JP3322192B2 - Cable reel stopper structure - 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 stopper structure mounted between a steering wheel side and a vehicle body side of a steering apparatus of an automobile, and more particularly, to a movable body fixed to the steering wheel side of a cable reel at a neutral position. The rotation is regulated so that

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 6, a cable reel of this type has a fixed body 1 composed of an outer cylinder fixed to the steering column and a movable body composed of an inner cylinder fixed to the handle. 2 are rotatably connected to each other, and a flat cable 3 is spirally housed in an annular hollow portion formed by the fixed body 1 and the movable body 2, and both ends of the flat cable are fixed to the fixed body 1. The flat cable 3 is fixed to the movable body 2 and led out to the outside, and the flat cable 3 is wound or unwound in the hollow portion according to the forward / reverse rotation of the movable body 2 corresponding to the operation of the handle.

[0003] When the cable reel having the above structure is mounted on an automobile, the fixed body 1 is fixed to a steering column, while the movable body 1 is fixed to a steering shaft on a steering wheel side. At this time, flat cable 3
It is necessary that the neutral position of the movable body 2 to which one end is fixed (the position at which the rotational speed to the left and right are substantially equal) and the neutral position of the steering shaft coincide. Therefore, it is necessary to temporarily fix the movable body 2 to the neutral position until the cable reel is incorporated into the steering device. Therefore, a cable provided with a mechanism for temporarily fixing the movable body 2 to the fixed body 1 is provided. Various reels have been conventionally proposed.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-68 shown in FIG.
No. 371, the cable reel disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-44053 shown in FIG. 7B, and the cable reel disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-37667 shown in FIG. In any case, the temporary fixing member (stopper) 4 is inserted into the insertion portion 1a projecting from the fixed body 1, and the temporary fixing member 4 is engaged with the projection 5 provided on the movable body 2, thereby restricting the rotation of the movable body 2. It is carried out.

[0005]

In any of the above-mentioned mechanisms for temporarily fixing the movable body 1 to the fixed body 1 in order to hold the movable body 1 at the neutral position, any of the above-mentioned mechanisms before or after attaching the cable reel to the handle. Thereafter, in order to release the temporary fixing, the temporary fixing member 4 is taken out from the insertion portion 1a of the fixed body 1. Therefore, an operation for removing the temporary fixing member 4 is required. In particular, since the operation requires pulling out the temporary fixing member through a hole in the steering wheel, there is a problem that the operation cannot be easily performed.

Further, during the maintenance work performed by removing the handle, since the temporary fixing member 4 has already been removed, there is no means for matching the neutral position between the handle and the movable body. As a result, the movable body rotates for some reason and the handle is fixed in that state, and if the neutral position of the handle and the movable body does not match, the flat cable is reversed when the handle rotates forward, or the disconnection occurs. May occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and a movable body can be temporarily fixed to a fixed body without using a conventionally used temporary fixing member. The problem is that the temporary fixation is released, and the temporary fixation is automatically performed when the handle is detached from the handle, so that the handle and the movable body can be fixed at the neutral position even after maintenance performed by removing the handle. And

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a fixed body comprising an outer cylinder fixed to a steering column of an automobile and an inner cylinder fixed to a steering wheel. The movable body is relatively rotatably connected, and a flat cable is spirally housed in an annular hollow portion formed by the fixed body and the movable body, and both ends of the flat cable are fixed to the fixed body and the movable body. The flat cable is wound in the annular hollow portion in accordance with the forward / reverse rotation of the handle, and the flat cable is stopped and rewinded. When a turn signal canceling sleeve is inserted, and a stopper provided with a locking groove is protruded by the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the sleeve protruding from the cable reel. The movable body and the fixed body are provided with a locked portion which locks in the locking groove, and a spring means for urging the sleeve upward is provided to lock the stopper of the sleeve. When the locked portion of the movable body and the fixed body is inserted into the inside of the handle so as to be unrotatable, and the cable reel is attached to the shaft of the handle, the sleeve is lowered against the spring means and locked by the stopper. To provide a stopper structure for a cable reel in which the movable body is rotatable while the handle is removed, the sleeve returns to the original state by the spring means, and the stopper controls the rotation of the rotating body. ing.

The spring means projects an upper spring receiving portion on the outer periphery of the upper end of the sleeve, and projects a lower spring receiving portion from the lower end of the inner peripheral wall of the movable body. A spring is stretched to bias the sleeve upward.

[0010] Alternatively, a spring material such as a leaf spring or a coil spring is attached below the sleeve, and the sleeve is urged upward by the spring material.

The turn signal canceling sleeve is used to turn off the turn signal automatically after turning the steering wheel and turning right or left by turning the steering wheel. Is conventionally attached to a steering shaft.

According to the present invention, the turn signal
By using a canceling sleeve, a stopper is provided on the sleeve, and the sleeve is integrally attached to a cable reel. Can be integrally fixed. Also, when the cable reel is assembled to the handle shaft when attached to the steering device, the sleeve is automatically pushed down by the shaft, and as a result, the stopper provided on the sleeve is disengaged from the fixed body and the movable body. Can be rotated. Therefore, the operation of extracting the stopper means, which is conventionally required, becomes unnecessary.

When the handle is removed and the shaft is removed at the time of maintenance, the sleeve is lifted by the spring means and locked on the fixed body and the movable body of the cable reel, and the movable body is held in the neutral position. Prevent rotation. Therefore, when the handle is attached, the neutral position of the handle and the neutral position of the movable body can be accurately matched.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The structure of the cable reel 15 itself is substantially the same as that of the conventional cable reel shown in FIG. 6, and includes a fixed body 11 forming an outer cylindrical portion having an annular bottom wall 11a and an outer peripheral wall 11b; The movable body 2 which forms an inner cylindrical portion composed of an upper wall 12a and an inner peripheral wall 12b is relatively rotatably connected to form a cable reel housing. A flat cable 14 is spirally housed in an annular hollow portion 13 formed by the fixed body 11 and the movable body 12, and both ends of the flat cable 14 are fixed to the fixed body 1.
The flat cable 14 is fixed to the movable body 12 and is led out to the outside, so that the flat cable 14 is wound and unwound in the hollow portion 13 according to the forward / reverse rotation of the movable body 12 corresponding to the handle operation. .

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower spring receiving portion 12 is provided below the inner peripheral wall 12b of the movable body 12.
c, and a locked piece 12d protrudes downward from the lower surface of the lower spring receiving portion 12c. Further, a pair of locked pieces 11c are also provided from the lower surface of the bottom wall 11a of the fixed body 11,
11d, and a fitting recess 11e is provided between the locked pieces 11c and 11d.

A sleeve 20 for turn signal canceling is previously inserted into a central shaft hole 16 of the cable reel 15 surrounded by an inner peripheral wall 12b of the movable body 12. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a stopper 21 projects from a part of the outer peripheral surface of a portion of the sleeve 20 projecting from the lower end of the cable reel 15, and engages with the upper surface of the stopper 21. A stop groove 21a is provided, and the tip is a fitting projection 21b.

The engaging groove 12a is adapted to receive the locked piece 12d of the movable body 12, and the fitting convex portion 21b is fitted into the fitting concave portion 11e of the fixed body 11. Is inserted into the locking groove 21a. In this state, the fixed body 11 and the movable body 12 are fixed to the sleeve 20 so as not to rotate.

An upper spring receiving portion 22 protrudes from a part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the sleeve 20, and a coil spring is provided between the upper spring receiving portion 22 and a lower spring receiving portion 12c protruding from the movable body 12. 24 are installed. Since the coil spring 24 is attached between the movable body 12 of the cable reel 15 and the sleeve 20 in this manner, the sleeve 20 is urged upward by the urging force of the coil spring 24. In this state, FIG. The state shown in FIG. That is, the locked portion 12 d of the movable body 12 is inserted into the locking groove 21 a of the stopper 21.
Are inserted and locked, the fitting projection 21b fits into the fitting recess 11e of the fixed body 11, and the locked portion 1
1c is inserted into the locking groove 21a and locked.

As described above, the cable reel 15 integrally assembled with the sleeve 20 comprises the fixed body 11 and the movable body 1.
2 are locked with the stopper 21 of the sleeve 20 so that the rotation of the sleeve 2 is restricted. Therefore, after being assembled, the movable body 12 and the fixed body 11 are temporarily fixed to the sleeve 20 until they are transported and attached to the steering device of the automobile, and the movable body 12 is held at the neutral position.

When assembling the cable reel 15 to a steering device of an automobile, the protrusion 31 of the sleeve 20 assembled to the central shaft hole 16 of the cable reel 20 and the groove 31 of the mating surface of the shaft 30 of the steering wheel (handle) are aligned. In addition, the shaft 30 is connected to the central shaft hole 1.
Press into 6.

When the shaft 30 is pushed in, the sleeve 20 is pushed down against the coil spring 24 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the stopper 21 protruding from the lower end of the sleeve 20 also descends, and the locked piece 12d of the movable body 12 is pulled out from the locking groove 21a. Further, the movable body 12 is fixed to the shaft 30 in a state where the neutral position is aligned. Further, the fitting between the fitting concave portion 11e and the fitting convex portion 21b of the fixed body 11 is released, and the locked piece 11c also comes out of the locking groove 21a. The fixed body 11 is
Then, it is fixed to a steering column (not shown).

As described above, since the movable body 12 is released from the engagement with the fixed body 11 and the sleeve 20, the movable body 12 is rotated in accordance with the rotating operation of the handle.

At the time of maintenance, when the shaft 30 is pulled out from the center shaft hole 16 of the cable reel 15 to remove the handle, the sleeve 20 is raised by the urging force of the coil spring 24 and returns to the original state shown in FIG. The locked piece 12d of the movable body 12 is inserted and locked in the locking groove 21a of the stopper 21, and the rotation of the movable body 12 is restricted while being held at the neutral position. Therefore, when attaching the handle again, the neutral position of the shaft 30 and the neutral position of the movable body 12 can be surely matched.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment, in which the sleeve 20 is used as a spring material for urging the sleeve 20 upward.
The leaf spring 40 is attached to the lower surface of the “0”. In the second embodiment, the stopper 21 is provided so as to oppose the left and right sides from the sleeve 20, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

By urging the sleeve 20 upward by the leaf spring 40, as shown in FIG.
Cable reel 15 by a stopper 21 projecting from
The movable body 12 and the fixed body 11 are positioned and held. On the other hand, at the time of attachment to the handle 30, as shown in FIG. 5, the sleeve 20 is lowered, the rotation restriction by the stopper 21 is released, and the movable body 12 can rotate in conjunction with the handle.

When the handle is removed at the time of maintenance, the sleeve 20 is raised by the leaf spring 40, and the stopper 21 is locked with the movable body 12, thereby restricting the rotation of the movable body 12.

[0027]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the stopper structure of the cable reel according to the present invention, the steering device employs the turn signal casing sleeve mounted on the shaft of the steering wheel. Since the rotation of the movable body of the cable reel is restricted, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated stopper (rotation restricting means). In addition, since the stopper is automatically released in the step of attaching the handle shaft to the sleeve, it is possible to eliminate the work of removing the stopper as in the related art. As a result, it is possible to reduce both the number of parts and the number of working steps, thereby achieving a significant cost reduction.

Further, when the handle is removed at the time of maintenance, the sleeve is automatically operated, the stopper is locked with the movable body, and the rotation of the movable body can be restricted. Therefore, when the handle is attached again, the handle and the movable body can be surely aligned and fixed at the neutral position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic sectional view showing a first embodiment,
(B) is an enlarged view of a main part.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a main part of the first embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a stopper according to the first embodiment is released.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a state in which a stopper according to a second embodiment is released.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional cable reel.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are views showing conventional examples, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Fixed body 11c, 11d Locked part 11e Fitting concave part 12 Movable body 12c Lower spring receiving part 12d Locked part 14 Flat cable 20 Sleeve for turn signal canceling 21 Stopper 21a Lock groove 21b Fitting convex part 24 Coil spring 30 Handle shaft 40 Leaf spring

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 35/04 B60R 16/02 675 B62D 1/04 B65H 75/36

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed body comprising an outer cylinder fixed to a steering column side of an automobile and a movable body serving as an inner cylinder fixed to a steering wheel side are relatively rotatably connected to each other. A flat cable is spirally housed in an annular hollow portion formed by the body and the movable body, and both ends of the flat cable are fixed to the fixed body and the movable body and are led out to the outside, and the handle is rotated forward and reverse. The flat cable is wound in the annular hollow portion in accordance with the above, is a stopper structure of a cable reel to be rewound, and a sleeve for turn signal canceling is inserted into a central shaft hole of the cable reel, A stopper provided with a locking groove is projected from an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the sleeve protruding from the cable reel, and the movable body and the fixed body are locked in the locking groove. The movable portion and the fixed portion of the movable body and the fixed body are inserted into the locking groove of the stopper of the sleeve by projecting a locked portion to be protruded, and attaching a spring means for urging the sleeve upward. When the cable reel is attached to the handle shaft, the sleeve is lowered against the spring means, and the movable body is allowed to rotate by releasing the lock by the stopper, while the handle is removed. A stopper structure for a cable reel, wherein the spring returns the sleeve to its original shape and the stopper controls the rotation of the rotating body. 2. The spring means projects an upper spring receiving portion on the outer periphery of an upper end of the sleeve, and projects a lower spring receiving portion from a lower end of an inner peripheral wall of the movable body. 2. The stopper structure for a cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a coil spring is stretched on the cable reel to urge the sleeve upward. 3. The stopper structure for a cable reel according to claim 1, wherein said spring means attaches a spring material to a lower surface of said sleeve, and urges said sleeve upward by said spring material.