JPH07193956A - Cable reel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow protection of a cable by providing inner and outer engaging parts on the opposite sides of a recessed surface facing a reversed inserting part and providing a shaft and a frame, respectively, with engaging parts thereby limiting the rotational range. CONSTITUTION:A guide body 21 is provided, opposite a recessed surface 75 facing a reversed inserting part 73, with inner and outer engaging parts, i.e., inner and outer protective boards 81, 82. The shaft 56 and the frame 44 are provided, respectively, with inner and outer engaging parts 59, 50. Consequently, under a state where the shaft 56 is over rotated in one direction with respect to the frame 44, the outer engaging parts 50 and 82 are engaged each other thus stopping the rotation. The rotation is also stopped when the inner engaging parts 59 and 81 are engaged each other under a state where the shaft part 56 is over rotated in the opposite direction with respect to the frame 44. This structure prevents over rotation even when a cable drum is assembled erroneously.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel device for connecting members that rotate relative to each other with a cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cable reel device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 65067/1993 is known. This cable reel device is a so-called flat cable in which a plurality of core wires are arranged in parallel between an electric component provided on the vehicle body side of an automobile and an electric component provided on the steering wheel side that rotates in the forward and reverse directions. To be electrically connected.

The flat cable is housed inside a hollow ring-shaped case body fitted to the steering shaft. The case body is formed by, for example, rotatably combining a tubular frame body fixed to a member on the vehicle body side and a tubular shaft body provided inside the frame body and rotating with a steering wheel. Is configured. The flat cable is housed in a space formed between the frame body and the shaft body with one end attached to the frame body and the other end attached to the shaft body.

Further, in this space portion, a guide body having a substantially C-shape in plan view is housed for guiding the flat cable and preventing winding disorder. This guide body is formed by providing an inversion insertion portion through which a flat cable is inserted in a part of an annular ring, and is rotatably arranged around the shaft body.

In this cable reel device,
With the steering wheel rotating in one direction,
The flat cable passes through the inverting insertion portion of the guide body and is drawn into the inside of the guide body while being inverted in a U shape, and is wound around the outer peripheral side of the shaft body. Further, while the steering wheel is being rotated in the opposite direction, the unwound flat cable passes through the reversing insertion portion of the guide body and is reversed in a U shape, and the guide body is pushed by this reversing portion. It is fed to the outside of the guide body and wound around the inner peripheral side of the frame body.

Therefore, as compared with a so-called clock spring type reel device for a cable, in which a flat cable is wound around the shaft body in one direction and the flat cable is rewound or tightened, the flat cable is flat. The length of the cable can be shortened.

Further, in this cable reel device,
Tongue pieces are attached to the connection portion between the flat cable and the shaft body and the connection portion between the flat cable and the frame body, respectively. Therefore, when the neutral position of the cable reel device and the neutral position of the steering wheel are erroneously assembled, the tongues come into contact with the guide body and the The reel device is prevented from excessive rotation and the flat cable is prevented from being bent and damaged.

[0008]

However, in the above conventional structure, the tongue piece is pressed against the flat cable even in a normal use state, so that the life of the flat cable repeatedly pressed by the tongue piece tends to be shortened. Have a problem. Also, while protruding the tongue piece from the shaft,
Since the shaft body is provided with the cutout portion for accommodating the tongue piece, there is a problem that the diameter size of the shaft body becomes large, the longitudinal length of the flat cable becomes large, and the manufacturing cost rises.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cable reel device capable of protecting a cable by limiting a rotation range and smoothly operating without disturbing winding of the cable. To do.

[0010]

A cable reel device according to the present invention is provided with a frame portion having a substantially tubular shape and inside the frame portion so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions relative to the frame portion. And a cable housing formed between the frame and the shaft, the one end being connected to the frame and the other end being connected to the shaft. And a cable wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion in opposite directions with the rotation of the frame portion and the shaft portion in the forward and reverse directions, and the cable housing portion. In a cable reel device that is housed and includes a guide body that is located between the cable wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and the cable wound around the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion and that guides the cable. , The guide is located around the shaft and is rotated in the circumferential direction. A reversing insertion portion is formed that is in a substantially annular shape and that is reversible by inserting the cable. The reversing insertion portion is sandwiched between the first surface portion and the first surface portion that is located inside the cable. A second surface portion facing the first surface portion is formed, and further, an inner engagement portion is provided so as to project from the vicinity of the end portion on the inner peripheral side of the second surface portion toward the inner peripheral side. , An outer engaging portion is provided so as to project toward the outer peripheral side from the vicinity of the outer peripheral side end on the second surface side,
An inner engagement receiving portion that is engageable with the inner engaging portion is formed on the shaft portion, and an outer engagement receiving portion that is engageable with the outer engaging portion is formed on the frame portion. It is a thing.

[0011]

In the cable reel device of the present invention, the cable reel device is arranged between members that rotate in the forward and reverse directions, and the frame portion and the shaft portion are connected to the respective members. Thus, these members are connected by the cable housed in the cable housing part between the frame part and the shaft part, and the electric power or the signal is transmitted by the cable.
Then, in a state where the shaft portion is rotated in one direction relative to the frame portion, the cable passes through the reversing insertion portion of the guide body and U
While being inverted in a letter shape, it is drawn inside the guide body and wound around the outer peripheral side of the shaft portion. Further, the cable is unwound from the shaft portion in a state where the shaft portion is rotated in the opposite direction, is inverted in a U-shape through the inversion insertion portion of the guide body, and is fed out to the outside of the guide body to form the frame portion. Is wrapped around the inner circumference of the. Then, the shaft portion is rotated in one direction relative to the frame portion, and the outer engagement receiving portion formed on the frame portion is exposed in a state where most of the cable is pulled inside the guide body, The outer engagement portion of the guide body engages with the outer engagement receiving portion. In this state, the guide body is fixed to the frame portion, the cable is pulled by the reversing insertion portion of the guide body, and the rotation is stopped. Further, the inner engagement receiving portion formed on the shaft portion is exposed in a state where the shaft portion is rotated in a direction relatively opposite to the frame portion and most of the cable is extended to the outside of the guide body. The inner engaging portion of the guide body engages with the inner engaging receiving portion. In this state, the guide body is fixed to the shaft portion, the cable is pulled by the inversion insertion portion of the guide body, and the rotation is stopped. Furthermore, these engaging portions provided in the vicinity of the reversing insertion portion guide the cable and prevent winding disorder.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of an embodiment of a cable reel device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 11 is a case,
The case 11 is formed into a substantially hollow ring shape by combining an assembly member 12, a rotor 14, a stator 15, an outer case 16 and the like, which are integrally formed of a synthetic resin such as copolymerized polyacetal. An annular cable housing 17 is formed inside the case 11, and an annular guide body 21 and a flat cable 22 as a cable are housed in the cable housing 17 for the cable. A reel device is configured.

The cable reel device is mounted between the steering wheel body and a so-called combination switch, for example, in a state of being fitted to the steering shaft of an automobile. The steering wheel body is attached to the upper end of the steering shaft and rotates together with the steering shaft. On the other hand, the combination switch is fitted to the steering flam provided outside the steering shaft and attached to the vehicle body side. And the flat cable 22 of this cable reel device
The airbag device, horn switch, and constant speed traveling device (ASCD) provided on the steering wheel body
The electric parts such as the operation switch of the device and the operation switch of the audio device are electrically connected to the electric parts such as the battery, the impact sensor, the horn device, the constant speed traveling device, and the audio device provided on the vehicle body side. It is like this.

Further, the steering shaft is connected to a steering transmission device of an automobile, and depending on the gear ratio of the steering transmission device, for example, from the neutral position to the left and right in two rotations to 2.5, respectively. Rotation can be operated as much as rotation.
That is, a so-called lock-to-lock can be rotated about 4 to 5 times at maximum.

The flat cable 22 is, for example,
Multiple conductors such as 2 to 9 are arranged in parallel and are integrally covered with an insulating film, etc.
Further, it is formed in a band shape having some elasticity. Further, conversion parts 22a made of synthetic resin or the like of the cable C are connected near both ends of the flat cable 22, respectively. Furthermore, at the end of this cable C,
Not-shown connectors are connected to the steering wheel body and the other connector provided on the combination switch, respectively, so that they are electrically connected.

Further, the outer case 16 is an outer cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape.
Has 31. A vehicle body side mounting portion 32 having a substantially trapezoidal shape in a plan view is provided on the outer peripheral side so as to project from the lower end portion of the outer tubular portion 31. Further, from the outer peripheral edge portion of the vehicle body side mounting portion 32, a mounting piece portion 33 is provided so as to project downward, and mounting holes 34 fixed to the combination switch are formed at four corners of the mounting piece portion 33. ing. Then, the vehicle body side mounting portion 32
A plurality of stator fixing portions (not shown) are formed on the lower surface side of the. The stator fixing portion is composed of a recessed portion that is recessed upward and a caulking pin that projects from the recessed portion. A cable lead-out portion 36 that projects laterally and opens downward is formed on one side of the outer tubular portion 31. Further, from the vicinity of the upper end portion of the outer tubular portion 31, a guide body holding portion 37 which is annular toward the inner side.
Is projected. Further, on the upper side of the guide body holding portion 37, two substantially annular protrusion portions 37a and 37b are provided so as to protrude, and an engagement concave portion that is provided downwardly.
38 are formed.

The stator 15 has a disc-shaped lower plate portion 41 fitted in the vicinity of the lower end portion of the outer cylindrical portion 31 of the outer case 16. The fitting hole 41a is formed at the center of the lower plate portion 41.
Are formed. Further, from the outer peripheral portion of the lower plate portion 41, there is formed a protruding piece portion 42 that fits into a recessed portion of the stator fixing portion of the outer case 16, and each of the protruding piece portions 42 has a stator fixing portion. A caulking hole 42a through which the caulking pin is inserted is formed. The stator 15 and the outer case 16 are fixed by inserting the caulking pin of the stator fixing portion into the caulking hole 42a and thermally caulking the protruding piece portion 42. Further, on the upper surface of the lower plate portion 41, two groove portions 43a, 43b having an annular shape are recessed downward.

A substantially cylindrical frame portion 44 is provided so as to project upward from the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the lower plate portion 41 of the stator 15. Then, the frame portion 44 is formed so as to be spaced apart from the inside of the outer tubular portion 31 of the outer case 16, and between the outer tubular portion 31 and the frame portion 44, as a space portion having a substantially cylindrical shape. An outer peripheral side space portion 45 is formed. Further, an outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46 is provided at one side of the frame portion 44. The outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46 includes the insertion portion 44a formed in the frame portion 44 and the frame portion in a state of covering the insertion portion 44a.
It has a substantially arc-shaped closing plate 47 provided on the inner peripheral side of 44. The flat cable 22 stored in the cable storage portion 17 is sandwiched between the frame portion 44 and the closing plate 47 and is held vertically, and the frame portion 44 and the closing plate 47 are connected to each other. Through the space, it is led out from the insertion portion 44a to the outer peripheral portion of the frame portion 44.

Further, the flat cable 22 led out to the outer peripheral portion of the frame portion 44 is folded back along the outer peripheral surface of the frame portion 44, and is directed downward along a folding line intersecting the width direction. It is folded back. Further, a lower cable holding portion 48 is formed on the lower side of the outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46. The lower cable holding portion 48 is formed with a pair of engaging claws 48a, 48a on both sides. The engaging claws 48a, 48a are engaged with engaging recesses 22b, 22b formed in the conversion portion 22a of the flat cable 22, whereby the vicinity of one end of the flat cable 22 is engaged and held. The outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46 and the conversion portion 22a of the flat cable 22 are covered and protected by the cable lead-out portion 36 of the outer case 16.

Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion 44, at a position separated from the outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46 to one side, from the inner peripheral surface toward the outer peripheral side, and toward the outer peripheral side cable lead-out portion 46. An outer engagement receiving portion 50 that is recessed toward is formed.

The rotor 14 has a substantially disk-shaped upper plate portion 51.
have. The upper plate portion 51 is in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the outer cylindrical portion 31 of the outer case 16 in a state of slidingly contacting the two projecting ridge portions 37a and 37b projecting above the guide body holding portion 37 of the outer case 16. It is rotatably arranged inside the. A circular hole 51a is formed in the center of the upper plate portion 51. Furthermore, this circular hole
Caulking pins 52 are projected from four locations around 51a. An upper cable holding portion 53 is provided on one side of the circular hole 51a. The upper cable holding portion 53 is composed of an engaging recess 54 formed by recessing the upper plate 51, and engaging claws 55, 55 formed on both sides of the engaging recess 54.

From the lower side of the upper plate portion 51, a circular hole 51 is formed.
A shaft portion 56 having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided so as to project around a. Then, in a state where the rotor 14 and the stator 15 are combined, the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 are
A cable storage portion 17 is formed between and. Also,
An inner peripheral side cable lead-out portion 57 is provided on one side of the shaft portion 56. This inner peripheral side cable lead-out portion 57 includes a shaft portion 56.
And a closing plate 58a provided on the inner peripheral side of the shaft portion 56 so as to cover the insertion portion 58.
The flat cable 22 accommodated in the cable accommodating portion 17 passes through the insertion portion 58, passes between the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56 and the closing plate 58a, and is led out to the inner peripheral side of the shaft portion 56. ing. Further, the flat cable 22 led out to the inner peripheral side of the shaft portion 56 is folded back upward along a folding line in a direction intersecting the width direction, and is also folded back along the upper surface of the upper plate portion 51. . Then, the conversion part 22a near the other end of the flat cable 22 is fitted into the engagement recess 54 of the upper cable holding part 53 of the upper plate part 51, and the engagement claws 55, 55 on both sides are engaged with the conversion part 22a. The vicinity of the other end of the flat cable 22 is engaged and held by the rotor 14 in a state of being engaged with the fitting recesses 22b, 22b. Further, except for the vicinity of the cable holding portion 53, a substantially annular bulging portion 51b is provided so as to project thickly along the upper end portion of the inner peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56.

Then, on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56, the flat cable 22 is located in the direction in which the flat cable 22 is led out from the inner peripheral side cable lead-out portion 57, is directed from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral side, and the inner peripheral side cable is An inner engagement receiving portion 59 that is recessed toward the lead-out portion 57 is formed.

The upper plate 51 is provided with a lock mechanism 60. The lock mechanism 60 includes a lock body 60a rotatably and vertically movable attached to the upper plate portion 51, a spring body 60b for urging the lock body 60a upward, and the lock body 60a and the spring body 60a. It is composed of a cover body 60c for covering 60b and the like. And the lock body
This lock body is rotated by pushing down 60a.
The outer cover 16 is engaged with and fixed to the engaging recess 38 of the outer cover 16 to fix the rotor 14 to the engaging position.

Further, the assembling member 12 has an inner cylindrical portion 61 having a substantially cylindrical shape. The inner cylinder portion 61 is fitted to the outside of the boss of the steering shaft or the steering wheel fitted to the steering shaft, and is fitted to the inside of the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14. Further, from the upper end portion of the inner cylinder portion 61, a flange portion 62 having a substantially annular shape is provided so as to protrude outward. Further, fixing piece portions 63 are projected from four places of the flange portion 62, and caulking holes 63a are formed in the fixing piece portions 63, respectively. Further, a stator fitting portion 64 is radially formed on the lower end portion of the inner tubular portion 61. Each stator fitting portion 64 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is elastically deformable toward the inner peripheral side. Further, a cable pressing portion 65 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided on one side of the flange portion 62 so as to project upward.

In this assembly member 12, the inner tubular portion 61 is fitted inside the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14, and the flange portion 62 is attached to the rotor portion.
While being in contact with the upper surface of the upper plate portion 14 of the assembly 14, it is fixed to the rotor 14 by inserting the caulking pin 52 of the rotor 14 into the caulking hole 63a of the fixing piece 63 of the assembly member 12 and caulking it with heat. ,
It is adapted to rotate together with this rotor 14. Further, in this state, the cable pressing portion 65 of the assembling member 12 is fitted to the upper side of the conversion portion 22a in the vicinity of the other end of the flat cable 22 to press the conversion portion 22a.

Further, the stator fitting portion 64 of the assembly member 12
Is press-fitted into the fitting hole 41a of the lower plate portion 41 of the stator 15 so that the engaging claw 64a formed at the lower end portion of the stator fitting portion 64 is provided around the fitting hole 41 of the lower plate portion 41. When they come into contact with each other, they are elastically deformed inward, and then returned and deformed outward while passing through the lower plate part 41, and are locked to the lower surface side of the lower plate part 41. And are slidably fitted together.
In this state, the assembly member 12, the rotor 14, and the outer case 16
And the stator 15 are rotatably combined with each other.

The guide body 21 is formed in a substantially annular shape arranged between the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and the frame portion 44 of the stator 15. The guide body 21 includes an inner plate portion 71 facing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56 and a frame portion that is concentric with the inner plate portion 71.
The outer plate portion 72 faces the inner peripheral surface of 44. Further, the upper end portion of the inner plate portion 71 and the upper end portion of the outer plate portion 72 are connected by the upper plate portion 72a, and are formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section. Further, the lower end portion of these inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion
The lower end portion of 72 is the groove portions 43a and 43b of the stator 15, respectively.
A guide body 21 is rotatably fitted around the shaft portion 56 so as to be slidably fitted therein.

Further, one side portion of the guide body 21 has a reversing insertion portion 73 which communicates the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the guide body 21.
Are formed. The reversing insertion portion 73 is formed in an arc shape, and has a protruding surface portion 74 as a first surface portion and a concave surface portion 75 as a second surface portion that face each other in the circumferential direction. . In addition, these protruding surface portion 74 and concave surface portion 75
And are each formed in a smooth curved surface shape.

An arcuate projecting portion 76 is formed on the upper plate portion 72a of the guide body 21, and the outer peripheral portion of the projecting portion 76 is provided with the guide body holding portion 37 of the outer case 16. An engagement step portion 77 that is slidably fitted to the inner peripheral portion is formed.

Further, in the vicinity of the upper end portion on the inner peripheral side of the inner plate portion 71 of the guide body 21, an inner protrusion 78 having a longitudinal direction in the circumferential direction is provided.
Are formed at predetermined intervals. In addition, this guide 21
In the vicinity of the lower end portion on the outer peripheral side of the outer plate portion 72, a plurality of outer protrusions 79 having a longitudinal direction in the circumferential direction are formed at predetermined intervals.
Each of the ridges 78 and 79 has a rectangular cross section or a hemispherical cross section, and has a smooth surface.

Further, the total of the projecting dimension of the inner protrusions 78 and the thickness dimension of the inner plate portion 71 is formed to be larger than the width dimension of the inner groove portion 43a of the stator 15, and the outer projecting portions 79 project. The total of the dimension and the thickness of the outer plate portion 72 is formed to be larger than the width dimension of the outer groove portion 43b of the stator 15.
Therefore, the tip of the inner protrusion 78 projects more toward the inner peripheral side than the inner groove 43a, and the tip of the outer protrusion 79 protrudes toward the outer groove 43a.
It is designed to project to the outer peripheral side than b.

Further, an inner hinge portion 75a is formed at an inner end of the concave surface portion 75 of the guide body 21, and an inner protective plate 81 as an inner engaging portion is rotated on the inner hinge portion 75a. While being freely attached, an outer hinge portion 75b is formed at the outer end of the recessed surface portion 75, and an outer protective plate 82 as an outer engaging portion is rotatably attached to the outer hinge portion 75b. It is installed. And these protective plates 8
1 and 82 have their base end portions connected to the hinge portions 75a and 75b formed in a curved shape, and the tip end portions 81a and 82a.
Is formed in an acute angle.

The inner protective plate 81 is arranged clockwise toward the inner peripheral side, and the tip portion 81a is engageable with the inner engagement receiving portion 59 of the shaft portion 56. Also,
The outer protection plate 82 is disposed clockwise toward the outer peripheral side, and the tip end portion 82a is provided at the outer engagement receiving portion 50 of the frame portion 44.
Can be engaged with.

The flat cable 22 accommodated in the cable accommodating portion 17 is guided by the protective plates 81 and 82 to be inserted through the inversion insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, and the inversion insertion portion 73.
The shaft part is bent in a U-shape and folded back along
It is wound between the outer peripheral surface of 56 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner plate portion 71 of the guide body 21, and between the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion 44 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer plate portion 72 of the guide body 21. Has been wound around. That is, the flat cable 22 is wound in the counterclockwise direction from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side inside the guide body 21 as viewed from above, and on the inner peripheral side outside the guide body 21. Is wound clockwise from the outer peripheral side.

Further, in this state, the protection plates 81 and 82 are expanded by the urging force of the flat cable 22, so that the inner protection plate 81 faces the shaft portion 56 and the outer protection plate 82 faces the frame portion 44. They are pressed toward each other.

Further, in this state, each ridge 7 of the guide 21 is
8 and 79 are arranged so as to avoid the conducting wire of the flat cable 22 and come into contact with only the film.

In the cable reel device thus constructed, the inner cylinder portion 61 of the assembling member 12 is fitted to the steering shaft, the stator 15 is fixed to the combination switch on the vehicle body side, and the rotor 14 is fixed. It is fixed to a boss plate of the steering wheel or the like, and is mechanically installed in the steering device while being sandwiched between the steering wheel and the combination switch.

Further, in this cable reel device, the connector connected to the cable C led out to the upper side is connected to the other connector provided inside the steering wheel, so that the airbag device provided on the steering wheel can be installed. A battery provided on the vehicle body side by connecting a connector electrically connected to an electric component such as an igniter or a horn switch and connected to the cable C led out to the lower side to the other connector provided on the vehicle body side It is electrically connected to electric parts such as a shock sensor and the like, and these electric parts are electrically connected.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, when the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise from the neutral position when viewed from the upper side (passenger side), the flat cable 22 is rewound inside the guide body 21, and the inside of the guide body 21 is rewound. It is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the plate portion 71.

Further, when the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise, the flat cable 22 moves along the inner plate 71 on the side of the projecting surface 74, and comes into sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the inner protective plate 81. While being guided, it is extended to the outside of the guide body 21 through the inversion insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21. At this time, the flat cable 22 is bent into a substantially U shape by the reversing insertion portion 73, and the reversing insertion portion 73 is formed.
The concave surface portion 75 and the protection plate 81 are pushed to rotate the guide body 21 in the counterclockwise direction. Furthermore, the flat cable extended to the outside of the guide body 21 through the inversion insertion portion 73.
22 is pressed and wound around the inner peripheral side of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 by its elasticity.

On the other hand, when the steering wheel is rotated clockwise, the flat cable 22 will move to the rotor 14
It is pulled by the shaft portion 56 and is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56. At this time, the flat cable 22 is
While being drawn into the inside of the guide body 21 through the inversion insertion portion 73, the protruding surface portion 74 of the inversion insertion portion 73 is pushed to rotate the guide body 21 in the clockwise direction.

When the cable reel device is properly mounted, the flat cable 22 and the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 are connected to each other, and the flat cable 22 and the stator 15 are within the rotation range of the steering wheel.
To prevent the load from being applied to the connection part with the frame part 44 of
The longitudinal dimension of the flat cable 22 is set.

If the cable reel device is erroneously mounted, such as when the neutral position of the cable reel device and the neutral position of the steering wheel are not aligned, the rotor 14 exceeds the normal range. It will be rotated.

When the rotor 14 is rotated clockwise beyond the normal range, the flat cable 22
May be tightly wound around the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56, and the connecting portion with the frame portion 44 may be greatly bent to apply a load. However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 1A, most of the flat cable 22 is wound around the shaft portion 56 and the frame portion 44
With the inner peripheral surface of the
Engages with the outer engagement receiving portion 50 of the frame portion 44, and the stator 15 and the guide body 21 are connected. In this state, the protruding surface of the guide 21
The flat cable 22 is hooked on the 74 and is prevented from further rotating in the same direction, and the end portion of the flat cable 22 is protected without being bent.

When the rotor 14 is rotated counterclockwise beyond the normal range, the flat cable 22
Is wound around the inside of the frame portion 44, and the connecting portion with the shaft portion 56 may be greatly bent to apply a load. However, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the flat cable 22 is extended to the inside of the frame portion 44 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56 is exposed, the tip portion 81a of the inner protection plate 81 is attached to the shaft portion 56. The rotor 14 and the guide body 21 are connected to each other by engaging the inner engagement receiving portion 59 of the.
In this state, the flat cable is
22 is hooked and is prevented from further rotating in the same direction, and the end of the flat cable 22 is protected without bending.

As described above, according to the cable reel device of this embodiment, the flat cable 22 is inserted into the cable storage portion while the steering wheel is rotated in the forward and reverse directions.
Since it can be wound in the forward and backward directions inside the 17, the flat cable 22 can be wound around the central axis in one direction, and the flat cable 22 can be tightened and unwound. In comparison, the length dimension of the flat cable 22 can be significantly shortened, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

A guide body housed in the cable housing section 17
The flat cable 22 can be separately wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 by the 21, so that the flat cable 22 can be smoothly moved to The reel device can be stably rotated.

Protective plates 81 and 82 are attached to both sides of the concave surface portion 75 facing the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, and the shaft portion 56 and the frame portion 44 are engaged with each other.
Since the cables 50 and 59 are formed, over-rotation of the cable reel device can be prevented even when the cable reel device is erroneously assembled. Therefore, in a case where a steering wheel is tested in a manufacturing process of an automobile or the like, erroneous assembly can be clearly indicated while preventing damage to the cable reel device, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the protection plates 81 and 82 are attached to both sides of the concave surface portion 75 facing the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, the flat cable 22 is guided by these protection plates 81 and 82. be able to. Especially flat cable
When 22 is rewound, the inner protection plate 81
It is possible to guide the flat cable 22 extending along the 74 side and smoothly introduce it into the reversing insertion portion 73 while preventing buckling.

Further, on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the guide body 21,
Inner ridges 78 and outer ridges whose longitudinal direction is the circumferential direction, respectively
Since 79 is formed, the contact area between the guide body 21 and the flat cable 22 is reduced, the friction resistance is reduced, and the flat cable 22 can be moved smoothly.

As described above, since the flat cable 22 can be smoothly moved and smoothly introduced into the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, even when the flat cable 22 is rewound from the shaft portion 56. The flat cable 22 is prevented from bulging inward and buckling, the flat cable 22 is smoothly moved without being disturbed, and the frame portion 44 and the shaft portion 56 of the cable reel device are stably rotated. Can be made.

Further, since the flat cable 22 can be moved smoothly, it is possible to use the flat cable 22 which is small in elasticity and thin and flexible. Therefore,
Flat cable 22 in the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21
It is possible to reduce the radius dimension of the bent portion, reduce the diameter dimension of the guide body 21, and downsize the cable reel device.

Further, the outer case 16 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the stator 15.
Since the outer cylinder portion 31 of the outer case 16 covers the outer peripheral side of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15, the sliding of the guide body 21 and the flat cable 22 radiated toward the outer peripheral side of the frame portion 44. The generation of noise can be suppressed by blocking abnormal noises such as sound and vibration. Further, since the outer peripheral side space portion 45 is provided between the frame portion 44 and the outer cylinder portion 31, the sound range such as sliding noise is lowered, and unpleasant noise is effectively produced at low cost without using a soundproof material or the like. Can be suppressed.

By combining the outer case 16 with the stator 15, the guide body 21 can be temporarily held by the guide body holding portion 37 before the rotor 14 is mounted, which facilitates the assembly work of the cable reel device. be able to.

Further, since the inner protrusion 78 is formed near the upper end of the guide body 21 and the outer protrusion 79 is formed near the lower end of the guide 21, the inner protrusion 78 is concentrated on a part of the flat cable 22. The protrusions 78 and 79 are prevented from abutting against each other, and the flat cable 22 can be prevented from being damaged.

Furthermore, since these ridges 78 and 79 are formed so as to avoid the conductive wires of the flat cable 22 and to be in sliding contact with the film-only portion, it is possible to prevent damage to the conductive wires more reliably. You can

Since the guide body 21 is integrally formed of synthetic resin and each of the ridges 78 and 79 is also integrally projected from the guide body 21, the structure can be simplified. .
Therefore, compared to a cable reel device that configures the guide body 21 by using a plurality of rollers, or a configuration in which the entire length of the flat cable 22 is processed, the number of parts and the material cost are reduced, and workability is improved. The manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the inner protruding portion 78 and the outer protruding portion 79 are provided so as to project from the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the guide body 21, respectively, the flat cable 22 has the groove portion 43a on the inner and outer sides of the stator 15. , 43b and the guide body 21 can be prevented. Therefore, the flat cable 22 can be smoothly moved and the cable reel device can be stably rotated.

Further, the guide plate 21 is attached to the lower plate portion 41 of the stator 15.
Since the lower end portions of the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion 72 of the guide are formed with annular grooves 43a and 43b, respectively, which are slidably fitted to each other, the rattling of the guide body 21 in the radial direction is prevented and the fixed position is maintained. Can be smoothly rotated. Therefore, the flat cable 22 can be moved smoothly, and the occurrence of abnormal noise can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the protective plates 81, 82 are
Are rotatably attached to the hinge portions 75a and 75b formed on the guide body 21 so as to be spread apart from each other by the biasing force of the flat cable 22, but, for example, the guide body 21 is attached to the guide body 21 via a bendable hinge portion. It may be integrally formed, or the protective plate itself may be formed of resin or a spring material so as to be bendable. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the flat cables 22 are expanded by the biasing force, but they may be expanded by a spring body or the like.

In each of the above embodiments, the inner protrusion 78 is formed near the upper end of the guide body 21, and the outer protrusion 79 is formed in the guide body 21.
The ridges 78 and 79 are formed near the lower end of the flat cable 22 by shifting the positions of the ridges 78 and 79 in the vertical direction (axial direction of the rotating shaft) so that the ridges 78 and 79 contact the part of the flat cable 22. The flat cable 22 can be prevented from coming into contact with each other and the damage to the flat cable 22 can be suppressed.

Further, by forming a ridge having an arc shape along at least one of the protruding surface portion 74 and the recessed surface portion 75 facing the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, the flat cable 22 and the flat cable 22 are formed. The frictional resistance with the guide body 21 can be further reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the inner protrusion 78
The outer ridges 79 are formed intermittently along the circumferential direction, but the ridges 78 and 79 may be continuously formed into a substantially annular shape.

Further, a connecting portion which is integral with or separate from the guide body 21 is formed on the upper side or the lower side of the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, and the protruding surface portion 74 and the concave surface portion 75 are formed. The strength of the guide body 21 can be easily improved by connecting the two to each other. Therefore, when the pressure in the radial direction, the circumferential direction, or the twisting direction of the guide body 21 is applied from the outside, or when the temperature inside the passenger compartment changes in the range of -40 degrees to +100 degrees, for example, the guide is performed. The shape of the body 21 can be maintained and the stator 15 can be smoothly rotated along the groove portions 43a and 43b. Further, since the size of the opening portion of the reversing insertion portion 73 can be accurately formed by improving the strength, the size of the opening portion of the reversing insertion portion 73 is set to the minimum, and the flat cable 22 is guided by the guide body. It can be introduced into the inversion insertion portion 73 of 21 without sagging.

That is, when the size of the opening portion of the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, that is, the distance between the protruding surface portion 74 and the recessed surface portion 75 is large, the rotor 14 changes from the forward rotation to the reverse rotation. When inverted, the distance that the flat cable 22 moves from the protruding surface portion 74 to the concave surface portion 75 increases. Therefore, slack is generated near the inversion insertion portion 73, and the flat cable 22
Breakage occurs. On the other hand, if this separation dimension is made small, not only will there be a problem of insufficient die strength in making a die for the guide body 21, but also if the guide body 21 undergoes thermal deformation or molding deformation, it will be difficult for the flat cable 22 to pass through. It has a big impact. The spacing dimension is also influenced by the thickness dimension of the flat cable 22, but generally 1 mm to 10 mm is effective. In particular, when the flat cable 22 has a thin thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, it is desirable that this distance be about 2 mm to 5 mm.

Moreover, noise can be reduced more effectively by mounting or filling a soundproof material made of urethane material or the like in the outer peripheral side space 45 formed on the outer peripheral side of the frame portion 44.

Further, by providing elastically deformable elastic portions integrally or separately at a plurality of positions on the upper surface of the guide body 21, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to vibration or the like.

Further, a plurality of engaging projections having a rectangular plane shape are radially provided inward from the inner peripheral edge of the guide body holding portion 37 of the outer case 16, and the engaging projections are formed. Part to guide
By facing the engagement step portion 77 of the guide body 21, radial rattling of the guide body 21 can be suppressed, the guide body 21 can be smoothly rotated at a fixed position, and an abnormal noise is generated. Occurrence can be reduced. Further, since the guide body 21 can be stably guided by the engagement between the engagement step portion 77 and the engagement protrusion,
The depth dimension of the groove portions 43a and 43b recessed in the lower plate portion 41 can be reduced to downsize the cable reel device. further,
The plurality of radially projecting engaging protrusions can be easily manufactured by forming a mold, and the protrusion size error can be easily corrected by shaving or filling the mold, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the flat cable 22 in which a plurality of conductors are arranged side by side is used as the cable, but a substantially cylindrical electric wire in which a plurality of conductors are housed in an insulating tube can also be used. Further, an optical fiber or the like can be used instead of the conductive wire.

[0073]

According to the cable reel device of the present invention, the outer engaging portion of the guide body is attached to the outer engaging receiving portion while the shaft portion is over-rotated in one direction relative to the frame portion. By engaging with, the rotation is stopped and damage to the cable can be prevented. Further, in a state where the shaft portion is excessively rotated in the opposite direction relative to the frame portion, the inner engagement receiving portion is engaged with the inner engagement portion of the guide body, whereby the rotation is stopped and the cable Damage can be prevented. further,
By these engaging portions provided in the vicinity of the inversion inserting portion, the cable can be guided, buckling and winding disorder can be prevented, and the cable reel device can be operated smoothly. Also,
The structure is simple and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing the operation of an embodiment of a cable reel device of the present invention. (A) is a state in which the flat cable is over-rotated in one direction. (B) is a state in which the flat cable is over-rotated in the opposite direction.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same cable reel device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same cable reel device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Case 17 Cable housing 21 Guide 22 Flat cable as a cable 44 Frame 50 Outer engagement receiving part 56 Shaft 59 Inner engagement receiving part 73 Inversion insertion part 74 Projection surface part as the first surface part 75 Concave surface part as the surface part of 2 81 Inner protection plate as inner engagement part 82 Outer protection plate as outer engagement part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A case having a substantially tubular frame part, and a shaft part provided inside the frame part so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions relative to the frame part, and these frames. Accommodated in a cable storage portion formed between the shaft portion and the shaft portion, one end portion is connected to the frame portion, the other end portion is connected to the shaft portion,
A cable wound in the opposite direction to the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion in accordance with the relative forward and reverse rotations of the frame portion and the shaft portion, and stored in the cable storage portion, A cable reel device comprising: a cable wound around an outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and a guide body positioned between the cable wound around an inner peripheral portion of the frame portion to guide the cable; The body has a substantially annular shape that is positioned around the shaft and is rotatable in the circumferential direction, and has an inversion insertion part that inserts the cable and inverts it, and sandwiches the inversion insertion part. A first surface portion located on the inner side where the cable is curved and a second surface portion facing the first surface portion are formed, and further, an end portion on the inner peripheral side on the second surface portion side is near The inner engagement part protrudes from the An outer engagement portion is provided so as to project toward the outer peripheral side from the vicinity of the outer peripheral side end portion on the second surface portion side, and the shaft portion has an inner engagement portion engageable with the inner engagement portion. A cable reel device, wherein a receiving portion is formed, and an outer engagement receiving portion engageable with the outer engaging portion is formed in the frame portion.