Adjustable connector
AssigneeChrysler Corporation
InventorDonald E. Stimpson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector adjustably engages a wire which interconnects a control arm and a lever member in an automobile control system. Upon initial operation, proper adjustment of the components relative to each other is achieved automatically.
Claims6
In combination;
- a wire, a connector engaging the wire and a member upon which the connector is mounted, the member being movable between at least two positions, the connector comprising a sheet of resilient material having the general form of a spiraloid and including an inner portion and outer portions disposed to each side of the inner portion, the inner portion defining an encircling loop for mounting the connector on the movable member, the outer portions defining oppositely disposed openings, the inner portion further defining an opening which is out of alignment with the other openings, the openings being adapted to cooperatively engage the wire when the connector is deformed such that the openings are substantially aligned and the wire is inserted therethrough whereby the wire is connected to the movable member by the connector and the connector is automatically adjustable to a predetermined position on the wire when the movable member is moved between the two positions.
In a combination of the type including a control member movable between at least two positions over a predetermined travel distance, an operating member movable between at least two positions over a predetermined travel distance and a wire connecting the two members together such that movement of the control member causes movement of the operating member, the improvement comprising yieldable connector means carried by one of the members for yieldably and operably engaging the wire to connect the member thereto whereby initial movement of the control member will cause the wire to slide through the connector means to provide a certain connecting length of wire between the two members, when the connecting length is not provided initially, so that the full predetermined travel of both members is assured during subsequent operation.
The combination of claim 47 wherein the connector means comprises a body of resilient material having three portions for engaging the wire, two outer portions and an inner portion positioned between the outer portions, said outer portions having aligned openings therein for receiving the wire, the inner portion having an opening which may be brought into alignment with the others for receiving the wire by deforming the body slightly, the resiliency of the body causing the wire to be yieldably engaged by the body portions when the deforming action ceases.
In a control system having movable control means in the form of a flexible cable comprising a wire and wire sheath, the wire being operatively connected to a movable actuator device at one end and to a remotely located movable actuable device at the other end, the movable actuator device being movable by application of a normal manipulation force between first and second extreme selection positions, and the movable actuable device being movable between first and second extreme operating positions in response to movement of the actuator device, the invention of adjustment means to locate and correlate the extreme selection positions of the movable actuator device relative to the extreme operating positions of the movable actuable device so that the movable actuator device is located in at least one of the extreme selection positions at the same time that the movable actuable device is located in one of the extreme operating positions and comprising:
- first connection means connecting said wire to said movable actuable device whereby manipulative movement of said wire causes responding manipulative movement of said movable actuable device,
- second connection means connecting said wire to said movable actuator device whereby manipulative movement of said movable actuator device causes responding movement of said wire,
- and at least one of the connection means comprising a separate one-piece adjustment clip means having self-releasing resilient spring-like gripping jaw means adjustably connecting the wire to one of the devices and permitting sliding positional adjustment between the wire and the one of the devices by self-release upon application of a predetermined adjustment force in excess of the normal manipulation force when the positions of the devices are not properly correlated thereby to adjust the relative positions of the devices and thereafter permanently holding the wire and the one of the devices in the adjusted position during subsequent applications of normal manipulation forces, said self-releasing resilient spring-like gripping jaw means being formed on the edges of opposite spaced side walls of said clip means and defining an open wire receiving channel permitting the wire to be associated with said jaw means of the clip means by movement transverse to the actuating movement of the wire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.