JP2999578B2 - 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 for use in a steering device of an automobile or the like, and for making electrical connection between a fixed body and a movable body using a cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cable reel connects a fixed body and a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body with a flexible cable, and is similar to a steering device of an automobile. It is used as an electrical connection device between a movable body having a finite number of rotations and a fixed body.

Conventionally, as a cable reel of this type, a flat cable in which a plurality of conductors are laminated on a pair of strip films is spirally wound in a cable storage portion provided between a fixed body and a movable body. The flat cable is loosely housed in a wound state, and one end of the flat cable is fixed to an outer cylinder provided on one of the fixed body and the movable body, and the other end is fixed to an inner cylinder provided on the other member. Is known.

In this cable reel, when the movable body is rotated, the flat cable stored in the cable storage portion is wound into the inner cylinder portion or unwound to the outer cylinder portion depending on the rotation direction. be able to. Therefore,
In the range from the state in which the flat cable is completely wrapped around the inner cylinder to the state where all the flat cable is wrapped around the outer cylinder, little tension is applied to the flat cable, The electrical connection between the stationary body and the movable body which are rotated in a fixed manner can be always maintained.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional cable reel, a positioning mechanism is provided between the fixed body and the movable body, the position display unit changing in accordance with the rotation amount of the movable body. It is known that the positioning state of a flat cable housed inside a fixed body and a movable body can be confirmed by visually observing the positioning mechanism from the outside. However, even if such a positioning mechanism is provided, it is difficult to completely eliminate erroneous assembly, and the movable body may be assembled while being rotated in one direction with respect to the neutral position.

Here, for example, if the erroneous assembly is performed so that the amount of rotation of the movable body in the winding direction of the flat cable becomes small, the movable body is rotated in this direction by a predetermined amount or more. The flat cable can be forcibly cut using the tension acting on the cable, and this can be detected electrically to detect that the cable has been misassembled. It is difficult to cut it, and a complicated mechanism such as providing a cutter inside is required.

[0007] On the other hand, if the wrong assembly is performed so that the rotation amount of the movable body in the unwinding direction of the flat cable is reduced, the movable body is rotated in this direction by a predetermined amount or more. Even if this is done, the flat cable is inverted near its inner peripheral end, and does not prevent excessive rotation of the movable body, so that the flat cable cannot be forcibly cut to detect erroneous assembly. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a situation of the prior art, and has as its object to be able to easily and surely cut a cable in the event of an erroneous assembly and to provide a need. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cable reel which can significantly reduce the length of a cable.

[0009]

The object of the present invention is defined by a fixed body, a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body, and the fixed body and the movable body. A plurality of cables accommodated in a cable accommodating portion, wherein one end of each of the cables is fixed to the fixed body and led out, and the other end is fixed to the movable body and led out. Invert each cable,
Parts wound in opposite directions and the movable body and the fixed body through, and, together with the set minimize integer times than at least one of the total number of turns of each cable to the other, each Ke
The two ends of the cable are fixed via the same lead-out part.
This is achieved by leading the body and the movable body out of the body .

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fixed body, a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body, and a cable housing section defined by the fixed body and the movable body. A cable reel which is fixed to the fixed body and led to the outside while fixing the other end to the movable body and led to the outside. A band-shaped cable obtained by bundling a plurality of extending linear cables is used, and the band-shaped cable is provided with a reversing portion on an inner cylinder provided on one of the fixed body and the movable body and an outer cylinder provided on the other. Wound in the opposite direction, and the leading portion of the inner tubular portion or the outer tubular portion to the outside of the band-shaped cable in the circumferential direction.
A plurality of linear cables of the strip-shaped cable.
Diverges into multiple parts in the cable storage section and
This is achieved by connecting the respective parts .

[0011]

When the cable reel is mounted on a device such as a steering device in a state where the positioning between the movable body and the fixed body is properly performed, the movable body is interlocked with the steering wheel or the like to move the fixed body. When the cable is rotated in either the forward or reverse direction, the reversing portion of the cable moves by a smaller rotation amount than the movable body, and a cable having a length equal to the moving amount is fed out through the reversing portion.

On the other hand, if the movable body is excessively rotated when the movable body and the fixed body are erroneously assembled while the positioning between the movable body and the fixed body is improper, the length of the plurality of cables is short. Since a tension is applied to the object and only this cable is forcibly cut, it is possible to electrically detect that the cable reel is incorrectly assembled.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 7 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable reel, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the upper case, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which gears are stored, and FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a flexible cable.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cable reel comprises a lower case 1, an upper case 2 rotatably held with respect to the lower case 1, and a turn between the two cases 1 and 2. A spacer 3 movably clamped, and the spacer 3
, And a linear flexible cable 5 wound between the cases 1 and 2.

The lower case 1 has a bottom plate 7 having a center hole 6 in the center, and an inner cylinder portion 8 and an outer cylinder portion 9 erected on the inner and outer peripheries of the bottom plate 7. It is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The bottom plate 7 is provided with a plurality of ridges 10 concentrically standing around the center hole 6 , and a plurality of (five in this embodiment) concentric ridges are formed by adjacent ridges 10. One cable storage groove 11 is formed. A cable lead-out hole (not shown) is formed at the bottom of each of the first cable storage grooves 11, and a bottom plate 7 located between the outermost jetty 10 and the outer cylindrical portion 9 has: A first rack 12 meshing with a gear 4 described later is formed in a ring shape in plan view.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the upper case 2
Has a top plate 14 having a center hole 13 in the center,
By being snap-coupled to the inner cylinder portion, it is rotatably connected to the lower case 1 described above. A plurality of ridges 15 having the center hole 13 as a center are vertically provided on the top plate 14, and a plurality of (five in this embodiment) concentric ridges are formed by adjacent ridges 15. The second cable storage groove 16 is formed. The second cable storage grooves 16 and the first cable storage grooves 11 are opposed to each other via a spacer 3 described later.
A cable lead-out hole 17 is also formed in the upper part of the cable. Further, a second rack 18 having a ring shape in a plan view is formed on a peripheral edge of the top plate 14, and the gear 4 is designed to mesh with the second rack 18.

The spacer 3 is made of a material having excellent lubricity, such as a synthetic resin molding, and has a shape having an opening 19 in a part of a disk shape. It is rotatably held between the upper case 2 and the second cable storage groove 16. As shown in FIG. 6, a shaft 20 having two arms is inserted into the opening 19, and a first roller 21 and a second roller 22 are rotatably supported on each arm. ing. This first roller 2
The gear 4 is press-fitted and fixed to one end of the first rack 1 and the first and second racks 1 as described above.
2, 18 respectively.

The flexible cable 5 is a so-called round cable in which a conductor is covered with an insulator. In the case of this embodiment, five round cables are used. As shown in FIG. 4, these flexible cables 5 are connected to the lower case 1.
, Each of which is wound around the first cable storage groove 11, and one end of which is turned around the half-turn by the second roller 22 through the opening 19 (hereinafter, this is referred to as an inverted portion 5 a), and the other end is turned upside down. Each of the opposed second cable storage grooves 16 of the case 2
It is wound along. One end of each of the flexible cables 5 is connected to a lower case 1 through a cable outlet hole (not shown).
, And are bent and fixed in a crank shape in a holder 23 attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 7 of the lower case 1, then bundled together and connected to the lower connector 24. On the other hand, the other ends of these flexible cables 5
The holder 2 is led out of the upper case 2 through the cable lead-out hole 17 and attached to the upper surface of the top plate 14 of the upper case 1.
After being bent and fixed in a crank shape in 5, they are bundled together and connected to the upper connector 26.
Note that the total number of turns of each flexible cable 5 is not the same, and in the case of the present embodiment, the second flexible cable from the outside (the reference numeral 5A is attached for convenience of explanation) is the remaining. The number of windings is set to be smaller than that of four, in other words, the flexible cable 5 other than the flexible cable 5A is wound a little more than the required length.

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 7 in the case where the lower case 1 is used as a fixed body and the upper case 2 is used as a movable body. explain. FIG. 7 schematically shows one of the flexible cables 5 (including the flexible cable 5A), and the lower case 1, the upper case 2, the spacer 3, and the like are not shown. is there.

First, FIG. 7A shows a state in which most of one flexible cable 5 is wound around the second cable storage groove 16 of the upper case 2, and in this case, the upper case 2 is counterclockwise. It is at the end position in the circumferential direction.

When the upper case 2 is rotated by a predetermined amount in the clockwise direction (the direction of arrow A) from the state of FIG.
As shown in the figure, the reversing portion 5a of the flexible cable 5 wound around the second roller 22 moves in the direction of the arrow A by half the rotation amount, and the flexible cable 5 having a length equal to the movement. Comes out of the upper case 2 and the first cable storage groove 11 of the lower case 1
Get caught in In this case, the gear 4 meshing with the racks 12 and 18 of the lower case 1 and the upper case 2 revolves in the direction of the arrow B by half the rotation amount of the upper case 2 while rotating in the direction of the arrow B. Spacer 3 for supporting
And the reversing portion 5a of the flexible cable 5 rotate by the same amount in the same direction.

Therefore, when the upper case 2 is rotated N times in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the spacer 3 and the second roller 22 supported by the spacer 3 rotate N / 2 times,
Two turns of the flexible cable 5 are wound into the first cable storage groove 11 from the second cable storage groove 16 through the opening 19.

Hereinafter, the second cable storage groove 1 of the upper case 2 will be described.
All of the flexible cables 5 wound in the lower case 1
The upper case 2 can be rotated in the direction of arrow A until the flexible cable 5 wound around the upper case 2 is wound twice, ie, twice the number of turns of the flexible cable 5 wound around the upper case 2. 2, the position is the end position in the clockwise direction.

Conversely, the upper case 2 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) from a state in which most of the flexible cable 5 is caught in the first cable storage groove 11 of the lower case 1. Then, the reversing portion 5a of the flexible cable 5 and the spacer 3 rotate in the direction of the arrow C by half the rotation amount, and the flexible cable 5 having a length equal to the movement amount of the spacer 3 is 1 Cable storage groove 11 to opening 19
And is wound into the second cable storage groove 16 of the upper case 2.

The above description of the operation is based on the assumption that the lower case 1 and the upper case 2 are in a proper state, that is, in a state where the flexible cables 5 are aligned so that they can rotate by the same amount in both the forward and reverse directions. This is a case where the flexible cable 5A having the smallest total number of windings is provided at both the forward and reverse terminal positions of the upper case 2 when the assembly is properly performed in this manner. Needless to say, no tension acts on the other flexible cables 5, and all the flexible cables 5 are not cut within the use angle range of the steering wheel.

On the other hand, if the upper case 2 is erroneously assembled in a state where it is deviated in one direction from the neutral position, for example, the amount of winding of each flexible cable 5 becomes smaller than the first cable housing of the lower case 1. Second cable storage groove 1 of upper case 2 compared to groove 11
FIG. 7 shows a case where the erroneous assembly is performed so that the number of sides is reduced.
When the steering wheel (upper case 2) is rotated in the direction of arrow A, before the steering wheel reaches the end of rotation, all of the flexible cables 5A having the smallest total number of windings are in the first cable storage groove 11. The flexible cable 5A is cut off by the further rotating force of the steering wheel. On the contrary, if the erroneous assembly is performed such that the winding amount of each flexible cable 5 is larger on the second cable housing groove 16 side than on the first cable housing groove 11, an arrow in FIG. When the steering wheel is rotated in the direction C, all of the flexible cables 5A are fed out of the first cable storage groove 11 and are caught in the second cable storage groove 16 before the rotation end of the steering wheel. The flexible cable 5A is cut by the further rotational force of the steering wheel. In this cutting operation, a round cable that is easier to cut than a flat cable is used as the flexible cable 5, and only one flexible cable 5A is cut. Hole 17 of upper case 2
The cutter can be easily provided by providing a cutter or the like using the peripheral edge of. Then, when the flexible cable 5A is cut as described above, this is electrically detected, and the detection signal is sent to alarm means such as an indicator and a buzzer.
Misassembly of the cable reel is visually or audibly confirmed.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are exploded perspective views of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are operation explanatory views of a flexible cable. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a first flexible cable 27 and a second flexible cable 28 whose winding directions are opposite to each other are used. The spacer 3 is driven to rotate by the flexible cables 27 and 28, and the other configurations are basically the same. That is, the first flexible cable 27 (two)
Are wound counterclockwise in each of the even-numbered first cable storage grooves 11, and the openings 1 provided in the spacer 3 are provided.
After being turned about half way around on one side of the cable 9, it is wound clockwise in each of the corresponding second cable storage grooves 16. On the other hand, the second flexible cables 28 (three) are wound clockwise in each of the odd-numbered first cable storage grooves 11, and are turned about half way around the other side of the opening 19. Are wound in the respective second cable storage grooves 16 in the counterclockwise direction. In the case of the present embodiment, the remaining four flexible cables 27 and 28 are used based on the number of turns of the second outermost flexible cable (the reference numeral 28A is attached for convenience of explanation). Is set somewhat higher.

Next, the operation of the cable reel having the above-described structure will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. The figure shows one of the flexible cables 27 and 28.
This is a schematic diagram of each book.

FIG. 11 shows the first flexible cable 27.
2 is wound around the first cable housing groove 11 of the lower case 1, and almost all of the second flexible cable 28 is wound around the second cable housing groove 16 of the upper case 2.

When the upper case 2 is rotated a predetermined amount in the counterclockwise direction (direction of arrow C) from the state shown in FIG.
And the reversing part 27 of the second flexible cables 27, 28
a and 28a move in the direction of arrow C by half of the rotation amount, and the first flexible cable 2 having a length equal to this movement amount.
7 exits the lower case 1 and is fed out to the second cable storage groove 16 of the upper case 2, and the same amount of the second flexible cable 28 exits the upper case 2 and the first cable of the lower case 1. It is fed out into the storage groove 11. In this case, the spacer 3
Is that the inverted portion 27a of the first flexible cable 27 has the opening 1
9 in contact with the periphery of the upper case 2 in the direction of arrow C.
The opening 19 is rotated following the reversing portions 27a and 28a of the flexible cables 27 and 28, respectively.

Therefore, when the upper case 2 is rotated N times in the direction of arrow C, as shown in FIG.
And the spacer 3 are rotated N / 2 times in the direction of arrow C, and the second flexible cable 28 for N / 2 turns is placed in the second cable storage groove 16.
Through the opening 19 and into the first cable accommodating groove 11, and at the same time N / 2 turns of the first flexible cable 27
Is wound into the second cable storage groove 16 from the first cable storage groove 11 through the opening 19.

On the contrary, the first flexible cable 27
Is wound in the second cable storage groove 16 of the upper case 2 and almost all of the second flexible cable 28 is wound in the first cable storage groove 11 of the lower case 1. 2 is rotated in the clockwise direction (the direction of arrow A).
a contacts the peripheral edge of the opening 19 to rotate the spacer 3 in the direction of arrow A, so that the inverted portions 27a and 28a of the flexible cables 27 and 28 and the spacer 3 are moved by half the rotation amount of the upper case 2. Rotating in the direction of arrow A, the second flexible cable 28 having a length equal to the amount of movement of the spacer 3 is
Is wound into the second cable storage groove 16 of the upper case 2 through the opening 19 from the first cable storage groove 11 and
A first flexible cable 27 of the same length is wound into the first cable storage groove 11 from the second cable storage groove 16 through the opening 19.

Also in the second embodiment described above, if the cable reel is properly assembled, the flexible cables 27 and 28 will not be cut within the range of the use angle of the steering wheel. If the steering wheel is incorrectly assembled, tension is applied only to the second flexible cable 28A having the smallest number of turns before the steering wheel reaches the rotation end, and the second flexible cable 28 is moved downward. It is cut by the case 1 or the upper case 2.

As described above, in each of the above embodiments, it is sufficient to provide a flexible cable for about half the required amount of rotation. The length can be shortened, and a round cable can be used as the flexible cable, so that the total cost of the cable reel can be significantly reduced. Further, since the length of the flexible cable to be used is short, the diameter of the cable storage portion can be reduced, which is advantageous for miniaturization of the cable reel.

Concentric first and second cable storage grooves having the same pitch between the grooves are formed on the opposing surfaces of the lower case and the upper case, and a flat spacer is interposed between the cable storage grooves. With this arrangement, it is possible to prevent each flexible cable from being entangled with each other, and also to prevent one flexible cable from being entangled between the first cable storage groove and the second cable storage groove. Thus, the flexible cable can be smoothly wound and unwound.

Further, if the erroneous assembly is performed with the flexible cable deviated toward the first or second cable storage groove with respect to the neutral position, tension is applied only to the flexible cable having a small total number of turns. And the flexible cable can be easily cut by the upper case or the lower case, so that erroneous assembly can be reliably detected.

In each of the above embodiments, the first and second
The case where the cable storage grooves 11 and 16 are integrally formed in the lower case 1 and the upper case 2 has been described.
As shown in FIG.
5 are integrally formed, so that both cable storage grooves 11,
16 can be provided in the spacer 29, or one of the cable storage grooves 11, 16 can be provided in the spacer 29.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where five flexible cables 5 (or 27 and 28) and the same number of first and second cable storage grooves 11 and 16 are used has been described. Needless to say, these numbers are not limited. In addition, the number of flexible cables whose total number of windings is smaller than that of other cables is not limited to one, and the total number of windings of several flexible cables is made smaller than others. It is also possible to cut the flexible cable.

Further, when the total number of windings is reduced as compared with the other windings, the number of windings can be reduced by an integral number of turns, such as one turn, two turns, or the like, or 0.3 turns, 0. 5 turns,
Needless to say, a case where the number of turns is reduced by a number of turns including a decimal point such as 1.7 turns is included.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention, which is cut away, and FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of the cable reel with a part omitted. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.

As shown in these figures, the cable reel according to the present embodiment comprises a lower case 30 and a lower case 30.
The upper case 31 is rotatably held with respect to the upper case 31, and the flexible cable 32 is wound between the two cases 30, 31.

The lower case 30 has a bottom plate 34 in which a center hole 33 is opened in the center and an outer cylindrical portion 35 erected on the outer periphery of the bottom plate 34, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole. ing. On the other hand, the upper case 31 has a top plate 37 in which an inner cylindrical portion 36 is vertically provided at the center, and the inner cylindrical portion 36 is guided by the center hole 33 so as to be rotatable with respect to the lower case 30. The bottom plate 34 and the outer tube 35 of the lower case 30 and the top plate 37 and the inner tube 36 of the upper case 31 define a ring-shaped cable storage space 38 in plan view.

The flexible cable 32 is formed by integrating five round wire cables into a belt shape.
One flexible cable (the reference numeral 32A is attached thereto for convenience of explanation) near the upper case 31 is set to a length slightly shorter than the remaining four flexible cables. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the flexible cable 32 is connected to a first connector 39 fixed to the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 36, and is led out of the upper case 31 via the first connector 39. Have been. On the other hand, a second connector 40 and a third connector 41 are fixed to the inner wall of the outer cylindrical portion 35 with their positions shifted in the circumferential direction, and other than the short one flexible cable 32A described above. The other end of the other four flexible cables 32 is connected to the third connector 4.
1 and are led out of the lower case 30 via the second connector 40 and the third connector 41. In addition, the flexible cable 32 is wound counterclockwise from the second and third connectors 40 and 41 to the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 35, and is inverted therefrom into a U-shape (hereinafter, referred to as a “U” shape).
This is called a reversing part 32 a), and further, is wound in a clockwise direction around the outer wall of the inner cylindrical part 36 and housed in the space 38 so as to reach the first connector 39.

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which the lower case 30 is used as a fixed body and the upper case 31 is used as a movable body.

FIG. 15 shows a neutral state in which the flexible cable 32 is wound around the outer tube 35 of the lower case 30 and the inner tube 36 of the upper case 31.
Is rotated clockwise, the reversing portion 32a of the flexible cable 32 moves clockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the upper case 31, and the flexible cable 32 having a length equal to the movement amount.
Is fed out from the outer cylinder portion 35 side and wound around the inner cylinder portion 36 side. Thereafter, the upper case 31 can be rotated clockwise until all of the flexible cables 32 wound around the outer tube 35 are tightened around the inner tube 36.
Is the end position.

Contrary to the above, when the upper case 31 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG.
2 is turned counterclockwise by a smaller amount of rotation than the upper case 31, and the flexible cable 32 having a length equal to the amount of movement is fed out from the inner cylinder 36 side and the outer cylinder 3
It is rewound to the 5 side. Hereinafter, the upper case 31 can be rotated in the counterclockwise direction until all of the flexible cables 32 wound around the inner cylinder 36 are wound back on the outer cylinder 35, and the position of the upper case 31 is counterclockwise. This is the end position in the circumferential direction.

In the above description of the operation, the lower case 30 and the upper case 31 are in the proper state, that is, the flexible cable 32
Is used in a state in which the cable reel is assembled so as to be able to rotate by the same amount in both the forward and reverse directions, and the cable reel is assembled into the steering device and used. At both forward and reverse end positions of
No tension acts on the other flexible cable 32 connected to the third connector as well as the short flexible cable 32A connected to the second connector 40, and all cables are connected. The flexible cable 32 is not cut within the use angle range of the steering wheel.

On the other hand, when the upper case 31 is erroneously assembled in a state where the upper case 31 is deviated in one direction from the neutral position,
This will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. First, when the upper case 31 is rotated clockwise from the neutral state shown in FIG. 12, as described above, the inverted portion 32a of the flexible cable 32 is moved clockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the upper case 31, and A flexible cable 32 having a length equal to the amount is fed out from the outer tube portion 35 side and wound around the inner tube portion 36 side. In the middle of the winding, as shown in FIG.
Flexible cable 32 connected to connector 40
A tension acts on the end of A. Therefore, the upper case 31
Is further rotated clockwise, as shown in FIG.
Since the flexible cable 32 </ b> A is wound around the inner cylinder 36 while being peeled off from the outer cylinder 35, the flexible cable 32 </ b> A is easily cut by the cutter 42 provided near the second connector 40. You.

As described above, in the third embodiment, since the flexible cable 32 is wound around the outer cylindrical portion 35 and the inner cylindrical portion 36 in the opposite direction via the reversing portion 32a, it is necessary to The length of the flexible cable 32 can be made extremely short, and as a result, the total cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof omitted.
0 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line EE in FIG. 19, and portions corresponding to FIGS. 14 to 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The fourth embodiment is different from the above-described third embodiment in that the fourth connector 43 and the fifth connector 44 are fixed to the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 36 while being displaced in the circumferential direction. One end of one of the flexible cables 32A is connected to the fourth connector 43, and one end of the remaining four flexible cables 32 is connected to the fifth connector 43.
And the other ends of all the flexible cables 32 are connected to a sixth connector 45 fixed to the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 35, and the other configurations are basically the same. It is. According to the present embodiment, the lower case 3
When the upper case 31 and the upper case 41 are erroneously assembled in a reverse relationship to the case shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, when the upper case 31 is rotated counterclockwise, before reaching the rotation end, Since tension acts only on the short flexible cable 32A connected to the fourth connector 43, the flexible cable 32A can be cut by the further rotational force of the upper case 31. .

In the third and fourth embodiments, one of the flexible cables 32 is made shorter than the remaining one, and the outer cable 35 or the inner cylinder of the shorter flexible cable 32A is used. By shifting the lead-out part on either side of the part 36 to the outside with respect to the lead-out part of the other flexible cable 32,
Although the case where the short flexible cable 32A is cut at the time of erroneous assembly has been described, the third and fourth embodiments are used together, that is, the leading portions at both ends of the short flexible cable 32A are left. Even if the upper case 31 is displaced with respect to the neutral position in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction by misalignment with respect to the leading portions at both ends of the flexible cable 32, You may make it possible to cut | disconnect the flexible cable 32A.

Also, in the third and fourth embodiments, the number of the flexible cables 32 used is not limited to five. The number of the short flexible cables 32A is not limited to one, but the leading sections of several flexible cables are shifted in the circumferential direction with respect to the leading sections of the other flexible cables, and this is set at the time of incorrect assembly. It is also possible to cut several flexible cables.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the case where the lower case 1 (or 30) is used as a fixed body and the upper case 2 (or 31) is used as a movable body has been described. In addition, it is also possible to use the upper case as a fixed body and the lower case as a movable body.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The required cable length can be significantly reduced, and one or several cables can be easily cut at the time of erroneous assembly, so that an inexpensive and highly reliable cable reel can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable reel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cable reel shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the upper case shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a stored state of the gear.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of a flexible cable.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cable reel shown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a flexible cable.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a flexible cable.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the spacer.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of the cable reel shown in FIG. 14 with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 15;

17 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when the cable reel shown in FIG. 14 is incorrectly assembled.

18 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when the cable reel shown in FIG. 14 is incorrectly assembled.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a part of an upper case of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof omitted;

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 19;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 30 Lower case (fixed body) 2, 31 Upper case (movable body) 3, 29 Spacer 4 Gear 5, 32 Flexible cable 5a, 32a Inversion section 10, 15 Jetty 11 First cable storage groove (fixed side cable) Storage groove) 12 First rack 16 Second cable storage groove (movable-side cable storage groove) 18 Second rack 19 Opening 27 First flexible cable 28 Second flexible cable 35 Outer cylinder 36 Inside Cylinder 39 First connector 40 Second connector 41 Third connector 42 Cutter 43 Fourth connector 44 Fifth connector 45 Sixth connector

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-159083 (JP, A) JP-A 1-148688 (JP, U) JP-A 63-84070 (JP, U) JP-A 63-188886 (JP , U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 64-9384 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 1-161589 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 3-76874 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 3-100266 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility 61-79486 (JP, U) Jiko 39-15034 (JP, Y1)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed body, a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body, and a plurality of cables housed in a cable storage section defined by the fixed body and the movable body. br /> a table, in the cable reel that led to the outside is fixed to the movable body and the other end with deriving the one end of each cable to the outside is fixed to the fixed body, each cable
Wound in opposite directions Bull to the fixed body via the reversing portion and said movable member, and, when only the integer times less set than at least one of the total number of turns of each cable to the other co
Then, connect both ends of each cable through the same
A cable reel which is led out of the fixed body and the movable body . 2. A fixed body, a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body, and a cable housed in a cable housing section defined by the fixed body and the movable body. In a cable reel in which one end of the cable is fixed to the fixed body and led to the outside, and the other end is fixed to the movable body and led to the outside, a plurality of linear cables extending in parallel to each other as the cable. Using a bundled band- shaped cable, the band-shaped cable is reversed to an inner cylindrical portion provided on one of the fixed body and the movable body and an outer cylindrical portion provided on the other, via a reversing portion. A plurality of lead-out portions of the inner tubular portion or the outer tubular portion extending to the outside of the band-shaped cable are provided so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction.
Cable in the cable storage unit.
A cable reel branched and connected to each of the lead-out sections .