Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Movement about axis
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-09
2003-06-17
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Movement about axis
C200S061540
Reexamination Certificate
active
06579103
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roller connector which is mounted on a steering device of an automobile and used as a means for electrical connection between such electrical devices as the steering device and an air-bag system provided in the vehicle body.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been proposed a roller connector for electrical connection between an electric device mounted on a steering device and an electrical device provided in the vehicle body.
The roller connector enables electrical connection between an electrical device mounted on the steering wheel which is a rotating body, and an electrical device mounted in the vehicle body which is a fixed body. Between the rotor section (movable housing) which is actuated to turn by the steering wheel and a case constituting the stator section (fixed housing) is housed, in a wound state, a flexible electrical cable or an optical fiber cable (hereinafter these cables are generally called the “flexible cables”). The cable is secured at one end to the rotor section and at the other end to the stator section, thereby enabling electrical connection between the electrical devices by utilizing winding and unwinding of the flexible cable.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, a conventional roller connector will be explained.
FIG. 14
is a plan view showing the conventional roller connector.
FIG. 15
is a side plan view showing the conventional roller connector.
FIG. 16
is a plan view for explaining the conventional roller connector. And
FIG. 17
is a sectional view taken along line
17
—
17
of FIG.
14
.
A roller connector
100
, as shown in
FIG. 16
, is comprised roughly of a fixed housing
101
, a movable housing
102
rotatably connected to the fixed housing
101
, first and second flat cables
103
and
104
which are flexible cables housed between the fixed and movable housings
101
and
102
, and a moving body
105
rotatably disposed between the fixed and movable housings
101
and
102
.
The fixed housing
101
is provided with a cylindrical outer cylinder portion
108
, an annular bottom wall
107
provided at the end of the outer cylinder portion
108
, and a round hole
107
a
(shown in
FIG. 17
) provided at the central part of the bottom wall
107
. On the other hand, the movable housing
102
is provided with a cylindrical inner cylinder portion
109
and an approximately annular upper wall
106
located on one end of the inner cylinder portion
109
. The outer cylinder portion
108
and the inner cylinder portion
109
are arranged coaxially, defining an annular housing section
110
between the outer and inner cylinders
108
and
109
.
Inside of the housing section
110
is disposed the moving body
105
, which has a ring-shaped rotating plate
111
, a cluster of a plurality of rollers
112
pivotally supported on the rotating plate
111
, and a circular hole, and is comprised of a pair of cylindrical fixed columns
113
. The pair of fixed columns
113
is formed integrally with the rotating plate
111
. Between one of the pair of fixed columns
113
and the rollers
112
is formed a first opening portion
114
through which the first flat cable
103
is inserted; and between the other of the pair of fixed columns
113
and the rollers
112
is formed a second opening
115
through which the second flat cable
104
is inserted.
The first and second flat cables
103
and
104
are belt-like cables each having a plurality of conductors, such as copper (Cu), extended on one side of a base film made of an insulating tape. The first flat cable
103
is indicated in black and the second flat cable
104
, in white, for the sake of convenience. The outer ends of the first and second flat cables
103
and
104
are connected to the joint portion
116
on the fixed side which is fixed to the outer cylinder portion
108
, being electrically led out of the fixed housing
101
through the joint portion
116
on the fixed side.
The inner ends of the first and second flat cables
103
and
104
are connected to the joint portion
117
on the movable housing
102
, which is fixed to the inner cylinder portion
109
, and are electrically led out of the movable housing
102
through the movable joint portion
117
.
The roller connector
100
of the above-described constitution is used as a means for electrical connection of vehicle-mounted air-bag system and horn circuit by fixedly attaching the fixed housing
101
to the vehicle body (not shown) or the movable housing
102
to a steering wheel member (not shown), and also by connecting both ends of the first and second flat cables
103
and
104
to electrical devices on both the vehicle body side and the steering wheel side through the fixed and movable joint portions
116
and
117
.
Next, the fixed housing
101
and the movable housing
102
of the conventional connector
100
will be explained in detail.
The fixed housing
101
, as shown in
FIG. 17
, is made of a synthetic resin material and formed by a molding process. On the housing
101
are formed the cylindrical outer cylinder portion
108
, and an approximately annular bottom wall
107
which intersects the axis of the outer cylinder portion
108
and located on one end side of the outer cylinder portion
108
. At the central part of the bottom wall
107
is formed a round hole
107
a.
At a specific part of the outer edge portion of the bottom wall
107
are provided a plurality (e.g., four) mounting portions
107
b
protruding outwardly. The mounting portions
107
b
are provided with holes
107
c.
On the other hand the movable housing
102
is made of a synthetic resin material and formed by a molding process. The approximately annular upper wall
106
, the cylindrical inner cylinder
109
projecting out to meet the upper wall
106
at right angles, and an electrical lead-through section
118
projecting out on the opposite side of the inner cylinder portion
109
in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the upper wall
106
are formed in one body.
The circular hole at the central part of the inner cylinder
109
includes a large-diameter hole
109
a
on one end side and a small-diameter hole
109
b
on the other end side which is smaller in diameter than the large-diameter hole
109
a.
The electrical lead-through section
118
of the upper wall
106
, surrounded with an approximately semicircular side wall, is integrally formed into a cylindrical form, and has a first side wall
118
a
of a flat shape formed on the axis side of the movable housing
102
, a second side wall
118
b
of a curved shape opposite to the first sidewall
118
a,
and a pair of third side walls
118
c,
118
c
(shown in
FIG. 14
) of a circular shape in opposite positions connecting the first and second side walls
118
a
and
118
b.
The surface of the second side wall
118
b
of the curved shape is formed into a shape along the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall
106
of the movable housing
102
.
In the area (section) surrounded by the first, second and third side walls
118
a,
118
b
and
118
c
are arranged a plurality of (e.g., five) terminals
119
made of an electrically conductive material and a plurality of (e.g., four) leads
120
(shown in FIG.
14
). The leads
120
are extended (led) out of the electrical lead-through section
118
of the movable housing
102
. The terminal
119
and the lead
120
are electrically connected by an appropriate means to the first and second flat cables
103
and
104
through the movable joint portion
117
.
The terminal
119
is configured as a so-called connector portion.
The inner cylinder portion
109
of the movable housing
102
is arranged with the inner cylinder
109
inserted in the hole
107
a
formed in the fixed housing
101
, thereby forming both the movable housing
102
and the fixed housing
101
into one body.
Next, the structure for mounting the roller connector
100
to the steering device will be explained.
FIG. 18
is a plan view explaining the mounting the conventional roller connector
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Luebke Renee
LandOfFree
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