Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Kunihiko Sasaki

Hironori Kato

Hiroyuki Bannai

Yuichi Ida

Tsumoru Oka

Masanori Kuramoto

Ayumu Kobayashi

Akihiro Konno

Kiichi Yamaguchi

Hideshi Sasaki

Mituaki Shinraku

Mituaki Shinroaku

Takasi Ohya

A switch device including a first switch section which is operated to carry out a switching operation by movement of a movable member, and a second switch section with a plurality of operating switches mounted on the movable member. By operating the first switch section to carry out a switching operation, the functions provided by the second switch section can be changed. The switch device of the invention, used for a vehicle steering switch unit or the like, provides many operating switch functions with a small number of operating switches. Therefore, the switch device can be easily operated.

Switch device

A rotary connector using a plurality of flat cables in which buckling of the flat cable is prevented is disclosed. In a space defined between a fixed housing having an outer cylindrical wall and a movable housing having an inner cylindrical wall, two flat cables having reverse parts in the middle are overlapped and wound, and both ends of each of the flat cables are gathered at a fixed side joint on the outer cylindrical wall and a movable side joint on the inner cylindrical wall. Each of the first and second flat cables is a band-shaped body in which a plurality of conductors are laminated between a pair of base films. By performing a surface roughening process to the surface of one of the base films, a rough face having the central line average roughness Ra of 0.03 .mu.m or larger is formed. The flat cables are overlapped so that the rough surface comes into contact with the flat face of the other cable.

Rotary connector

A clock spring connector having a high reliability of the connection and excellent workability of the assembly, said clock spring connector being capable of reducing noise. A flexible cable is wound on the outer cylindrical unit of a first housing and the inner cylindrical unit of a second housing so that the directions of the windings are opposite to each other, and a spacer disposed between the outer and inner cylindrical units rotates following the U-shaped turned-back portion of the flexible cable. An elastic tongue piece is disposed along the portion extending from the inner cylindrical unit, of the flexible cable and formed to be curved so that the tongue piece is located between the inner cylindrical unit and the spacer when no load is applied thereto.

Clock spring connector

A clock spring connector including a movable housing rotatably connected to a fixed housing, the movable housing and fixed housings defining an annular cable accommodating area therebetween. A spacer is movably housed in the cable accommodating area. A ribbon cable is housed in the cable accommodating area and includes a first portion wound in a first direction on the fixed housing, a turned-back (U-shaped) portion extending through an opening in the spacer, and a second portion wound in a second direction on the movable housing. The spacer includes a plurality of rollers and raised portions located in gaps formed between each of the rollers, except for the opening through which the turned-back portion is passed, thereby preventing the erroneous threading of the cable when the clock spring connector is assembled. Elastic arms are positioned between the spacer and surfaces of the annular cable accommodating area to elastically bias the spacer away from these surfaces, thereby preventing noise caused by contact between the spacer and the surfaces.

A clock spring connector including a fixed member, a movable member rotatably connected to the fixed member, and a rotary plate fixedly connected to the movable member and rotatably mounted on the fixed member. The movable member includes a ceiling plate and a bottom plate connected together by an outer cylindrical portion, both the ceiling member and the movable member defining central openings. The movable member is received in the central openings such that an annular space is defined between an outer surface of the movable member and the outer cylindrical portion. A flexible cable is accommodated in the annular space and includes a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible cable is connected to the movable member and to a support section of the rotary plate, the support section being located further from the center of rotation of the movable member than the edges of the central openings of the ceiling and bottom walls. The rotary plate includes a projection which is connectable to the steering wheel at a point which is further from the center of rotation of the movable member than the edges of the central openings of the ceiling and bottom walls, thereby applying a large torque to the movable member through the rotary plate when the steering wheel is rotated by a driver.

The invention relates to a clock spring connector which permits a reduction in the length of a flexible cable and simplification of the alignment mechanism. The clock spring connector has a first housing, and a second housing, a flexible cable wound in opposite directions through a U-shaped reversed portion in the ring-like space defined by the outer cylindrical portion of the first housing and the inner cylindrical portion of the second housing, and a moving member rotating while following the reversed portion. A third mark as an indicator is provided on a spacer which partially forms the moving member so that the third mark can be visually observed from the outside when the second housing is at the neutral position.

Disclosed is a clock spring connector in which a flexible cable is wound reversely on inner and outer cylindrical units through a U-shaped turned-back portion within an air space defined by these cylindrical units, and a plurality of rollers connected by connecting plates are disposed. A radial movement of the flexible cable is regulated by the rollers connected by the connecting member. A tight-wind or rewind operation of the flexible cable can be surely effected. The connecting member prevents the adjacent rollers from impinging on each other.

A clock spring connector which has a shorter length of a flexible cable and can suppress noises. In a ring-shaped space between an outer cylindrical portion of a first housing and an inner cylindrical portion of a second housing, there are disposed a flexible cable wound in opposite directions with a reversely looped portion being at a U-turn point, and a carrier member rotatable following the reversely looped portion. A spacer as part of the carrier member slides over a rib provided on a bottom plate of the first housing.

Disclosed is a clock spring connector having: a fixed member; a movable member so mounted as to be rotatable relative to the fixed member; and a flexible cable for connecting the fixed member to the fixed member, the flexible cable being accommodated in between an inner cylindrical unit provided in any one of the fixed member and the movable member and an outer cylindrical unit provided in the other member and reversely wound on the inner and outer cylindrical units through a U-shaped turned-back portion. In this clock spring connector, a plurality of rollers connected by a wire spring to which an inward elastic biasing force is imparted are mounted outwardly of the flexible cable wound on the inner cylindrical unit. The flexible cable is press-biased towards the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical unit by these rollers.

A clockspring connector comprises a lower case (1) having an outer cylindrical wall (7), an upper case (2) having an inner cylindrical wall (8) and mounted on the lower case (1) so as to be able to turn relative to the fixed member (1), an intermediate movable member (4) placed in an annular space (10) formed between the outer cylindrical wall (7) and the inner cylindrical wall (8) so as to be able to turn relative to the lower case (1) and the upper case (2), and a flexible cable (3) contained in the annular space (10) and having an inverting portion (3a) and portions extending on the opposite aides of the inverting portion (3a) and wound in opposite directions on the inner cylindrical wall (8) and the outer cylindrical wall (7), respectively. The intermediate movable member (4) has a shape substantially resembling the letter C, the inverting portion (3a) turns around one of the opposite ends of the intermediate movable member (4), and a slippery member (13) is provided on at least either the inner circumference or the outer circumference of the intermediate movable member (4) to enable the flexible cable (3) to slip smoothly along the intermediate movable member (4) when the lower case (1) or the upper case (2) is turned relative to the other.

Clockspring connector

The present invention relates to a clock spring used for the steering system of an automobile or the like in which a flexible cable is utilized to make an electrical connection between a fixed member and a movable member. The clock spring includes a stationary housing; a rotor rotatably mounted to the stationary housing; the flexible cable wound in a cable accommodating portion defined between the stationary housing and the rotor; and a cover fixed to the stationary housing so as to cover the opened end of the cable accommodating portion. The improvement of this invention resides in a construction by which ribs are provided in the cable accommodating portion to restrict the flexible cable to a position more in the inner periphery of the rotor than in the outer periphery of the same.

Clock spring

A cable reel comprises the fixture, the mover operating in connection with the fixture, the flat cable wound through several times, in which the end of the flat cable is led out of the fixture passing through the mover, at least one sheets are adhesively attached to one surface of said fixture and said mover facing to both ends at the width direction of the flat cable.

Cable reel

An electrical connection apparatus includes a flat cable having one end secured to a fixed member and the other end secured to a movable member. The flat cable is provided with a turning portion at its fixing portion to the fixed member, and a cutter is inserted toward a folding line of the turning portion to cut the flat cable.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Kunihiko Sasaki