JP2004031168A - Sliding contact, sliding electric component, and sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sliding contact having few conduction portions in a conduction pathway, easy to assemble, capable of connecting an output terminal to a track, suppressing the generating of noise, and having high reliability, and to provide a sliding electric component and a sensor, equipped with the sliding contact. <P>SOLUTION: This sliding contact has a contact part 14 in which a carbon fiber bundle 14A is bent in a bifurcate shape, and sliding parts 14a, 14a to a conducting pattern having a pair of tracks 30, 31 are formed at both ends on the opposite side to the bending side of the carbon fiber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a contact portion for sliding use used in a potentiometer of an automobile, a sliding electrical component, and a sensor, and more particularly to a technology capable of reducing the conduction resistance of a conduction path and providing a highly reliable product.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a carbon fiber (carbon fiber) 103 shown in FIG. 20 has been held in a convergence state by a conductive holder 101 made of a metal plate in order to reduce the occurrence of sliding noise in a sliding contact, and the convergence state of the carbon fiber There is known a carbon slider having a structure in which one end of the carbon fiber 103 can be brought into sliding contact with a resistor 108 on a substrate 107 by attaching the 103 to a slider arm 105.
Further, as another configuration example of this type of slider, a concave storage portion 113 is formed in a rotor 111 shown in FIG. 21, and a rubber elastic body 114 and a contact 115 are stored in this storage portion 113. It is known that a contact 115 is configured to be slidable relative to a resistor layer 117 and a conductor layer 118 provided on an alumina substrate 116.
As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 22, the contact 115 of the slider holds a large number of carbon fibers 112 densely dispersed and arranged in the same direction with a conductive resin molded body 119, and fixes the carbon fibers 112 to a resistance. A metal foil 120 is disposed on the bottom side of the housing 113 so as to slide relatively to the body layer 117 and the conductor layer 118 and further improve the conduction between the carbon fibers 112. The configuration is such that the metal foil 120 contacts the fiber 112. As shown in FIG. 21, lead terminals 121 and 122 that are individually connected to the resistor layer 117 and the conductor layer 118 are formed on the alumina substrate 116.
[0003]
In the slider having the configuration shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, among the plurality of carbon fibers 112 sliding relative to the resistor layer 117 and the conductor layer 118, the resistor layer 117 and the conductor layer 118 have Separate carbon fibers slide relative to each other, and a conductive material having a relatively high resistance value conducts between them, resulting in a high sliding resistance value. Even if the metal foil 120 for providing conduction between the fibers 112 is separately provided and the resistance value of the conductive resin molded body 119 holding the carbon fiber 112 cannot be reduced so much, the metal foil 120 is formed of the resin molded body. Since the circuit 119 is connected in parallel with the circuit 119, it is configured to realize a sufficiently low resistance value.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the configuration of the sliding contact shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, since the resistor layer 117 and the conductor layer 118 are electrically connected, there are many connecting portions in the conductive paths, so that it is difficult to reliably connect them. However, there is a problem that the number of parts for performing the process is increased. In addition, since the number of parts is large, the number of assembling steps is also increased, and there is a problem that it takes much time to manufacture. In addition, since not only the carbon fiber 112 but also the contact portion between the carbon fiber 112 and the metal foil 120 and the metal foil 120 must be the main conduction path, there are a plurality of contact portions in the conduction path, and the contact resistance Therefore, the resistance value of the conduction path is easily increased.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above background, is easy to assemble, can reduce the number of conductive points in a conductive path, can reduce conductive resistance, and can connect an output terminal to a track. Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable sliding contact that generates less noise and a sliding electric component and a sensor including the sliding contact.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, a sliding contact according to the present invention has a conductive pattern in which a carbon fiber converging body is bent in a forked shape, and a pair of tracks is provided at both ends of the carbon fiber opposite to the bent side. And a contact portion in which a sliding portion is formed.
Since the sliding portions that slide on the conductive pattern having the paired tracks are formed at both ends of the bent carbon fiber bundle, the paired tracks can be connected with the carbon fiber bundle. It is possible to reliably connect the paired tracks without intervening other members between the paired tracks, to reduce the number of contact points in the conduction path, and to achieve a stable low resistance value. A highly reliable sliding contact can be provided. In addition, the reliable connection of the sliding contact with low resistance as described above can be performed with the carbon fiber bundle in the bent state, so that it can be realized with a small number of parts, and the number of parts is small, so that the man-hour during assembly can be reduced. It becomes. Further, since the output terminal can be connected to the track on which the carbon fiber bundle slides, it is not necessary to take out the signal from the carbon fiber.
The track applied here may be any of a resistor layer, a conductive layer, a current collector layer, and a metal layer, or may be a layered body of these layers. The track may have any planar shape, such as a strip, a comb blade, an arc, or a rectangular wave, as long as the contact portion can slide.
On the other hand, the bifurcated type includes all shapes that are bent to such an extent that the carbon fiber bundle is not broken, so that the U-shape, C-shape, J-shape, Ω-shape, ω-shape, V-shape with a gentle inclination angle It includes various shapes such as a shape, an L shape, an N shape having a gentle bending angle, an S shape, and an arc shape.
[0007]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a sliding contact according to the present invention comprises a carbon fiber converging body which is bent in a forked shape, and slides on a track which is paired with a portion of the carbon fiber except for both ends opposite to the bending side. It is characterized by comprising a contact portion formed with a moving portion.
Since the sliding portion that slides with respect to the conductive pattern having the paired tracks is formed at a portion other than both ends of the bent carbon fiber bundle, the paired tracks of the carbon fiber bundle are separated from each other. It becomes possible to connect, and it is possible to securely connect the paired tracks without intervening other members between the paired tracks, it is possible to reduce the number of contacts in the conduction path, and to reduce the resistance value. A low, stable and reliable sliding contact can be provided. In addition, since the above-described reliable connection at the sliding contact can be performed by the carbon fiber bundle in the bent state, it can be realized with a small number of parts, and the number of parts is small, so that the man-hour during assembly can be reduced. . Further, since the output terminal can be connected to the track on which the carbon fiber bundle slides, it is not necessary to take out the signal from the carbon fiber.
[0008]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the sliding contact of the present invention is configured such that at least a part or all of the other part is covered with a holding member in a state where the sliding part of the carbon fiber converging body of the contact part is exposed. It is characterized by the following.
By covering at least a part of the portion of the carbon fiber bundle except for the sliding portion with the holding member, the carbon fiber bundle in the bundled and bent state can be surely held in shape, and the exposed carbon fiber bundle is exposed. The sliding portion can be surely slid with respect to the track. Further, since the shape of the carbon fiber bundle can be held by the holding member, the shape of the carbon fiber bundle can be reliably maintained. In order to maintain the shape of the carbon fiber bundle, at least a part of the bent portion of the carbon fiber bundle except for the sliding portion is covered with a holding member as a member different from the carbon fiber bundle. be able to.
[0009]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a sliding contact of the present invention is characterized in that a carbon fiber converging body is restrained by a cylindrical holding member.
Since the carbon fiber bundle is restrained by the cylindrical holding member, the shape of the carbon fiber bundle is surely maintained. As the cylindrical holding member, one holding member may restrain the carbon fiber bundle, and a plurality of cylindrical holding members may jointly restrain the bent carbon fiber bundle. It may be. By constraining the shape of the carbon fiber bundle by holding the carbon fiber bundle by the holding member, the restrained state of the carbon fiber bundle is not disturbed when the carbon fiber bundle slides with respect to the paired tracks, and the carbon fiber bundle becomes a pair. Stable sliding with respect to the track becomes possible.
[0010]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sliding contact according to the present invention, wherein a flat portion is formed at an end of the holding member located on the end side of the carbon fiber converging body, and a carbon fiber converging member protruding from the flat portion is formed. The end of the body is a sliding portion arranged in a flat shape, and the two sliding portions are aligned in the width direction of the pair of tracks which are individually slid relative to each other.
Since the end of the carbon fiber bundle is flattened, the end of the flat carbon fiber bundle can be slid at a uniform width with respect to a track having a predetermined width when the conductive pattern slides on the track. It becomes possible and contributes to the stability of the sliding state. Further, since the length of the track in contact with the longitudinal direction can be shortened, a predetermined output can be obtained stably.
[0011]
In order to solve the above problem, the sliding contact of the present invention includes a contact portion in which the shape of the carbon fiber bundle is held in a bifurcated plate shape having a curved portion at an intermediate portion by the holding member. Features.
It is easy to maintain the shape of the carbon fiber bundle in the shape of a plate by the holding member, and it is easy to relatively slide the end portion or other portion of the carbon fiber bundle in this state to the track, and furthermore, to bend. If the portion is gentle, there is no possibility that the carbon fiber bundle is broken.
[0012]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sliding-type electric component comprising: a conductive pattern having a first track and a second track; a first contact portion that slides relative to the first track; A sliding contact of a common carbon fiber converging body having a second contact portion that slides relative to the second track, and a conduction path is formed by the first track, the second track, and the contact portion It is characterized by having been done.
Since the first and second contact portions provided on the carbon fiber bundle slide relative to the first and second tracks of the conductive pattern, the conductive patterns are connected by the carbon fiber bundle. This makes it possible to reliably connect the conductive patterns without intervening other members between the conductive patterns, and to provide a sliding contact with a stable resistance value. Further, since the above-described reliable connection at the sliding contact can be performed only by the folded carbon fiber bundle, it can be realized with a small number of parts, and the number of parts is small, so that the man-hour can be reduced.
[0013]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the sliding electric component of the present invention, the carbon fiber bundle is bent into a forked shape, and both ends of the carbon fiber bundle on the side opposite to the bending side are supported by the support member. In addition, one track is formed on one side of the bent portion of the carbon fiber bundle, and another track is formed on the other side of the bent portion. And the other track is slidably contacted with the carbon fiber bundle.
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which both ends of the carbon fiber bundle that is bent in a forked shape are supported by support members, and a track that forms a pair on one side and the other side of the bent portion of the carbon fiber bundle is slid. it can.
[0014]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sliding-type electric component, wherein the sliding contact is the sliding contact according to any one of the above.
By providing a sliding-type electric component provided with any of the above-mentioned sliding contacts, it is possible to have a feature provided by any of the above-mentioned sliding contacts.
[0015]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sliding-type electric component according to the present invention is characterized in that a supporting member that supports the sliding contact and moves relatively to the conductive pattern is provided.
The sliding contact is supported by a support member, and the sliding contact can be slid relative to the conductive pattern by moving the support member relative to the conductive pattern.
[0016]
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor including the sliding electric component according to any one of the above aspects.
According to the sensor of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a sensor having the characteristics of the sliding contact described above.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 15 denotes a slider receiver (supporting member) provided so as to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction of FIG. 1. A recess 15A is formed at the bottom of the slider receiver 15, and The sliding contacts 14 described in detail below are attached by fixing means such as bonding.
The sliding contact 14 of this embodiment includes a U-shaped bent (bifurcated) carbon fiber bundle 14A described later and a U-shaped cylindrical holding member 14B that restrains the carbon fiber bundle 14A, and is bent into a U-shape. The carbon fiber bundle 14A is used as a contact portion (slider). In addition, the bifurcated shape includes all shapes bent or curved at a gentle angle to the extent that the carbon fiber bundle 14A is not broken, so that the shape is U-shaped, C-shaped, J-shaped, Ω-shaped, ω-shaped. And various shapes such as a V-shape or L-shape having a gentle inclination angle, an N-shape, an S-shape, or an arc shape having a gentle bend angle.
[0018]
The carbon fiber bundle (contact portion) 14A is formed of a small diameter carbon fiber (carbon fiber) having a diameter of several μm to several tens μm, for example, about 5 to 10 μm, preferably several hundred to several thousand, for example, 1000 to 2,000. It consists of an aggregate of carbon fibers bundled together. Then, the carbon fiber aggregate is bent into a U-shape, and the U-shape is formed by a U-shaped holding member 14B made of a plastically deformable metal pipe such as an aluminum pipe, a brass pipe, or a stainless steel pipe. Are held, and both ends of the non-bending side thereof, that is, the ends 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A are projected from both ends of the predetermined length holding member 14B to form a sliding portion. ing.
[0019]
Both ends of the holding member 14B made of an aluminum pipe or the like are formed into a flat shape by press working or the like, and are formed as flat portions 14b for preventing carbon fibers from coming off and aligning their shapes. Ends 14a, 14a as sliding portions of the carbon fiber exposed from 14b are individually protruded in an aligned state so as to be flat, and individually protruded at one end 14a and the other end 14a. The tips of the carbon fibers are arranged in a parallel state and arranged in substantially the same plane.
In this example, the carbon fibers were flatly aligned by flattening the both ends of the metal pipe by pressurizing means such as a press so that the flattened portions 14b were formed. Although both ends of 14B are processed so as to be divergent at the time of processing, the present invention is not particularly limited to such a shape, and it is not necessary to process both ends in a flat shape. Of course.
[0020]
The sliding contact 14 formed as described above is inserted into the recess 15A formed on the bottom side of the slider receiver 15 by inserting about half of the holding member 14B into the recess 15A by fixing means such as bonding. The sliding contact 14 is fixed to the bottom of the slider receiver 15 with the ends 14 a, 14 a of the sliding contact 14 slightly projecting from the bottom of the slider receiver 15.
A pair of strip-shaped first tracks 30 and second tracks 31 arranged in parallel below the slider receiver 15, that is, at positions opposed to the ends 14 a, 14 a of the sliding contacts 14. Is provided on the base material 33 such as a substrate. The track may have any planar shape, such as a strip, a comb blade, an arc, or a rectangular wave, as long as the contact portion can slide.
[0021]
The ends 14a, 14a of the sliding contact 14 are arranged so as to extend substantially in parallel in the width direction of the first track 30 and the second track 31 on the base material 33 side. That is, one end 14a of the flat carbon fiber bundle 14A has its width direction aligned with the width direction of the first track 30, and the other end 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A has its width direction aligned with the second direction. The tracks 31 are contacted and supported so as to slide on the tracks 31 in the width direction of the tracks 31 in the width direction thereof.
Therefore, the sliding contact 14, the first track 30, and the second track 31 form a sliding electric component, and the first track 30, the carbon fiber bundle 14 </ b> A, and the second track 31 form a conductive path ( An electrical path is formed, and in this conduction path, the contact points are two ends 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A as a sliding portion. A predetermined DC voltage is applied to the first track 30 from a predetermined power supply device 30A, and an output terminal 34 is formed at one end of the second track 31.
[0022]
The first track 30 is made of a resistor, for example, carbon black or carbon fiber as a conductor, carbon nanotubes mainly for reinforcing a resistor layer and reducing a friction coefficient, and a thermosetting resin. The second track 31 is made of a good conductor, for example, a good conductive metal material such as a copper foil or an aluminum foil, or a silver powder as a conductor. It is composed of a conductor circuit formed by being mixed in a thermosetting resin, and functions as a current collector. The resistor layer is formed by a method such as transfer so as to have a surface roughness of 0.5 μm or less.
Examples of the carbon black include furnace black having a relatively small electric conductivity (for example, trade name of Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd .; trade name of Asahi 60, Columbian Co .; RAVE150, trade name of Mitsubishi Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd .; MA100). Further, as carbon black, conductive furnace black having a relatively high conductivity (for example, Ketchen Black EC of Lion Co., Ltd.) or acetylene black (for example, trade name of Denka Co .; Denka Black), etc. Any of these may be used.
[0023]
In the sliding-type electric component having the above-described structure, since the slider receiver 15 is configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction in FIG. Reciprocatingly slides with respect to the track 30 and the second track 31, and according to the position of the sliding contact 14 at the time of sliding (strictly speaking, the positions of the ends 14a, 14a on the tracks 30, 31). The input voltage applied to one track 30 is divided, and the output voltage is measured to detect the position of the end 14a of the sliding contact 14. The position is detected from the correspondence between the output voltage value and the position. Becomes possible. As the output voltage, an electric output obtained from the output terminal 34 connected to the second track 31 may be measured.
[0024]
Next, in the sliding electric component having the above structure, the tracks 30 and 31 to be paired can be reliably electrically connected only by the carbon fiber bundle 14A, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. Since the metal foil 120 and the resin molded body 119 made of a conductive resin are not required in the conventional structure of the related art, there is no need to connect the tracks 30 and 31 to form a sliding electrical part. It is possible to reduce the resistance value, and it is unnecessary to unnecessarily increase the resistance value in the conduction path, which contributes to a reduction in conduction resistance.
Further, since the two tracks 30 and 31 can be reliably electrically connected only by the carbon fiber bundle 14A, there is no need to take out the electric signal directly from the carbon fiber, and the electric signal can be taken out directly from the tracks 30 and 31. The effect is as follows. Further, since the metal foil 120 and the resin molded body 119 are not required, the number of parts can be reduced, which contributes to simplification of the manufacturing process.
[0025]
The carbon fiber bundle 14A having the above structure can be manufactured, for example, by the method described below.
As shown in FIG. 3, when a required number of carbon fibers 40, for example, 1000 to 2,000, bundled to a required length are bundled, the bundle of carbon fibers 40 is inserted into an aluminum pipe 41, and the pipe 41 is formed. Is bent and plastically deformed into a U-shape to form a U-shaped tube 411, and an intermediate molded body 42 in a state where the bundle of carbon fibers 40 is held in a U-shape is obtained.
Next, by forming both ends of the U-shaped tube 411 into a flat shape by press working, a U-shaped carbon fiber bundle confined by a holding member 14B having a flat portion 14b as shown in FIG. In this state, if the tips of the carbon fibers protruding from the pipe 41 are not uniform, the tip of the carbon fiber is cut along the cutting line SS ′ shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Can be obtained, the carbon fiber bundle (sliding contact) 14A shown in FIG. 2 can be obtained. Then, a lubricant such as grease or oil may be applied to both ends of the carbon fiber bundle 14A in this state, if necessary, before use in actual use.
[0026]
When the flat portion 14b is formed by plastically deforming the U-shaped tube 411 shown in FIG. 4 by press working, as shown in FIG. 6, the U-shaped tube 411 is pressed mainly from one side in the thickness direction by pressing. The flat portion 14b1 is formed so as to be located on the bottom side in the thickness direction of the U-shaped tube 411, or the U-shaped tube 411 is pressed evenly from both sides in the thickness direction of the U-shaped tube 411 as shown in FIG. It does not matter whether the flat portion 14b2 is formed so as to be located at the center in the vertical direction. In addition, in any of the structures shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tip portion of the carbon fiber bundle 14A after the press working is cut along a cutting line shown by a two-dot chain line so that their protruding lengths are made uniform. Is preferred. Further, in this embodiment, by bending the holding member, it is possible to make it harder for the carbon fiber to come out as compared with the linear shape.
[0027]
FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the sliding contact according to the present invention. In this embodiment, an obliquely downward recess 15B is formed in a slider receiver (support member) 15, and the recess 15B is bonded to the recess 15B. The holding member 14B of U-shape is fixed obliquely downward by the fixing means, and the sliding contact 44 in which the flat portion 14b3 of the holding member 14 is bent downward is fixed, and the carbon fiber bundle 14A constituting the contact portion is fixed. Are respectively contacted with the tracks 30 and 31 such that one end 14a thereof contacts the first pattern 30 substantially at right angles, and the other end 14a contacts the second pattern 31 substantially at right angles. ing.
The sliding-type electric component including the sliding contact 44 provided with the carbon fiber bundle 14A and the first track 30 and the second track 31 shown in FIG. The same operation and effect as those of the electric component can be obtained.
[0028]
FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the sliding contact according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a U-shaped (bifurcated) carbon fiber bundle 14A equivalent to the previous embodiment and a carbon fiber bundle 14A are shown. The sliding contact 14 made of a U-shaped cylindrical holding member 14B is attached to an elastic mounting body 46 such as a leaf spring by a bonding layer 45 made of an adhesive layer or an insert molding layer.
In the structure of this embodiment, by attaching the mounting body 46 to the recess 15A of the slider receiver 15 of the previous embodiment by fixing means such as bonding, it is possible to obtain the same operation and effect as in the previous embodiment. it can. Further, in this embodiment, since the mounting body 46 itself has elasticity, it is not necessary to provide the carbon fiber bundle 14A with elasticity. Therefore, the carbon fiber bundle 14A is hardened and the elasticity is given by the mounting body 46 with low elasticity. Alternatively, the pressing force at the time of sliding on the track to be relatively slid may be applied by utilizing the elasticity of the mounting body 46.
[0029]
FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the sliding contact according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a belt-like carbon fiber bundle 47 is twisted into a curved shape at the center in the longitudinal direction to form a folded shape. The carbon fiber bundle (contact portion) 47 is fixed and restrained by an adhesive layer such that one end 47a and the other end 47a of the carbon fiber bundle (contact portion) 47 are directed in the same direction to form a sliding contact. The ends 47a, 47a of the body 47 are brought into contact with the first track 30 and the second track 31 in the same direction.
The belt-shaped carbon fiber bundle 47 of this embodiment may be formed by covering the portion excluding the end portion with a fixing layer such as an adhesive layer to solidify the carbon fiber bundle 47, or to form the carbon fiber bundle 47 in a flat shape. It is sufficient to adopt a shape holding means such as inserting a metal pipe into a metal pipe, surrounding the metal pipe, processing a flat metal pipe, holding the shape, and forming a carbon fiber bundle 47 as shown in FIG.
Even in the carbon fiber bundle 47 of this embodiment, the same effect as that of the configuration of the first embodiment described above can be obtained by sliding relative to the tracks 30 and 31.
Further, by making the curved portion of the carbon fiber bundle 47 a gentle curve, it is possible to prevent the carbon fiber bundle 47 from being broken without applying a load to the carbon fiber bundle 47.
[0030]
FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment of the sliding contact according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a carbon fiber bundle 48 is processed so as to be twisted once, and a carbon fiber bundle of this shape is formed. One end 48a and the other end 48a of the body (contact part) 48 are alternately constrained so as to be oriented in different directions, and the end parts 48a, 48a of the carbon fiber bundle 48 are first. A sliding contact is formed by bringing the track 30 and the second track 31 into contact with each other in an alternate direction.
[0031]
The band-shaped carbon fiber bundle 48 of this form may be formed by covering the portion excluding the end portion with a fixed layer such as an adhesive layer and solidifying the shape, or after solidifying with the fixed layer, forming a cylindrical shape. You may hold | maintain in the state wound around. Also, the carbon fiber bundle 48 is inserted into a flat metal pipe, the flat metal pipe is arranged around the carbon fiber bundle 48, and the flat metal pipe is processed to maintain its shape. What is necessary is just to employ | adopt shape holding means, such as doing.
In the carbon fiber bundle 48 of this embodiment, the same operation and effect as the configuration of the previous embodiment can be obtained.
In the carbon fiber bundle 48 of this embodiment, the height position of the ends 48a, 48a is changed by adjusting the torsional state. For example, one end 48a is one step higher than the other end 48a. If the shape is maintained while keeping the position, the horizontal height of the second track 31 is made higher than the horizontal height of the first track 30 so that the tracks 30 and 31 have a step. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which one carbon fiber bundle 48 can slide with respect to the tracks 30 and 31 having a step.
[0032]
FIG. 12 shows a sliding contact according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a carbon fiber bundle (contact portion) 49 is processed so as to have a substantially Ω shape in a side view, and a carbon fiber One end (end) 49a and the other end (end) 49a of the bundle 49 are alternately constrained so as to face in different directions to form contact points, and the ends 49a, 49a of the carbon fiber bundle 49 Are brought into contact with the first track 30 and the second track 31 so as to be in alternate directions to form a sliding contact.
[0033]
The band-like carbon fiber bundle 49 of this form may be formed by covering the portion excluding the end portion with a fixing layer such as an adhesive layer and solidifying the shape, or the carbon fiber bundle 49 may be formed in a flat shape. A flat metal pipe may be disposed around the carbon fiber bundle 49 by inserting the flat metal pipe into a metal pipe, and the flat metal pipe may be processed to maintain the shape of the flat metal pipe.
With the carbon fiber bundle 49 of this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the configuration of the previous embodiment can be obtained.
In the carbon fiber bundle 49 of this embodiment, the height position of the ends 49a, 49a is changed by adjusting the torsional state, for example, one end 49a is one step higher than the other end 49a. If the shape is maintained while keeping the position, the horizontal height of the second track 31 is made higher than the horizontal height of the first track 30 so that the tracks 30 and 31 have a step. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which one carbon fiber bundle 49 can slide with respect to the tracks 30 and 31 having a step.
[0034]
FIG. 13 shows an example of a method for manufacturing the carbon fiber bundle 48 having the shape shown in FIG. 11, in which a bundle of flat carbon fibers is wound around a round bar-shaped molding die 50, and in this state, it is substantially illustrated in the drawing. What is necessary is just to hold | maintain a shape with the holding member which carried out.
In this case, a method is employed in which a bundle of carbon fibers is preliminarily hardened with an adhesive layer so as to be deformable and wound around a molding die 50, and then the adhesive layer is solidified in earnest to maintain the shape. Alternatively, a method of restraining the carbon fiber bundle with a flat type pipe and bending the pipe may be used.
Further, as shown in FIG. 14, a carbon fiber bundle (contact point) 53 processed into a U-shape is inserted into the bottom of a rectangular tubular support member 54 to support both ends 53a of the carbon fiber bundle 53. The contact portion may be configured by being fixed with an adhesive while slightly protruding from the opening of the member 54.
[0035]
FIG. 15 shows an example of a sliding-type electric component according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a contact portion is bent in a U-shape with respect to a support member (slider receiver) 60. The both ends 61a, 61a of the carbon fiber bundle (contact portion) 61 in the state of being fixed are fixed so as to be embedded, and the two bent portions 61b, 61b at the intermediate portion of the carbon fiber bundle 61 are connected to the first track 30. And a sliding portion for the second track 31. In this example, a groove 64 having a V-shaped cross section is formed on the upper surface of the base material 63, and the first track 30 and the second track 31 are installed on the inclined inner surface of the groove 64 so as to face each other obliquely. .
The carbon fiber bundle 61 constituting the contact portion of this embodiment slides on the first and second tracks 30, 31 at the bent portions (sliding portions) 61b, 61b to form a sliding electric component. Can achieve the purpose.
[0036]
In the contact portion and the sliding electric component of this embodiment, the same operation and effects as those of the contact portion and the sliding electric component of the previous embodiment can be obtained. The both ends of the carbon fiber bundle 61 are supported and restrained by the support member 60 and are bent in a U-shape, so that the carbon fiber bundle 61 can be in the both-ends support state. Since the rigidity can be increased as compared with the carbon fiber bundles of the various forms described above, it is possible to reduce the risk of bending or sagging of the carbon fiber bundle 61 when sliding relative to the tracks 30 and 31.
[0037]
FIG. 16 shows an example of the sliding contact according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. In the sliding contact of this example, a carbon fiber bundle 70 is bent in a U-shape, and both ends 70a, The portion other than 70a is characterized in that the shape is held by a holding member 72 made of a pipe made of a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, or nylon.
In the case of this configuration, the carbon fiber bundle 70 is inserted into the U-shaped molding cavity of the mold, and insert molding is performed with tension applied to both ends to partially cover the carbon fiber bundle 70 with the holding member 72. Thus, a contact portion can be obtained. Also in this embodiment, it is preferable that the tip of the carbon fiber bundle 70 be cut and aligned after molding.
Also in the sliding contact of this example, the same operation and effect as those of the contact portion and the sliding contact of the above embodiment can be obtained.
[0038]
FIG. 17 shows an example of a sliding contact according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. In the sliding contact of this embodiment, a carbon fiber bundle 80 is bent in a U-shape, and both ends 80a, It is characterized in that the shape is held by a resin holding member 82 impregnated so as to surround the carbon fiber bundle 80 in a portion other than the portion 80a.
The carbon fiber bundle 80 of this example can be obtained by impregnating an adhesive around a bent portion in a state where a bundle of carbon fibers is bent in a U-shape and solidifying the adhesive.
Also in the sliding contact of this example, the same operation and effect as those of the contact portion and the sliding contact of the above embodiment can be obtained.
[0039]
FIGS. 18 and 19 show an example of an automobile sensor provided with a sliding contact according to the present invention. The sensor 1 of this embodiment is mounted near an engine of an automobile and the like, and is used for mixing gasoline and air. It is used as a sensor for controlling the ratio or a sensor for controlling the amount of exhaust gas recycled. FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the sensor, and FIG. 19 is a side view showing a state where a sliding contact is attached to a slider receiver.
[0040]
The sensor 1 shown in FIG. 18 includes a casing 11 forming an outer shell, a shaft 12 movable in the left-right direction of FIG. 1 with respect to the casing 11, a base material 13 built in the casing 11, A sliding contact 14 slidingly contacting a substrate 13 provided with a first track 30 made of a resistor and a second track 31 made of a conductor formed on a material 13, It has a slider receiver (support member) 15 for holding, an external terminal 17 connected to the base material 13, and the like.
In the casing 11, the shaft 12 is inserted into a shaft hole 11a provided at one end (left end in FIG. 1), and a cover 18 is attached to an opening 11b provided at the other end (right end in FIG. 1). I have.
As the sliding contact 14, the carbon fiber bundle 14 fixed to the leaf spring-like mounting body 46 shown in FIG. 9 can be applied as a contact portion of the sliding contact.
[0041]
The sensor 1 having the above structure is used in the vicinity of an automobile engine. In the sensor 1, the sliding contact 14 slides back and forth with respect to the substrate 13 provided with the first track 30 and the second track 31, and as in the first embodiment described above, the sliding contact 14 slides. The output voltage with respect to the input voltage is measured by a circuit connected to the carbon fiber bundle 14A of the sliding contact 14 and the first track 30 and the second track 31 according to the position of the sliding contact 14 at the time of movement. The position of the shaft 12 provided with the sliding contact 14 is detected, and functions as a position detection sensor.
[0042]
In the sensor 1 having the above-described structure, the positions of the ends 14a, 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A in the linear reciprocating movement are detected. Different annular first tracks and annular second tracks are arranged, for example, at concentric positions, and a carbon fiber bundle 14 serving as a contact portion is provided on a rotatable disk-shaped slider receiver. The carbon fiber bundle 14 is arranged so as to straddle the track and the second track, and the contact position of the end 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14 with the track according to the rotation angle position of the rotating slider receiver. Can be applied to a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle by an output voltage output in conjunction with this position.
[0043]
In addition, the sliding contact according to the present invention is not limited to a resistor for sliding use for a sensor of an automobile, but also a sliding resistor (adjusting sensor) and a switch (input) for adjusting a sliding resistance or the like of audio equipment. Of course, it can be applied to various uses as a sensor in a broad sense such as a sensor) and a rotary encoder (angle sensor).
In addition, in the examples described so far, a metal pipe, a resin pipe, or an adhesive is used as a holding member for maintaining and constraining the shape of the carbon fiber bundle, but the holding member holds the shape of the carbon fiber bundle. As the holding member, a holding member obtained by bending a channel material having a U-shaped cross section or a holding member having a composite structure in which a bent metal core material for holding a shape is arranged in a heat-shrinkable tube may be used. Any structure and material can be used as long as it has the function of holding the carbon fiber bundle in a predetermined shape. Further, in the present embodiment, the conductive pattern is arranged on one plane or with a step, and the contact portion is curved. However, the first and second tracks are formed on the opposing surfaces, and between them, Alternatively, a linear contact portion may be arranged.
[0044]
On the other hand, it is not necessary to bring the end 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A into direct contact with the tracks 30 and 31, but to cover the tracks 30 and 31 with conductive layers and slide the carbon fiber bundle 14 through those conductive layers. Each of the carbon fibers or the end portion 14a of the carbon fiber bundle 14A may be coated with a resin layer containing conductive particles, and the coating layer slides on the tracks 30, 31. You may do it.
Next, in the embodiments described above, the paired patterns 30 and 31 are configured by a combination of the conductor layer and the resistor layer. However, both patterns are configured by the resistor layer, and both patterns are formed by the conductive layer. A configuration in which a body layer is used, and a configuration in which one track is a comb-shaped conductive pattern and the other is a current collector pattern may be used.
In these cases and in each of the embodiments, the input current may be applied to one of the patterns and the current may be output from the other pattern via the sliding contact.
[0045]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the sliding portions that slide with respect to the conductive pattern having the paired tracks are formed at both ends or other portions of the bent carbon fiber bundle. Therefore, the paired tracks can be connected with the carbon fiber bundle, and the paired tracks can be reliably connected without interposing any other member between the paired tracks. Thus, the number of contact points in the conduction path between the tracks can be minimized, and a stable and reliable sliding contact with a low resistance value can be provided. Further, there is an advantage that noise can be reduced by applying a carbon fiber bundle.
Further, since the reliable connection of the sliding contact with low resistance as described above can be performed by the carbon fiber bundle in a bent state, the configuration of the present invention can be realized with a small number of parts, and the number of parts is small, so Can be reduced, and the process can be simplified. Further, since the output terminal can be connected to the track on which the carbon fiber bundle slides, there is no need to take out the signal from the carbon fiber, and the connection of the output terminal can be facilitated.
[0046]
According to the present invention, by covering at least a portion of the portion of the carbon fiber bundle except for the sliding portion with the holding member, the carbon fiber bundle in the bundled and bent state can be reliably held in shape, and can be exposed. The sliding portion of the carbon fiber bundle thus made can be surely slid with respect to the track.
Further, since the shape of the carbon fiber bundle can be held by the holding member, the shape of the carbon fiber bundle can be reliably maintained. In order to maintain the shape of the carbon fiber bundle, at least a part of the bent portion of the carbon fiber bundle except for the sliding portion is covered with a holding member as a member different from the carbon fiber bundle. be able to.
[0047]
In the present invention, the end of the carbon fiber bundle is flattened so that the end of the flat carbon fiber bundle is slid at a uniform width with respect to the track having a predetermined width when the conductive pattern slides on the track. This makes it possible to obtain a sliding contact with stable sliding characteristics, which contributes to the stability of the sliding state. Further, since the length of the track in contact with the longitudinal direction can be shortened, a predetermined output can be obtained stably.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between a sliding contact and a first track and a second track according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sliding contact.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining an example of an assembling method of the sliding contact.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an intermediate molded body obtained during assembly of the sliding contact.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sliding contact at a stage where processing is completed.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of the shape of the end portion of the contact portion according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing another example of the end portion side shape of the contact portion according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship between a sliding contact, a first track, and a second track according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of an attached state of a contact portion according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a method of manufacturing a contact portion according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing another example of the method of manufacturing the contact portion according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing a contact portion according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing a contact portion according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing a contact portion according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing an example of a sensor provided with a sliding contact according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a side view showing an attached state of a slider receiver and a sliding contact provided in the sensor shown in FIG. 18;
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional slider.
FIG. 21 is a view showing another example of a conventional slider.
FIG. 22 is a partially enlarged view of the structure shown in FIG. 21;
[Explanation of symbols]
13 ... substrate,
14, 44, 47, 48, 49, 53, ... sliding contacts,
14A: carbon fiber bundle (contact part),
14a, 47a, 48a, 49a, 53a ... end (sliding part),
14B ... holding member,
15 ... Slider receiver (supporting member),
30 ... the first track,
31 second track,
61b: bending portion (sliding portion),

Claims (11)

The carbon fiber converging body is bent in a forked shape, and a contact portion is formed on both ends of the carbon fiber opposite to the bent side, in which a sliding portion for a conductive pattern having a pair of tracks is formed. A sliding contact. The carbon fiber converging body is bent into a forked shape, and a contact portion formed with a sliding portion for a conductive pattern having a pair of tracks is formed on a portion of the carbon fiber except for both ends on the opposite side to the bending side. A sliding contact, comprising: The sliding contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a part or all of the other part is covered with a holding member while the sliding part of the carbon fiber converging body of the contact part is exposed. . The sliding contact according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carbon fiber converging body is partially restrained and integrated by the cylindrical holding member. A flat portion is formed at an end of the holding member located on the end side of the carbon fiber converging body, and a sliding portion in which the end of the carbon fiber converging body protruding from the flat portion is arranged in a flat shape. The sliding contact according to any one of claims 3 and 4, wherein the two sliding portions are aligned in the width direction of the track that is slid relative to each other. The slide according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the holding member includes a contact portion in which the shape of the carbon fiber bundle is held in a bifurcated plate shape having a curved portion at an intermediate portion. Moving contacts. A common pattern including a conductive pattern having a first track and a second track, and a first contact portion sliding relative to the first track and a second contact portion sliding relative to the second track; And a contact portion of the carbon fiber converging body, wherein a conductive path is formed by the first track, the second track, and the contact portion. The carbon fiber bundle is bent into a forked shape, and both ends of the carbon fiber bundle that are opposite to the bending side are supported by a support member, and one end of the carbon fiber bundle is bent at one side. One track is formed on the other side of the bent portion, and another track is formed on the other side of the bent portion of the carbon fiber bundle. A sliding-type electric component which is slidably contacted with a body. The sliding electrical component according to claim 7, wherein the contact portion is the contact portion according to claim 1. The sliding-type electric component according to any one of claims 7 to 9, further comprising a support member that supports the contact portion and moves relative to the track. A sensor comprising the sliding electric component according to claim 7.

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