Cable reel

Details Cable reel Cable reel

2002-01-24

2003-06-03

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With relatively guided members and intermediate pliable...

Relatively movable about axis

Reexamination Certificate

active

06572393

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to cable reels of reverse type to be installed on a steering apparatus of a vehicle, and to methods of their formation. More particularly, the present invention relates to the improvement of a reverse ring for reversing a flat cable accommodated in an annular hollow space formed by a movable member and a stationary member.
2. Description of Related Art
A cable reel of reverse type to be installed on the steering apparatus of a vehicle, as shown in
FIGS. 8A and 8B
, has been proposed. In the cable reel of
FIGS. 8A and 8B
, a stationary member
19
serving as an outer cylinder is fixed to a steering column (not shown), and a movable member
12
serving as an inner cylinder is fixed to a steering wheel (not shown). The stationary member
19
and the movable member
12
are connected so as to be rotatable relative to each other. An annular rotary ring
17
made of synthetic resin is freely rotatably accommodated in the annular hollow space
18
formed by the stationary member
19
and the movable member
12
. Reverse rings
15
and
16
made of synthetic resin are locked to the rotary ring
17
.
In the annular hollow space
18
, flat cables
13
and
14
each having one end connected to the movable member
12
are wound in a space C
5
disposed between the movable member
12
and the reverse rings
15
and
16
and pass through two reverse gaps C
6
disposed between the reverse rings
15
and
16
. Then the flat cables
13
and
14
are wound in the opposite direction in a space C
4
disposed between the stationary member
19
and the reverse rings
15
and
16
. The other end of each of the flat cables
13
and
14
is connected to the stationary member
19
.
In this cable reel, when the steering handle or steering wheel is rotated in one direction, the flat cables
13
and
14
pass through the reverse gaps C
6
of the reverse rings
15
and
16
by sliding around the U-shape bends at the ends of the reverse rings
15
and
16
. In this way, the flat cables
13
and
14
move to the inner side of the reverse ring and are wound on the peripheral surface of the movable member
12
. On the other hand, when the steering handle or steering wheel is rotated in the opposite direction, the rewound flat cables
13
and
14
pass through the reverse gaps C
6
while they are moving back around the U-shaped bends. The flat cables
13
and
14
move to the outer side of the reverse rings
15
and
16
and are wound on the inner peripheral surface of the stationary member
19
.
In the cable reel described above, the reverse rings
15
and
16
are required to reverse the direction of winding of the flat cables
13
and
14
. To prevent vibrations of the reverse rings
15
and
16
in the annular hollow space
18
, the reverse rings
15
and
16
are locked to the rotary ring
17
. That is, to construct the member for reversing the flat cable, three parts are required. These are the two reverse rings
15
and
16
and one rotary ring
17
.
With an increase of the number of flat cables in such a cable reel, it is necessary to increase the number of reverse rings. This leads to an increase in the number of component parts and makes the manufacturing cost high.
The reverse rings
15
and
16
are fixed to the rotary ring
17
and thus they are incapable of moving in directions other than the rotary direction. Further, because the reverse rings
15
and
16
are not flexible, there is no change in the width of the space C
4
between the stationary member
18
and each of the reverse rings
15
and
16
and that of the space C
5
between the movable member
12
and each of the reverse rings
15
and
16
.
Accordingly, with an increase in the number of flat cables which pass through each space C
5
and C
6
due to the rotation of the movable member
12
, the width of each space is set, for example, during manufacture by adding an allowance thereto, i.e. each space is made wider if the cable reel carries a larger number of bundles of flat cables. This has the defect that the flat cables
13
and
14
may move freely or loosely in a wider portion of the passage when they are moved in each passage by the rotation of the movable member
12
. As a result, the flat cables
13
and
14
generate vibrations and abnormal sounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to reduce or avoid the above-described problem. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the number of component parts in a cable reel of reverse type. A further object is to reduce or prevent generation of vibrations and/or abnormal sounds when a movable member rotates, by improving members for reversing a flat cable which is accommodated in an annular hollow space of a cable reel of reverse type.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cable reel that includes:
a stationary member;
a rotatable member located with respect to the stationary member so as to define an annular hollow space between the rotatable and stationary members;
a reverse member accommodated in the annular hollow space, the reverse member including a plurality of reverse portions and an annular member, the reverse member being formed in one piece from; and
a flat cable accommodated in the annular hollow space, the flat cable having respective spaced portions fixed with respect to the stationary member and with respect to the rotatable member and an intermediate portion between the spaced portions which is wound on one of the reverse portions.
The reverse member may be made from a resiliently flexible sheet.
Preferably, the reverse portions are radially expansible loops formed so as to press part of the intermediate portion of the flat cable against the stationary member. Typically, each reverse portion is formed by looping an arm projecting from the annular member. Each arm may have a fixed end, fixed to the annular member, and a free end, the free end being slidably movable with respect to the fixed end. Alternatively, each arm may have a fixed end, fixed to the annular member, and a free end., the free end being engageable with the fixed end in order to retain the loop. In that case, the free end of the arm may be engageable with or lockable to the fixed end of the arm via a slot.
The annular member may be disposed centrally of circumferential arm projections which are bent and looped to form the reverse portions.
Preferably, the arm projections are L-shaped.
Each L-shaped arm projection may include a short transverse portion and a long longitudinal portion, the transverse portion connecting the longitudinal portion to the annular member. The slot may be formed on the longitudinal portion, near the fixed end of the arm.
Preferably, to form one of the reverse portions, the transverse portion is bent perpendicularly to the central annular member and the longitudinal portion is looped to form one of the reverse portions. The part of the flat cable wound on each reverse portion may be sandwiched between the outer surface of each reverse ring and the outer wall of the annular hollow portion and, optionally, between the adjacent reverse rings. Thus, when the flat cable moves with the rotation of the movable member, it can be difficult for the flat cable to move freely. This can assist in the suppression of the generation of vibrations and abnormal sounds.
Typically, the central annular member serves as a rotary ring and is disposed on a bottom surface of the annular hollow space. A gap between an inner peripheral surface of each reverse portion and a peripheral surface of the movable member may be identified as an inner peripheral passage for each flat cable to be fixed with respect to the movable member. A gap between the reverse portions adjacent to each other circumferentially may be identified as a reversing passage for each flat cable. A gap between a peripheral surface of each reverse portion and an inner peripheral surface of the stationary member may be identified as an outer peripheral passage for each flat cable.
In use, the rotary ring rotates w

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