JP2005100708A - Flat wiring body, and rotary connector using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute high-reliability communication by keeping a characteristic impedance of a whole conductor nearly constant, by reducing ringing and the like of a signal waveform in executing communication by using the conductor as a signal line and by reducing unnecessary noise from the conductor. <P>SOLUTION: This rotary connector is equipped with: an outer housing having an outer cylinder part; an inner housing 2 rotatably mounted to the outer housing and having an inner cylinder part 2a; a cable housing chamber 3 formed between the outer cylinder part and the inner cylinder part 2a; and this flat wiring body 9 housed in the housing chamber 3 in a wound form and having at least one end side rotatively moved forward and backward by the relative rotation between the outer housing and the inner housing 2. The flat wiring body 9 is formed with a long insulating cover body 21 and a plurality of conductors 22a-22d installed in the cover body 21; and the conductors 22c and 22d out of them are wired by inclining them with respect to the longitudinal direction T. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat cable body accommodated in a cable housing chamber in a wound state, and a rotary connector using the same.

  For example, it is necessary to supply an ignition current to an airbag system incorporated in a steering device of an automobile, and a rotary connector is used to electrically connect a vehicle body that is a fixed side and a steering device that is a rotating side. As conventional rotary connectors which are such electrical connection means, there are those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-116672 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-209005 (Patent Document 2).

  A conventional rotary connector will be briefly described. An outer housing having an outer cylindrical portion, an inner housing rotatably mounted on the outer housing and having an inner cylindrical portion, and between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion. An annular cable housing chamber that is formed, and a flat cable body that is housed in a wound state in the cable housing chamber, with one end side of the wound state secured to the outer tube portion and the other end side secured to the inner tube portion, respectively. I have. The outer housing is fixed to the vehicle body side, and the inner housing is fixed to the steering device side.

  When the steering is rotated, the inner housing is rotated with respect to the outer housing, and the flat cable is rotated and moved in the cable housing chamber following the rotation of the inner housing to maintain the electrical connection.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 9A, the conventional flat wiring body 50 includes a long insulating covering body 51 and a plurality of conductors 52 a to 52 d routed in the insulating covering body 51. It is formed with. As shown in FIG. 9B, the plurality of conductors 52 a to 52 d are arranged at a constant interval from each other and parallel to the longitudinal direction T.
JP-A-10-116672 JP-A-11-209005

  However, in the rotary connector using the flat wiring body 50 of the conventional example, when the flat wiring body 50 is wound in the cable housing chamber, the conductors 52a to 52d are, as shown in FIG. Since they are arranged on the same circumference, adjacent conductors 52a to 52d overlap each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the conductors 52a to 52d are brought close to each other, electrostatic coupling occurs, and the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor cannot be kept constant. When such a conductor is communicated as a signal line, there is a problem that ringing occurs in the signal waveform or unnecessary radiation noise is generated from the conductor, so that highly reliable communication cannot be performed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a flat cable assembly in which the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, and a rotary connector using the same. .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one end side is forward / reverse in a cable housing chamber formed of a long insulating covering body and a plurality of conductors arranged in the insulating covering body and housed in a wound state. A flat wiring body that is rotationally moved in a direction, wherein one or more of the plurality of conductors are wired while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction.

  In this flat wiring body, the conductors arranged at an inclination are arranged in a spiral shape in the wound state, so that the adjacent conductors overlap each other at a shifted position, and electrostatic charges are caused by the proximity of the conductors. Bonding is reduced.

  Invention of Claim 2 is the flat wiring body of Claim 1, Comprising: The conductor utilized as a signal wire was inclined with respect to the elongate direction among the said multiple conductors, and was wired. It is a flat cable body characterized by this.

  In addition to the operation of the first aspect of the present invention, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, ringing or the like hardly occurs in the signal waveform, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the flat wiring body of Claim 1 or Claim 2, Comprising: The conductor which overlaps at least by winding between the flat wiring bodies arrange | positioned on the same circumference in the winding state It is a flat wiring body characterized by disposing an insulator between them.

  In this flat wiring body, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 1 and 2, since the insulator is disposed between the flat wiring bodies, electrostatic coupling between conductors can be further prevented, and the entire conductor Is kept substantially constant, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the flat wiring body according to claim 3, wherein the insulator is adhered to one surface side of the insulating covering body.

  In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, in this flat wiring body, since it is attached to one surface side of the insulating coating body, if the flat wiring body is wired, electrostatic coupling between conductors is further prevented. can do.

  The invention according to claim 5 is configured between an outer housing having an outer cylindrical portion, an inner housing rotatably mounted on the outer housing and having an inner cylindrical portion, and the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion. A cable housing chamber and a flat cable body that is housed in a wound state in the cable housing chamber, and at least one end side of which is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by relative rotation of the outer housing and the inner housing. In the rotary connector, the flat wiring body is formed of a long insulating covering body and a plurality of conductors routed in the insulating covering body, and one or more of the plurality of conductors are long. It is a rotary connector characterized in that it is wired with an inclination with respect to the direction.

  In this rotary connector, inclined conductors are arranged in a spiral shape in the wound state, so that adjacent conductors overlap at a shifted position, and electrostatic coupling due to proximity between the conductors is reduced. Is done.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the rotary connector according to the fifth aspect, wherein the conductor used as the signal line among the plurality of conductors is routed while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction. It is a rotation connector characterized by this.

  In this rotary connector, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, ringing or the like hardly occurs in the signal waveform, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced.

The invention of claim 7 is the rotary connector according to claim 5 or claim 6,
It is a rotary connector characterized in that an insulator is disposed at least between conductors overlapped by winding between flat cables arranged on the same circumference in a wound state.

  In this rotary connector, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 5 and 6, since the insulator is disposed between the flat wiring bodies, electrostatic coupling between the conductors can be further prevented, and the characteristics of the entire conductor can be prevented. Impedance is kept almost constant, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the flat conductors are arranged in a spiral shape when the inclined conductors are arranged in a wound state, so that adjacent conductors are shifted from each other. Since electrostatic coupling due to overlapping at positions and close proximity between conductors is reduced, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant. As described above, when communication is performed using a conductor as a signal line, ringing of a signal waveform and the like are reduced, unnecessary noise from the conductor is reduced, and highly reliable communication can be performed.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept almost constant, ringing or the like hardly occurs in the signal waveform, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced. Therefore, it can be used as a signal line for differential communication with high reliability. In addition, if only the conductor used as the signal line is arranged to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction and the other conductors are arranged along the longitudinal direction, the entire conductor can be obtained without increasing the width of the flat cable as much as possible. The characteristic impedance can be stabilized.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claim 1 and claim 2, since the insulator is disposed between the flat wiring bodies, electrostatic coupling between the conductors can be further prevented, The characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor can be reduced.

  According to invention of Claim 4, in addition to the effect | action of invention of Claim 3, since it is affixed on the one surface side of the insulation coating body, if a flat wiring body is routed, the electrostatic coupling between conductors will be carried out. More can be prevented.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the outer housing having the outer cylindrical portion, the inner housing rotatably mounted on the outer housing and having the inner cylindrical portion, and the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion are configured. A rotary connector comprising: a cable housing chamber; and a flat cable body that is housed in a wound state in the cable housing chamber and that is rotated and moved at least one end in the forward and reverse directions by relative rotation between the outer housing and the inner housing. The flat wiring body is formed of a long insulating covering body and a plurality of conductors routed in the insulating covering body, and one or more of the plurality of conductors are arranged in the long direction. In this rotary connector, the inclined conductors are arranged in a spiral shape in the wound state, so that the adjacent conductors overlap at a shifted position, and the conductors are close to each other. Be done Since the capacitive coupling due is reduced, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is maintained substantially constant. As described above, when communication is performed using a conductor as a signal line, ringing of a signal waveform and the like are reduced, unnecessary noise from the conductor is reduced, and highly reliable communication can be performed.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the rotary connector according to claim 3, wherein the conductor used as the signal line is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction among the plurality of conductors. In this rotary connector, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, ringing or the like is unlikely to occur in the signal waveform, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor is reduced. It can be used as a highly reliable signal line for differential communication. In addition, if only the conductor used as the signal line is inclined in the longitudinal direction and other conductors are arranged in the longitudinal direction, the characteristics of the entire conductor can be obtained without increasing the width of the flat cable as much as possible. Impedance can be stabilized.

  According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 5 and 6, since the insulator is disposed between the flat wiring bodies, electrostatic coupling between the conductors can be further prevented, The characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant, and unnecessary radiation noise from the conductor can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rotary connector A in a neutral position, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary connector A in a counterclockwise end position, and FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view showing the winding state of the flat cable body 9, FIG. 4B is a development view of the flat cable body 9, and FIG. c) is a cross-sectional view of the flat cable body 9, FIG. 5 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the flat cable body 9 in a wound state, and FIG. 5 (b) is an electrostatic coupling state between adjacent conductors 22a to 22d. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary connector A has an outer housing 1 having an outer cylindrical portion 1a and an inner housing 2 having an inner cylindrical portion 2a. It is installed. The outer cylinder part 1a and the inner cylinder part 2a are arranged concentrically, and an annular cable storage chamber 3 is formed between the outer cylinder part 1a and the inner cylinder part 2a. A ring-shaped moving body 4 is rotatably disposed in the cable storage chamber 3. The moving body 4 includes a ring-shaped flat plate 5 and a plurality of rollers 6 erected on the flat plate 5 at intervals. It is composed of By this moving body 4, an outer peripheral side cable space 3 a and an inner peripheral side cable space 3 b are respectively formed on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side in the cable storage chamber 3, and the outer peripheral side cable space 3 a is formed in the moving body 4. And a cable passage 20 communicating with the inner peripheral cable space 3b is provided at one location.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the flat routing body 9 includes a long insulating covering 21 and four conductors 22 a to 22 d routed in the insulating covering 21. And is formed from. The insulating covering 21 includes a base portion 21a made of an insulating material such as PET, and a covering portion 21b that covers the four conductors 22a to 22d that are also made of an insulating material such as PET and are arranged on one surface of the base portion 21a. It is composed of The four conductors 22a to 22d are spaced apart from each other, two of which are for power supply and the other two are for differential communication signals. The power supply conductors 22a and 22b extend parallel to the longitudinal direction T, and the two conductors 22a and 22b are arranged in parallel to each other. The signal conductors 22c and 22d for differential communication extend while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction T, and the two conductors 22c and 22d are arranged in parallel to each other.

  And the flat wiring body 9 is accommodated in the cable storage chamber 3 as follows. That is, one end of the flat cable body 9 is fixed to the outer cylinder portion 1a via the cable extraction portion 11, and each one end side is wound around the outer cable space 3a in the same winding direction. . The flat cable body 9 wound around the outer cable space 3 a is guided to the inner cable space 3 b through the cable path 20 and the winding direction of the flat cable body 9 is reversed at the position of the cable path 20. Has been. The inverted flat cable body 9 is wound around the inner cable space 3b in the winding direction opposite to that of the outer cable space 3a, and the other end of the flat cable body 9 is connected to the cable outlet 12. It is being fixed to the inner cylinder part 2a via.

  For example, when the rotary connector A is applied to supply current to the airbag system described above, the outer housing 1 is fixed to the vehicle body side, the inner housing 2 is fixed to the steering device side, and the outer peripheral portion 1a. The cable outlet 11 is connected to an electric circuit on the vehicle body side, and the cable outlet 12 on the inner peripheral side is connected to an electric circuit on the steering device side.

  In the above configuration, when the inner housing 2 is rotated counterclockwise in the neutral position of FIG. 1, the inner cable space 3b is in the direction of feeding the flat cable body 9 to the outer cable space 3a. Since the flat cable body 9 is in the winding direction for the space 3a, the flat cable body 9 in the inner cable space 3b is sent to the outer cable space 3a side, and the sent flat cable body 9 is connected to the cable path 20. The flat cable 9 is wound around the outer cable space 3a while being reversed at the position, and the inverted part 9a of the flat cable 9 is also moved in the counterclockwise direction by being wound around the outer cable space 3a. Following this, the movable body 4 also rotates counterclockwise, thereby allowing the inner housing 2 to rotate. As shown in FIG. 2, most of the flat wiring bodies 9 are wound around the outer cable space 3a at the clockwise end position of the rotary connector.

  Further, when the inner housing 2 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the neutral position in FIG. 1, it is the winding direction of the flat cable body 9 for the inner cable space 3b, but the flat cable body for the outer cable space 3a. 9, the flat cable body 9 of the outer cable space 3 a is sent to the inner cable space 3 b side, and the sent flat cable body 9 is reversed at the position of the cable passage 20 while the inner cable space. 3b and the flat cable 9 is fed out of the outer cable space 3a, so that the reversal portion 9a of the flat cable 9 also moves in the clockwise direction. The inner housing 2 is allowed to rotate. As shown in FIG. 3, most of the flat wiring bodies 9 are wound around the inner cable space 3b at the counterclockwise endmost position of the rotary connector.

  That is, depending on the rotation direction of the inner housing 2, one of the flat cable body 9 of the inner cable space 3b and the flat cable body 9 of the outer cable space 3a is in the winding direction, and the other is in the feeding direction, and The flat cabling body 9 is controlled by restricting the movement of the flat cabling body 9 in the radial direction except for the inversion location 9a while allowing the moving body 4 to freely change the inversion location 9a of the flat cabling body 9. The inner housing 2 is smoothly rotated while being housed.

  In the above operation process, when the flat cable body 9 is wound in the cable housing chamber 3, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the power supply conductors 22a and 22b are on the same circumference. Therefore, the adjacent conductors 22a and 22b overlap each other. On the other hand, since the conductors 22c and 22d for differential communication signals are arranged in a spiral shape, the adjacent conductors 22c and 22d overlap each other at a shifted position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, since the electrostatic coupling due to the proximity between the conductors 22c and 22d is reduced, the characteristic impedance of the entire conductor is kept substantially constant. As described above, the conductors 22c and 22d used for communication as signal lines can reduce signal waveform ringing and the like, reduce unnecessary noise from the conductors 22c and 22d, and perform highly reliable communication.

  Next, another embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B will be described. In this embodiment, it is the example which has arrange | positioned the insulating film 23 between the conductors 22a-22d in the winding state by sticking the insulating film 23 to the base part 21a of the insulation coating body 21. FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, electrostatic coupling due to the proximity of the conductors 22c and 22d can be further reduced, and the impedance characteristics of the entire conductor can be kept substantially constant. it can. Further, unnecessary noise from the conductors 22c and 22d used for communication as signal lines can be reduced, and highly reliable communication can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, only the conductors 22c and 22d used as signal lines are arranged to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction T, and the other conductors 22a and 22b are arranged in parallel to the longitudinal direction T. The characteristic impedance of the entire conductor can be stabilized without increasing the width W of 9 as much as possible. Of course, all the conductors 22a to 22d may be arranged to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction T.

  Next, another embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, an insulator 24 having a height substantially equal to that of the inner cylindrical portion 2a of the inner housing 2 is disposed on the base portion side of the insulating cover 21, and this insulator In this example, the entire flat cable body 9 is inclined with respect to 24 and wound and housed in the inner cable space 3b in this state.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the insulator 24 has a height H set in accordance with the height of the inner cylinder portion 2 a of the inner housing 2. When the flat wiring body 9 is wound together with the insulator 24, the insulating body 24 is sandwiched between the flat wiring bodies 9 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, and the conductor 22a. , 22b and 22c can be further reduced in electrostatic coupling, and the impedance characteristics of the entire conductor can be kept substantially constant. Further, unnecessary noise from a conductor used for communication as a signal line can be reduced, and highly reliable communication can be performed.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, by adjusting the height H of the insulator 24 to the height of the inner cylindrical portion 2a, it becomes a guide for the flat cable body housed in a spiral shape simultaneously with the above-described insulation effect.

  In the above-described embodiment, the four conductors 22a to 22d are routed in the flat routing body 9, but it goes without saying that the number may be smaller or larger.

  Moreover, according to the said embodiment, although the case where the outer side housing 1 was a fixed side and the inner side housing 2 was a rotation side was shown, the outer side housing 1 may be a rotation side and the inner side housing 2 may be a fixed side. Furthermore, both the outer housing 1 and the inner housing 2 may be on the rotation side.

  Furthermore, the rotary connector A of the above embodiment stores the flat cable body 9 in the cable storage chamber 3 by reversing it in the reverse direction, but without arranging the moving body 4 in the flat storage chamber 3, Of course, the flat cable body 9 may be simply spirally housed.

It is sectional drawing in the neutral position which shows one Embodiment of this invention and is a rotation connector. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rotary connector at the extreme counterclockwise position, showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the embodiment of the present invention at the most clockwise position of the rotary connector. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a schematic perspective view showing a winding state of a flat cable body, (b) is a development view of the flat cable body, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the flat cable body It is. An embodiment of the present invention is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view in a wound state of a flat cable body, (b) is a diagram showing an electrostatic coupling state between adjacent conductors. Other embodiment is shown, (a) is sectional drawing in the winding state of a flat wiring body, (b) is a figure which shows the electrostatic coupling state between adjacent conductors. Other embodiment is shown, (a) is a front view which shows the relationship between an insulator and a flat wiring body, (b) is the perspective view which wound the flat cable. FIG. 7 shows another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, (a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the flat cable body is spirally wound, and (b) is a cross-sectional view in the wound state of the flat cable body. . A prior art example is shown, (a) is a perspective view which shows the state which wound the flat wiring body helically, (b) is a front view which shows the state which expand | deployed the flat wiring body. A prior art example is shown, (a) is sectional drawing in the winding state of a flat wiring body, (b) is a figure which shows the electrostatic coupling state between adjacent conductors.

Explanation of symbols

A Rotating connector 1 Outer handling 1a Outer cylinder part 2 Inner housing 2a Inner cylinder part 3 Cable storage chamber 9 Flat cable body 21 Insulation coating body 22a-22d Conductor T Long direction

Claims (7)

A flat formed by a long insulating covering and a plurality of conductors arranged in the insulating covering, and at least one end side being rotated and moved in a forward and reverse direction in a cable housing accommodated in a wound state. A cable body,
A flat cable assembly in which one or more of the plurality of conductors are arranged with an inclination with respect to the longitudinal direction. The flat cable assembly according to claim 1,
A flat cable assembly in which a conductor used as a signal line is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction among the plurality of conductors.   The flat wiring body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the insulator is located between the flat wiring bodies disposed on the same circumference in a wound state and at least between conductors overlapped by winding. A flat cable body characterized by the arrangement of   It is a flat wiring body of Claim 3, Comprising: The said insulator is stuck on the one surface side of the said insulation coating body, The flat wiring body characterized by the above-mentioned. An outer housing having an outer cylindrical portion, an inner housing rotatably mounted on the outer housing and having an inner cylindrical portion, a cable housing chamber configured between the outer cylindrical portion and the inner cylindrical portion, A rotary connector that is housed in a wound state in a cable housing chamber and includes a flat cable body that is rotated and moved in a forward and reverse direction at least one end side by relative rotation between the outer housing and the inner housing,
The flat wiring body is formed of a long insulating covering body and a plurality of conductors routed in the insulating covering body, and one or more of the plurality of conductors are inclined with respect to the long direction. Rotating connector, which is characterized by wiring The rotary connector according to claim 5,
A rotary connector characterized in that a conductor to be used as a signal line among the plurality of conductors is arranged while being inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction. The rotary connector according to claim 5 or 6,
A rotary connector characterized in that an insulator is disposed at least between conductors overlapped by winding between flat wiring bodies arranged on the same circumference in a wound state.

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