Energy chains having flexible joint connectors, and lateral tabs and a joint connector therefor. The lateral tabs are symmetrical by stop surfaces thereof, wherein each lateral tab comprises two protrusions having stop surfaces and two pockets having counterpart stop surfaces. According to one aspect, the protrusions and the pockets are provided symmetrically on the lateral tab. According to one aspect, the joint connector for lateral tabs has a plate-like body having a resiliently flexible joint region, two material regions opposingly arched outward having a cavity therebetween, and two opposite fastening regions on the end. According to one aspect, the energy chain is designed such that, continuously over a chain portion comprising at least more than three adjacent chain links, which comprises the at least two tab strands, the tab strands are structured overall continuously from tabs which are identical to each other.

A system for monitoring the state of a cable, which is guided in an energy chain between a base and a movable driver element. The movable energy chain forms a movable run at a driver element, a resting run at a base and, between the two runs, a deflecting bend. A monitoring device having at least one indicating element at the energy chain evaluates an indicating-element signal and monitors whether an error state occurs. The indicating element has two electrical indicating conductors guided by the energy chain, which indicating conductors extend along the movable run, and the monitoring device comprises a measuring circuit for resistance measurement or conductance measurement. One end point of each indicating conductor is connected to the measuring circuit and the other end points of the indicating conductors are short circuited such that the indicating conductors form a measurement loop.

A chain link for an energy guide chain. The chain link has two link plates, and at least one pivotal transverse web, which connects the link plates together in an articulated manner and which can be converted into a closed position that connects the link plates together and into an open position that at least partly releases the link plate intermediate space. At least one pivotally designed end region of the transverse web can be secured to the link plate in a latching manner. The articulated connection between the transverse web and the link plate has a substantially cylindrical joint pin with a radius (R1) over at least one part of the circumference of the pin on one of the corresponding components consisting of the transverse web and the chain link and a substantially cylindrical pin receiving area on the other of the two corresponding components.

A method of operating a cable handling system of a longwall mining machine having a shearer movable along a pan line to mine material along a mine face, the cable handling system including: i) a service line configured to carry one or more supply lines to the shearer for facilitating shearer operation, ii) a plurality of interconnected trays to accommodate the service line, iii) a plurality of sensor nodes distributed along a length of the service line, and iv) a plurality of transceivers distributed along a length of the pan line, the method comprising: a) sensing orientation, acceleration and/or position data of the service line using the plurality of sensor nodes, b) using the plurality of transceivers to receive the orientation, acceleration and/or position data from the plurality of sensor nodes and to transmit the orientation, acceleration and/or position data to a controller, and c) detecting, by the controller, an actual or imminent failure mode of the service line using analysis of the orientation, acceleration and/or position data from the plurality of the sensor nodes.

A cable carrier for accommodating and guiding cables, comprising parallel first link strands of opposing first links which are connected to each other by means of first cross stays, wherein outside at least one first link strand and parallel to this a second link strand of second links is arranged, which are opposite the first links of the adjacent first link strand and of which at least some are connected by way of second cross stays to the opposite first links, and wherein, between at least some of the opposing first and second links, rollers are arranged which project beyond the first and second links on at least one side of the cable carrier perpendicular to the first and second cross stays.

A shelf power supply system has a power supply track and a first power taking head and a retractable power supply track, the first power taking head has an external wiring. The retractable power supply track has a first moving part electrically connected to the external wiring and a second moving part being electrically connected with the first moving part and slideable thereon. The second moving part has a terminal. The invention can solve the problems that the wiring is complex and difficult to hide in the power supply system of the low-voltage lamps installed in the shelves and the laminates, suitable for the shelf support arms with different lengths, the size is small, the operation is very convenient, and one track can power multi-layer lamps, avoiding complex winding in the shelf, which is very simple operation and convenient for hidden installation in the shelf.

A long object guiding device includes a belt-shaped unit that includes flexible and elongated tubular members. The tubular members are arranged side by side. Adjacent ones of the tubular members are coupled together so that all the tubular members are integrated. The tubular members include at least one protective tubular member. The protective tubular member is configured to accommodate a long object. The protective tubular member includes a first joint portion and a second joint portion. The first joint portion is formed to extend in a longitudinal direction of the protective tubular member. The second joint portion is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction. The second joint portion is configured to be joined to and disjoined from the first joint portion.

Disclosed herein is an element for a cable carrier, a printing device and a method assembling a cable carrier from segments. The cable carrier element comprises a frame surrounding an opening that is to receive a cable or a tube, or a bundle of cables or tubes. The frame comprises four frame members, wherein pairs of adjacent frame members form U-shaped portions of the frame. A right-hand side U-shaped portion is adjustably engaged with a left-hand side U-shaped portion such that the respective U-shaped portions are movable relative to each other along a first direction to vary a cross-sectional area of the opening. A bottom U-shaped portion is adjustably engaged with a top U-shaped portion such that the respective U-shaped portions are movable relative to each other along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to vary the cross-sectional area of the opening.

The invention relates to an energy chain for receiving and guiding cables, having pivotal chain links which adjoin one another in the longitudinal direction and each of which has cross members and comprises two side pieces lying opposite each other in a direction (q) transverse to the longitudinal direction (I), wherein the energy chain (5) includes a plurality of sections, each of which is designed in the form of two strand (7, 8) that are connected together by a deflecting region (6) extending about a deflecting arc. The energy chain can be moved about the deflecting arc, and each deflecting region (6) of the plurality of sections is guided on the inner face and the outer face thereof through guide elements (10) extending in an arc-shaped manner about the respective axis of the deflecting arc.

An integrated latching mechanism includes a slider button. At least one curved elastic arm extends from the slider button and is configured such that in response to an external force urging the slider button in a first direction, the curved elastic arm is distorted such that upon removal of the external force, the curved elastic arm moves the slider button in a direction opposite to the first direction. A locking part is contiguous with the slider button and extends away from the slider button. In response to the external force urging the slider button in the first direction, the locking part moves in the first direction, and upon removal of the external force, the curved elastic arm moves the locking part in the direction opposite to the first direction. The at least one curved elastic arm, the slider button, and the locking part form a single piece of elastic material.