JPH0355955B2 - - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electrical connection device between a steering wheel and a steering column in a vehicle steering system.

Prior Art Conventionally, the electrical connection between the steering wheel and the steering column in a vehicle steering system generally includes:
A spiral coil tape member having flexibility and having a plurality of conductors is used (for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 118243/1983). This is because the steering wheel is, of course, rotatable relative to the steering column, so electrical signals from switches, such as horns, on the steering wheel are sent to the steering column, which is a fixed part. This is because in order to transmit the information, it is necessary to devise an electrical wiring that absorbs the rotational movement of the handle.

Furthermore, even in the connection device in which the above-mentioned electrical wiring has been devised, the problem of cutting the spiral coil tape member may occur. That is, in a steering system for an automobile, the steering wheel normally rotates about three times in each direction, and any further rotation of the steering wheel is mechanically locked on the steering side. Therefore, if the neutral state of the spiral coil tape member, that is, the state where the spiral shape is substantially uniform, and the neutral state of the steering mechanism do not match, the spiral coil tape member will become unstable before the maximum rotation of the steering wheel. It may become impossible to follow the rotation of the steering wheel.

As a solution to this problem, for example,
No. 57-170473 is disclosed. However, the mechanism of the disclosed example has the problem of being complicated and expensive, and is not practical.

Technical problem of the present invention Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to automatically correct the assembly error of the spiral coil tape member and correct the coil tape member to a substantially neutral state. The object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device between a steering wheel and a steering column, which allows the electrical connection between a steering wheel and a steering column.

Summary (Structure) of the Present Invention In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention was structured as follows.

That is, in the electrical connection device of the present invention, a spiral coil tape member is provided between the steering column and the steering wheel to relay and connect the electrical signal line on the steering column side and the electric signal line on the steering wheel side. It is equipped in a storage case, and the storage case is rotatably attached to the fixed case fixed to the steering column side and above the fixed case so as to rotate together with the steering wheel. It consists of a movable case.

Further, a clutch plate is held in the first case of either the movable case or the fixed case via a locking mechanism so as to face one surface in the axial direction of the coil tape member. Further, one end of the spiral coil tape member is fixed to the second case of either the movable case or the fixed case, while the other end is fixed to a predetermined position of the clutch plate. has been done. The clutch plate is provided with an annular contact piece electrically connected to the coil tape member on the clutch plate surface on the first case side. In addition, the first part facing the annular contact piece
The case includes a brush that cooperates with the annular contact piece, and
A contact piece is provided which is electrically connected to the brush and projects outwardly through the first case.

As is clear from the above configuration, there are two specific embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, the clutch plate is mounted on a movable case, and the lock mechanism is constructed between the movable case and the clutch plate. In another embodiment, the clutch plate may be attached to a fixed case, and the lock mechanism may be constructed between the fixed case and the clutch plate.

(Function) According to the above configuration, the operation of the clutch plate held by the first case via the lock mechanism differs depending on whether the first case is a movable case or a fixed case.

That is, when the clutch plate is attached to the movable case, the movable case rotates together with the handle, so the clutch plate supported via the lock mechanism also rotates together with the handle. Further, one end thereof is fixed to the clutch plate, and the other end serves as the second case, in this case a fixed case.
The spiral coil tape member fixed to the handle changes its winding diameter and shape as the handle rotates.

However, if the handle rotation operation exceeds the maximum shape deformation of the coil tape member,
It becomes impossible for the spiral coil tape member to follow the rotation of the handle, and a reaction force (restraint force) acts on the clutch plate in the opposite direction to the rotation of the handle. That is, in this state, a torque of substantially the same value in the opposite direction as the operating torque applied to the handlebar acts on the clutch plate. When this torque exceeds a certain value, the locking mechanism is released and slippage occurs between the movable case and the clutch plate.

Next, when the clutch plate is attached to the fixed case (that is, the first case is the fixed case and the second case is the movable case), the clutch plate is held in the fixed case via the locking mechanism. It turns out. The clutch plate thus remains stationary relative to the handle, similar to the fixed case, until the locking mechanism is released with a certain torque.
In other words, the clutch plate is a component of the fixed case. Therefore, the shape of the coil tape member, which has one end fixed to the movable case and the other end fixed to the clutch plate, in other words, fixed to the fixed case, changes its shape as the handle rotates. become.

However, as mentioned above, if a torque exceeding a certain value is applied to the clutch plate, the lock mechanism is released and slippage occurs between the clutch plate and the fixed case, causing the clutch plate to slide relative to the fixed case. I will do it. In other words, it can be said that it rotates together with the movable case.

That is, the two specific embodiments of the present invention have the same function even if they have different configurations. That is, one end of the spiral coil tape member is fixed to either the movable case or the fixed case, and the other end of the coil tape member is held in the other case via a locking mechanism. When the clutch plate supporting the clutch plate is installed, when the locking mechanism is released, the clutch plate moves relative to the case holding the clutch plate. Therefore, the handle, in other words, the movable case, can be rotated without being constrained by the fixed case via the coil tape member. Electrical continuity between the steering wheel and the steering column is maintained by an annular contact piece on the clutch plate and a brush cooperating with the contact piece.

(Effect) Therefore, even if the coil tape member is installed in a spiral state that is biased to one side from its neutral state, the handle will not become impossible to rotate due to the bias. That is, if an external force that locks the handle is applied within the range in which the handle can be rotated, the locking mechanism of the clutch plate is released, absorbing the bias of the coil tape member relative to the handle, and ensuring rotation of the handle. If you change your perspective,
The present invention provides a spiral state of the coil tape member by rotating the handle so that the maximum rotation range of the steering wheel, in other words, the maximum rotation range of the steering mechanism matches the rotation following movement range of the spiral coil tape member. makes it possible to adjust the bias.

That is, the electrical connection device of the present invention automatically corrects the assembly error of the spiral coil tape member, that is, the initial biased state, by rotating the handle, and brings the coil tape member into a substantially neutral state. Can be fixed.

Embodiments Below, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13.

First, a first embodiment will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 1 to 6. In this embodiment, the clutch plate is held in a movable case.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 indicates a spiral coil tape member, and the coil tape member 3 is housed in a storage case A, which is approximately a disk-shaped box and includes a movable case 1 and a fixed case 2. The movable case 1 is shaped to correspond to the lid of the storage case A described above. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the movable case 1 will be referred to as a lid 1. The lid body 1 includes a disc-shaped bottom wall 1a, an annular wall 1f protruding from the outer edge of the bottom wall 1a toward the fixed case 2, and a winding shaft for the coil tape member 3 formed in the center thereof. It is formed integrally with the boss portion 1b. Furthermore, the bottom wall 1a
is formed by integrally forming a pin 1e protruding toward the handle side and a connector surrounding wall 7a. Further, the winding shaft boss portion 1b is configured such that the steering shaft passes through its center, and is provided with a groove 1c on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the boss portion 1b, and a locking tab 1d following the groove 1c. . The pin 1e fits into a pin hole formed in the handle-side member, so that the lid 1 and the handle rotate integrally. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the lid 1 has two elastic arms 12 formed on the annular wall 1f,
A clutch plate 10 that is locked at 2 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 3, the clutch plate 10 has a disk shape and has a plurality of V-shaped grooves 10c on its outer periphery that engage with locking pawls 12a formed integrally with the elastic arm 12. And the clutch plate 10
The elastic arm 12 and the V-shaped groove 10c cooperate to form a locking mechanism for the clutch plate 10, which is held within the lid 1 via the locking mechanism.

On the other hand, the fixed case 2 has a roughly U-shaped cross section, and includes a disk-shaped bottom wall 2a and a boss 2b provided with a hole in the center thereof for locking the lid 1. . A printed wiring board 6 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom wall 2a, and the outer end 3c of the spiral coil tape member 3 is fixed to the wiring board 6. This fixed case 2 is fixed to the steering column side member with screws 9 or the like. Note that 2d and 6a represent through holes, and 2c represents a mounting seat for the printed wiring board 6, respectively. By the way, the winding shaft boss portion 1b of the lid body 1 is inserted into the hole of the boss 2b of the fixed fixed case 2,
The inner peripheral wall of the boss hole and the groove 1c on the outer periphery of the lower end of the winding shaft boss portion 1b are adapted to fit together. The lid body 1 has a winding shaft boss portion 1b.
A locking tab 1d provided at the lower end of the housing prevents the housing from slipping out of the fixed case 2.

On the other hand, the spiral coil tape member 3 (see FIG. 5) is located within the fixed case 2 and within the clutch plate 1.
0, its inner end 3b is fixed to a predetermined position on the clutch plate 10 with an adhesive or the like, and its outer end 3c is fixed to the printed wiring board 6.

By the way, to explain the configuration of the electrical connection in detail, the coil tape member 3 is embedded in the inner end 3.
As shown in FIG.
It is fixed to each annular contact piece 11 provided in a by soldering or the like so as to be electrically conductive.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a brush 5 is provided which is slidable on each annular contact piece 11 and moves together with the lid 1. Each brush 5 has a plurality of contact pieces 4 attached so as to penetrate through the lid body 1 and protrude into a connector surrounding wall 7a serving as one external terminal portion 7.
It is fixed to the lower end of a.

On the other hand, the printed wiring board 6 provided on the bottom wall 2a of the fixed case 2 has the other external terminal section 8.
is installed. The terminal portion 8 is composed of a connector surrounding wall 8a for fitting the connector, and a plurality of contact pieces 4b extending through the wiring board 6 and protruding into the connector surrounding wall 8a. The outer end 3c of the spiral coil tape member 3 is led out from inside the fixed case 2 and fixed to the wiring board 6, for example, with an adhesive or the like. Further, each conductor protruding from the end 3c is electrically connected to a corresponding printed foil on the wiring board 6 by soldering or the like.

According to the above configuration, the handle side electric signal line is
It is electrically connected to the spiral coil tape member 3 via the external terminal portion 7 on the lid 1 side. Similarly, the steering column side electrical signal line is also electrically connected to the spiral coil tape member 3 via the external terminal portion 8 on the fixed case 2 side.

By the way, the clutch plate 10 moves together with the lid 1 by a lock mechanism and transmits this rotational movement to the spiral coil tape member 3. However, if a torque exceeding a certain value is applied to the locking mechanism, the locking pawl 12a of the elastic arm 12 engaged with the V-shaped groove 10c of the clutch plate 10
is pulled up along the side surface of the groove 10c and disengaged from the groove 10c. Then, the lid body 1 will be replaced by the clutch plate 1.
0, the elastic arm 12 is rotated relative to
It slides on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch plate 10 to the adjacent V-shaped groove 10c and engages with the groove 10c. Furthermore, if a rotational movement is applied to the lid body 1, the elastic arm 12 similarly moves further to the adjacent V-shaped groove 10c. Note that, depending on the case, this operation may be repeated until the steering wheel reaches its maximum steering position. When the handle is rotated in the opposite direction from this steering position, the clutch plate 10 is supported by the lock mechanism and rotates together with the lid 1 in the direction of the handle rotation, and the spiral coil tape member 3 also moves in the same direction. It will be rewound (or rewound).

Therefore, even if the coil tape member 3 is installed in a spiral state that is biased to one side from its neutral state, the handle will not become impossible to rotate due to the bias. That is, if an external force that locks the handle within the handle rotation range is applied, the locking mechanism of the clutch plate 10 is released and the bias of the coil tape member 3 relative to the handle is absorbed. In other words, if the coil tape member 3 is formed so that its rotation followable range matches the rotation range of the steering wheel, each neutral state of the steering mechanism and the coil tape member 3 can be adjusted by repeated rotation of the steering wheel. Approximately match. Furthermore, if the coil tape member 3 is constructed so that the following range is larger than the rotation range of the handle, the rotation following operation of the coil tape member 3 is guaranteed at least within the rotation range of the handle. It goes without saying that the coil tape member 3 is formed to have a number of spirals that can be completely followed at least within the rotation range of the handle.

In other words, in the electrical connection device of this embodiment, the assembly error of the spiral coil tape member, that is, the initial biased state, is automatically corrected by rotating the handle, and the coil tape member is brought into a substantially neutral state. It can be corrected to

Next, the second embodiment will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 7 to 13. In this embodiment, the clutch plate is held in a fixed case.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 23 denotes a spiral coil tape member, and the coil tape member 23 is housed in a storage case B that is approximately a disc-shaped box and includes a movable case 21 and a fixed case 22.

The movable case 21 has a main body section that is approximately U-shaped in cross section, consisting of a disc-shaped bottom wall 21a and an annular wall 21f that protrudes toward the fixed case 22 at the outer edge of the bottom wall 21a. The winding shaft boss portion 2 of the coil tape member 23 provided
1b are integrally formed. Furthermore, the bottom wall 2
1a is formed by integrally forming a pin 21e protruding toward the handle and a connector surrounding wall 28a.
Further, the winding shaft boss portion 21b has a center portion through which a steering shaft passes, and a locking tab 21d is provided at the lower end of the boss portion 21b. The pin 21e fits into a pin hole formed in the handle side member, so that the movable case 21 and the handle rotate integrally.

On the other hand, the fixed case 22 is a lid corresponding to the lid of the storage case B (hereinafter, in this embodiment, the fixed case is referred to as the lid 22), and has a disc-shaped bottom wall 22a.
, a boss 22b provided in the center and provided with a hole for locking the movable case 21, and the bottom wall 22.
It is provided with an annular collar 22c protruding from the peripheral edge of a. A connector surrounding wall 27a for fitting the other external terminal portion 27 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 22a.
Note that the lid body 22 is fixed to the steering column side member with screws 29 or the like. Then, the movable case 2 is inserted into the hole of the boss 22b of the fixed lid body 22.
1 is inserted, and the movable case 21 is stopped so as not to slip out from the lid body 22 by a locking tab 21d provided at the lower end of the winding shaft boss 21b. Further, the annular wall 21f of the movable case 22 and the annular collar 22 of the lid body 22
c are arranged to face each other and have stepped portions that are loosely fitted into each other. Further, a clutch plate 30 is held on the lid body 22 via a lock mechanism. The clutch plate 30 has the ninth, first
As shown in FIG. 0, it has a disc shape and has a plurality of through holes 30c as locking recesses formed along the circumferential direction, a plurality of annular contact pieces 31 are provided on the lower surface 30b, and the upper surface 30a is provided with a terminal member 30d electrically connected to each of the annular contact pieces 31.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, the clutch plate 30 is locked by a plurality of elastic arms 32 fixed to the bottom wall 22a with rivets 33 or the like. That is, the clutch plate 30 is held on the lid body 22 by a locking pawl 32a, which is a locking protrusion formed at the free end of the elastic arm 32, engaging with the through hole 30c. In other words, the through hole 30c and the elastic arm 32 constitute a locking mechanism for the clutch plate 30. On the other hand, a spiral coil tape member 23 (not shown, but having a similar shape to that shown in FIG. 5) is disposed within the movable case 21 and above the clutch plate 30, and its inner end portion is located above the clutch plate 30. It is fixed to a predetermined position on the clutch plate 30 with an adhesive or the like, and its outer end is fixed to the movable case 21 side. By the way, to explain the configuration of the electrical connection in detail, as shown in FIG. 13, the movable case 2
One of the external terminal portions 28 provided on the bottom wall 21a of No. 11 is composed of a connector surrounding wall 28a for fitting a connector and a contact piece member 24b protruding into the connector surrounding wall 28a. The outer end portion 23c of the spiral coil tape member 23 is fixed to the contact piece member 24b with, for example, an adhesive. Further, each conductor 23a embedded in the coil tape member 23 and protruding from the end 23c is electrically connected to the corresponding printed foil 24c on the contact piece member 24b by soldering or the like. There is.

On the other hand, each conductor (not shown) protruding from the inner end is connected to the upper surface 30 of the clutch plate 30.
It is electrically connected to each terminal member 30d of a (see FIG. 10). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11,
A brush 25 is provided that can slide on each of the annular contact pieces 31 and move together with the lid 22. Each of the brushes 25 is fixed to the lower end of a plurality of contact pieces 24a that are attached so as to penetrate through the bottom wall 22a of the lid body 22 and protrude into a connector surrounding wall 27a that is the other external terminal section 27. .

According to the above configuration, the handle side electric signal line is
It is electrically connected to the spiral coil tape member 23 via an external terminal portion 28 on the movable case 21 side. Similarly, the steering column side electric signal line is also electrically connected to the spiral coil tape member 23 via the external terminal portion 27 on the lid body 22 side. The clutch plate 30 is held on the lid 22 by a locking mechanism. Therefore, when the movable case 21 rotates together with the handle, the coil tape member 23 deforms its spiral shape following this rotational movement.

By the way, if a torque of more than a certain value acts on the locking mechanism, the through hole 3 of the clutch plate 30
The locking claw 32 of the elastic arm 32 engaged with 0c
a slides through the through hole 30c and comes off. Then, the clutch plate 30 rotates relative to the lid body 22, and the elastic arm 32 slides on the lower surface 30b of the clutch plate 30 to reach and fit into the adjacent through hole 30c. Furthermore, if a rotational movement is applied to the movable case 21, the adjacent through hole 3
The elastic arm 32 moves to 0c. Note that this operation may be repeated until the steering wheel reaches its maximum steering position, depending on the case. When the handle is rotated in the opposite direction from this steering position, the clutch plate 30 is supported by the locking mechanism and held on the lid 22 in that state. In other words, the movable case 21 rotates in the handle rotation direction, and the spiral coil tape member 23 is also wound back (or wound up) in the same direction.

Therefore, even if the coil tape member 23 is installed in a spiral state that is biased to one side from its neutral state, the handle will not become impossible to rotate due to the bias. That is, if an external force is applied to lock the handle within the range in which the handle can be rotated, the locking mechanism of the clutch plate 30 is released and the bias of the coil tape member 23 relative to the handle is absorbed. In other words, this embodiment also has the above-mentioned first
This means that it has the same effect as the example.

In addition, in the two embodiments described above, the lifting force of the elastic arms 12, 32 that unlocks the clutch plates 10, 30, that is, the torque at the start of slipping, is applied to the coil tape member 3,
By configuring the locking mechanism so that the cutting strength is less than or equal to that of coil tape member 3, 23,
Cutting can also be effectively prevented.

Further, if the clutch plates 10 and 30 are formed of printed circuit boards and the annular contact pieces 11 and 31 are formed of printed foil, the clutch plates can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 13 show embodiments of the present invention,
Figures 1 to 6 show the first embodiment, and Figures 7 to 6 show the first embodiment.
FIG. 13 shows the second embodiment, and FIG.
The figures are sectional views of essential parts of the electrical connection devices between the handle and the steering column according to the first and second embodiments, respectively.
The figure is a perspective view of the clutch plate and elastic arm.
5 is a perspective view of the spiral coil tape member, FIG. 6 is a perspective view in the direction of the X arrow in FIG. 1 showing the elastic arm of the locking mechanism, and FIG. The figures are a view taken along the -bending line arrow in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the clutch plate, Fig. 10 is a detailed view of the upper surface of the clutch plate, Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in Fig. 7, 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 7, and FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. A, B... Storage case, 1, 21... Movable case (lid), 1a, 2a... Bottom wall, 1b, 21b... Winding shaft boss, 1c... Groove, 1d, 21d... Locking tab, 1e, 21e... Pin, 1f, 21f... Annular wall, 2, 22... Fixed case (lid), 2a, 22
a...Bottom wall, 2b, 22b...Boss, 2c...Mounting seat,
2d...Through hole, 22c...Annular collar, 3, 23...Spiral coil tape member, 3a, 23a...Electric conductor, 3b...Inner end, 3c, 23c...Outer end, 3d, 23d...One side in the axial direction , 4a, 4b;
24a, 24b... contact piece (contact member), 24c... printed foil, 5, 25... brush, 6... printed wiring board, 6a... through hole, 7, 8; 27, 28... external terminal part, 7a, 8a; 27a, 28a... Connector surrounding wall, 9, 29... Screw, 10, 30...
Clutch plate, 10a, 30a...upper surface, 30b...lower surface, 10c, 30c...locking recess (V-shaped groove; through hole), 30d...terminal member, 11, 31...annular contact piece,
12, 32... Elastic arm, 12a, 32a... Locking claw, 33... Rivet.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A spiral coil tape member 3; 23 that relays and connects an electric signal line on the steering column side and an electric signal line on the steering wheel side to the above-mentioned steering column.
Storage case A installed between the column and the handle;
Equipped in B, and the above storage case A;
B shows a fixed case 2; 22 fixed to the steering column side; and a movable case 1 rotatably mounted on the fixed case 2; 22 to rotate together with the steering wheel. ;21
In the electrical connection device, the movable case 1; 21 and the fixed case 2;
A clutch plate 10 is attached to one of the first cases via a locking mechanism so as to face one side 3d; 23d of the coil tape member 3; 23 in the axial direction.
30 is held, and the spiral coil tape member 3; 23 has one end 3b, 3c; 23b, 23c.
is fixed to the second case of either the movable case 1; 21 or the fixed case 2; 22, and the other end 3
b, 3c; 23b, 23c are the clutch plates 1;
The clutch plate 10; 30 is electrically connected to the coil tape member 3; 23 on the clutch plate surfaces 10a, 10b; 30a, 30b on the first case side. a first annular contact piece 11; 31 facing the annular contact piece 11; 31;
The case includes a brush 5; 25 that cooperates with the annular contact piece 11; 31, and a contact piece that is electrically connected to the brush 5; 25 and protrudes outward through the first case. 4a; 24a, and the clutch plate 10; 30 is released from the locking mechanism by a torque above a certain level, and the clutch plate 10;
An electrical connection between a steering wheel and a steering column, characterized in that the steering wheel can be rotated relative to either the movable case 1; 21 holding the 0; 30 or the fixed case 2; 22. Device. 2. The handle according to item 1, wherein the clutch plate 10 is attached to a movable case 1 as a first case, and the lock mechanism is configured between the movable case 1 and the clutch plate 10. and the electrical connection device with the steering column. 3 The clutch plate 30 is attached to the fixed case 22 as a first case, and
2. The electrical connection device between a steering wheel and a steering column according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is constructed between the clutch plate 30 and the clutch plate 30. 4. The handle according to item 1 or 2, wherein the locking mechanism is composed of an elastic arm 12 provided on the movable case 1 and a locking recess 10c formed on the periphery of the clutch plate 10. Electrical connection device with steering column. 5. The handle and steering wheel according to item 1 or 3, characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises an elastic arm 32 fixed to the fixed case 22 and a locking recess 30c formed in the clutch plate 30. Electrical connection device with column. 6. Items 1 and 2, wherein the clutch plates 10 and 30 are formed of printed circuit boards.
An electrical connection device between a steering wheel and a steering column according to item 3, item 4, or item 5.