JP2001001909A - Roll connector mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To certainly prevent looseness in the mounting condition, and also reduce a cost by reducing the number of part items and man-hour for mounting. SOLUTION: Three first mounting holes 11 and two second mounting holes 12 for mounting a roll connector 5 are formed in a base plate 3 fixed on a steering column side. On the resin stator 6 of the roll connector 5, an engagement member 13a (metallic spring piece) and two engagement members 13b (resin spring pieces) which are inserted in and engaged with the first mounting holes 11 are integrally formed, and also a pair of resin spring members 14 inserted in the second mounting holes 12 is integrally formed. The spring member 14 has an engagement slant surface which abuts on the edge part of the mounting hole 12 under a condition that it is temporally fixed to the edge part when the spring member 14 is inserted in the second mounting hole 12. Therefore, force to push the stator 6 in the direction of the base plate 3 is generated by abutting the engagement slant surface on the edge part of the second mounting hole 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roll connector mounting structure for electrically connecting an external wiring on a steering wheel side and an external wiring on a steering column side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a roll connector has been used as an apparatus for electrically connecting a steering wheel and a steering column of an automobile. As such a roll connector, conventionally, an annular resin stator attached and fixed around a steering shaft,
A flexible flat cable having a configuration in which a flexible flat cable is spirally accommodated is provided in an annular space formed in a casing formed of an annular resin rotor provided on the steering wheel side so as to rotate integrally therewith.

When the roll connector is mounted at a predetermined position, conventionally, a metal base plate having a plurality of mounting holes formed at predetermined positions is fixed to a steering column side, and is integrally formed on a stator mounting surface side. The engaging member made of a metal spring and a plurality of resin engaging members integrally formed on the mounting surface side are engaged with the mounting hole. Further, in this case, in order to prevent the roll connector from rattling, a plurality of resin bosses are provided by integral molding on the mounting surface side of the stator, and compression coil springs are mounted around each boss portion, respectively. There is a configuration in which the spring force acts between the stator and the base plate.

However, in such a configuration, a plurality of separate compression coil springs are required, which increases the cost of parts and prevents the compression coil spring from dropping off during the mounting process of the roll connector. In such a case, there is a problem that the number of man-hours required for the mounting increases, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost generally rises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reliably prevent rattling in a mounted state and to reduce the number of parts and the number of steps for mounting. It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll connector mounting structure that can be realized to reduce costs.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resin stator fixed to a steering column and a steering wheel integrally rotated with the steering wheel to achieve the above object. In a roll connector mounting structure, an electric connection means for connecting the external wiring on the steering column side and the external wiring on the steering wheel side is provided in a casing comprising a rotor provided on the steering column side. A base plate that is fixed and has first and second mounting holes formed at predetermined locations, and is integrally formed on the stator mounting surface side of the stator so as to correspond to the first mounting hole;
An engaging member that is inserted into the first mounting hole and engages with an edge of the mounting hole in a non-removable state; and a mounting fixing surface side of the stator that corresponds to the second mounting hole. It is integrally formed, and when it is inserted into the second mounting hole, it comes into contact with the edge of the mounting hole in a retaining state, and generates a force for pressing the stator in the direction of the base plate in accordance with the contact. And a resin spring member having an engagement slope.

According to this configuration, when the roll connector is mounted on the base plate, the engagement member and the spring member provided on the stator of the roll connector are provided by the first plate having the base plate fixed to the steering column side. And the second mounting hole. Then, the engaging member inserted into the first mounting hole is engaged with the edge of the mounting hole in a retaining state, and the spring member inserted into the second mounting hole. In this configuration, the engaging slope of the second fitting hole is brought into contact with the edge of the mounting hole in a retaining state, and the contact between the engaging slope and the edge of the second mounting hole is prevented. Accordingly, a force for pressing the stator in the direction of the base plate is generated. With such a pressing force,
The looseness of the roll connector in the mounted state can be reliably prevented. In this case, since the spring member is formed integrally with the stator made of resin, a separate compression coil spring as in the conventional configuration is not required. As a result,
In addition to reducing the number of parts, it is possible to reduce the number of steps for mounting the roll connector by eliminating the necessity for preventing the compression coil spring from falling off, and to realize a reduction in cost as a whole. .

[0008] As in the second aspect of the present invention, at least one pair of the spring members is provided, and the pair of spring members are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval, and the engaging slopes of the spring members are opposed to each other. It can be configured to be arranged in a state of being held. According to this configuration, the force for pressing the stator in the base plate direction uniformly acts according to the contact between the engagement slopes of the spring members and the edge of the second mounting hole. The rattling prevention effect of the roll connector can be reliably exhibited.

Further, as in the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the engaging members are provided, one of which is constituted by a metal spring piece, and the remaining engaging members are integrated with the stator. It may be constituted by a molded resin spring piece.
According to this configuration, the mounting state of the roll connector can be reliably maintained by the engaging member made of a metal spring piece, and the mounting reliability can be enhanced. In addition, the other engaging members are made of resin. Since it is formed integrally with the stator, an increase in cost due to an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, to achieve the above object, a resin stator attached to a steering column side and a rotor provided on a steering wheel side so as to rotate integrally therewith. In a roll connector mounting structure in which an electric connection means for connecting the external wiring on the steering column side and the external wiring on the steering wheel side is provided in a casing having the above structure, the roll connector is fixed to the steering column side and at least predetermined A base plate having first and second mounting holes formed at positions opposed to each other with an interval; and a protrusion integrally formed on the mounting fixed surface side of the stator so as to correspond to the first mounting hole. Having an engagement slope that is inserted into the first attachment hole and abuts against an edge of the attachment hole in a retaining state, and the engagement slope is A first spring member that generates a force for pressing the stator in the direction of the base plate and a force in the direction of the second mounting hole according to contact with an edge of the first mounting hole; And is integrally formed on the side of the mounting fixing surface so as to correspond to the second mounting hole, and restricts the movement of the stator in the insertion direction at the edge of the mounting hole in a state where the stator is inserted into the second mounting hole. A second resin member having a concave-convex engaging portion that generates a force for pressing the stator in the direction of the first mounting hole in accordance with the contact. It is what it was.

According to this configuration, when the roll connector is mounted on the base plate, the first and second spring members protruding from the stator of the roll connector are connected to the base plate fixed to the steering column. Respectively inserted into the first and second mounting holes. Then, in the first spring member, the engaging inclined surface of the first spring member comes into contact with the edge of the first mounting hole in a retaining state, and the engaging inclined surface and the first mounting hole are brought into contact with each other. A force for pressing the stator in the direction of the base plate and a force in the direction of the second mounting hole are generated in accordance with the abutment with the edge portion. Also, the second
In the spring member of (1), the movement of the stator in the insertion direction is restricted by bringing the concave-convex engaging portion of the spring member into contact with the edge of the second mounting hole. A force for pressing the stator in the direction of the first mounting hole is generated according to the contact between the first mounting hole and the edge of the second mounting hole. In this manner, the first spring member presses the stator in the direction of the base plate and applies a force to the stator in the direction of the second mounting hole (that is, in the direction of the second spring member). As a result of the spring member restricting the movement of the stator in the insertion direction and applying a force toward the first mounting hole direction (that is, the first spring member direction) to the stator, the roll in the mounted state is obtained. The rattling of the connector can be reliably prevented. In addition, since the compression coil spring of a separate component, which is required in the conventional configuration, is not required, the number of components can be reduced, and a device for preventing the compression coil spring from dropping out is not required, so that the roll connector can be mounted. Since the number of steps can be reduced, the cost can be reduced as a whole.

In this case, as in the invention described in claim 5,
The first spring member may be constituted by a metal spring piece, and the second spring member may be constituted by a resin spring piece integrally formed with the stator. According to this configuration, the mounting state of the roll connector can be reliably maintained by the first spring member made of a metal spring piece, and its mounting reliability can be enhanced. Further, the second spring member is made of resin. Because it can be integrally molded with the stator of
The increase in cost can be suppressed.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically shows a structure around a steering column of an automobile. In FIG. 1, a circular mounting hole 3a of a bracket 3 made of, for example, an iron plate (corresponding to a base plate in the present invention) is fitted around the sub tube 2 through which the steering shaft 1 passes. The bracket 3 is fixed in an arrangement perpendicular to the steering shaft 1 in accordance with the fitting.
The bracket 3 serves as a mounting portion for a first switch unit 4 for light / turn signal / dimer and a second switch unit (not shown) for a wiper washer. And a wing 3c for the second switch unit.

In this case, the first switch unit 4 has a pair of slits 4a, 4a on both sides thereof into which both edges of the wing portion 3b are fitted while sliding. An engagement protrusion 4b elastically engaged with the provided engagement hole 3d is formed, and thus is configured to be detachably attached to the bracket 3. The second switch unit (not shown) also has the same mounting structure as the first switch unit 4, and the wing portion 3c is provided with an engagement hole 3e.
Note that the inside of the circular hole 3a of the bracket 3 (the inside of the sub tube 2)
, A well-known cancel cam sleeve (not shown) enters.

The roll connector 5 is formed in an annular shape having a circular hole 5a through which the steering shaft 1 penetrates, and the cancel cam sleeve (not shown) is located in the circular hole 5a. The roll connector 5 has an annular resin stator 6 attached and fixed so as to be located at the center of the bracket 3 (particularly around the steering shaft 1), and is integrally rotated with the steering wheel (not shown). And a flexible resin cable (corresponding to an electric connection means according to the present invention) not shown in the figure. It is configured to be housed in a spiral shape. In this case, the flexible flat cable has an inner peripheral end connected to an external wiring (not shown) on the steering wheel side via a connector 9 provided on the rotor 7, for example, and has an inner peripheral end connected thereto. It is connected to an external wiring (not shown) on the steering column side via a connector 10 provided on the stator 6. The stator 6 has one opening portion of the cylindrical peripheral wall portion 6a and the bottom plate 6
b, and has a structure in which the rotor 7 is rotatably housed therein.

The bracket 3 has the roll connector 5
Are formed, for example, three first mounting holes 12 and, for example, two second mounting holes 12. In this case, the first mounting hole 11 is
are arranged so as to be distributed at three points around a, and
The second mounting holes 12 are arranged to face each other with the mounting hole 3a interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the roll connector 5 has a bottom plate 6b (mounting fixed surface) of a stator 6 thereof.
At each position on the side corresponding to the first mounting hole 11,
One engagement member 13a made of a metal spring piece and two engagement members 13b made of a resin spring piece are integrally formed so as to protrude. In this case, the base of the engagement member 13a is supported and fixed to the stator 6 by, for example, fitting means. The other two engagement members 13b are formed integrally with the stator 6. And these engaging members 1
3a and 13b are shaped to engage with the edges of the mounting holes 11 in a state in which they are inserted into the corresponding first mounting holes 11 respectively.

Further, a pair of resin spring members 14 are formed integrally with the stator 6 at positions corresponding to the second mounting holes 12 on the bottom plate 6b side of the stator 6. As shown in FIG. 4, when the spring member 14 is inserted into the second mounting hole 12, the spring member 14 is attached to the distal end of the rod portion 14 a standing upright on the stator 6. And an engaging cam surface 14b that comes into contact with the edge of the mounting hole 12 when the engaging cam surface 14b passes through the second mounting hole 12. When the engagement slope 14c comes into contact with the edge of the second mounting hole 12 in a retaining state, the engagement slope 14c is formed in accordance with the contact. Is generated in the direction of the bracket 3. The pair of spring members 14 are arranged at a predetermined interval from each other and with the engaging slopes 14c facing each other.

On the bottom plate 6b side of the stator 6, three resin seats 15 are integrally formed so as to be distributed at three points around the circular hole 5a of the roll connector 5. In this case, the projecting dimension of each seat 15 is such that the spring member 14
(The engagement slope 14d is in the second position).
(In a state of contact with the edge portion of the mounting hole 12), the tip of the mounting hole 12 is set so as to contact the bracket 3.

When the roll connector 5 is mounted and fixed to the bracket 3, the engaging members 13a and 13b and the pair of spring members 14 provided on the stator 6 of the roll connector 5 are provided on the bracket 3. Into the first mounting hole 11 and the second mounting hole 12 respectively. Then, the engagement members 13a, 1
3b, it is engaged with the edge of the mounting hole 11 in a retaining state. Further, the spring member 14 inserted into the second mounting hole 12 comes into contact with the engaging slope 14 c of the spring member 14 against the edge of the mounting hole 12 in a state where the spring member 14 does not come off. A force for pressing the stator 6 in the direction of the bracket 3 is generated according to the contact between the slope 14 c and the edge of the second mounting hole 12. With such a pressing force, it is possible to reliably prevent the roll connector 5 in the mounted state from rattling. In this case, since the spring member 14 is formed integrally with the stator 6 made of resin, a separate compression coil spring as in the conventional configuration is not required. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, and a device for preventing the compression coil spring from dropping out becomes unnecessary, so that the number of steps for mounting the roll connector 5 can be reduced, so that the cost can be reduced as a whole. become.

The spring members 14 are provided in a pair and are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval, and are arranged with their engaging slopes 14c facing each other. The force for pressing the stator 6 (that is, the roll connector 5) in the direction of the bracket 3 according to the contact between the engaging slope 14c of the member 14 and the edge of the second mounting hole 12 acts uniformly. Thus, the rattling prevention effect of the roll connector 5 can be reliably exhibited.

Further, a total of three engaging members 13 are provided.
a and 13b, the engaging member 13a is formed of a metal spring piece, and the remaining two engaging members 13b are formed of a resin spring piece integrally formed with the stator 6; The state can be reliably maintained by the engaging member 13a made of a metal spring piece, and the mounting reliability thereof can be improved. In addition, the other two engaging members 1a
Since 3b can be integrally formed with the resin-made stator 6, an increase in cost due to an increase in the number of components can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 5 to 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention. Only the portions different from the first embodiment will be described below. In FIG. 5 showing the structure around the steering column of the automobile, a first mounting hole 16 for mounting the roll connector 5 and two second mounting holes 17 are formed in the bracket 3. In this case, the first mounting holes 16 and the second mounting holes 17, 17 are arranged so as to be distributed at three points around the mounting hole 3a of the bracket 3.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the roll connector 5 has a bottom plate 6b of the stator 6 (mounting and fixing surface).
A first spring member 18 is integrally formed at a position on the side corresponding to the first mounting hole 16. In this case, the base of the first spring member 18 is supported and fixed to the stator 6 by, for example, fitting means. The distal end portion of the first spring member 18 is bent so as to be engaged with the edge of the mounting hole 16 in a state in which it is inserted into the first mounting hole 16 in a retaining state. 18a is formed, and the force for pressing the stator 6 in the direction of the bracket 3 in accordance with the contact between the engagement slope 18a and the edge of the first mounting hole 16 and the direction of the second mounting hole 17 are formed. It is configured to generate a heading force.

Further, a second resin-made portion is provided at a position corresponding to the second mounting hole 17 on the bottom plate 6b side of the stator 6.
Are integrally formed with the stator 6. As shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 8, the second spring members 19 are inserted into the second mounting holes 17 and restrain the movement of the stator 6 in the insertion direction at the edges of the mounting holes 17. Having a concave-convex engaging portion 19a that generates a force for pressing the stator 6 in the direction of the first mounting hole 16 (in the direction of the first spring member 18) in accordance with the contact. It has become. The engaging portion 19a is formed in a relatively large uneven shape, and as shown in FIG. 8, each edge of the second mounting hole 17 in the axial direction contacts the adjacent slopes 19b and 19c, respectively. It comes into contact.

In the second embodiment, when the roll connector 5 is mounted and fixed to the bracket 3, the first spring member 18 and the second spring member 19 formed to protrude from the stator 6 of the roll connector 5 are connected. , Into the first mounting hole 16 and the second mounting hole 17 provided in the bracket 3 respectively. Then, the first insertion hole inserted into the first mounting hole 16 is
Of the spring member 18 of the
a is brought into contact with the edge of the first mounting hole 16 in a retaining state, and the stator 6 is moved in accordance with the contact between the engagement slope 18 a and the edge of the first mounting hole 16. Is generated in the direction of the second mounting hole 17 (in the direction of the second spring member 19). In the second spring member 19, the movement of the stator 6 in the above-described insertion direction is restricted by bringing the concave-convex engaging portion 19 a of the second spring member 19 into contact with the edge of the second mounting hole 17. At the same time, a force is generated that presses the stator 6 toward the first mounting hole 16 (toward the first spring member 18) in accordance with the contact between the engaging portion 19a and the edge of the second mounting hole 17. Become like

As described above, the stator 6 is pressed toward the bracket 3 by the first spring member 18 and a force is applied to the stator 6 toward the second mounting hole 17 (toward the second spring member 19). While the second
The movement of the stator 6 in the insertion direction is restricted by the spring member 19, and the first mounting hole 1 is
As a result, the force in the six directions (that is, the direction of the first spring member 18) is applied, so that the looseness of the roll connector 5 in the mounted state can be reliably prevented. Also in the second embodiment, the compression coil spring as a separate component, which is required in the conventional configuration, is not required. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced, and a device for preventing the compression coil spring from dropping off is provided. This eliminates the need to reduce the number of steps for mounting the roll connector, thereby reducing the cost as a whole.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be expanded or modified as described below. The casing 8 only needs to have at least the stator 6 made of resin, and the rotor 7 does not necessarily need to be made of resin. In the first embodiment, a total of three engaging members 13
a and 13b are provided, for example, the spring member 1
The number of the engaging members can be reduced by having the function of the engaging member by the number 4, and conversely, a configuration in which more engaging members are provided is also possible. In the second embodiment, the shape of the engaging portion 19a of the second spring member 19 is set to a relatively large uneven shape.
Any shape (for example, a relatively small uneven shape) that can restrict the movement of the stator 6 in the insertion direction in accordance with the contact with the edge of the nozzle 7 does not cause any problem. As the electrical connection means provided in the casing 8, a flexible flat cable is taken as an example, but other means may be used.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the roll connector mounting structure of the present invention, a spring member (Claim 1) or a second member integrally formed with a resin stator constituting the roll connector. Spring member (Claim 4)
By using this, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling in the mounted state of the roll connector, whereby the number of parts and the number of steps for mounting can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. This is a beneficial effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a main part showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the roll connector.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a roll connector.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing an attached state.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a steering shaft, 3 is a bracket (base plate), 5 is a roll connector, 6 is a stator, 7 is a rotor, 8 is a casing, 11 is a first mounting hole, and 12 is a second mounting hole.
Mounting holes, 13a and 13b are engaging members, 14 is a spring member, 16 is a first mounting hole, 17 is a second mounting hole, 18 is a first spring member, 18a is an engaging slope, and 19 is a A second spring member 19a indicates an engaging portion.

Claims (5)

[Claims] An external wiring on the steering column side is provided in a casing comprising a resin stator fixed to the steering column side and a rotor provided on the steering wheel side so as to rotate integrally therewith. In a roll connector mounting structure provided with electrical connection means for connecting to an external wiring on a steering wheel side, a roll connector is fixed to the steering column side and a first portion is provided at a predetermined position.
And a base plate formed with a second mounting hole, and integrally formed on the mounting fixed surface side of the stator so as to correspond to the first mounting hole, and inserted into the first mounting hole. An engaging member that engages with an edge of the mounting hole in the state in a retaining state, and is integrally formed on the mounting fixed surface side of the stator so as to correspond to the second mounting hole; A resin spring having an engagement slope which generates a force for pressing the stator in the direction of the base plate in accordance with the abutment while being in contact with the edge of the mounting hole in a state of being inserted into the mounting hole. And a member for mounting the roll connector. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one pair of the spring members is provided, and the pair of spring members are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval, and are arranged in a state where the engaging slopes of the spring members face each other. The mounting structure for a roll connector according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A plurality of said engaging members are provided, one of which is constituted by a metal spring piece, and the remaining engaging member is constituted by a resin spring piece integrally formed with said stator. The mounting structure for a roll connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. A casing comprising a resin stator attached and fixed to a steering column side and a rotor provided on the steering wheel side so as to rotate integrally therewith, wherein external wiring on the steering column side and the rotor are provided. In a roll connector mounting structure provided with electrical connection means for connecting to an external wiring on a steering wheel side, a first and a second are fixed to the steering column side and at least at positions opposed to each other with a predetermined space therebetween. A base plate having a mounting hole formed therein, and a protrusion integrally formed on a mounting fixing surface side of the stator so as to correspond to the first mounting hole, and the base plate being inserted into the first mounting hole. An engagement slope that comes into contact with an edge of the mounting hole in a retaining state, and the slide is formed in accordance with the abutment between the engagement slope and an edge of the first mounting hole. A first spring member for generating a force for pressing the motor in the direction of the base plate and a force in the direction of the second mounting hole; and a mounting surface of the stator corresponding to the second mounting hole. In a state where the stator is inserted into the second mounting hole and abuts on the edge of the mounting hole in a state where the movement of the stator in the insertion direction is restricted, the stator is moved in accordance with the contact. A second resin-made second member having a concave-convex engaging portion for generating a force for pressing in the direction of the first mounting hole;
And a spring member. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first spring member is formed of a metal spring piece, and the second spring member is formed of a resin spring piece integrally formed with the stator. 4. The mounting structure of the roll connector according to 4.