JP2010009849A - Rotary connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary connector device reduced in cost. <P>SOLUTION: The rotary connector device 1 is provided with: a stator 2; a rotor 3 incorporated rotatably to the stator 2; and a cable housing chamber 4 formed between the stator 2 and the rotor 3 mutually incorporated. Any of a slip ring mechanism 5, and a flexible flat cable 6 which carries out electrical connection between the stator 2 and the rotor 3 is housed in the cable housing chamber 4 as required. The slip ring mechanism 5 is constituted of: a conductive ring 51 fixed to an under plate 22; and a sliding contactor 52 fixed to an upper rotating member 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary connector device used for electrical connection between a fixed body and a rotary body.

  In the rotary connector device described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 below, a rotating body fixed to a steering wheel is rotatably assembled to a fixed body fixed to a steering column, and the rotating body and the fixed body when the steering wheel rotates. A flexible flat cable that maintains electrical connection with the cable is accommodated in a cable housing chamber. In this rotary connector device, the electrical connection between the rotating body and the fixed body during the rotation of the steering wheel is also maintained by the slip ring mechanism that slides the sliding contact on the conductive ring. The energization route of the flexible flat cable is used for an airbag ignition signal with a small energization current, and the energization route of a slip ring mechanism is used for a steering heater or the like with a large energization current.

JP 2003-123927 A JP 2007-12521 A

  In recent years, the mounting ratio of rotating connectors has increased with the increase in the use of airbags in automobiles. However, steering and steering shafts can be used even when a rotating connector is not required without an airbag. Rotating connectors may be used to share parts. However, when a rotary connector is used in an airbag-equipped vehicle, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased because extra parts such as a flat cable are provided.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the rotation connector apparatus which can solve the said subject.

  In order to achieve such an object, the rotary connector device of the present invention accommodates a fixed contact portion and a sliding contact sliding on the fixed contact portion, and has a fixed body having a fixed connector, A rotary connector device that can rotate integrally with the sliding contact with respect to a fixed body and includes a rotary body having a rotation-side connector, and the fixed body can accommodate a flat cable in the width direction. A first terminal which has a housing space, the sliding contact, the electric wire connected to the sliding contact, and the fixed contact portion are housed in the housing space and electrically connected to the fixed contact portion. The second terminal housed in the fixed connector and electrically connected to the sliding contact via the electric wire is housed in the rotating connector.

  According to the present invention, since any one of the flat cable and the slip ring mechanism can be used according to the application of the rotary connector device, the manufacturing cost of the rotary connector device can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded perspective views of the rotary connector device 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method of use when used in a vehicle without an airbag, and FIG. It is. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the rotary connector device 1 for explaining the outline of the configuration of the cable housing chamber 4. In FIG. 2, the illustration of the upper rotating member 31 constituting the rotating body 3 is omitted. The upper and lower directions used in the following description are shown in the drawings used for the description. The upper and lower sides are described for the sake of explanation, and of course may be different from the actual arrangement.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotary connector device 1 includes a fixed body 2 fixed to a steering column (not shown), and is rotatably assembled to the fixed body 2 and fixed to a steering wheel (not shown). The rotating body 3 is provided.

  The fixed body 2 is configured by combining a main body housing 21 and an under plate 22. The main body housing 21 has a schematic shape in which a cylindrical side plate 21b extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular upper plate 21a. The outer peripheral surface of the side plate 21b is provided with a plurality of mounting portions 21c used for fixing to the steering column and a fixed-side connector portion 21d to which wiring from the steering column is connected.

  The under plate 22 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the upper plate 21a of the main body housing 21, and extends the cylindrical side plate 22b upward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular lower plate 22a formed wider than the upper plate 21a. It has a general shape. The under plate 22 is assembled to the main body housing 21 from the lower side by inserting the side plate 22b inside the side plate 21b of the main body housing 21 and facing the lower plate 22a with a predetermined distance from the upper plate 21a. Configure.

  The rotating body 3 is configured by combining an upper rotating member 31 and a lower rotating member 32. The upper rotating member 31 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the upper plate 21a of the main body housing 21, and the cylindrical shaft portion 31b extends downward from the inner peripheral edge of the annular upper plate 31a formed wider than the upper plate 21a. It has the general shape extended to. On the upper surface of the upper plate 31a, a plurality of rotation side connector portions 31c to which wiring from the steering wheel is connected are provided. Further, a locking claw 31d used for locking to the lower rotating member 32 is provided on the inner surface of the shaft portion 31b.

  The lower rotating member 32 has a cylindrical upper cylindrical portion 32a having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the shaft portion 31b included in the upper rotating member 31, and is formed thicker by expanding the outer diameter than the upper cylindrical portion 32a. And a lower cylindrical portion 32b extending below the upper cylindrical portion 32a. A locking hole 32c for locking the locking claw 31d of the upper rotating member 31 is formed in the upper cylindrical portion 32a.

  The upper rotating member 31 is inserted into the upper plate 21a of the main body housing 21 constituting the fixed body 2 through the shaft portion 31b from above, and the upper plate 31a faces the upper plate 21a from the upper side to the main body housing 21 from above. It is put on. The shaft portion 31 b of the upper rotating member 31 placed on the main body housing 21 makes its lower end contact or approach the upper surface of the inner peripheral edge of the lower plate 22 a included in the under plate 22.

  In the lower rotating member 32, the upper cylindrical portion 32a is inserted from below into the shaft portion 31b included in the upper rotating member 31 placed on the main body housing 21, and the upper rotating member 31 is inserted into the locking hole 32c of the upper cylindrical portion 32a. The locking claw 32d is locked to the upper rotating member 31. The lower rotating member 32 fixed to the upper rotating member 31 is positioned with respect to the fixed body 2 by the lower cylindrical portion 32b sandwiching the lower plate 22a of the under plate 22 with the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31. .

  The upper rotary member 31 and the lower rotary member 32 are assembled to the fixed body 2 so as to sandwich the fixed body 2 from above and below to constitute the rotary body 3, and the locking claw 31 d of the upper rotary member 31 rotates downward. By being locked in the locking holes 32c of the member 32, they are integrated with each other.

  Since the fixed body 2 and the rotating body 3 are assembled together as described above, the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31 is provided between the fixed body 2 and the rotating body 3 as shown in FIG. A cable housing chamber 4 having a ring shape around the periphery is formed. The cable housing chamber 4 is surrounded by the upper plate 21a and the side plate 21b of the main body housing 21, the lower plate 22a and the side plate 22b of the under plate 22, and the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31, and is separated from the outside. It has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable housing chamber 4 is provided with either a slip ring mechanism 5 or a flexible flat cable 6 for electrical connection between the fixed body 2 and the rotating body 3 as required. Stored. As shown in FIG. 1, the slip ring mechanism 5 includes a conductive ring 51 and a sliding contact 52. The sliding contact 52 includes an attachment portion 52a attached to the upper rotating member 31, and a pair of arm terminal portions 52b and 52b extending from the attachment portion 52a to the left and right and having an arc shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the conductive ring 51 is disposed concentrically with the shaft portion 31 b of the upper rotating member 31 on the upper surface of the lower plate 22 a included in the under plate 22, and is fixed to the under plate 22. The sliding contact 52 is disposed such that the mounting portion 52a is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 31b included in the upper rotating member 31, and the conductive ring 51 and the arm terminal portions 52b and 52b are in contact with each other. The conductive ring 51 is electrically connected to the fixed connector portion 21d through a cord 53 with a terminal 53a (see FIG. 1). The sliding contact 52 is electrically connected to the rotation-side connector portion 31c at the terminal 54a via the cord 54 connected to the attachment portion 52a (see FIG. 1). The cord 53 and the cord 54 are accommodated in the cable accommodating chamber 4. The terminal 53a is accommodated in the fixed connector 21d, and the terminal 54a is accommodated in the rotation connector 31c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible flat cable 6 is configured by winding a strip formed by arranging a conductor on an insulating film in a concentric manner with the shaft portion 31 b of the upper rotating member 31. The rotated annular body 6a is connected to the fixed-side connector portion 21d of the main body housing 21 by the outer end portion 6c, and the annular body 6b wound inside is connected to the rotation-side connector portion 31c of the upper rotating member 31 by the inner end portion 6d. Connected with.

  The flexible flat cable 6 is accommodated in the cable housing chamber 4 by arranging a plurality of idlers 72 provided in the carrier 71 between the annular body 6 a and the annular body 6 b. The carrier 71 has an annular shape on the lower plate 22a of the under plate 22 and is rotatably arranged. The idler 72 is rotatably supported by the carrier 71. The flexible flat cable 6 is guided in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 31b (see FIG. 1) by an idler 72 through a connecting portion 6e spanned between the annular body 6a and the annular body 6b. The electrical contact with the rotating body 3 is maintained by changing the winding state with 6b.

  Next, the operation of the rotary connector device 1 will be described. First, the operation when the slip ring mechanism 5 is accommodated in the cable accommodation chamber 4 will be described. When the steering wheel rotates, the rotating body 3 rotates with respect to the fixed body 2 around the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31. Along with this, the sliding contact 52 fixed to the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31 slides on the conductive ring 51 fixed to the lower plate 22a of the under plate 22, whereby the rotating side connector portion 31c. And the fixed connector portion 21d are maintained in electrical connection.

  Next, the operation when the flexible flat cable 6 is accommodated in the cable accommodation chamber 4 will be described. When the steering wheel rotates, the rotating body 3 rotates with respect to the fixed body 2 around the shaft portion 31b of the upper rotating member 31. The flexible flat cable 6 is electrically connected between the rotation-side connector portion 31c and the fixed-side connector portion 21d by guiding the connection portion 6e to the idler 72 and changing the winding state between the annular body 6a and the annular body 6b. Connection is maintained.

  According to this embodiment, the slip ring mechanism 5 is accommodated in the cable housing chamber 4 when used in a vehicle without an airbag, and the flat cable 6 is accommodated when used in a vehicle with an airbag. A rotary connector device that can also be used in a vehicle can be provided without using extra parts. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the rotary connector device can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is sufficient to select the flat cable 6 or the slip ring mechanism 5 and accommodate it in the cable accommodating chamber 4 depending on whether it is used for a vehicle not equipped with an airbag or a vehicle equipped. Further, the assembly work of the rotary connector device 1 can be simplified.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the components used for electrical connection between the fixed body 2 and the rotating body 3 can be stored in the cable housing chamber 4, other components of the rotating connector device 1 can be freely designed. . For this reason, the freedom degree of design of the rotation connector apparatus 1 can be raised.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the conductive ring 51 is fixed to the under plate 22 and the sliding contact 52 is fixed to the upper rotating member 31 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. The sliding contact 52 may be fixed to the member 31 and the sliding contact 52 may be fixed to the under plate 22. The fixing method of the conductive ring 51 and the sliding contact 52 is also arbitrary.

  Moreover, the quantity of the conductive ring 51 and the sliding contact 52 which comprise the slip ring mechanism 5 is also arbitrary, and is not restricted to one set. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the rotation connector apparatus 1 of this invention was used for the electrical connection between a steering column and a steering wheel, since an electrical connection with a fixed body and a rotary body is performed, it is. If present, it can be used for other purposes.

  Moreover, the winding method of the flat cable 6 and the guide method of the flat cable 6 at the time of rotation of the rotary body 3 are also arbitrary, and are not limited to the structure in the said embodiment. The configuration of the cable housing chamber 4 is arbitrary as long as it can accommodate both the slipping mechanism 5 and the flat cable 6, and does not need to be separated from the outside, for example.

It is a 1st exploded perspective view of the rotation connector device of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a 2nd disassembled perspective view of the rotation connector apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the rotation connector apparatus explaining the outline of a structure of a cable storage chamber. It is sectional drawing of the rotation connector apparatus explaining the other example of the accommodation method of a slip ring mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotation connector apparatus 2 Fixed body 21 Main body housing 21d Fixed side connector part (fixed side connector)
22 Under plate 3 Rotating body 31 Upper rotating member 31c Rotation side connector (rotation side connector)
32 Lower rotating member 4 Cable accommodation room (accommodation space)
5 Slip ring mechanism 51 Conductive ring (fixed contact)
52 Sliding contact (sliding contact)
53a terminal (first terminal)
54 cord (electric wire)
54a terminal (second terminal)
6 Flexible flat cable (flat cable)

Claims (1)

A fixed body that contains a fixed contact portion and a sliding contact that slides on the fixed contact portion, and has a fixed-side connector;
A rotary connector device comprising a rotary body that can rotate integrally with the sliding contact with respect to the fixed body and has a rotary connector,
The fixed body has an accommodation space in which a flat cable can be accommodated in the width direction,
The sliding contact, the electric wire connected to the sliding contact, and the fixed contact portion are accommodated in the accommodating space,
The first terminal electrically connected to the fixed contact portion is accommodated in the fixed connector,
The rotary connector device characterized in that the second terminal electrically connected to the sliding contact via the electric wire is accommodated in the rotary connector.