JP3258810B2 - Rotating connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotary connector for electrically connecting a pair of housings rotatably connected via a flexible cable, and more particularly to a rotary connector for external equipment. And a lock mechanism for holding both housings in the rotation neutral position until they are incorporated into the lock mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rotary connector of this type generally includes a pair of housings connected to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and a flexible cable housed in an annular space defined between the two housings. The both ends of the flexible cable are led out of the housing while being fixed to both housings. This flexible cable has a plurality of conductors parallel to each other, and a dedicated connector is attached to a distal end of a portion derived from the housing. And
When one housing is rotated either forward or reverse,
Depending on the direction of rotation, the flexible cable is wrapped or unwound in the space, and in either state, the electrical connection between the two housings is maintained by the flexible cable.

The rotary connector thus configured is incorporated into an external device having a finite number of revolutions, such as a steering device of an automobile, and is used as an electrical connection means such as an airbag system and a horn circuit. That is, one housing of the rotary connector is attached to the steering column side, and the other housing is attached to the handle side, and the other end of the flexible cable is attached to the connector at both ends of the flexible cable, such as an airbag inflator or a horn switch. An external connector is connected, but in this case,
The flexible cable must be installed so that it can be wound or unwound approximately the same amount with respect to the neutral position of the handle.

Therefore, it is necessary to lock both housings in the rotation neutral position until the rotary connector is incorporated into the steering device. A rotary connector provided with such a lock mechanism has been proposed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-35981. . In the rotary connector disclosed in the publication, a lock member is attached to both housings positioned at a rotation neutral position, so that free rotation of both housings is locked until the housing is incorporated into a steering device. The lock member is detached from both housings when one of the housings is fixed to the steering column.

[0005]

By the way, in recent years, a connector to be connected to both ends of a flexible cable is provided in a housing itself, and a direct coupling type in which an external connector of an external device is directly connected to this connector. A rotary connector has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-298982. In this device, since the direct connector is integrally provided in the housing, the flexible connector and the external device are electrically connected at the same time as the rotary connector is incorporated into the steering device, and the rotary connector and the external device are connected to each other. Can be simplified.

However, when the above-described locking mechanism is applied to such a rotary connector with a direct connector, the work of inserting a mating external connector into the direct connector and locking the same during the process of incorporating the rotary connector into the steering device. Since the operation of removing the member from the housing needs to be performed separately, there has been a problem that these operations are troublesome. In addition, after the rotary connector is incorporated into the steering device, the connection between the direct connector and the external connector is covered by the rotary connector and the steering device, and the connection state of these components cannot be visually determined. A continuity test is required to check whether or not the connector and the external connector are securely connected, and the work is troublesome from this point as well.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary connector having excellent assembling workability.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a pair of housings which are rotatably connected to each other, and a housing which is wound in an annular space defined between the two housings. A flexible cable, and both ends of the flexible cable are electrically led out to the outside while being fixed to the housing, and at least one of these lead portions is a direct connector provided in the housing. In a rotary connector adapted to be connected to an external connector of an external device via a housing, a lock member for preventing free rotation of both is mounted between the two housings,
Along with holding the lock member in one of the two housings so as to be movable in the radial direction, a groove is provided in one of the other housings, into which the tip of the lock member is inserted,
When the external connector is connected to the direct connector, the external connector drives the lock member in the radial direction, whereby the distal end of the lock member is disengaged from the concave groove to release the rotation inhibition of both housings. It is achieved by configuring as follows .

[0009]

In the manufacturing process of the rotary connector, when the lock members are mounted on the two housings positioned at the rotation neutral position, free rotation of both housings is prevented by the lock members, and the two housings are positioned at the rotation neutral position. The combined rotary connector can be incorporated into an external device such as a steering device. Further, in the process of incorporating the rotary connector into an external device, when the external connector of the external device is connected to the direct connector of the rotary connector, the operating portion of the lock member is pressed and driven by the external connector,
When the external connector is connected to the direct connector, the lock of the lock member is automatically released. In other words, unless the external connector is securely connected to the direct connector, the lock member cannot be unlocked.If both housings can rotate relatively freely after incorporating the rotary connector into the external device, Therefore, it is determined that the external connector and the direct connector are securely connected, and the step of inspecting the electrical connection between the rotary connector and the external device can be omitted.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotary connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lock mechanism provided in the rotary connector, and FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the lock mechanism. In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a first housing made of a synthetic resin, and the first housing 1 has a disk-shaped bottom plate 2 and an outer cylindrical portion 3 erected on an outer peripheral edge thereof. A center hole 4 is formed in the center of the bottom plate 2. Reference numeral 5 denotes a second housing made of a synthetic resin. The second housing 5 has a disk-shaped top plate 6 and an inner cylindrical portion 7 vertically provided at the center thereof. The shaft insertion hole 8 is provided in 7.
These first housing 1 and second housing 5
The outer peripheral edge of the top plate 6 is guided by the upper end edge of the outer cylindrical portion 3 and the lower end edge of the inner cylindrical portion 7 is guided by the center hole 4 of the bottom plate 2 so as to be relatively rotatably connected. But
The free rotation is prevented by a lock member described later. Reference numeral 9 denotes a flexible cable. The flexible cable 9 is a strip-shaped flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductive wires are laminated with a pair of insulating films, and the bottom plate on the first housing 1 side. 2 and the outer cylinder part 3 and the top plate 6 and the inner cylinder part 7 on the second housing 5 side are accommodated in an annular space defined. The flexible cable 9 is spirally wound in the space, and one end of the flexible cable 9 is led out of the first housing 1 in a state of being fixed to the outer cylindrical portion 3. A dedicated connector is connected to the tip of the lead-out portion. The other end of the flexible cable 9 is connected to a second connector via a direct connector 10 erected on the upper surface of the top plate 6.
Outside of the housing 5. The direct connector 10 includes a plurality of terminals 10a connected to the respective conductors of the flexible cable 9 and a jetty 10b surrounding these terminals 10a. Is formed.

Reference numeral 11 denotes the above-described lock member. The lock member 11 includes an operating portion 11a facing the direct connector 10, an engaging portion 11b projecting horizontally from the operating portion 11a, and an engaging portion 11b. And an elastic piece 11c having a U-shape provided on one side surface, and is integrally formed using a synthetic resin material. The operating portion 11a is formed with a notch 11d extending from one side surface to the upper surface, and a key groove 11e having an inclined portion in the middle is formed on each of the opposing inner surfaces of the notch 11d. A guide wall 12 having an L-shaped cross section is provided upright on the upper surface of the top plate 6, and the locking member 1 is guided by the engaging portion 11b.
Reference numeral 1 is held movably in the radial direction with respect to the second housing 5. Further, a first surface is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 6.
And a regulating wall 13 having second concave portions 13a and 13b is provided upright.
The lock member 11 is positioned at two positions of a lock position and a non-lock position by engaging with either one of the lock members 11a and 13b.

On the other hand, a pair of projections 14 are integrally formed at the upper end of the outer cylindrical portion 3 of the first housing 1 so as to correspond to the lock member 11, and the projections 14 engage the lock member. A concave groove into which the portion 11b is inserted is formed. The two projections 14 are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and the interval is set to be larger than the width of the engaging portion 11b of the lock member 11.

Reference numeral 15 denotes an external connector. A drive section 16 for moving the lock member 11 from a locked position to an unlocked position is provided on one side surface of the external connector 15. This external connector is a dedicated connector such as an airbag inflator or a horn switch attached to a steering wheel handle (not shown). By inserting the external connector into the jetty 10b of the direct connector 10, a clip terminal (not shown) can be connected. The corresponding terminals 10a of the direct connector 10 are electrically connected. The driving unit 16 includes an L-shaped snap unit 16.
a and a claw portion 1 formed at a lower end of the snap portion 16a.
6b, and a pin 16 provided on the opposite side of the claw portion 16b
c and an external connector 1 made of a synthetic resin material.
5 are integrally formed.

Next, the operation of the rotary connector according to the above-described embodiment will be described by taking as an example a case where the first housing 1 is used as a fixed body and the second housing 5 is used as a movable body. In this case, the first housing 1 of the rotary connector is fixed to the steering column side, and the second housing 5 is fixed to the steering wheel. Must be able to rotate from the neutral position of the handle by an equal amount in both the forward and reverse directions. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the rotary connector, the first and second housings 1 and 5 are rotatably connected in a state where the flexible cable 9 is wound in the space, and then the elastic pieces 11 c of the lock member 11 are rotated. Are engaged with the second recess 13b of the regulating wall 13, and the two housings 1 and 5 are positioned in the rotation neutral state. Thereafter, the lock member 11 is slid radially outward along the guide wall 12, and the tip of the engaging portion 11b is positioned between the pair of protrusions 14,. At this time, since the elastic piece 11c moves from the second concave portion 13b to the first concave portion 13a, the lock member 11 maintains the state by the elastic force of the elastic piece 11c. Thereby, the second
Even if a rotational force acts on the housing 5, the tip of the engaging portion 11 b abuts against the side wall of the projection 14, so that the first and second
The relative rotation of the housings 1 and 5 is prevented by the lock member 11, so that even if vibration is applied during transportation of the rotary connector or the like, the same state can be maintained until the housing is incorporated into the steering device.

When incorporating the rotary connector into the steering device, the first housing 1 is fixed to the steering column while the lock member 11 is mounted on the rotary connector, and the steering shaft is inserted into the second housing 5. It protrudes from the hole 8. Next, the steering
When the steering hub is press-fitted into the shaft and the handle integrated with the steering hub is fixed to the second housing 5, the rotation neutral position of the rotary connector can be matched with the rotation neutral position of the handle. .
Thereafter, an external connector 15 such as an airbag inflator or a horn switch mounted on the handle is inserted into the direct connector 10 provided in the second housing 5, and the connectors 10 and 15 are connected. In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end of the external connector 15 is made to coincide with the upper opening of the jetty 10b of the direct connector 10, and the drive unit 16 is made to coincide with the notch 11d of the lock member 11. In this state, the external connector 15 is pushed downward. When the external connector 15 descends along the inner side surface of the jetty 10b, the pin 16c of the drive unit 16 descends along the key groove 11e of the lock member 11, but the pin 16c
At a position where c passes through the inclined portion of the key groove 11e, as shown in FIG. 3B, the snap portion 16a of the driving portion 16 bends outward. Further, the external connector 15 is pushed in, and each terminal 10 a of the direct connector 10 is connected to the external connector 1.
When the snap portion 16a is lowered to a position where it is completely inserted into the clip terminal (not shown), the snap portion 16a returns to its original state by its own elasticity, as shown in FIG. 16b is the hole 10 of the direct connector 10
Snap into c. For this reason, the lock member 11 is drawn toward the direct connector 10 together with the snap portion 16a, the tip of the engagement portion 11b of the lock member 11 retreats from between the pair of projections 14, 14, and the elastic piece 11c becomes the first piece.
From the concave portion 13a to the second concave portion 13b. As a result, the lock between the two housings 1 and 5 by the lock member 11 is released, and the second housing 5 can freely rotate with respect to the first housing 1. In addition,
Before and after the connection work of the two connectors 10 and 15 described above,
A dedicated connector (not shown) led out of the first housing 1 is connected to an external device such as an air bag drive circuit or a horn circuit mounted on the vehicle body.

If the handle can be freely rotated at the time when the rotary connector has been assembled into the steering device in this manner, in other words, the locking operation of the lock member 11 is released, and the second housing 5 is connected to the first housing. If the rotary connector 1 can be freely rotated, it is determined that the direct connector 10 and the external connector 15 have been securely connected, and the continuity test for checking the continuity between the rotary connector and the external device becomes unnecessary. That is, in the above embodiment, if the insertion of the external connector 15 into the direct connector 10 is incomplete, the driving member 16 does not move the lock member 11 from the lock position to the unlock position, so that the rotary connector can be connected to the external device. If the handle can rotate freely after being assembled, it can be determined that the external connector 15 and the direct connector 10 are securely connected, and the step of inspecting the electrical connection between the rotary connector and the external device can be omitted. Can be.

In order to remove the rotary connector from the steering device at the time of repairing a vehicle or the like, an operation reverse to the above-described mounting operation may be performed. That is, when the handle is removed from the second housing 5 in a state where the handle is in the rotation neutral position, and the external connector 15 is removed from the direct connector 10, the lock member 11 is changed from FIG. 3 (c) to FIG. (A) Move to the position, and the engaging portion 11
bBecause the tip is positioned between both projections 14,
The relative rotation of the first and second housings 1, 5 is again prevented by the lock member 11. Thus, the lock mechanism according to the present embodiment can be used many times.

In use, when the handle is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the rotational force is transmitted to the second housing 5, and the second housing 5 rotates in the same direction. For example, when the handle is rotated counterclockwise from the rotation neutral position, the second housing 5 also rotates counterclockwise in conjunction with the rotation, and the flexible cable 9 is wound around the inner cylinder 7. Conversely, when the handle is rotated clockwise, the second housing 5 is also rotated clockwise in conjunction therewith, and the flexible cable 9 is rewound to the outer cylinder 3 side,
In either state, the electrical connection between the housings 1, 5 is maintained via the flexible cable 9.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of a rotary connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and portions corresponding to FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that a plurality of click projections 3a located between a pair of projections 14 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the outer cylindrical portion 3 in the first housing 1. And the other configurations are basically the same. In the second embodiment of the present invention having the above-described structure, when the two housings 1 and 5 are locked by the lock member 11, the second housing 5 is locked.
When a rotational force acts on the second housing 5 as described above,
Rotates within a small angle range in which the tip of the engaging portion 11b hits the side wall of the projection 14, but at this time, the tip of the engaging portion 11b is disengaged from each click projection 3a to generate a click sound. Therefore, when the handle is rotated after incorporating the rotary connector into the external device, the insertion of the external connector 15 into the direct connector 10 is incomplete, and the lock member 11 is moved from the locked position to the unlocked position by the driving unit 16. If not, a click sound is generated due to the engagement and disengagement of the tip of the engaging portion 11b and the click protrusion 3a. Therefore, it is easy for the click sound to imperfectly insert the external connector 15 into the direct connector 10. Can be determined.

[0020]

[0021]

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the first housing 1 is used as a fixed body and the second housing 5 is used as a movable body has been described.
It is also possible to use the housing 5 as a fixed body and the first housing 1 as a movable body.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the direct coupling type direct connector 10 is provided only in the second housing 5 and the first housing 1 is provided with a dedicated connector led out to the outside will be described. However, the connectors of both housings 1 and 5 may be of direct coupling type.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the lock member 1
Although the case where a pair of projections 14 and 14 are provided on the outer cylinder portion 3 corresponding to 1 has been described, a plurality of such sets of projections 14 and 14 are provided along the circumferential direction of the outer cylinder portion 3. Is also good.
In this case, even when the steering wheel is not always in the neutral position when the vehicle is repaired, if the rotary connector is removed from the steering device, the lock member 11 engages with one of the plurality of sets of projections 14, 14. Therefore, the locked state can be maintained until the rotary connector is integrated into the steering device again.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the manufacturing process of the rotary connector, the free rotation of both housings positioned at the rotation neutral position can be prevented by the lock member, and in the process of incorporating the rotary connector into the steering device, the external connector of the external device When is connected to the direct connector of the rotary connector, the lock of the lock member is automatically released by the external connector, so that after the rotary connector is incorporated into the external device, if both housings can rotate relatively freely, It can be determined that the external connector and the direct connector are securely connected, and the step of inspecting the electrical connection between the rotary connector and the external device, which is conventionally required, can be omitted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotary connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lock mechanism provided in the rotary connector.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the lock mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of a rotary connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention .

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st housing 3 outer cylinder part 3a click protrusion 5 2nd housing 6 top plate 7 inner cylinder part 9 flexible cable 10 direct connector 10a terminal 10b pier 10c hole 11 lock member 11a operation part 11b engagement part 11c elasticity piece 11d notches 11e keyway 12 guide walls 13 restricting walls 14 projections 15 external connector 16 driver 16a snap portion 16b claw portion 16c pin

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 35/04 B60R 16/02 B62D 1/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flexible cable comprising a pair of housings rotatably connected to each other and a flexible cable wound in an annular space defined between the two housings. Are electrically led out to the outside while both ends of the housing are fixed to the housing, and at least one of the lead-out portions is connected to an external connector of an external device via a direct connector provided in the housing. In the rotary connector, a lock member for preventing free rotation of both is mounted between the two housings, and the lock member is held in one of the two housings so as to be movable in a radial direction, A concave groove into which the tip of the lock member is inserted is provided in one of the other housings, and when the external connector is connected to the direct connector, A rotary connector, wherein a distal end of the lock member is disengaged from the concave groove to release rotation inhibition of both housings when the connector drives the lock member in a radial direction. 2. The locking member according to claim 1, wherein an elastic piece is provided on the lock member, and a regulating wall having two concave portions is provided on one of the two housings, and the elastic member is moved with the movement of the lock member. A rotary connector characterized in that the locking member is positioned at two positions, a locked position and a non-locked position, by engaging a piece with one of the concave portions. 3. The lock according to claim 1, wherein the width of the groove in the circumferential direction is set to be larger than the width of the tip of the lock member, and the groove can be disengaged from the lock member. A rotary connector having a projection .