JPH0950873A - Electric connector between rotor and stator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce stress applied on a flexible flat cable and improve durability by providing a stress absorption part in an arbitrary point of a carrier and absorbing the stress applied on the carrier by deformation. SOLUTION: While a part of a flexible flat cable wound around an outer circumference of a rotor 1 is disentangled with counterclockwise rotation of the rotor 1, the flexible flat cable(FFC) 11 is wound around the internal circumference of a housing 2 and a carrier 8 is pushed by the outer circumferential face of a reversal part 11a so as to move in the same direction of the rotor 1. While a part wound around the internal circumference, of the housing is disentangled with clockwise rotation of the rotor 1, it is wound around the outer circumference of the rotor 1 so that the carrier 8 rotatingly moves in the same direction of the rotor 1. When the carrier 8 is pushed by the reversal part 11a in this action, the stress applied on the carrier 8 by a sliding frictional resistance is absorbed by deformation of a stress absorbing part 8a and the carrier 8 is expanded/contracted in the internal and outer circumferential directions. The stress applied on FFC11 can be thus reduced and durability of FFC11 can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention connects a fixed body side and a rotating body provided in the fixed body by a flexible flat cable (hereinafter abbreviated as FFC) provided in an annular space between them. The present invention relates to an electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body, and more particularly, to improvement of a carrier structure through which a winding direction reversal portion of an FFC passes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the progress of electronic control of automobiles, steering wheels (steering wheels) of steering devices of automobiles are provided with various switches for electronic control. Therefore, it is necessary to connect to the steering column side. Since the steering wheel of an automobile is set to be rotatable left and right a plurality of times, in order to electrically connect the rotating shaft of the steering wheel and the steering column, generally, an FFC equipped with a plurality of conducting wires is used. There is used an electrical connecting device between a rotating body and a fixed body, which is provided in a spiral state between a rotating body fixed to the housing and a housing which is a fixed body fixed to the steering column side.

As an electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body as described above, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-328071 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-333473, a guide ring or a moving member is used. Plane C called the body
A device using a letter-shaped carrier is known.

That is, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-328071, an opening 9 is provided in an annular space 10 between a rotating body 1 and a fixed body 2 which rotate relative to each other, as shown in FIGS. The plane C-shaped carrier 8 is arranged, and the inverted portion 11a of the FFC 11 is passed through this opening 9.

Rollers 16 (FIG. 5) are provided on the inner and outer circumferences of the carrier 8.
A spring member 17 (FIG. 6) is attached and the FFC 11 is pressed against the outer periphery of the rotating body 1 to prevent the FFC 11 from sagging.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-333473, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a slippery sheet 18 (FIG. 7) is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier 8 or a slippery inner and outer peripheries of the carrier 8. A means for reducing the frictional resistance with the FFC 11 by providing the member 19 (FIG. 8) is disclosed.

[0007]

In each of the above-mentioned prior arts, when the reversing portion 11a of the FFC 11 pushes the carrier 8, stress is applied to the FFC 11 due to the sliding frictional resistance between the carrier 8 and the housing 2, and the stress of the FFC 11 is reduced. The larger size results in faster FFC damage.

The roller 1 shown in FIGS.
Since the FFC 11 is pressed against the outer periphery of the rotating body 1 by the spring 6 and the spring member 17, when the FFC 11 is wound around the rotating body 1 and the thickness increases, the pressing force becomes too strong and the carrier 8 is braked. The stress applied to the FFC 11 is further increased. 7 and 8, there is some margin between the inner circumference of the carrier 8 and the outer circumference of the rotary body 1, but the same phenomenon occurs when the winding amount of the FFC increases.

When the rotating body 1 is forcibly rotated while the carrier 8 is being braked, the FFC 11 wound around the rotating body 1 from the reversing portion 11a is stopped, so that the reversing portion 11a is opened. Trying to escape from the FFC
11 buckles around the inversion part 11a.

As described above, in the conventional electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body, the stress applied to the FFC is large, so that the durability of the FFC becomes short.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides an electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body for reducing stress applied to the FFC and improving durability of the FFC. The purpose is to do.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is such that a rotating body is rotatably provided in a fixed body, and an annular space between the fixed body and the rotating body is provided. An FFC having one end fixed to the fixed body and the other end fixed to the rotating body is accommodated, and the FFC is configured such that an inversion part in the middle passes through an opening of a carrier arranged in the annular space. The electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body is characterized in that a stress absorbing portion that deforms and absorbs the stress applied to the carrier at an arbitrary position of the carrier according to the stress is provided.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, the FF
Stress when the inverted portion of C hits the carrier, and FFC
The stress applied when is caught in the rotating body and comes into contact with the inner circumference of the carrier is absorbed by the stress absorbing portion which is deformed according to this stress, and the stress applied to the FFC can be reduced.

Further, since the stress absorbing portion is deformed only when stress is applied to the carrier and does not always have an elastic function, it does not cause an increase in friction when the carrier is moved and the carrier is smooth. The movement can be secured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connecting device between the rotating body and the fixed body according to the first aspect, wherein the stress absorbing portion is thinner than other portions of the carrier. Is characterized by.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the invention, the stress applied to the carrier can be absorbed by the deformation of the thin stress absorbing portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connecting device between the rotating body and the fixed body according to the first or second aspect.
It is characterized in that the stress absorbing portion is formed in a bellows shape.

Therefore, in the invention described in claim 3, the stress applied to the carrier can be absorbed by the deformation of the bellows-shaped stress absorbing portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connecting device between the rotating body and the fixed body according to the first or second aspect.
It is characterized in that the stress absorbing portion 5 has a substantially S-shape.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 4, the stress applied to the carrier can be absorbed by the deformation of the substantially S-shaped stress absorbing portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connecting device between the rotating body and the fixed body according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the stress absorbing portions are formed at a plurality of positions of the carrier. It is characterized by being.

Therefore, in the invention described in claim 5, the stress applied to the carrier can be absorbed by the deformation of the stress absorbing portions at a plurality of locations.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a plan view in which an upper portion of an electrical connecting device A between a rotating body and a fixed body as one embodiment is opened, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carrier, and FIG. FIG. 4 is another embodiment, and is an overall exploded perspective view.

1 to 4, a rotating body 1 into which a shaft of a steering wheel of an automobile is inserted and fixed is arranged in the center of a housing 2 which is a fixed body fixed to a steering column (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 2 has an under cover 3 having a hole 6 for rotatably supporting the rotating body 1, a cover 4 mounted on the under cover 3, and a cover 4 mounted on the cover 4. It consists of the upper cover 5. The rotating body 1 is inserted into the hole 6, and the flange 7
Is locked to the inner surface of the under cover 5.

The carrier 8 which is a moving member has a substantially planar C-shape having an opening 9 formed in a part of an annular body, and has an annular space 10 formed between the housing 2 and the rotating body 1.
In addition, it is arranged so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction. A stress absorbing portion 8a, which is thinner than the other portions of the carrier 8, is formed in a substantially middle portion of the carrier 8. The stress absorbing portion 8a has a rigidity that is elastically deformed only when stress is applied to the carrier 8 and is not deformed at all times.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, one end of the FFC 11 on the inner peripheral side is fixed to a fixed portion 13 of the rotating body 1 via a mold 12 attached to the tip thereof.
The FFC 11 drawn out from the mold 12 is wound around the outer periphery of the rotating body 1 to form an inversion portion 11a that passes through the opening 9 of the carrier 8, and is reversed along the inner peripheral surface of the housing 2 from the above. The connector 14 which is wound in the direction and attached to the tip is fixed to the housing 2.

In the FFC 11, the part wound around the outer periphery of the rotating body 1 is loosened as the rotating body 1 rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
It is wound around the inner circumference of the housing 2. At this time, FFC11
The reversing portion 11a of the rotating body 1 moves in the annular space 10 while rotating relative to the rotating body 1 while being decelerated in the same direction as the rotating body 1, and the carrier 8 is pushed against the outer peripheral surface of the reversing portion 11a in accordance with this movement. Then, it is rotated in the same direction as the rotating body 1.

On the contrary, in the FFC 11, as the rotating body 1 rotates clockwise in FIG. 1, the portion wound on the inner circumference of the housing 2 is unraveled, and the unraveled portion is on the outer circumference of the rotating body 1. It will be rolled. At this time, the carrier 8 is pushed by the inner peripheral surface of the reversing portion 11a and rotationally moves in the same direction as the rotating body 1.

In the above-mentioned operation, when the carrier 8 is pushed by the reversing portion 11a, a stress is applied to the carrier 8 due to the sliding frictional resistance of the carrier 8, and the FFC 11 is stressed by its reaction. However, the stress applied to the carrier 8 is
It is absorbed by the stress absorbing portion 8a which is deformed according to this stress,
The carrier 8 expands or contracts in the inner or outer circumference, and the FFC 11
The stress on the can be reduced. At this time, the stress absorbing portion 8a is deformed only when a stress is applied to the carrier 8 and does not always have an elastic function, so that the sliding friction resistance of the carrier 8 is small and the smooth movement of the carrier 8 is ensured. It is possible to do this, so that the FFC11
Since the stress applied to the FFC 11 is small, the damage due to the stress of the FFC 11 can be more surely avoided.

Further, even if the FFC 11 is wound around the outer circumference of the rotating body 1 or the inner circumference of the housing 2 and comes into contact with the carrier 8 due to an increase in thickness, the carrier 8 is expanded in the outer circumferential direction or It is possible to reduce the frictional force with the FFC 11 that is reduced in the inner peripheral direction and wound.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a stress absorbing portion 8a at two locations on the carrier 8.
3B, the stress absorbing portion 8a is formed into a bellows shape, and the shape of the stress absorbing portion 8a is formed into a substantially S shape. The structure of the stress absorbing portion 8a is not limited to these embodiments, and the shape and the number of the stress absorbing portion 8a are arbitrary as long as they are deformed by stress.

[0033]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the stress when the inverted portion of the FFC hits the carrier, and the FFC being caught in the rotating body or the housing and contacting the inner and outer circumferences of the carrier. The stress applied at that time is absorbed by the stress absorbing portion, and the stress applied to the FFC can be reduced, and therefore the durability of the FFC can be improved.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the stress absorbing portion is made thinner than the other parts of the carrier, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the stress applied to the carrier is It can be easily absorbed by deformation of the thin stress absorbing part.

According to the invention of claim 3, since the stress absorbing portion is formed in a bellows shape, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the stress applied to the carrier has a bellows shape. It can be absorbed more easily by the deformation of the stress absorbing portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the stress absorbing portion is substantially S.
Since it is formed in the V shape, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the stress applied to the carrier can be more easily absorbed by the deformation of the substantially S-shaped stress absorbing portion.

According to the invention of claim 5, since the stress absorbing portions are formed at a plurality of locations, in addition to the effects of the invention of claims 1 to 4, the stress applied to the carrier is different from that of the stress absorbing portions at a plurality of locations. It can be easily absorbed by deformation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an upper open state showing an embodiment of an electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carrier used in the electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body of FIG.

3A, 3B and 3C are plan views showing other embodiments of the carrier.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a conventional electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body in an upper open state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a carrier of the electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of another conventional electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body in an upper open state.

8 is a perspective view of a carrier of the electrical connection device between the rotating body and the fixed body of FIG. 7. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rotating Body 2 Housing (Fixed Body) 8 Carrier 8a Stress Absorbing Section 10 Annular Space 11 FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) 11a Inversion Section

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A flexible flat in which a rotating body is rotatably provided in a housing, and one end is fixed to the housing and the other end is fixed to the rotating body in an annular space between the housing and the rotating body.・ Cable is accommodated,
This flexible flat cable is an electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body configured such that an inversion part in the middle passes through an opening part of the carrier arranged in the annular space, and an arbitrary connecting part of the carrier is provided. The stress applied to the carrier at
An electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body, comprising a stress absorbing portion that deforms and absorbs according to this stress. 2. The electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body according to claim 1, wherein the stress absorbing portion is thinner than other portions of the carrier. 3. The electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body according to claim 1, wherein the stress absorbing portion is formed in a bellows shape. 4. The electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body according to claim 1, wherein the stress absorbing portion is formed in a substantially S shape. 5. The electrical connection device between a rotating body and a fixed body according to claim 1, wherein the stress absorbing portions are formed at a plurality of positions of the carrier.