Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Other

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd.

Nippon Valqua Industries, Ltd.

Shoichi Sugata

Kiyofumi Ichida

Masaji Suzuki

Tetsuya Iizuka

Tomoyuki Sakata

Akihito Maegawa

Yoshihiro Tsujita

A cable reel structure includes a mobile member including a top guard portion, from which extend at least two (first and second) connector units configured to receive outside circuits. Each of the connector units contains bus bars extending therethrough, such that the bus bars can be bonded to the outside circuits by a welding machine equipped with an anvil and a horn. The connector units are placed in staggered positions to each other, and with respect to a diametrical center line of the cable reel, such that, even after the mobile member has been mounted onto the fixed member, the welding of the bus bars to the outside circuits can be performed, successively in the first connector unit and the second connector unit, by rotating the mobile member after the welding has been performed in the first connector unit. Ultrasonic or resistance welding can thus be effected in those connector units more easily.

Cable reel structure and method of assembly

A connector structure includes a connector shell, and incorporates a cable reel, an encoder, and a turn-indicator system and a lighting system. The connector shell has an axis, and is configured to be joined with a steering shaft having an axis. The connector shell includes a cylindrical section fitted around the steering shaft in a freely rotatable manner, and a receptacle section which includes a shoulder portion extending outwardly from one end of the cylindrical section, a peripheral sidewall portion, and first and second parting strip portions symmetrically provided with respect to the axis of the connector shell, thereby forming, inside the receptacle section, a central zone between the first and second parting strip portions, a first peripheral zone between the peripheral sidewall portion and the first parting strip portion, and a second peripheral zone between the peripheral sidewall portion and the second parting strip portion. The cable reel is then mounted and fixed in the central zone of the receptacle section. The turn-indicator system and the lighting system are mounted and fixed, respectively, in the first peripheral zone of the receptacle section and the second peripheral zone thereof. The connector structure further includes a shell lid which includes a top wall with a center hole and an external sidewall. The center hole is configured to receive the main axis of a steering wheel in a freely rotatable manner, and the top wall and the external sidewall cover the connector shell.

Connector structure incorporating a cable reel and combined switch systems

An integrated connector device includes a cable reel, an encoder, and combined switch systems. It further includes a base shell including: a top wall portion with a central through-hole; an outer sidewall portion extending downwardly from the top wall portion and having first and second lever notches; and first and second partitions respectively provided at a predetermined distance from the outer sidewall portion. The cable reel includes a fixed body and a mobile body. The combined switch systems include a turn indicator-signal system and a lighting system respectively including turn indicator-signal and lighting levers. The cable reel is positioned in the base shell with their respective central axes aligned, such that the fixed body is positioned between the first and second partitions, the turn indicator-signal system is positioned between the outer sidewall portion and the first partition, the lighting system is positioned between the outer sidewall portion and the second partition, and the turn indicator-signal and lighting levers extend outwardly through the first and second lever notches.

Integrated connector device including a cable reel and combined switch systems

A cable guide is mounted into a cable reel structure, so as to form an inner enclosure and an outer enclosure. The cable guide is divided into at least two guide portions, so that, when the guides are assembled, the guides form at least two reverse path channels. At least one flat cable is spiraled in the inner enclosure in a first direction, passed through the reverse path channels, and spiraled in the outer enclosure in a second direction inverse to the first direction. In such a reverse-type cable reel structure, the flat cables can easily be passed through the reverse path channels, when the spiraling direction of the flat cable is reversed in the outer enclosure with respect to that in the inner enclosure.

Cable reel structure

A rotor interlocked with a steering wheel is rotatably connected with a stator fastened to a steering column, a flat cable is provided in a coiled position in an annular hollow space formed by the stator and a rotor, and an inner peripheral end of the flat cable is electrically connected with an external cable through a connector which is provided in and projects from the rotor. On the upper wall of the rotor, which forms an inner cylinder and an upper wall of the annular hollow space, a bus bar is connected with each conductor on the inner peripheral end of the flat cable and is scored to the rotor with an insert mold, and each conductor of the flat cable and an external cable are welded to the bus bar.

Cable reel

A flat cable containing several conductor elements and corresponding bus bars are provided. An end portion of each conductor element is welded to a first end portion of each bus bars. A second end portion of each of the bus bars is formed into a terminal. Meanwhile, a cable reel includes a mobile member and a fixed member. At least one of the mobile member and the fixed member is provided with a connector unit having an outward opening. The terminal of each of the bus bars extends in the connector unit through a terminal path hole, while a terminal of an outside electrical cable is inserted into the connector unit through the outward opening of the connector unit, so that the bus-bar terminal and the electrical cable terminal are fitted and connected to each other.

A method of assembling a cable reel for a steering wheel is simplified. The method includes unrolling a flat cable having a first end portion from a coiled reel; fixing a first connector to the first end portion of the flat cable; preparing a rotor having a barrel portion, and a top plate provided with a fixing notch; fitting the first connector into the fixing notch; winding the flat cable around the barrel portion of the rotor up to a given length as the flat cable is being unrolled from the coiled reel; cutting off the flat cable, so as to form a second end portion; fixing a second connector to the second end portion; and mounting the rotor wound with the flat cable into the cylindrical casing in a freely rotatable manner.

Cable reel and assembling method thereof

An attachment assembly for use in connection with the steering wheel of a vehicle. It consists of a fixed body, attached to the steering column, and a movable body, rotatable with respect to the fixed body and affixed to the steering wheel. The movable body and fixed body together define a toroidal space in which a coiled flat cable is contained. The ends of the cable carry connectors from the electrical system of the vehicle to (for example) an air bag actuating mechanism. A cable reel, made up of the fixed and movable bodies and the flat cable, is inserted into a hollow space in the switch body and is affixed thereto. As a result, the switch body and its operating lever can be maintained close to the underside of the steering wheel, even if the height of the flat cable is substantially increased. This permits the operation of the switches which are part of the switch body while the driver's hands remain on the rim of the steering wheel.

Attachment assembly for a steering wheel of a vehicle

A cable reel includes a sound-absorbing material which can effectively attenuate both sliding noise and vibration noise and can be produced inexpensively. The cable reel comprises a stationary member assembly and a movable member assembly rotatably mounted on the stationary member assembly. The stationary and movable member assemblies define a cable containing chamber having an annular configuration and upper and lower bearing surfaces. The cable containing chamber accommodates a flat cable in a coiled manner between the upper and lower bearing surfaces. Opposite ends of the flat cable are led out from the stationary and movable member assemblies through electrical means. The sound-absorbing material is made of a foam material and includes at least three straps. The straps extend radially and are equally spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction on at least the lower bearing surface of the cable containing chamber so that the flat cable slides on the straps of the sound-absorbing material.

Cable reel including a sound-absorbing material and method for producing the sound-absorbing material for the cable reel

Cable reel including a sound-absorbing material and method for producing

A highly lubricative sound-absorbing material is produced inexpensively and attenuates sliding noise and vibration noise. The highly lubricative sound-absorbing material comprises a rubber sheet (21) and a highly lubricative coating layer (22) formed directly on a surface of the rubber sheet by coating the surface with a mixture of an adhesive and a fluororesin system coating agent such as an polytetrafluoroethylene resin or the like by a thickness of 1 to 10 .mu.m. The rubber sheet (21) is formed into an annular shape and coated on its surface with the highly lubricative sound-absorbing layer (22) having a thickness of 1 to 10 .mu.m, preferably 3 .mu.m. The rubber sheet (21) is attached to a surface of a cable reel on which a flat cable slides.

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Yokkaichi, Japan

Shoichi Sugata