first body along a first direction or away from the first body along a second direction opposite to the first direction. The carrier member includes a first section, a second section, and a third section. An end of the first section is fixed on the first body. An end of the second section is fixed on the second body. The other end of the first body is connected to the other end of the second body via the third section. The cable is connected to the first electronic device and the second electronic device. A part of the cable is disposed on the carrier member. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section has a first length. The second section has a second length. The cable includes a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment. The first segment is disposed on and extends along the first section. The first segment has a first segment length corresponding to the first length of the first section. The second segment is disposed on and extends along the second section. The second segment has a second segment length corresponding to the second length of the second section. The third segment is disposed on and extends along the third section. The first segment is connected to the second segment via the third segment. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section, the third section, and the second section form a U-shaped structure, and the first segment, the third segment, and the second segment form a U-shaped structure. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second body moves toward the first body along the first direction, the first length of the first section and the first segment length of the first segment increase gradually, and the second length of the second section and the second segment length of the second segment decrease gradually. When the second body moves away from the first body along the second direction, the first length of the first section and the first segment length of the first segment decrease gradually, and the second length of the second section and the second segment length of the second segment increase gradually. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the telescopic device further includes a control module and a control cable. The control module is disposed on the first body. The control cable is connected to the first electronic device and the control module. The cable is connected to the second electronic device and the control module. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the carrier member is flexible and resilient. Each of the first section and the second section has a non-straight cross section, and the third section has a straight cross section. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second body moves toward the first body along the first direction, the other end of the second section is forced to resiliently deform from the non-straight cross section to the straight cross section, and a resilient recovering force is stored therein. An end of the third section near the first section is forced to resiliently deform from the straight cross section to the non-straight cross section due to the resilient force. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the second body moves away from the first body along the second direction, the other end of the first section is forced to resiliently deform from the non-straight cross section to the straight cross section, and a resilient recovering force is stored therein. An end of the third section near the second section is forced to resiliently deform from the straight cross section to the non-straight cross section due to the resilient force. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the carrier member further includes a plurality of passive components disposed on the first section and the second section and fastening the cable. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of passive components is a plurality of engaging hooks bent upward from the first section and the second section. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable extends along outer surfaces of the first section, the third section, and the second section. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable extends along inner surfaces of the first section, the third section, and the second section. 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a carrier member is adapted for a telescopic device. The telescopic device includes a first body, a second body, a control module, a control cable, and a cable. A first electronic device is disposed on the first body. The second body is slidably disposed on the first body. A second electronic device is disposed on the second body. The second body is selectively movable toward the first body along a first direction or away from the first body along a second direction opposite to the first direction. The control module is disposed on the first body. The control cable is connected to the first electronic device and the control module. The cable is connected to the second electronic device and the control module. The carrier member includes a first section, a second section, and a third section. An end of the first section is fixed on the first body. An end of the second section is fixed on the second body. The other end of the first section is connected to the other end of the second section via the third section. 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a cable is adapted for a telescopic device. The telescopic device includes a first body, a second body, and a control module. A first electronic device is disposed on the first body. The second body is slidably disposed on the first body. A second electronic device is disposed on the second body. The cable includes a carrier member, an insulating layer, a conductive layer, and a covering layer. The carrier member includes a first section, a second section, and a third section. An end of the first section is fixed on the first body. An end of the second section is fixed on the second body. The other end of the first section is connected to the other end of the second section via the third section. The insulating layer has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The first side of the insulating layer is disposed on a side of the carrier member. The conductive layer has a third side and a fourth side opposite to the third side. The third side of the conductive layer is disposed on the second side of the insulating layer. The conductive layer includes a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment. The first segment is disposed on and extends along the first section. The second segment is disposed on and extends along the second section. The third segment is disposed on and extends along the third section. The first segment is connected to the second segment via the third segment. The covering layer is disposed on the fourth side of the conductive layer for covering the conductive layer. 
     In summary, the telescopic device of the present disclosure can effectively prevent interference between the cable and other mechanical components. Therefore, the cable does not get knotted at all, which prevents a short circuit or damage of the cable caused by knotting. 
     These and other objectives of the present disclosure will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating internal components of a telescopic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a carrier member according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3A  to  FIG. 3C  are sectional diagrams of the carrier member respectively along A-A, B-B, and C-C lines shown in  FIG. 2  according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3D  to  FIG. 3I  are sectional diagrams of a first section and a second section of a carrier member according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  are diagrams illustrating a first body and a second body of the telescopic device at different relative positions according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded diagram of a cable according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present disclosure can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating internal components of a telescopic device  1  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the telescopic device  1  includes a first body  10 , a second body  11 , a carrier member  12 , a cable  13 , a control module  14 , and a control cable  15 . A first electronic device  101  is disposed on the first body  10 . The second body  11  is slidably disposed on the first body  10 . A second electronic device  111  is disposed on the second body  11 . In this embodiment, the telescopic device  1  can be an add-on touch sensing module disposed on a thin flat panel display. The first body  10  and the second body  11  are slidable relative to each other for prolonging or reducing the length of the telescopic device  1  to be adapted to the width of the flat panel display where the telescopic device  1  is disposed. The first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  111  can be camera lens for capturing motion of a gesture and a position of a touch point, which allows the telescopic device  1  to provide an additional touch function for a television or a monitor having no such function in the first place. In other words, when the telescopic device  1  is applied to such devices, the width and the depth of the telescopic device  1  become one of the main concerns to be limited to a relatively small dimension besides the discussion of variable length of the telescopic device  1 . Therefore, the cable  13  contained within the first body  10  and the second body  11  needs to be designed for preventing interference with the first body  10  and the second body  11  as the telescopic device  1  extends or retracts, such that the cable  13  does not get knotted at all, and a short circuit or damage of the cable  13  caused by getting knotted can be prevented. In addition to the aforementioned embodiment, the telescopic device  1  can also be applied to other fields, and it depends on practical demands. 
     The carrier member  12  includes a first section  121 , a second section  122 , and a third section  123 . An end  1211  of the first section  121  is fixed on the first body  10 . The first section  121  comes with a first length L 1 . An end  1221  of the second section  122  is fixed on the second body  11 . The second section  122  comes with a second length L 2 . The other end  1212  of the first section  121  is connected to the other end  1222  of the second section  122  via the third section  123 . The first section  121 , the third section  123 , and the second section  122  as a whole form a U-shaped structure. The control module  14  is disposed on the first body  10 . The control cable  15  is connected to the first electronic device  101  and the control module  14 . The cable  13  is connected to the second electronic device  111  and the control module  14 . A part of the cable  13  is disposed on the carrier member  12 . Specifically, the cable  13  includes a first segment  131 , a second segment  132 , and a third segment  133 . The first segment  131  is disposed on the first section  121  and extends along an inner surface of the first section  121 . The first segment  131  comes with a first segment length S 1  corresponding to the first length L 1  of the first section  121 . The second segment  132  is disposed on the second section  122  and extends along an inner surface of the second section  122 . The section segment  132  comes with a second segment length S 2  corresponding to the second length L 2  of the second section  122 . The third segment  133  is disposed on the third section  123  and extends along an inner surface of the third section  123 . The first segment  131  is connected to the second segment  132  via the third segment  133 . The first segment  131 , the third segment  133 , and the second segment  132  as a whole form a U-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first segment  131  can also be disposed to extend along an outer surface of the first section  121 , the second segment  132  can also be disposed to extend along an outer surface of the second section  122 , and the third segment  133  can also be disposed to extend along an outer surface of the third section  123 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 3C .  FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of the carrier member  12  according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 3A  to  FIG. 3C  are sectional diagrams of the carrier member  12  respectively along A-A, B-B, and C-C lines shown in  FIG. 2  according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The carrier member  12  is flexible and resilient as shown in  FIG. 2 , where each of the first section  121  and the second section  122  of the carrier member  12  has a non-straight cross section as shown in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  and the third section  123  has a straight cross section as shown in  FIG. 3C . Specifically, in this embodiment, each of the first section  121  and the second section  122  of the carrier member  12  can have a curved cross section, as shown in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B . However, it is not limited to this embodiment. Please refer to  FIG. 3D  to  FIG. 3I .  FIG. 3D  to  FIG. 3I  are sectional diagrams of the first section  121  and the second section  122  of the carrier member  12  according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. The cross section of the first section  121  and the second section  122  of the embodiments of the disclosure can be an arc as shown in  FIG. 3D , a curve with straight lines as shown in  FIG. 3E , a basin as shown in  FIG. 3F  and  FIG. 3G , a multi arc as shown in  FIG. 3H , or a curve with hooks as shown in  FIG. 3I . Additionally, the carrier member  12  can further include a plurality of passive components  124  disposed on the first section  121  and the second section  122  for fastening the first segment  131  and the second segment  132  respectively. In this embodiment, the plurality of passive components  124  can be a plurality of engaging hooks bent upward from the first section  121  and the second section  122 . However, the number and the configuration of the passive components  124  are not limited to this embodiment, and it depends on practical demands. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  are diagrams illustrating the first body  10  and the second body  11  of the telescopic device  1  at different relative positions according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 4 , to retract the telescopic device  1 , the second body  11  is moved toward the first body  10  along a first direction D 1 . The other end  1222  of the second section  122  is forced to resiliently deform from the non-straight cross section to become the straight cross section of the third section  123 , and a resilient recovering force is stored therein. An end  1231  of the third section  123  near the first section  121  is forced to resiliently deform from the straight cross section to become the non-straight cross section of the first section  121  due to the resilient force. Therefore, the first length L 1  of the first section  121  of the carrier member  12  increases gradually, and the second length L 2  of the second section  122  decreases gradually. In the meantime, the cable  13  is driven to move by the carrier member  12 , such that the first segment length S 1  of the first segment  131  increases gradually along with the first length L 1  of the first section  121 , and the second segment length S 2  of the second segment  132  decreases gradually along with the second length L 2  of the second section  122 . In such way, during the process that the telescopic device  1  retracts, i.e., when the second body  11  moves toward the first body  10  along the first direction D 1 , the cable  13  is driven and restricted by the carrier member  12 , which prevents interference between the cable  13  and the first body  10  and the second body  11 . Therefore, the cable  13  does not get knotted easily, which prevents short circuit or damage of the cable  13  caused by getting knotted. 
     Oh the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 5 , when the second body  11  moves away from the first body  10  along the second direction D 2 , the other end  1212  of the first  121  is forced to resiliently deform from the non-straight cross section to become the straight cross section of the third section  123 , and a resilient recovering force is stored therein. An end  1232  of the third section  123  near the second section  122  is forced to resiliently deform from the straight cross section to become the non-straight cross section of the second section  122  due to the resilient force. In other words, the first length L 1  of the first section  121  decreases gradually, and the second length L 2  of the second section  122  increases gradually. In the meantime, the cable  13  is driven to move by the carrier member  12 , such that the first segment length S 1  of the first segment  131  of the cable  13  decreases gradually along with the first length L 1  of the first section  121  of the carrier member  12 , and the second segment length S 2  of the second segment  132  of the cable  13  increases gradually along with the second length L 2  of the second section  122  of the carrier member  12 . Therefore, during the process that the telescopic device  1  extends, i.e., when the second body  11  moves away from the first body  10  along the second direction D 2 , the cable  13  is driven and restricted by the carrier member  12 , which prevents interference between the cable  13  and the first body  10  and the second body  11 . Therefore, the cable  13  does not get knotted easily, which prevents short circuit or damage of the cable  13  caused by getting knotted. 
     In addition to the aforementioned embodiment, in another embodiment, the carrier member can be incorporated in the structure of a cable. Please refer to  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  is an exploded diagram of a cable  13 ′ according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Different from the aforementioned embodiment, the cable  13 ′ includes a carrier member  12 ′, an insulating layer  134 , a conductive layer  135 , and a covering layer  136 . The insulating layer  134  has a first side  1341  and a second side  1342  opposite to the first side  1341 . The first side  1341  of the insulating layer  134  is disposed on a side of the carrier member  12 ′. The conductive layer  135  has a third side  1351  and a fourth side  1352  opposite to the third side  1351 . The third side  1351  of the conductive layer  135  is disposed on the second side  1342  of the insulating layer  134 . The covering layer  136  is disposed on the fourth side  1352  of the conducting layer  135  for covering the conductive layer  135 . In other words, in this embodiment, the carrier member  12 ′ and the cable  13 ′ are integrated with each other instead of two separate independent components. Structure and operation of other components in this embodiment are similar to the ones in aforementioned embodiment. Detail descriptions are omitted herein for simplicity. 
     In contrast to the prior art, the telescopic device of the present disclosure utilizes the carrier member for driving the cable to move. When the second body moves toward the first body along the first direction, the first length of the first section of the carrier member and the first segment length of the first segment of the cable increase gradually, and the second length of the second section of the carrier member and the second segment length of the second segment of the cable decrease gradually. When the second body moves away from the first body along the second direction, the first length of the first section of the carrier member and the first segment length of the first segment of the cable decrease gradually, and the second length of the second section of the carrier member and the second segment length of the second segment of the cable increase gradually. It prevents interference between the cable and other components when the telescopic device extends or retracts back and forth, such that the cable does not get knotted easily, which prevents a short circuit or damage of the cable caused by getting knotted. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.