Patent Description:
Many vehicles use control cables which are connected at one end to a user activated control device within the interior of a driver compartment or cab and at the other end to a controlled system located in an exterior zone of the vehicle, such as an engine compartment or at the rear of the vehicle. A control cable is typically routed through an aperture in a body panel (e.g. a bulkhead) of the vehicle to pass from the interior of the vehicle driver compartment to the exterior zone and a feedthrough assembly is provided to guide the cable through the aperture and to close the aperture about the cable to prevent the ingress of water and/or dirt. In known arrangements, an elastomeric seal or grommet is secured to the body panel about the aperture and has a hole through which the control cable passes.

Some vehicles, especially working vehicles such as tractors or excavators, may require a number of control cables to be routed through a single aperture in a body panel. This might include control cables for a hydraulic system which may be push-pull type cables and/or rotary control cables for actuating valves of the hydraulic system. Where a number of cables pass through the same aperture in a body panel, it is known to use a single sealing block with a corresponding number of holes through each of which a respective cable can pass. In order that the cables can be inserted into the holes, a slit is formed extending from a periphery of the seal to each hole. When fitting the seal into place, each slit is opened to enable a cable to pass through the slit into the hole, with the slit closing once the cable is in place. A problem with this arrangement is that the cables, which are often stiff and liable to movement, can deform the seal so that it does not fully engage about the cable and/or the slits do not fully close. This enables water and/or dirt to enter the driver compartment.

<CIT> discloses a number of different arrangements for supporting multiple cables passing through a body panel in a vehicle. In one embodiment, a flexible grommet is secured in a first aperture in the body panel. The grommet defines a second aperture smaller than the first aperture through which multiple cables are passed. A partition plate is secured in a groove defined in the grommet about the periphery of the second aperture. The partition plate is made up of two plate sections which are engaged in the groove to lie one on-top of the other. Each plate section has a number of U-shaped notches which open at one side of the plate section. The plate sections are positioned in the grommet with their notches extending in opposite directions. The notches are configured so that corresponding pairs of notches in the two plate sections align to define an aperture for supporting a respective cable. The flexible grommet allows the partition plate to move relative to the body panel.

It is an objective of the invention to provide an alternative cable feedthrough assembly which overcomes, or at least mitigates, some or all of the drawbacks of the known feedthrough assemblies.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide a vehicle, especially a working vehicle such as a tractor or excavator, which incorporates such an alternative cable feedthrough assembly.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cable feedthrough assembly as defined in claim <NUM>.

In the cable feedthrough assembly in accordance with this aspect of the invention, the first and second seal members are relatively thin and sufficiently flexible that they can adapt to the shape of the cable passing through the aligned first and second through-holes and accommodate cable movement. Because the cable insertion slits are offset and do not overlap, even if one does not fully close, or is deformed due to cable movement, a path through the body panel aperture is closed by the other seal member to prevent ingress of water and/or dirt. Similarly, any opening formed about the cable in one of the seal members will usually be closed by the other seal member.

The insertion slits are configured to enable the respective seal member to be resiliently deflected so that a cable can be passed through the slit into and out of the respective through-hole. Each insert slit is preferably closed or substantially closed when the seal member is in its relaxed configuration (i.e. not being resiliently deformed to open the slit).

In an embodiment, the first and second cable slits are aligned at opposing angles relative to a transverse plane through the first and second seal members. The through-holes may be cylindrical and the transverse plane may be aligned on a diameter of the respective first and second through-holes. The first and second cable slits may be inclined at an angle in the region of <NUM> to <NUM> degrees, more preferably in the region of <NUM> degrees, to the transverse plane. In an embodiment, the first cable insertion slit may be inclined upwardly and the second cable insertion slit inclined downwardly when the transverse plane is aligned horizontally. The longitudinal axes of the first and second cable insertion slits may pass through a longitudinal axis of their respective through-holes.

In an embodiment, the first and second seal members define a plurality of cable passageways, each comprising a first through-hole in the first seal member and a corresponding second through-hole in the second seal member. In this embodiment, each of the first through-holes is provided with a first cable insertion slit and each of the second through-holes is provided with a second cable insertion slit, the respective first and second cable insertion slits of each cable passageway being offset from one another.

In an embodiment where the first seal member has a plurality of first through-holes and first cable insertion slits, at least some of the first cable insertion slits may initially be closed at or proximal their ends proximal to their respective first through-hole by a breakaway portion, the arrangement configured such that the breakaway portion can be removed or broken so as to extend the cable insertion slit into its respective first through-hole.

In an embodiment where the second seal member has a plurality of second through-holes and second cable insertion slits, at least some of the second cable insertion slits may initially be closed at or proximal their ends proximal to their respective second through-hole by a breakaway portion, the arrangement configured such that the breakaway portion can be removed or broken so as to extend the cable insertion slit into its respective second through-hole.

In an embodiment where the first and second seal members define a plurality of cable passageways, at least some of the through-holes may initially be closed at or proximal one end by a breakaway portion configured such that the breakaway portion can be removed so as to open the through-hole. In an embodiment, breakaway portions may be provided at an outer end of the second through-holes which are distal from the first seal member in use.

In an embodiment, each of the seal members has an outer major face and an inner major face, the inner major faces being in abutment in use. The inner major faces may be planer. The outer major face of the first seal member may have a central region and a peripheral sealing region surrounding and recessed below the central region. The outer major face of the second seal member may have a central region and a peripheral sealing region surrounding and recessed below the central region. Where the outer major faces of both the first and second seal members each have a central region and a peripheral sealing region surrounding and recessed below the central region, the central region of the outer major face of the first seal member may be differently sized from central region of the outer major face of the second seal member. The one or more cable passageways may extend through the central regions.

The seal members may be made from rubber, which may be a nitrile rubber with a Shore A value in the region of <NUM> to <NUM>.

The clamping member may comprise a frame engageable with the peripheral sealing region of the outer major face of the second seal member. The frame may comprise an end face having a central aperture within which the central region of the outer major face of the second seal member is received, with the outer peripheral seal region in abutment with an inner surface of the end face. The central region of the outer major face of the second seal member may be a close fit within the central aperture of the end face of the frame. The clamping member may have two or more attachment lugs, each lug having an aperture for a fastener. The frame may be constructed from one or more polymeric materials.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle having at least one cable feedthrough assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention mounted to a body panel of the vehicle to guide at least one cable through an aperture in the body panel.

In an embodiment, the vehicle is a working vehicle such as a tractor or excavator.

In an embodiment where the outer major face of the first seal member has a central region and a peripheral sealing region surrounding and recessed below the central region, the central region may be received within the aperture in the body panel, with the outer peripheral sealing region abutting and sealing with the body panel about the aperture. The arrangement may be configured such that the central region of the outer major face of the first seal member is a close fit within the body panel aperture.

The frame may be secured to the body panel by two or more releasable fasteners.

The body panel may be provided between a driver compartment of the vehicle and an exterior region of the vehicle. The body panel may be a bulkhead.

In an embodiment, the cable feedthrough assembly may be used to guide at least one control cable for a hydraulic system of the vehicle.

In an embodiment where the seal members define a plurality of cable passageways and wherein only one or some of the cable passageways are used to guide respective cables, those passageways which are not used may be closed by a respective breakaway portion in at least one of the first and second through-holes which define each of said unused passageways.

An embodiment of a cable feedthrough assembly <NUM> in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The cable feedthrough assembly <NUM> comprises a first seal member <NUM>, a second seal member <NUM>, and a clamping member <NUM>. In use, the first seal member <NUM> is located in abutment with an outer surface <NUM> of a body panel <NUM> of the vehicle, the second seal member <NUM> abuts the first seal member <NUM>, and the clamping member <NUM> is secured to the body panel <NUM> by means of releasable fasteners <NUM> to clamp the second seal member <NUM> to the first seal member <NUM> and the first seal member <NUM> to the body panel <NUM>.

The cable feedthrough assembly <NUM> is especially suitable for use in a working vehicle, such as a tractor or excavator or the like, in guiding one or more control cables <NUM> for a hydraulic system (not shown) of the vehicle through an aperture <NUM> in the body panel. Typically, such control cables <NUM> may be push-pull type cables and/or rotary control cables and are operatively connected at an inner end to user operable controls, such as a lever or rotary knob, within a driver compartment or cab of the vehicle. The cables pass through the aperture <NUM> in the body panel to an exterior region of the vehicle (which may be an engine compartment or at the rear of the vehicle) and are operatively connected at their other ends to a manually actuatable valve or other movable component of the hydraulic system.

It should be understood that references to "exterior" in relation to the vehicle and especial the vehicle body panel refer to any region outside of the driver compartment which might itself be enclosed by other body panels.

The first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> are elastomeric members. In an embodiment, the first and second seal members are made from rubber, which may be a nitrile rubber and may have a Shore hardness A of <NUM> to <NUM>. However, the first and second seal members can be made from any suitable, resiliently deformable material.

The first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> are panel-like members, each having an inner major face <NUM>, <NUM> and an oppositely directed outer major face <NUM>, <NUM>, which faces are generally rectangular in plan. The first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> have the same peripheral shape and outer dimensions (i.e. width and length). The inner major faces <NUM>, <NUM> are planar and abut one another in use. The outer major faces <NUM>, <NUM> each have a central region 34A, 36A surrounded by a peripheral sealing region 34B, 36B which is recessed below the central region 34A, 36A.

The outer major face <NUM> of the first seal member is directed toward the exterior surface of the body panel <NUM> and the central region 34A is received in the aperture <NUM> of the body panel <NUM>. The boss-like central region 34A is designed to be a close fit within the aperture <NUM> in the body panel and the peripheral sealing region 34B abuts the exterior surface <NUM> of the body panel about the aperture <NUM> to form a seal.

The outer major face <NUM> of the second seal member is directed toward an end face <NUM> of the clamping member, which has a camping member aperture <NUM> in which the boss-like central region 36A of the second seal member is received. The central region 36A is a close fit within the clamping member aperture <NUM> and the peripheral sealing region 36B is engaged by the inner surface of the end face <NUM> about the clamping member aperture to form a seal. The clamping member has a peripheral wall <NUM> which engages over the outer peripheries of the first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM>. At either end of the seal members, the clamping member defines a mounting lug portion <NUM> with an aperture <NUM> through which a threaded shaft of a mounting bolt or screw <NUM> passes to secure the clamping member to the body panel. The mounting bolts or screws <NUM> engage with corresponding captive nuts (not shown) or other threaded attachment members on the body panel. The arrangement is configured such that the bolts or screws <NUM> are tightened to clamp the seal members <NUM>, <NUM> together between the end face <NUM> of the clamping member and the body panel <NUM>, with the frame-like clamping member encasing the majority of the seal members to form a protective housing. Other arrangements for releasably fastening the clamping member <NUM> to the body panel can be used.

In an advantageous arrangement, the central regions 34A, 36A of the first and second seal members and the corresponding apertures <NUM>, <NUM> in which they locate have different dimensions so that the seal members <NUM>, <NUM> cannot be fitted the wrong way round. As illustrated in <FIG>, in this embodiment the central region 34A of the first seal member <NUM> is longer than the central region 36A of the second seal member. The aperture <NUM> in the body panel <NUM> is dimensioned to correspond with the central portion 34A of the first seal member <NUM> and the clamping member aperture <NUM> is dimensioned to correspond with the central portion 36A of the second seal member. In this arrangement, the central portion 34A of the first seal member cannot be inserted in the aperture <NUM> of the clamping member.

The first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> define a number of cable passageways <NUM> through each of which a respective control cable <NUM> can be fed. In the present embodiment there are five cable passageways <NUM> but the number of cable passageways can be varied depending on the requirement of the vehicle and could be anywhere from one to ten or more cable passageways. Each cable passageway <NUM> comprises a first through-hole <NUM> extending through the first seal member <NUM> and a corresponding second through-hole <NUM> extending through the second seal member <NUM>. Each of the first and second through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> extend through their respective seal member <NUM>, <NUM> between the inner and outer major faces <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and are arranged within the central region 34A, 36A. The first and second through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> are generally cylindrical in shape and for any given cable passageway the corresponding first and second through-holes are the same size and axially aligned with one another. The through-holes are dimensioned to be a close fit about the respective cable. As illustrated, the cable feedthrough <NUM> may be configured to guide cables of differing diameter, with the through-holes being appropriately dimensioned so that some of the cable passageways have different diameters.

To enable a cable to be located in a respective through-hole <NUM>, <NUM>, each through hole is provided with a respective cable insert slit <NUM>, <NUM> which extends from a peripheral edge of the seal member <NUM>, <NUM> into the through-hole <NUM>, <NUM>. During fitting, the seal member can be deformed to open up the cable insertion slit <NUM>, <NUM> to enable a cable to be inserted laterally through the slit and into the through-hole. Once the cable is located in the through-hole, the seal member can be repositioned so that the cable insertion slit <NUM>, <NUM> returns substantially to its initial configuration in which it may be closed or substantially closed. For convenience, the first and second through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> are arranged close to the outer periphery of the central regions of the seal members so that the length of the cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> is kept to a minimum.

In accordance with the invention, the cable insertion slits <NUM> in the first seal member <NUM> (the first cable insertion slits <NUM>) are offset relative to the cable insertion slits <NUM> in the second seal member (the second cable insertion slits <NUM>). This is advantageous as it means that the first and second cable insertions slits <NUM>, <NUM> do not overlie one another. As a result, if any given cable insertion slit <NUM>, <NUM> is opened, the flow path through to the interior of the driver compartment is closed by the other seal member to prevent the ingress of water and/or dirt into the driver compartment.

Conveniently, the cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> may be angled relative to a transverse plane taken through the central axis of their respective through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> (or cable passageway), with the first cable insertion slits <NUM> being inclined in the opposite direction to the second cable slits <NUM>. The first and second cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> may be inclined at an angle to the transverse plane in the region of <NUM> to <NUM> degrees, more preferably in the region of <NUM> degrees. In a particularly convenient arrangement, the first cable insertion slits <NUM> are inclined upwardly and the second cable insertion slits are inclined downwardly when the transvers plane is aligned horizontally and the first and second seal members are generally in an in-use orientation. As illustrated, the longitudinal axes of the first and second cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> may be aligned so as to pass through a longitudinal axis of their respective through-holes (cable passageway).

The cable feedthrough <NUM> is advantageously arranged so that only one or some of the cable passageways <NUM> defined in the first and seal members <NUM>, <NUM> need be used whilst still effectively closing the aperture <NUM> in the body panel about the cables that are routed through the cable feedthrough <NUM>. This is advantageous as it means that a common cable feedthrough can be used on a range of vehicles with different control cable arrangements. In one arrangement, the through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> in at least one of the seal members <NUM>, <NUM> are initially closed at one end by a breakaway portion <NUM>. The breakaway portion <NUM> is removed to open up the through-hole and enable a particular cable passageway to be used. The breakaway portion <NUM> may be removed using a knife or punch or the arrangement may be configured such that the breakaway portion can be torn out. In the embodiment as shown, the second through-holes <NUM> in the second seal member <NUM> are closed at or proximal their outer ends at the outer major face <NUM> by a breakaway portion <NUM>. In addition, the cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> may be initially formed so that they do not fully extend into their respective through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> but stop just short so as to be closed by a breakaway portion <NUM>. During fitting when a particular cable passage is to be used, the first and second cable slits <NUM>, <NUM> for that passageway are extended into their respective through-holes <NUM>, <NUM> by removing or breaking the breakaway portions <NUM>. The breakaway portions <NUM> may be removed or broken by using a knife or other cutting implement to extend the slit into the through-hole or the seal members may be configured so that the slits can be extended into their through holes by tearing the breakaway portions <NUM>. For any of the cable passageways that are not used, the breakaway portion <NUM> in the second through-hole and the breakaway portions <NUM> for the respective first and second cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> are left intact so that the seal members <NUM>, <NUM> effectively close the aperture about those cables which are routed through the cable passageways in use.

<FIG> illustrate one method of fitting the cable feedthrough <NUM> to a vehicle. The control cables <NUM> are routed through the aperture <NUM> in body panel <NUM> and may be connected at one or both ends.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the first seal member <NUM> is assembled close to the body panel <NUM> with its outer major face 34A facing the body panel. The cable insertion slits <NUM> of each of the first through-holes in which a cable <NUM> is to be fitted (in this case all of them) are extended into their respective first through-holes. To fit each cable, the seal member <NUM> is bent to open up the respective cable insertion slit <NUM> and the cable passed laterally through the slit into the through-hole <NUM>. Once the cable in place, the seal member is released and resiliently returns to its initial configuration in which that the seal member engages closely about the exterior of the cable and the slit is closed or at least substantially closed. The first seal member is pressed against the exterior surface of the body panel <NUM> with the central region 34A of the outer major face locating in the aperture <NUM> in the body panel.

To fit the second seal member <NUM>, the breakaway portion <NUM> in each of the second through-holes <NUM> that are to be used (in this case all of them) is removed and the corresponding second cable insertion slits <NUM> are extended into the second through-holes. The second seal member is then assembled in a similar manner to the first seal member but oriented so that its inner major face <NUM> is directed toward the inner major face <NUM> of the first seal member <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Once assembled, the second seal member <NUM> is slid along the cables <NUM> until its inner major face <NUM> is in abutment with the inner major face <NUM> of the first seal member.

The clamping member <NUM> is then positioned over the first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> with the central region 36A of the outer major face <NUM> of the second seal member <NUM> located in the clamping member aperture <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The clamping member <NUM> is secured to the body panel <NUM> using the releasable fasteners <NUM> which are tightened so that the seal members <NUM>, <NUM> are firmly clamped together between the clamping member <NUM> and the body panel <NUM>. The cables are passed through the clamping member aperture <NUM> prior to being connected at both ends. This might be done prior to assembling the first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> or afterwards, if the outer ends of the cables are not attached before the feedthrough is fitted.

The use of two separate seal members <NUM>, <NUM> means that each seal member <NUM>, <NUM> can be kept relatively thin and so is sufficiently flexible that it can adapt more easily to the shape of the cable than would be the case using a single seal member having a thickness equal to the combined thicknesses of the first and second seal members. In a non-limiting example, each of the first and second seal members <NUM>, <NUM> may have a length in the region of <NUM> to <NUM>, a width in the region of <NUM> to <NUM>, and a thickness (measured between the inner and outer major surfaces) in the region of <NUM> to <NUM>. However, it will be appreciated that the dimensions of the first and second seal members can be varied as required to meet the requirements of any given application. Since both seal members <NUM>, <NUM> can adapt to a cable substantially independently of one another, the chances of a fluid path opening up through both seal members <NUM>, <NUM> is reduced. Should one seal member deform so that there is an opening about one of the cables, in most cases this would be closed by the other seal member. Furthermore, because the cable insertion slits <NUM>, <NUM> in the first and second seal members are offset and do not overlap, even if one slit does not fully close or is deformed by the cable, a path through the slit into the driver compartment is closed by the other seal member to prevent ingress of water and/or dirt.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to an embodiment for feeding through control cables of a hydraulic system on a vehicle, the principles of the cable feedthrough <NUM> disclosed herein can be adapted for use in guiding control cables for other systems on a vehicle or indeed for guiding electrical cables, a wiring harness, and/or other tubular members through an aperture in a vehicle body panel or indeed any wall-like member.

Claim 1:
A cable feedthrough assembly (<NUM>) for guiding at least one cable (<NUM>) through an aperture (<NUM>) in a vehicle body panel (<NUM>), the assembly comprising a first resiliently deformable elastomeric seal member (<NUM>) and a second resiliently deformable elastomeric seal member (<NUM>) for abutment with the first seal member, wherein the seal members define at least one cable passageway (<NUM>) comprising a first through-hole (<NUM>) in the first seal member and a corresponding second through-hole (<NUM>) in the second seal member, characterized in the first seal member (<NUM>) is configured for abutment with a vehicle body panel (<NUM>), the cable feedthrough assembly including a clamping member (<NUM>) mountable to the vehicle body panel so as to clamp the second seal member (<NUM>) to the first seal member (<NUM>) and the first seal member (<NUM>) to the body panel (<NUM>), wherein the first seal member (<NUM>) has a first cable insertion slit (<NUM>) extending from a peripheral edge of the first seal member to the first through-hole (<NUM>) and the second seal member (<NUM>) has a second cable insertion slit (<NUM>) extending from a peripheral edge of the second seal member to the second through-hole (<NUM>), the first cable insertion slit (<NUM>) and the second cable insertion slit (<NUM>) being offset from one another, each of the first and second cable insertion slits (<NUM>, <NUM>) being a narrow, cut-like, opening through the material of the seal member having a width smaller than the maximum diameter of its respective through-hole (<NUM>, <NUM>).