JP2698230B2 - Cable reel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel applied to a steering device of a motor vehicle and the like, and electrically connecting a fixed body and a movable body using a flexible cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cable reel connects a fixed body and a movable body movably mounted on the fixed body by a flexible cable, and rotates like a steering device of an automobile. It is used as an electrical connection means between a finite number of movable bodies and a fixed body.

[0003] In this type of cable reel, the ratio of the flexible cable to the total cost is high, and the required length of the flexible cable is shortened to reduce the cost. Is U.S. Pat.
No. 455 specification.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the cable reel disclosed in the above-mentioned patent specification. As shown in the figure, a movable body 10 is fixed to a cylindrical fixed body 100.
1 is rotatably mounted, and has a ring-shaped space 102 defined between the fixed body 100 and the movable body 101.
Flexible cables 103 and 104 are housed therein. These flexible cables 103 and 104 are fixed
0 and the space 10 fixed to the movable body 101, respectively.
2 and within the space 102, the fixed body 1
The winding direction is stored in the outer cylindrical portion of the movable member 101 and the inner cylindrical portion of the movable body 101 in a reverse direction, and a U-shaped inversion portion is formed at a position where the winding direction is changed. Further, the space 102 has a plurality of rollers 10 along its circumferential direction.
5,106 groups are arranged, and the flexible cable 1
03 is looped to one of the groups of rollers 105, and the reverse of the flexible cable 104 is
Looped into one of six groups.

In the thus constructed cable reel, for example, when the movable body 101 is rotated clockwise in FIG.
02 in the circumferential direction, and the flexible cables 103 and 104
Is a rewinding state in which the outer cylinder portion side of the fixed body 100 is increased. Conversely, when the movable body 101 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the inverted portions of the flexible cables 103 and 104 also move in the same direction, and the flexible cables 103 and 104 are moved.
Is in a tightly wound state in which a large amount is wound around the inner cylinder portion side of the movable body 101. During the winding and the rewinding, the rollers 105 and 106 move in the same direction by receiving the force from the reversing portions of the flexible cables 103 and 104.

[0006]

According to the cable reel according to the conventional proposal described above, since the winding direction of the flexible cable is reversed between the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion, the flexible cable is wound. As compared with a cable reel in which is wound in the same direction (in a spiral shape) around the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion, the required length of the flexible cable can be significantly shortened, and the cost can be reduced. Can be reduced. In addition, since a plurality of rollers are arranged between the portion wound around the inner tube portion and the portion wound around the outer tube portion of the flexible cable, the flexible cable can be moved almost all around the ring-shaped space. Can be regulated radially over
Winding or rewinding operations can be performed smoothly.

However, the dimension between the flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder and the flexible cable wound around the outer cylinder (dimension L in FIG. 12) is F varies depending on the winding state, and when all of the flexible cables are rewound to the outer cylindrical portion on the large diameter side, the L dimension becomes the maximum,
The L dimension is minimized when all of the flexible cables are wound around the smaller diameter inner cylinder. For this reason, even if a plurality of rollers are arranged in a tight state in the space assuming the minimum L dimension, when the flexible cable is unwound from the inner cylinder to the outer cylinder, it is wound around the inner cylinder. When play occurs between the outermost peripheral portion of the turned flexible cable and each roller, and the movable body is rotated in the rewind direction in such a state, the flexible cable wound around the inner cylindrical portion is inverted. However, there is a problem that the flexible cable may be bulged outwardly in the radial direction (toward the outer cylindrical portion) in the middle thereof, and the bulged portion may be buckled by further rotation of the movable body to damage the flexible cable. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a highly reliable cable reel which prevents buckling of a flexible cable. is there.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized most by the arrangement of an elastic member for urging the flexible cable against the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion. .

[0010]

When the movable body is rotated in one direction, the flexible cable is wound around the inner cylindrical portion or rewound around the outer cylindrical portion by moving the U-shaped inverted portion in the same direction. In this case, the flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder is pressed and urged toward the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder by the elastic member. The flexible cable wound around the tubular portion is reliably fed out to the outer tubular portion via the reversing portion, and does not buckle on the way to the reversing portion.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of the cable reel, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

As shown in these figures, a cable reel according to the present embodiment comprises a lower case 1, an upper case 2 rotatably mounted on the lower case 1,
It comprises a flexible cable 3 housed between the two, a plurality of rollers 4 arranged between the flexible cables 3, and a C-shaped wire spring 5 connecting the rollers 4. .

The lower case 1 includes a bottom plate 7 having a center hole 6 formed in the center thereof, and an outer cylindrical portion 8 erected on the outer periphery of the bottom plate 7.
And is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole. On the other hand, the upper case 2 has a top plate 10 having an inner cylindrical portion 9 suspended in the center.
The inner cylinder 9 is rotatably connected to the lower case 1 by the center hole 6 and the outer edge of the top plate 10 being guided by the outer cylinder 8, respectively. The bottom plate 7 and the outer cylinder 8 of the first case 1 and the top plate 10 and the inner cylinder 9 of the upper case 2 define a ring-shaped space 11 in plan view.

The flexible cable 3 is composed of a flat cable in which conductors parallel to each other are laminated with a pair of insulating films. In the case of this embodiment, a flat cable in which five conductors are embedded is used. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a first connector 12 fixed to the outer tubular portion 8, and is led out of the lower case 1 via the first connector 12. ing. On the other hand, the other end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a second connector 13 fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 9, and is led out of the upper case 2 via the second connector 13.
Further, the flexible cable 3 is wound counterclockwise from the first connector 12 to the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 8 and then inverted into a U-shape (hereinafter referred to as an inverted portion 3a). It is wound in the clockwise direction around the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 9 and is housed in the space 11 so as to reach the second connector 13.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, the roller 4 comprises a cylindrical body 4a and rotating bodies 4b rotatably supported at upper and lower ends thereof, and is fixed in the space 11 along the circumferential direction thereof. Are arranged at intervals. The rollers 4 are connected to each other so that the wire springs 5 formed into a C shape penetrate through the respective cylindrical bodies 4a so as not to be separated from each other. Accordingly, the inner cylindrical portion 9 is urged to press against the outer peripheral surface thereof. The reversing part 3a of the flexible cable 3
Is looped around a roller 4 connected to one end of a wire spring 5.

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which the lower case 1 is used as a fixed body and the upper case 2 is used as a movable body. First, when the upper case 2 is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 2, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 moves clockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the upper case 2 and has a length equal to the movement amount. Of the flexible cable 3 is fed out from the outer tube portion 8 side and wound around the inner tube portion 9 side. In this case, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 presses and moves the roller 4 at one end in a clockwise direction with small frictional resistance.
Moves clockwise while being connected to the wire spring 5. Therefore, the flexible cable 3 wound around the outer cylinder portion 8 is prevented from bulging and biasing inward in the radial direction by the rollers 4 moving in this manner, and Flexible cable 3
Is smoothly fed out in the direction of the reversing part 3a and is wound around the inner cylinder part 9 side.

Conversely, when the upper case 2 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 moves counterclockwise by a smaller amount of rotation than the upper case 2. And a flexible cable 3 having a length equal to the moving amount.
Is unwound from the inner cylinder portion 9 side and is rewound to the outer cylinder portion 8 side. In this case, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 is a roller 4 on the side facing the roller 4 on which the reversing portion 3a is looped.
Are pressed counterclockwise, and each roller 4 is urged toward the center of the inner cylindrical portion 9 by the elastic force of the wire spring 5, so that all the rollers 4 remain connected to the wire spring 5. Inner cylinder 9
Rolls on the flexible cable 3 wound counterclockwise. Therefore, the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 is prevented from bulging and biasing outward in the radial direction by the rollers 4 moving while being elastically biased inward. Then, the flexible cable 3 on the inner tube portion 9 side is smoothly fed out in the direction of the reversing portion 3a and is rewound to the outer tube portion 8 side.

In the cable reel according to the first embodiment, since the flexible cable 3 is wound around the outer tubular portion 8 and the inner tubular portion 9 in the opposite direction via the reversing portion 3a, it is necessary to The length of the flexible cable 3 can be shortened, and as a result, the total cost can be reduced and the size is advantageous. A plurality of rollers 4 are arranged between a portion of the flexible cable 3 that is wound around the outer tube portion 8 and a portion that is wound around the inner tube portion 9.
, And moves following the reversing portion 3a while maintaining a constant interval, so that the turning power of the upper case 2 is reliably transmitted to the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 during the tightening or rewinding operation. In addition, it is possible to prevent the flexible cable 3 from bulging in the radial direction and buckling on the way to the reversing portion 3a. In particular, since the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 is elastically urged toward the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 9 by the rollers 4 over substantially the entire circumference, during the rewinding operation. In addition, the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 never swells radially outward, and the effect of preventing the flexible cable 3 from buckling during the unwinding operation is remarkable. Further, since the two rollers 4 are opposed to each other via the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3, the frictional resistance between the rollers 4 and the reversing portion 3a can be reduced. 2
Irrespective of the direction of rotation of, the reversing portion 3a can be moved smoothly, and the tightening or rewinding operation can be reliably performed.

In the first embodiment, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 is connected to the roller 4 at both ends connected to the wire spring 5.
, The roller 4 is moved in the circumferential direction while following the movement of the reversing unit 3a.
The flexible body 3 is connected to the slippery body with the flexible cable 3 interposed therebetween, and when the upper case 2 is rotated to one of the upper case 2, the reverser 3a is looped so that the reverser 3a comes into contact with the slippery body. The roller 4 and the reversing section 3a may not be largely separated.

FIG. 4 shows the rolling contact roller 14 as the above-mentioned lubricating body.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the transfer roller 14 is connected via an arm 15 to the roller 4 in which the reversing portion 3a is looped using the roller. In this case, since the reversing portion 3a contacts with the roller 4 or the rolling contact roller 14 with a small frictional resistance according to the rotation direction of the upper case 2, the circumferential movement of the reversing portion 3a becomes smooth. Moreover, since the transfer roller 14 can be swung in the radial direction by the arm 15, when the flexible cable 3 is wound around the outer cylinder 8 side, the flexible cable 3 is moved toward the inner cylinder 9 side. When the cylinder portion 9 is dense, it swings and biases toward the outer cylinder portion 8 to guide the reversing portion 3a reliably.

FIG. 5 shows a concave surface 16 as the lubricating body.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment using a curved body 16 having an a. a curved surface of the curved body 16 is connected by an arm 15 so that a peripheral surface 16a of the curved body 16 is opposed to a roller 4 at one end via a reversing portion 3a. ing. In this case, although the frictional resistance between the reversing part 3a and the curved body 16 is slightly larger than that of the rolling contact roller 14 shown in FIG.
6a, the deformation of the reversing portion 3a can be reliably prevented.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a plurality of small rollers 17 are used as the above-mentioned lubricating body, and these small rollers 17 are pivotally supported by a swinging lever 18 having a T-shape in plan view. In this case, since the locus of the peripheral surface of each of the small rollers 17 can be arranged so as to form a pseudo concave peripheral surface, the roller 17 having a very small frictional resistance with the reversing portion 3a is used. The U-shape of the reversing part 3a is
Thus, it is possible to reliably maintain.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the flexible cable 3 is in direct contact with each roller 4 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. An endless belt 19 may be interposed between the conductive cable 3 and each roller 4. In this case, even if the arrangement pitch between the rollers 4 is set large, the endless belt 1
9, the flexible cable 3 has two adjacent rollers 4
Since it is possible to prevent the roller 4 from getting into the gap, the required number of rollers 4 can be reduced.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a part of FIG. This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that a plurality of rollers 21 are held on an inner peripheral surface of a connecting member 20 having a C-shape in plan view via a spring 22, and the elastic force of the spring 22 is used. Each roller 21 is brought into pressure contact with the peripheral surface of the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9, and the other configurations are the same.
The connecting member 20 is formed with a concave groove 20a having an open inner peripheral surface, and formed with guide grooves 20b extending in the radial direction so as to cross the concave groove 20a at a constant interval from each other. Each of these guide grooves 20b has a roller 21
Each roller 21 is radially inward, that is, in the direction of the center of the connecting member 20 by a spring 22 that has one end connected to the connecting member 20 and the other end connected to the small diameter portion 21 a of the roller 21. Elastically biased. The connecting member 20 configured as described above is disposed between the flexible cable 3 wound around the outer tubular portion 8 and the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner tubular portion 9, and the reversing portion 3 a Is the connecting member 20
Is looped on the peripheral surface at one end. Accordingly, the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 is elastically urged toward the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 9 by the respective rollers 21. Almost the same effect can be obtained. In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, since each roller 21 can independently press the flexible cable 3 without interfering with each other, deformation and deformation of the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 are performed. Buckling can be more reliably prevented. If necessary, a roller is separately supported at one or both ends of the connecting member 20, and the reversing portion 3a is rotated by the roller.
It is also possible to devise to further reduce the frictional resistance between them.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part showing still another embodiment of the present invention. In the case of the present embodiment, the connecting member 20
A plurality of one ends of elastic tongue pieces 23 made of a synthetic resin, an elastic plate, or the like are fixed to an inner periphery of the inner periphery of the elastic tongue 23 at a constant interval from each other,
The other ends of the elastic tongue pieces 23 are configured to elastically contact the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9. Accordingly, the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 is independently pressed in the outer peripheral surface direction of the inner cylindrical portion 9 by the elastic force of each elastic tongue 23 itself. The same effects as those of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be obtained. Moreover, in the case of the present embodiment, since the connecting member 20 and each elastic tongue piece 23 can be handled as an integral body, there is also an effect that the assembling workability is improved.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part showing still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a leaf spring 24 formed into a C-shape in plan view is used. The leaf spring 24 is made of a metal plate or a synthetic resin material having a high elasticity, is formed so that an elastic biasing force acts inward, and has curled portions 24a at both ends. The leaf spring 24 is wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 and mounted on the inner cylindrical portion 9 via the flexible cable 3, and the inverted portion 3a is looped to one curled portion 24a. Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 is pressed by the leaf spring 24 toward the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 9, and the flexibility is increased. Although the frictional resistance between the cable 3 and the leaf spring 24 is somewhat increased, substantially the same effects as in the first embodiment can be expected. In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, the buckling of the flexible cable 3 on the inner cylindrical portion 9 side can be prevented by the leaf spring 24 having a simple shape, so that the cost can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, a flat cable is used as an example of the flexible cable 3. Instead, a flexible cable called a round cable in which a conductor is covered with an insulating tube is used. In this case, a plurality of round wire cables may be integrated in a belt shape according to the required number of circuits.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the upper case 1 is used as a fixed body and the upper case 2 is used as a movable body has been described. On the contrary, the upper case 2 is used as a fixed body and the lower case 2 is used as a fixed body. It is also possible to use 1 as a movable body.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to prevent the flexible cable wound around the inner cylindrical portion from buckling and deforming radially outward, and to reliably move the reversing portion of the flexible cable in the circumferential direction by the rotating force of the movable body. Therefore, a highly reliable cable reel with smooth rotation of the movable body can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of the cable reel shown in FIG. 1 with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of an upper case of a cable reel according to another embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of an upper case of a cable reel according to another embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of an upper case of a cable reel according to another embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a cable reel according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower case (fixed body) 2 Upper case (movable body) 3 Flexible cable 3a Inversion part 4, 21 roller 5 Wire spring 8 Outer cylinder part 9 Inner cylinder part 11 Space 14 Rolling contact roller (slidable body) 15 Arm Reference Signs List 16 curved body (slidable body) 16a peripheral surface 17 small roller (slidable body) 18 swing lever 19 endless belt 20 connecting member (moving body) 22 spring 23 elastic tongue piece 24 leaf spring

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-55-119670 (JP, A) JP-A-4-66176 (JP, U) JP-A-2-27689 (JP, U)

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed body, a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body, and a flexible cable connecting the fixed body and the movable body, wherein the flexible cable is ,
While being housed between the fixed body and the outer cylinder portion provided on the cylindrical portion and the other one provided in one of the movable body, the inner cylindrical portion and the outer tube through the inverting unit In the cable reel being wound around the part in the opposite direction,
In the space, connect the flexible cable to the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion.
An elastic member for pressing and urging the cable reel is provided. 2. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of rollers are arranged in the space along the circumferential direction, and each of the rollers is connected by the elastic member. 3. The flexible cable according to claim 2, wherein a reverse portion of the flexible cable is looped to one of the rollers, and an opposing slipper is connected to the roller via the reverse portion. The described cable reel. 4. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a moving body having an opening is disposed in the space, and the elastic member is held by the moving body. 5. A cable reel according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists of the elastic member gaff Omingu is a plate spring.