Mounting structure for fitting a locking collar to cable reel rotor

Abstract

In an automobile steering device, a mounting structure is provided for attaching a locking collar having a cancel cam to the hub of a cable reel rotor. The cancel cam is used to automatically deactivate a turn signal switch while it is blinking. The cable reel provides a housing for cable. The cable reel includes a casing attached to a rotor having an inner hub. In an annular hollow area between the casing and the rotor, a flat cable is spirally housed, and the flat cable is wound or rewound in the hollow area in accordance with reciprocal rotation of the rotor which corresponds to steering wheel movement. During the assembly process (i.e. attachment of locking collar to the rotor), it is important that the cancel cam is aligned, or clocked, to a specific radial position with respect to the rotor. There is provided a mounting structure which positively prevents erroneous connections between the locking collar and rotor. More specifically, a plurality of pairs of securing protrusions and inverted L-shaped securing recesses are provided at a certain distance in a peripheral direction on an external peripheral surface of a cylindrically shaped axial hub on the rotor and near a cylindrical inner sleeve of the locking collar. One pair, among the plurality of pairs of securing members, is made a different size from the other pairs. Therefore, when the rotor and locking collar are being assembled together, a failure proof measure is automatically provided to prevent an erroneous connection (i.e. a connection where the locking cam is not properly aligned in the desired normal position). This features reduces erroneous assembly attempts and increases productivity.