1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof cable guide device mounted to a cable guide for a railway vehicle, which is provided with an introduction port through which a plurality of electric cables are guided into an electric device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cable guides for a plurality of electric cables to an electric device, and device storage boxes storing the electric device are mounted mainly underfloor of a railcar. The cable guides and the device storage boxes are each provided with a cable guides having an introduction port through which electric cables are inserted from outside to inside. The cable guides and the device storage boxes protect the electric cables to prevent water ingress into inside thereof. If a waterproof performance between the introduction port and the electric cables is insufficient, then water ingress from outside would occur.
In a conventional example, the plurality of electric cables are retained by upper and lower hard resin cable retaining members in locations spaced apart from each other, the cable retaining members are fastened by bolts penetrating vertically, and putty is coated to fill a gap between a hole of each cable retaining member and the corresponding electric cable. However, putty coating requires a high skill. If an worker is not skillful, the waterproof performance becomes insufficient and the water ingress would occur. Once the cable retaining members are disassembled to draw out the electric cables, old putty must be removed and then new putty must be coated when the cable retaining members are assembled again.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application Publication No. Sho. 58-21297 discloses another conventional example of a waterproof cable guide device having a structure, in which a plurality of electric cables are inserted into rubber-made tubular bushings, respectively, the tubular bushings are retained by upper and lower hard resin cable retaining members, and the cable retaining members are tightly fastened by bolts or the like. In this waterproof cable guide device, the waterproof performance is effectively attained regardless of whether or not the worker is skillful. In addition, after disassembling the waterproof cable guide device, the same components can be used to be re-assembled.
However, in this waterproof cable guide device, it is necessary to insert each of the plurality of electric cables into the corresponding tubular bushing. For example, if terminals and the like are attached to the end portions of the electric cables, the electric cables must be inserted into the bushings, respectively, after the terminals and the like are removed. Such an operation is burdensome. Furthermore, since several kinds of devices are mounted underfloor of the railcar, a space in which a worker works is limited, in many cases. In particular, when an operation for tightening bolts with a tool is performed, a space in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the bolts, which is required to tighten the bolts with the tool, is insufficient in some cases.