JP5795026B2 - Rotating connector device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary connector device. Specifically, the present invention relates to a configuration for confirming that a rotator (second case) is in a neutral position by visually recognizing a reverse portion of a cable.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a rotary connector device for electrically connecting a rotating side and a fixed side, for example, a car steering side and a vehicle body side. In general, the steering of an automobile has a configuration such as an airbag that requires a reliable operation in an emergency. For this reason, a rotary connector device having a configuration in which the steering side and the vehicle body side are connected by a flat cable or the like without using a low-reliability sliding electrode or the like is employed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses this type of rotary connector device. This rotary connector device includes an outer case (first case, stator), an inner case (second case, rotator), and a flat cable.

  The inner case is rotatable relative to the outer case. The flat cable is disposed in a space formed between the inner case and the outer case. Further, after the flat cable is wound in one direction, the direction in which the flat cable is wound is reversed into a U shape and wound in the reverse direction.

  With this configuration, the inner case can be rotated in one direction or in the opposite direction by an amount corresponding to the length of the extra flat cable.

  Here, the rotating connector device needs to be attached to the automobile in a state where the number of times the inner case can be rotated in one direction and the number of times the inner case can be rotated in the opposite direction are equal. In the following description, the position of the inner case at this time is referred to as a neutral position, and the state at this time is referred to as a neutral state.

  In patent document 1, the structure which forms a visual recognition window in an inner side case is considered in consideration of the point which must attach a rotation connector apparatus in a neutral state. When the inner case is in the neutral position, the position of the viewing window is considered so that the inverted portion (U-shaped portion) of the flat cable can be viewed from the viewing window.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, a neutral state can be reliably confirmed even when there are a plurality of flat cables by providing a predetermined mark at a portion corresponding to the inverted portion of the flat cable.

JP 2007-320450 A

  Here, the thickness part of a flat cable can be visually recognized from the visual recognition window formed in the inner side case. However, since the thickness of the flat cable is very thin, it may take time to confirm the neutral state or the neutral state may not be confirmed.

  In addition, the flat cable is disposed in a space between the outer case and the inner case, but external light may not easily enter the space. Therefore, the visibility of this space is poor, and it may be difficult to confirm the neutral state.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a rotary connector device that can easily confirm a neutral state by improving the visibility of a flat cable from a viewing window. It is in.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

According to the viewpoint of this invention, the rotation connector apparatus of the following structures is provided. That is, the rotary connector device includes a first case, a second case, and a cable. The second case is attached to be rotatable relative to the first case. The cable has a band shape, is disposed in an annular cable housing space formed between the first case and the second case, and is wound in one direction and in the opposite direction. The second case is formed with a viewing window through which a reversing portion, which is a portion where the rotation direction of the cable changes, is visible when the second case is in a neutral position. The second case includes a lens for enlarging and displaying the cable visible from the viewing window. A sheet-like member is affixed inside the position corresponding to the reversal portion of the cable, and the sheet-like member swells inside the cable when the cable is reversed.

Thereby, since the strip-shaped cable is thin and difficult to visually recognize, the visibility of the cable can be improved by providing the viewing window with an enlargement function. Therefore, it can be surely checked that the second case is in the neutral position. Further, when the second case is in the neutral position by attaching the sheet-like member, the folded portion and the sheet-like member can be visually recognized from the viewing window, so that the neutral position of the second case is more reliably checked. be able to.

  In the rotary connector device, it is preferable that the color of the portion of the first case that is visible from the viewing window is higher in brightness than the color of the other portion of the first case.

  Thereby, since the cable accommodation space can be displayed brightly by effectively utilizing the light entering from the viewing window, the visibility of the cable can be further improved.

  In the rotary connector device, it is preferable that a color of a portion of the first case visible from the viewing window is different from a color of the cable.

  Thereby, since a cable can be made to stand out, the visibility of a cable can be improved further.

  In the rotary connector device, it is preferable that a light entrance window for entering light is formed in a portion of the first case that is visible from the viewing window.

  Thereby, since light can enter into the cable housing space from the light entrance window in addition to the viewing window, the cable housing space can be displayed brightly and the visibility of the cable can be further improved.

1 is an external perspective view showing an overall configuration of a steering roll connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The exploded perspective view of a steering roll connector. The perspective view which shows the mode of the flexible flat cable accommodated in the accommodation space, and a retainer. The top view of a steering roll connector. The figure which compares the structure of the flexible flat cable visible from a visual recognition window, and a visual recognition window with a prior art example. The figure which shows the flexible flat cable which concerns on a modification.

  Next, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A steering roll connector (rotary connector device) 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a cable housing 13. The cable housing 13 includes a stator (first case) 11 and a rotator (second case) 12 that can rotate relative to each other.

  The stator 11 is fixed to an appropriate member on the vehicle body side, for example, a combination bracket switch (not shown) of a steering column. A through hole 19 is formed in the center of the cable housing 13, and a steering shaft supported by the steering column is inserted into the hole 19. The stator 11 is attached so as to be rotatable relative to the steering shaft, while the rotator 12 is configured to rotate integrally with the steering shaft. The steering wheel (rotating operation tool) is fixed to the steering shaft.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the stator 11 includes a fixed-side ring plate 21 and a cylindrical outer tube portion 31 fixed to an outer edge portion of the fixed-side ring plate 21. The rotator 12 includes a rotation-side ring plate 22 formed in a ring shape, and a cylindrical inner cylinder portion 32 extending perpendicularly from the inner edge of the rotation-side ring plate 22. The rotator 12 can rotate relative to the stator 11 around the same axis as the rotation axis of the steering shaft.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stator 11 is formed with an insertion hole 11a, and the rotator 12 is formed with a locking recess 12a. A fixing pin 17 for preventing rotation can be inserted into the insertion hole 11a. The fixing pin 17 is formed with a locking projection 17a. The fixing pin 17 is inserted into the insertion hole 11a and the locking projection 17a is engaged with the locking recess 12a. The rotator 12 can be locked so as not to rotate.

  When the steering roll connector 1 is attached to the vehicle body, the fixing pin 17 has a position where the rotator 12 is in a neutral position (a position where the rotator 12 is rotated to the maximum clockwise and a position where the rotator 12 is rotated to the maximum counterclockwise) The steering roll connector 1 is temporarily attached at the time of manufacture so as not to deviate from the intermediate position. Thereby, the efficiency of the assembly | attachment operation | work to the vehicle body of the steering roll connector 1 can be improved, and an assembly mistake can be prevented. After the steering roll connector 1 is properly attached to the vehicle body, the rotator 12 can be rotated with respect to the stator 11 by breaking the fixing pin 17 at the base of the insertion portion into the insertion hole 11a. Become.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, triangular marks are respectively formed on the fixed side ring plate 21 and the rotary side ring plate 22. This indicates that the rotator 12 is in the neutral position (that is, in the neutral state) when the positions of the respective triangular marks coincide.

  A first connector 41 is attached to the stator 11, and a second connector 42 is attached to the rotator 12. The second connector 42 rotates integrally with the rotation of the rotator 12. These connectors 41 and 42 are configured to be connectable to cables (not shown) drawn from external electric circuits (for example, horn switches, airbag modules, power supplies, etc.).

  The first connector 41 is disposed on the fixed ring plate 21, and the second connector 42 is disposed on the rotation ring plate 22. The first connector 41 and the second connector 42 are electrically connected to each other by a flexible flat cable (cable) 14 disposed inside the cable housing 13.

  The fixed side ring plate 21 and the rotation side ring plate 22 face each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotator 12 and are arranged so as to connect the outer cylinder part 31 and the inner cylinder part 32 respectively. Moreover, the inner cylinder part 32 is arrange | positioned inside the outer cylinder part 31, and the outer cylinder part 31 and the inner cylinder part 32 are arrange | positioned so that it may mutually face in a radial direction. With the above configuration, the accommodation space 15 that is an annular space surrounded by the two ring plates 21 and 22 and the two cylindrical portions 31 and 32 is formed.

  A sleeve 16 is fixed to the rotator 12. A protrusion 58 is formed on the sleeve 16, and a claw 59 is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 58 of the rotator 12. The sleeve 16 is attached to the rotator 12 so as not to rotate relative to the claw 59 by hooking the protrusion 58.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the retainer 25 and the flexible flat cable 14 are accommodated inside the accommodation space 15.

  The flexible flat cable 14 is accommodated in an appropriately wound state. Further, the base ring 26 is configured as a plate-like member formed in an annular shape, and is disposed in the vicinity of the fixed-side ring plate 21. The base ring 26 is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis of the rotator 12. The rotating rollers 27 are arranged on the one surface side of the base ring 26 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and each is provided to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the rotating shaft of the rotator 12.

  Next, a configuration in which the flexible flat cable 14 is accommodated in the accommodating space 15 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The flexible flat cable 14 is accommodated in the accommodating space 15 so as to be wound in the circumferential direction while being positioned on the surface of the base ring 26 on which the rotating roller 27 is disposed. In the present embodiment, two flexible flat cables 14 are accommodated as shown in FIG. The first end portions 14 a and 14 a of the two flexible flat cables 14 are connected to the first connector 41. The second end portions 14 b and 14 b are connected to the second connector 42.

  The two flexible flat cables 14 are each pulled out from the first connector 41 to the accommodation space 15, and are wound clockwise along the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 31 so that the two overlap.

  In addition, one of the two flexible flat cables 14 is folded back in a U-shape at the first reversing unit 61 to reverse the direction. In the vicinity of the first reversing part 61, one rotating roller 27 and a guide wall 63 are arranged. The rotating roller 27 contacts the first reversing portion 61 of the flexible flat cable 14 from the inside, and guides the flexible flat cable 14. Further, the guide wall 63 abuts the first inversion portion 61 of the flexible flat cable 14 from the outside, and guides the flexible flat cable 14. With the above configuration, the flexible flat cable 14 passes between the rotating roller 27 and the guide wall 63 and reverses the direction so as to be wound around the rotating roller 27.

  The other flexible flat cable 14 is folded back in a U shape at the second reversing portion 62 and reversed in direction. Although the rotation roller 27 and the guide wall 63 are not disposed in the vicinity of the second reversing part 62, a sufficient space is secured for the flexible flat cable 14 to reverse its direction in a U shape.

  After the flexible flat cable 14 is reversed in direction at the reversing portions 61 and 62, the flexible flat cable 14 is wound counterclockwise along the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 32. Then, the flexible flat cable 14 is finally pulled out from the accommodation space 15 and connected to the second connector 42 side.

  Thus, the flexible flat cable 14 is wound inside the housing space 15 so as to have an appropriate length of slack, and the length of the slack is determined by the rotation of the rotator 12 relative to the stator 11. Change. In the steering roll connector 1 of the present embodiment, the retainer 25 is appropriately rotated so as to follow the change in the slack length, so that the flexible flat cable 14 can be held in an always aligned state in the accommodation space 15. it can.

  Specifically, it is as follows. For example, when the rotator 12 rotates clockwise as viewed in FIG. 3, the portion of the flexible flat cable 14 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 32 also rotates clockwise. Then, the flexible flat cable 14 is rewound from the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 32. Then, the flexible flat cable 14 whose winding direction is reversed by the reversing portions 61 and 62 is wound around the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 31. At this time, the 1st inversion part 61 of the flexible flat cable 14 applies force to the guide wall 63, and rotates the retainer 25 whole clockwise. Thereby, the flexible flat cable 14 can be appropriately guided by the rotating roller 27 provided in the retainer 25 so that the flexible flat cable 14 is not bent in the accommodating space 15. As described above, the rotator 12 can be rotated clockwise until the flexible flat cable 14 is completely rewound from the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 32.

  Conversely, when the rotator 12 rotates counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, the portion of the flexible flat cable 14 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 32 also rotates counterclockwise. Then, the flexible flat cable 14 is rewound from the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 31, the winding direction is reversed by the reversing portions 61 and 62, and wound around the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 32. At this time, the 1st inversion part 61 of the flexible flat cable 14 applies force to the rotating roller 27, and rotates the retainer 25 whole counterclockwise. As described above, the rotator 12 can be rotated counterclockwise until the flexible flat cable 14 is completely rewound from the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 31.

  As described above, the rotator 12 and the retainer 25 rotate in the same direction. At this time, the retainer 25 rotates at a reduced speed as compared with the rotation of the rotator 12. That is, since the reversing parts 61 and 62 move slowly as compared with the rotational speed of the rotator 12, the retainer 25 also rotates slower than the rotator 12 correspondingly.

  Next, a configuration for confirming that the steering roll connector 1 is in a neutral state will be described with further reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As described above, the steering roll connector 1 is fixed in the neutral state by the fixing pin 17 and is attached to the vehicle body while maintaining the neutral state.

  However, when the steering roll connector 1 is removed for repair, the fixing pin 17 has already been removed. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the steering roll connector 1 to the neutral state and attach it to the vehicle body again. Of course, the above-described triangular mark can be used, but the rotator 12 can be rotated by one or more rotations with respect to the stator 11, so that there is a possibility that the rotator 12 is attached with a deviation of one round. There are also steering roll connectors that are not marked with a triangular mark.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, focusing on the fact that the second reversing part 62 of the flexible flat cable 14 moves according to the rotation of the rotator 12, the neutral state is detected using the position of the second reversing part 62.

  Specifically, a visual recognition window 70 is formed in the rotator 12 (specifically, the rotation-side ring plate 22), and the flexible flat cable 14 disposed in the accommodation space 15 is visible. Further, when the steering roll connector 1 is in a neutral state, the position of the viewing window 70 and the rotational position of the flexible flat cable 14 are determined so that the second reversing portion 62 is displayed at the center of the viewing window 70. (See FIG. 4 etc.).

  Here, since the accommodation space 15 is covered with the stator 11 and the rotator 12, it is difficult for light to enter. Furthermore, although the thickness of the flexible flat cable 14 is mainly visually recognized from the visual recognition window 70, the thickness of the flexible flat cable 14 is very thin. Due to the above circumstances, the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 has been very poor as shown in FIG.

  In this regard, in this embodiment, the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 is improved by having two features.

  The first feature is that the viewing window 70 has a magnifying glass function. Specifically, a transparent plate 71 for preventing foreign matter from entering and a spherical lens 72 for enlarging the flexible flat cable 14 are attached to the viewing window 70. The spherical lens 72 is focused on the flexible flat cable 14.

  With this configuration, the flexible flat cable 14 can be enlarged and displayed as shown in FIG. 5A, so that the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 can be improved.

  Note that the transparent plate 71 may be omitted and only the spherical lens 72 may be attached to the viewing window 70. In addition, if the flexible flat cable 14 can be enlarged, appropriate components can be attached instead of the spherical lens 72. For example, an aspheric lens 73 may be attached instead of the spherical lens 72 (see FIG. 5C).

  The second feature is that, in addition to the viewing window 70, as shown in FIG. 2, a light incident window 75 is formed in the stator 11 (specifically, the fixed-side ring plate 21). The light entrance window 75 is a part for putting external light into the accommodation space 15, and a transparent plate for preventing foreign matter from being mixed is attached to the formed hole.

  Moreover, when confirming a neutral state, it is usually considered that the neutral state is often in a state close to that. Therefore, the position of the light entrance window 75 in the neutral state is designed to correspond to the position of the viewing window 70.

  In addition, the position and magnitude | size which form the light entrance window 75 are arbitrary, and can be changed suitably. For example, it may be formed larger than the viewing window 70 in order to increase the amount of light entering the accommodation space 15 and to improve the visibility even when shifted from the neutral state. Moreover, you may form in the side surface of the outer side cylinder part 31 instead of the stationary ring plate 21.

  Further, instead of the light entrance window 75, the color of the corresponding part may be changed. For example, since the accommodation space 15 can be brightened by using a color with high brightness, the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 can be improved.

  Furthermore, the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 can be further improved by making this color different from the color of the flexible flat cable 14. However, since the flexible flat cable 14 is generally white, it is preferable to use a color other than white.

  As described above, since the present application has the characteristics of enlarging the flexible flat cable 14 and the characteristics of brightening the accommodation space 15, the visibility of the flexible flat cable 14 is dramatically improved as compared with the conventional case. This can be improved (see FIGS. 5A and 5D).

  As described above, the steering roll connector 1 of the present embodiment includes the stator 11, the rotator 12, and the flexible flat cable 14. The rotator 12 is attached to the stator 11 so as to be relatively rotatable. The flexible flat cable 14 is disposed in an annular housing space 15 formed between the stator 11 and the rotator 12 and wound in one direction and the opposite direction. The rotator 12 is formed with a viewing window 70 through which the second reversing part 62, which is a portion where the rotational direction of the flexible flat cable 14 changes, can be viewed when the rotator 12 is in the neutral position. The rotator 12 includes a spherical lens 72 that enlarges and displays the flexible flat cable 14 that can be seen from the viewing window 70.

  Thereby, since the flexible flat cable 14 is thin, it is difficult to visually recognize, so that the visibility can be improved by providing the viewing window 70 with an enlargement function. Therefore, it can be surely checked that the rotator 12 is in the neutral position.

  Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of this modification, the same or similar members as those in the above-described embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and description thereof may be omitted.

  This modification is a portion corresponding to the second reversing portion 62 of the flexible flat cable 14 and has a configuration in which a sheet-like member 78 is attached to the inner surface thereof.

  The sheet-like member 78 has a rectangular shape, and only the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the flexible flat cable 14 are fixed. With this configuration, when the flexible flat cable 14 is bent into a U-shape, the sheet-like member 78 protrudes inside the flexible flat cable 14.

  Thereby, when the rotation phase of the flexible flat cable 14 is appropriate, the sheet-like member 78 can be visually recognized in addition to the second reversing portion 62 from the viewing window 70, so the rotation phase of the flexible flat cable 14 can be checked more reliably. Can do.

  The preferred embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, but the above configuration can be modified as follows, for example.

  The direction in which the flexible flat cable 14 is wound in the cable housing 13 may be opposite to the above embodiment. Further, the number of the flexible flat cables 14 to be accommodated may be one or three or more as necessary.

  In the above embodiment, the retainer 25 is disposed on the steering roll connector 1, but it can be changed to a rotary connector device in which the retainer is omitted.

  The sensor built-in rotation connector of the present invention is not limited to automobile steering, and can be widely used for the purpose of electrically connecting the rotation side and the fixed side.

1 Steering roll connector (rotary connector device)
11 Stator (first case)
12 Rotator (second case)
14 Flexible flat cable (cable)
15 Housing space (cable housing space)
21 Fixed ring plate 22 Rotating ring plate 70 Viewing window 71 Transparent plate 72 Spherical lens (lens)
73 Aspherical lens
75 Light entrance window 78 Sheet-like member

Claims (4)

The first case;
A second case attached to be rotatable relative to the first case;
A belt-like cable disposed in an annular cable housing space formed between the first case and the second case and wound in one direction and in the opposite direction;
With
The second case is formed with a viewing window in which a reversing portion that is a portion in which the rotation direction of the cable changes when the second case is in a neutral position can be visually recognized.
The second case includes a lens for enlarging and displaying the cable visible from the viewing window.
A sheet-like member is affixed inside the position corresponding to the reversal portion of the cable,
The sheet-like member swells inside the cable when the cable is inverted . The rotary connector device according to claim 1,
The rotary connector device according to claim 1, wherein a color of a portion of the first case that is visible from the viewing window has a higher brightness than a color of another portion of the first case. The rotary connector device according to claim 1 or 2,
The rotary connector device according to claim 1, wherein a color of a portion of the first case visible from the viewing window is different from a color of the cable. The rotary connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A rotary connector device, wherein a light entrance window for entering light is formed in a portion of the first case visible from the viewing window.

Images