Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R16/00—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for
  • B60R16/02—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements
  • B60R16/023—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
  • B60R16/027—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems between relatively movable parts of the vehicle, e.g. between steering wheel and column
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R35/00—Flexible or turnable line connectors, i.e. the rotation angle being limited
  • H01R35/02—Flexible line connectors without frictional contact members
  • H01R35/025—Flexible line connectors without frictional contact members having a flexible conductor wound around a rotation axis

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of rotary electrical contactors.
• the present invention relates to contactors of the type comprising:
• a flexible electrically conductive member placed between the fixed element and the movable element of the housing and connected to them.
• the present invention finds particular, but not exclusively, application to the transmission of electrical signals between means linked to the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, for example an inflation system of airbag type protective bag and means of independent control of the steering wheel linked to the steering column.
• the present invention now aims to improve the known rotary electrical contactors.
• a contactor of the known type comprising two housing elements capable of relative rotation, a flexible conducting member placed between these two elements, an intermediate element, placed between the two housing elements, freely movable by relative to them, and the flexible conductive member is curved in a loop on the intermediate element, characterized in that the intermediate element defines an auxiliary chamber, between itself and one of the housing elements, adapted to receive a variable number of turns of the flexible conducting member corresponding to a substantially constant length of this member, depending on whether these turns are pressed against said intermediate element or said associated housing element defining the auxiliary chamber, during a relative rotation movement of the two housing elements without significant relative rotation between said intermediate element and the other housing element, and by the fact that said housing element defining the auxiliary chamber in combination with the intermediate element, is equipped with a tongue capable of pivoting between a first retracted position on said housing element when the contactor is driven in a direction which tends to press said conductive member against this element, and a second position in which said tongue extends across
• the auxiliary chamber is a chamber internal to the intermediate element defined between the intermediate element and a central element making up one of the two housing elements.
• the auxiliary chamber is defined between the intermediate element and the element of the mobile mobile housing.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a rotary electrical contactor according to the present invention in a first direction of relative rotation
• FIG. 2 shows another similar cross-sectional view of the same contactor, in a second direction of relative rotation of the two basic elements making up the housing
• FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a rotary electrical contactor according to the present invention.
• a rotary electrical contactor mainly comprising a first fixed box element 100, a second mobile rotating box element 200, an electrically conductive member 300 and an intermediate element 400.
• the first fixed housing element 100 defines an external cylindrical cage
• the second mobile housing element with rotation 200 defines a central cylindrical cage.
• this arrangement can be reversed in the sense that the fixed housing element could be central while the mobile element would define an external cage.
• the fixed and mobile housing elements 100, 200 can be the subject of numerous embodiments, in particular as regards the structure defining the housing for receiving the conductive member 300, their respective method of fixing and their mode of electrical connection with the ends of the conductive member 300, or of receiving them by crossing the ends of this conductor 300. For this reason, the particular structure of the housing elements 100, 200 will not be described in detail by the following.
• the flexible electrically conducting member 300 can also be the subject of numerous embodiments. In a manner known per se, it may for example be a bundle of electrically conductive wires insulated from one another, or preferably a printed circuit or a flexible plastic film provided with several parallel metallized tracks.
• the ends of the flexible conductor 300 are respectively connected to electrical contacts placed in connector bodies provided on the housing elements 100, 200, or else the ends of the flexible conductor 300 pass through and are supported by these housing elements 100, 200 for be connected to external peripheral members such as, for example, a protective bag inflation system such as an airbag and means for controlling such a system.
• a protective bag inflation system such as an airbag and means for controlling such a system.
• the relative axis of rotation of the housing elements 100, 200 is referenced 0-0.
• the intermediate element 400 is placed between the housing elements 100, 200.
• the intermediate element 400 is freely movable relative to the housing elements 100, 200, that is to say that unlike certain contactors previously proposed, such as described for example in documents FR-A-2665805 and US-A-5046951, the intermediate element 400 is not connected to the housing elements 100, 200 by at least one drive pinion defining a predetermined and imposed displacement ratio between the intermediate element 400 and said housing elements 100, 200.
• the intermediate element 400 is simply guided in rotation about the aforementioned axis 0-0, between the housing elements 100 and 200.
• this chamber 402 is adapted to receive a variable number of turns of the conductive member 300 corresponding to a length that is substantially constant of this member, depending on whether these turns are pressed against said intermediate element, or against the associated housing element 200 defining the auxiliary chamber, during a relative movement by rotation of the two housing elements 100, 200, without relative rotation sensitive between said intermediate element 400 and the other housing element 100.
• the flexible conductive member 300 is curved in a loop on the intermediate element 400.
• the winding directions of the conductive member 300 in the auxiliary chamber 402 (clockwise towards the center of rotation 0-0) is opposite to the winding direction of the same conductive member 300 on the outside of the intermediate member 400 (clockwise shows away from the center of rotation OO).
• the auxiliary chamber 402 has a cross section in the general shape of a crescent.
• the intermediate element 400 is defined mainly by two cylindrical walls 410, 420, of different radius.
• the external cylindrical wall 410 is centered on the axis of rotation OO.
• the internal cylindrical wall 420 of lower radius is eccentric relative to the axis of rotation OO.
• the two walls 410, 420 are joined tangentially.
• Bedroom auxiliary 402 is defined between the internal cylindrical wall 420 and the cylindrical rotor of the housing element 200.
• the intermediate element 400 In its zone 430 diametrically opposite to the zone 422 of connection between the walls 410, 420, the intermediate element 400 has a through opening 432, of generally radial orientation relative to the axis of rotation O-O.
• this opening 432 is preferably curved, for example in the form of a semi-cylindrical sector, to be tangentially connected respectively to the internal surface of the wall 420 and to the external surface of the wall 410.
• the curved shape of the opening 432 in which the conductive member 300 is engaged and at the level of which the flexible conductive member is curved in a loop as indicated previously, is designed to avoid injuring this conductor 300.
• the housing element 200 which defines the auxiliary chamber 402 in combination with the intermediate element 400 carries a tongue 500 capable of pivoting.
• the tongue 500 is made of at least semi-rigid material. It is advantageously plastic.
• the tongue 500 is pivotally mounted on the housing element 200 around an axis 502 parallel to the axis 0-0 of pivoting of the contactor.
• the tongue 500 extends in a general direction transverse to the axis
• the tongue 500 is pivotally mounted on the element 200 in the vicinity of one of its ends.
• the tongue 500 is placed opposite a housing 220 formed in a generally annular crown 210 of the element 200.
• the tongue 500 has a generally curved shape concave towards the center 0-0 of the contactor.
• the tongue 500 is tapered towards its free end opposite the pivot axis 502. Its main surfaces 504, 506 respectively external and internal are delimited by generatrices parallel to the axis O-O. These main surfaces 504, 506 converge towards the free end of the tongue 500.
• the external surface 504 of the tongue 500 is preferably generally cylindrical of revolution with a radius of curvature identical to that of the external surface of the crown 210 .
• the internal surface 506 of the tongue is also preferably generally cylindrical of revolution, with a radius of curvature less than that of the external surface 504.
• the internal surface 506 is advantageously complementary to the surface 222 of the crown 210 defining the bottom of the housing 220.
• the region of the conductive tape 300 adjacent to its radially internal end fixed to the element 200 passes between said surface 222 defining the bottom of the housing 220 and the internal surface 506 of the tongue 500.
• the free end 510 of the tongue 500 is radiated, that is to say that its external surface
• the tongue 500 covers an opening angular around the 0-0 axis of rotation of the contactor of the order of 60 °.
• the tongue 500 extends counterclockwise from its pivot axis 502, according to the arbitrary representation given in the appended figures.
• the tab 500 is designed to alternately occupy two positions: a) a first position illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the tab 500 is retracted into the housing 220, obtained when the contactor is driven in one direction which tends to press the conductive tape 300 against the element 200, that is to say a rotation of the element 200 clockwise, and b) a second position illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the tongue 500 extends across the auxiliary chamber 402, between the element 200 and the intermediate element 400 obtained when the contactor is driven in the opposite direction, that is to say for a rotation of the element 200 counterclockwise.
• the conductive tape 300 leaves the outer chamber formed between the outer surface of the element intermediate 400 and the internal surface of the housing element 100, to wrap around the outside diameter of the housing element 200.
• the conductive tape 300 undergoes a stress when passing through the opening 432.
• the intermediate element 400 is located consequently driven in rotation by the conductive tape 300 concentrically with the axis 0-0.
• the tongue 500 is pressed into the retracted position in the housing 220. Its external surface 504 defined with the external surface of the crown 210 a continuous diameter and not injurious to the ribbon 300.
• the free part of the ribbon 300 wound around the outside diameter of the housing element 200 can then unwind towards the internal surface of the intermediate element 400, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2.
• the portion of the tape 300 placed in the housing 220 biases the internal surface 506 of the tongue 500 radially outward.
• the ribbon 300 thus causes the rotation of the tongue 500 around the axis 502 in the second position, until the free end of the tongue 500 comes to rest against a turn of the ribbon 300 adjacent to the internal surface of the intermediate element 400.
• the ribbon 300 is pressed against the concave surface 433 of the opening 432.
• the conductive tape 300 then drives the intermediate element 400 anti-clockwise, and the conductive tape 300 leaves the auxiliary chamber 402 and takes place between the exterior surface of the 'intermediate element 400 and the internal surface of the housing element 100.
• the strip 300 is again subjected to a stress in the opening 432, more precisely on the concave surface 433 thereof.
• the tongue 500 is again placed in second position, that is to say transversely to the auxiliary chamber 402 as illustrated in FIG. 2.
• the internal surface 506 of the tongue 500 forms in the second position (FIG. 2), in combination with the internal surface of the intermediate element 400, a continuous connection zone which allows the ribbon 300 to have a natural, non-injurious winding.
• the free end of the tongue 500 slides without difficulty on the strip 300 or the internal face of the intermediate element 400, thanks to its radiated geometry, although the inclination of the tongue 500 relative to the internal surface of the intermediate element 400 varies during the rotation of the element 200 due to the eccentricity of the auxiliary chamber 402.
• the tongue 500 serves to support the ribbon 300 and stiffens it. It thus avoids turning the ribbon 300 over on itself in the auxiliary chamber 402 when the element 200 is driven in a counter-clockwise direction.
• the auxiliary chamber 402 is preferably dimensioned to receive a length of conductive tape 300 corresponding to approximately 80% of the relative displacements required for use between the housing elements 100, 200 without causing displacement of the intermediate element 400.
• the rotary electrical contactor which has just been described makes it possible to use shorter lengths of tape compared to the devices previously proposed.
• the rotary electrical contactor allows the ribbon 300 of short length to be used in two specific configurations depending on the angular travel of the device.
• the first configuration corresponds to short deflections, typically a relative rotation between the housing elements 100, 200 less than one revolution.
• the ribbon is unwound from the outside diameter of the central housing element 200 towards the internal surface of the intermediate element 400 and vice versa as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
• the rotary electrical contactor requires only a reduced length of conductive tape 300 compared to previous devices which require such loosening and tightening of the turns of the strip 300 for the entire authorized relative rotation range between the housing elements 100 and 200.
• the second operating configuration of the contactor according to the invention corresponds to an entire travel, that is to say to a relative rotation between the housing elements 100, 200 over the maximum authorized range.
• the reversal of the strip 300 is used in the opening 432 of the intermediate element 400. As has been demonstrated previously, this reversal makes it possible to limit the length of the strip 300 relative to the contactors in which the ribbon 300 is shaped in a single spiral without turning.
• the present invention therefore offers many advantages over prior art rotary electrical contactors. It allows in particular to use a ribbon 300 of shortened length while limiting the stresses applied to the ribbon 300. In fact, in 80% of the operation of the contactor, the ribbon 300 is not moved relative to the opening 432 of the 'intermediate element 400 and therefore does not undergo any particular constraint.
• the invention could easily be transposed to a variant according to which the auxiliary chamber 402 is formed not on the interior of the intermediate element 400 but on the exterior thereof, that is to say between the exterior surface of the intermediate element 400 and the internal surface of the housing element 100.
• the tongue 500 is pivotally carried by this housing element 100.
• the length of flexible conductive member 300 placed in the auxiliary chamber 402 is of the order of half of the total length of this member 300.
• the rotary electrical switch described above has an eccentric auxiliary chamber 402.
• the flexible conductor 300 comes to be pressed against the internal surface of the cylindrical wall 420 of the intermediate element 400, it applies a tilting torque on the latter causing an arcing of this intermediate element.
• a first resistant torque occurs due to the friction of the turns of the flexible conductor 300 between them and a resistant torque due to the friction of the intermediate element 400 relative to the elements 100, 200 of the housing.
• the mobile element 200 tends to entrain the intermediate element 400 which eliminates the torque due to the bracing.
• stops may be provided, on the rotary electrical contactor, between the fixed element 100 and the movable element 200, or even between the intermediate element 400 and one of these elements 100 or 200, to limit the authorized angle of rotation, for example and not limited to five turns, between the elements 100 and 200.
• two extreme configurations authorized for the flexible conductive member 300 can be provided: one in which the member flexible conductor is fully wound, in the form of tight turns on the central element 200 of the auxiliary chamber 402 and the other in which the flexible conductive member 300 is integrally disposed in the chamber between the intermediate element 400 and the member external 100.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9495968

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (3)

• 1996
  • 1996-09-23 FR FR9611557A patent/FR2753842B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1997
  • 1997-09-22 EP EP97942072A patent/EP0927114A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-09-22 WO PCT/FR1997/001666 patent/WO1998012074A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-09-22 BR BR9712099-5A patent/BR9712099A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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