JP2000159123A - Steering angle sensor and steering angle sensor built-in rotary connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lower the cost while reducing the number of part items of a steering angle sensor and reducing the thickness thereof by forming a circuit protecting chamber of a circuit board to be loaded with a circuit structural element for generating the rotating angle information in one surface side thereof and a housing for covering the circuit structural member from one surface side for protection. SOLUTION: A lower surface of a lower cover member 21 is formed with a recessed part 80 for housing a flange part 29 of an attachment member 28 and a recessed part 36 for housing a steering angle sensor 35. A circuit protecting chamber 68 is formed of a circuit board 41 to be loaded with a circuit structural member 56 for generating the rotating angle information with the rotation of a steering wheel in one surface side thereof and a housing 37 to be fitted to the circuit board 41 so as to cover the circuit board 41 from one surface side. With this structure, since one surface side of the circuit board 41 is covered with the housing 37 and the other surface side thereof is covered with the lower cover member 21, the circuit board 41 can be covered with the housing 37 and the lower cover 21 so as to cover the circuit structural member 56 from both sides in the thickness direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering angle sensor for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of a steering wheel of an automobile or the like, and an improvement of a rotary connector device incorporating the steering angle sensor incorporating the steering angle sensor. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor which incorporates a steering angle sensor for generating rotation angle information in accordance with rotation of a steering wheel.

FIG. 1 shows a rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor. The rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor is composed of an upper cover member 1 and a lower cover member 2, and the upper cover member 1 is not shown. It is connected to a steering wheel (not shown) via an engagement protrusion 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower cover member 2 is fixed to a base member 4 constituting a part of a combination switch device, and the base member 4 is fixed to a steering column (not shown).

The upper cover member 1 is rotatably supported by the lower cover member 2. In a space surrounded by the upper cover member 1 and the lower cover member 2, electric equipment (for example, an airbag module for operating an airbag, a horn switch for generating an alarm sound) provided in the steering wheel is provided. A spiral flexible flat cable 5 is built in to electrically connect the electrical equipment provided on the vehicle body to the electrical equipment provided on the vehicle body.

The lower cover member 2 is provided with a steering angle sensor 6 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel. The steering angle sensor 6 includes a circuit board 7, a lower housing 8, and an upper housing 9, as shown in FIGS.

The lower housing 8 and the upper housing 9 are formed with through holes 10 concentric with the steering shaft.
An annular drive gear 11 that is rotated with the rotation of the steering wheel is rotatably provided in the through hole 10. The upper housing 9 is provided with a bearing recess 14 that supports the driven gears 12 and 13 that are driven to rotate by meshing with the annular drive gear 11.

The driven gears 12 and 13 are integrally provided with a magnet 15. The circuit board 7 has a magnet 15
A circuit component (not shown) constituting a circuit for generating rotation angle information of the steering wheel based on a change in the magnetic field based on the rotation of the steering wheel is mounted.

The circuit board 7, the lower housing 8, and the upper housing 9 are integrally fixed by a tap screw 16, and the annular driving gear 11, and the driven gears 12, 13 are vertically surrounded by the lower housing 8 and the upper housing 9. Protected.

[0010]

However, in order to increase the degree of freedom in the design around the driver's seat, it is desirable that the rotary connector device incorporating the steering angle sensor has as few components as possible and has a compact and compact configuration. However, the conventional rotary connector device incorporating a rudder angle sensor,
Since the circuit board 7 as the heart of the steering angle sensor 6, the annular drive gear 11, and the driven gears 12 and 13 are surrounded by the lower housing 8 and the upper housing 9 from both sides in the direction in which the steering shaft extends, the steering is provided. There is a problem that the thickness of the angle sensor 6 increases in the direction in which the steering shaft extends, and that the rotary connector device incorporating the steering angle sensor becomes large.

Further, in the conventional rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor, there is also a problem that the location of the steering angle sensor is restricted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering angle sensor and a rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor which can reduce the number of parts and reduce the thickness and cost.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering angle sensor configured to constitute a circuit for generating rotation angle information with rotation of a steering wheel. A circuit protection chamber is formed by a circuit board on which elements are mounted on one surface side and a housing for covering and protecting the circuit components from the one surface side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering angle sensor according to the first aspect, wherein the electrical equipment on the steering wheel and the electrical equipment on the vehicle body are electrically connected. The other side of the circuit board is provided by the lower cover member of the rotary connector assembly having a lower cover member rotatably supporting an upper cover member rotated by the steering wheel. It is characterized by being coated.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the circuit component mounted on one side of the circuit board and forming a circuit for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel is a circuit board itself. And the housing for covering the circuit components from one side, the number of parts of the steering angle sensor itself can be reduced and the steering angle sensor itself can be made thinner. Further, in the assembled state, the lower cover member of the rotary connector assembly serves as a housing for the inclined angle sensor. In this assembled state, the lower cover member is covered from both sides in the thickness direction of the circuit board as in the related art. It is similar to the state where

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the steering angle sensor according to the third aspect of the present invention is provided with a circuit component constituting a circuit for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel. A housing for covering the circuit board from both sides in the thickness direction and protecting the circuit components is formed of an upper housing and a lower housing, and electrically connects the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body. A lower cover member provided with a spiral flexible flat cable and rotatably supporting an upper cover member rotated by the steering wheel is also used as the upper housing.

According to the steering angle sensor according to the third aspect, the circuit board on which the circuit components constituting the circuit for generating the rotation angle information with the rotation of the steering wheel are mounted is covered from both sides in the thickness direction. A part of the housing for protecting the circuit component is provided with a spiral flexible flat cable for electrically connecting the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side, and is rotated by the steering wheel. Since the upper cover member is also used as the lower cover member that rotatably supports, the number of components of the steering angle sensor itself can be reduced and the steering angle sensor can be made thinner.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering angle sensor for generating rotation angle information of a steering wheel based on an annular drive gear driven to rotate with the rotation of the steering wheel. A circuit protection chamber is formed by a circuit board on which a circuit component constituting a circuit to be mounted is mounted on one side and a housing for covering and protecting the circuit component from the one side, and the housing and the circuit board And a through hole is formed in the housing, and the housing has an annular peripheral wall concentrically with the through hole and rotatably supporting the annular driving gear, and the annular peripheral wall is cut at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction thereof. A notch is formed, and a stopper for the annular drive gear is detachably provided in the notch, and the stopper is fitted in the notch. And a pair of bearing portions that contact the outer peripheral portion of the annular drive gear and support the annular gear from the thickness direction thereof, and a pair of the outer peripheral surfaces that contact the annular peripheral wall and press the bearing portion toward the inner surface of the annular peripheral wall. And elastic wing pieces. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects of the present invention, the annular drive gear can be prevented from falling off with a simple structure.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary connector with a built-in steering angle sensor, wherein an upper cover member rotated by a steering wheel and a lower portion rotatably supporting the upper cover member are provided. A spiral flexible flat cable for electrically connecting the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side is accommodated between the cover member and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side, and the lower surface of the lower cover member is provided with the rotation of the steering wheel. A storage recess for storing a steering angle sensor that generates rotation angle information is formed, and the steering angle sensor is a circuit board on which a circuit component that forms a circuit that generates the rotation angle information is mounted on one surface side. The other side of the circuit board is covered with the lower cover member, and the one side of the circuit board is the circuit component. It covered by a housing to protect, wherein the circuit protection chamber by said and the lower cover member housing is formed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a circuit component mounted on one surface side of the circuit board and forming a circuit for generating rotation angle information with the rotation of the steering wheel is constituted by the circuit board itself and the circuit A spiral flexible flat cable is provided which protects the components by a housing which covers the one side and electrically connects the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side and is rotated by the steering wheel. Because the lower cover member that rotatably supports the upper cover member covers the other side of the circuit board,
The number of parts of the rotary connector device with the built-in steering angle sensor itself can be reduced, and the thickness and size can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary connector incorporating a steering angle sensor according to the fifth aspect, wherein the circuit board is sandwiched between the housing and the lower cover member. It is characterized by being. According to the invention described in claim 6, vibration of the circuit board can be reliably prevented.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An example of a steering angle sensor and a rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing an example of a rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor, and FIG. 7B is a part of a combination switch. It is the schematic which shows the attachment state of the rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor to the base member which comprises. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the steering angle sensor is incorporated in a storage recess formed on the lower surface of the lower cover member shown in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the steering angle sensor according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a top view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 9, and FIG.
1 is a side view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.
13 is a perspective view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 10 as viewed from above, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 11 as viewed from below, and FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the retaining member shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the retaining member shown in FIG. 19 is a partially enlarged view showing a state where the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 8 is attached to a notch portion, and FIGS. 19 to 21 are partially enlarged sectional views showing a state where the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 8 is attached to a lower cover member.

In FIG. 7A, reference numeral 20 denotes a rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor. The rotary connector device 20 incorporating the steering angle sensor includes a lower cover member 21.
And an upper cover member 22. Lower cover member 21
Is fixed to a known base member 4 which constitutes a part of the combination switch device as shown in FIG. An annular peripheral wall 23 is formed on the lower cover member 21, and the upper cover member 22 is rotatably supported by the annular peripheral wall 23.

An engagement projection 24 is formed on the upper cover member 22, and is connected to a steering wheel (not shown) by the engagement projection 24. The upper cover member 22 is rotated with the rotation of the steering wheel.

Lower cover member 21 and upper cover member 22
Is provided with a spiral flexible flat cable 25, one end of the spiral flexible flat cable 25 is fixed to the lower cover member 21, and the other end is fixed to the upper cover member 22.

The spiral flexible flat cable 25 plays a role of electrically connecting the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side. An insertion hole 26 through which the steering shaft is inserted is formed in the center of the upper cover member 22. A cylindrical wall 27 is formed in the upper cover member 22 so as to surround the insertion hole 26. The upper cover member 22 and the lower cover member 21 are connected in the axial direction by an attachment member 28.

The attachment member 28 has a flange portion 29 and elastically curved plate portions 30, 30 'as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
And An opening 31 is formed in the elastic curved plate portion 30. On the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 27, an abutting step portion 33 with which the upper end of the elastic curved plate portion 30 'abuts and an engaging claw 34 engaging with the opening 31 are formed at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction. I have.

As shown in FIG.
(B), as shown in FIG. 8, the storage recess 80 for storing the flange portion 29 of the attachment member 28 and the steering angle sensor 3
5 is formed therein. The steering angle sensor 35 has a thin plate shape as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the steering angle sensor 35 is generally composed of a housing 37, an annular driving gear 38, driven gears 39 and 40, and a circuit board 41.
A through hole 42 is formed in the center of the housing 37,
An annular peripheral wall 43 concentric with the through hole 42 is formed so as to surround the through hole 42. Notches 44 are formed in the annular peripheral wall 43 at appropriate intervals in the circumferential direction.

Bearing recesses 45 and 46 are formed in the housing 37 adjacent to the through hole 42. The driven gears 39 and 40 are rotatably supported in the bearing recesses 45 and 46. Holding holes 48, 47 are formed in the centers of the driven gears 39, 40, and magnets 49, 50 are fitted in the holding holes 47, 48.

The annular drive gear 38 has teeth 51, a pair of engaging claws 52, and an outer peripheral flange 53. A pair of engaging claws 5
8 is engaged with a pair of engagement recesses 54 formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 29 of the attachment member 28 as shown in FIG.

The circuit board 41 has through holes 55 corresponding to the through holes 42. On one surface side of the circuit board 41, a circuit component 56 for forming a circuit for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of the steering wheel is mounted. The annular drive gear 38 is rotatably supported by the annular peripheral wall 43, and is prevented from falling off by a retaining member 57.

The retaining member 57 includes a fitting portion 58 fitted into the cutout portion 44 of the annular peripheral wall 43 and an outer peripheral flange portion 53 of the annular drive gear 38 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
And a supporting portion 59 that supports the annular drive gear 38 from the thickness direction while contacting the annular peripheral wall 43 from the outer surface.
And a pair of elastic blade pieces 60 for pressing the inner peripheral wall 43 toward the inner surface of the annular peripheral wall 43.

The retaining member 57 is formed such that the height of the pair of elastic blade pieces 60 is higher than the height of the support portion 59.
The difference between the height of the pair of elastic wings 60 and the height of the support portion 59 allows the insertion direction into the notch portion 44 to be distinguished.
A chamfered portion 61 is formed on the surface in contact with the notch 4
The insertion resistance of the retaining member 57 is reduced when the retaining member 57 is inserted.

As shown in FIG. 18 (a), the annular drive gear 38 is prevented from coming off the annular peripheral wall 43 by the support portion 59 abutting against the outer peripheral flange portion 53. Fig. 1
As shown in FIG. 8B, the height of the retaining member 57 and the height of the annular peripheral wall 43 are flush with each other.

FIGS. 9, 11, and 1 show the housing 37.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 16, a connector portion 62 is provided, and the connector portion 62 is provided with a connector pin 63. The circuit board 41 is formed with connection holes 64 that are fitted to the connector pins 63 and are electrically connected to the connector pins 63 as shown in FIGS.

The outer and inner sides of the circuit board 41 are shown in FIG.
5, a small hole 65 for screw insertion is formed, and a screw hole 6 is formed in the housing 37 at a position corresponding to the small hole 65.
6, the housing 37 is attached to the circuit board 41 with tap screws 67 so as to cover the circuit board 41 from one side, and the circuit protection chamber 68 is formed by the circuit board 41 and the housing 37 as shown in FIG. Is formed.

The housing 37 and the circuit board 41 have the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), an insertion hole 69 and a notch 70 are formed to fix the steering angle sensor 35 to the lower cover member 21, and the lower cover member 21 is screwed with the steering angle sensor 35. (See FIG. 19A)
) And a positioning protrusion 72 (see FIG. 19B) for positioning the steering angle sensor 35. The steering angle sensor 35 is positioned by inserting the insertion hole 81 and the notch 82 into the positioning projection 72 (FIG. 19).
(B)), is fixed to the lower cover member 21 by fixing to the boss portion 71 using the fixing screw 73 (FIG. 19).
(C)). At this time, the circuit board 41 is sandwiched between the step 74 provided on the boss 71 and the tip of the holding cylinder 75 provided on the housing 37, and is provided on the step 37 provided on the positioning projection 72 and the housing 37. Positioning cylinder 7
6 and the front end of the motor. Thus, vibration of the circuit board 41 is prevented. The lower cover member 21 has an escape hole 77 for allowing the head of the tap screw 67 to escape.

The circuit board 41 has a housing 37 on one side.
The circuit board 41 is covered by the housing 37 and the lower cover member 21 from both sides in the thickness direction to protect the circuit components 56. The lower cover member 2 serves as the lower housing for the technology.
1 serves as a prior art upper housing.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board 4
Since the circuit protection chamber 68 is formed by the housing 37 covering the circuit board 41 from one side and the circuit board 41, the housing covering the circuit board 41 from the other side can be omitted. The thickness can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the housing covered from the side, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0041]

According to the rudder angle sensor and the rotary connector device incorporating the rudder angle sensor of the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced and the size, thickness and cost can be reduced. In addition, the thinning of the steering angle sensor increases the degree of freedom of assembling into the rotary connector device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state in which a conventional rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor is attached to a base member constituting a part of a combination switch device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional steering angle sensor when viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view when the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 3 is turned upside down.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.

6 is an exploded perspective view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a perspective view of the rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor;
(B) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a rotary connector device with a built-in steering angle sensor is attached to a base member forming a part of a combination switch member.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a steering angle sensor is incorporated in a storage recess formed on a lower surface of a lower cover member shown in FIG.

9 is a side view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 9;

12 is a side view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 11 as viewed from the direction of arrow X.

13 is a perspective view when the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 8 is viewed from above.

14 is a perspective view when the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 13 is viewed upside down.

15 is an exploded view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.

16 is an exploded view of the steering angle sensor shown in FIG.

17 is an enlarged view of the retaining member shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, (a) is a front view thereof, and (b) is a plan view thereof.

18 is a partially enlarged view showing a state in which the retaining member shown in FIG. 17 is attached to the cutout portion of the annular peripheral wall shown in FIG. 15, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view. .

19A and 19B show a state in which the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 8 is attached to a lower cover member, FIG. 19A is a partially enlarged view for explaining a state in which the housing is fixed to the lower cover member by tap screws, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a state in which the steering angle sensor shown in FIG. 8 is positioned on the lower cover member. FIG. 8C shows a relief portion for releasing a head of a tap screw for fastening the housing and the circuit board to the lower cover member. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a state formed in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 35 Rudder angle sensor 37 Housing 41 Circuit board 56 Circuit component 68 Circuit protection room

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A circuit board on which a circuit component forming a circuit for generating rotation angle information in accordance with the rotation of a steering wheel is mounted on one side, and the circuit component is covered from the one side and protected. A circuit protection chamber is formed by the housing and the steering angle sensor. 2. The upper cover member according to claim 1, further comprising a spiral flexible flat cable for electrically connecting the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side, and rotated by the steering wheel. A rotatable connector assembly having a lower cover member rotatably supporting the circuit board, the lower surface of the circuit board being covered by the lower cover member. 3. A housing for covering a circuit board on which a circuit component constituting a circuit for generating rotation angle information with the rotation of the steering wheel is mounted from both sides in a thickness direction and protecting the circuit component is provided at an upper portion. An upper cover member formed of a housing and a lower housing, provided with a spiral flexible flat cable for electrically connecting the electric equipment on the steering wheel side and the electric equipment on the vehicle body side, and an upper cover member rotated by the steering wheel. A steering angle sensor, wherein a lower cover member rotatably supported is also used for the upper housing. 4. A circuit board on which a circuit component constituting a circuit for generating rotation angle information of the steering wheel based on an annular driving gear driven to rotate with the rotation of the steering wheel is mounted on one surface side, and A circuit protection chamber is formed by a housing for covering and protecting the circuit component from the one surface side, a through hole is formed in the housing and the circuit board, and the housing is concentric with the through hole and the annular shape. An annular peripheral wall for rotatably supporting the drive gear; a notch formed in the annular peripheral wall at appropriate intervals in a circumferential direction of the annular peripheral wall; a retaining member for the annular drive gear in the notch; Is detachably provided, and the stopper member is in contact with a fitting portion fitted into the notch portion and an outer peripheral portion of the annular drive gear, and fixes the annular drive gear to its thickness. A steering angle sensor, comprising: a bearing portion for supporting the bearing member from an opposite direction; and a pair of elastic blade pieces that contact the outer peripheral wall with the outer peripheral surface and press the bearing portion toward the inner surface of the annular peripheral wall. 5. An electric equipment on the steering wheel side and an electric equipment on the vehicle body side are electrically connected between an upper cover member rotated by the steering wheel and a lower cover member rotatably supporting the upper cover member. And a storage recess for storing a steering angle sensor for generating rotation angle information with rotation of the steering wheel is formed on the lower surface of the lower cover member. Comprises a circuit board on which a circuit component constituting a circuit for generating the rotation angle information is mounted on one side, and the other side of the circuit board is covered by the lower cover member, and one side of the circuit board Is covered by a housing for protecting the circuit components, and the lower cover member and the housing cover the circuit. A rotary connector device incorporating a steering angle sensor, wherein a protection chamber is formed. 6. The rotary connector device according to claim 5, wherein the circuit board is sandwiched between the housing and the lower cover member.