JP5871436B2 - Rotating connector device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary connector device to which a steering shaft is attached.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a rotation connector device for electrically connecting a rotation side and a fixed side, such as a vehicle steering side and a vehicle body side, is known. In general, the steering of an automobile has a configuration such as an airbag that requires a reliable operation in an emergency. For this reason, a rotary connector device having a configuration in which the steering side and the vehicle body side are connected by a flat cable or the like without using a low-reliability sliding electrode or the like is employed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses this type of rotary connector device. The rotary connector device includes a fixed member and a rotary member. The fixed member and the rotating member are rotatably connected. A steering shaft is attached to the rotating member, and the rotating member rotates integrally with the steering shaft.

  In the rotating member (rotator) of Patent Document 1, two engaging protrusions that engage with the steering shaft are formed. The first engagement protrusion is a tapered member and is press-fitted into the steering shaft. The second engaging protrusion is an arrow-shaped member and is elastically engaged with the steering shaft. In Patent Document 1, it is described that the arrow-shaped engagement protrusion has a function of maintaining the engagement with the steering shaft when the tapered engagement protrusion is damaged.

JP 2011-204506 A

  By the way, in the rotary connector device, when a force other than the rotation direction is applied to the steering shaft, the force is transmitted to the engaging protrusion of the rotating member. As a result, the engagement protrusion may be deformed, and a situation (hereinafter referred to as eccentricity) may occur in which the center of the steering shaft and the rotation member are displaced.

  Here, since the tapered engagement protrusion of Patent Document 1 is engaged without being loosened by press-fitting, the tapered engagement protrusion may be damaged depending on the applied load.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is a rotary connector capable of preventing the engaging portion of the rotary member from being damaged even when a force is applied to the steering shaft. To provide an apparatus.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

According to the viewpoint of this invention, the rotation connector apparatus of the following structures is provided. That is, the rotary connector device includes a fixed member, a rotary member, and a cable. The rotating member is attached so as to be rotatable relative to the fixed member. An insertion hole into which the steering shaft is inserted is formed in the rotating member, and a shaft attaching portion to which the steering shaft can be attached is formed. The cable is disposed in a cable housing space covered with the fixing member and the rotating member. The shaft attachment portion includes a base portion, a shaft portion, and an engagement portion. The base portion is formed on an inner wall of the insertion hole of the rotating member. The shaft portion extends from the base portion in the axial direction of the insertion hole so as not to contact the inner wall, and has flexibility in at least the circumferential direction of the insertion hole. The engaging portion is formed on the shaft portion and is engageable with the steering shaft. The rotating member is an inner wall of the insertion hole of the rotating member and is located in the vicinity of the shaft portion, and the shaft stopper prevents deformation of the shaft portion by contacting with the shaft portion that is bent more than a predetermined amount. Is formed.

Thereby, even if it is a case where force other than a rotation direction is applied to a steering shaft, eccentricity can be absorbed because a shaft part bends. In addition, since the shaft stopper is formed, excessive bending of the shaft portion of the shaft mounting portion can be prevented, so that the shaft mounting portion can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

  In the rotary connector device, the rotary member is located on the inner wall of the insertion hole of the rotary member and in the vicinity of the shaft portion, and comes into contact with the shaft portion that is bent more than a predetermined amount. It is preferable that a shaft stopper for preventing the deformation of the portion is formed.

  Thereby, since the excessive bending of the axial part of a shaft attaching part can be prevented, damage to a shaft attaching part can be prevented more reliably.

  In the rotary connector device, it is preferable that at least two shaft attachment portions are formed on the rotary member.

  Thereby, since the force applied to the shaft mounting portion at the time of eccentricity is dispersed, the shaft mounting portion can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

  The rotary connector device preferably has the following configuration. That is, it arrange | positions so that two said shaft attaching parts may face each other. The steering shaft is attached so that its position can be adjusted in the direction connecting the two shaft attachment portions.

  As a result, the eccentricity of the component connecting the two shaft mounting portions can be absorbed without bending the shaft mounting portion. Accordingly, it is possible to deal with eccentricity in all directions.

1 is an external perspective view showing an overall configuration of a steering roll connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. The exploded perspective view of a steering roll connector. The perspective view of a shaft attaching part. The projection figure and AA sectional drawing of a shaft attaching part. The schematic plan view of a steering roll connector when eccentricity has not arisen. The schematic plan view of a steering roll connector when eccentricity arises in a predetermined direction. The schematic plan view of a steering roll connector when eccentricity arises in a predetermined direction. The schematic plan view of a steering roll connector when eccentricity arises in a predetermined direction.

  Next, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A steering roll connector (rotary connector device) 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a stator (fixed member) 11 and a rotator (rotary member) 12.

  The stator 11 is fixed to an appropriate member on the vehicle body side, for example, a combination bracket switch (not shown) of a steering column. A steering shaft 70 (see FIG. 5 and the like described later) is supported on the steering column. The stator 11 is attached to the steering shaft 70 so as to be relatively rotatable.

  An insertion hole 32 is formed in the rotator 12, and the steering shaft 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 32. As shown in FIG. 2, a shaft attachment portion 60 is disposed in the insertion hole 32. The shaft attachment portion 60 can be engaged with the steering shaft 70 (details will be described later). Thus, the rotator 12 is configured to rotate integrally with the steering shaft 70 by the shaft mounting portion 60 formed in the insertion hole 32.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stator 11 includes a fixed ring plate 21 and a cylindrical tubular member 31 fixed to an outer edge portion of the fixed ring plate 21. The rotator 12 includes a rotation-side ring plate 22 formed in a ring shape. An insertion hole 32 is formed in the center of the rotator 12. The rotator 12 can rotate relative to the stator 11 around the same axis as the rotation axis of the steering shaft.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the stator 11 has a pin insertion hole 11a. A fixing pin 17 for stopping rotation can be inserted into the pin insertion hole 11a. A fixing protrusion 17 a is formed on the fixing pin 17. The fixing protrusion 17 a is attached to a fixing recess 12 a formed on the rotator 12. Thereby, it can lock so that the rotator 12 may not rotate with respect to the stator 11. FIG.

  When the steering roll connector 1 is attached to the vehicle body, the fixing pin 17 has a position where the rotator 12 is in a neutral position (a position where the rotator 12 is rotated to the maximum clockwise and a position where the rotator 12 is rotated to the maximum counterclockwise) The steering roll connector 1 is temporarily attached at the time of manufacture so as not to deviate from the intermediate position.

  Thereby, the efficiency of the assembly | attachment operation | work to the vehicle body of the steering roll connector 1 can be improved, and an assembly mistake can be prevented. After the steering roll connector 1 is properly attached to the vehicle body, the rotator 12 can be rotated with respect to the stator 11 by breaking the fixing pin 17 at the root of the insertion portion into the pin insertion hole 11a. It becomes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, triangular marks are respectively formed on the fixed side ring plate 21 and the rotary side ring plate 22. This indicates that the rotator 12 is in the neutral position (that is, in the neutral state) when the positions of the respective triangular marks coincide.

  A first connector 41 is attached to the stationary side ring plate 21 of the stator 11, and a second connector 42 is attached to the rotation side ring plate 22 of the rotator 12. The second connector 42 rotates integrally with the rotation of the rotator 12. The first connector 41 and the second connector 42 are configured to be connectable to unillustrated cables drawn from an external electric circuit (for example, a horn switch, an airbag module, a power source, etc.).

  The stationary side ring plate 21 of the stator 11 and the rotation side ring plate 22 of the rotator 12 face each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotator 12. As a result, a cable housing space 15 that is an annular space surrounded by the stator 11 and the rotator 12 (specifically, surrounded by the outer wall portion of the insertion hole 32 and the inner wall portion of the cylindrical member 31) is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2 etc., the flexible flat cable 14 and the retainer 25 are accommodated in the cable accommodating space 15.

  The flexible flat cable 14 is accommodated in the cable accommodating space 15 in an appropriately wound state. The flexible flat cable 14 electrically connects the first connector 41 and the second connector 42.

  The retainer 25 rotates the flexible flat cable 14 when the rotator 12 rotates. The retainer 25 includes a base ring 26 and a plurality of rotating rollers 27.

  The base ring 26 is configured as a plate-like member formed in an annular shape, and is disposed in the vicinity of the fixed-side ring plate 21. The base ring 26 is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis of the rotator 12.

  The rotating rollers 27 are arranged on the one surface side of the base ring 26 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and each is provided to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the rotating shaft of the rotator 12.

  A sleeve 16 is fixed to the rotator 12. A projection 58 is formed on the sleeve 16, and a claw 59 is formed at a position corresponding to the projection 58 of the rotator 12. The sleeve 16 is attached to the rotator 12 so as not to be relatively rotatable by hooking the protrusion 58 on the claw 59.

  Next, the configuration of the shaft mounting portion 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the configuration of the shaft attachment portion 60. FIG.

  The shaft attachment portion 60 is made of an elastic material such as resin. The shaft attachment portion 60 is disposed on the inner wall of the insertion hole 32 of the rotator 12. In the present embodiment, the steering roll connector 1 includes two shaft attachment portions 60, and the shaft attachment portions 60 are disposed so as to face each other. Each shaft attachment portion 60 has the same shape. As shown in FIG. 3, each shaft attachment portion 60 includes a base portion 61, a shaft portion 62, an engagement portion 63, and a shaft stopper 64.

  The base portion 61 is a plate-like portion that extends inward from the inner wall of the insertion hole 32. A shaft portion 62 is connected to the center of the base portion 61, and shaft stoppers 64 are connected to both sides thereof.

  The shaft portion 62 is a rectangular plate-shaped portion, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction coincides with the axial direction of the steering shaft 70. Further, the shaft portion 62 is arranged so that the thickness direction and the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 32 coincide. Further, the lower end of the shaft portion 62 is connected to the upper end of the base portion 61. As for the edge part of the outer side (inner wall side) of the axial part 62, as shown in sectional drawing of FIG.3 and FIG.4 (c), only a part of lower side is connected to the inner wall of the insertion hole 32. FIG.

  With the above configuration, the shaft portion 62 has flexibility in the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 32. By bending the shaft portion 62, the force applied to the steering shaft 70 can be absorbed (details will be described later). The conventional shaft mounting portion 60 was not flexible in the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 32 because all the outer ends of the shaft portion 62 were connected to the inner wall of the insertion hole 32. An engaging portion 63 is connected to the upper end portion of the shaft portion 62.

  The engaging part 63 is an arrow-shaped part connected to the upper side and the inner side of the shaft part 62. Specifically, the engaging portion 63 is a portion formed so as to be separated from the shaft portion 62 as it proceeds downward. The engaging portion 63 can engage with a mounting recess 71 (see FIG. 5 and the like) formed in the steering shaft 70.

  The shaft stopper 64 is a portion formed so as to extend upward from the upper end of the base portion 61 in the axial direction. The shaft stopper 64 is formed on both sides of the shaft portion 62. The shaft stopper 64 is a portion for preventing the shaft portion 62 from being excessively bent in the circumferential direction.

  Next, the shaft mounting portion 60 and the steering shaft 70 when eccentricity occurs will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 are schematic plan views of the steering roll connector 1 when there is no eccentricity or when eccentricity occurs in a predetermined direction. In FIGS. 5 to 8, the shaft portion 62 is shown to be bent more than the actual one in order to make the drawings easier to understand.

  The steering shaft 70 is formed with two mounting recesses 71 arranged linearly so as to face each other. Each mounting recess 71 engages with two shaft mounting portions 60 formed on the inner wall of the insertion hole 32.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when no eccentricity occurs, the steering shaft 70 and the shaft mounting portion 60 are engaged without the shaft portion 62 being bent. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 5, the mounting recess 71 is formed with a recess deeper than the length of the shaft mounting portion 60.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when an eccentricity occurs in the direction connecting the two shaft mounting portions 60, the eccentricity can be absorbed by changing the amount of insertion of the shaft mounting portion 60 with respect to the mounting recess 71. With this configuration, the eccentricity can be absorbed without applying a load to the shaft mounting portion 60 and the steering shaft 70.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when an eccentricity occurs in a direction perpendicular to the direction connecting the two shaft attaching portions 60, the eccentricity can be absorbed by the shaft portion 62 of the shaft attaching portion 60 being bent. As described above, the actual amount of deflection of the shaft portion 62 is smaller than that shown in FIG. 7, and the shaft stopper 64 blocks before the shaft portion 62 is excessively bent, so that the shaft portion 62 There is no heavy load. Therefore, even when the eccentricity in this direction occurs, the eccentricity can be absorbed without damaging the shaft mounting portion 60.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the eccentricity occurs in the direction inclined from the direction connecting the two shaft mounting portions 60, the insertion amount of the shaft mounting portion 60 with respect to the mounting recess 71 is changed, and the shaft portion of the shaft mounting portion 60 is changed. The eccentricity can be absorbed by bending of 62. Even in this case, the shaft attachment portion 60 is not damaged as described above.

  As described above, even when the steering roll connector 1 and the steering shaft 70 are engaged with each other in the configuration of the present embodiment, force is applied to the steering shaft 70 to cause eccentricity in various directions. 1 parts can be prevented from being damaged.

  In addition, although the said patent document 1 has the arrow-shaped protrusion similarly to this embodiment, the whole shaft part (connecting part) is connected to the inner wall, and has flexibility in the circumferential direction. It is thought that it is not. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that the contact portion (elastic support piece) has elasticity, but does not describe that the shaft portion (connecting portion) has elasticity (flexibility). From the above, it is apparent that Patent Document 1 cannot exhibit the effects of the present application, unlike the configuration of the present application.

  As described above, the steering roll connector 1 of the present embodiment includes the stator 11, the rotator 12, and the flexible flat cable 14. The rotator 12 is attached to the stator 11 so as to be relatively rotatable. The rotator 12 has an insertion hole 32 into which the steering shaft 70 is inserted, and a shaft attachment portion 60 to which the steering shaft 70 can be attached. The flexible flat cable 14 is disposed in a cable housing space 15 covered with the stator 11 and the rotator 12. The shaft attachment portion 60 includes a base portion 61, a shaft portion 62, and an engagement portion 63. The base portion 61 is formed on the inner wall of the insertion hole 32 of the rotator 12. The shaft portion 62 extends in the axial direction from the base portion 61 so as not to contact the inner wall, and has flexibility in at least the circumferential direction of the insertion hole 32. The engaging portion 63 is formed at the end of the shaft portion 62 and can be engaged with the steering shaft 70.

  Thereby, even if it is a case where force other than a rotation direction is applied to the steering shaft 70, eccentricity can be absorbed because the axial part 62 bends.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the rotator 12 is located on the inner wall of the insertion hole 32 of the rotator 12 and in the vicinity of the shaft portion 62, and comes into contact with the shaft portion 62 that is bent more than a predetermined amount. A shaft stopper 64 that prevents movement is formed.

  Thereby, since the excessive bending of the axial part 62 of the shaft attaching part 60 can be prevented, the damage of the shaft attaching part 60 can be prevented more reliably.

  In the present embodiment, at least two shaft attachment portions 60 are formed on the rotator 12.

  Thereby, since the force applied to the shaft mounting portion 60 at the time of eccentricity is dispersed, the shaft mounting portion 60 can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, it arrange | positions so that the two shaft attaching parts 60 may face each other. The steering shaft 70 is attached so that its position can be adjusted in the direction connecting the two shaft attachment portions 60.

  Thereby, the eccentricity of the component connecting the two shaft attachment portions 60 can be absorbed without bending the shaft attachment portion 60. Accordingly, it is possible to deal with eccentricity in all directions.

  The preferred embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, but the above configuration can be modified as follows, for example.

  The shape of each part of the shaft attachment part 60 and the number of parts arranged are arbitrary. For example, the shaft portion 62 may be formed in a rod shape instead of a plate shape. Further, the shaft attachment portion 60 may be formed on the sleeve 16 instead of the rotator 12. In this case, the sleeve 16 corresponds to a “rotating member”. Furthermore, the engaging part 63 may be formed at the end of the shaft part 62 or may be formed in the middle part.

  The direction in which the flexible flat cable 14 is wound inside the steering roll connector 1 may be opposite to that in the above embodiment. Further, the number of the flexible flat cables 14 to be accommodated may be one or three or more as necessary. Moreover, the shape of the flexible flat cable 14 is also arbitrary.

  In the above embodiment, the retainer 25 is disposed on the steering roll connector 1, but it can be changed to a rotary connector device in which the retainer is omitted.

1 Steering roll connector (rotary connector device)
11 Stator (fixing member)
12 Rotator (Rotating member)
14 Flexible flat cable (cable)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Cable accommodation space 32 Insertion hole 60 Shaft attachment part 61 Base part 62 Shaft part 63 Engagement part 64 Shaft stopper 70 Steering shaft 71 Mounting recessed part

Claims (3)

A fixing member;
A rotating member that is attached to the fixing member so as to be rotatable relative thereto, has an insertion hole into which a steering shaft is inserted, and has a shaft attaching portion to which the steering shaft can be attached;
A cable disposed in a cable housing space covered with the fixing member and the rotating member;
With
The shaft mounting portion is
A base portion formed on an inner wall of the insertion hole of the rotating member;
A shaft portion extending in the axial direction of the insertion hole so as not to contact the inner wall from the base portion, and having flexibility in at least the circumferential direction of the insertion hole;
An engaging portion formed on the shaft portion and engageable with the steering shaft;
With
The rotating member is an inner wall of the insertion hole of the rotating member and is located in the vicinity of the shaft portion, and the shaft stopper prevents deformation of the shaft portion by contacting with the shaft portion that is bent more than a predetermined amount. A rotary connector device in which is formed . The rotary connector device according to claim 1 ,
The rotary connector device is characterized in that at least two shaft mounting portions are formed on the rotary member. The rotary connector device according to claim 2 ,
The two shaft mounting portions are arranged so as to face each other,
The rotary connector device is characterized in that the steering shaft is attached so that its position can be adjusted in a direction connecting the two shaft attaching portions.

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