JPH08213132A - Structure for connecting cable and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide structure for connecting a cable and a connector, which can easily perform the connecting work at a low cost, and to obtain the rotary connector enabling excellent assembly work at a low cost. CONSTITUTION: A molded cable 1, in which plural conductors 3 are embedded in parallel with each other inside a belt-like molded insulator 2, and an outside connector 17, of which plural terminals 20 are fixed to a connector case 18, are connected to each other. At the time of this connection, the rear end of each terminal 20 is formed with a wide width part 20a projected in the arrangement direction, and these wide width parts 20a are extended into a housing recessed part 22 of the connector case 18, and in the condition that each conductor 3 is overlapped on the corresponding wide width part 20a, both are connected to each other by spot welding or ultrasonic welding. This structure for connecting the molded cable 1 and the outside connector 17 can be applied to the structure for connecting an output cable, which is connected to a lead-out part of a flexible cable housed in the inside space of a rotary connector, and an outside connector to be fitted to the output terminal of this output cable.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable / connector connection structure used in various electric devices, and a vehicle-mounted rotary connector utilizing the connection structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a connector is attached to the ends of a plurality of round wire cables whose conductors are covered with an insulating tube,
A wiring method has been widely adopted in which this connector is connected to another connector so as to conduct electricity between arbitrary distances via a round cable. In this case, the insulating tube is removed from the tip of the lead wire, and the lead wire is connected to the corresponding terminal of the connector by welding, caulking, or the like, so that the connector is electrically connected to the end portions of the plurality of round wire cables. And they are mechanically connected.

Such a round wire cable with a connector is used in various electric devices. For example, in a vehicle-mounted rotary connector, a flat cable is wound around the inner space of a pair of rotatably connected housings. Both ends of this flat cable are electrically led out to the outside of the housing, one end of the conductor of each round cable is connected to each lead terminal of the flat cable, and the other end of each conductor is connected to the terminal of the connector. There is.

[0004]

By the way, in the conventional cable-connector connecting structure constructed as described above, when connecting the conductors of a plurality of round wire cables to the terminals of the connector, Since the wire cables are separated from each other and separate, and it is necessary to connect the conductors of the round wire cable to the corresponding terminals while aligning them one by one, it is difficult to automate the connection process, and workability is reduced. There was a drawback.

A strip-shaped cable is also known in which insulating tubes of the round-shaped cables are joined together, and a plurality of round-shaped cables are integrated. However, normally, the conductors of the strip-shaped cable are arranged at corresponding pitches. Since it is smaller than the terminal arrangement pitch and it is necessary to form notches at the ends of the strip-shaped cable to separate each insulating tube into pieces, in this case as well, workability and connection reliability are difficult. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances of the prior art. A first object of the present invention is to provide a connection structure for a cable and a connector which is simple and inexpensive in connection work. A second object is to provide an inexpensive rotary connector which is excellent in assembling workability.

[0007]

The first object of the present invention described above comprises a molded cable in which a plurality of conductors are embedded in a band-shaped molded insulator, and a connector housing to which a plurality of terminals are fixed. This is achieved by providing wide-width portions projecting in the arrangement direction of the terminals at the rear end portions of the terminals and connecting the wide-width portions and the conductor in a storage recess provided in the connector housing.

A second object of the present invention described above is that a pair of rotatably connected housings are housed and wound in a space between the housings, and both ends thereof are electrically connected to the outside of the housing. A rotary connector including a drawn-out flexible cable, an output cable connected to a drawn-out portion of the flexible cable, and an external connector connected to a tip of the output cable, wherein the external connector and the output This is achieved by using the above connection structure as a cable connection structure.

[0009]

When each conductor of the molded cable is connected to the corresponding terminal of the connector, the rear end of each terminal is provided with a wide portion projecting in the arrangement direction, so that the arrangement between each conductor and each terminal is arranged. The pitch deviation is absorbed by the wide portion, and both conductors can be connected at once by spot welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like in a state of being superposed on the corresponding terminals. In addition, since the displacement of the arrangement pitch between each conductor of the molded cable and each terminal of the connector is absorbed in this way, it becomes possible to connect the common molded cable to various connectors and to manufacture the molded cable. Mold cost can be reduced.

Further, when the molded cable is used as an output cable of a rotary connector and the above structure is adopted as a connection structure between the output cable and an external connector attached to the tip of the rotary cable, each conductor of the molded cable and each of the external connectors are adopted. The terminals can be easily connected and the molded cable can be commonly used to reduce the cost.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a sectional view of a rotary connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary connector. In these drawings, reference numeral 8 indicates a fixed body 8, which is composed of a disc-shaped bottom plate 9 having a center hole 9a and an upper case 10 having a center hole 10a and integrated with the bottom plate 9. Therefore, an annular guide groove 9b is formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 9.
A movable body 11 having a shaft insertion hole 11a is rotatably mounted in the center of the fixed body 8, and the upper and lower ends of the movable body 11 are center holes 9a, 10a of the bottom plate 9 and the upper case 10.
Is being guided to. A ring-shaped space is defined between the outer peripheral surface of the movable body 11 and the outer cylindrical portion 10b of the upper case 10, and the movable body 12 and the flexible cable 13 are housed in this space. ing. The moving body 12 is an annular rotating ring 1 arranged on the guide groove 9 b of the bottom plate 9.
4 and a plurality of rollers 15 axially supported on the rotating ring 14 at a predetermined interval. The flexible cable 13 is inverted in a U shape along one roller 15. There is. The flexible cable 13 is composed of a so-called flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductive wires are laminated with a pair of insulating films. In the case of the present embodiment, a flat cable for two circuits in which two conductive wires are embedded is used. Is used. Further, as will be described later, both ends of the flexible cable 13 are connected to the outer cylindrical portion 10 of the upper case 10.
The molded cables 1 are connected via relay connectors 16 fixed to the movable body 11 and the movable body 11, and an external connector 17 is attached to the tip of each molded cable 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the molded cable 1, FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, and as shown in these drawings, the molded cable 1 includes a band-shaped molded insulator 2 made of a relatively soft insulating resin such as polypropylene, and this molded body. The conductor 3 is composed of a plurality of (two in this embodiment) conductors 3 embedded in the insulator 2. In the case of this embodiment, the arrangement pitch of the conductors 3 of the molded cable 1 is the flexibility described above. P _{1 which} is almost the same as the arrangement pitch of the conductors of the cable 13
Is set to The molded insulator 2 is composed of a plurality of divided blocks 4 having the same shape, and the divided blocks 4 are continuously connected to each other in the longitudinal direction via a joint S. A thin portion 4b having an engaging hole 4a at one end of the divided block 4
However, thin-walled portions 4d each having an engaging projection 4c are provided at the other end, and both thin-walled portions 4b and 4d are formed stepwise in the plate thickness direction. Then, the divided blocks 4 adjacent to each other have the thin portions 4b, 4 in the joint S, respectively.
d are overlapped with each other, and the engagement holes 4a of the one thin wall portion 4b are filled with the engagement protrusions 4c of the other thin wall portion 4d, so that the conductors 3 are entangled with each other in the longitudinal direction of the conductor 3. It is continuously connected. Further, notches 5 are formed on both side surfaces of each divided block 4, and these notches 5
Are arranged at equal pitches along the longitudinal direction of the molded insulator 2. On the other hand, the conductor 3 is made of a metal flat plate having a rectangular cross section, and both conductors 3 are parallel to each other and the molded insulator 2
It is buried inside.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of an injection molding die for producing the molding cable 1. The injection molding die includes a lower die 6 and an upper die 7, and these lower die 6 and The upper die 7 is provided with presser pins 6a and 7a reaching the cavity. In the figure, the divided blocks formed in the previous shot are indicated by reference numeral 4A, and the divided blocks formed in the current shot are indicated by reference numeral 4B. When the molded cable 1 is manufactured using this injection molding mold, first, the conductor 3 is supplied between the lower mold 6 and the upper mold 7, and then the mold is clamped to hold the conductor 3 in the cavity. Pin 6a,
Hold by 7a. In this state, molten resin is injected into the cavity from a gate (not shown), and the molten resin is cooled and solidified to mold the divided block 4A (first shot). Thus, one divided block 4A is provided on the conductor 3.
Is out-serted, the mold is opened and the conductor 3 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow B together with the divided block 4A, and then the mold is clamped again to form the second divided block 4B (second shot). At that time, the engaging protrusion 4c at the right end of the divided block 4B formed by the current shot is filled in the engaging hole 4a formed at the left end of the divided block 4A formed by the previous shot. Both the divided blocks 4A and 4B are mechanically connected while entwining their shapes. Hereinafter, by repeating the above operation, a plurality of divided blocks 4
Are connected in a chain to form a strip-shaped molded insulator 2, and the molded cable 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is manufactured.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a connecting portion between the molded cable 1 and the relay connector 16. As shown in the figure, the relay connector 16 has a storage recess, a pin 16a is erected on the bottom of the storage recess, and projections 16b are integrally formed on both sides of the storage recess. Has been done. On the other hand, after the conductors 13a of the flexible cable 13 and the conductors 3 of the molded cable 1 are connected by spot welding, ultrasonic welding or the like, the flexible cable 13 is connected to the relay connector 16 by the pin 16a. The cutout 5 of the molded cable 1 is positioned inside the relay connector 16
Is locked to the protrusion 16b. After that, relay connector 1
When 6 is fixed to the movable body 11, one end of the flexible cable 13 housed inside the space is electrically led to the outside of the movable body 11 while being connected to the molded cable 1. Similarly, the other end of the flexible cable 13 is electrically led to the outside of the fixed body 8 while being connected to the molded cable 1.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a connecting portion between the molded cable 1 and the external connector 17, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of the connecting portion. As shown in these drawings, the external connector 17 includes a connector case 18 and a cover 19 which are integrated with each other by snap coupling and the like, and a pair of terminals 20 fixed to the connector case 18 by press fitting or molding. The arrangement pitch P of each terminal 20 is provided.
₂ is set to a value sufficiently smaller than the arrangement pitch P ₁ of the conductors 3 of the molded cable 1. Also, each terminal 2
Wide portions 20a projecting in the arrangement direction of the terminals 20 are formed at the rear end portion of 0, and the wide portions 20a extend into a storage recess 22 defined inside the connector case 18. In addition, an opening 18a facing the wide portion 20a is formed on the bottom surface of the storage recess 22, and projections 18b are integrally formed on both side surfaces of the storage recess 22, and the opening 18a is covered. It is occluded by the body 21. Such an external connector 17 is attached to the molded cable 1
In order to mount the molded cable 1 on the wide portion 20a of each terminal 20, the notch 5 of the molded cable 1 is first locked to the protrusion 18b of the connector case 18 and both conductors 3 of the molded cable 1 are accommodated in the storage recess 22. Align with. In this state, a welding jig (not shown) is brought into contact with the overlapping portion of the conductor 3 and the wide portion 20a using the opening 18a of the connector case 18, and the conductor and the wide portion 20a are spot-welded or ultrasonic-welded. After that, the connector case 18 is provided with a cover 19 and a lid 21.
And are installed.

The rotary connector thus constructed is used by being incorporated in a steering device of an automobile.
At that time, the fixed body 8 is attached to a stator member such as a steering column, and the external connector 17 of the molded cable 1 led out from the fixed body 8 is connected to, for example, an air bag circuit arranged on the vehicle body side. . In addition, the movable body 11
Is attached to the handle, and the external connector 17 of the molded cable 1 led out from the movable body 11 is connected to the airbag inflator mounted on the handle side. When using, the movable body 1 interlocks with the handle.
When 1 rotates clockwise, for example, the flexible cable 13
The U-shaped reversing part of is moved clockwise by an amount smaller than that of the movable body 11, and following the movement, the rotating ring 14 and the roller 15 are moved.
The moving body 12 including the group also moves in the same direction, and the flexible cable 13 having a length about twice the moving amount of the moving body 12 is moved to the movable body 1.
It is wound around the outer peripheral surface of 1. On the contrary, when the movable body 11 rotates counterclockwise in conjunction with the handle, the flexible cable 13 having a length about twice the moving amount of the moving body 12 causes the outer cylindrical portion 10b of the fixed body 8 to move. Is rewound to.

In the rotary connector according to the above embodiment, the molded cable 1 is used as the output cable connected to the lead-out portions at both ends of the flexible cable 13, and each conductor 3 of the molded cable 1 is connected to the external connector 17. Since it is connected to the wide portion 20a of each terminal 20, the arrangement pitch P ₁ between the conductors 3 on the molded cable 1 side and each terminal 20 of the external connector 17
Even if the arrangement pitch P ₂ between them does not match, the deviation is absorbed by the wide portion 20a, and each conductor 3 and each terminal 20 can be easily connected. In particular, the external connector 1
Various types of the terminals 20 of FIG. 7 and the arrangement pitch P ₂ are used depending on the vehicle type in which the rotary connector is mounted. In the above embodiment, the common molded cable 1 has various types. The external connector 17 can be connected.
Therefore, only one type of injection mold is required to mold the molded cable 1, and the total cost of the rotary connector including the molded cable 1 can be reduced.

Further, since the molded insulator 2 of the molded cable 1 is formed by continuously connecting the divided blocks 4 having the same shape, the length is not restricted and the long molded cable 1 can be manufactured at a low cost. Can be provided to. Furthermore, since each divided block 4 is connected to its own engagement hole 4a with the engaging projections 4c of the adjacent divided blocks 4, the divided blocks 4 are connected to each other in a chain shape while entwining each other's shape. The tensile force acting on 2 is received by the joint S between the divided blocks 4, and the conductor 3 is less likely to be loaded,
It is possible to provide the molded cable 1 having high mechanical strength.

Further, the notch 5 formed in the molded cable 1
The projection 16b of the relay connector 16 and the external connector 17,
Even if a tensile force acts on the molded cable 1 because it is engaged with each of the cutouts 18b, the force is applied to the notch 5 and the protrusion 1.
It can be absorbed by the engaging portions with 6b and 18b, and the conductor 3 can be reliably prevented from peeling off from the conductor 13a or the terminal 20. Moreover, as mentioned above,
The molded cable 1 has a high mechanical strength by itself, and the conductor 3
Since it is less likely to be damaged, it is possible to provide a rotary connector with high reliability in connection.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the connecting structure of the output cable of the rotary connector and the external connector has been described. However, the connecting structure of the cable and the connector of the present invention is not limited to the rotary connector. It can be applied to electrical equipment.

Further, the molded cable is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, instead of making the boundary line T (see FIG. 3) between the adjacent divided blocks 4 into a straight line, it is also possible to have a non-linear shape such as a step shape or an arc shape. In that case, at the joint S, Since the surface distance between both conductors 3 becomes long, the insulation resistance between both conductors 3 can be increased. In addition, an insulating resin having high water repellency such as a fluororesin may be used as the material of the molded insulator 2, and in this case, water on the surface of the molded insulator 2 is easily removed by the water repellency, and thus each divided block. It is possible to reliably prevent water from entering the joints S located between the four and the holes 2a (see FIG. 3) formed on each divided block 4 by the press pins 6a and 7a of the injection molding die.

In the above embodiment, the notch 5 of the molded cable 1 is used as the engaging portion, and the protrusion 18b of the external connector 17 is used.
However, the relationship between the notch and the protrusion is opposite to that of the above embodiment, that is, the protrusion is provided on the molded cable 1 and the protrusion is provided on the connector case 18 of the external connector 17. It is also possible to provide a notch that can be locked with. Further, the disposition positions of these notches and protrusions are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and for example, notches such as concave grooves and holes are provided at approximately the center position in the width direction of the molded insulator 2 to allow the connector case 18 to be formed. The protrusion may be integrally formed on the bottom surface of the storage recess 22.

Further, the rotary connector according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, instead of using the U-shaped inverted flexible cable 13, a spirally wound flexible cable is used. It is also possible to achieve the same effect as above.

[0024]

As described above, according to the cable / connector connecting structure of the present invention, a wide portion is provided at the rear end of each terminal fixed to the connector housing, and each of the wide portions has a molded cable. Since I tried to connect the conductor,
The gap in array pitch between each conductor and each terminal is absorbed by the wide part, and both conductors can be easily connected using spot welding, ultrasonic welding, etc., with each conductor superposed on each corresponding terminal. it can. In addition, since the displacement of the arrangement pitch between each conductor of the molded cable and each terminal of the connector is absorbed in this way, it becomes possible to connect the common molded cable to various connectors and to manufacture the molded cable. Mold cost can be reduced.

Further, according to the rotary connector of the present invention, the above-mentioned cable-connector connection structure is used as a connection structure between the output cable connected to the lead-out portion of the flexible cable and the external connector. It is possible to easily connect the conductors to the terminals of the external connector, and to share the molded cable, thereby reducing the cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a rotary connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary connector.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a molded cable included in the rotary connector.

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

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an injection molding die showing a manufacturing process of the molded cable.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection portion between a molded cable and a relay connector provided in the rotary connector of FIG.

7 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection portion between a molded cable provided in the rotary connector of FIG. 1 and an external connector.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the connecting portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Molded Cable 2 Molded Insulator 3 Conductor 4 Divided Block 5 Notch (Engagement Part) 6 Lower Mold 7 Upper Mold 8 Fixed Body 11 Movable Body 13 Flexible Cable 13a Conductor 16 Relay Connector 17 External Connector 18 Connector Case 18a Opening 18b Projection part (regulating part) 19 Cover 20 Terminal 20a Wide part 21 Lid 22 Storage recess

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A molded cable having a plurality of conductors embedded in a band-shaped molded insulator, and a connector housing having a plurality of terminals fixed thereto, wherein the terminals project at the rear ends of the terminals in the arrangement direction of the terminals. A wide-width portion is provided, and the wide-width portion and the conductor are connected in a storage recess provided in the connector housing. 2. An engaging portion is formed on the molded insulator, and a restricting portion that is engageable with the engaging portion is formed inside a housing recess of the connector housing. Connection structure of the cable and connector described. 3. The cable and connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector housing is provided with an opening for inserting a connecting jig that faces a connection portion between the conductor and the wide portion of the terminal. Connection structure. 4. A pair of rotatably connected housings, a flexible cable housed and wound in a space between the housings, and both ends of which are electrically led out of the housing. An output cable connected to a lead-out portion of the flexible cable, and an external connector connected to a tip of the output cable, wherein the connection structure according to claim 1 is used as a connection structure between the external connector and the output cable. A rotating connector characterized by having been used.