JPH07231550A - Cable reel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize smooth operation while reducing the cost by providing a guide with a part for inserting and reversing a cable and a protrusion sliding on a cable. CONSTITUTION:Under a state where the shaft part 56 is turned in one direction relatively to the frame part 44, a cable 22 is pulled into a guide 21 while being reversed through a reversing part 73 thereof and wound around the shaft part 56. Under a state where the shaft part 56 is turned reversely, the cable 22 is rewound from the shaft part 56 and fed out to the outside of the guide 21 while being reversed in a U-shape through the reversing part 73 and wound around the frame part 44 on the inside thereof. When the cable 22 is rewound from the shaft part 56, the cable 22 slides on a protrusion 78 on the inner peripheral side of the guide 21. Consequently, frictional resistance between the guide 21 and cable is reduced and the cable 22 is pushed out smoothly though the reversing part 73 of the guide 21.

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. 5-56543 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 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. It 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. While the steering wheel is being rotated in the opposite direction, the unwound flat cable is pushed out of the guide body while reversing in a U shape through the reversing insertion portion of the guide body, It is designed to be wrapped around the circumference. Therefore, compared to a so-called clock spring type cable reel device that keeps the flat cable wound around the shaft body in one direction and rewinds and tightens the flat cable, the length of the flat cable is longer. The size can be shortened.

Further, in this cable reel device,
A strip-shaped slippery sheet is arranged along the peripheral surface of the flat cable. Therefore, the frictional resistance generated between the flat cable and the guide body is reduced, and the operation of winding the flat cable around the outer peripheral side of the shaft body and the operation of winding it around the inner peripheral side of the frame body are performed smoothly. There is.

[0007]

However, in the above conventional structure, it is necessary to dispose the slippery sheet along the flat cable having a large longitudinal dimension, and two sheets are wound in a state of being stacked. A large space is required for the cable storage space, and the diameter of the frame becomes large. In addition, there is a problem in that, when assembling, the work becomes complicated, the material cost becomes high, and the manufacturing cost rises.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cable reel device which can reduce the manufacturing cost and operates smoothly.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cable reel device in which a frame portion having a substantially cylindrical shape and a rotatable inside portion of the frame portion in the forward and reverse directions relative to the frame portion. And a cable housing portion formed between the frame portion and the shaft portion, the one end portion being connected to the frame portion, and the other end portion being the shaft portion. A cable that is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion in opposite directions as the frame portion and the shaft portion rotate in the forward and reverse directions relative to each other; Reel for a cable, which is housed in a portion and is provided between a cable wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and a cable wound around the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion to guide the cable. In the device, the guide body is located around the shaft and Has a substantially annular shape that is rotatable and has an inversion insertion portion that inserts the cable and inverts it, and projects a protrusion that is slidable to the cable at least on the inner peripheral side facing the shaft portion. It was set up.

A reel device for a cable according to a second aspect is
In the cable reel device according to the present invention, the case is formed with a substantially annular groove portion into which the guide body is slidably fitted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cable reel device,
In the cable reel device according to the present invention, the protrusion is formed with the circumferential direction of the guide body as the longitudinal direction.

A cable reel device according to a fourth aspect is
In the cable reel device according to the present invention, the protrusion is formed with the direction along the rotation axis of the guide body as the longitudinal direction.

The cable reel device according to claim 5 is
In the cable reel device according to claim 1 or 2, the protrusion is formed with a longitudinal direction that is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the guide body.

[0014]

In the cable reel device according to the first aspect of the 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 each member. By doing so, these members are connected by the cable housed in the cable housing part between the frame part and the shaft part, and electric power or a signal is transmitted by this 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 is drawn inside the guide body while reversing in a U shape, Is wrapped around the outer circumference of the. Further, in a state where the shaft portion is rotated in the opposite direction, the cable is unwound from the shaft portion, is fed out to the outside of the guide body while being inverted in a U shape through the inversion insertion portion of the guide body, It is wrapped around the inner circumference. And when the cable is unwound from the shaft,
Since the cable is in sliding contact with the protrusion provided on the inner peripheral side of the guide body, the frictional resistance between the guide body and the cable is reduced, and the cable is smoothly pushed out from the reversing insertion portion of the guide body.

According to the cable reel device of the second aspect, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the case is formed with the annular groove portion into which the guide body is slidably fitted, so that the guide body rotates smoothly. Moving. Further, since the guide body is provided with a protruding portion that can slidably contact the cable, it is possible to prevent the cable from being caught in the groove portion of the case.

In the cable reel device according to the third aspect, in addition to the action according to the first or second aspect, the protrusion is formed with the circumferential direction of the guide body as the longitudinal direction. Will be smoothly guided.

According to the cable reel device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the action of the first or second aspect, since the protrusion is formed with the longitudinal direction extending along the rotation axis of the guide body, the rotation of the guide body is prevented. The guide body is easily molded by using the molds that are brought into contact with and separated from each other in the direction along the axis.

According to the cable reel device of the fifth aspect, in addition to the action of the first or second aspect, the protrusion is formed with the longitudinal direction being inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the guide body. The cable guides the cable smoothly.

[0019]

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 a 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, this 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, 2 rotations to 2.5 from the neutral position to the left and right directions, respectively. The more you rotate, the more you can rotate.
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,
A plurality of conducting wires C such as 2 to 9 are arranged in parallel and are integrally covered with an insulating film F or the like, and are formed in a band shape which is flexible and has some elasticity. Also, near the both ends of this flat cable 22,
A converter 22a formed of synthetic resin or the like is connected. Further, connectors (not shown) are connected to both ends of the flat cable 22, and are attached to the other connectors provided on the steering wheel body and the combination switch to be electrically connected.

The outer case 16 has a cylindrical outer cylinder portion 31 as shown in FIGS. 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. A plurality of stator fixing portions 35 are formed on the lower surface side of the vehicle body side mounting portion 32. This stator fixing part
The reference numeral 35 includes a recessed portion 35a recessed upward and a caulking pin 35b protruding from the recessed portion 35a. 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 having an annular shape is provided so as to protrude inward.
Further, on the upper side of the guide body holding portion 37, two substantially linear annular protrusion portions 37a, 37b are provided so as to project.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, 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. A fitting hole 41a is formed in the central portion of the lower plate portion 41. In addition, from the outer peripheral portion of the lower plate portion 41, a protruding piece portion 42 that fits into the recessed portion 35a of the stator fixing portion 35 of the outer case 16 is formed. A caulking hole 42a into which the caulking pin 35b of the fixing portion 35 is inserted is formed. Then, the caulking pin 35b of the stator fixing portion 35
Is inserted into the caulking hole 42a and is thermally caulked to the projecting piece portion 42, whereby the stator 15 and the outer case 16 are fixed. Further, on the upper surface of the lower plate portion 41, two groove portions 43a, 43b having an annular shape are recessed downward.

Further, from the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the lower plate portion 41 of the stator 15, a substantially cylindrical frame portion 44 is provided so as to project upward. 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 an outer peripheral side space portion 45 is formed between the outer tubular portion 31 and the frame portion 44. There is. 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 has an insertion portion 44a formed in the frame portion 44, and a substantially arc-shaped closing plate 47 provided on the inner peripheral side of the frame portion 44 so as to cover the insertion portion 44a. is doing. And the cable storage
The flat cable 22 stored in 17 has these frame parts 44
It is sandwiched between the closing plate 47 and the closing plate 47 and is held in a vertical shape.
It is led out to the outer peripheral portion of the frame portion 44 from 44a.

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 further downwards at 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.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, the rotor 14 has a substantially disc-shaped upper plate portion 51. 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. Further, caulking pins 52 are provided so as to project from four locations around the circular hole 51a. Also,
Located on one side of this circular hole 51a,
53 are provided. 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
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 formed on one side of the shaft portion 56. This inner peripheral side cable lead-out portion 57 includes a shaft portion 56.
It has an insertion portion 56a formed on the inner surface of the shaft portion 56 and a closing plate 58 provided on the inner peripheral side of the shaft portion 56 so as to cover the insertion portion 56a. The flat cable 22 accommodated in the cable accommodating portion 17 passes through the insertion portion 56a, passes between the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56 and the closing plate 58, 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 converted into the conversion part 22a.
In the state of being engaged with the engaging recesses 22b, 22b, the vicinity of the other end of the flat cable 22 is engaged and held by the rotor 14. Furthermore, except for the vicinity of the upper cable holding part 53,
A bulging portion 59 having a substantially annular shape is provided so as to project thickly along the upper end of the inner peripheral portion of 56.

Further, the assembling member 12 has an inner cylindrical portion 61 having a substantially cylindrical shape. The inner cylinder portion 61 is adapted to be fitted to the outside of the steering shaft or the boss of the steering wheel body fitted to the steering shaft and 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. Furthermore, from the four points of this flange 62, the fixed piece
63 is provided in a protruding manner, and each fixing piece portion 63 is provided with a caulking hole 63a. 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 hold down the conversion portion 22a.

Further, the stator fitting portion 64 of the assembly member 12
By press-fitting into the fitting hole 41a of the lower plate portion 41 of the stator 15, the stator fitting portion 64 and the fitting hole 41a are slidably fitted. In this state, the assembly member 12 and the rotor 14
And the outer case 16 and the stator 15 are rotatably combined with each other.

Further, the guide body 21 has a structure shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in, the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 are
It is formed in a substantially annular shape arranged between and. And
The guide body 21 includes an inner plate portion 71 facing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56.
And an outer plate portion 72 that is concentric with the inner plate portion 71 and faces the inner peripheral surface of the frame portion 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. The lower end of the inner plate portion 71 and the lower end of the outer plate portion 72 are slidably fitted in the grooves 43a and 43b of the stator 15, respectively, and the guide body 21 rotates around the shaft portion 56. Guided freely.

Further, one side portion of the guide body 21 has a reversing insertion portion 73 for communicating 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 and a recessed surface portion 75 that face each other in the circumferential direction. In addition, these protruding surface parts 74
The concave surface portion 75 and the concave surface portion 75 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, a plurality of inner projecting strips 78 as projecting portions having the longitudinal direction in the circumferential direction are formed at predetermined intervals. Also,
In the vicinity of the lower end portion on the outer peripheral side of the outer plate portion 72 of the guide body 21, a plurality of outer protrusions 79 having a longitudinal direction in the circumferential direction are formed at predetermined intervals. Each of the ridges 78, 79 has a hemispherical cross section, and the surface is formed smoothly.

Further, the total of the projecting dimension of the inner protruding portion 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 protruding portion 79 is projected. 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.

The flat cable 22 accommodated in the cable accommodating portion 17 is inserted through the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21, and bent and folded back into a substantially U shape along the reversing insertion portion 73. The outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 56 and the inner plate portion of the guide body 21
It is wound between the inner peripheral surface of 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the outer plate portion 72 of the guide body 21 while being wound between the inner peripheral surface of 71 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide body 21. 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 when viewed from above, and
On the outer side of, the winding is performed in the clockwise direction from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side.

Further, in this state, each ridge 78,
79 avoids the conducting wire C of the flat cable 22 and abuts only on the film F only.

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 mechanically installed in the steering device while being fixed to the boss plate of the steering wheel.

Also, in this cable reel device, the connector of the flat cable 22 led out to the upper side is connected to the other connector provided inside the steering wheel to ignite the airbag device provided on the steering wheel. By connecting the connector of the flat cable 22 that is electrically connected to an electric component such as a container and a horn switch and led to the lower side to the other connector provided on the vehicle body side, the battery and shock provided on the vehicle body side It is electrically connected to electric parts such as a sensor, and these electric parts are electrically connected.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, when the steering wheel is viewed from the upper side (passenger side) and is fully rotated clockwise, as shown in FIG.
Is pulled by the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and is tightened in the clockwise direction from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side.

From the state shown in FIG. 7 (a),
When the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise, the flat cable 22 is first rewound inside the guide body 21 and pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the inner plate portion 71 of the guide body 21.

Further, when the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 7B, the flat cable 22 passes through the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21 to the outside of the guide body 21. Be sent to. At this time, the flat cable 22 is bent into a substantially U shape by the reversing insertion portion 73, and also pushes the concave surface portion 75 of the reversing insertion portion 73 to move the guide body 21 in the counterclockwise direction. Rotate to. Further, the flat cable 22 that is fed out to the outside of the guide body 21 through the inversion insertion portion 73 is pressed and wound around the inner peripheral side of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 by its elasticity.

Further, when the steering wheel is rotated to the maximum extent in the counterclockwise direction,
As shown in FIG. 7C, most of the flat cable 22 is pressed against the inner peripheral side of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15 and wound in the counterclockwise direction from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side.

When the steering wheel is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 7C,
The flat cable 22 is pulled by the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 and wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56. At this time, the flat cable 22 is inserted into the inversion insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21.
While being drawn inside this guide body 21 through
The protruding surface portion 74 of the reversing insertion portion 73 is pushed to move the guide member 21.
Rotate clockwise.

When the steering wheel is rotated to the maximum in the clockwise direction, most of the flat cable 22 is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14, as shown in FIG. 7 (a). Return to the state.

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.

Furthermore, since the inner and outer peripheral sides of the guide body 21 are formed with an inner ridge 78 and an outer ridge 79 whose longitudinal direction is the circumferential direction, the guide body 21 and the flat cable are formed. The contact area with 22 is reduced, the frictional resistance is reduced, and the flat cable 22 can be smoothly moved by guiding the flat cable 22 in the circumferential direction. In particular, the flat cable 22 is connected to the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14.
When it is rewound from, the winding disorder is likely to occur in the vicinity of the inversion insertion portion 73, but the flat cable 22 is slidably contacted with the inner protrusion 78 protruding on the inner peripheral side of the guide body 21 and the friction resistance is increased. Since it is reduced, the flat cable 22 can be smoothly fed out from the reversing insertion portion 73 of the guide body 21. Therefore, the flat cable 22 can be smoothly moved, and the cable reel device can be stably rotated.
Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to use a slippery sheet or the like, so that a space for winding the flat cable 22 itself can be stored, and the cable reel device can be downsized.

Since the inner protrusions 78 are formed near the upper end of the guide body 21 and the outer protrusions 79 are formed near the lower end of the guide body 21, they are 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 C of the flat cable 22 and to be in sliding contact with only the portion of the film F, damage to the conductive wires C is more reliable. Can be prevented.

Further, the guide body 21 is integrally formed of synthetic resin, and the ridges 78 and 79 are also integrally projected from the guide body 21, so that 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, the guide member 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.

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 is provided with 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.

In the above embodiment, 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, but as shown in FIG. , Each ridge 7
The positions of 8 and 79 are formed by shifting in the vertical direction (axial direction of the rotation shaft) respectively, and it is possible to prevent the protrusions 78 and 79 from abutting on a portion of the flat cable 22 and contacting the flat cable 22. Damage can be suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, by forming a protrusion 81 on at least one of the protruding surface portion 74 and the recessed surface portion 75 of the guide body 21 facing the reversing insertion portion 73, the flat cable is formed. It is also possible to further reduce the frictional resistance between the guide member 21 and the guide member 21.

Further, 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.

In each of the above embodiments, the guide body
The inner ridges 78 and the outer ridges 79 of 21 are formed on the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion 72 along the circumferential direction of the guide body 21.
Through guide body 101 such as guide body 101 shown in FIG.
The inner ridge 102 can be formed on the inner plate portion 71 and the outer ridge 103 can be formed on the outer plate portion 72 with the direction along the rotation axis of 1, namely the up-down direction as the longitudinal direction. The ridges 102 and 103 have a substantially semi-cylindrical cross section, the upper and lower ends thereof have a substantially spherical shape, and the guide body 101
A plurality of them are formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction.

In the cable reel device having the protrusions 102 and 103, as shown in FIG. 13A, the steering wheel is rotated in the clockwise direction at the maximum when viewed from the upper side (passenger side). When the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise from the state where the flat cable 22 is tightly wound around the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14 by the limited rotation operation, first, the flat cable 22 is unwound inside the guide body 101. Then, it is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the inner plate portion 71 of the guide body 101. Further, when the steering wheel is rotated counterclockwise, the flat cable 22 is extended to the outside of the guide body 101 through the inversion insertion portion 73 of the guide body 101, as shown in FIG. 13B. . At this time, the flat cable 22 is formed by the inner ridges protruding from the inside of the guide body 101.
Sliding contact with 102 reduces sliding resistance and allows the flat cable 22 to move smoothly. Then, when the steering wheel is further rotated to the maximum extent in the counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 13C, most of the flat cable 22 has an inner circumference of the frame portion 44 of the stator 15. And is wound in the counterclockwise direction from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side. Further, when the steering wheel is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 13C, the flat cable 22 becomes
It is pulled by the shaft portion 56 of the rotor 14, is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 56, and returns to the state shown in FIG.

As described above, in the cable reel device in which the protrusions 102 and 103 having the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction are formed, the flat cable 22 is not brought into close contact with the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion 72, and The sliding resistance with the flat cable 22 can be reduced, and the flat cable 22 can be moved smoothly. Further, by forming each of the ridges 102 and 103 with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction, the guide body 101
Can be easily manufactured by using a mold that is vertically contacted and separated, and the manufacturing cost of the cable reel device can be reduced.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the upper and lower ends of the ridges 102 and 103 are formed into spherical shapes. For example, as shown in FIG. Ten
The cable 3 may be formed in a substantially columnar shape extending from the upper end to the lower end of the cable storage portion 17. In addition, in this embodiment, the lock mechanism 10 that locks the rotation of the guide body 101 when the cable reel device is installed in the steering wheel, etc.
5a is incorporated.

The ridges 102 and 103 of the guide body 101 are
For example, as shown in FIG. 15, ridges 105 and 106 formed by bending an inner plate portion 71 and an outer plate portion 72 in an arc shape at a predetermined interval.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the inner plate portion 71
The outer plate portion 72 and the outer plate portion 72 are cut out in a rectangular shape at a predetermined interval to have a cross section of approximately L.
It is also possible to form the protrusions 107, 108 in the shape of a letter (key). Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion 72
In the configuration in which and are curved to form the ridges 104 and 105, the plate thickness of the ridges 104 and 105 is set to the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion.
Since the thickness can be set to be substantially the same as the plate thickness of 72, it is possible to reduce the weight of the guide body 101 and reduce the problems of deformation such as sink marks and warpage due to shrinkage during molding. Also, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the configuration in which the notch-shaped protrusions 107 and 108 are formed, these protrusions 107 and 108, the inner plate portion 71, and the outer plate portion are formed.
The opening formed between 72 and can be a contact surface of a so-called male type and female type that are matched with each other,
Since it is possible to suppress the dimensional change of the mold against the resin molding pressure during molding, it is possible to improve the molding accuracy of the guide body 101 that is a molded product.

Further, as in the guide body 110 shown in FIG. 17, the inner plate portion 71 and the outer plate portion 72 respectively project inward with the longitudinal direction being a direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the circumferential direction of the guide body 110. It is also possible to form the strip 111 and the external protrusion strip 112 in a so-called plow shape.

When a guide body 110 having inclined projections 111 and 112 is used like the guide body 110 shown in FIG. 17, the sliding resistance between the guide body 110 and the flat cable 22 is reduced. The flat cable 22 can be reduced and the flat cable 22 can be moved smoothly.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the guide body 21,
The protrusion formed on 101 is formed as a protrusion having the circumferential direction or the axial direction of the guide bodies 21, 101 as the longitudinal direction.
For example, a hemispherical or truncated cone-shaped protrusion 2
It is also possible to project 1, 101 in the radial direction.

Further, such a protrusion protruding in the radial direction,
Two or three of the ridges 78 and 79 having the circumferential direction as the longitudinal direction, the ridges 102 and 103 having the axial direction as the longitudinal direction, and the ridges 111 and 112 having a direction inclined with respect to the circumferential direction as the longitudinal direction. The protrusion may be formed by combining two or more kinds, and further, two or three or more kinds of these protrusions and ridges may be connected to each other to form a deformed protrusion.

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 be used. Further, an optical fiber or the like can be used instead of the conductive wire.

[0070]

According to the cable reel device of the first aspect, when the cable is unwound from the shaft portion, the cable is slidably in contact with the protrusion projecting on the inner peripheral side of the guide body. The frictional resistance between the cable and the cable is reduced, and the cable is smoothly fed out from the reverse insertion portion of the guide body. Therefore, the cable can be smoothly moved without being disturbed, and the frame portion and the shaft portion can be stably rotated. Also,
Since the structure is simple, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to the cable reel device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, since the annular groove portion in which the guide body is slidably fitted is formed in the case, the guide body can be smoothly moved. The cable can be smoothly moved by rotating and moving. Moreover, since the guide body is provided with a protruding portion that can slidably contact the cable, it is possible to prevent the cable from being caught in the groove portion of the case and to move the cable smoothly.

According to the cable reel device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, since the protrusion is formed with the circumferential direction of the guide body as the longitudinal direction, the cable is surrounded by the protrusion. You can smoothly guide in the direction.

According to the cable reel device of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the protrusion is formed with the direction along the rotation axis of the guide body as the longitudinal direction. The guide body can be easily molded by using a mold that is brought into contact with and separated from the rotary shaft in the direction along the rotation axis.

According to the cable reel device of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the projection is formed with the longitudinal direction being inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the guide body. The ridge allows the cable to be smoothly guided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an embodiment of a cable reel device of the present invention.

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.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an outer cover of the same cable reel device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotor of the above cable reel device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a guide body of the same cable reel device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the above cable reel device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the guide body of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the guide body of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view showing still another embodiment of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the same cable reel device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a guide body of the same cable reel device.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the above cable reel device.

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing still another embodiment of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view showing still another embodiment of the guide body of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view showing still another embodiment of the guide body of the cable reel device of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the guide body of the cable reel device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Case 17 Cable storage 21, 101, 110 Guide 22 Flat cable as a cable 43a Groove 44 Frame 56 Shaft 73 Inversion insertion part 78, 102, 105, 107, 111 Inside protrusion as a protrusion

Claims (5)

[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 around the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion and the inner peripheral portion of the frame portion in association 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 located around the shaft portion and is rotatable in the circumferential direction. An inversion insertion portion that inserts and reverses the cable is formed, and at least the inner portion facing the shaft portion is formed. A cable reel device, characterized in that a protrusion capable of sliding contact with the cable is provided on the circumferential side. 2. The cable reel device according to claim 1, wherein the case is formed with a substantially annular groove portion into which the guide body is slidably fitted. 3. The cable reel device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed with a circumferential direction of the guide body as a longitudinal direction. 4. The cable reel device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed with a direction along the rotation axis of the guide body as a longitudinal direction. 5. The cable reel device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed with a direction inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the guide body as a longitudinal direction.