JP3415778B2 - Spiral cable lock mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spiral cable lock mechanism, and more particularly, to a lock mechanism for temporarily fixing a spiral cable used in a current-carrying device between a steering wheel and a steering column of a vehicle to a neutral position. It is about.

[0002]

A spiral cable is generally used as a device for electrically connecting a steering wheel and a steering column of a vehicle. This spiral cable includes a rotating body that rotates together with the steering wheel and a fixed body that is fixed to the steering column.
A flexible spiral cable wound in a spiral shape is housed inside the rotating body and the fixed body. Such a spiral cable is provided with a lock mechanism for temporarily fixing the rotating body and the fixed body at the neutral position until the time of assembling to the vehicle.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional lock mechanism for a spiral cable (see EP633635).

A rotator 2 is provided at the center of the outer undercover 1, and an upper cover 3 is integrally provided on the rotator 2. A flexible flat cable 9 is housed in the inner space of the under cover 1.

A band-shaped plate member 15 oriented in the radial direction is arranged above the upper cover 3, and a spring 16 urges the band-shaped plate member 15 toward the rotator 2. Strip plate material 15
A bent portion 15a is formed at the outer end of the bent portion 15a.
Is fitted and locked in a recess 17 provided in a side portion of the under cover 1, so that the upper cover 3 (and the rotator 2) and the under cover 1 are locked in a neutral position so as not to rotate relative to each other. It has become.

When the steering wheel 10 is mounted on the steering wheel 10, the belt-shaped plate material 15 is pushed by the steering wheel 10 and moves outwards.
The bent portion 15a is separated from the concave portion 17 and the lock is released.

[0007]

In the conventional spiral cable lock mechanism, the strip-shaped plate member 15 is replaced with the spring 16 which is a separate member.
Since the structure is biased by, the parts of the strip-shaped plate member 15 and the spring 16 are required, and not only the number of parts is increased, but also the assembly of the spring 16 is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a spiral cable locking mechanism which has a small number of parts, is easy to assemble, and can be manufactured at low cost.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 provides a spiral cable having a relative rotatable undercover and a rotator, and the rotator having an upper cover in a neutral position. A spiral cable locking mechanism for temporary fixing, wherein a lock piece is movably attached to the upper cover, a bent portion is attached to an outer end portion of the lock piece, and the lock piece is attached to an inner end portion of the lock piece inwardly. A spring member for urging is integrally provided, and a locking convex portion that locks and locks the bent portion is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the under cover, and when the rotator is attached to the steering wheel, the lock piece is It is characterized in that the lock is released by being pushed outward by the steering wheel.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the lock piece and the spring member are integrally formed, the number of parts is small and the assembly is easy.

The invention according to claim 2 is the lock mechanism for a spiral cable according to claim 1, wherein the lock piece is provided with a locking hole for engaging with a projection formed on the upper cover, When the lock piece is pushed outward by the steering wheel, the lock piece rides on the protrusion and is curved upward so that the lock piece is released from the locking projection and the lock is released. Is.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the invention, since the lock can be released with a small stroke of the lock piece, the amount of protrusion of the lock piece can be small.

The invention according to claim 3 is the lock mechanism for a spiral cable according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock piece is slidable from both sides by pushing the lock piece into the upper cover. A guide piece for guiding is provided upright, and an engaging groove into which the spring member is fitted is bored.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the invention, the lock mechanism can be easily constructed by pushing the lock piece into the guide piece and fitting the spring member into the engagement groove.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same members or functions as those in FIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, the spiral cable A is
The under cover 1 on the outer side, the rotator 2 on the inner side, and the upper cover 3 fixed to the rotator 2 are provided, and the rotator 2 and the upper cover 3 are integrated into the under cover 1.
It is designed to rotate relative to. A flexible flat cable (not shown) is housed in the inner space of the under cover 1. The upper cover 3 may be provided integrally with the rotator 2.

A lock mechanism B having a lock piece 6 for locking the undercover 1 and the rotator 2 at a neutral position is provided on the upper surface of the upper cover 3.

That is, two rows of guide pieces 5 are erected on the upper cover 3 so as to be opposed to each other and parallel to each other in the radial direction. To
An arcuate engagement groove 4 is formed along the inner circumference. At this time, the guide piece 5 is provided at its upper portion with a claw portion 5a projecting to the mutually opposing side, and on the upper surface of this claw portion 5a, a tapered surface 5b for guiding the lock piece 6 at the time of assembly.
Is formed.

The lock piece 6 has a bent portion 6a on one end side.
Is formed, and the spring member 7 is integrally formed so as to approach the other end side so as to project to both sides, and the length from the bent portion 6a to the other end is the outer peripheral edge of the upper cover 3. It is configured as a strip-shaped flat plate body that is slightly longer than the interval between the portion and the inner peripheral edge of the rotator 2. This lock piece 6
Is integrally formed as one including the bent portion 6a and the spring member 7 using a metal material, for example, and is configured as one molded component.

The lock piece 6 is arranged such that the spring member 7 is opposed to above the engagement groove 4 and both side edges thereof are brought into contact with the tapered surface 5a of the guide piece 5, and thereafter the lock piece 6 is pressed downward. Then, the guide pieces 5 on both sides are pushed to the lower side of the claw portion 5a so as to be bent slightly outward, and the spring member 7 is fitted into the engagement groove 4 to be attached to the upper cover 3.

In this attached state, the lock piece 6
Is guided by guide pieces 5 on both sides to be slidable, and is urged inward (in the direction of the rotator 2) by a spring member 7 fitted in the engaging groove 4, and at the bent portion. 6a is fitted and locked between the locking projections 8, 8 provided on the side of the under cover 1, and the inner end 6b is attached so as to slightly project into the internal space of the rotator 2.
Due to the engagement between the engagement protrusions 8 of the bent portion 6a, the upper cover 3 (and the rotator 2) and the under cover 1 are locked at a neutral position so as not to rotate relative to each other.

When the lock piece 6 is held in the locked state until it is assembled to the vehicle and is assembled to the steering wheel 10 as shown in FIG. 2, the inner end 6b of the lock piece 6 is pushed by the steering wheel 10 to the outside. By moving, the bent portion 6a is separated from the locking convex portion 8 and the lock is released, so that the rotator 2 can freely rotate.

As described above, in the lock mechanism for the spiral cable of this embodiment, the lock piece 6 and the spring member 7 are provided.
Has a small number of parts because it is integrally formed,
Easy to assemble and can be manufactured at low cost.

3 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a protrusion 12 having a tapered surface 11 is formed on the upper surface of the upper cover 3, and the protrusion 12 has a locking hole for the lock piece 6. 13 is locked (see FIG. 5). When the lock piece 6 is pushed outward by the steering wheel 10, the lock piece 6 rides on the projection 12 along the tapered surface 11 to bend the lock piece 6 upward, and the bent portion 6a is locked. The lock is released by moving upward from the convex portion 8 (see FIG. 6).
reference).

As described above, in the second embodiment, since the lock can be released with a small stroke of the lock piece 6, the amount of protrusion of the lock piece 6 can be small, and the radius of rotation of the upper cover 3 can be small. It is advantageous when the installation space of the cable is small.

[0026]

As described above in detail, according to the invention of claim 1, since the spring member for urging the lock piece inward is integrally provided, the number of parts is small and the assembling is easy. Can be manufactured at low cost.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper cover is provided with a projection and the lock piece is provided with a locking hole, and when the lock piece is pushed outward by the steering wheel, the lock piece rides on the projection and locks. Since the lock is released, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the lock can be released with a small stroke of the lock piece, the protruding amount of the lock piece can be small, and the spiral cable can be downsized. Becomes

According to the third aspect of the invention, the lock mechanism can be easily constructed by pushing the lock piece into the guide piece and fitting the spring member into the engagement groove. In addition to the effect of the invention described in Item 1 or 2, the assembling property can be further facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the unlocked state of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an unlocked state of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts in a locked state according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of a second embodiment in an unlocked state.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional side view of a conventional spiral cable lock mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Undercover 2 rotator 3 upper cover 4 engagement groove 5 guide pieces 6 lock pieces 6a Bent section 7 Spring member 8 Locking protrusion 10 steering 12 protrusions 13 Locking hole A spiral cable B lock mechanism

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02G 11/02 B62D 1/04 B65H 75/38 H01R 35/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A lock mechanism for a spiral cable, comprising: a relatively rotatable undercover and a rotator, wherein the rotator is provided with an upper cover to temporarily fix the spiral cable at a neutral position. The lock piece is movably mounted, a bent portion is provided at an outer end portion of the lock piece, and a spring member for urging the lock piece inward is integrally provided at an inner end portion of the lock piece. A locking protrusion is formed to lock and lock the bent portion, and when the rotator is attached to a steering wheel, the locking piece is pushed outward by the steering wheel to release the lock. Locking mechanism for spiral cable. 2. The lock piece is provided with a locking hole that engages with a protrusion formed on the upper cover, and when the lock piece is pushed outward by the steering wheel, the lock piece is 2. The locking mechanism for the spiral cable according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is unlocked by riding on the protrusion and curving upward to separate from the locking protrusion. 3. A guide piece is erected on the upper cover to guide the lock piece so as to be slidable from both sides by pushing the lock piece, and an engagement groove into which the spring member is fitted is bored. The lock mechanism for the spiral cable according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is for a spiral cable.