JPH0769538A - Cable reel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a cable reel capable of reducing noise without hindering the rotation of a spacer. CONSTITUTION:A flexible cable 3 is wound in the reverse direction via a U-shaped inversion section in a ring-like storage space 15 formed between the outer tube section 6 of the first housing 1 and the inner tube section 15 of the second housing 2, a group of multiple rollers 21 including an inversion roller looped with the inversion section are supported on a spacer 4 rotatably arranged in the storage space 15, and an elastic arm 12 kept in elastic contact with the rotary plate 20 of the spacer 4 is provided on a lower cover 8 forming the bottom face of the storage space 15. The collision of the spacer 4 with the top face and the bottom face of the storage space 15 can be mitigated by the elastic arm 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel incorporated in a steering device of an automobile and used as an electrical connecting means for an air bag system or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a cable reel, a fixed body and a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body are connected by a belt-shaped flexible cable. As described above, it is widely used as an electrical connecting means between a movable body and a fixed body having a finite number of rotations.

In this type of cable reel, the ratio of the flexible cable in the total cost is high, and the length of the required flexible cable is shortened to reduce the cost. U.S. Pat. No. 4,54
No. 0,223, JP-A-4-310445, and the like.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of the cable reel described in the above publications. In FIG.
Reference numeral 100 denotes a fixed body having an outer tubular portion 100a, and a movable body 101 having an inner tubular portion 101a is rotatably connected to the center of the fixed body 100. These outer cylinder parts 10
0a and the inner cylindrical portion 101a define a ring-shaped storage space in a plan view, which is not shown in FIG.
The upper and lower ends of the storage space 102 are closed by a top surface and a bottom surface extending from the fixed body 100 or the movable body 101. Reference numeral 103 is a strip-shaped flexible cable, and both ends of the flexible cable 103 are led out to the outside in a state of being fixed to the outer tubular portion 100a and the inner tubular portion 101a, respectively. The flexible cable 103 is housed in the housing space 102 in the outer cylinder part 100a and the inner cylinder part 101a with their winding directions reversed, and is U-shaped at a position where the winding direction is changed. The inversion part 103a is formed. A ring-shaped spacer 104 having an opening 104a is movably arranged in the storage space 102, and the reversing portion 10 of the flexible cable 103 is disposed.
3a is looped to the spacer 104 in this opening 104.

The cable reel thus constructed is
The fixed body 100 is fixed to the steering column, and the movable body 101 is fixed to the steering shaft. The fixed body 100 is incorporated into a steering wheel device of an automobile, and an airbag inflator, a horn switch, etc. provided on the steering wheel side are connected to the vehicle body side. It is used as an electrical connection means for In use, the movable body 10 is interlocked with the rotation of the handle.
When 1 rotates clockwise in FIG. 19, the flexible cable 1
The reversing part 103a of 03 moves clockwise in the storage space 102 by a rotation amount smaller than that of the movable body 101, and the flexible cable 103 is wound in a rewinding state in which the outer cylinder part 100a side is increased. Further, since the spacer 104 is pressed by the reversing unit 103a that moves in the storage space 102 in the clockwise direction, the spacer 104 moves in the clockwise direction at the same speed as the reversing unit 103a. At this time, since the spacer 104 restricts radial movement of the flexible cable 103 fed from the inner tubular portion 101a, the flexible cable 103 wound around the inner tubular portion 101a has an inner circumference of the spacer 104. Guided by the surface, it is smoothly drawn out in the direction of the reversing portion 103a, and is reliably rewound to the outer cylinder portion 100a side.

On the contrary, when the movable body 101 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 19, the reversing portion 103a of the flexible cable 103 moves in the storage space 102 counterclockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the movable body 101. Move to the flexible cable 10
The winding state of No. 3 is a tightening state in which the inner cylinder portion 101a side is increased in number. Further, since the spacer 104 is pulled by the reversing unit 103a that moves counterclockwise in the storage space 102, the spacer 104 moves counterclockwise at the same speed as the reversing unit 103a. At this time, since the flexible cable 103 unwound from the outer tubular portion 100a is restricted in radial movement by the spacer 104, the flexible cable 103 wound around the outer tubular portion 100a has an outer peripheral surface of the spacer 104. Is smoothly guided to the reversing portion 103a, and the inner cylindrical portion 1
It is securely wound on the 01a side.

As described above, in the above cable reel, the winding direction of the flexible cable 103 is changed to the inverting section 10.
Since the inner tubular portion 101a and the outer tubular portion 100a are made opposite to each other via the 3a, the flexible cable 103 is connected to the inner tubular portion 101a.
As compared with a cable reel in which the outer cylinder portion 100a and the outer cylinder portion 100a are spirally wound in the same direction, the required flexible cable 1
The length of 03 can be markedly shortened, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, the inner tube portion 10 of the flexible cable 103
The spacer 104 is arranged between the portion wound around the outer peripheral portion 100a and the portion wound around the outer cylindrical portion 100a.
4 is adapted to be rotationally driven following the reversing portion 103a of the flexible cable 103, the flexible cable 103 can be restricted in the radial direction over substantially the entire circumference of the storage space 102. The tightening or rewinding operation of the flexible cable 103 can be smoothly performed.

[0008]

By the way, an automobile in which a cable reel is incorporated is apt to vibrate due to the influence of a road surface or the like while the vehicle is running, and naturally, this vibration also acts on the cable reel. However, in the conventional cable reel configured as described above, the spacer 104 is rotatably arranged in the storage space 102. To smoothly rotate the spacer 104, the spacer 104 is Since a clearance is required between the storage space 102 and the top surface, when vibration in the axial direction of the steering shaft acts on the cable reel,
There is a problem that the spacer 104 vibrates in the vertical direction within the clearance and collides with both the top surface and the bottom surface of the storage space 102, causing annoying noise. Since the fixed body 100, the movable body 101, and the spacer 104 are generally formed of a hard plastic material, the clearance is likely to vary due to variation in dimensional accuracy of each member, temperature change, and the like. Conventionally, a sufficient clearance is set in consideration of this variation, and the above-mentioned noise generation is remarkable.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to provide a cable reel capable of reducing noise without hindering the rotation of the spacer.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned object of the present invention is to mount a first housing having an inner tubular portion and an outer tubular portion so as to be rotatable relative to the first housing. Second housing, an annular storage space defined by the two housings, and the inner cylinder part and the outer cylinder part wound in opposite directions in the storage space via a U-shaped inversion part. A cable reel including a turned flexible cable and an annular spacer having an opening through which at least the reversing portion passes, and the spacer follows the reversing portion and moves in the storage space. In the above, it is achieved by providing the spacer with an elastic portion facing at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the storage space.

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is such that the first housing having an inner cylindrical portion and the outer housing having a first housing are rotatable relative to each other through an annular storage space. A flexible cable in which the mounted second housing, the spacer disposed in the storage space, and the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion are wound in opposite directions, and the inverted portion thereof passes through the spacer. In the cable reel, wherein the spacer is configured to move in the storage space following the reversing portion, an elastic portion facing the spacer is provided on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space. It is achieved by providing.

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is such that the first housing having an inner cylinder portion and the first housing having an outer cylinder portion are relatively rotatable with respect to each other through an annular storage space. A flexible cable in which the mounted second housing, the spacer disposed in the storage space, and the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion are wound in opposite directions, and the inverted portion thereof passes through the spacer. And the spacer is formed of an elastic member in a cable reel in which the spacer follows the reversal portion and moves in the storage space.

Further, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is such that the first housing having an inner cylindrical portion and the outer housing having a first housing are relatively rotatable with respect to each other via an annular storage space. A second housing attached to the housing, a spacer arranged in the storage space, and the inner cylinder part and the outer cylinder part wound in opposite directions, and the inversion part thereof passes through the spacer. A cable reel in which the spacer is configured to move in the storage space following the reversing portion, and the spacer includes a plurality of first protrusions facing the top surface of the storage space. This is achieved by providing a plurality of first protrusions facing the bottom surface of the storage space and shifting the positions of the first and second protrusions in the circumferential direction.

[0014]

When the first or second housing rotates in either forward or reverse directions in conjunction with the rotation of the handle, the U-shaped reversal portion of the flexible cable moves in the same direction by a smaller amount than the handle. However, the spacer also smoothly moved in the circumferential direction in the storage space by receiving the force from the reversing portion, and the flexible cable was wound in the inner tubular portion or in the outer tubular portion. It will be in the rewinding state. Also, when vibration acts on the cable reel from the outside while the vehicle is running, especially when vibration along the axial direction of the steering shaft acts, the spacer moves vertically in the storage space, but at that time the spacer is stored. Noise generated by the collision between the top surface and the bottom surface of the space is absorbed or reduced by the elasticity of the spacer or the housing or the elasticity of the spacer itself.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable reel, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spacer and a lower cover provided on the cable reel as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the lower cover. As shown in these figures, the cable reel according to the present embodiment includes a second housing 1, a first housing 2 rotatably attached to the second housing 1, both housings 1, 1. The flexible cable 3 is housed between the two housings, and the spacer 4 is rotatably arranged between the housings 1 and 2.

The second housing 1 is composed of an upper case 7 having an outer cylinder portion 6 suspended from the outer peripheral edge of a top plate 5, and a lower cover 8 joined and integrated with the lower end of the outer cylinder portion 6. And the center holes 9 and 10 at the centers of the top plate 5 and the lower cover 8, respectively.
Has been established. In addition, a ring-shaped guide groove 11 is provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8, and a plurality of elastic arms 12 are cantilevered and integrally formed in the guide groove 11. Is provided with four elastic arms 12 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The free ends of these elastic arms 12 extend obliquely upward, and hemispherical projections 12a are formed on the upper surface of each free end. On the other hand, the first housing 2 is made of a cylindrical body having a shaft insertion hole 13 in the center, and the upper and lower edges thereof are guided by the center holes 9 and 10 of the upper case 7 and the lower cover 8, respectively. Is rotatably connected to the housing 1. An annular storage space 15 is defined between the top plate 5 on the second housing 1 side, the outer tubular portion 6 and the lower cover 8, and the inner tubular portion 14 forming the outer peripheral surface on the first housing 2 side. Is made. Incidentally, the first and second housings 2, 1
Each of the components is molded of a hard plastic material such as polyacetal or polycarbonate having high rigidity.

The flexible cable 3 is composed of what is called a band-shaped flat cable in which conductors parallel to each other are laminated with a pair of insulating films. In the case of this embodiment, a flat cable for 6 circuits in which 6 conductors are embedded is used. Cable is used. One end of the flexible cable 3 has the outer cylindrical portion 6
It is connected to the first connector 16 fixed to and is led out of the second housing 1 through the first connector 16. On the other hand, the other end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a second connector 17 fixed to the inner tubular portion 14, and is led out of the first housing 2 via the second connector 17. . The flexible cable 3 is wound around the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 6 in the clockwise direction from the first connector 16 and is inverted in a U-shape from there (hereinafter, this is referred to as the inversion portion 3a).
Further, it is housed in the housing space 15 so as to be wound around the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 14 in the counterclockwise direction and reach the second connector 17.

The spacer 4 has a ring-shaped rotating plate 20 having a plurality of pins 18 and a fixed cylinder 19 vertically provided on the upper surface thereof.
And a group of rollers 21 rotatably supported by each pin 18, and these components are made of a hard plastic material such as polypropylene. This spacer 4
The rotary plate 20 is disposed inside the storage space 15 with the rotary plate 20 facing down, and the rotary plate 20 is guided in the radial direction of the storage space 15 by being fitted into the guide groove 11. Although a clearance is formed between the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 and the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (bottom surface of the guide groove 11), the protrusions 12a of each elastic arm 12 make elastic contact with the lower surface of the rotating plate 20. There is. The inversion portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 described above includes the fixed barrel 19 and the fixed barrel 1.
9 and a roller 21 (hereinafter, this roller is referred to as a reversing roller and is denoted by reference numeral 21A) facing each other, and is looped to the reversing roller 21A.

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be described by taking the case where the second housing 1 is used as a fixed body and the first housing 2 is used as a movable body as an example. In this case, the second housing 1 is fixed to the steering column side of the steering device, and the lead wires led out from the upper case 7 are connected to the air bag drive circuit and the horn circuit mounted on the vehicle body side. It Further, the first housing 2 is connected to a steering shaft, a steering wheel, etc., and lead wires led out from the first housing 2 are connected to an airbag inflator, a horn switch, etc. mounted on the steering wheel side. It

In use, when the handle is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the rotational force is applied to the first housing 2
And the first housing 2 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. For example, from the neutral position of the handle
When the housing 2 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 moves counterclockwise by a smaller amount of rotation than the first housing 2, and the reversing portion 3a rotates the reversing roller 21A of the spacer 4. Since the fixed tube 19 is pressed away from the spacer 4, the spacer 4 also moves in the counterclockwise direction following the reversing portion 3a, and the flexible cable 3 having a length about twice the moving amount of the spacer 4 is transferred to the inner tube portion 14. And is rewound to the outer cylinder portion 6 side. In this case, although the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 and each elastic arm 12 are in contact with each other in the guide groove 11,
Both of them are in elastic contact with each other and are in point contact with each other via the projection 12a, so that the spacer 4 can smoothly rotate in the storage space 15. Further, the flexible cable 3 fed out from the inner tubular portion 14 is restrained from swelling outward in the radial direction by the fixed barrel 19 and each roller 21 group, and thus is smoothly fed out in the direction of the reversing portion 3a. Then, it is reliably rewound to the outer cylinder portion 6 side through the reversing portion 3a.

Contrary to the above, when the first housing 2 is rotated clockwise from the neutral state of the handle, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 is rotated clockwise by a smaller rotation amount than that of the first housing 2. Since the reversing roller 21A is moved and pulled by the reversing portion 3a, the spacer 4 also moves in the clockwise direction following the reversing portion 3a, and the flexible cable 3 having a length about twice the movement amount of the reversing roller 3A is released. It is paid out from the tubular portion 6 and wound around the inner tubular portion 14. In this case, the flexible cable 3 fed out from the outer tubular portion 6 is regulated from moving inward in the radial direction by the fixed barrel 19 and each roller 21 group, and thus is smoothly fed out in the direction of the reversing portion 3a. It is securely wound around the inner cylinder portion 14 side through the reversing portion 3a.

In the first embodiment, the roller 21 is lightly pressed against the top plate 5 when the vibration from the automobile is small.
When a large vibration in the axial direction of the shaft acts on the cable reel, the vibration causes the spacer 4 to move into the storage space 15.
Although it moves in the up and down direction, this movement is alleviated by the bending of each elastic arm 12 in contact with the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4. Therefore, the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 does not collide with the upper surface of the lower cover 8, and even if the fixed cylinder 19 and the group of rollers 21 collide with the lower surface of the top plate 5, noise is reduced by half. Further, since the protrusion 12a of each elastic arm 12 and the upper surface of the rotary plate 20 are in elastic contact with each other at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the spacer 4 is elastically held in a well-balanced manner by each elastic arm 12, and the noise reduction effect is obtained. Can be increased. Further, since the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15 are both configured by the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 on the second housing 1 side, when the first housing 2 rotates, the spacer 4
The reverse force does not act on the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space, and the spacer 4 contacts the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 while the storage space 1
The inside of 5 can be smoothly rotated and moved, and the noise reduction effect can be enhanced also from this point. Further, even when the group of rollers 21 and the top plate 5 are brought into non-contact with each other due to variations in dimensional accuracy of respective parts, temperature changes, etc., that is, the rollers 2
Even if a clearance is formed between the first group and the top plate 5, the elastic arms 12 can alleviate the collision of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 with the upper surface of the lower cover 8, and the noise reduction effect. Can be maintained. Needless to say, if an elastic member is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 5, the elastic member serves as a cushion to further reduce noise.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a spacer provided in the cable reel of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the spacer.
8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
The same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to.

The present embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that as a means for elastically holding the spacer 4 in the storage space 15, instead of providing the elastic arm 12 on the lower cover 8, the elastic arm is provided on the spacer 4. 22 is provided, and the rest of the configuration is basically the same.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
On the upper surface of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4, a plurality of elastic arms 22 having an L-shaped cross section are integrally formed in a cantilever manner.
A plurality of small projections 23 are integrally formed on the lower surface of the rotary plate 20. The elastic arm 22 and the small protrusion 23 are provided on the rotary plate 20.
In the present embodiment, three elastic arms 22 and three small protrusions 23 are alternately provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotary plate 20. Further, a plurality of pins 18 and one fixed cylinder 19 are erected on the upper surface of the rotary plate 20, and each pin 18 includes a roller 2 including a reversing roller 21A.
One group is pivotally supported. Further, a first rib 24 is erected on the inner peripheral edge of the upper surface of the rotary plate 20 except between the reversing roller 21A and the fixed cylinder 19, and each first rib 2 is provided.
Second ribs 25 are provided upright on both ends of the roller 4 to face the outer peripheral surface of the roller 21 with a slight clearance. The first rib 24 functions as a buckling prevention member that prevents the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner tubular portion 14 from expanding outward when the flexible cable 3 is unwound. The rib 25 of 2 cooperates with the 1st rib 24 at the time of an assembly, and the reversing part 3a of the flexible cable 3 and the reversing roller 21A and the fixed cylinder 1 are.
It functions to prevent erroneous insertion to prevent erroneous insertion into a portion other than the gap 9.

The thus configured spacer 4 is arranged in the storage space 15 with the rotating plate 20 facing down, and the rotating plate 20 is provided in the ring-shaped guide groove 11 provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8. The storage space 1
It is guided rotatably in the radial direction of 5. At this time, each small protrusion 23 is placed on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (bottom surface of the guide groove 11), and a clearance is formed between the upper surfaces of the fixed cylinder 19 and the roller group 21 and the lower surface of the top plate 5. But
As shown in FIG. 8, the free ends of the elastic arms 22 are in elastic contact with the lower surface of the top plate 5. Therefore, the spacer 4 is elastically held in the storage space 15 by the elastic arms 22, and when the flexible cable 3 is fastened or unwound, the spacer 4 receives a force from the reversing portion 3a to receive the guide groove. It turns smoothly along 11. Further, when the spacer 4 moves up and down in the storage space 15 due to the vibration from the automobile, this movement is alleviated by the bending of each elastic arm 22, so that the spacer 4 collides with the lower cover 8 or the top plate 5. It becomes difficult to do so, and the generation of noise can be reduced.
Moreover, since the length of each elastic arm 22 formed in the L shape on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20 from the base end to the free end can be set sufficiently large, the sliding torque of the spacer 4 can be set small. The spacer 4 can be smoothly rotated. Also in this embodiment, the elastic arms 22 and the top plate 5 do not necessarily have to be in elastic contact with each other.
Even if a clearance is formed between the upper plate 2 and the top plate 5, the vertical movement of the spacer 4 can be mitigated by the elastic arms 22, and the noise reduction effect is maintained.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an essential part of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the essential part of FIG. The parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 5 to 8 are designated by the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that an elastic portion that elastically holds the spacer 4 in the radial direction with respect to the first housing 1 is provided, and the rest of the configuration is basically the same. Is.

That is, the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 is integrally formed with the second elastic arm 26 to which the elastic force is applied in the radial direction in a cantilevered manner. The second elastic arm 26 is integrally molded in a cantilever manner with the first rib 24 of the. The free ends of these second elastic arms 26 are elastically contacted with the inner peripheral surface of the guide groove 11 provided in the lower case 8. Therefore, the spacer 4 is moved upward and downward in the storage space 15 by each elastic arm 22 (the steering Each of the second elastic arms 26 is elastically held in the axial direction of the shaft).
Is elastically held in the radial direction of the storage space 15 (direction orthogonal to the axis of the steering shaft).

In the third embodiment of the present invention thus constructed, the vertical movement of the storage space 15 of the spacer 4 is restricted by the respective second elastic arms 26, so that the above-mentioned second embodiment is adopted. The noise reduction effect can be enhanced as compared with the embodiment. It should be noted that each second elastic arm 26 may be provided on a portion other than the first rib 24, for example, on the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the rotary plate 20, and in that case, the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the rotary plate 20. The plurality of second elastic arms that are integrally cantilevered may be elastically contacted with the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the guide groove 11.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a plan view of a spacer provided in the cable reel of FIG. 12, corresponding to FIGS. Are given the same reference numerals. The present embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that as a means for elastically holding the spacer 4 in the storage space 15, instead of providing an L-shaped elastic arm 22 on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20, the rotating arm 20 is rotated. Board 20
There is a plurality of protrusions on the upper and lower surfaces of the above, and the rest of the configuration is basically the same. That is, a plurality of first protrusions 27 are provided upright on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20, and a plurality of small protrusions 23 (second protrusions) are integrally formed on the lower surface of the rotating plate 20. These first protrusion 27 and small protrusion 2
3 is displaced in the circumferential direction of the rotary plate 20, and in this embodiment, three first projections and three small projections 23 are provided alternately on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotary plate 20. The three small protrusions 23 are provided on the lower surface of the rotary plate 20 at substantially equal angular intervals.

The thus configured spacer 4 is arranged in the storage space 15 with the rotary plate 20 facing down, and the rotary plate 20 is provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 in the form of a ring-shaped guide groove 11. By fitting, the storage space 15
Is rotatably guided in the radial direction. At this time, each small projection 23 is placed on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (bottom surface of the guide groove 11), and the upper end of each first projection 27 abuts the lower surface of the top plate 5 or has a slight clearance. Are facing each other. Therefore, when the vibration from the automobile acts on the spacer 4, the spacer 4 tries to move in the up-down direction in the storage space 15, but this movement causes the first protrusion 2 to move.
7 and the small protrusion 23, the rotary plate 20 is relaxed by bending in the plate thickness direction, and the spacer 4 is attached to the lower cover 8.
Alternatively, it is less likely to collide with the top plate 5, and noise generation can be reduced.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a main part of a cable reel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of an elastic sheet provided in the cable reel of FIG. 14, and FIGS.
The same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to. The present embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that an elastic sheet 28 is attached to the lower cover 8 instead of providing a plurality of elastic arms 12, and the rest of the configuration is basically the same. . That is, the elastic sheet 28 is attached to the upper surface of the ring-shaped guide groove 11 provided in the lower cover 8, and the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 is slidably placed on the elastic sheet 28. ing. As shown in FIG. 15, this elastic sheet 2
8 is composed of an elastic member 29 such as rubber or sponge and a slip sheet 30 such as PET or Teflon integrated on the surface thereof. In this embodiment, the elastic member 29 on the opposite side of the slip sheet 30 is provided. Is attached to the lower cover 8 with an adhesive 31.

In the fifth embodiment of the present invention thus constructed, the spacer 4 receives the force from the reversing portion 3a when the flexible cable 3 is wound or unwound, and the spacer 4 is stored in the storage space 15. Since the rotating plate 20 slides on the slippery sheet 30 on the elastic sheet 28, the spacer 4 smoothly rotates along the guide groove 11. Further, when the spacer 4 moves up and down in the storage space 15 due to the vibration from the automobile, this movement is absorbed by the bending of the elastic member 29 of the elastic sheet 28.
Even if the vehicle collides with the top plate 5, the impact that collides with the lower cover 8 can be reduced, and the generation of noise can be halved. Needless to say, if an elastic sheet is attached to the top plate 5, the elastic sheet serves as a cushion to mitigate the collision of the spacer 4 with the top plate 5 and further reduce noise.

In the fifth embodiment, the elastic sheet 2 is used.
Although the case where 8 is attached to the lower cover 8 has been described, conversely, the same effect can be obtained even when the elastic sheet 28 is attached to the lower surface of the rotary plate 20 with the slippery sheet 30 facing down. Play. Further, the elastic sheet 28 does not necessarily have to be attached to the lower cover 8 or the rotary plate 20, and, for example, the elastic sheet 28 may be simply placed in the guide groove 11, and in that case, the elastic member 29 is placed above and below the elastic member 29. Sandwich both sides with the slippery sheet 30 to cover the slippery sheet 30 with the lower cover 8
It suffices to face both the rotary plate and the rotary plate 20.

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a cable reel according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a plan view of a spacer provided in the cable reel of FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the spacer. Portions corresponding to 5 to 8 are designated by the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that instead of using the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 on the second housing 1 side as the members constituting the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15, Lower cover 8 on the side of the housing 1 and first and second housings 1 and 2 parallel to the lower cover 8.
The other plate-shaped portion is used, and the rest of the configuration is basically the same.

That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the second housing 1 is composed of an outer cylinder portion 6 and a lower cover 8 which are joined and integrated with each other, and the upper portion of the outer cylinder portion 6 has an inner side portion. A plate-shaped inner flange portion 32 protruding inward is integrally formed.
On the other hand, the first housing 2 is composed of a tubular body having an inner tubular portion 14 and a stop plate 33 fixed to the lower end of the inner tubular portion 14, and the upper end of the inner tubular portion 14 extends outward. A projecting plate-shaped outer collar portion 34 is integrally formed. In the first and second housings 1 and 2, the inner peripheral edge of the lower cover 8 is sandwiched between the inner cylindrical portion 14 and the stop plate 33, and the inner flange portion 32 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the outer flange portion 34. By being guided by the formed step, it is connected so as to be relatively rotatable,
The lower surfaces of the inner flange portion 32 and the outer flange portion 34 are flat surfaces extending parallel to the lower cover 8. Therefore, the bottom surface of the storage space 15 is constituted by the lower cover 8 of the second housing 1, but the top surface of the storage space 15 is the second cover.
It is constituted by the inner flange portion 32 of the housing 1 and the outer flange portion 34 of the first housing 2.

Although the spacer 4 is arranged inside the storage space 15, as is apparent from FIGS. 17 and 18, the elastic arm 22 provided on the upper surface of the spacer 4 is
It is set to be slightly longer in the horizontal direction than in the case of the second embodiment described above. The spacer 4 is arranged in the storage space 15 with the rotating plate 20 facing down, and the rotating plate 20 is stored in the ring-shaped guide groove 11 provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 to store the spacer 4. It is guided rotatably in the radial direction of the space 15. At this time, the small protrusions 23 are placed on the bottom surface of the guide groove 11, and a clearance is formed between the upper surfaces of the fixed cylinder 19 and the roller group 21 and the lower surface of the outer flange portion 34. The free end of 22 is in elastic contact with the lower surface of the inner flange 32.

Even in the sixth embodiment of the present invention thus constructed, the spacer 4 is elastically held in the storage space 15 by the elastic arms 22, so that the second embodiment described above is performed. It has the same effect as the example. Further, by providing the outer flange portion 34 on the top surface of the first housing 2 used as a movable body, a connector for leading out the flexible cable 3 to the outside of the first housing 2 is provided in the outer flange portion 34. There is also an advantage that it is possible to provide the connector and the degree of freedom for arranging the connector is improved. Also in this embodiment, each elastic arm 22 and the inner flange portion 32 do not necessarily have to be in elastic contact, and even when a clearance is formed between each elastic arm 22 and the inner flange portion 32, the spacer 4 The up and down movement of the can be eased by each elastic arm 22, and the noise reduction effect is maintained.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the constituent parts of the spacer 4 are molded from a hard plastic material such as polypropylene, and the spacer 4 is fitted to the elastic arms 12 and 22 and the elastic sheet 2.
The case where the elastic portions 8 and the like are used to elastically hold the storage space 15 has been described. However, instead of providing these elastic portions, the spacer 4 itself is formed of an elastic material, and specifically, the rotating plate 20 is It may be formed of a highly elastic material such as polyurethane rubber and the elasticity of the material itself may be used to reduce the vertical movement of the spacer 4.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the second housing 1 is used as the fixed body and the first housing 2 is used as the movable body has been described.
It is also possible to use the housing 1 as a movable body and the first housing 2 as a fixed body.

Further, in the first to fifth embodiments,
The case where the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15 are configured by the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 on the second housing 1 side has been described, but the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15 are set to the first housing 2 side. It may be constituted by a member provided, or as described in the sixth embodiment, by a plate-shaped portion provided on the first housing 2 side and a plate-shaped portion provided on the second housing 1 side. It is possible.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
At the time of tightening or unwinding the flexible cable, the spacer can be smoothly rotated in the circumferential direction of the storage space by the force from the inverting portion of the flexible cable, and the spacer can be rotated from the outside in the axial direction of the steering shaft. When vibration is applied, it is possible to prevent the space from colliding with the top surface and the bottom surface of the storage space, so that it is possible to provide a cable reel with less noise.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spacer and a lower cover provided in the cable reel of FIG. 1 as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part of the lower cover.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a spacer included in the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the spacer.

8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an essential part of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

11 is a perspective view of an essential part of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a plan view of a spacer included in the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a cable reel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of an elastic sheet included in the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a cable reel according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a plan view of a spacer included in the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the spacer.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a cable reel according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 2nd housing 2 1st housing 3 Flexible cable 3a Inversion part 4 Spacer 5 Top plate 6 Outer cylinder part 7 Upper case 8 Lower cover 12,22 Elastic arm 14 Inner cylinder part 15 Storage space 18 Pin 20 Rotating plate 21 Roller 21A Reverse Roller 23 Small Protrusion 24 First Rib 25 Second Rib 26 Second Elastic Arm 27 First Protrusion 28 Elastic Sheet 29 Elastic Member 30 Sliding Sheet 31 Adhesive 32 Inner Collar 33 Stop Plate 34 Outer collar part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenichiro Nishiki 1-7 Yukiya Otsuka-cho, Ota-ku, Tokyo Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A first housing having an inner tubular portion, and a second housing having an outer tubular portion which is rotatably mounted to the first housing via an annular storage space. A flexible cable that is wound around the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion in opposite directions and has a reversal portion passing through the spacer, wherein the spacer is In a cable reel adapted to move in the storage space following an inversion portion, the spacer is provided with an elastic portion facing at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space. reel. 2. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided with a plurality of rollers at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, and the elastic portion is arranged between the rollers. 3. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is an elastic sheet attached to the spacer. 4. The pair of plate-shaped portions according to claim 1, wherein the first housing or the second housing is provided with a pair of plate-shaped portions extending in parallel along a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space. A cable reel including the elastic portion, and the top surface and the bottom surface of the spacer facing the plate-shaped portions, respectively. 5. A ring-shaped guide groove is provided on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space, and the elastic portion is elastically contacted with a side wall of the guide groove. Cable reel to do. 6. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is provided on a top surface of the spacer, and a clearance is formed between the elastic portion and a top surface of the storage space. 7. A first housing having an inner tubular portion, and a second housing having an outer tubular portion which is rotatably mounted to the first housing via an annular storage space. A flexible cable that is wound around the inner tubular portion and the outer tubular portion in opposite directions and has a reversal portion passing through the spacer, wherein the spacer is In a cable reel adapted to move in the storage space following an inversion portion, an elastic portion facing the spacer is provided on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space. reel. 8. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the elastic portions are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. 9. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is a cantilevered elastic arm. 10. The cable reel according to claim 7, wherein the elastic portion is an elastic sheet attached to the first or second housing. 11. The method according to claim 3 or 10, wherein
A cable reel in which a slippery sheet is attached to the surface of the elastic sheet. 12. The cable reel according to claim 7, wherein the elastic portion is provided on a top surface of the storage space, and a clearance is formed between the elastic portion and a top surface of the spacer. 13. A first housing having an inner cylinder portion,
A second housing having an outer tubular part and rotatably attached to the first housing via an annular storage space, a spacer arranged in the storage space, and the inner tubular part. And a flexible cable that is wound around the outer cylinder part in the opposite direction, and the reversing part thereof passes through the spacer, and the spacer follows the reversing part and moves in the storage space. A cable reel in which the spacer is formed of an elastic member. 14. A first housing having an inner cylinder portion,
A second housing having an outer tubular part and rotatably attached to the first housing via an annular storage space, a spacer arranged in the storage space, and the inner tubular part. And a flexible cable that is wound around the outer cylinder part in the opposite direction, and the reversing part thereof passes through the spacer, and the spacer follows the reversing part and moves in the storage space. A plurality of first protrusions facing the top surface of the storage space in the spacer,
A cable reel comprising a plurality of second protrusions facing the bottom surface of the storage space, and the first and second protrusions being displaced in the circumferential direction.