Abstract:
A device for use with a hinge in which two rigid elements ( 104, 105 ) may be placed in various relative angular positions, wherein the elongate part ( 109 ) to be protected and guided consists of a section or tube inserted through two mutually facing channels ( 111, 110 ) in respective ones of the rigid elements ( 104, 105 ). The device includes a movable member ( 107 ) arranged between said rigid elements ( 104, 105 ) and at least rotatably movable about a rotational axis of said hinge. The member further includes a hole ( 108 ) through which said elongate part ( 109 ) may inserted.

Description:
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&#39;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&#39;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.