JP2001069657A - Rotational connecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent unusual noise which is produced by sliding of a flexible flat cable by inverting the outer end of the spiral flat cable in a direction opposite to the direction of the spiral through an inversion guide placed inside an outer case. SOLUTION: The direction of the outer end of a flat cable 10 is inverted by an inversion guide 21, and the outer end is then coupled with a terminal member 5a installed on an outer case 9. A projection 22 is formed on the inverted portion 10a of the flat cable on the opposite side to the inversion guide 21 at a prescribed distance from the inversion guide 21, so that when the spiral flat cable 10 is slackened, the projection prevents the inverted portion 10a of the flat cable from shifting clockwise. Thus, the entire spiral flat cable 10 is pushed toward the opposite side to the inversion guide 21, and consequently unusual noise resulting from the shifting of the flat cable is prevented from being produced, even if vibration is applied thereto.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotary connection device used for a rotating part such as a steering wheel of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, in an automobile, a steering wheel 3 of a steering shaft 2 rotatably supported on a body 1 side has an air bag 4, a horn switch, and the like built therein. is there. In this case, the steering wheel 3
Since the side rotates, the wire harness 17 on the body 1 side and the wire harness 18 such as the airbag 4 on the steering wheel 3 side are twisted with the rotation, and the electric wires of the respective wire harnesses 17 and 18 are directly connected. Can not be connected to.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a rotor (inner case) 7 which is non-rotatably mounted on the steering wheel 3 with a pin 7a and a base case 8 which is non-rotatably mounted on the body 1 side. A flexible flat cable (FFC ... flexible flat cable) 10 is looped into a loop space in an annular space between the case (outer case) 9 to be attached, and the rotor 7 and the case 9 are connected by a C ring 11. Rotational connection device for steering 12 connected to be rotatable relative to each other
Is provided.

A combination switch 15 having a direction indicating lever 13, a wiper lever 14, and the like is incorporated in the base case 8 on the body 1 side, and the direction indicating lever 13 is returned to the OFF position when the steering wheel 3 is turned back. Boss 16 is fixed to the steering wheel 3 by a pin portion 16a so as not to rotate.

The connector 17b of the wire harness 6 connected to the inner end of the conductor of the flexible flat cable 10 is fitted into the connector 18a of the wire harness 18 such as the airbag 4 in the terminal member 6a. The flexible flat cable 10 is wound by fitting the connector 17c of the wire harness 5 connected to the outer end of the conductor of the flexible flat cable 10 into the connector 17a of the wire harness 17 on the body side in the member 5a. The wire harness 18 such as the airbag 4 on the steering wheel 3 side and the wire harness 17 on the body 1 side are electrically connected by utilizing the tightness and the looseness of the winding. Reference numeral 7b in FIG. 5 denotes a holder provided on the inner case 7, and a terminal member 6a is mounted on the holder 7b. Similarly, reference numeral 9b denotes a holder provided on the outer case 9, and a terminal member 5a is mounted on the holder 9b.

[0006]

By the way, the rotor 7
The flexible flat cable 10 provided in the annular space between the housing 9 and the case 9 changes as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C depending on the rotation state of the steering wheel 3. FIG. 6A shows a state where the steering wheel 3 is at the right rotation end position, and FIG. 6B shows a state where the steering wheel 3 is at the left rotation end position.
(C) shows a state in which the steering wheel 3 is at an intermediate position.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the steering wheel 3 is rotated to the right rotation end position, the flexible flat cable 10 is wound around the rotor 7 (tightly wound). State). On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in (b), when the steering wheel 3 is rotated to the left rotation end position, the flexible flat cable 10 is stuck to the inner surface of the case 9 (loosened state). Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), when the steering wheel 3 is rotated to an intermediate position, the flexible flat cable 10 moves between the inner cable portion and the outer cable portion approaching each other. And has a spiral shape. In this case, the winding state of the flexible flat cable 10 is different every time the steering wheel 3 is operated, and it is extremely rare that the state becomes constant.

Therefore, when the steering wheel 3 is rotated to the left and right rotation end positions as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the flexible flat cable 10 is almost fixed to the rotor 7 and the case 9. There is no problem. However, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the steering wheel 3 is rotated to an intermediate position,
The flexible flat cable 10 slides easily because the flexible flat cable 10 has a gap between the inner cable portion and the outer cable portion that are close to each other, and does not form a spiral state. And move.

For this reason, if the steering rotary connection device 12 is vibrated as the vehicle travels,
There is a problem that abnormal noise is generated by sliding movement of the flexible flat cable 10.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and provides a rotary connection device capable of preventing abnormal noise generated by sliding movement of a flexible flat cable. With the goal.

[0011]

According to the rotary connection device of the present invention, a flexible flat cable is spirally accommodated in an annular space formed by an inner case and an outer case which are relatively rotatably provided. A rotary connection device, wherein the spiral flat cable has a configuration in which the outer end is inverted in a direction opposite to the spiral direction by an inversion guide provided inside the outer case. And

In this configuration, since the outer portion of the spiral flexible flat cable is inverted by the inversion guide, the whole of the spiral flat cable is formed by the elasticity of the inverted portion. The flat cable is pushed to the opposite side to the reversing guide, and as a result, the flat cable becomes difficult to move, and even when subjected to vibration, generation of abnormal noise due to the movement of the flat cable is prevented.

[0013] In the rotary connection device of the present invention, it is preferable that the reversing guide has a configuration in which a flat cable guide surface is formed to have a curved surface having a predetermined radius of curvature or more.

In this configuration, since the flat cable is guided through the reversing guide having the flat cable guide surface, the flat cable is prevented from being bent. In other words, when the flat cable guide surface is sharp, for example, at an acute angle, the flat cable is bent when the flat cable is guided around the guide surface when the spiral flat cable is wound around the inner case. On the other hand, in the case of this configuration, it is possible to prevent the flat cable from bending by forming the flat cable guide surface with a curved surface having a predetermined radius of curvature or more that can prevent bending.

Here, the term "bending" means that the inverted portion of the flat cable is bent without returning to the original shape.

In the rotary connection device according to the present invention, the projection for restricting movement of the flat cable reversal part, the reversal direction of which has been reversed by the reversal guide, by loosening the spiral flat cable, is provided. From the flat cable reversing part to the moving side of the flat cable reversing part.

In this configuration, when the flat cable having a spiral shape is loosened, that is, when a force in a direction opposite to the direction in which the flat cable is wound around the inner case is applied to the flat cable, the flat cable is reversed by the reversing guide. In some cases, the flat cable portion may move away from the reversing guide, but the movement is restricted by the protrusion. Therefore, when the spiral flat cable is loosened, the bent flat cable is prevented from being bent by the inverted flat cable being pushed toward the outer case by the loosened spiral flat cable. can do.

[0018] In the rotary connection device of the present invention, a configuration may be adopted in which a regulating means for regulating the spiral flat cable from expanding outward is provided inside the outer case.

With this configuration, the flat cable portion which is inverted by the reversing guide pushes the spiral flat cable due to its elasticity, and the regulating means pushes the spiral flat cable. In addition, it is possible to more effectively prevent the spiral flat cable from moving due to vibration. At this time, it is preferable that the regulating means be provided on the opposite side of the reversing guide with the spiral flat cable interposed therebetween. In this way, the spiral flat cable is pushed from the opposite side to the inner case, and the flat cable portion away from the pushing position is greatly bent to increase the elastic force. However, the flat cable becomes extremely difficult to move, and the generation of abnormal noise is extremely effectively prevented.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a rotary connection device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 corresponds to FIG.
This shows a state where the steering wheel is at an intermediate position. The same parts as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this rotary connection device, a flexible flat cable 10 is spirally housed in an annular space formed by an inner case 7 and an outer case 9 which are provided so as to be relatively rotatable. The inner case 7 is non-rotatably mounted on the steering wheel, and the outer case 9 is non-rotatably mounted on the base case on the body side.
Rotate relative to.

The inner end of the spiral flat cable 10 is electrically connected to an external wire harness at a terminal member 6a attached to the inner case 7. On the other hand, the outer end of the flat cable 10 is
After being guided and turned in the opposite direction, the terminal member 5a is guided to the terminal member 5a attached to the outer case 9, and the terminal member 5a
Is electrically connected to an external wire harness.

In the illustrated example, the reversing guide 21 is formed in a substantially J-shape, and guides the flat cable 10. It is attached to the surface 9a. The radius of curvature of the arc-shaped guide surface 21a is the flat cable 1
0 is set to a value not less than the value at which the flat cable reversal portion 10a bent and inverted by the guide surface 21a is not bent. The guide surface 21a is not limited to the arc shape, but may be another curved surface shape.

A projection 22 is provided on the opposite side of the flat cable reversing portion 10a from the reversing guide 21 at a predetermined distance from the reversing guide 21. This projection 2
2. When the spiral flat cable 10 is loosened, that is, when the inner case 7 rotates clockwise,
The flat cable reversing portion 10a is provided to restrict the clockwise movement.

In the rotary connection device of the first embodiment configured as described above, since the outer end of the flat cable 10 is reversed in direction by being guided by the reversing guide 21, the reversed flat cable reversal is performed. Due to the elasticity of the portion 10a, the entire spiral flat cable 10 is pushed to the side opposite to the reversing guide 21. For this reason, as shown in FIG.
Accordingly, even if the flat cable 10 has a spiral shape with a gap between the inner cable portion and the outer cable portion approaching each other, the flat cable portion 1
Due to the elasticity of 0a, the entire spiral flat cable 10 is pushed to the opposite side to the reversing guide 21. As a result, the flat cable becomes difficult to move. Sound generation can be prevented.

Further, since the projection 22 is provided near the reversing guide 21, the spiral flat cable 10 is provided.
Is loosened, that is, when the inner case 7 rotates clockwise, the flat cable reversal portion 10a can be restricted from moving clockwise. As a result, when the spiral flat cable 10 is loosened, the inverted flat cable inverted portion 10a is pushed by the loosened spiral flat cable 10 toward the outer case 9 side. The bending of the flat cable 10 can be prevented. (Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a rotary connection device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 corresponds to FIG.
This shows a state where the steering wheel is at an intermediate position. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The rotary connection device of the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a regulating means 23 is provided on the inner surface 9a of the outer case 9.

The regulating means 23 regulates that the spiral flat cable 10 expands outward.
The reversing guide 21 is provided on the opposite side of the spiral flat cable 10 with a spiral shape.

In the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and in addition,
Therefore, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

When the regulating means 23 is provided,
The reversing guide 21 and the restricting means 23 push the spiral flat cable 10 from the opposite side to the inner case 7 side, and the pressing position, that is, the flat cable 10 separated from the reversing guide 21 and the restricting means 23. The portion will be bent significantly to provide elasticity. For this reason, even if it receives vibration, the flat cable 10 becomes extremely difficult to move, and the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented very effectively. Note that the regulating means 23 may be made of a material having elasticity such as a spring, or may be made of a material that does not deform.

In the second embodiment, the regulating means 23 is provided with the reversing guide 21 with the spiral flat cable 10 interposed therebetween.
However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the regulating means 23 may be provided at a position slightly deviated clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the reversing guide 21. In such a case, substantially the same effect as in the second embodiment is obtained. can get. On the other hand, when the regulating means 23 is provided close to the reversing guide 21,
The flat cable reversal portion 10a reversed by
Due to the elasticity, the spiral flat cable 10 is pushed to the inner case 7 side, and the regulating means 23 pushes the spiral flat cable 10 to the inner case 7 side, as compared with the case according to the first embodiment. In addition, it is possible to more effectively prevent the spiral flat cable 10 from moving due to vibration.

In the above description, the case where the rotary connection device according to the present invention is provided in the steering portion of an automobile is described as an example. In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied to a place where the flat cable may generate abnormal noise due to vibration or the like.

[0033]

As described in detail above, in the rotary connection device of the present invention, since the outer portion of the spiral flat cable is inverted by the inversion guide, the elasticity of the inverted portion causes The entire spiral flat cable is pushed to the opposite side of the reversing guide, which makes it difficult for the flat cable to move, and prevents the generation of abnormal noise due to the movement of the flat cable even if it is subjected to vibration. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a rotary connection device according to a first embodiment, showing a state where a steering wheel is at an intermediate position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a rotary connection device according to a second embodiment, showing a state where a steering wheel is at an intermediate position.

FIG. 3 is an exploded front view of a steering unit having a rotary connection device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front sectional view of the assembly in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary connection device for steering.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a conventional rotary connection device for steering, in which (a) shows a state in which the steering wheel is at a right rotation end position, and (b) shows a state in which the steering wheel is at a left rotation end position. , (C) shows a state in which the steering wheel is at an intermediate position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 7 inner case 9 outer case 10 flat cable 10a flat cable reversal part 21 reversal guide 21a guide surface 22 protrusion 23 regulating means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Ota 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in Harness Research Institute, Ltd. 3D030 DB25

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A rotary connection device in which a flexible flat cable is spirally accommodated in an annular space formed by an inner case and an outer case which are relatively rotatably provided, wherein the spiral flat device has a spiral shape. A rotary connection device wherein the outer end of the cable is inverted in a direction opposite to the spiral direction by an inversion guide provided inside the outer case. 2. The rotary connection device according to claim 1, wherein the reverse guide has a flat cable guide surface formed with a curved surface having a radius of curvature equal to or greater than a predetermined radius of curvature. 3. A flat cable reversal part whose reversal guide is reversed by a reversing guide, a projection for restricting movement of the flat cable reversal part by loosening a spiral flat cable, is provided from the reversal guide to the flat cable reversal part. The rotary connection device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation connection device is provided at a predetermined distance from a moving side of the rotary connection. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein a regulating means for regulating the spiral flat cable from expanding outward is provided inside the outer case. Rotary connection device. 5. The rotary connection device according to claim 4, wherein the restricting means is provided on a side opposite to the reversing guide with a spiral flat cable interposed therebetween.