Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Yuichi Ida

Hironori Kato

Junichi Hosogoe

Hiroyuki Bannai

Kunihiko Sasaki

Motoyuki Suzuki

Masanori Nakao

Tsumoru Oka

Kiichi Yamaguchi

Nobuo Matsuzaki

Yoshihiro Ohashi

Motohiko Otsuki

Mitsunori Matsumoto

Akihiro Konno

Mituaki Shinraku

Masaki Takahashi

Jiro Tsukada

Mituaki Shinroaku

Takasi Ohya

A lens unit includes at least three lenses that are laminated and received in a lens barrel. The lenses include a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens that are laminated from the side of an object in this order. The first lens includes a first contact face that is formed at an outer peripheral portion thereof and comes in contact with the second lens, and a first opposite surface that is formed at an inner peripheral portion of the first contact face, is spaced from the second lens, and faces the second lens. The second lens includes a second contact face that is formed at a position closer to the center of the second lens than the first contact face and comes in contact with the third lens, and a second opposite surface that is formed at an outer peripheral portion of the second contact face, is spaced from the third lens, and faces the third lens.

Lens unit

A rotary connector including a first housing rotatably connected to a second housing and forming an annular space therebetween, and a flexible cable wound within the annular spacing. According to a first aspect, the conductors of the flexible cable associated with an airbag circuit are spaced further apart than conductors for other circuits mounted on a steering wheel. A direct connector includes first terminals connected to the airbag conductors and second terminals connected to the other conductors. The first and second terminals are spaced apart and/or divided by a divider to prevent interference during assembly. In accordance with the second aspect, a locking member for preventing relative rotation of the first and second housings prior to assembly on a vehicle includes a cover portion for covering an open end of the direct connector.

Rotary connector

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.

Clock spring connector

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 lock for preventing free rotation of the movable member of a cable real relative to the stationary member includes a screw supported on a lock member in such a manner as to be screwable into either the movable member or the stationary member, and a stopper integrally formed on the lock member for preventing disengagement of the screw. The movable member can be securely locked with respect to the stationary member, and can be released from its locked position with good operational efficiency.

Cable reel

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.

In a clock spring connector using cables for electrical connection between a stationary member and a movable member which is rotatably mounted in relation to the stationary member, spiral or concentrical cable stowage grooves on both the stationary and the movable side are provided in a space for cable stowage, the cables being wound along either one of these cable stowage grooves and the remaining portion of the cables being wound reversely along the other cable stowage grooves, thereby decreasing the required length of the cables to half the amount of a rotation of the movable member.

Clock spring connector including cable stowage grooves

A clock spring interconnector for electrically connecting a fixed member and a movable member by use of a flexible cable. The clock spring interconnector provides a connector piece at the center of the interconnector which accommodates an eccentric motion between a rotating steering shaft and the fixed periphery of the interconnector by engaging a projection with a recess on pieces mounted to the stationary periphery and to the steering shaft respectively, while transmitting the rotational movement of the steering shaft to the movable piece of the interconnector and while keeping the gap between adjacent rotating pieces small.

Clock spring interconnector for steering

A clock spring interconnector for electrically connecting a fixed member and a movable member by use of a flexible cable such as a flat cable. The clock spring interconnector comprises a fixed member, a movable member mounted rotatably with respect to the fixed member, and a flexible cable received inplural turns between an inner ring wall provided on either the fixed member or the movable member and an outer ring wall provided on the other, both ends of the flexible cable in the winding direction being secured to the inner ring wall and the outer ring wall, respectively. An inversion preventing tongue is provided along the inner surface of the flexible cable extending from the inner ring wall, the tongue being secured to at least one of the inner ring wall and the flexible cable, and a recess capable of receiving the tongue is provided in a part of the peripheral surface of the inner ring wall.

Flat cable for steering

In a cable reel including a fixed member having an outer ring wall, a movable member having an inner ring wall and rotatably mounted to the fixed member, and a cable wound with a plurality of turns between the fixed member and the movable member and having opposite ends fixed to the outer ring wall and the inner ring wall, wherein when the movable member is rotated in either of a winding direction or an unwinding direction of the cable, the cable is wound up around the inner ring wall or is unwound to the outer ring wall; the improvement comprises a stopper formed of a rigid material and fixed to the cable at a position near the inner circumferential end thereof, wherein when the cable is unwound by a predetermined amount or more, the stopper stands to stop between the cable unwound to the outer ring wall and the cable inverted on the inner ring wall.

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.

A slip ring wherein electric disconnection which may possibly arise from freezing of drops of condensed water is prevented with a simplified construction. The slip ring is of the type wherein electric connection between a fixed member and a movable member mounted for rotation relative to the fixed member is established by means of an annular conductive plate and a contact element mounted in mutual contact on one and the other of the fixed and movable members. The slip ring comprises an insulating cover mounted for rotation on the conductive plate and covering an annular face of the conductive plate. The cover has an opening formed therein through which the contact element is resiliently contacted with the conductive plate.

Slip ring having a rotatable insulation cover

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

Yuichi Ida