Device for connecting speedometer to flexible shaft

Claim 1

An assembly comprising a speedometer, a flexible shaft, and a device for connecting said flexible shaft to said speedometer, said speedometer including an axially extending stem with an outer circumferential surface, an annular groove formed in and extending around said circumferential surface, a rotating shaft extending through said stem, said flexible shaft includes an axially extending inner shaft, said inner shaft is coupled to and rotates said rotating shaft, said device comprises a connecting tube formed of a synthetic resin, said connecting tube includes a front tube part positioned around said stem, said front tube part having a pair of diametrically opposite piercing holes, a rear tube part positioned around said flexible shaft, said front tube part having a larger diameter than said rear tube part, and a tapered tube part extending between and interconnecting said front and rear tube parts with the axes of said front, tapered, and rear tube parts disposed in axial alignment, a lever formed integrally with said connecting tube at the location of the connection of said tapered tube part to said front tube part, said lever connected to said connecting tube by a thin walled hinge part and said lever being pivotally displaceable between a first position standing upwardly from said connecting tube and a second position pivoted downwardly toward and extending in the axial direction of said front tube part, a U-shaped arm extending transversely of and formed integrally with said lever at a location between the opposite ends of said arm, the opposite ends of said U-shaped arm being elastically deformable toward and away from one another, each of said opposite ends has a claw extending toward said claw on the other said opposite end, said U-shaped arm is dimensioned to fit around said front tube part and is displaceable with said lever from the first position where it is spaced from said front tube part into the second position where it fits partly around the outside surface of said front part and initially said claws deform outwardly away from one another and then said claws engage into said piercing holes with the inner ends of said claws engaging into said annular groove formed in the circumferential surface of said stem when said front tube part fits over said stem.