Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Apls Electric Co., Ltd.

Seishi Takahashi

Hiroyuki Sato

Yasuhisa Osumi

Toshiaki Asakura

Shunji Araki

Hiroyuki Bannai

Kazuhiko Ito

Tsuyoshi Kikuchi

Takashi Oguma

Kazuya Kawamura

Toru Tanaka

Yoshiro Honda

Yasunori Takahashi

A vehicular operating device includes an operating member manipulated to swing, a slider slidably fitted in a holding bore, a cam surface positioned in front of the slider, and a helical compression spring pressing the slider into pressure contact with the cam surface. The metal-made slider includes a first outer peripheral surface with a diameter being smaller than an inner diameter of the helical compression spring, and a guide portion with an outer diameter allowing the guide portion to slide along an inner peripheral surface of the holding bore. A resin-made annular spacer having an outer diameter substantially equal to that of the guide portion is fitted between the guide portion and the helical compression spring. The helical compression spring biases the slider through the annular spacer. The annular spacer holds the helical compression spring in a state not contacting the first outer peripheral surface and the guide portion.

Vehicular operating device

A rotary connector has a fixed housing, a movable housing that is rotatably linked to the fixed housing, flat cables wound in an annular space formed between the outer tube of the fixed housing and the inner tube of the movable housing, and a first connector connected to ends of the flat cables in their longitudinal directions. The first connector has connection terminals, a base, and, a cable retaining part. Each connection terminal has a cable attaching part at one end and an outer conductor at the other end, and also has one or more connecting parts. The base has a first plane and a second plane, which face each other. A PTC device is placed on the same side as the first plane. The cable retaining part is placed on the same side as the second plane.

Rotary connector having a positive temperature coefficient device

When a movable reel is rotated, a rotating ring is rotated following the rotation of the movable reel. An annular elastic member is fitted to a support on the rotating ring. In a laying-out space, a cable is pressed by a first elastic belt portion and a second elastic belt portion of the annular elastic member. As a result, a reversing portion of the cable can keep its shape constant. Since the annular elastic member is able to circle around the support following the movement of the rotating ring, damage of the cable can be reduced.

Rotary connector

In a rotary connector where a moving body turning with the rotation and revolution of a planetary gear and a flat cable including an inverted portion at a middle portion thereof are received in an annular space defined between an outer cylindrical body of a stationary-side housing and an inner cylindrical body of a movable-side housing, regulating walls, which extend in a circumferential direction with an opening interposed therebetween, are erected on a moving body formed of a resin molded product and the inverted portion passes through the opening so that the movement of the flat cable in a radial direction is regulated. Further, a plurality of protrusions, which protrude toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical body, are repeatedly formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surfaces of the regulating walls.

After a lead block, which is assembled by fitting a required number of pin terminals into an insulating support member, is connected to an end portion of a flat cable, the lead block is mounted on a lower connector holding portion of a rotary connector. The lower connector holding portion is formed of downward protruding portions of an outer cylindrical portion and a lower cover that are snap-fitted to each other. The downward protruding portion includes a receiving recess, and the downward protruding portion includes a holding wall portion. Tip portions of the pin terminals are inserted into insertion holes of the holding wall portion, so that the lead block is mounted. While stopper portions of the pin terminals are interposed between the holding wall portion and an outer wall of the support member, the support member is disposed so as to be positioned the receiving recess.

A rotary connector includes a stationary housing that includes an outer cylindrical body, and a movable housing that is disposed coaxially with the stationary housing and includes an inner cylindrical body facing the outer cylindrical body. An annular space portion is formed between the inner and outer cylindrical bodies facing each other and flat cables are wound and received in the annular space portion. An internal gear is provided on the outer cylindrical body of the stationary housing. A sun gear is provided on the inner cylindrical body of the movable housing. A planetary gear, which meshes with both the sun gear and the internal gear and is movable along the inner surface of a bottom plate portion of the stationary housing, is provided between the sun gear and the internal gear. The planetary gear and the sun gear include a plurality of void portions in the circumferential direction.

After a lead block, where a required number of pin terminals are fitted to and assembled with an insulating support member, is connected to an end portion of a flat cable, the lead block is assembled with a lower connector holder of a rotary connector. The lower connector holder includes lower protruding portions of a lower cover and an outer cylindrical portion that are snap-fitted to each other. The lower protruding portion includes a receiving recess and the lower protruding portion includes a holding wall portion. Leading end portions of pin terminals are inserted into insertion holes of the holding wall portion, so that the lead block is assembled. While stopper portions of the pin terminals are interposed between the holding wall portion and the outer wall of the support member, the support member is positioned and held in the receiving recess.

A rotary connector includes a case, a cover, a rotor having a top panel part and a first cylindrical part, a rotor snap having locking parts locked with an outer surface of the cover and a second cylindrical part snap-fitted to the first cylindrical part, flexible cables wound windably/rewindably in the case, and a ring-shaped plate part. In this case, a holding projection project outward in a radial direction from the outer circumferential surface of the second cylindrical part between a lower end of the first cylindrical part and the locking parts, and an inner rim of the cover is provided with a holding step so as to form a step. Furthermore, a wall surface forming the step of the holding step faces side surface of the holding projection, and an inner rim of the cover is rotatably interposed between lower surface of the holding projection and an upper surface of the ring-shaped plate part.

A rotary connector capable of preventing a locking key from projecting from a housing and eliminating dead space between the rotary connector and other vehicle-mounted parts. The rotary connector has a locking mechanism for a movable housing and a stationary housing, which is constituted of a guide hole bored in the movable housing, an operating part slidably stored in the guide hole, a part of which is projected from one open end of the guide hole to the outside, a locking key slidably stored in the guide hole, a part of which is projected from the other open end to the outside, a rotor snap (stopper) disposed opposite to the locking key, a first spring member set between the operating part and the locking key, a second spring member set between the locking key and the rotor snap, and a key engaging part provided on the stationary housing.

Rotary connector with locking mechanism for preventing rotation of housing prior to installation onto steering device

A rotating connector including a movable body having a lower holder with an outer extension portion which faces a widthwise direction end of a flexible cable. The flexible cable has a connecting end portion which extends beyond the outer extension portion and which is connected to a stationary side connecting portion of a first housing. For example, a cutout is formed in the flexible cable to prevent an edge of the connecting end portion of the flexible cable and the outer extension portion from contacting each other at a location where they cross each other. Using a simple structure, the rotating connector which makes it possible to reduce the level of sliding noise produced when sliding occurs between the flexible cable and the outer extension portion of the lower holder of the movable body.

Rotating connector

A rotary connector adapted to reliably operate a canceling mechanism for a winker, which is provided in a combination switch, and to reduce the distance between a steering wheel and the combination switch. Constituent components of the rotary connector are accommodated in a center hole provided in a casing of the combination switch. A canceling lever of the canceling mechanism protrudes into this center hole. The rotary connector broadly comprises a stator member supported on the casing, a rotor member rotating in response to rotation of a steering wheel, a slip-off preventing member, which is snap-connected to the rotor member, for preventing the rotor member from slipping off the stator member, and a flexible cable stored in an annular space defined between the stator member and the rotor member. A canceling lever is positioned in a turning region of the cancel cam provided on the upper portion of the rotor member.

Disclosed is a rotary connector mounting structure which involves no rattling after the mounting to thereby achieve a reduction in noise in spite of the adoption of a snap-in system, which allows the rotary connector to be easily mounted to the steering device of an automobile. A displacement absorbing member such as an elastic member 5 or a cushion member 13 is provided on the bottom surface of a first, stationary housing 1, and a mounting member 4 of the first housing 1 is snapped in on a switch casing 10 of a combination switch, which is the stationary member of a steering device. After this, the bottom surface of the stationary housing and the mounting surface of the stator member are biased by the displacement absorbing member such that they move away from each other, whereby rattling of the stationary housing is prevented.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Seishi Takahashi