JP3035155B2 - Cable reel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cable reel incorporated in a steering device of an automobile and used as an electric connecting means of an air bag system or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A cable reel connects a fixed body and a movable body rotatably mounted on the fixed body with a strip-shaped flexible cable. As described above, it is widely used as an electrical connection means between a movable body having a finite number of rotations and a fixed body.

[0003] In this type of cable reel, the ratio of the flexible cable to the total cost is high, and the required length of the flexible cable is shortened to reduce the cost. US Patent No. 4,54
0,223 and JP-A-4-310445.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a cable reel described in the above-mentioned publications.
Reference numeral 100 denotes a fixed body having an outer cylindrical portion 100a, and a movable body 101 having an inner cylindrical portion 101a is rotatably connected to the center of the fixed body 100. These outer cylinder portions 10
A ring-shaped storage space in plan view is defined between the inner cylinder portion 101a and the inner cylinder portion 101a, and is not shown in FIG.
The upper and lower ends of the storage space 102 are closed by a top surface and a bottom surface extending from the fixed body 100 or the movable body 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a belt-shaped flexible cable, and both ends of the flexible cable 103 are led out to the outside while being fixed to the outer tubular portion 100a and the inner tubular portion 101a, respectively. The flexible cable 103 is accommodated in the outer cylindrical portion 100a and the inner cylindrical portion 101a in the housing space 102 in a state where the winding direction is reversed, and a U-shape is provided at a position where the winding direction is changed. Is formed. In the storage space 102, a spacer 104 having a ring shape in a plan view and having an opening 104a is movably disposed.
3a is looped to the spacer 104 in the opening 104.

[0005] The cable reel configured as above is
The fixed body 100 is fixed to the steering column, and the movable body 101 is fixed to the steering shaft. The fixed body 100 is mounted on a steering apparatus of an automobile, and an airbag inflator, a horn switch, etc. provided on a steering wheel side are connected to a vehicle body side. Used as electrical connection means. In use, the movable body 10
When the cable 1 rotates clockwise in FIG.
The reverse portion 103a of 03 moves clockwise in the storage space 102 by a smaller rotation amount than the movable body 101, and the winding state of the flexible cable 103 becomes a rewinding state in which the outer tube part 100a side increases. Further, since the spacer 104 is pressed by the reversing portion 103a that moves clockwise in the storage space 102, the spacer 104 moves clockwise at the same speed as the reversing portion 103a. At this time, since the radial movement of the flexible cable 103 fed out from the inner cylindrical portion 101a is regulated by the spacer 104, the flexible cable 103 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 101a is The guide is guided to the surface and smoothly fed out toward the reversing portion 103a, and is reliably rewound toward the outer cylinder portion 100a.

Conversely, when the movable body 101 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 19, the reversing portion 103a of the flexible cable 103 moves counterclockwise in the storage space 102 by a smaller rotation amount than the movable body 101. To the flexible cable 10
The winding state of No. 3 is a tightening state in which the inner cylinder portion 101a side is increased. Further, since the spacer 104 is pulled by the reversing portion 103a that moves counterclockwise in the storage space 102, the spacer 104 moves counterclockwise at the same speed as the reversing portion 103a. At this time, since the movement of the flexible cable 103 fed out of the outer cylinder 100a in the radial direction is regulated by the spacer 104, the flexible cable 103 wound around the outer cylinder 100a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spacer 104. And is smoothly fed out to the reversing portion 103a in the direction of the inner cylinder portion 1
01a side is securely tightened.

As described above, in the above-described cable reel, the winding direction of the flexible cable 103 is changed to the reversing part 10.
3a, the inner tube 101a and the outer tube 100a are reversed.
Compared to a cable reel spirally wound in the same direction with the outer cylinder portion 100a, the required flexible cable 1
03 can be made much shorter, and costs can be reduced. Also, the inner cylindrical portion 10 of the flexible cable 103
A spacer 104 is disposed between the portion wound around the outer cylindrical portion 100a and the portion wound around the outer cylindrical portion 100a.
4 is rotatably driven following the reversing portion 103a of the flexible cable 103, so that the flexible cable 103 can be restricted in the radial direction over substantially the entire circumference of the storage space 102, Winding or rewinding operation of the flexible cable 103 can be performed smoothly.

[0008]

By the way, an automobile in which a cable reel is incorporated tends to vibrate during traveling due to the influence of a road surface or the like. Naturally, this vibration also acts on the cable reel. However, in the conventional cable reel configured as described above, the spacer 104 is rotatably disposed in the storage space 102. In order to smoothly rotate the spacer 104, the spacer 104 is required. Since a clearance is required between the top surface of the storage space 102 and the vibration in the axial direction of the steering shaft acting on the cable reel,
There is a problem that the spacer 104 vibrates in the vertical direction within the clearance and collides with both the top surface and the bottom surface of the storage space 102, generating unpleasant noise. In addition, since the fixed body 100, the movable body 101, and the spacer 104 are generally formed of a hard plastic material, the clearance is also easily varied due to a variation in dimensional accuracy of each member, a temperature change, and the like. In the past, a sufficient clearance was set in anticipation of this variation, and the above-mentioned generation of noise was remarkable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a cable reel which can reduce noise without hindering rotation of a spacer.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a first housing having an inner cylindrical portion and a rotatable mounting relative to the first housing having an outer cylindrical portion. A second housing, an annular storage space defined by the two housings, and a reversely wound inner cylindrical portion and an outer cylindrical portion in the storage space via a U-shaped inverted portion. A cable reel comprising a turned flexible cable and an annular spacer having at least an opening through which the reversing part passes, the spacer moving in the storage space following the reversing part. In the above, the spacer is formed in a continuous shape in a circumferential direction, and the spacer is provided with an elastic portion facing at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space.

An object of the present invention is to provide a first housing having an inner cylindrical portion and an outer cylindrical portion which are relatively rotatable via an annular storage space with respect to the first housing. A second housing mounted, a spacer disposed in the storage space, and a flexible cable wound around the inner and outer cylinders in opposite directions, the inverted portion of which passes through the spacers A cable reel in which the spacer moves in the storage space following the reversing part, wherein the spacer is continuous in the circumferential direction.
This is achieved by providing an elastic portion facing the spacer on at least one of the top surface and the bottom surface of the storage space.

[0012]

[0013] Furthermore, an object of the present invention described above, the first housing having an inner cylindrical portion, relatively rotatable via the annular housing space to the first housing has an outer cylindrical portion A second housing mounted on the housing, a spacer disposed in the storage space, and a flexible member that is wound around the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion in opposite directions, and the inverted portion passes through the spacer. A cable reel comprising a cable, wherein the spacer moves in the storage space following the reversing portion, wherein the spacer includes a plurality of first protrusions facing a top surface of the storage space. This is achieved by providing a plurality of first projections facing the bottom surface of the storage space, and displacing the first and second projections in the circumferential direction.

[0014]

When the first or second housing rotates in either the forward or reverse direction in conjunction with the rotation of the handle, the U-shaped inverted portion of the flexible cable moves in the same direction by a smaller rotation than the handle. Then, the spacer also smoothly moved in the circumferential direction in the storage space under the force from the reversing part, and the flexible cable was wound around the inner cylinder part, or was rewound to the outer cylinder part. It becomes a rewind state. Also, when vibration is applied to the cable reel from the outside while the vehicle is running, especially when vibration is applied along the axis of the steering shaft, the spacer moves up and down in the storage space. noise generated by colliding the top and bottom of the space is thus absorbed or mitigated elastic portion provided in the spacer and the housing.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable reel, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spacer and a lower cover provided on the cable reel as viewed from above, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the lower cover. As shown in these drawings, the cable reel according to the present embodiment includes a second housing 1, a first housing 2 rotatably mounted on the second housing 1, 2 and a spacer 4 rotatably arranged between the housings 1 and 2.

The second housing 1 is composed of an upper case 7 having an outer cylinder 6 suspended from the outer periphery of the top plate 5 and a lower cover 8 joined and integrated with the lower end of the outer cylinder 6. Center holes 9 and 10 are provided at the center of each of the top plate 5 and the lower cover 8.
Has been established. A ring-shaped guide groove 11 is provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8, and a plurality of elastic arms 12 are integrally formed in the guide groove 11 in a cantilever manner. Is provided with four elastic arms 12 at equal intervals of about 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. The free ends of these elastic arms 12 extend obliquely upward, and a hemispherical projection 12a is formed on the upper surface of each free end. On the other hand, the first housing 2 is formed of a cylindrical body having a shaft insertion hole 13 in the center, and upper and lower end edges thereof are guided by the center holes 9 and 10 of the upper case 7 and the lower cover 8 to form the second housing 2. Is rotatably connected to the housing 1. An annular storage space 15 is defined between the top plate 5 and the outer cylinder 6 and the lower cover 8 on the second housing 1 side and the inner cylinder 14 forming the outer peripheral surface on the first housing 2 side. Has been established. The first and second housings 2, 1
Are formed of a hard plastic material such as polyacetal or polycarbonate having high rigidity.

The flexible cable 3 is made of a so-called strip-shaped flat cable in which conductors parallel to each other are laminated with a pair of insulating films. In the case of this embodiment, a flat cable for six circuits in which six conductors are embedded is used. Cable is used. One end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to the outer cylinder 6
Is connected to a first connector 16 fixed to the first housing 16, and is led out of the second housing 1 via the first connector 16. On the other hand, the other end of the flexible cable 3 is connected to a second connector 17 fixed to the inner cylindrical portion 14, and is led out of the first housing 2 via the second connector 17. . In addition, the flexible cable 3 is wound clockwise from the first connector 16 to the inner wall of the outer tubular portion 6 and is inverted in a U-shape therefrom (hereinafter, this is referred to as an inverted portion 3a).
And wound around the outer wall of the inner cylindrical portion 14 in a counterclockwise direction to reach the second connector 17 and is housed in the housing space 15.

The spacer 4 is a ring-shaped rotating plate 20 having a plurality of pins 18 and one fixed cylinder 19 suspended on the upper surface.
And a group of rollers 21 rotatably supported by the pins 18. These components are made of a hard plastic material such as polypropylene. This spacer 4
The rotating plate 20 is disposed in the housing space 15 with the rotating plate 20 down, and the rotating plate 20 is rotatably guided in the radial direction of the housing space 15 by being fitted into the guide groove 11. Although a clearance is formed between the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 and the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (the bottom surface of the guide groove 11), the protrusions 12a of each elastic arm 12 elastically contact the lower surface of the rotating plate 20. I have. The above-mentioned inverted portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 is provided between the fixed tube 19 and the fixed tube 1.
9 and a loop 21 (hereinafter, this roller is referred to as a reversing roller and denoted by reference numeral 21A).

Next, the operation of the cable reel according to the above embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where the second housing 1 is used as a fixed body and the first housing 2 is used as a movable body. In this case, the second housing 1 is fixed to the steering column side of the steering device, and the lead wire led out from the upper case 7 is connected to an airbag drive circuit, a horn circuit and the like mounted on the vehicle body side. You. The first housing 2 is connected to a steering shaft, a steering wheel, and the like, and a lead wire led out of the first housing 2 is connected to an airbag inflator, a horn switch, and the like mounted on the steering wheel side. You.

In use, when the handle is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, the rotational force is applied to the first housing 2.
And the first housing 2 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. For example, from the neutral position of the steering wheel,
When the housing 2 rotates counterclockwise, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 moves counterclockwise by a smaller rotation amount than the first housing 2, and the reversing portion 3a The spacer 4 also moves counterclockwise following the reversing portion 3a in order to press the fixed tube 19 away from the inner tube portion 14a. And is rewound to the outer cylinder 6 side. In this case, although the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 and each elastic arm 12 are in contact in the guide groove 11,
Since the two are elastic contact and point contact via the protrusion 12a, the spacer 4 can smoothly rotate and move in the storage space 15. In addition, since the movement of the flexible cable 3 extended from the inner cylinder portion 14 to expand outward in the radial direction is restricted by the fixed cylinder 19 and each roller 21 group, the flexible cable 3 is smoothly extended in the reversing portion 3a direction. Through this reversing portion 3a, it is reliably rewound to the outer cylinder portion 6 side.

Conversely, when the first housing 2 rotates clockwise from the neutral state of the handle, the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3 rotates clockwise by a smaller amount of rotation than the first housing 2. Since the reversing roller 21A moves and the reversing roller 21A is pulled by the reversing portion 3a, the spacer 4 also moves clockwise following the reversing portion 3a, and the flexible cable 3 having a length approximately twice as long as the amount of movement is removed. It is fed out from the tube portion 6 and is wound around the inner tube portion 14. In this case, since the flexible cable 3 fed out from the outer tube portion 6 is restricted from moving inward in the radial direction by the fixed tube 19 and each roller 21 group, it is smoothly fed out in the reversing portion 3a direction. Through the reversing part 3a, it is securely wound around the inner cylinder part 14 side.

In the first embodiment, the roller 21 is lightly pressed against the top plate 5 when the vibration from the automobile is small.
When a large vibration in the axial direction of the shaft acts on the cable reel, the vibration causes the spacer 4 to move into the storage space 15.
It moves in the vertical direction, but this movement is mitigated by bending of each elastic arm 12 that contacts the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4. Therefore, the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 does not collide with the upper surface of the lower cover 8, and even if the fixed cylinder 19 and the group of rollers 21 collide with the lower surface of the top plate 5, noise generation is reduced by half. In addition, since the protrusions 12a of the elastic arms 12 and the upper surface of the rotary plate 20 are in elastic contact with each other at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the spacers 4 are elastically held by the elastic arms 12 in a well-balanced manner, thereby reducing noise. Can be increased. Further, since both the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15 are constituted by the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 on the second housing 1 side, when the first housing 2 rotates, the spacer 4
The reverse force does not act on the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 1 while the spacer 4 is in contact with the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5.
5, so that the noise reduction effect can be enhanced. Further, even when the roller 21 group and the top plate 5 are brought into a non-contact state due to a variation in dimensional accuracy of each component, a temperature change, or the like,
Even when a clearance is formed between the first group and the top plate 5, the collision of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 with the upper surface of the lower cover 8 can be mitigated by each elastic arm 12, thereby reducing noise. Can be maintained. If an elastic member is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 5, it goes without saying that the elastic member serves as a cushion to further reduce noise.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the spacer.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
Are given the same reference numerals.

This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the spacer 4 is elastically held in the storage space 15 instead of providing the lower cover 8 with the elastic arm 12. 22 and the remaining configuration is basically the same.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,
A plurality of elastic arms 22 having an L-shaped cross section are integrally formed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 in a cantilever manner.
A plurality of small projections 23 are integrally formed on the lower surface of the rotating plate 20. These elastic arms 22 and small projections 23 are
In this embodiment, three elastic arms 22 and three small projections 23 are provided alternately on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotating plate 20. A plurality of pins 18 and one fixed cylinder 19 are provided upright on the upper surface of the rotary plate 20, and each pin 18 has a roller 2 including a reversing roller 21A.
One group is pivotally supported. Further, on the inner peripheral edge of the upper surface of the rotating plate 20, first ribs 24 are provided upright except between the reversing roller 21A and the fixed cylinder 19, and each first rib 24 is provided.
At both ends of 4, second ribs 25 are provided upright facing the outer peripheral surface of the roller 21 with a small clearance. The first rib 24 functions as a buckling prevention member for preventing the flexible cable 3 wound around the inner cylindrical portion 14 from expanding outward when the flexible cable 3 is unwound. The ribs 25 of the flexible cable 3 cooperate with the first ribs 24 during assembly so that the reversing portion 3a of the flexible cable 3
It functions as an erroneous insertion prevention for preventing an erroneous insertion into a portion other than the space between the nine.

The spacer 4 configured as described above is disposed in the storage space 15 with the rotating plate 20 down, and the rotating plate 20 is provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 in a ring-shaped guide groove 11. By fitting into the storage space 1
5 is rotatably guided in the radial direction. At this time, each small projection 23 is placed on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (the bottom surface of the guide groove 11), and a clearance is formed between the upper surfaces of the fixed cylinder 19 and the roller group 21 and the lower surface of the top plate 5. But
As shown in FIG. 8, the free end of each elastic arm 22 comes into elastic contact with the lower surface of the top plate 5. Accordingly, the spacer 4 is elastically held in the storage space 15 by the elastic arms 22. When the flexible cable 3 is tightened or unwound, the spacer 4 receives the force from the reversing portion 3a and receives the guide groove. 11 smoothly rotates. When the spacer 4 moves in the up-down direction in the storage space 15 due to the vibration from the automobile, the movement is alleviated by the bending of the elastic arms 22, so that the spacer 4 collides with the lower cover 8 or the top plate 5. And noise can be reduced.
Moreover, since the length of each elastic arm 22 formed in an L-shape on the upper surface of the rotary plate 20 can be set sufficiently large from the base end to the free end, the sliding torque of the spacer 4 can be set small. And the spacer 4 can be smoothly rotated. Also in this embodiment, each elastic arm 22 and the top plate 5 do not necessarily have to be in elastic contact with each other.
Even if a clearance is formed between the top plate 5 and the top plate 5, the vertical movement of the spacer 4 can be reduced by each elastic arm 22, and the noise reduction effect is maintained.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the main part of FIG. 5 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The present embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that an elastic portion for elastically holding the spacer 4 in the radial direction with respect to the first housing 1 is provided, and other configurations are basically the same. It is.

That is, the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 is integrally formed with a second elastic arm 26 to which a radial elastic force is applied in a cantilever manner. A second elastic arm 26 is integrally formed with the first rib 24 in a cantilever manner. The free ends of these second elastic arms 26 are in elastic contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide groove 11 provided in the lower case 8, and therefore, the spacers 4 are moved up and down (steering and (In the axial direction of the shaft), and each second elastic arm 26
Thus, the storage space 15 is elastically held in the radial direction (the direction orthogonal to the axis of the steering shaft).

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the vertical movement of the storage space 15 of the spacer 4 is restricted by the second elastic arms 26. The effect of reducing noise can be enhanced as compared with the embodiment. It is also possible to provide each second elastic arm 26 at a portion other than the first rib 24, for example, at the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the rotary plate 20, in which case the inner peripheral edge or the outer peripheral edge of the rotary plate 20 is provided. A plurality of second elastic arms integrally formed in a cantilever shape may be elastically contacted with the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the guide groove 11.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a main part of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG. 12, which corresponds to FIGS. Are given the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that, instead of providing an L-shaped elastic arm 22 on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20 as a means for elastically holding the spacer 4 in the storage space 15, a rotation is performed. Board 20
Are provided with a plurality of projections on the upper and lower surfaces, and the remaining configuration is basically the same. That is, a plurality of first protrusions 27 are provided upright on the upper surface of the rotating plate 20, and a plurality of small protrusions 23 (second protrusions) are integrally formed on the lower surface of the rotating plate 20. These first projection 27 and small projection 2
3 is displaced in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 20, and in the case of this embodiment, three first projections and three small projections 23 are provided alternately on both upper and lower surfaces of the rotating plate 20. In addition, the three small protrusions 23 are provided on the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 at substantially equal angular intervals.

The spacer 4 configured as described above is disposed in the storage space 15 with the rotating plate 20 down, and the rotating plate 20 is provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 in a ring-shaped guide groove 11. By fitting, the storage space 15
Are guided rotatably in the radial direction. At this time, each small projection 23 is placed on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 (the bottom surface of the guide groove 11), and the upper end of each first projection 27 is in contact with the lower surface of the top plate 5, or has a slight clearance. To face each other. Therefore, when the vibration from the automobile acts on the spacer 4, the spacer 4 tries to move up and down in the storage space 15, but this movement is caused by the first protrusion 2.
The rotation plate 20 located between the small projections 7 and the small projections 23 is relaxed by bending in the thickness direction, and the spacer 4 is
Alternatively, it is difficult to collide with the top plate 5, and the generation of noise can be reduced.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a main part of a cable reel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of an elastic sheet provided on the cable reel of FIG.
Are given the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that an elastic sheet 28 is stuck instead of providing a plurality of elastic arms 12 on the lower cover 8, and the remaining configuration is basically the same. . That is, an elastic sheet 28 is attached to the upper surface of the ring-shaped guide groove 11 provided in the lower cover 8, and the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 of the spacer 4 is slidably mounted on the elastic sheet 28. ing. As shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 8 denotes an elastic member 29 such as rubber or sponge and a lubricating sheet 30 such as PET or Teflon integrated on the surface thereof. In the case of this embodiment, the elastic member 29 on the opposite side to the lubricating sheet 30 is used. Is adhered to the lower cover 8 with an adhesive 31.

In the fifth embodiment of the present invention having the above-described structure, when the flexible cable 3 is wound or unwound, the spacer 4 receives the force from the reversing portion 3a and is placed in the housing space 15. At this time, the rotating plate 20 slides on the slippery sheet 30 on the elastic sheet 28, so that the spacer 4 smoothly turns along the guide groove 11. Further, when the spacer 4 moves up and down in the storage space 15 due to the vibration from the automobile, this movement is absorbed by the bending of the elastic member 29 of the elastic sheet 28, so that the spacer 4
Even if it collides with the top plate 5, the impact colliding with the lower cover 8 can be reduced, and the generation of noise can be halved. In addition, if an elastic sheet is attached to the top plate 5, the elastic sheet serves as a cushion to reduce the collision of the spacer 4 with the top plate 5, and it goes without saying that noise is further reduced.

In the fifth embodiment, the elastic sheet 2
Although the case where the elastic sheet 28 is attached to the lower cover 8 has been described, the same effect can be obtained by attaching the elastic sheet 28 to the lower surface of the rotating plate 20 with the slippery sheet 30 down. Play. The elastic sheet 28 does not necessarily have to be attached to the lower cover 8 or the rotating plate 20. For example, the elastic sheet 28 may simply be placed in the guide groove 11. Both sides are sandwiched with a slip sheet 30 and the slip sheet 30 is covered with the lower cover 8.
And the rotating plate 20.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the spacer. 5 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals. This embodiment is different from the above-described second embodiment in that instead of using the lower cover 8 and the top plate 5 as the members forming the bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15, 2, a lower cover 8 on the side of the housing 1, and first and second housings 1 and 2 parallel to the lower cover 8.
And the other configuration is basically the same.

That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the second housing 1 is composed of an outer cylindrical portion 6 and a lower cover 8 joined and integrated with each other, and the upper portion of the outer cylindrical portion 6 has an inner side. A plate-like inner flange portion 32 protruding from the main body is integrally formed.
On the other hand, the first housing 2 is composed of a tubular body having an inner tubular portion 14 and a stop plate 33 fixed to a lower end of the inner tubular portion 14, and the upper end of the inner tubular portion 14 extends outward. A protruding plate-shaped outer flange portion 34 is integrally formed. In these first and second housings 1 and 2, the inner peripheral edge of the lower cover 8 is sandwiched between the inner cylindrical portion 14 and the stop plate 33, and the inner flange 32 is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the outer flange 34. By being guided by the formed step, it is relatively rotatably connected,
The lower surfaces of the inner flange portion 32 and the outer flange portion 34 are flat surfaces extending parallel to the lower cover 8. Therefore, the bottom surface of the storage space 15 is constituted by the lower cover 8 of the second housing 1, but the top surface of the storage space 15 is
And an outer flange portion 34 of the first housing 2.

The spacer 4 is arranged inside the storage space 15. As is clear from FIGS. 17 and 18, the elastic arm 22 provided on the upper surface of the spacer 4
It is set slightly longer in the horizontal direction than in the case of the second embodiment described above. The spacer 4 is disposed in the storage space 15 with the rotating plate 20 facing down, and the rotating plate 20 is fitted into a ring-shaped guide groove 11 provided on the upper surface of the lower cover 8 so as to be accommodated. It is guided rotatably in the radial direction of the space 15. At this time, each small projection 23 is placed on the bottom surface of the guide groove 11, and a clearance is formed between the upper surface of the fixed cylinder 19 and the roller group 21 and the lower surface of the outer flange portion 34. The free end of 22 is in elastic contact with the lower surface of the inner flange 32.

In the sixth embodiment of the present invention thus constructed, the spacers 4 are elastically held in the storage space 15 by the respective elastic arms 22. The same effect as the example is achieved. Further, by providing the outer flange portion 34 on the top surface of the first housing 2 used as a movable body, a connector for leading the flexible cable 3 out of the first housing 2 is provided on the outer flange portion 34. It is possible to provide the connector and there is an advantage that the degree of freedom for arranging the connector is improved. Also in this embodiment, the elastic arms 22 and the inner flange 32 do not necessarily have to be in elastic contact with each other. Even when a clearance is formed between each elastic arm 22 and the inner flange 32, the spacer 4 Can be reduced by the elastic arms 22, and the noise reduction effect is maintained.

[0039]

[0040] In the above embodiments, the second housing 1 and the fixed body, has been described using the first housing 2 as a movable body, on the contrary, the second
It is also possible to use the housing 1 as a movable body and the first housing 2 as a fixed body.

Further, in the first to fifth embodiments, the bottom surface and top surface of the housing space 15 has been described as being composed of the second lower cover 8 of the housing 1 side and the top plate 5,
The bottom surface and the top surface of the storage space 15 are connected to the first housing 2.
Or a plate-like portion provided on the first housing 2 side and a plate-like portion provided on the second housing 1 side as described in the sixth embodiment. It is also possible.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the flexible cable is wound or unwound, the spacer can be smoothly rotated in the circumferential direction of the storage space by the force from the reversing portion of the flexible cable, and can be externally moved in the axial direction of the steering shaft. Since it is possible to prevent the space from colliding with the top and bottom surfaces of the storage space when the vibration is applied, it is possible to provide a cable reel with low noise.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spacer and a lower cover provided on the cable reel of FIG. 1 as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the lower cover.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the spacer.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of a cable reel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a main part of a cable reel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a main part of a cable reel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of an elastic sheet provided on the cable reel of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cable reel according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a spacer provided on the cable reel of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the spacer.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a cable reel according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 2nd housing 2 1st housing 3 Flexible cable 3a Inversion part 4 Spacer 5 Top plate 6 Outer cylinder part 7 Upper case 8 Lower cover 12,22 Elastic arm 14 Inner cylinder part 15 Storage space 18 Pin 20 Rotating plate Reference Signs List 21 roller 21A reversing roller 23 small projection 24 first rib 25 second rib 26 second elastic arm 27 first projection 28 elastic sheet 29 elastic member 30 slippery sheet 31 adhesive 32 inner flange 33 stop plate 34 Outer collar

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kenichiro Nishiki 1-7 Yukitani Otsuka-cho, Ota-ku, Tokyo Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-327470 (JP, A) Sho Akai 62-167387 (JP, U) JP-A 2-120790 (JP, U) JP-A 1-147363 (JP, U) JP-A 6-69018 (JP, U) US Patent 4,540,223 (US, A) ( 58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 75/34-75/50 H01R 35/04 B60R 16/02 675

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] A first housing having an inner cylindrical portion, a second housing having an outer cylindrical portion and relatively rotatably mounted on the first housing via an annular storage space; A spacer disposed in the storage space, and a flexible cable that is wound around the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion in the opposite direction, and whose inverted portion passes through the spacer. In a cable reel adapted to move in the storage space following a reversing portion, the spacer
Are arranged in the circumferential direction, and the spacer is provided with an elastic portion facing at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space. 2. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of rollers are provided on the spacer at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, and the elastic portion is arranged between the rollers. 3. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is an elastic sheet attached to the spacer. 4. A pair of plate-like portions according to claim 1, wherein one of said first housing and said second housing is formed with a pair of plate-like portions extending in parallel along a top surface and a bottom surface of said storage space. And a top surface and a bottom surface of the spacer including the elastic portion, the top surface and the bottom surface of the spacer being respectively opposed to these plate-shaped portions. 5. The storage space according to claim 1, wherein a ring-shaped guide groove is provided on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space, and the elastic portion is elastically contacted with a side wall of the guide groove. Cable reel. 6. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is provided on a top surface of the spacer, and a clearance is formed between the elastic portion and a top surface of the storage space. 7. A first housing having an inner cylindrical portion, and a second housing having an outer cylindrical portion and relatively rotatably mounted on the first housing via an annular storage space. A spacer disposed in the storage space, and a flexible cable that is wound around the inner tube portion and the outer tube portion in the opposite direction, and whose inverted portion passes through the spacer. In a cable reel adapted to move in the storage space following a reversing portion, the spacer
Are continuous in the circumferential direction, and at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the storage space is provided with an elastic portion facing the spacer. 8. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the elastic portions are provided at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction. 9. The cable reel according to claim 1, wherein the elastic portion is a cantilevered elastic arm. 10. The cable reel according to claim 7, wherein the elastic portion is an elastic sheet attached to the first or second housing. 11. The method according to claim 3, wherein
A cable reel comprising a lubricating sheet adhered to a surface of the elastic sheet. 12. The cable reel according to claim 7, wherein the elastic portion is provided on a top surface of the storage space, and a clearance is formed between the elastic portion and the top surface of the spacer. 13. A first housing having an inner cylindrical portion,
An annular storage space having an outer cylinder portion is provided in the first housing.
Second housing relatively rotatably mounted via
A spacer arranged in the storage space, and the inner cylinder
Part and the outer cylinder part are wound in opposite directions, and the reversal part is
A flexible cable passing through the spacer.
The arm moves in the storage space following the reversing part.
A cable reel, wherein the spacer
A plurality of first protrusions facing the top surface of the storage space;
A plurality of second protrusions facing the bottom surface of the storage space;
The first and second protrusions are displaced in the circumferential direction.
A cable reel characterized by having