JP2002345140A - Cable reel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable reel which is thin and small in running torque. SOLUTION: In the cable reel 10, a guiding means, comprising a C-shaped ring member 18 and a plurality of rollers 19 rotatably supported on the ring member 18 at intervals, is placed in an annular hollow portion 24 formed by a fixed body 20 and a movable body 11. A flat cable 13 one end of which is fixed on the movable body 11, and the other end of which is fixed on the fixed body 20 is wound on the inner circumferential passage between an inner cylindrical portion 11d and the rollers 19 and on the outer circumferential passage between an outer cylindrical portion 12b and the rollers 19, so that the direction of winding is reversed. The middle portion of each of the rollers 19 is rotatably supported by the ring member 18, so that the roller axes are slanted. The inner cylinder-side portion of each of the rollers 19 is lifted above a bottom plate 15. The outer cylinder-side bottom end of each roller 19 is in contact with the bottom plate 15, and the inner cylinder-side portion thereof is in contact with the flat cable 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel mounted on a steering device of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a thin product and smooth rotation of the product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a flat cable housing chamber having an annular hollow portion is provided by a fixed body fixed to a steering column and a movable body fixed to a steering shaft. There is provided a cable reel in which a flat cable is rotatably accommodated in a room, wherein the flat cable is inverted and accommodated, and a plurality of rollers are rotatably provided in an annular hollow portion as a rotation guide member of the flat cable. ing.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a fixed body 1 comprising an outer frame 1a and a bottom plate 1b serving as an outer cylinder and a movable body 2 serving as an inner cylinder are relatively rotatably connected to each other. In an annular hollow portion 3 formed between the movable body 1 and the movable body 2,
A base plate 4 is rotatably mounted on the bottom plate 1b, and a group of rollers 5 is pivotally supported by pins 4b protruding from the base plate 4. A flat cable is provided between an inner peripheral passage 6 formed between the roller 5 and the inner cylindrical portion 2a formed of the movable body 2 and an outer peripheral passage 7 formed between the roller 5 and the outer frame 1a of the solid body 1. 3 is wound in a U-shape. One end of the flat cable 3 is fixed to the fixed body 1 and the other end is fixed to the movable body 2.

In the above cable reel, when the movable body 2 is rotated in one direction, the flat cable 3 is wound into the inner peripheral passage 6 while being inverted into a U shape through the rollers 5 serving as an inversion portion, while being movable. When the body 2 is rotated in the opposite direction, the flat cable 3 is rewound and sent out to the outer peripheral passage 7 side. In the reversing type cable reel described above,
There is an advantage that the length of the flat cable can be reduced as compared with a case where the flat cable is spirally wound around the storage space.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned cable reel, the roller 5 accommodated in the annular hollow portion 8 is not provided.
The base plate 4 is fitted and mounted in the groove 1c provided in the bottom plate 1b in order to support the cable reel at an interval, so that the thickness H of the bottom plate 1b is increased, so that the height H of the entire cable reel is reduced. There is a problem that the cable reel becomes large and the cable reel becomes large. Also,
Since the pins 4b for holding the rollers 5 project from the base plate 4 at required positions, the configuration is complicated, the size is increased, and the material cost is increased. Furthermore, when the shaft of the roller is rotatably penetrated by a bolt in order to prevent the roller from falling off, there is a problem that the number of parts and the number of working steps increase according to the number of rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cable reel which is improved in the support mechanism of the roller to reduce parts cost and man-hours, and is thin and has a small rotating torque. It is an issue.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a combination of a cylindrical fixed body and a movable body, and an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder surrounding an annular hollow portion serving as a flat cable accommodation chamber. Part, a bottom plate part and a top plate part, and a guide means comprising a C-shaped ring member and a plurality of rollers rotatably supported at intervals on the ring member is arranged in the annular hollow part, A flat cable having one end fixed to the movable body and the other end fixed to the fixed body is connected to an inner peripheral passage between the inner cylinder and the roller, and an outer periphery between the outer cylinder and the roller. In the cable reel wound around the passage with the winding direction reversed, the ring member holds the intermediate portion of each roller rotatably in a state where the roller axis is inclined obliquely, and the inner cylinder of each roller At least on the part side A cable reel is provided in which a part thereof comes into contact with a flat cable passing through the inner peripheral passage and at least a part of the outer cylinder part side is in contact with a bottom plate part made of the fixed body. .

With the above structure, the ring member for holding the roller is not disposed below the roller as in the conventional case, but is disposed at the intermediate portion of the roller.
The guide means of the flat cable is the thickness (height) of the roller
The product can be made thinner.

Further, by inclining the roller, the flat cable, which is a rotating object, comes into contact with the inner cylinder side of the roller, and the fixed body, which is a fixed object, comes into contact with the outer cylinder side of the roller. Therefore, since the two contact positions are axially symmetric, the roller rotates smoothly and stably,
The frictional resistance between the fixed body and the roller can be reduced, and irregular fluctuation of the rotational torque can be reduced.

The ring member is provided with bearing holes at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, the roller has a thread winding shape in which an annular concave portion at an intermediate portion in the axial direction is sandwiched between upper and lower large diameter portions, and the annular concave portion of the roller is The rollers are rotatably fitted in the bearing holes of the ring member, and the lower ends of the outer cylinders are in contact with the bottom plate while the inner cylinders are floating above the bottom plate, and the inner cylinders of the rollers are flat. Contacting the cable.

If the shape of the roller and the shape of the ring member for holding the roller are set to the above-mentioned shapes and the roller is mounted by simply fitting the annular concave portion of the roller into the bearing hole of the ring member, a conventional roller holding device is used. There is no need to protrude the pins, and it is not necessary to caulk the rollers with bolts, and the number of components and the number of mounting steps can be reduced. Also, by inclining the axis of the roller, the lower end surface of each roller is in a state where the inner cylinder side is floating above the bottom plate,
Since only the outer cylinder side comes into point contact with the bottom plate, the contact area between the bottom plate and the roller can be reduced, and the contact friction can be greatly reduced.

The inclination angle of the axis of each roller is inclined toward the outer cylinder in an angle range of 3 ° to 20 ° with respect to the normal of the bottom plate. The range of the inclination angle is as follows.
If the inclination is too large, the height and width of the roller become large, and if the inclination is too small, the contact surface between the bottom plate and the roller becomes large and the frictional force becomes too large.

It is preferable that a part of each of the rollers is brought into contact with a top plate made of the movable body. As described above, when a part of each roller is brought into contact with the top plate portion, each roller is sandwiched from above and below, so that there is no play in the vertical direction, and generation of abnormal noise can be prevented. Since the roller is inclined, the contact position between the top plate and the roller is on the inner cylinder side of the roller, but since the inner cylinder side of the roller is in contact with the flat cable which is a rotating object, The roller can be rotated stably by contacting the upper part on the cylinder side with a movable body which is also a rotating object.

Preferably, a groove is provided in at least one of the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, and an edge portion of the roller is rotatably inserted and locked in the groove. To ensure that the roller contacts the bottom plate, it is preferable to provide a groove in the bottom plate, but if the roller also contacts the top plate,
A groove may be provided on the top plate side. It goes without saying that grooves may be provided in both the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. As described above, when a groove is provided in the bottom plate portion or the top plate portion and the lower end edge of the outer cylinder portion side or the upper end edge of the inner cylinder portion side of the roller is inserted into the groove, the roller and the ring member become annular hollow. It is possible to prevent rattling and unusual noise without moving freely in the radial direction inside the section, and to ensure the contact between the roller and the fixed body to stably rotate the roller.

Each of the rollers is formed in a conical shape in which the upper and lower large-diameter portions sandwiching the annular concave portion are reduced in diameter, and the upper and lower large-diameter portions of the rollers are parallel to the inner cylindrical portion. The cable may be in line contact. The flat cable which is wound and housed in the annular hollow portion in an inverted state is easily expanded in the outer peripheral (enlarged diameter) direction due to its rigidity. Therefore, as described above, by inclining the outer surfaces of the upper and lower large diameter portions of the roller to be attached with the axis inclined,
The inner cylinder side peripheral surface of the upper and lower large diameter portions is parallel to the axis of the inner cylinder portion (that is, the normal direction of the bottom plate portion), and the upper and lower sides in the width direction (height direction) of the flat cable of the inner peripheral passage are Line contact, not point contact. Thereby, the spread of the flat cable in the outer peripheral direction can be suppressed.

A spring portion may be protruded from an outer peripheral edge of a bearing hole provided in the ring member, and the spring portion may urge the outer cylinder side of the lower large-diameter portion of the roller downward. When the spring portion is provided as described above, rattling between the roller and the ring member can be reduced, and rattling between the sliding contact portion with the bottom plate portion is suppressed, so that the rotation of the roller becomes smooth and abnormal noise is generated. Can be prevented.

[0017] A slit may be provided on the outer peripheral edge of the bearing hole provided in the ring member. By providing the slit, the periphery of the bearing hole is easily bent, and even if the roller is sandwiched between the movable body and the fixed body from above and below, the bearing hole is bent and the inclination angle can be changed. As a result, the height of the roller changes flexibly, and the roller and the ring member can be accommodated in the annular hollow portion without breaking.

Further, the bearing hole of the roller formed in the ring member is formed so as to communicate with a notch groove cut from the inner peripheral end or the outer peripheral end of the ring member, and the annular concave portion of the roller is attached from the side through the notch groove. ing. With the above configuration, the roller can be attached to the bearing hole of the ring member with one touch. Note that the roller may be divided into upper and lower parts, and assembled into a bearing hole formed through the ring member from above and below.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment. First
The cable reel 10 of the embodiment includes an outer frame 12 and a bottom plate 15.
Thus, the fixed body 20 forming the outer cylinder and the movable body 11 serving as the inner cylinder are relatively rotatably connected to each other.

The movable body 11 has an inner cylinder portion 11d serving as an inner cylinder.
An annular first top plate portion 11a protruding in a brim shape from an upper end of the inner cylinder portion 11d; an annular concave portion 11b provided on the inner cylinder portion 11d side of the first top plate portion 11a; The connector housing 11c is provided to project upward. The outer frame 12 of the fixed body 20 includes an outer cylinder portion 12b serving as an outer cylinder,
An annular second projecting inward from near the upper end of the outer cylinder portion 12b
It has a top plate part 12a and a connector accommodating part 12c protruding below the outer surface of the outer cylinder part 12b. The bottom plate 15
An annular plate serving as a bottom plate portion of the cable reel 10, which is locked and fixed to the outer frame 12.

In an annular hollow portion 24 formed between the movable body 11 and the fixed body 20, a guide means 1 in which six rollers 19 are attached to a C-shaped ring member 18 at a required interval.
4 is rotatably accommodated. Inside the annular hollow portion 24, a flat cable 13 in which the connector 16 at one end is fitted into the connector accommodating portion 11c of the movable body 11 is connected to the inner peripheral side of the guide means 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral wall 11d of the movable body 11. The flat cable 13 is wound around an inner peripheral path I between the flat cable 13 and the intermediate portion of the flat cable 13 as a reversing portion 13a.
4 is reversed in a U-shape through a reversing space 21 between the ends of the ring member 18 in the reverse direction in the outer peripheral passage II between the outer peripheral side of the guide means 14 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 12b. And the connector 17 at the other end is accommodated in the connector accommodating portion 12c of the upper case 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the roller 19 has a thread winding shape in which an annular concave portion 19b at an intermediate portion in the axial direction is sandwiched between upper and lower large-diameter portions 19a, and opposing surfaces 19a-1 of the upper and lower large-diameter portions 19a.
Is made to project from the outer periphery in a tapered shape, and the central portion is made flat. As shown in FIG. 4A, the ring member 18 has a C shape having a reversal space 21 and is provided with six bearing holes 18a at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The bearing hole 18a is opened at the inner peripheral end of the ring member 18 and cut out to communicate with the roller insertion portion 18b. FIG.
The width W1 of the bearing hole 18a shown in (B) is set slightly larger than the outer diameter R1 of the annular concave portion 19b of the roller 19, while the width W2 of the roller insertion portion 18b is set to the outer diameter R1 of the annular concave portion 19b of the roller 19. The inlet portion 18c is set to be slightly narrower, and is opened at the inner peripheral end of the roller insertion portion 18b in a tapered shape.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the axis C of the bearing hole 18a is inclined by an angle θ1 from the normal of the ring member 18 so that the axis C is directed upward and toward the outside diameter. Is in the range of 3 ° <θ1 <20 °, preferably 5 °
° <θ1 <10 °. Further, assuming that the width of the portion where the bearing hole 18a of the ring member 18 is present is L1, the width of the other portions is L2, and the outermost diameter of the roller 19 is R2, the magnitude relationship is L2 <L1 <R2, The outer peripheral surface of 19 protrudes from the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the ring member 18.

The guide means 14 composed of the ring member 18 and the roller 19 slides the annular concave portion 19b of the roller 19 from the roller insertion portion 18b of the ring member 18 and penetrates the bearing hole 18a with one touch. 19 is rotatably held. Also, the roller insertion portion 1
8b is the outer diameter R1 of the annular concave portion 19b of the roller 19.
The roller 19 is prevented from falling off by making it slightly narrower. When the guide means 14 is accommodated in the annular hollow portion 24 in this state, the roller 19 is inclined because the bearing hole 18a is inclined as shown in FIG. Point contact at P1 and roller 1
The inner edge at the lower end of 9 makes point contact with the flat cable 13 passing through the inner peripheral passage I at P2.

Next, the operation of the cable reel 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the movable body 11 is rotated in one direction (clockwise direction) by a rotation operation of a steering shaft (not shown), the flat cable 13 is wound and tightened, and the outer peripheral passage is formed. The flat cable 13 of II passes through the inverted space 21 in a folded shape, and is wound around the inner peripheral passage I. On the other hand, when the movable body 11 is rotated in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), the flat cable 1 is rotated.
3 is unwound, and the flat cable 13 of the inner peripheral passage I passes through the inverted space 21 in a folded shape, and the outer peripheral passage II
Will be sent to When the flat cable 13 rotates, the roller 19 also rotates because the flat cable 13 in the inner peripheral path I is in contact with the roller 19, so that the frictional resistance with the roller 19 is reduced and the rotational torque can be reduced.

Further, the roller 19 is attached at an angle,
The point P1 at which the roller 19 comes into contact with the fixed bottom plate 15
At a point P at which the flat cable 13 is in contact with the rotating object.
2 is in an axially symmetric position, and the points P1 and P2 are in point contact with each other, so that the roller 19 rotates stably as if the drum can is tilted and rolled, and the bottom plate 1
The frictional resistance between the roller 5 and the roller 19 can be greatly reduced, and irregular fluctuations in the rotational torque can be reduced.

The intermediate portion of the roller 19 is connected to the ring member 1.
The cable reel can be made thinner by the thickness of the base of the base plate, since the base plate held at 8 and attached to the conventional bottom plate is unnecessary. Further, the ring member 18 has a portion for holding the roller 19 as:
Since only the bearing hole 18a and the roller insertion portion 18b are formed, the need for a support pin projecting from the base plate, which is conventionally required, is eliminated, and the shape is simpler and thinner than the conventional base plate. can do. Further, since separate parts such as a bolt for holding the roller are not required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the man-hour for mounting the roller can be reduced. In addition,
In the present embodiment, the roller insertion portion 18b provided on the ring member 18 is notched on the inner peripheral side of the ring member 18, but may be cut off from the outer peripheral end.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the bearing hole 18a 'provided in the ring member 18' is used as a through hole, and a roller insertion portion for inserting from the side is not provided, and the roller 19 'is assembled into the bearing hole from above and below. This is a point that two members are used.

As in the first embodiment, the ring member 18 'has a C-shape having a reversal space 21 and has six bearing holes 18a' at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The axes of these bearing holes 18a 'are inclined at a required angle as in the first embodiment. The roller 19 'is vertically divided into a first roller 22 and a second roller 23 at the position of the intermediate annular concave portion. The upper first roller 22 is locked at the center of the bottom surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion. A hole 22a is provided. The lower second roller 23 has a small-diameter shaft portion 23b protruding at the center of the upper surface of the large-diameter portion 23a, forming a concave portion 23c at the upper end of the shaft portion 23, and engaging the locking claw 23d from the outer periphery of the concave portion. It is protruding.

The roller 19 'is inserted into the bearing hole 18a' by bending the shaft portion 23a of the second roller 23 from below the ring member 18 'by the concave portion 23c, and then engaging the first roller 22. The locking claw 23d is inserted and locked into the hole 22a to be integrated. As a result, the bearing hole 18a 'is
2 and the second roller 23 so as to be rotatable from above and below.
Roller 1 composed of first roller 22 and second roller 23
9 'has the same shape and size as the roller 19 of the first embodiment, and the ring member 18' has the same shape and size as the first embodiment except that the roller insertion portion is not cut off. I have. With the above configuration, the bearing hole 18
There is no need to provide a roller insertion part communicating with a '.

FIG. 7 shows a modification of the second embodiment. In this modification, the first roller, which is the upper large-diameter portion, is eliminated, and only the second roller 23 ', which is the lower large-diameter portion, is used.

The roller 23 'is the roller 2 of the second embodiment.
3, but the small diameter shaft portion 23b 'is
8a. The roller 23 'has its shaft portion 23b' inserted into the bearing hole 18a from below, and the locking claw 23d 'is rotatably locked at the upper edge of the bearing hole 18a. With the above configuration, the roller is constituted by only one roller 23 ', and the number of parts is reduced.
The man-hour for mounting the roller can be reduced.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show a third embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the bearing hole 1 of the ring member 18 ″ is different.
By making the 8a easy to bend, the inclination angle of the bearing hole 18a is made variable, and the upper inner cylinder side edge of the roller 19 is brought into contact with the top plate to regulate the vertical position of the inclined roller 19. Is a point.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the ring member 18 "has a slit 1 in a C shape around a bearing hole 18a.
By notching 8e, a C-shaped bent portion 18f is formed between the slit 18e and the outer periphery of the bearing hole 18a.

Before the roller 19 is accommodated in the annular hollow portion 24, as shown in FIG. 10A, the axis C of the roller 19 is set at an inclination angle θ2 with respect to the normal of the ring member 18, and the lower end of the roller 19 is The height from the top to the top is H1.
On the other hand, when the roller 19 is accommodated in the annular hollow portion 24, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the upper edge P3 of the inner cylinder portion side of the roller 19 contacts the annular concave portion 11b of the first top plate portion, while the lower edge P1 of the outer cylinder portion contacts the bottom plate 15 to define the vertical position. You. In the state where the vertical position is thus defined, the inclination angle of the axis C of the roller 19 with respect to the normal to the ring member 18 is θ3, and the height from the lower end to the upper end of the roller 19 is H.
It may be 2. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the inclination angle of the roller to automatically become θ3 and the height to become H2. In the present embodiment, the bending portion 18f
Can be automatically adjusted by adjusting θ2 to θ3 and H1 to H2.

As described above, since the roller 19 abuts on the bottom plate and the top plate portion with higher elasticity than the upper and lower portions, the backlash of the roller 19 and the ring member 18 in the annular hollow portion 24 can be eliminated, and abnormal noise can be obtained. Can be prevented. Further, since the roller 19 comes into contact with the top plate portion 11b of the movable body 11 as the rotating object at the point P3 above the contact point P2 with the flat cable 13 as the rotating object, the roller 19 rotates stably. I do. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a fourth embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the outer surface of the upper and lower large-diameter portion of the thread-wound roller 19 ″ is tapered so that the upper and lower sides of the flat cable 13 passing through the inner peripheral passage I are in line contact with each other. That is the point.

The shape of the roller 19 ″ is the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the annular recess 19 is axially intermediate.
The upper large-diameter portion 19c and the lower large-diameter portion 19d sandwiching b are formed in a conical shape whose diameter is reduced downward, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper and lower large-diameter portions 19c and 19d are inclined at an angle θ4 with respect to the axis of the roller 19 ″. I have.

When the roller 19 "is mounted on the bearing portion 18a of the ring member 18 and housed in the annular hollow portion 24, the bearing portion 18a is inclined by θ4 as described above.
The outer peripheral surface of the upper large-diameter portion 19c and the lower large-diameter portion 19d of the roller 19 ″ on the side of the inner cylinder portion is parallel to the inner cylinder portion 11a of the movable body 11. Therefore, the inner peripheral passage I along the inner cylinder portion 11a. And the outer peripheral surface of the roller 19 ″ on the side of the inner cylinder portion is in line contact with the upper and lower sides of the flat cable 13 at F1. As a result, the rotation of the roller 19 "and the flat cable 13 is easily received by the roller 19", and the rotation of the roller 19 "is stabilized, and the flat cable 13 can be prevented from bending outward. Are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show a fifth embodiment. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the bottom plate 1 of the fixed body 12
The point that a groove 15a for rotatably engaging the lower end of the roller 19 on the outer cylinder side is rotatably recessed in the upper surface of 5 '. The lower large-diameter portion 19 of the roller 19 ″ is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the groove 15 a.
By hooking the lower end of the outer cylinder side of d to 15a, play in the radial direction of the roller 19 "can be restricted, rattling and noise can be prevented, and the contact between the roller 19 and the bottom plate 15 'is ensured. The other configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment, so that the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 14A, a groove 11h may be provided at a position corresponding to the contact point P3 of the roller 19 ″ of the top plate portion 11b. Further, as shown in FIG.
And the top plate 11b may be provided to restrict the movement in the radial direction in the vertical direction.

FIG. 15 shows a sixth embodiment. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the spring portion 18g is projected obliquely downward from the outer peripheral portion of the bearing hole 18a to prevent looseness between the roller 19 "and the ring member 18, and the lower end edge of the roller 19" on the outer cylinder portion side. Are surely in contact with the bottom plate 15.
The spring portion 18g abuts on the upper surface of the lower large-diameter portion 19d in a state where the roller 19 "passes through the bearing hole 18a,
Since the roller 19 "is urged in a tilting direction, the roller 1"
The looseness between the 9 "and the ring member 18 is suppressed, the rotation of the roller 19" is smoothed, and the contact with the bottom plate 15 can be ensured, so that the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented. The other configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment, so that the same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted.

In any of the above embodiments, a lubricant may be applied to the bottom plate or the groove formed in the bottom plate to be brought into contact with the roller, the top plate of the movable body to be brought into contact with the roller, or the lubrication may be applied. A film or a lubricating sheet may be attached.

[0043]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the guide means of the flat cable is attached to the ring member at the intermediate portion in the axial direction of the roller.
Compared with the conventional guide means in which the base plate is arranged on the bottom plate portion and the roller is supported by pins protruding from the base plate, the base plate is eliminated, so that the cable reel can be made thinner accordingly. . Further, since the roller is inclined, the contact position with the flat cable, which is a rotating object, and the contact position with the bottom plate of the fixed body, which is a fixed object, may be set to the inner cylinder side and the outer cylinder side, which are axially symmetric. it can. As a result, the roller can be rotated stably. Furthermore, since the contact between the bottom plate of the fixed body and the roller is point contact, the frictional resistance is reduced, and the rotational torque can be reduced.

If the annular concave portion of the roller is rotatably fitted in the bearing hole of the ring member and is attached,
It is not necessary to protrude the pin for holding the roller as in the related art, so that the material cost of the ring member can be reduced.Also, there is no need to caulk the roller with a bolt, and the annular concave portion of the roller is simply fitted into the bearing hole. As a result, the number of parts and the number of mounting steps can be reduced.

When the lower end edge of the outer cylinder side of each roller is brought into contact with the bottom plate, and simultaneously the upper end edge of the inner cylinder side is brought into contact with the top plate portion, each roller is regulated from the upper and lower sides, and There is no backlash and generation of abnormal noise can be prevented. Further, when a groove is provided in the bottom plate portion and / or the top plate portion and the lower end edge of the outer cylinder side and the upper end edge of the inner cylinder side of the roller are inserted into the groove, the roller and the ring member move radially in the annular hollow portion. , And the occurrence of rattling and abnormal noise can be further prevented.

Each of the rollers has a tapered outer surface of the upper and lower large diameter portions in a conical shape, and an outer peripheral surface of the upper and lower large diameter portions on the inner cylinder side is parallel to the inner cylinder portion. When the flat cable is brought into contact with the roller, the roller easily receives the rotational force of the flat cable, so that the roller can be smoothly rotated and the flat cable can be prevented from bending outward.
Further, when the outer cylinder side of the lower large-diameter portion of the roller is urged downward by a spring portion projecting from the outer peripheral edge of the bearing hole, rattling of the roller and the ring member is suppressed, and contact between the roller and the bottom plate is suppressed. And the occurrence of abnormal noise can be prevented.

Further, if the outer peripheral edge of the bearing hole is provided with a slit to provide flexibility, even if the roller is sandwiched between a movable body and a fixed body from above and below, the bearing hole flexes to change the inclination angle. Thereby, the height of the roller changes flexibly, and the roller and the ring member can be accommodated in the annular hollow portion without being broken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a vertical sectional view of the cable reel according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a horizontal sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the roller according to the first embodiment.

4A is a plan view of the ring member of the first embodiment, FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a main part, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a ring member according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded sectional view of a roller according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a ring member according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of a main part.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of a cable reel according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10A is an enlarged sectional view of a main part before accommodating the guide means of the third embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged sectional view of a main part after accommodating the guide means.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a roller according to a fourth embodiment.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are vertical cross-sectional views of a main part of a cable reel according to a fifth embodiment.

14A and 14B are vertical cross-sectional views of main parts of a modification of the cable reel of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional cable reel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cable reel 11 Fixed body 11a 1st top plate part 11b Annular groove 11d Inner cylinder part 12 Outer frame 12a Second top plate part 12b Outer cylinder part 13 Flat cable 14 Guide means 15 Bottom plate 18 Ring member 18a Bearing hole 18b Roller insertion part Reference Signs List 18c Inlet 18e Slit 18f Flexure 18g Spring 19 Roller 19b Annular Recess 19a Vertical Large Diameter 20 Fixed Body 21 Inversion Space 24 Annular Hollow

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Sakata 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in the Auto Network Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. 3D030 DB25 3F058 AA04 AB03 BB19 CA12 DA04 DB05 DC01

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An outer tubular portion, an inner tubular portion, a bottom plate portion and a top plate portion surrounding an annular hollow portion serving as a flat cable accommodating chamber by combining a tubular fixed body and a movable body. A guide means comprising a C-shaped ring member and a plurality of rollers rotatably supported at intervals in the hollow member is disposed in the hollow portion, and one end is fixed to the movable body and the other end is fixed to the fixed body. In a cable reel, a flat cable fixed to the above is wound around the inner circumferential passage between the inner cylindrical portion and the roller, and the outer circumferential passage between the outer cylindrical portion and the roller with the winding direction reversed. The ring member rotatably holds an intermediate portion of each of the rollers in a state where the roller axis is inclined obliquely, and at least a part of each of the rollers on the side of the inner cylinder portion passes through the inner peripheral passage. Contact with Together, the cable reel at least a portion of the outer cylindrical portion is equal to or in contact with the bottom plate portion made of the fixed body. 2. The ring member has bearing holes at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, and the roller has a thread winding shape in which an annular concave portion at an intermediate portion in the axial direction is sandwiched between upper and lower large diameter portions. The roller is rotatably fitted in the bearing hole of the ring member, and the lower end of the outer cylinder side of the roller is in contact with the bottom plate while the inner cylinder is floating above the bottom plate. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a part side is in contact with the flat cable. 3. The roller according to claim 1, wherein an inclination angle of an axis of each roller is inclined toward the outer cylinder in an angle range of 3 ° to 20 ° with respect to a normal of the bottom plate. Cable reel. 4. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a part of each of the rollers is in contact with a top plate made of the movable body. 5. The cable reel according to claim 4, wherein a groove is provided in at least one of the bottom plate portion and / or the top plate portion, and an edge portion of the roller is rotatably inserted and locked in the groove. 6. Each of the rollers is formed in a conical shape in which the upper and lower large-diameter portions sandwiching the annular concave portion are reduced in diameter downward, and the inner cylindrical portion of the upper and lower large-diameter portions is parallel to the inner cylindrical portion. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the cable reel is in line contact with a flat cable passing through the inner peripheral passage. 7. A spring portion protrudes from an outer peripheral edge of a bearing hole provided in the ring member, and the spring portion urges the outer cylinder side of the lower large-diameter portion of the roller downward. 7. The cable reel according to 6. 8. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a slit is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the bearing hole provided in the ring member.