Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Movement about axis
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-02
2004-05-11
Patel, Tulsidas C. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Movement about axis
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733300
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary connector attached to a steering device of an automobile or the like and used as electrical connection means between electrical devices such as a steering heater device, and an air bag system and the like provided to a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hereinafter, drawings of a conventional rotary connector are explained.
FIG. 15
is a plan view showing a conventional rotary connector,
FIG. 16
is a main part sectional view taken along line
16
—
16
in
FIG. 15
,
FIG. 17
relates to the conventional rotary connector and is a perspective view showing a connection state of a lead block and a flexible cable, and
FIG. 18
relates to the conventional rotary connector and is an exploded perspective view showing the connection state of the lead block and the flexible cable.
This rotary connector
80
is installed on a steering device (not shown) of an automobile or the like and is used as electrical connection means of a steering heater circuit mounted to a steering wheel, an air bag circuit, a horn circuit, and other switch circuits, and is basically constituted by a pair of a stationary housing
61
and a movable housing
62
concentrically arranged and relatively rotatably coupled with each other, a flexible cable
71
(see
FIG. 17
) accommodated in a space as an annular cable accommodating portion (not shown) formed between the pair of the stationary and movable housings
61
and
62
to be capable of being wound up and rewound, and a first and a second lead blocks
63
and
64
respectively connected to both end portions of the flexible cable
71
.
As shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18
, the flexible cable
71
includes two insulating films
71
a
as band-like base films, and plural (for example, ten) conductor portions
71
b
stuck between the two insulating films
71
a
and made of very thin band-like copper foils or the like, and the respective conductor portions
71
b
are stuck in a parallel state.
In the rotary connector
80
basically structured like this, the stationary housing
61
is fixed to a vehicle body (not shown), and the movable housing
62
is fixed to a handle member (not shown), and both ends of the flexible cable
71
are connected to respective electrical devices at the vehicle body and handle side through the respective first and second lead blocks
63
and
64
at the stator side and the movable side, so that it is used as electrical connection means of a steering heater circuit device, a vehicle-mounted air bag system, a horn circuit and the like.
The stationary housing
61
made of synthetic resin material is, as shown in
FIG. 15
, equipped with a cylindrical outer tube portion
65
, a bottom wall
66
provided at an end portion of the outer tube portion
65
, and one first receiving body
67
projecting outward from the vicinity of an outer peripheral end of the bottom wall
66
.
On the other hand, the movable housing
62
made of synthetic resin material is equipped with a cylindrical inner tube portion
68
, an upper wall
69
provided at an end portion of the inner tube portion
68
, and one second receiving body
70
projecting outward from the vicinity of an outer peripheral end of the upper wall
69
.
The second lead block
64
is, as shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18
, equipped with one base member
64
a
made of synthetic resin material, plural (for example, ten) terminals
64
b
formed at the base member
64
a
by insert molding and made of metal material, and a hole portion
64
c
through which part of the terminals
64
b
pass and in which the partial terminals
64
b
are exposed.
Besides, the terminals
64
b
are equipped with first terminal portions
64
d
projecting outward from the base member
64
a
, and second terminal portions
64
e
respectively integrated with the first terminal portions
64
d
, passing through the hole portion
64
c
, and exposed. The first terminal portions
64
d
are straightly extended outward from the root portion of the base member
64
a
and are aligned on the same straight lines, and the second terminal portions
64
e
are extended in the direction orthogonal to the first terminal portions
64
d.
Besides, the base member
64
a
includes a rectangular parallelepiped first base portion
64
f
in which the hole portion
64
c
is formed, a second base portion
64
g
extended from one end face of the first base portion
64
f
in an orthogonal direction, and a third base portion
64
h
extended from one end face of the second base portion
64
g
in an upper direction parallel to the first base portion
64
f
. That is, the whole of the base member
64
a
is formed into a stair shape with the first base portion
64
f
, the second base portion
64
g
, and the third base portion
64
h.
In this state, the first terminal portions
64
d
are extended outward from an upper surface wall of the third base portion
64
h.
Besides, the respective conductor portions
71
b
of the flexible cable
71
are connected to the second terminal portions
64
e
passing through the hole portion
64
c
formed in this first base portion
64
f
by suitable means such as, for example, ultrasonic bonding.
This second lead block
64
is held in the second receiving body
70
of the movable housing
62
, and one end portion of the one flexible cable
71
is electrically and mechanically connected to the respective terminals
64
b.
The first lead block
63
is equipped with a base portion
63
a
made of synthetic resin material, plural (for example, ten) terminals
63
b
formed at the base portion
63
a
by insert molding and made of metal material, and a hole portion (not shown) through which part of the terminals
63
b
pass and in which the partial terminals
63
b
are exposed.
Besides, the terminals
63
b
are equipped with first terminal portions
63
c
projecting outward from the base portion
63
a
, and second terminal portions (not shown) respectively integrated with the first terminal portions
63
c
, passing through the hole portion (not shown), and exposed.
The first terminal portions
63
c
are straightly extended from the root portion of the base portion
63
a
and are aligned on the same straight line, and the second terminal portions (not shown) are extended in the direction orthogonal to the first terminal portions
63
c.
That is, this first lead block
63
is formed to have substantially the same structure as the structure of the second lead block
64
.
This first lead block
63
is held in the first receiving body
67
of the stationary housing
61
, and the other end portion of the one flexible cable
71
connected to the terminals
63
b
is electrically and mechanically connected to the respective terminals
63
b.
Besides, with respect to the respective terminals
63
b
and
64
b
of the first and the second lead blocks
63
and
64
, two connectors, for example, a first external female connector (not shown) for a steering heater circuit, and a second external female connector (not shown) for an air bag circuit and a horn circuit are respectively inserted in the first and the second receiving bodies
67
and
70
, and electrical connection is realized.
Next, here, an attachment structure of the second lead block
64
concerning the foregoing conventional rotary connector
80
to the movable housing
62
will be described by the use of FIG.
16
.
At this time, the second lead block
64
is made of the one base member
64
a
, and the flexible cable
71
(see
FIG. 17
) is connected to the base member
64
a.
In this state, first, the first base portion
64
f
of the base member
64
a
of the second lead block
64
is inserted and disposed in a concave portion
68
a
disposed at a predetermined position of the cylindrical inner tube portion
68
of the movable housing
62
.
Next, the upper wall
69
on which the second receiving body
70
is provided is disposed so that the third base portion
64
h
is attached in the second receiving body
70
, and then, the inner tube portion
68
and the upper wall
69
are fixed by suit
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Patel Tulsidas C.
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