JPH058947A - Cable reel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide smoothness of delivering a flexible cable by preventing the flexible cable, wound onto an inner or outer cylinder part, from buckling on the halfway of reaching an inverted part. CONSTITUTION:A guide groove 19 is provided in top and bottom surfaces of a space 15, and by restricting both upper and lower ends of a flexible cable 16, wound to outer and inner cylinder parts 5, 9, by the guide groove 19, the flexible cable 16 is prevented from swelling in the radial direction of the space 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel which is applied to a steering device of an automobile or the like and which electrically connects a fixed body and a movable body by using a flexible cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cable reel has a fixed body and a movable body rotatably attached to the fixed body connected by a flexible cable. It is used as an electrical connection means between a movable body and a fixed body whose rotation speed is finite.

In this type of cable reel, the proportion of the flexible cable in the total cost is high, and the length of the required flexible cable is shortened to reduce the cost. U.S. Pat.
No. 455 is proposed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the cable reel disclosed in the above patent specification. As shown in the figure, the movable body 101 is different from the cylindrical fixed body 100.
Is rotatably mounted, and flexible cables 103 and 104 are housed in a ring-shaped space 102 defined between the fixed body 100 and the movable body 101.
The flexible cables 103 and 104 are led to the outside of the space 102 in a state of being fixed to the fixed body 100 and the movable body 101, respectively.
The outer cylinder part and the inner cylinder part of the movable body 101 are housed in a state in which the winding directions are opposite to each other, and a U-shaped inversion part is formed at a position where the winding direction is changed. Further, in the space 102, a plurality of rollers 105,
106 groups are arranged, and the flexible cable 103
The reversing part of is looped to one of the rollers 105 on one side,
The inverting portion of the flexible cable 104 is looped to one of the other group of rollers 106.

In the cable reel thus constructed, for example, when the movable body 101 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, the reversing portions of the flexible cables 103 and 104 are also in the space 10.
By moving in the circumferential direction of 2, the flexible cables 103 and 104 are wound in a rewound state in which the outer cylinder portion side of the fixed body 100 is increased. On the contrary, when the movable body 101 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the inverting portions of the flexible cables 103 and 104 also move in the same direction, and the flexible cables 103 and 104 are located on the inner cylinder side of the movable body 101. It will be in a tightly wound state with many windings. In addition, at the time of such tightening and rewinding, the rollers 105 and 106 move in the same direction by receiving the force from the reversing portions of the flexible cables 103 and 104.

[0006]

According to the above-described conventional cable reel, the flexible cable is wound in the opposite directions in the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion. Compared with a cable reel in which is wound in the same direction on the inner and outer cylinders (wound in a spiral shape), the required length of the flexible cable can be significantly shortened, and the cost can be reduced. Can be reduced. In addition, since a plurality of rollers are arranged between the portion of the flexible cable wound around the inner tube portion and the portion of the flexible cable wound around the outer tube portion, the flexible cable is provided over the entire circumference of the ring-shaped space. Can be regulated in the radial direction,
The tightening or rewinding operation can be smoothly performed.

However, the dimension between the flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder and the flexible cable wound around the outer cylinder (the dimension indicated by the symbol L in FIG. 6) is the flexible cable. When the flexible cables are all rewound to the outer cylinder part on the large diameter side, the L dimension becomes maximum, and all the flexible cables are inner cylinder part on the small diameter side. L size becomes the minimum when it is wound tightly. Therefore, even if a plurality of rollers are tightly arranged in the space in consideration of the minimum L dimension, when the flexible cable is tightly rewound to the outer cylinder portion side and the L dimension becomes large, each roller becomes large. Play between the cable and the flexible cable. On the other hand, the circumferential dimension of the space defined by the flexible cable wound around the inner tubular portion and the flexible cable wound around the outer tubular portion (dimension indicated by symbol M in FIG. 6) is also , Depending on the winding state of the flexible cable,
The M dimension is minimized when all of the flexible cables are rewound on the large diameter outer cylinder portion, and the M dimension is when all of the flexible cables are wound around the small diameter inner cylinder portion. Will be the maximum. Therefore, even if the rollers are arranged in a tight state in the space assuming the minimum M dimension, when the flexible cable is tightly wound around the inner tubular portion side and the M dimension becomes large, the adjacent rollers are adjacent to each other. Play occurs in the meantime. Therefore, there has been a problem that due to such play, the rollers collide with each other and generate an abnormal noise. In addition, when the movable body is rotated with play between the rollers as described above, particularly when the movable body is rotated in the rewinding direction, the circumferential gap between the adjacent rollers becomes large. , The flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder bulges toward the outer cylinder on the way to the reversal part and falls into this gap, and the further rotation of the movable body causes the bulging portion to buckle and become flexible. There was also the problem of cable damage. Furthermore, when abutting the flexible cable, a force that tries to rotate in the same direction acts on all the rollers, but at the part where adjacent rollers contact each other, the rollers try to rotate in opposite directions. Another problem is that the rotation of the roller is reduced and the movement of the flexible cable is not smooth.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to ensure that the flexible cable can be fed out through the reversing portion without using a roller, and is reliable. An object of the present invention is to provide a cable reel having high performance and capable of reducing noise.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flexible cable in at least one of an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion of a space in which the flexible cable is housed and wound. The most important feature is that a guide groove is provided to limit the radial direction of the.

[0010]

When the movable body is rotated in one direction, the flexible cable is wound around the inner cylinder portion or rewound onto the outer cylinder portion by moving the U-shaped reversal portion in the same direction. In this case, since the flexible cable wound around at least one of the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion is restricted from freely moving in the radial direction of the space by the guide groove, the rotational force of the movable body is reversed. The flexible cable does not buckle on the way to the reversing part.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cable reel according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cable reel, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cable reel, and FIG. 4 is flexibility provided in the cable reel. A plan view showing the winding state of the cable,
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a guide plate included in the cable reel in a cutaway manner.

In these drawings, 1 is a disk-shaped bottom plate having a center hole 2 in the center, 3 is a top plate having a guide hole 4 in the center, and an outer cylinder portion 5 vertically provided on the outer peripheral edge. 1
The top plate 3 and the top plate 3 are integrated by using a screw 6 to form a stator 7. 8 is a cylindrical inner cylinder portion 9 in the center
A movable plate 10 vertically extending from the movable plate 8 is a lid body attached to the upper surface of the movable plate 8.
The rotor 12 is configured by being integrated by using 1. A ring-shaped guide plate 13 is fitted to the movable plate 8 so as to be vertically movable, and the guide plate 13 is urged downward by an elastic force of a spring 14.

The rotor 12 is rotatably mounted on the stator 7 by guiding the lower end of the inner cylindrical portion 9 to the center hole 2 and the outer peripheral edge of the movable plate 8 to the guide hole 4. The stator 7 and the rotor 12 define a space 15 having a ring shape in plan view. Reference numeral 16 denotes a flexible cable housed and wound in the space 15, and the flexible cable 16 is formed by connecting a plurality of so-called round wire cables in which a conductive wire is covered with an insulating tube and integrating them into a band shape. In the case of this embodiment, a strip-shaped cable in which five round wire cables are integrated is used. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the flexible cable 16 has the outer tubular portion 5
Is connected to a first connector 17 fixed to a part of the stator 7, and is led to the outside of the stator 7 via the first connector 17. On the other hand, the other end of the flexible cable 16 is connected to a second connector 18 fixed to the inner tubular portion 9, and is led out of the rotor 12 via the second connector 18. The flexible cable 16 is wound from the first connector 17 around the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 5 in the counterclockwise direction and is inverted in a U-shape from there (hereinafter, referred to as an inverted portion 16a). It is housed in the space 15 so as to be wound clockwise around the outer wall of the inner tubular portion 9 to reach the second connector 18.

Further, guide grooves 19 are formed on the lower surface of the guide plate 13 and the upper surface on the inner peripheral side of the bottom plate 1 opposed thereto, and on the lower surface of the top plate 3 and the upper surface on the outer peripheral side of the bottom plate 1 opposed thereto. Has been done. The guide groove 19 spirally extends along the winding direction of the flexible cable 16 and is wound around the flexible cable 16 wound around the outer cylinder portion 5 side and around the inner cylinder portion 9 side. The upper and lower ends of each of the flexible cables 16 are positioned in the respective guide grooves 19 so that the flexible cables 16 are restricted from freely moving in the radial direction of the space 15.

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be described. First, from the state shown in FIG.
When is rotated clockwise, the reversing portion 16a of the flexible cable 16 moves clockwise by a rotation amount smaller than that of the rotor 12, and the flexible cable 16 having a length equal to the movement amount is attached to the outer cylinder portion 5 side. And is wound around the inner cylinder portion 9 side. In this case, the flexible cable 1 wound around the outer tube portion 5
6 is regulated by a guide groove 19 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the bottom plate 1 and the lower surface of the top plate 3 so as not to bulge radially inward (in the direction of the inner cylindrical portion 9), and thus in the direction of the inversion portion 16a. It is smoothly drawn out and wound around the inner cylinder portion 9 side.

Contrary to the above, when the rotor 12 is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 4, the reversing portion 16a of the flexible cable 16 moves counterclockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the rotor 12. The flexible cable 16 having a length equal to the moving amount is paid out from the inner tubular portion 9 side and rewound to the outer tubular portion 5 side. In this case, the flexible cable 16 wound around the inner tubular portion 9 is radially outward (outer tubular portion 5 by the guide groove 19 formed in the inner peripheral portion of the upper surface of the bottom plate 1 and the lower surface of the guide plate 13).
Direction), the rotational force of the rotor 12 is reliably transmitted from the flexible cable 16 wound around the inner tubular portion 9 to the reversing portion 16a, and the inner tubular portion 9 side The flexible cable 16 is smoothly rewound to the outer cylinder portion 5 side through the reversing portion 16a.

The cable reel according to the above embodiment is required because the flexible cable 16 is wound in the opposite direction to the outer cylinder portion 5 and the inner cylinder portion 9 via the reversing portion 16a. The length of the flexible cable 16 can be shortened,
As a result, the total cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced. Further, since the upper and lower ends of the flexible cable 16 wound around the outer tubular portion 5 are regulated by the guide grooves 19, the flexible cable 16 wound around the outer tubular portion 5 is prevented during the tightening operation. The flexible cable 16 which is prevented from bulging inward in the radial direction and is similarly wound around the inner tubular portion 9
Since both upper and lower ends of the flexible cable 16 are also regulated by the guide grooves 19, the flexible cable 16 wound around the inner tubular portion 9 is prevented from bulging outward in the radial direction during the rewinding operation.
Therefore, no matter which direction the rotor 12 is rotated, the rotating force is the same as the rotating portion 16 a of the flexible cable 16.
It is possible to prevent the problem that the flexible cable 16 bulges in the radial direction and buckles in the middle of reaching the reversing portion 16a. Furthermore, regarding the inner peripheral portion of the space 15,
Since one guide groove 19 is formed in the guide plate 13 elastically biased by the spring 14, even if the guide groove 19 is set to a sufficient depth, the guide plate 13 is lifted against the elastic force of the spring 14. By doing so, the flexible cable 16 can go over the guide groove 19 and be rewound to the outer cylinder portion 5 side. Further, since the flexible cable 16 can be restricted in the radial direction by the guide groove 19 as described above, the roller group described in the related art becomes unnecessary, and the generation of abnormal noise due to the collision between the rollers can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the guide groove 19 is provided in both the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the space 15, and the flexible cable 16 wound around the inner tubular portion 9 and the outer tubular portion 5 are wound. Although a case has been described in which each of the flexible cables 16 to be regulated in the radial direction is described, the effect can be reduced, but the guide groove on either side can be omitted. The guide groove 19 is provided on each of the lower surface of the guide plate 13, the lower surface of the top plate 3, and both the inner and outer upper surfaces of the bottom plate 1, but the effect is reduced, but the guide groove 19 is provided at any one position. Anything is fine.

Further, the shape of the guide groove 19 is not limited to the spiral shape, and it is possible to form the guide groove 19 in a concentric shape.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the one in which a plurality of round wire cables are integrated into a strip shape is given as an example of the flexible cable 16, but instead, a plurality of parallel conductive wires are insulated from each other as a pair. It is also possible to use a flexible cable called a flat cable laminated with a film.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the guide groove restricts the radial expansion of the flexible cable wound around the inner cylinder part or the outer cylinder part, the flexible cable is rotated by the rotating force of the movable body without using a roller. It is possible to reliably move the reversing portion in the circumferential direction, and thus it is possible to provide a cable reel that is highly reliable and can reduce noise.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cable reel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cable reel.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cable reel.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a winding state of a flexible cable provided in the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a guide plate included in the cable reel of FIG. 1 in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cable reel according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 bottom plate 3 Top plate 5 Outer cylinder 7 Stator (fixed body) 8 movable plate 9 Inner tube 10 Lid 12 Rotor (movable body) 13 Guide plate (guide) 14 Spring (elastic body) 15 spaces 16 flexible cable 16a Inversion unit 19 Guide groove

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A fixed body, a movable body rotatably attached to the fixed body, and a flexible cable connecting the fixed body and the movable body, the flexible cable comprising: ,
It is housed in a space between an inner cylinder portion provided on either one of the fixed body and the movable body and an outer cylinder portion provided on the other side, and the inner body is accommodated via a U-shaped inversion portion. In a cable reel adapted to be wound around a tubular portion and an outer tubular portion in opposite directions, the flexible cable is restricted in at least one of an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion of the space in a radial direction of the space. A cable reel with a guide groove. 2. A guide body movable in the axial direction of the space and an elastic body for urging the guide body are provided, and the guide groove is formed in the guide body. Cable reel.