JPH11329652A - Rotary connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary connector, high in reliability and capable of being reduced in size. SOLUTION: This rotary connector comprises a male connector part 2 equipped with a plurality of male-type contact members 31 to 37 coaxially disposed and fixed in a cap-like case 21, and a female connector part 4 equipped with a plurality of annular female-type contact members 51 to 57 corresponding to the male-type contact members 31 to 37 and coaxially disposed and fixed on a turning member 42 provided turnably in a cap-like case 41 fitting to the cap-like case 21, and the male-type contact members 31 to 37 are electrically connected, by sliding engagement, to the corresponding female-type contact members 51 to 57, respectively, by fitting together the cap-like cases 21, 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotary connector for electrically connecting wires of two relatively rotatable cables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A slip ring is conventionally used when a plurality of wires of a fixed cable are to be electrically connected to a corresponding plurality of wires of a rotating cable. The slip ring is configured so that metal contact using a rotating shaft is used for electrical connection between wires.

[0003]

However, when a slip ring is used, a rotary shaft is required, so that it is difficult to reduce the size and to apply the present invention to a cable connection point where a rotary shaft cannot be provided. There is a problem that it cannot be used and lacks versatility. In addition, the slip ring has a problem that the contact area of the rotating contact portion is small, and the contact portion is liable to occur when the contact portion is displaced due to wear of each member due to long-term use, resulting in poor reliability. .

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotating connector which can solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary connector for electrically connecting respective wires of two relatively rotatable cables. A first connector portion and a second connector portion, wherein the first connector portion includes a first cap-shaped case and a plurality of first cap-shaped cases coaxially arranged and fixed in the first cap-shaped case. A contact member, wherein the second connector portion is rotatably provided in the second cap-shaped case and a second cap-shaped case fitted with the first cap-shaped case. A rotating member, and a plurality of annular second contact members coaxially arranged and fixed to the rotating member corresponding to the first contact member, wherein the first cap-shaped case and the Fit with the second cap-shaped case Configuration wherein each of the first contact member so as to be electrically connected engages slidingly engaged with the corresponding second contact member is proposed by the.

[0006] By fitting the first cap-like case and the second cap-like case, each of the first contact members is slidably engaged with the corresponding annular second contact member, and is electrically connected. Contact. The second contact member is fixed to the rotating member, and slidably contacts the first contact member when rotated together with the rotating member in the second cap-shaped case. Therefore, even if, for example, the cable wired to the first contact member and the cable wired to the second contact member rotate relatively, the sliding contact between the first contact member and the second contact member causes The required electrical connection between the two cables can be maintained. In this case, since the second contact member is an annular member, good and highly reliable electrical connection with the first contact member is possible. In addition, since a rotating shaft is not required, downsizing is possible.

Here, the first contact member may be a male contact member and the second contact member may be a female contact member. Conversely, the first contact member may be a female contact member and the second contact member may be a female contact member. The member may be a male contact member.

According to the present invention, in the above structure, a guide pin for centering is provided on the first cap-shaped case,
The rotation member may be configured to rotate around the guide pin. When the guide pins are provided, alignment for mutual contact between the first contact member and the second contact member is accurately performed, and the first connector portion and the second connector portion can be smoothly attached and detached. it can.

According to the present invention, in the above structure, either the first or second contact member is a female contact member, and each of the female contact members is electrically conductive to a flexible insulator such as raw rubber. It can also be configured by attaching a brush-like contact member in which the wire is shaped like a gold brush. According to this configuration, since the electrical connection with the other contact member is made elastically, the required electrical connection can be reliably made even if the mechanical dimensional accuracy of each part is low.

In the above structure, the brush-like contact member is configured to contact both sides of the other corresponding contact member,
As a result, the electrical contact resistance can be further reduced, and the electrical connection between the two can be performed more reliably.

In the present invention, in the above configuration, the rotating member is nested in the second cap-shaped case, and beads are laid between the rotating member and the second cap-shaped case. This allows the rotating member to move to the second
Can be configured to be slidable in the cap-shaped case. According to this configuration, the rotation of the rotation member is smooth, and it is possible to effectively prevent a large torsion force from being applied to the cable when the cable relatively rotates.

According to the present invention, in the above structure, a shaft portion is provided at a substantially central portion of the rotating member, and a through-hole for passing the shaft portion is provided in the second cap-shaped case. An electrical wiring connection between one of the cables and the second contact member may be provided. According to this configuration, the turning member is stably rotatably supported in the second cap-shaped case, and the cable is passed through the shaft portion so that the axis of the cable coincides with the axis of the turning member. In addition, the cable can be smoothly rotated.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a rotary connector according to the present invention. The rotary connector 1
Each wire K1 to K7 of the fixed cable K,
This is for making an electrical connection between the wires R1 to R7 of the rotating cable R, and includes a male connector 2 and a female connector 4.

The male connector section 2 has a cap-shaped case 21 having a cylindrical shape with a bottom. An insulating contact holding member 22 provided at the bottom in the cap-shaped case 21 has
A plurality of male contact members 31 to 37 are provided vertically.

As shown in FIG. 2, the male contact member 31 is made of an insulating material having appropriate rigidity, and is fixed to the contact holding member 22 by an appropriate means such as an adhesive. It comprises a ring 31A and an electrode piece 31B made of a conductive material such as phosphor bronze fixed to the electrode holding ring 31A with an adhesive or the like. In the present embodiment, the electrode piece 31B is formed as an elongated plate-shaped electrode member.
The other male contact members 32-37 have the same configuration,
The diameters of the electrode holding rings 31A to 37A are slightly different, and as shown in FIG.
7 are coaxially arranged at appropriate constant intervals, whereby a plurality of male contact members 31 to 37 are connected to the wires K1 to K7.
It constitutes a set of male contacts for connection of K7.

The distal end of the cable K is connected to a bushing 2 attached to the bottom wall 21A of the cap-shaped case 21.
The wires K1 to K7 that are drawn into the cap-shaped case 21 via the cable 3 and constitute the cable K are electrically connected to the electrode pieces 31B to 37B of the male contact members 31 to 37, respectively. However, in FIG. 1, illustration of the wiring connection state is omitted.

Next, the female connector section 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. The female connector section 4 also includes a cap-shaped case 41 having a bottomed cylindrical shape.
The outer diameter of the cap-shaped case 41 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cap-shaped case 21, so that the cap-shaped case 41 can be fitted into the cap-shaped case 21 (FIG. 5). reference).

A cap-shaped rotating member 42 made of plastic, which is an electrically insulating material, is housed in the cap-shaped case 41, and is integrally provided substantially at the center of the rear end surface 42A of the rotating member 42. The shaft portion 42B is rotatably supported by a bearing member 43 provided on the bottom wall portion 41A of the cap-shaped case 41. A stopper ring 44 is provided inside the cap-shaped case 41, whereby the stopper ring 44 restricts the axial movement of the rotating member 42 in the cap-shaped case 41, 42 is prevented from getting out of the cap-shaped case 41.

The space 45 between the rotating member 42 and the cap-shaped case 41 is filled with beads 46, so that the rotating member 42 can smoothly rotate in the cap-shaped case 41. Is being done.

On the inner bottom surface 42C of the rotating member 42, annular female contact members 51 to 57 corresponding to the male contact members 31 to 37 are vertically provided.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, the female contact member 51 includes a cylindrical electrode holding ring 51A made of raw rubber which is a flexible insulating material and an electrode holding ring 5A.
1A, and an electrode portion 51B fixed to the outer surface 51Aa. The electrode portion 51B includes an upper electrode 51Ba and a lower electrode 51Bb, which are formed by densely growing a thin conductive wire in a form like a metal brush, and are arranged to face each other. And
The tip of the corresponding electrode piece 31B of the male contact member 31 enters between the upper electrode 51Ba and the lower electrode 51Bb, and the electrode piece 31B is moved to the upper electrode 51Ba and the lower electrode 51B.
b so that they are electrically connected to each other.

According to such an electrical contact method, flexibility is generated in a required positional relationship between the two for electrical connection.
Even when the relative positional relationship between the male contact member 31 and the female contact member 51 is deviated from a design value due to an error caused in manufacturing or wear due to use, a problem that electric contact is insufficient is caused. It does not occur, and it is possible to ensure electrical contact between them by allowing some dimensional error,
Further, an advantage that the electrical contact resistance is reduced can be obtained.

The other female contact members 52 to 57 have the same configuration, however, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, their diameters are slightly different from each other. Reference numerals 57 are coaxially arranged at appropriate constant intervals, whereby the female contact members 51 to 57 constitute a set of female contact portions for the wires R1 to R7.

The distal end of the cable R is passed through the shaft 42B of the rotating member 42, and the wires R1 to R7 of the cable R are connected to the female contact members 51 to 57, respectively. The illustration of the wiring connection state is omitted.

In this embodiment, the case where the number of wires of the male contact member and the number of wires of the cable are both seven has been described, but these may be any number. The number of male contact members may be greater than the number of wires to be contacted, and the number of male contact members and the number of wires need not necessarily be the same.

Referring to FIG. 1, a guide rod 24 having a conical tip is provided on the male connector section 2 side, while a guide rod 24 for receiving the guide rod 24 is provided on the female connector section 4 side. A recess 45 is provided.

As a result, when the male connector portion 2 and the female connector portion 4 are fitted, as shown in FIG.
The guide rod 24 is guided by the concave portion 45 and the male connector portion 2
And the female connector portion 4 can be easily brought into a positional relationship necessary for fitting, and the male contact members 31 to 3 can be formed.
7 can be easily positioned with respect to the female contact members 51-57, and the required electrical connection between the male contact members 31-37 and the female contact members 51-57 can be easily and reliably performed. Can be.

As described above, by fitting the male connector portion 2 and the female connector portion 4, the male contact member 3 is formed.
Each of 1 to 37 slidably engages with the corresponding annular female contact member 51 to 57. Female contact members 51-
57 is fixed to the rotating member 42 and rotates together with the rotating member 42 in the cap-shaped case 41. Therefore,
When the cable K and the cable R rotate relative to each other, the male type contact members 31 to 37 and the female type contact members 51 to 57 come into sliding contact with each other due to sliding engagement. The required electrical connection between them can be maintained.
In this case, since the female contact members 51 to 57 are annular members, good and highly reliable electrical connection with the male contact members 31 to 37 can be achieved. In addition, since a rotating shaft is not required, downsizing is possible.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, a pair of pins P1 and P2 are implanted on the outer periphery of the cap-shaped case 21 and the pins P1 and P2 are mounted on the outer periphery of the cap-shaped case 41. The stoppers Q1 and Q2 are fixedly provided in correspondence with. Therefore, after the male connector portion 2 and the female connector portion 4 are fitted, the stopper Q1 is
1 and the stopper Q2 is locked to the pin P2, so that the male connector portion 2 and the female connector portion 4 can be prevented from being detached (see FIG. 5).

As described above, an example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment,
Although the configuration in which the male contact members 31 to 37 are fixedly attached to the male connector portion 2 is shown, a rotatable member corresponding to the rotating member 42 is provided in the male connector portion 2 and this rotatable member is provided. The male contact members 31 to 37 are provided on the member, and the female contact member 51 provided on the female connector portion 4 is provided.
57 may be fixedly attached thereto, and the rotating cable R may be connected to the male connector portion 2 and the cable K fixed to the female connector portion 4 may be connected.

Further, in the above embodiment, the female contact members 51 to 57 are formed as annular members, and the male contact members 31 to 57 are used.
7 is a member provided with the electrode pieces 31B to 37B that slidably engage therewith, but instead of this, the male contact member 31 is used.
To 37 are annular electrodes and the female contact member 51
To 57 may be configured as clip-shaped female contacts that are in sliding contact with these annular electrodes.

[0033]

According to the present invention, as described above, since the contact member constituting the contact is an annular member, a good and highly stable electric contact can be constituted, and the electric contact can be formed for a long period of time. Therefore, a highly reliable rotary connector can be provided. In addition, since a rotating shaft is not particularly required, it is possible to provide a rotating connector that can be miniaturized, has a wide application range, and has high versatility.

Further, by providing a guide pin, the first
Positioning for mutual contact between the contact member and the second contact member can be accurately and easily performed, and the first connector portion and the second connector portion can be smoothly attached and detached.

Further, if one of the contact members is configured as a brush-like contact member, the electrical connection with the other contact member is made elastically, so that even if the mechanical dimensional accuracy of the case or the like is low, required contact is required. Electrical connection can be made reliably.

Further, the rotating member is nested in the second cap-shaped case, and beads are laid between the rotating member and the second cap-shaped case. When the cable is configured to be slidable in the cap-shaped case, the rotation of the rotation member is smooth, and when the cable is relatively rotated, it is possible to effectively prevent a large twisting force from being applied to the cable. Can be.

Further, a shaft portion is provided substantially at the center of the rotating member, and a through-hole for passing the shaft portion is provided in the second cap-shaped case, so that one of the cables and the second contact member can be connected via the shaft portion. When the electric wiring connection is made, the rotating member is stably and rotatably supported in the second cap-shaped case, and the cable is passed through the shaft to rotate the cable with the shaft of the cable. The axis of the moving member can be made coincident, and the rotation of the cable can be performed smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of a rotary connector according to the present invention in a state where a male connector section and a female connector section are detached.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the male contact member shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the female connector section shown in FIG. 1;

4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a female contact member of the female connector section shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the rotary connector illustrated in FIG. 1 is connected.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotation connector 2 Male connector part 4 Female connector part 21, 41 Cap-shaped case 22 Contact holding member 24 Guide rod 31-37 Male type contact member 31A-37A, 51A-57A Electrode holding ring 31B-37B Electrode piece 42 Rotation Member 45 Recess 51-57 Female contact member 51B-57B Electrode K, R Cable K1-K7, R1-R7 Wire

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A rotary connector for electrically connecting respective wires of two relatively rotatable cables, comprising a first connector section and a second connector section, wherein the first connector section Comprises a first cap-shaped case, and a plurality of first contact members coaxially arranged and fixed in the first cap-shaped case, wherein the second connector portion is provided with the first cap A second cap-shaped case that fits with the case, a turning member rotatably provided in the second cap-shaped case, and a coaxial member corresponding to the first contact member on the turning member. A plurality of annular second contact members arranged and fixed, each of the first contact members being fitted by fitting the first cap-shaped case and the second cap-shaped case. Corresponding second contact portion Rotary connector being characterized in that so as to be electrically connected engages slidingly engaged in. 2. The rotating connector according to claim 1, wherein a guide pin for centering is provided on the first cap-shaped case, and the rotating member is rotated about the guide pin. 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein one of said first and second contact members is a female contact member, and each of said female contact members is provided with a brush-like contact member made of a conductive wire on a flexible insulator. The rotary connector according to claim 1, wherein the rotary connector is configured. 4. The rotating member is nested within the second cap-shaped case, and the rotating member and the second
2. The rotary connector according to claim 1, wherein beads are laid between said second case and said cap-shaped case so that said rotating member can slide in said second cap-shaped case. 5. A shaft portion is provided at a substantially central portion of the rotating member, and a through hole for passing the shaft portion is provided in the second cap-shaped case, and one of the cables is connected to the second cap-shaped case through the shaft portion. The rotary connector according to claim 1, wherein the rotary connector is configured to make an electrical wiring connection between the two contact members.