JP2999627B2 - 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 which is used by being incorporated in a vehicle airbag system or the like and electrically connects a stator member and a rotor member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cable reel comprises a pair of relatively rotatable housings connected by a flexible cable, and a rotor (steering wheel) having a finite number of revolutions, such as an automobile steering device, and a stator. (Steering column).

[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 Jiko 63-3990
No. 7 proposes this.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the cable reel disclosed in the above publication. As shown in the figure,
A movable body 101 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical fixed body 100.
A flexible cable 103 having a substantially band shape is accommodated in a ring-shaped space 102 defined between the flexible cable 103 and the cable 101. The flexible cable 103 includes a fixed body 100 and a movable body 101.
Respectively, and are led out of the space 102 in a state where they are fixed to each other. In the space 102, the outer cylindrical portion of the fixed body 100 and the inner cylindrical portion of the movable body 101 are wound in opposite directions in the winding direction. A U-shaped inverting portion 103a is formed at a position where it is stored and its winding direction is changed. The space 10
2, an auxiliary roller 104 is disposed. The reversing portion 103 a of the flexible cable 103 is connected to the auxiliary roller 104.
Is looped to. Although not shown, the auxiliary roller 104 is mounted on a planetary gear, which meshes with the gear provided on the inner periphery of the fixed body 101,
By meshing with the external teeth provided on the outer periphery of the movable body 101, the movable body 101 revolves while rotating by itself.

In the cable reel configured as described above, for example, when the movable body 101 is rotated clockwise in FIG.
2, the flexible cable 103 is wound in 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 reversing portion 103a of the flexible cable 103 also moves in the same direction, and the flexible cable 103
Is wound around the inner cylinder part side. In addition,
At the time of such tightening and rewinding, the auxiliary roller 104 revolves around itself with the rotation of the movable body 101, and follows the circumferential movement of the reversing portion 103a.

[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 the reversing part of the flexible cable is looped to the auxiliary roller that revolves around itself with the rotation of the movable body, the reversing part can be moved by using the driving force of the auxiliary roller, and the outer cylinder part can be moved. Alternatively, the flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder portion is smoothly fed out to the inner cylinder portion or the outer cylinder portion side via the reversing portion.

However, even if the auxiliary roller revolves around itself so as to follow the turning movement of the reversing section, the speed ratio between the movable body and the reversing section slightly fluctuates depending on the winding state of the flexible cable. Because the fluctuation is not linear, the reversing part may be separated from the auxiliary roller, in which case the driving force of the auxiliary roller is not transmitted to the reversing part, and the flexible cable wound around the outer or inner cylinder part However, there is a problem that buckling occurs on the way to the reversal part. Further, there is also a problem that the flexible cable collides with a top plate surface or a bottom plate surface of a member that forms a space apart from the auxiliary roller, and generates abnormal noise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a situation of the prior art, and its object is to not only suppress occurrence of abnormal noise, but also to make a flexible cable a U-shaped cable. An object of the present invention is to provide a quiet and highly reliable cable reel that can be reliably fed out through a reversing unit.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a first housing having an outer cylindrical portion, and an inner cylindrical portion rotatable relative to the first housing. A second housing, a movable body housed in a space defined between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, and a flexible cable connecting the first and second housings. A cable reel formed by winding the flexible cable in the reverse direction around the outer tube portion and the inner tube portion via a reversing portion, and looping the reversing portion around a reversing guide provided on the moving body. in the inner peripheral wall of the outer cylindrical portion in the moving body and in rolling contact respectively with the outer peripheral wall of the inner cylindrical portion and rotatably supported to the planet member to self-revolve and the outer cylinder to the movable body Tension for elastically biasing the flexible cable wound on the outer side radially outward It is characterized in that holding the wood.

[0010]

For example, when the second housing is rotated in one direction, the direction of the flexible cable is changed by a U-shaped inverting portion which moves in the same direction as the second housing, and then the flexible cable is wound around the inner cylindrical portion. Alternatively, the moving body is rewound to the outer cylindrical portion, and the movable body is moved in the same direction as the reversing portion by a planetary member that revolves around the inner cylindrical portion. In this case, the speed ratio between the reversing section and the moving body slightly fluctuates according to the winding state of the flexible cable, but the flexible cable is always elastically outwardly radially extended by the tension member held by the moving body . Because of the bias, the error due to the above variation is absorbed by the tension member,
The reversing unit moves while being looped by the reversing guide of the moving body with an appropriate tension. Therefore, even when the second housing is rotated in any of the rewinding direction and the winding-up direction, the flexible cable is reliably fed out to the outer tube portion or the inner tube portion through the reversing portion, and The flexible cable does not buckle on the way to or after the inversion.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from below, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower case provided on the cable reel viewed from above, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of a tension roller provided on the cable reel.

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, and a pair of retainers 4.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the lower case 1
It has a bottom plate 6 having a center hole 5 formed in the center and an outer cylindrical portion 7 erected on the outer periphery of the bottom plate 6, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape as a whole. A ring-shaped external tooth 8 is provided inside the outer cylindrical portion 7.

On the other hand, the upper case 2 has a top plate 10 having an inner cylindrical portion 9 suspended in the center, and a ring-shaped internal tooth 11 provided below the inner cylindrical portion 9. The upper case 2 is rotatably connected to the lower case 1 by the inner cylindrical portion 9 being guided by the center hole 5 and the outer edge of the top plate 10 being guided by the outer cylindrical portion 7, respectively. The bottom plate 6 and the outer cylinder part 7 of the lower case 1 and the top plate 10 and the inner cylinder part 9 of the upper case 2 define a ring-shaped space 12 in plan view.

The flexible cable 3 comprises a flat cable in which parallel conductors are laminated with a pair of insulating films, and in the case of this embodiment, a flat cable in which five conductors are embedded is used. . As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a first connector 13 fixed to the outer tubular portion 7, and is led out of the lower case 1 via the first connector 13. ing. On the other hand, the other end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a second connector 14 fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 9, and is led out of the upper case 2 via the second connector 14.
The flexible cable 3 is wound counterclockwise from the first connector 13 around a roller group and a tension roller group, which will be described later, and is inverted in a U-shape therefrom (hereinafter, this is referred to as an inverted portion 3a). Further, the space 1 is wound around the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 9 clockwise so as to reach the second connector 14.
2 is stored.

As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 3, the pair of retainers 4 are both formed in a disk shape, and are rotatably disposed in the space 12. The two retainers 4 are connected by three support shafts 15 arranged at equal intervals of about 120 degrees, and each support shaft 15 has a roller 16.
Is rotatably supported. Each support shaft 15 protrudes from the lower surface of the lower retainer 4, and a planetary gear 17 meshing with both the external teeth 8 and the internal teeth 9 is fixed to these protruding portions. Further, three tension rollers 18 are arranged at equal intervals of about 120 degrees between the two retainers 4, and the tension rollers 18 and the rollers 16 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. Guide holes 1 extending from the outer peripheral edge toward the center direction in both retainers 4.
9 are formed, and the rotation shaft 20 of each tension roller 18 passes through these guide holes 19. Both ends of a wire spring 21 are fixed in the vicinity of the guide holes 19 of both retainers 4, and each of the rotating shafts 20 and the tension roller 18 is moved outside of the retainer 4 by these wire springs 21, that is, the outer cylindrical portion. It is elastically biased in seven directions. And
As described above, the flexible cable 3 is wound around the rollers 16 and the tension rollers 18 in the counterclockwise direction from the first connector 13 and then becomes one roller 16 (hereinafter referred to as a reversing roller). , 16A), is turned into a U-shape and inverted, and is further wound clockwise around the outer wall of the inner tubular portion 9 to reach the second connector 14, but is flexible wound outside. Since the flexible cable 3 is elastically urged toward the outer cylinder 7 by the tension rollers 18, the flexible cable 3 is moved from the first connector 13 to the second connector 1.
4 is prevented from loosening in all parts.

Next, taking the case where the lower case 1 is used as a fixed body and the upper case 2 is used as a movable body as an example, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. Will be explained. First, when the upper case 2 is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 3, 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. The flexible cable 3 is fed out from the outside and wound around the inner cylinder 9 side. On the other hand, when the internal teeth 11 rotate clockwise with the rotation of the upper case 2, the planetary gears 17 meshing with the external teeth 8 and the internal teeth 11 rotate around the internal teeth 11 together with the two retainers 4 while rotating in the counterclockwise direction. Roller 1 to revolve clockwise
All the rollers 16 including 6A and the tension roller 18 also move clockwise. Here, the moving speed of the retainer 4 that supports the reversing roller 16A and the like is proportional to the rotation speed of the upper case 2, but the moving speed of the reversing part 3a is
Of the reversing part 3a and the reversing roller 16A around which the reversing part 3a loops, the speed ratio slightly varies depending on the winding state of the flexible cable 3. However, in this embodiment, since an appropriate amount of tension is applied to the flexible cable 3 so as to spread outwardly by each tension roller 18, for example, the reversing roller 16A moves faster than the reversing portion 3a. When the two are separated from each other, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, the rotation shaft 20 moves outward in the guide hole 19 and the tension roller 18 pushes the flexible cable 3 outward, thereby causing the flexible cable 3 to be inverted. The reverse portion 3a is brought into contact with the reversing roller 16A with an appropriate pressing force.
In a state where the pressure contact force is too high due to movement faster than A, the rotation shaft 20 moves inward in the guide hole 19 and the tension roller 18 is moved, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. By retracting inward so as to loosen the flexible cable 3, the pressing force of the reversing portion 3a against the reversing roller 16A is reduced. Therefore, the reversing portion 3a always comes into rolling contact with the periphery of the reversing roller 16A with an appropriate pressing force.
The outer flexible cable 3 is smoothly wound around the inner cylindrical portion 9 via the reversing portion 3a.

Conversely, when the upper case 2 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 3, 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 fed out from the inner cylinder portion 9 side and rewound to the outer cylinder portion 7 side. In this case, the retainer 4 revolves in the counterclockwise direction by the planetary gear 17, and the speed ratio between the reversing portion 3a and the reversing roller 16A slightly fluctuates according to the winding state of the flexible cable 3. This variation is applied to the tension roller 18
Is absorbed by moving in the radial direction along the guide hole 19, and the flexible cable 3 on the inner cylindrical portion 9 side is smoothly rewound outward through the reversing portion 3a.

In the cable reel according to the above embodiment, the flexible cable 3 is required to be wound around the outer tube 7 and the inner tube 9 in the opposite direction via the reversing portion 3a. The length of the flexible cable 3 can be shortened, and as a result, the total cost can be reduced and the size can be advantageously reduced. In addition, the retainer 4 is forcibly revolved by the planetary gear 17 and the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 always tensioned by the tension roller 18 is looped to the reversing roller 16A of the retainer 4. The speed difference of the reversing roller 16A can be absorbed by the tension roller 18 moving in the radial direction, and the buckling of the flexible cable 3 can be reliably prevented. In addition, since the flexible cable 3 is constantly tensioned, both ends in the width direction of the flexible cable 3 are in the lower case 1.
This can prevent the generation of abnormal noise by colliding with the bottom plate 6 and the top plate 10 of the upper case 2, thereby reducing the noise.

In the above embodiment, three planetary gears 17 are used as driving means for revolving the retainer 4.
The number is not limited, and a roller may be used instead of a gear if no slip occurs.

In the above embodiment, the flexible cable 3
As a means for applying tension to the
8 has been described as being elastically biased by the wire spring 21,
It is also possible to use another elastic material such as a coil spring or a leaf spring.

In the above embodiment, the flexible cable 3
The reversing roller 16A has been described as a reversing guide in which the reversing part 3a is looped. However, the reversing guide member having a small friction coefficient does not need to be a roller. It is also possible.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of retainers 4 has been described as an example of the moving body that is rotationally driven by the planetary gear 17, but the shape and number of the moving body can be changed as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the flexible cable 3
Although a flat cable is mentioned as an example, it is also possible to use a flexible cable called a round cable in which a conductor is covered with an insulating tube in this case. Accordingly, a plurality of round wire cables may be integrated in a belt shape.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the lower 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 1 is used as a fixed body. Can be used as a movable body.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The movable body is driven to rotate by a planetary member that revolves around itself in the space for storing the flexible cable, and the reversing portion of the flexible cable is always looped with an appropriate tension on the reversing guide provided on the movable body. Therefore, not only can the flexible cable be prevented from colliding with the top plate surface or the bottom plate surface of the storage space, but also the flexible cable can be smoothly fed out through the reversing portion without buckling in the middle. To provide a quiet and reliable cable reel.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a cable reel according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from below.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower case provided on the cable reel of FIG. 1 as viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the cable reel of FIG. 1 with a part of an upper case omitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of a tension roller provided in the cable reel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cable reel according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower case (1st housing) 2 Upper case (2nd housing) 3 Flexible cable 3a Inversion part 4 Retainer (moving body) 7 Outer cylinder part 8 Outer teeth 9 Inner cylinder part 11 Inner teeth 12 Space 15 Support Shaft 16 Roller 16A Reversing roller (reversing guide) 17 Planetary gear (planetary member) 18 Tension roller 19 Guide hole 20 Rotating shaft 21 Wire spring

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 35/04 B65H 75/36-75/38 B62D 1/04 B60R 16/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A first housing having an outer cylinder portion; a second housing having an inner cylinder portion rotatable relative to the first housing; and a second housing having an outer cylinder portion and the inner cylinder portion. A moving body housed in a space defined between the first and second moving bodies;
And a flexible cable for connecting the housing to the movable body. The flexible cable is wound around the outer cylinder portion side and the inner cylinder portion side in opposite directions via an inversion portion, and the inversion portion is connected to the moving body. in the loop a cable reel comprising a reversing guide provided, the outer cylinder portion of the inner circumferential wall and the planetary member to rolling contact to revolve self-respectively to the outer peripheral wall of the inner cylinder part to the mobile times
A cable reel which rotatably supports and holds a tension member which elastically urges the flexible cable wound around the outer cylinder portion side radially outward around the movable body .