JPH0945445A - Roll connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a roll connector to be used in an automotive steering device in which external wiring to connect the roll connector to a relay circuit is not required, and in which assembling processes of the whole body of a steering mechanism can be simplified. SOLUTION: On the stator casing member side of a roll connector main body part comprising a stator casing member and a rotor casing member which is rotatable relative to the stator casing member, are lay box containing a relay circuit 100 inside is provided. On the rotor casing member side, a first terminal 42 electrically connected to one end 43 of a flat cable 60 spirally contained in the roll connector main body part is provided, and on the stator casing member side, a second terminal 44 electrically connected to one contact terminal 100 of the relay circuit 100 is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roll connector for enabling an electrical connection between two members which rotate in relation to each other, and more particularly to a steering wheel for an automobile and a periphery of a steering shaft of the steering wheel. Relates to a roll connector suitably used for enabling an electrical connection with a combination switch fixed to a steering column provided on the inside of the rotor casing member and the stator casing member. The present invention relates to a roll connector in which a flat cable is housed in a spiral shape in an annular space formed in.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device for electrically connecting a steering wheel for an automobile and a combination switch fixed to a steering column provided around a steering shaft of the steering wheel has been conventionally used as a device. A roll connector 10 is known, as shown in FIG. This roll connector 10 has a rotor casing member that rotates integrally with the handle, and a stator casing member that is fixed to the body 22 of the combination switch, and is provided in an annular space inside both casing members. A flexible flat cable 12 formed by covering a plurality of electric conductors integrally to form a strip is housed in a spiral shape. One end of the flat cable 12 is connected to the first terminal 14 provided on the rotor casing member, and the other end is connected to the second terminal 16 provided on the stator casing member. Connected to each other. The first terminal 14 is a control circuit side switch provided on the steering wheel, for example,
The horn switch 18, the system operation switch of the air bag system, the set switch of the auto cruise control system, etc. are connected by a wire harness (cable) for external wiring, while the second terminal 16 is , The drive circuit side, for example, the horn body 20 side,
It is electrically connected to the system main body side.

However, since the flat cable 12 housed inside the roll connector is formed of a thin conductive wire, it has a small conductive capacity, and therefore a large current of, for example, several amperes is applied to this flat cable.
It cannot flow directly to the cable 12. On the other hand, in order to operate the drive circuit of the horn body 20 or the like, for example, it is necessary to flow a large current of about several amperes. That is, the second terminal 16 of the roll connector and the drive circuit such as the horn body 20 cannot be directly connected by the wire harness.

To solve this problem, a relay circuit 24 is connected between the second terminal 16 of the roll connector 10 and the horn body 20 as shown in the figure.
That is, the second terminal 16 of the roll connector and one control side terminal 24a of the relay circuit 24 are connected by a wire harness, while the horn body 20 and the one drive side terminal 24b of the relay circuit 24 are connected. Are connected by wire harness. The relay circuit 24 itself connected by the wire harness as described above is usually provided in the combination switch as shown in the drawing. As shown, the other control-side terminal 25a of the relay circuit 24 is
While being connected to the bias power source, the other drive-side terminal 25b of the relay circuit 24 is grounded.

By the way, in the roll connector of this type, as described above, a wire harness for electrically connecting the roll connector and the relay circuit when the roll connector is attached to the combination switch body is provided. Not only does it have to be prepared separately, but there is also the problem that the assembly of the steering mechanism cannot be simplified because the relay case housing the relay circuit is provided separately on the combination switch side. This is a bottleneck in reducing manufacturing costs.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that a wire harness for connecting a roll connector and a relay circuit is not necessary and the assembly process of the entire steering mechanism is simplified. The purpose is to provide a roll connector that can.

[0007]

Means, Actions and Effects for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following roll connector.

That is, the roll connector includes a stator casing member and a rotor casing member rotatable with respect to the stator casing member, and has a spiral shape in an annular space formed inside the both casing members. The flat cable is stored in. The rotor casing member is electrically connected to one end of the flat cable while the horn switch provided on the steering wheel, the system operation switch of the air bag system, the auto cruise control
It has a first terminal electrically connected to a control circuit such as a set switch of the system. On the other hand, the stator casing member is electrically connected to a relay circuit in which the other end of the flat cable is electrically connected to one of the control side terminals, and one of the drive side terminals of the relay circuit. On the other hand, it is provided with a horn body controlled by the control circuit, and a second terminal electrically connected to a horn drive circuit of each system body or the like.

In this structure, the other control-side terminal of the relay circuit is connected to the bias power source, while the other drive-side terminal of the relay circuit is grounded. The other control side terminal and the other drive side terminal are respectively connected to the second
It is provided adjacent to the terminal or at a position separated from the second terminal.

In the roll connector of this structure, the stator casing member is fixed to a combination switch body provided on a steering column located around the steering shaft, while the rotor casing member is arranged on the steering wheel. It is incorporated into a steering mechanism of an automobile while being attached to a steering shaft so as to rotate integrally with the steering shaft.

According to the above construction, since the roll connector and the relay circuit are unitized as one unitary device, a mounting step for mounting the relay case housing the relay circuit as a separate body on the combination switch is required. Not only omitted, but also relay circuit and roll
There is no need for a wire harness for external wiring to connect to the connector. As a result, the assembly process of the entire steering mechanism is simplified, the manufacturing material can be saved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the roll connector from the combination switch side of the automobile steering mechanism to which the connector is applied.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2 and a circuit of the roll connector shown in FIG. 2, respectively.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 is a stator casing member fixed to a combination switch 80 included in the steering mechanism as shown in FIG. 4, and 40 is a steering shaft (not shown) so as to rotate integrally with the steering wheel. It is a rotor / casing member mounted in the drawing). As shown in the figure, the stator casing member 30 is composed of an annular bottom plate 30a located on the combination switch side and a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 30b integrally formed on the outer peripheral edge of the annular bottom plate 30a. On the other hand, the rotor casing member 40 includes an annular upper plate 40a located on the handle side and opposed to the annular bottom plate 30a, and a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 40b integrally formed at the inner peripheral edge of the annular upper plate 40a. It is configured. Then, the protrusion 30 protruding radially inward is located inside the outer edge of the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 30b of the stator casing member 30 on the annular upper plate 40a side.
While f is provided, stepped portions 40d and 40e are provided on the outer edge portions of the annular upper plate 40a and the cylindrical inner peripheral wall 40b of the rotor casing member 40, respectively, as shown in the figure.

When the stator casing member 30 and the rotor casing member 40 are combined with each other, the protrusion 30f of the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 30b and the annular bottom plate 3 are formed.
In the state where the rotor casing member 40 is sandwiched between the stator casing member 30 and the rotor casing member 0a, the stator casing member 30 and the rotor casing member 40 are rotatably supported by each other. As described above, the flexible flat cable 60 of the roll connector is housed in the donut-shaped space formed inside the stator casing member 30 and the rotor casing member 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of fixing protrusions 30d for fixing the stator casing member 30 to the combination switch are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the stator casing member 30. As shown in the drawing, screw holes 30e are formed in each of the fixing protrusions 30d so that the stator casing member 30 can be screwed to the combination switch. In FIG. 3, 30c is an end support provided on the rotor casing member 40 side, and the member 30c exerted an unreasonable force on the flat cable 60 housed in the roll connector. At times, the bent portion of the flat cable 60 is prevented from being excessively deformed. Further, in the figure, 40f is a positioning recess formed on the outer peripheral edge of the cylindrical inner peripheral wall 40b of the rotor casing member 40 on the combination switch side, and the rotor casing member 40 is handled by the recess 40f. The rotor casing member 40 is positioned or locked with respect to the steering wheel when it is mounted on the steering shaft of the combination switch 8 and the stator casing member 30.
When fixed to 0, the rotor casing member 40 can rotate integrally with the steering wheel.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stator-side connector 30A is provided on the annular bottom plate 30a of the stator casing member 30, while the rotor is provided on the annular upper plate 40a of the rotor casing member 40. A side connector 40A is provided, and the respective connectors 30A, 40
Through A, this roll connector can be electrically connected to the outside.

Now, the stator casing member 30
As shown in the drawing, a rectangular column-shaped relay box 50 having a relay circuit accommodated therein is provided on the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 30b in the vicinity of the stator-side connector 30A. In the relay box 50, the side surface 50a of the box 50 on the side of the annular bottom plate 30a and the side surface 50b on the side of the annular upper plate 40a are respectively the annular bottom plate 30a of the stator casing member 30 and the rotor casing member 40. The annular upper plate 40a of the stator
It is integrally formed with the casing member 30. By forming in this way, the relay box 50 does not get in the way when the roll connector is attached to the combination switch 80.

This roll connector relay circuit includes a stator side connector 30A and a rotor side connector 40.
A and the flat cable 60 are electrically connected as follows.

That is, in FIG. 4, 42 is one end 43 of the flat cable 60 provided on the rotor side connector.
The first terminal electrically connected to the
A relay circuit included in the connector, 100a is one driving coil terminal (control side terminal) of the relay circuit 100 electrically connected to the other end 45 of the flat cable 60, 100
b is one contact terminal (drive side terminal) of the relay circuit 100, 44 is a second terminal electrically connected to the contact terminal 100b, 100c is the other drive coil terminal (control side terminal) of the relay circuit 100d Is the other contact terminal (driving side terminal) of the relay circuit, and 46 is the other contact terminal 100.
A third terminal electrically connected to d, and a fourth terminal 48 electrically connected to the other driving coil terminal 100c.
Terminal. As shown in the figure, the rotor side connector 40
A has a first terminal 42, while the stator-side connector 30A has a second terminal 44.

The stator side connector 30A is connected to a relay
By providing in the vicinity of the box 50, the relay circuit 10
It is possible to significantly shorten the internal wiring for connecting the pair of contact terminals 100b, 100d of 0 and the second and third terminals 44, 46 of the stator side connector 30A, respectively,
Cost reduction of this roll connector can be realized.

The roll connector thus constructed is connected to an external circuit as follows.

That is, the first terminal 42 of the rotor side connector 40A is connected to the horn switch 70, the second terminal 44 of the stator side connector 30A is connected to the horn body 90, and the third terminal 46 is grounded. The fourth terminal 48 is connected to the bias power source. Reference numeral 92 in the drawing denotes a fuse connected between the horn body 90 and the bias power source.

With this circuit configuration, the horn switch 7
When 0 is closed, the drive coil of the relay circuit 100 is energized through the first terminal 42 of the rotor-side connector 40A and the fourth terminal 48 of the stator-side connector 30A, and as a result, the above-mentioned one pair of the relay circuit 100 is energized. Contact terminal 100
b and 100d are closed, and the second connector 30A
The horn body 90 is energized through the terminal 44 and the third terminal 46.

In the roll connector of the above embodiment, the relay box 50 is provided so as to be located outside the cylindrical outer peripheral wall 30b of the stator casing member 30, but instead of this structure, the relay box 50 is provided. The stator
A combination switch body 8 provided on the side of the annular bottom plate 30a of the casing member 30 close to the stator side connector 30A and fixed with a roll connector.
0 may be provided with a recess corresponding to the shape of the relay box.

With this structure, the relay box of the roll connector and the recess of the combination switch body can function as a rotation preventing (locking) mechanism for the stator casing member with respect to the combination switch.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a roll connector according to a conventional embodiment,
Arrangement of combination switch and relay circuit
It is explanatory drawing which shows an electrical connection relationship schematically.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a roll connector according to one embodiment of the present invention from the side of a steering column for an automobile.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of the roll connector shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing a circuit of the roll connector shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 stator casing member 30A stator side connector 30a annular bottom plate 30b tubular outer peripheral wall 30c end support 30d fixing protrusion 30e screw hole 30f protrusion 40 rotor casing member 40A rotor side connector 40a annular upper plate 40b tubular inner peripheral wall 40d Stepped portion 40e Stepped portion 40f Recessed portion 42 First terminal 43 One end of flat cable 44 Second terminal 45 Other end of flat cable 46 Third terminal 48 Fourth terminal 50 Relay box 50a Annular bottom plate side surface 50b Annular top Board side 60 Flat cable 70 Horn switch 80 Combination switch 90 Horn 92 Fuse 100 Relay circuit 100a Drive coil terminal 100b Contact terminal 100c Drive coil terminal 100d Contact terminal

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stator casing member (30) and a rotor casing member (40) rotatable with respect to the stator casing member (30) are provided inside the both casing members (30, 40). In the roll connector in which the flat cable (60) is housed in a spiral shape in the formed annular space, the rotor casing member (40) is electrically connected to one end (43) of the flat cable (60). A first terminal (42) that is electrically connected to a control circuit (70) such as a horn switch provided on the steering wheel is connected to the stator casing member (30). A relay circuit (100) in which the other end (45) of the cable (60) is electrically connected to the control side terminal (100a), and the relay circuit. A second terminal (44) electrically connected to the drive side terminal (100b) of the road (100) and electrically connected to a drive circuit such as a horn controlled by the control circuit (70). A roll connector characterized in that