Electrical connectors – With relatively guided members and intermediate pliable... – Relatively movable about axis
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-30
2002-08-20
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With relatively guided members and intermediate pliable...
Relatively movable about axis
C439S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06435886
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary connector which is mounted on a steering shaft of an automobile or the like and performs an electric connection between electric devices provided to a steering wheel and a car body respectively.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a rotary connector which electrically connects an electric device provided to a steering wheel with an electric device provided to a car body.
This rotary connector enables the electric connection between the electric device which is provided to the steering wheel which constitutes a rotary body and the electric device which is provided to the car body which constitutes a fixed body. The rotary connector accommodates a flexible electric cable or an optical fiber cable (these are generally referred to as “flexible cable” hereinafter) in a wound form between a rotor portion which is rotatably driven by the steering wheel and a case which constitutes a stator portion. The flexible cable has one end thereof fixedly secured to the rotor portion and the other end thereof fixedly secured to the stator portion. Due to such a constitution, the rotary connector enables the electric connection between respective electric devices by making use of the reeling and unreeling of the flexible cable.
A conventional rotary connector is explained in conjunction with attached drawings.
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view showing the conventional rotary connector and
FIG. 5
is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion B of FIG.
4
.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, this rotary connector
100
is generally comprised of a pair of upper-side first rotor member
11
and a lower-side second rotor member
12
which are concentrically and rotatably connected to each other, a cable accommodating portion
13
, rollers
14
, a roller holder
15
, a lower cover
16
, and a flexible cable
17
which is accommodated and wound in the inside of a space defined by the first and second rotor member
11
,
12
, the cable accommodating portion
13
and the cover
16
.
Here, the first rotor member
11
and the second rotor member
12
are united to form a movable housing, while the cable accommodating portion
13
and the cover
16
are united to form a fixed housing. Further, they are constituted such that when the movable-side housing is rotated in the clockwise direction or counter clockwise direction, the winding of the flexible cable
17
in the space is tightened or loosened.
In the rotary connector
100
having such a general constitution, the fixed-side housing is fixedly secured to a car body (not shown in the drawing) and the movable-side housing is fixedly secured to a hub (not shown in the drawing) of a steering shaft. At the same time, by connecting both ends of the flexible cable
17
respectively to electric devices at the car body side and the steering wheel side by way of respective connectors (not shown in the drawing), the rotary connector
100
can be used as electric connection means of an airbag system, a horn circuit or the like mounted on a vehicle.
Further, the first rotor member
11
includes a cylindrical portion
11
a
having an approximately circular cylindrical shape and an annular notched portion
11
b
which is formed in an outer peripheral portion of one end of the cylindrical portion
11
a.
The second rotor member
12
includes a large-diameter cylindrical portion
12
a
having an approximately circular cylindrical shape, an intermediate-diameter cylindrical portion
12
b
which is contiguously connected to the large-diameter cylindrical portion
12
a
, a small-diameter cylindrical portion
12
c
which is contiguously connected to the intermediate-diameter cylindrical portion
12
b
, and an annular holding portion
12
d
which is formed perpendicularly in the radial direction from a joining portion of the large-diameter cylindrical portion
12
a
and the intermediate-diameter cylindrical portion
12
b.
This large-diameter cylindrical portion
12
a
of the second rotor member
12
is made to pass through the cylindrical portion
11
a of the first rotor member
11
and the second rotor member
12
is engaged with the first rotor member
11
by means of a suitable means such as a snap-in joint, for example. Then, by arranging an upper surface of the holding portion
12
d
of the second rotor member
12
and the notched portion
11
b
of the first rotor member
11
such that they are brought into contact with each other, a groove-like space portion
11
c
is formed.
The cable accommodating portion
13
includes an annular side wall
13
a
and has both end portions opened.
The roller holder
15
includes a planar annular base portion
15
a
and a plurality of roller supporting portions
15
b
which are perpendicularly and outwardly protruding from the base portion
15
a
. This roller holder
15
is arranged in the inside of the cable accommodating portion
13
. Further, the roller holder
15
makes a portion of the inner peripheral side of the base portion
15
a
thereof arranged in the inside of the abovementioned space portion
11
c.
The cover
16
includes an approximately planar annular wall portion
16
a
, a side wall
16
b
which is perpendicularly formed on the outer peripheral portion of the wall portion
16
a
, and a stepped portion
16
c
which is protruded in an L-shaped cross section inwardly from the inner peripheral portion of the wall portion
16
a
. Further, the side wall
13
a
of the cable accommodating portion
13
is engaged with the side wall
16
b
of the cover
16
by a suitable means such as a snap-in joint, for example, so that the cable accommodating portion
13
and the cover
16
are united to form the fixed housing.
Further, the cover
16
makes a portion of the inner peripheral side of the stepped portion
16
c
thereof arranged in the inside of the abovementioned space portion
11
c
. The portion of the inner peripheral side of the abovementioned base portion
15
a
of the abovementioned roller holder
15
and the stepped portion
16
c
of the cover
16
are laminated to each other and are arranged in a loose state with a play.
Here, the portion of the inner peripheral side of the base portion
15
a
, the stepped portion
16
c
and the holding portion
12
d
are arranged such that they face the notched portion
11
b
of the first rotor member
11
in an opposed manner, while the portion of the inner peripheral side of the base portion
15
a
and the stepped portion
16
c
are arranged in the inside of the notched portion
11
b
. In this manner, the portion of the inner peripheral side of the base portion
15
a
, the stepped portion
16
c
and the holding portion
12
d
are laminated and arranged in three layers. Then, an outer surface of the holding portion
12
d
and an outer surface of the wall portion
16
a
of the cover
16
are arranged on an approximately coplanar plane. In this state, with the provision of the holding portion
12
d
, the base portion
15
a
and the stepped portion
16
c
are formed such that they are not disengaged from the notched portion
11
b
.
Here, assume the thickness size from the outer surface of the holding portion
12
d
to the inner surface of the base portion
15
a
of the roller holder
15
as a size L
2
(see FIG.
5
), this size L
2
becomes a relatively large thickness size because of the laminated structure in three layers.
The flexible cable
17
is a strip-like body which is formed by extending a plurality of conductive bodies made of copper (Cu) or the like on one surface of a base film made of an insulation tape, for example. The number of conductive bodies of this strip-like body is set to a given number corresponding to the number of circuits of electric devices to be connected.
The flexible cable
17
has both end portions thereof electrically led out to the outside of the movable-side and fixed-side housings. Further, the flexible cable
17
is placed on the base portion
15
a
of the roller holder
15
such that the flexible cable
17
can be reeled and unr
Alps Electric Co. LTD
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
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