Electrical generator or motor structure – Dynamoelectric – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-06
2001-09-18
Ponomarenko, Nicholas (Department: 2834)
Electrical generator or motor structure
Dynamoelectric
Rotary
C310S071000, C701S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291914
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotational angle sensor provided in a vehicle or the like for example and which is used for detecting a torque generated in a steering wheel in accordance with a steering operation of the steering wheel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional rotational angle sensor, which is shown in
FIG. 21
, is provided with a cylindrical housing
41
made of an insulating synthetic resin and which is open at both end portions thereof. An outer wall of the housing
41
has an annular stepped portion
41
a.
The interior of the housing
41
is partitioned into a receptacle portion
43
and an accommodating portion
44
by means of a partition wall
42
. A bearing
45
is attached to the partition wall
42
by insert molding. A rotary shaft
46
is inserted into the bearing
45
rotatably. Both end portions of the rotary shaft
46
are positioned inside the receptacle portion
43
and outside the housing
41
, respectively. A rotary member
48
which supports a slider
47
is mounted on one end portion of the rotary shaft
46
positioned within the receptacle portion
43
, while a lever
49
is caulked to an opposite end portion of the rotary shaft
46
at a position outside the housing
41
. A ring-like seal member
50
for sealing the interior of the receptacle portion
43
is press-fitted into the accommodating portion
44
.
A holder
52
with a circuit board
51
fixed thereto is press-fitted into the receptacle portion
43
from an open end of the housing
41
and is installed therein while the slider
47
is brought into sliding contact with a resistor pattern and a current collector pattern (neither shown) both formed on the circuit board
51
. A terminal
53
connected to the resistor pattern and the current collector pattern (neither shown) is supported by the circuit board
51
. One end portion of the terminal
53
is drawn out to the back side of the holder
52
through a hole
52
a
formed in the holder
52
and is soldered to a lead wire
54
which is inserted into the interior of the housing
41
through a hole
41
b
formed in the housing. The interior of the receptacle portion
43
is filled, on the back side of the holder
52
, with an insulating adhesive
55
, and the connection of the terminal
53
and the lead wire
54
is buried in the adhesive.
A method for assembling this conventional rotational angle sensor will now be described. First, the rotary member
48
with the slider
47
supported thereon is inserted into the receptacle portion
43
from an open end of the housing
41
. Next, the rotary shaft
46
is inserted through the bearing
45
from the accommodating portion
44
side and the rotary member
48
is mounted to one end portion of the rotary shaft
46
by a suitable means such as press-fitting or caulking, making the rotary shaft
46
and the rotary member
48
integral with each other. Next, the sealing member
50
is press-fitted into the accommodating portion
44
of the housing
41
.
Next, with one end portion of the terminal
53
drawn out to the back side of the holder
52
through the hole
52
a,
the circuit board
51
with the terminal
53
supported thereon is fixed to the holder
52
. Then, the holder
52
is press-fitted into the receptacle portion
43
from an open end of the housing
41
and is secured to the housing. Subsequently, the lead wire
54
is inserted into the receptacle portion
43
through the hole
41
b
formed in the housing
41
and is soldered to one end portion of the terminal
53
. Further, the insulating adhesive
55
is charged into the receptacle portion
43
and is cured, then the lever
49
is caulked to the opposite end portion of the rotary shaft
46
.
Assembling of the conventional rotational angle sensor is completed in this way. After the assembly, the rotary member
48
rotates integrally with the rotary shaft
46
while the circuit board
51
is prevented its movement axially (in arrow A directions) of the rotary shaft. With rotation of the rotary member
48
the slider
47
slides on resistor and current collector patterns (not shown). Further, the insulating adhesive
55
insulates the soldered portion of the terminal
53
and the lead wire
54
from the exterior and seals the interior of the receptacle portion
43
in cooperation with the sealing member
50
to prevent the entry of dust and moisture into the receptacle portion. At the same time, the lead wire
54
is fixed to protect it sufficiently from pulling.
In the conventional rotational angle sensor thus constructed and assembled there is used, for example, a conversion mechanism (not shown) mounted on a vehicle and provided with a converter portion which converts a resistance force generated in a steering wheel (not shown) into a linear motion in proportion to a frictional force between vehicular wheels and a road surface while the steering wheel is operated. The portion located on the lever
49
side relative to the stepped portion
41
a
is positioned within a casing of the conversion mechanism and the lever
49
is brought into engagement with the converter portion. Further, the lead wire
54
is connected to a control circuit (not shown) which controls an electric motor (not shown) connected to the steering wheel, and with a predetermined voltage applied to resistor and current collector patterns (not shown) from the control circuit, the rotational angle sensor is used.
When a vehicle driver operates the steering wheel, a resistance force is generated in the steering wheel, and the foregoing converter portion converts this resistance force into a linear motion to rotate the rotary shaft
46
via the lever
49
. With this rotation, the slider
47
slides on the resistor and current collector patterns (not shown), resulting in that a voltage corresponding to the position of the slider
47
on those patterns is outputted via the terminal
53
and the lead wire
54
. In accordance with a detection signal of the resistance force thus obtained the control circuit controls the operation of the electric motor so as to diminish the resistance force. It follows that an auxiliary steering torque has been imparted to the steering wheel. Consequently, the aforesaid resistance force decreases and it is possible to lighten the burden of the vehicle driver in steering operation.
In the above conventional rotational angle sensor, however, since one end portion of the terminal
53
is spaced a distance L from the hole
41
b
formed in the housing
41
, work is needed to conduct the lead wire
54
inserted into the receptacle portion
43
from the hole
41
b
further up to one end portion of the terminal
53
. Thus the connecting work for connection between the terminal
53
and the lead wire
54
has so far been extremely complicated.
Further, since the connection between the lead wire
54
and the terminal
53
is required to have an extremely high tensile strength, it is necessary that the lead wire
54
be buried sufficiently into the insulating adhesive
55
. Consequently, in the conventional rotational angle sensor, an axial length (in arrow A directions) of the rotary shaft
46
becomes larger. As a result, the portion located on the lead wire
54
side with respect to the stepped portion
41
a
projects largely from the casing of the conversion mechanism (not shown), thus giving rise to the problem that a large space for accommodating the projecting portion is required in the vehicle.
FIGS. 22 and 23
illustrate another conventional rotational angle sensor. This rotational angle sensor has a housing
101
whose interior is hollow and which comprises a cylindrical small-diameter portion
102
and a cylindrical large-diameter portion
103
both formed integrally in a stepped fashion. A bearing
104
is press-fitted in the cylindrical small-diameter portion
102
and a rotary shaft
106
with a rubber O-ring
105
fitted thereon is supported rotatably by the bearing
104
. A disc-like rotary member
108
with a bifurcated slider
107
carried thereon is fitted on
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Jones Judson H.
Ponomarenko Nicholas
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