JPH0737663A - Connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out rotary operation of a rotary member smoothly even if a flat cable is used repeatedly at a high temperature. CONSTITUTION:A flat cable 7 is composed of electric conductors 7b whose elastic force is higher than electric conductors 7a, insulating bodies 7c and an adhesive 7d. By constituting in this way, even if elastic force of the electric conductors 7a of the flat cable, the insulating bodies 7 and the adhesive 7d decrease remarkably by the use at a high temperature, the flat cable 7 is push- spread supplementally by the electric conductors 7b in the flat cable 7. Thereby, the flat cable 7 sent into the second case 3 through a cable passage 5 can be wound accurately around a core 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, as a connector device used in a vehicle steering system, one end of a flat cable 31 is attached to a fixed end portion 32 and the other end is attached to a rotating end portion 33. There is one in which the flat cable 31 is wound a plurality of times around the fixed end portion 32 (for example, JP-A-4-19980). By adopting the above configuration, the flat cable 31 can be wound around the rotating body 34 regardless of whether the steering shaft rotates left or right.
The length of is shortened remarkably.

[0003]

By the way, in the above connector device, the flat cable 31 wound around the rotating body 34 is wound around the fixed end portion 32 because the flat cable 31 is fed to the fixed end portion 32. The flat cable 31 shown in FIG. 7 is loosened and spread.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional one, when the tightening and the unwinding by the rotating body 34 and the fixed end portion 32 are repeatedly performed at a high temperature, the elastic force of the flat cable 31 itself is remarkably lowered, and the flat cable 31 is greatly reduced. As a result, the flat cable 31 fed from the rotating body 34 to the fixed end portion 32 is not wound around the fixed end portion 32 but is curved and spread in a direction away from the fixed end portion 32. Will end up.

Then, the curved flat cable 31 comes into contact with the inner wall of the case, the friction resistance generated between the flat cable 31 and the inner wall of the case prevents the flat cable 31 from being smoothly fed, and the rotation attached to the steering wheel is prevented. The rotation torque of the body 34 increases,
There is a problem that the rotating body 34 is not smoothly rotated.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a connector device capable of smoothly rotating the rotating member even if it is repeatedly used at a high temperature. The purpose is.

[0007]

Therefore, in the first invention,
A flexible member having a wall member for partitioning the rotating member and the fixing member and having one end fixed to the rotating member and the other end fixed to the fixing member is provided to the rotating member and the fixing member a plurality of times. A connector device formed by winding and housing these in a case, wherein the flexible cable has a conductive member in which at least one of a plurality of conductive members has a higher elastic force than the remaining conductive members. The connector device is characterized in that

According to the second aspect of the invention, a wall member for partitioning the rotating member and the fixing member is provided, and a flexible cable having one end fixed to the rotating member and the other end fixed to the fixing member is provided. A connector device comprising a rotating member and the fixed member, which are wound a plurality of times and housed in a case, wherein the flexible cable has a plurality of conductive members and is parallel to the conductive members. A connector device is provided which is provided with an elastic member having an elastic force.

[0009]

With the above construction, at least one of the plurality of conductive members has a higher elastic force than the remaining conductive members in the flexible cable according to the first aspect of the invention. , Even when repeatedly used under a high temperature use environment, when the flexible cable is wound around the fixing member, the conductive member having this elastic force can help the flexible cable to loosen and spread. .

The flexible cable according to the second aspect of the invention is provided with a plurality of conductive members and elastic members arranged in parallel with the conductive members and having an elastic force. Even when it is repeatedly used in the environment, when winding the flexible cable on the fixing member,
This elastic member can assist the loosening and spreading of the flexible cable.

[0011]

The present invention will be described below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the present invention is applied to a connector device that connects an airbag device which is an occupant protection device and a vehicle-mounted power source. 1 and 2 are configuration diagrams showing an embodiment of a connector device according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which this connector device is mounted on a steering wheel of a vehicle.

In FIG. 3, a steering shaft 20 housed in a housing 21 has a steering wheel 22 at its end and a winding member 1 for the connector device 100 around the steering wheel 22.
When the steering wheel 22 is operated, the winding member 1 mounted around the steering shaft 20 rotates. In the steering wheel 22,
An airbag 24 stored under the pad 25 and an inflator 23, which is a gas generator configured with an ignition device, a gas generating agent, and the like, for deploying the airbag 24 in the event of a vehicle collision are configured. The inflator 23 is electrically connected to the connector device 100 via the first connection cable 8 for connecting the airbag and the first connection terminal.

A connector device 100 having a flat cable 7 corresponding to a flexible cable is provided with a second connecting cable 9 for circuit connection and a second connecting terminal, and is electrically connected to a vehicle-mounted power source (not shown). Connected. Then, the vehicle-mounted power source and the inflator 23 are electrically connected by the first and second connection cables, the first and second connection terminals, and the flat cable 7.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In FIG. 3, when a collision of a vehicle is detected, the collision signal generated in accordance with the collision detection is the second connection cable 9, the connector device 100, and the first connection cable 8.
Is supplied to the inflator 23 via. Then, the inflator 23 generates gas in response to the input of the collision signal,
The air bag 24, into which the gas has flown, breaks through the pad 25 and inflates, thereby protecting the driver from a vehicle collision.

Next, the details of the connector device 100 of the present invention will be described. 1 shows a connector device 10
At 0, the winding member 1 is rotated counterclockwise so that the flat cable 7 is completely wound around the winding core 6, and FIG.
6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the winding member 1 is rotated in the clockwise direction so that the flat cable 7 is completely wound around the winding core 6. FIG.

1 to 3, the connector device 100 is shown.
Is a winding member 1 (corresponding to a rotating member) that is fixed to the steering shaft 20 and rotates with the operation of the steering wheel 22, and an inner peripheral surface provided around the winding member 1 at a predetermined interval. Case 2 where is smooth
A flat cable 7, a winding core 6 (corresponding to a fixing member) fitted or integrally formed with the second case 3 for winding the flat cable 7, and a predetermined space around the winding core 6. A wall 4 (corresponding to a wall member) is provided on both sides to connect the second case 3 which is provided separately and has a smooth inner peripheral surface to the cable outlets of the first case 2 and the second case 3. And the cable passage 5 arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the winding core 6 has a diameter smaller than that of the winding member 1, and the winding core 6 has an outer peripheral surface and an inner peripheral surface of the second case 3. The spacing is relatively large so that the flat cable 7 wound a plurality of times around the winding core 6 can be loosened or tightened around the winding core 6. On the other hand, the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the winding member 1 and the inner peripheral surface of the first case 2 ensures that the flat cable 7 wound around the winding member 1 does not spread when unwinding when the second It is made relatively small so as to be sent to the case 3 side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the flat cable 7 includes a large number of flat conductors 7a and 7b and a synthetic resin insulation formed so as to cover the conductors 7a and 7b. It is composed of a body 7c and an adhesive 7d for bonding the conductors 7a, 7b and the insulator 7c.
One end of the flat cable 7 is electrically connected to the winding member 1 and the other end is electrically connected to and fixed to the winding core 6.

Here, the conductor 7b is composed of a conductor having a higher elastic force than the conductor 7a, and both the conductors 7a and 7b are used as signal lines. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of the flat cable in the first embodiment. Furthermore, one end of the first connection cable 8 is electrically connected and fixed to the first connection terminal, the other end is connected to the winding member 1, and one end of the second connection cable 9 is connected to the second connection terminal. The other end is electrically connected and fixed to the winding core 6.

Next, the connector device 10 having the above structure
The operation of 0 will be described. 1 to 3, when the steering wheel 22 starts to rotate counterclockwise from its neutral position, the winding member 1 rotates counterclockwise in response to the operation of the steering wheel 22, and the winding of the second case 3 is performed. The flat cable 7 wound around the take-up core 6 is pulled out, taken up by the take-up member 1 and stored in the first case 2.

On the contrary, when the steering wheel 22 is started to be turned clockwise from the state where the steering wheel 22 is turned counterclockwise and is tightly wound, the winding member 1 starts to rotate clockwise in response to the operation of the steering wheel 22, Flat cable 7
Is unwound from the winding member 1. Then, the flat cable 7 around the winding core 6 loosens and spreads, and the flat cable 7 fed into the second case 3 through the cable passage 5 is wound around the winding core 6 to generate the second wire. It will be stored in the case 3.

At this time, by providing the wall 4 which defines the winding member 1 and the winding core 6 and forms the cable passage 5, the wall 4 is provided in the first case or the second case.
By acting as a guide to the case and free space in which the flat cable 7 is movable, buckling of the flat cable 7 between the winding member 1 and the winding core 6 is suppressed.

Here, in the connector device 100 that operates as described above, the case where the environment of use is high temperature will be described. When the winding member 1 and the winding core 6 are repeatedly tightened and loosened at high temperature as described above, the conductor 7a of the flat cable 7 is repeatedly fatigued, or the insulator 7c and the adhesive 7d are heated to a high temperature. Due to the resulting thermal deformation, the elastic force (restoring force) is remarkably reduced, the looseness and spread of the flat cable 7 are reduced, and the winding member 1 is not smoothly rotated.

However, according to the first embodiment, the conductor 7b having a higher elastic force than the conductor 7a is provided inside the flat cable 7 wound around the winding core 6. When the winding member 1 is rotated clockwise according to the operation of the steering wheel 22 and the flat cable 7 is unwound from the winding member 1, even if the flat cable 7 is used under high temperature, the conductor 7a of the flat cable 7 and the insulation are insulated. Body 7c,
Further, even if the adhesive 7d loses its elastic force, the expansion of the flat cable 7 can be promoted by the restoring force of the elastic member 7b, that is, the mechanical force of restoring to the outside of the winding core 6. Therefore, the flat cable 7 is loosened and spread, and the flat cable 7 fed into the second case 3 via the cable passage 5 can be wound around the winding core 6.

As described above, in the first embodiment, since the conductor 7b having a higher elastic force than the conductor 7a is formed in the flat cable 7, the flat cable 7 can be used even at high temperature. Even if the elastic force of the conductor 7a, the insulator 7c, and the adhesive 7d is significantly reduced, since the conductor 7b in the flat cable 7 pushes the flat cable 7 in a supplementary manner, The flat cable 7 fed into the second case 3 can be accurately wound around the winding core 6. In addition, although the conductor 7b of the flat cable 7 in the first embodiment described above is plural in FIG. 4, it is not limited to this and may be, for example, only one.

Next, the second embodiment will be described. It is to be noted that, in the drawing numbers of FIG. 5, parts having the same numbers as the drawing numbers of FIG. 4 are equivalent to those of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an example of a flat cable in the second embodiment.
In the connector device according to the second embodiment, the spring member 10 is made of a material having a high elastic force, which is unlikely to be affected by heat as a spring characteristic, is unlikely to cause repeated fatigue.
(Corresponding to an elastic member) is built in a part of the flat cable 7. Unlike the conductor 7b in the first embodiment, this spring member 10 is provided only for holding the elastic force of the flat cable 7 without being used as a signal line.

Even with this construction, the spring member 10 can push the flat cable 7 in a supplementary manner, so that the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. However, the spring member 10 may be provided not only inside the flat cable 7 but also on the surface of the insulator 7c of the flat cable 7. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the connector device 1 in which the rotating directions of the flat cable around the winding member 1 and the winding core 6 are different from each other.
However, as shown in FIG. 6, even if the above-mentioned one embodiment is applied to the connector device 101 in which the rotating directions of the flat cable around the winding member 1 and the winding core 6 are the same, as shown in FIG. Good. It should be noted that, in the drawing numbers of FIG. 6, the parts having the same numbers as the drawing numbers of FIG.
The figure number and the equivalent part are shown.

[0028]

As described above, in the above first and second inventions, even when the flexible cable is repeatedly used under a high temperature use environment, when the flexible cable is wound around the fixing member, the elastic force is not increased. Since the conductive member or the elastic member included therein can assist the loosening and spreading of the flexible cable, there is an excellent effect that the rotating operation of the rotating member can be smoothly performed even under high temperature.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which a flat cable is completely wound in a counterclockwise direction in a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the flat cable is completely wound and loosened clockwise in the connector device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the connector device is mounted on a steering wheel of a vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of a flat cable in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an example of a flat cable in a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing another example of the connector device.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional connector device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Winding member 2 1st case 3 2nd case 6 Winding core 7 Flat cable 7a, 7b Conductor 10 Spring member

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Shoichi Yamanaka 1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi Prefecture Nihon Denso Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinshiro Yasui 1-1-chome, Showamachi, Kariya city, Aichi Nippondenso Co., Ltd. In the company

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A flexible cable having a wall member for partitioning a rotating member and a fixed member, one end of which is fixed to the rotating member and the other end of which is fixed to the fixing member, A connector device comprising a fixed member wound a plurality of times and housed in a case, wherein at least one of the plurality of conductive members has a higher elasticity than the remaining conductive members. A connector device comprising a conductive member having a force. 2. A flexible cable having a wall member for partitioning the rotating member and the fixing member, the one end of which is fixed to the rotating member and the other end of which is fixed to the fixing member. A connector device comprising a fixed member wound a plurality of times and housed in a case, wherein the flexible cable comprises a plurality of conductive members and elastic forces arranged in parallel to the conductive members. And an elastic member having a connector.