阅读说明：本技术 旋转连接器装置以及旋转连接器装置的组装方法 (Rotary connector device and assembling method of rotary connector device ) 是由 长谷川雄哉 于 2019-09-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供能够小型化的旋转连接器装置。旋转连接器装置(1)由转子(10)和定子(20)以及FFC(100)构成,该转子(10)和定子(20)可相对旋转地嵌合,并且在内部形成圆筒状的收纳空间(S),该FFC(100)卷绕收纳于收纳空间(S),转子(10)由环状的旋转侧环板(11)和形成收纳空间(S)的内周面的圆筒状的内周筒部(12)构成,定子(20)由环状的固定侧环板(21)和形成收纳空间(S)的外周面的外周筒部(22)构成,在FFC(100)的一端连结有固定侧连接器(40),该固定侧连接器(40)与配置于转子(10)侧的电气设备类电连接,在定子(20)上设置有供FFC(100)的一端侧从收纳空间(S)朝向转子(10)的外侧沿着±Z方向贯穿插入的贯穿插入部(24),并且在固定侧环板(21)的外侧的主面上设置有固定侧连接器(40)。(The invention provides a rotary connector device which can be miniaturized. A rotary connector device (1) is composed of a rotor (10), a stator (20) and an FFC (100), wherein the rotor (10) and the stator (20) are relatively rotatably embedded and a cylindrical containing space (S) is formed inside, the FFC (100) is wound and contained in the containing space (S), the rotor (10) is composed of an annular rotating side ring plate (11) and a cylindrical inner circumferential cylinder part (12) forming the inner circumferential surface of the containing space (S), the stator (20) is composed of an annular fixed side ring plate (21) and an outer circumferential cylinder part (22) forming the outer circumferential surface of the containing space (S), a fixed side connector (40) is connected with one end of the FFC (100), the fixed side connector (40) is electrically connected with electric equipment arranged on the rotor (10) side, a penetrating and inserting part (24) for penetrating and inserting the one end side of the FFC (100) from the containing space (S) to the outer side of the rotor (10) along the +/-Z direction is arranged on the stator (20), a fixed-side connector (40) is provided on the outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate (21).)

1. A rotatable connector device comprising a rotating body, a fixed body, and a flat cable, wherein the rotating body and the fixed body are fitted to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other, a cylindrical housing space is formed inside the rotating body, and the flat cable is wound around the housing space,

the rotating body is composed of an annular rotating side ring plate and a cylindrical inner peripheral cylinder part which forms the inner peripheral surface of the accommodating space,

the fixing body is composed of an annular fixing side ring plate and an outer peripheral cylinder part forming the outer peripheral surface of the accommodating space,

a fixed-side connector electrically connected to the electric equipment disposed on the fixed body side is connected to one end of the flat cable,

the fixed body is provided with a through insertion portion through which one end side of the flat cable is inserted from the housing space toward the outside of the fixed body in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body that rotates relative to the rotating body, and the fixed-side connector is provided on the main surface on the outside of the fixed-side ring plate.

2. A rotatable connector arrangement according to claim 1,

an installation portion for installing the fixed-side connector is provided on the main surface of the outer side of the fixed-side ring plate.

3. A rotatable connector arrangement according to claim 2,

the setting part is integrally formed on the main surface of the outer side of the fixed side ring plate.

4. A rotatable connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the fixing body is composed of a 1 st fixing body having the outer peripheral cylinder part and a 2 nd fixing body having the fixing-side ring plate,

the 1 st fixing body is provided with a temporary fixing portion that temporarily fixes the fixed-side connector to the outer side in the radial direction of the outer circumferential cylinder portion.

5. A rotatable connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the entire or a part of the insertion portion is provided radially outward of the housing space.

6. A rotatable connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the rotatable connector is provided with a fixed-side cover attached to the fixed-side ring plate so as to surround a coupling portion between the fixed-side connector and the flat cable.

7. A rotatable connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the fixed-side connector is disposed radially inward of an outer peripheral edge of the fixed-side ring plate.

8. A method for assembling a rotatable connector device, in which a rotating body and a fixed body are fitted to each other so as to be rotatable relative to each other, comprises: a cylindrical housing space for housing a flat cable wound around is formed inside the rotating body and the fixed body, and a fixed-side connector electrically connected to electric equipment disposed in the vehicle body is connected to one end of the flat cable,

the rotating body is composed of an annular rotating side ring plate and a cylindrical inner peripheral cylinder part which forms the inner peripheral surface of the accommodating space,

the fixing body is composed of an annular fixing side ring plate and an outer circumference tube part forming the inner circumference surface of the accommodating space,

the fixing body is composed of a 1 st fixing body and a 2 nd fixing body, the 1 st fixing body has the outer peripheral cylinder part, the 2 nd fixing body has the fixing side ring plate, the fixing side ring plate is provided with a penetrating and inserting part for penetrating and inserting one end side of the flat cable from the accommodating space to the outside of the fixing body along the rotation axis direction of the rotating body rotating relatively, and an arranging part for arranging the fixing side connector is arranged on the main surface of the outside of the fixing side ring plate,

the method for assembling the rotatable connector device sequentially performs the following steps:

a 1 st fixed body assembling step of assembling the 1 st fixed body of the outer circumferential cylindrical portion to the rotating body around which the flat cable is wound;

a fixed-side connector temporary fixing step of temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector;

a 2 nd fixing body assembling step of assembling the 2 nd fixing body to the 1 st fixing body so that one end side of the flat cable is inserted into the insertion portion from the housing space in the rotation axis direction to the outside; and

and a fixed-side connector setting step of setting the temporarily fixed-side connector in the setting section.

9. The assembly method of a rotatable connector device according to claim 8,

a temporary fixing portion that temporarily fixes the fixed-side connector coupled to one end of the flat cable is provided on the 1 st fixing body on an outer side in a radial direction of the outer circumferential cylindrical portion,

in the fixed-side connector temporary fixing step, the fixed-side connector is temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing section.

10. The assembly method of a rotatable connector device according to claim 8 or 9,

after the fixed-side connector installing step, a fixed-side cover surrounding a coupling portion of the fixed-side connector and the flat cable is attached to the fixed-side ring plate.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a rotatable connector device mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

Background

In a vehicle such as an automobile, for example, electrical equipment provided on a steering wheel side and a power supply provided on a vehicle body side are electrically connected via a flat cable wound around the inside of a rotatable connector device.

As an example of such a rotatable connector device, patent document 1 discloses a substantially cylindrical rotatable connector device as follows: a rotating body composed of an annular rotating side ring plate and a cylindrical inner circumference cylinder part formed on the inner circumference of the rotating side ring plate is engaged with a fixed body composed of an annular fixed side ring plate and a cylindrical outer circumference cylinder part formed on the outer circumference of the fixed side ring plate in a relatively rotatable manner, a rotating side connector communicated with the accommodating space is vertically arranged upwards on the main surface of the rotating side ring plate on the side opposite to the accommodating space, and a fixed side connector communicated with the accommodating space is arranged on the outer circumference cylinder part in a manner of protruding towards the radial outside.

In this rotatable connector device, one end and the other end of the flat cable housed in the housing space formed by the rotating body and the fixed body are coupled to the fixed-side connector and the rotatable-side connector, respectively, and the vehicle-body-side power supply and the electrical equipment such as the horn module, the airbag module, or the audio control module provided on the steering wheel side can be electrically connected via the flat cable.

In recent years, the number of electrical devices and the like mounted on a vehicle has increased due to a demand for improved safety, and the density of in-vehicle devices has been increasing. On the other hand, in order to improve the housing ability, the rotary connector device is required to be small.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-220207

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable connector device that can be downsized and an assembling method of the rotatable connector device.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention is a rotary connector device comprising a rotary body, a fixed body, and a flat cable, wherein the rotary body and the fixed body are relatively rotatably fitted to each other and a cylindrical housing space is formed inside the housing space, and the flat cable is wound around the housing space, wherein the rotary body is composed of an annular rotary side ring plate and a cylindrical inner peripheral cylindrical portion forming an inner peripheral surface of the housing space, the fixed body is composed of an annular fixed side ring plate and an outer peripheral cylindrical portion forming an outer peripheral surface of the housing space, a fixed-side connector is connected to one end of the flat cable, the fixed-side connector is electrically connected to an electric device or the like disposed on the fixed body side, and the fixed body is provided with a penetration insertion portion into which one end side of the flat cable is inserted from the housing space toward the outside of the fixed body in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotary body which rotates relatively, and the fixed-side connector is provided on an outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate.

The rotating body may be constituted by a rotor constituted by an annular rotating-side ring plate and a cylindrical inner circumferential tube portion forming an inner circumferential surface of the housing space, and a sleeve integrally assembled with the rotor, or may be constituted by only the rotor.

The fixing body includes a fixing body formed by fitting a 1 st fixing body constituting the fixing-side ring plate and a 2 nd fixing body constituting the outer peripheral tube portion, or a fixing body formed by integrating the outer peripheral tube portion and the fixing-side ring plate.

The electrical devices may be any devices as long as they are electrically connected to a horn module, an airbag module, and the like provided on a steering wheel attached to the rotatable connector device via the flat cable housed in the housing space, and include, for example, a vehicle body battery, an electrical junction box, and the like provided on a vehicle body side.

The insertion portion may be provided on the outer peripheral edge portion or the inner peripheral edge portion of the fixed-side ring plate, may be provided so as to penetrate the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate, and may be formed on a part of the outer peripheral tube portion, or may be formed by the outer peripheral tube portion and the fixed-side ring plate.

The fixed-side connector provided on the outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate includes a case where the fixed-side connector is detachably provided on the outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate (i.e., a main surface that can be visually recognized from the outside) when the storage space side is set as the inner side, or a case where the fixed-side connector is not detachably provided.

Specifically, the present invention also includes a case where the fixed-side connector is provided with a locking portion, a fitting portion, or the like on the fixed-side ring plate and is locked or fitted by the fixed-side connector, a case where the fixed-side connector is provided on the fixed-side ring plate by being fixed with thermosetting resin, adhesive, or the like, a case where the fixed-side connector is screwed to the fixed-side ring plate, and the like, and a case where the fixed-side connector is fixed to the fixed-side ring plate using another member, a combination thereof, or the like.

According to the present invention, the rotary connector device can be miniaturized.

In detail, since the insertion portion is provided in the fixed body and the fixed-side connector coupled to one end of the flat cable is provided in the fixed-side ring plate, one end side of the flat cable can be drawn out from the housing space to the outside along the rotation axis direction and the fixed-side connector coupled to one end of the flat cable can be arranged to protrude in the direction of the fixed body.

That is, the one end side of the flat cable can be prevented from being drawn out radially outward, and the fixed-side connector can be prevented from protruding radially outward of the fixed-side ring plate. Therefore, the rotatable connector device can be miniaturized.

In an aspect of the present invention, an installation portion on which the fixed-side connector is installed may be provided on an outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate.

The installation portion is configured to detachably fix the fixed-side connector to the fixed-side ring plate, and includes a locking portion provided to lock the fixed-side connector to the fixed-side ring plate, a fitting portion provided to fit the fixed-side connector to the fixed-side ring plate, and the like. The installation portion provided on the fixed-side ring plate includes a case where the installation portion is formed on a main surface of the fixed-side ring plate or a case where the installation portion is formed to penetrate the fixed-side ring plate.

According to the present invention, since the fixed-side connector inserted into the insertion portion can be attached to and detached from the fixed-side ring plate, the assembly work of the rotatable connector device can be efficiently performed.

Specifically, the fixed-side connector can be detached from the fixed-side ring plate by providing the installation portion on the fixed-side ring plate. Therefore, for example, when the fixed-side connector is coupled to the flat cable inserted into the insertion portion, the fixed-side connector can be moved to a desired position where the fixed-side connector can be easily coupled to the flat cable, and the flat cable and the fixed-side connector can be easily coupled to each other. Therefore, the assembly work of the rotatable connector device can be efficiently performed.

In an aspect of the present invention, the installation portion may be integrally formed on an outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate.

According to the present invention, the flat cable can be more smoothly slid in the housing space, and therefore, the quality of the rotatable connector device can be improved.

In detail, since the installation portion where the fixed-side connector is installed in the fixed-side ring plate is integrally formed on the main surface on the outer side of the fixed-side ring plate, it is possible to prevent a protrusion protruding toward the accommodation space and a recess or a through hole recessed outward in the rotation axis direction from being formed on the main surface on the accommodation space side of the fixed-side ring plate.

Accordingly, when the flat cable stored in the storage space is slid along with the relative rotation of the rotating body, the flat cable can be prevented from being hooked on the fixed-side ring plate, and therefore the flat cable can be smoothly slid. Therefore, the quality of the rotatable connector device can be improved.

In addition, the flat cables stored in the storage space can be prevented from interfering with the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate on the storage space side, and therefore the flat cables can be prevented from being damaged.

In an aspect of the present invention, the fixing body may include a 1 st fixing body having the outer peripheral tube portion and a 2 nd fixing body having the fixing-side ring plate, and the 1 st fixing body may be provided with a temporary fixing portion that temporarily fixes the fixing-side connector to a radial outer side of the outer peripheral tube portion.

Further, the present invention may be a method of assembling a rotatable connector device in which a rotating body and a fixed body are fitted to each other so as to be relatively rotatable, the rotatable connector device being assembled by: a cylindrical housing space in which a flat cable is wound and housed is formed inside the rotating body and the fixed body, and a fixed-side connector electrically connected to electrical equipment and the like disposed in a vehicle body is connected to one end of the flat cable, wherein the rotating body is configured by an annular rotating-side ring plate and a cylindrical inner cylindrical portion forming an inner circumferential surface of the housing space, the fixed body is configured by an annular fixed-side ring plate and an outer cylindrical portion forming the inner circumferential surface of the housing space, the fixed body is configured by a 1 st fixed body having the outer cylindrical portion and a 2 nd fixed body having the fixed-side ring plate, and a penetration insertion portion through which one end side of the flat cable is inserted from the housing space to the outside of the fixed body in a direction of a rotation axis of the rotating body rotating relatively is provided in the fixed-side ring plate, and an installation portion on which the fixed-side connector is installed is provided on an outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate, and the method for assembling the rotatable connector device sequentially performs the following steps: a 1 st fixed body assembling step of assembling the 1 st fixed body of the outer circumferential cylindrical portion to the rotating body around which the flat cable is wound; a fixed-side connector temporary fixing step of temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector; a 2 nd fixing body assembling step of assembling the 2 nd fixing body to the 1 st fixing body so that one end side of the flat cable is inserted into the insertion portion from the housing space in the rotation axis direction to the outside; and a fixed-side connector setting step of setting the temporarily fixed-side connector in the setting section.

In the above-described method of assembling the rotatable connector device, the first fixing body 1 may be provided with a temporary fixing portion that temporarily fixes the fixed-side connector coupled to one end of the flat cable on an outer side in a radial direction of the outer circumferential cylindrical portion, and the fixed-side connector may be temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing portion in the fixed-side connector temporary fixing step.

In the fixed-side connector temporary fixing step, the position where the fixed-side connector is temporarily fixed is not specified, and examples thereof include a case where the fixed-side connector is temporarily fixed to a temporary fixing portion provided on the outer circumferential tube portion of the 1 st fixed body, and a case where the fixed-side connector is temporarily fixed to a temporary fixing portion provided separately in an assembling device in which a rotatable connector device is assembled.

According to the present invention, in the assembly of the rotatable connector device, the flat cable can be prevented from being damaged, and the assembly work can be made efficient.

In detail, since the fixed body is composed of the 1 st fixed body and the 2 nd fixed body, in the assembling work of the rotatable connector device, after the 1 st fixed body is assembled with respect to the rotating body that winds the flat cable around the inner circumferential cylindrical portion, the fixed-side connector can be extended to the outside of the housing space, and the flat cable coupled to the fixed-side connector via the insertion portion can be inserted into the insertion portion so as to be directed outward in the rotation axis direction from the housing space. Then, the 2 nd fixture can be assembled to the 1 st fixture.

This prevents the flat cable inserted into the insertion portion from interfering with the 2 nd fixing body, thereby preventing damage to the flat cable.

In addition, since the fixed-side connector coupled to one end of the flat cable can be temporarily fixed when the 2 nd fixed body is assembled to the 1 st fixed body, the assembly work of the fixed-side connector and the flat cable on the one end side can be efficiently performed without interfering with the assembly work of the fixed body.

Further, by temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector, it is possible to more reliably prevent the one end side of the flat cable from being twisted or damaged due to interference with other components in the assembly work of the 2 nd fixed body.

In this way, the fixed body is constituted by the 1 st fixed body and the 2 nd fixed body, and the fixed body is provided in the 1 st fixed body, whereby the flat cable can be prevented from being damaged, and the assembly work of the rotatable connector device can be efficiently performed.

In an aspect of the present invention, all or a part of the insertion portion may be provided radially outward of the housing space.

According to the present invention, since the flat cable coupled to the fixed-side connector is inserted into the insertion portion provided on the radially outer side of the fixed-side ring plate, the insertion portion is disposed on the radially outer side of the flat cable accommodated in the accommodation space. Therefore, the one end side of the flat cable inserted through the insertion portion and the flat cable wound radially inward can be prevented from rubbing against each other, and damage to the flat cable can be prevented.

In an aspect of the present invention, a fixed-side cover may be provided, and the fixed-side cover may be attached to the fixed-side ring plate so as to surround a coupling portion between the fixed-side connector and the flat cable.

According to the present invention, the one end side of the flat cable and the fixed-side connector can be protected, and thus an unexpected external force can be prevented from acting on the one end side of the flat cable and the fixed-side connector. Therefore, the fixed-side connector and the one end side of the flat cable can be prevented from being damaged.

In an aspect of the present invention, the fixed-side connector may be disposed radially inward of an outer peripheral edge of the fixed-side ring plate.

According to the present invention, since the fixed-side connector can be reliably disposed radially inward of the rotatable connector device in a bottom view, the one end side of the flat cable can be pulled radially inward. Therefore, the flat cable can be prevented from interfering with another member arranged radially outward of the rotatable connector device, the flat cable can be prevented from being damaged, and the rotatable connector device can be reliably downsized.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, a rotatable connector device that can be reduced in size and a method of assembling the rotatable connector device can be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the rotatable connector device as viewed from above.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the rotatable connector device as viewed from below.

Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the rotatable connector device as viewed from below.

Fig. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the flat cable, the fixed-side connector, and the housing cover.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the fixed-side connector and the housing cover.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the stator main body.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory view of the sub-stator.

Fig. 8 is an explanatory view of the stator.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of assembly of the rotatable connector device.

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a state in which a fixed-side connector is assembled to the assembled rotor and sub-stator.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a state in which a stator main body is assembled to a sub stator to which a fixed-side connector is temporarily fixed.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a state in which a stator main body is assembled to the rotor and the sub-stator after assembly.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a state in which the fixed-side connector is assembled to the assembled rotor and stator.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view of a state in which a housing cover is assembled to the fixed-side connector after assembly.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of a state in which the housing cover is assembled to the fixed-side connector after assembly.

Fig. 16 is a sectional view of a stator according to another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of rotatable connector device 1 as viewed from above, fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of rotatable connector device 1 as viewed from below, and fig. 3 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of rotatable connector device 1 as viewed from below. In fig. 3, illustration of the fixed-side connector 40 and the housing cover 50 is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the rotor 10 side is set to the + Z direction (upper side), the sleeve 30 side is set to the-Z direction (lower side), and the upward and downward directions are set to the ± Z direction with respect to the stator 20. In fig. 1, the front right side is defined as the + X direction, the back left side is defined as the-X direction, and the front and back directions are defined as the ± X directions. Similarly, the front left side is defined as the + Y direction, the back right side is defined as the-Y direction, and the left side from the right side is defined as the ± Y direction. The + -Z direction, the + -X direction and the + -Y direction are perpendicular to each other. The same applies to fig. 2 to 15 below.

Fig. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the flat cable 100 stored in the storage space S, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the flat cable 100, and the housing cover 50, fig. 5 is an explanatory view of the fixed-side connector 40 and the housing cover 50, fig. 6 is an explanatory view of the stator main body 20A, fig. 7 is an explanatory view of the sub-stator 20B, and fig. 8 is an explanatory view of the stator 20 in which the stator main body 20A and the sub-stator 20B are assembled.

Fig. 5 to 9 are detailed, in which fig. 5 (a) shows a side view of the fixed-side connector 40, fig. 5 (B) shows a bottom view of the fixed-side connector 40, fig. 5 (c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 5 (a), fig. 5 (d) shows a side view of the housing cover 50, and fig. 5 (e) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 5 (d).

Fig. 6 (a) shows a bottom view of the stator main body 20A, and fig. 6 (b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of fig. 6 (a). Fig. 7 (a) shows a bottom view of the sub-stator 20B, and fig. 7 (B) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of fig. 7 (a). Fig. 8 (a) shows a bottom view of the stator 20, and fig. 8 (b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of fig. 8 (a).

The C-C line cross-sectional view, the D-D line cross-sectional view, and the E-E line cross-sectional view are cross-sectional views of the cut surfaces at corresponding positions, respectively.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an assembling method for assembling the rotatable connector device 1, and fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the fixed-side connector 40 is temporarily fixed to the rotor 10 and the sub-stator 20B after assembly. Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the stator main body 20A is assembled to the sub-stator 20B to which the fixed-side connector 40 is temporarily fixed.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a state where the stator main body 20A is assembled to the assembled rotor 10 and sub-stator 20B, and fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view and a sectional view showing a state where the fixed-side connector 40 is assembled to the assembled rotor 10 and stator 20.

Fig. 12 and 13 are cross-sectional views of positions corresponding to cross-sectional planes along the C-C line.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing a state where the housing cover 50 is assembled to the fixed-side connector 40 on the assembled rotor 10 and stator 20, and fig. 15 is a sectional view showing an F-F line and a G-G line of fig. 14.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a position corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the rotatable connector device 1 is a substantially cylindrical body in which a rotor 10, a stator 20 positioned below the rotor 10, and a sleeve 30 assembled so that the rotor 10 and the stator 20 can rotate relative to each other are assembled in this order from above in the ± Z direction, and two flat cables 100 (hereinafter, referred to as FFC 100) are wound in a stacked manner in a cylindrical housing space S formed by the rotor 10 and the stator 20 and housed therein.

First, the FFC 100 stored in the storage space S, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to the FFC 100, and the case cover 50 assembled to the fixed-side connector 40 will be described.

The FFC 100 includes a plurality of strip conductors (not shown) arranged in parallel and an insulating coating (not shown) that sandwiches and insulates the strip conductors, and a conductor exposure portion (not shown) in which a part of the insulating coating is peeled off and a strip conductor of a predetermined length is exposed is formed at both end portions of the FFC 100. One end side of the conductor exposure portion thus exposed is coupled to the fixed-side connector 40, and the other end side is coupled to a rotary-side connector, not shown.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the FFC 100 is configured by a bus bar holding portion 41 (a bus bar holding portion 41a, a bus bar holding portion 41B), an upper bus bar cover 42, and a lower bus bar cover 43, the bus bar holding portion 41 holding a bus bar B coupled to the strip conductors of two overlapping wound FFCs 100, the upper bus bar cover 42 protecting the bus bar B disposed above, and the lower bus bar cover 43 protecting the bus bar B disposed below.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the bus bar holding portion 41 is configured by a bus bar holding body 411, which is a rectangular plate-like body, the conductor connecting portion 412, and a protruding portion holding portion 413, the bus bar holding body 411 holds 8 bus bars B connected to the FFC 100, the conductor connecting portion 412 exposes the bus bars B for connection to the conductor exposed portion of the FFC 100, and the protruding portion holding portion 413 holds 9 bus bars B (including 1 dummy bus bar) protruding in the + X direction. The bus bar B held by the bus bar holding portion 41 is formed into a substantially L-shape in side view.

The conductor connecting portion 412 is an opening formed by opening a side surface in the + Y direction on the bottom surface side (the (-Z direction side) of the bus bar holder 411, and exposes the base end side of the bus bar B. In other words, the end of the bus bar holder 411 in the-Z direction, that is, the bottom surface of the bus bar holder 411 on the side where the conductor connecting portion 412 is formed, is formed in a substantially rectangular shape.

The protrusion holding portion 413 of the bus bar holding portion 41a aligns 7 bus bars B in the ± Z direction so as to protrude in the + X direction at the upper side, and aligns 2 bus bars B in the ± Z direction so as to protrude in the + X direction at the lower side.

On the other hand, the projecting portion holding portion 413 of the bus bar holding portion 41B arranges 7 bus bars B in the ± Z direction so as to project in the + X direction at the upper side, and arranges 2 bus bars B in the ± Z direction so as to project in the + X direction from positions shifted in the + Y direction from the bus bar B at the upper side.

That is, as shown in fig. 5 (c), two bus bar holding portions 41a and 41b are arranged to overlap in the ± Y direction. The 7 bus bars B held by the two bus bar holding portions 41 in the ± Z direction are arranged in 2 rows in the ± Y direction. On the other hand, the 4 bus bars B arranged below are arranged in the ± Z direction.

Further, by overlapping the two bus bar holding portions 41a and 41b, the bottom surface portion where the conductor connecting portion 412 is formed has a rectangular shape twice the thickness of the bus bar holding portion 41.

The upper bus bar cover 42 for protecting the 14 bus bars B arranged above is composed of an upper cover main body 421 formed in a hollow rectangular cross-sectional shape and an upper fitting convex portion 422 protruding in the ± Y direction on the base end side (the (-X direction side) of the upper cover main body 421. In addition, a temporarily engaged portion 423 protruding in the-Y direction is provided at a central lower end portion of a side surface in the-Y direction of upper cover main body 421.

Upper fitting convex portions 422 protruding in the ± Y direction from the base end sides (the (-X direction sides) of the both side surfaces of the upper cover main body 421 are formed along the ± Z direction.

As shown in fig. 5 (b) and 5 (c), the base end side of the temporarily engaged portion 423 protrudes from the side surface of the upper cover main body 421 in the-Y direction to the + Y direction with a predetermined plate thickness, and the tip end in the + Y direction has a predetermined width in the ± Z direction and is formed of a rectangular plate-like body having a predetermined length along the ± X direction.

That is, the temporarily engaged portion 423 is formed in a substantially T shape in a bottom view (see fig. 5 (b)).

As shown in fig. 5 (c), the lower bus bar cover 43 disposed below the upper bus bar cover 42 is a cover for protecting the 4 bus bars B disposed below, and is composed of a lower cover main body 431 formed in a hollow rectangular cross-sectional shape and a lower fitting convex portion 432 formed along the ± Z direction on the base end side (the (-X direction side) of the lower cover main body 431. The lower fitting convex portion 432 is formed at a position linearly aligned with the upper fitting convex portion 422.

The fixed-side connector 40 configured as described above is connected to a connector of an electric wire cable (not shown) connected to a battery and an electric junction box provided in a vehicle body.

As shown in fig. 4, 5 (d), and 5 (e), the housing cover 50 for protecting the bus bar holding portion 41 is integrally formed of a housing cover main body 51, a fitting groove 52, and a cover fixing portion 53, the housing cover main body 51 being a hollow shell open in the-Z direction and the + X direction, the fitting groove 52, 52 being formed in the opening of the housing cover main body 51 in the + X direction, and the cover fixing portion 53 being formed in the outer frame of the housing cover main body 51.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5 (d), the case cover main body 51 is a housing formed with a length in the ± Z direction and the ± Y direction of the inner wall substantially equal to the length of the corresponding fixed-side connector 40, and a protection space K capable of accommodating the bus bar holder 411 is formed inside.

As shown in fig. 5 (e), the fitting grooves 52, 52 are formed by concave portions recessed from both side inner walls of the opening in the + X direction of the housing cover main body 51 in the direction opposite to the direction toward the protection space K, and the concave portions extend in the ± Z direction.

The distance between the fitting grooves 52 is formed to be the same as the distance between the upper fitting projections 422 and 422. That is, the housing cover 50 can be attached to the fixed-side connector 40 by fitting the upper fitting projections 422 and 422 into the fitting grooves 52 and 52.

The cover fixing portion 53 is a plate-like body having a circular through hole 53a formed in the center. As shown in fig. 4 and 5 (e), each corner portion of the housing cover main body 51 in the bottom view of the cover fixing portion 53 is formed at a position having a predetermined height from the bottom surface of the housing cover main body 51.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the rotor 10 constituting the rotatable electrical connector device 1 is integrally formed of a substantially annular rotating-side annular plate 11 having a substantially circular through hole at a central portion thereof in a plan view, and an inner circumferential cylindrical portion 12 formed downward from an inner circumferential edge of the rotating-side annular plate 11, and two rotating-side electrical connector receiving portions 13 protruding in the + Z direction (upward) are provided on a main surface of the rotating-side annular plate 11 in the + Z direction (upward).

The inner cylindrical portion 12 forms an inner circumferential surface of a cylindrical housing space S formed inside the rotatable connector device 1 by the rotor 10 and the stator 20.

The rotary-side connector housing portion 13 houses a rotary-side connector coupled to the other end side of the FFC 100 housed in the housing space S, and is connected to a connector of an electric wire cable (not shown) connected to a circuit of an electric device such as a horn switch and an airbag unit provided in a steering wheel from the outside.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the sleeve 30 assembled to the rotor 10 having the above-described configuration is a substantially cylindrical body having a through hole penetrating in the ± Z direction at the central portion in a plan view, and is assembled to the rotor 10 by sandwiching a stator 20 described later from the ± Z direction. Accordingly, the rotor 10 and the stator 20 can be relatively rotated in the right-hand direction R and the left-hand direction L with the center axis of the rotating-side ring plate 11 as the rotation axis a.

As shown in fig. 2, the stator 20, which is rotatable relative to the rotor 10, is a bottomed substantially cylindrical body having an open upper surface, which is formed by fitting a substantially annular plate-shaped stator main body 20A having an open central portion and a sub-stator 20B, which is a substantially cylindrical body, in the ± Z direction, and is configured by a fixed-side ring plate 21 constituting a lower surface and a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral tube portion 22 having an inner peripheral surface forming an outer peripheral surface of the housing space S.

Hereinafter, the stator body 20A having the fixed-side ring plate 21 will be described with reference to fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 6 (a), the stator body 20A is a plate-like body having a substantially circular shape in a bottom view, in which a portion in the + Y direction and a portion in the-X direction in the outer peripheral edge of the fixed side ring plate 21 formed in a circular shape are linear, so that a corner portion 21a is formed at the end in the + Y direction and the end in the-X direction in a bottom view.

In this way, a small connector housing 23 capable of housing a small connector for heat transfer is provided upright in the-Z direction at the corner portion 21a of the stator body 20A formed in the + Y direction and the-X direction. Further, a through insertion portion 24 that recesses a portion formed in a straight line shape in the-Y direction is provided at an end portion (a portion formed in a straight line shape) of the stator main body 20A in the + Y direction and on the + X direction side of the small connector housing portion 23.

In other words, the insertion portion 24 is disposed radially outward of the fixed-side ring plate 21 formed in a circular shape in plan view about the rotation axis a.

In addition, a partition portion 25 protruding in the-Z direction (downward) is provided in the-Y direction of the insertion portion 24, and a rectangular fitting recess 26 is provided in the-Y direction of the partition portion 25. Further, around the partition portion 25 and the fitting recess 26, 4 fixed base portions 27 are provided so as to be erected in the-Z direction so as to form substantially four corners of a rectangle.

That is, in the rotary connector device 1 in which the rotor 10 and the stator 20 are assembled, the stator body 20A is provided with the small connector housing 23, the insertion portion 24, the partition portion 25, the fitting recess 26, and the fixed base portion 27 in the-Z direction (lower direction) which is the opposite side of the rotary side ring plate 11 with respect to the fixed side ring plate 21.

The insertion portion 24 is a recess formed by recessing the outer peripheral edge portion of the fixed-side ring plate 21 formed linearly in the + Y direction by about 2 times the thickness of the FFC 100 in the-Y direction.

The partition portion 25 is a wall that is erected to partition the insertion portion 24 and the fitting recess portion 26, and is formed in a substantially triangular shape in cross section in which a side surface on the-Y direction side is erected vertically and a bottom surface side (the (-Z direction side) of a side surface on the + Y direction side is inclined to be tapered toward the-Y direction tip, as shown in fig. 6 (b). In addition, the front end portion (bottom surface portion) of the partition 25 is rounded.

As shown in fig. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the fitting recess 26 corresponds to a mounting portion for mounting the fixed-side connector 40 on the rotatable connector device 1, and is formed radially inward of the outer peripheral edge of the fixed-side ring plate 21 when the annular fixed-side ring plate 21 is viewed from below. The fitting recess 26 is a fitting hole formed by a projection projecting in a substantially コ shape from the outer main surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21 in the-Z direction so as to open in the + Y direction. In other words, the fitting recess 26 is formed by a substantially rectangular recess in bottom view.

The fitting recess 26 is formed so as not to penetrate the fixed-side ring plate 21 or so as not to form a projection on the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21 in the + Z direction. The depression formed by the fitting recess 26 formed in this way is formed to have a size that allows the bottom surface portion of the bus bar holding portion 41 to be fitted.

The fixed base portion 27 is a convex portion protruding in the-Z direction from the fixed-side ring plate 21 to have a height approximately half of the height of the fitting concave portion 26, and a circular screwing concave portion 27a capable of screwing is provided at each central portion.

Next, a sub-stator 20B having an outer circumferential tube 22 is described with reference to fig. 7, in which the inner circumferential surface of the outer circumferential tube 22 forms the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical housing space S.

The sub-stator 20B is a substantially cylindrical tubular body slightly smaller than the stator main body 20A in a bottom view, and a solid square outer peripheral surface 22a is formed at the ends of the outer peripheral tube portion 22 in the + Y direction and the-X direction so as to correspond to the corner portion 21a of the stator main body 20A.

As shown in fig. 7 (a), a temporary fixing portion 28 formed in a substantially T-shape in a plan view is provided on the outer peripheral surface in the + Y direction formed on the plane so as to correspond to the end in the + Y direction of the stator main body 20A. The temporary fixing portion 28 is a recess portion formed in a substantially T-shape in a bottom view, which is substantially the same shape as the temporarily engaged portion 423 formed in the upper bus bar cover 42 in a bottom view.

A protective wall 29 having a height of about three quarters of the height of the partition 25 is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the square outer peripheral surface 22a in the-X direction of the temporary fixing portion 28.

Further, a cable passage T having a width about 2 times the thickness of the FFC 100 is formed along the outer circumference of the square outer circumferential surface 22a on the radially inner side of the square outer circumferential surface 22a of the sub-stator 20B. The cable passage T includes a guide passage Ta that is guided to the rectangular outer peripheral surface 22a along the tangential direction of the outer peripheral tube portion 22, a direction change passage Tb that is guided from the guide passage Ta to the + X direction, and a lead-out passage Tc that is formed along the ± X direction from the tip of the direction change passage Tb (see fig. 7 (a)).

In the stator 20 in which the stator main body 20A and the sub-stator 20B configured as described above are fitted to each other, the insertion portion 24 is disposed radially outside the housing space S, as shown in fig. 8 (a) and 8 (B). Further, since the insertion portion 24 is disposed at a position corresponding to the drawing path Tc, the FFC 100 disposed in the cable path T can be drawn out from the housing space S in the-Z direction along the rotation axis a.

The entire insertion portion 24 is disposed radially outward of the housing space S, but a part thereof may be disposed radially outward.

In the stator 20, a protective wall 29 forming the outer peripheral surface of the square outer peripheral surface 22a is disposed so as to cover the corner portion 21a of the fixed-side ring plate 21, in order to protect the outer peripheral surface of the small-sized connector housing 23.

Next, with respect to rotor 10 and stator 20 (stator main body 20A and sub-stator 20B) configured as described above, a method of assembling rotatable connector device 1 in which rotatable connector device 1 is assembled will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 15.

As shown in fig. 9, by sequentially performing an FFC winding step (step s1) of winding the FFC 100 around the rotor 10, a sub stator assembling step (step s2) of assembling the sub stator 20B to the rotor 10 around which the FFC 100 is wound, a rotating-side connector temporarily fixing step (step s3) of temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector 40 to the sub stator 20B, a stator body assembling step (step s4) of assembling the stator body 20A to the sub stator 20B, a fixed-side connector assembling step (step s5) of assembling the fixed-side connector 40 to the partition portion 25, and a sleeve assembling step (step s6) of assembling the sleeve 30 to the rotor 10, the rotor 10 and the stator 20 can be fitted so as to be relatively rotatable, and the rotatable connector device 1 can be assembled.

Specifically, the fixed-side connector 40 is attached to one end side of the FFC 100, the rotary-side connector attached to the other end side of the FFC 100 is housed in the rotary-side connector housing 13 of the rotor 10, and the FFC 100 is wound so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of the inner peripheral tube portion 12 (step s 1).

Next, the sub-stator 20B is assembled to the rotor 10 in the vertically inverted state such that the inner cylindrical portion 12 around which the FFC 100 is wound is disposed inside the outer cylindrical portion 22 (step s 2).

In this state, as shown in fig. 10, one end side of the FFC 100 is inserted into the cable passage T so that the one end side of the wound FFC 100 is folded back in the-Z direction and the folded back portion is disposed in the drawing passage Tc. Thus, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the FFC 100 can be arranged in the-Z direction.

Next, the fixed-side connector 40 is turned upside down so that the temporarily engaged portions 423 formed in a substantially T shape in plan view protrude in the-Y direction, and the temporarily engaged portions 423 are fitted to the temporarily fixing portions 28. Thereby, the fixed-side connector 40 can be temporarily fixed to the sub stator 20B (step s 3).

By assembling the sub stator 20B to the rotor 10 and temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector 40 to the sub stator 20B in this way, when the stator main body 20A is assembled to the rotor 10 to which the sub stator 20B is assembled, the fixed-side connector 40 can be prevented from moving unexpectedly, and the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be performed efficiently.

Next, as shown in fig. 11, the stator main body 20A is assembled to the sub-stator 20B temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing section 28 by the fixed-side connector 40 in such a manner that the FFC 100 is inserted into the insertion section 24 (step s 4).

By assembling the stator main body 20A to the sub-stator 20B in this manner, the insertion portion 24 is disposed in the-Z direction (lower side) of the lead passage Tc. Thus, the distal end side of the FFC 100 disposed in the drawing path Tc from the housing space S through the guide path Ta and the direction change path Tb can be inserted into the insertion portion 24 (see fig. 12). Thus, even when the stator main body 20A is assembled to the sub-stator 20B, the FFC 100 can be drawn out in the-Z direction.

In this way, when the stator body 20A is assembled, as shown in fig. 12, the temporarily engaged portion 423 is fitted to the temporarily fixing portion 28, and thus the fixed-side connector 40 is temporarily fixed. Thereby, the FFC 100 to which the fixed-side connector 40 is attached at one end is bent radially outward.

Further, since the side surface of the partition portion 25 in the + Y direction is configured to be tapered toward the front end in the-Y direction, the FFC 100 coupled to the temporarily fixed-side connector 40 can be prevented from interfering with the stator main body 20A while preventing the fixed-side connector 40 from moving in the assembly work of assembling the stator main body 20A to the sub stator 20B. Therefore, the FFC 100 can be reliably prevented from interfering with and damaging the assembled stator body 20A.

In a state where the stator main body 20A is assembled to the sub-stator 20B assembled to the rotor 10 in this way, the length of the portion of the FFC 100, to which the fixed-side connector 40 is attached at one end, which is drawn out from the insertion portion 24 is designed to be about 2 times the height of the partition portion 25.

After the step s4, the temporarily engaged portions 423 that are engaged with the temporarily fixing portions 28 are removed to release the temporary fixing of the fixed-side connector 40, and then, as shown in fig. 13, the fixed-side connector 40 is turned upside down and the lower end side (the side where the conductor connecting portions 412 are arranged) of the fixed-side connector 40 is engaged with the engagement recess 26, whereby the fixed-side connector 40 can be attached to the main surface on the lower side (the (-Z direction side) of the outer cylindrical portion 22 (step s 5).

Here, since the partition portion 25 configured to have a predetermined height is provided between the insertion portion 24 and the fitting recess 26, by attaching the fixed-side connector 40 to the main surface of the outer circumferential tube portion 22, the FFC 100 having one end coupled to the fixed-side connector 40 is folded back by the partition portion 25, and thus the fixed-side connector 40 can be easily fitted into the fitting recess 26, and the FFC 100 can be prevented from being bent by its own weight.

The height of the partition portion 25 is preferably one third or more and 2 times or less of the length of the FFC 100 drawn out from the through-insertion portion 24.

If the height of the partition portion 25 is less than one third of the length of the FFC 100 drawn out from the through-insertion portion 24, the FFC 100 may be bent, interfere with other members, and be damaged.

In addition, when the height of the partition portion 25 is equal to or more than one-half of the length of the FFC 100 drawn out from the insertion portion 24, the FFC 100 is stretched by the partition portion 25, and the fixed-side connector 40 cannot be fitted into the fitting recess 26, or the fixed-side connector 40 may be detached from the fitting recess 26. When the fixed-side connector 40 is fitted into the fitting recess 26, the FFC 100 is pressed by the partition 25, and thus the FFC 100 may be damaged.

In contrast, by setting the height of the partition portion 25 to be at least one third and at most 2 times the length of the FFC 100 drawn out from the insertion portion 24, the fixed-side connector 40 can be reliably fitted to the fitting recess 26, and the FFC 100 can be prevented from flexing and interfering with other components.

In this way, in a state where the fixed-side connector 40 is fitted to the fixed-side ring plate 21, the housing cover 50 can be assembled to the fixed-side connector 40 up to a position where the cover fixing portion 53 abuts against the fixed base portion 27 by sliding the fitting groove 52 of the housing cover 50 while fitting the upper fitting projection 422 and the lower fitting projection 432 of the fixed-side connector 40 (see fig. 14 and 15).

Further, by screwing the abutting fixed base portion 27 and the cover fixing portion 53, the housing cover 50 can be fixed to the outer peripheral tube portion 22, the fixed-side connector 40 housed in the protection space K of the housing cover 50 can be protected, and the fixed-side connector can be reliably fixed to the outer peripheral tube portion 22.

Finally, in order to allow the rotor 10 to rotate relative to the stator 20, the sleeve 30 is assembled to the rotor 10 so that the rotor 10 and the sleeve 30 sandwich the stator 20, and the rotatable connector device 1 can be completed (step s 6).

In this way, the rotatable connector device 1 is configured by the rotor 10 and the stator 20 which are relatively rotatably fitted and form the cylindrical housing space S inside, and the FFC 100 which is wound and housed in the housing space S, the rotor 10 is configured by the annular rotating side ring plate 11 and the cylindrical inner cylindrical portion 12 which forms the inner circumferential surface of the housing space S, the stator 20 is configured by the annular fixed side ring plate 21 and the outer cylindrical portion 22 which forms the outer circumferential surface of the housing space S, the fixed side connector 40 which is electrically connected to the electric equipment and the like disposed on the rotor 10 side is connected to one end of the FFC 100, the stator 20 is provided with the insertion portion 24 which is inserted through the one end side of the FFC 100 from the housing space S toward the outside of the rotor 10 in the rotation axis direction (the ± Z direction) of the rotor 10 which relatively rotates, and the fixed side connector 40 is provided on the main surface on the outside of the fixed side ring plate 21, this enables miniaturization.

Specifically, since the stator 20 is provided with the insertion portion 24 and the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the FFC 100 is provided on the fixed-side ring plate 21, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the FFC 100 drawn out from the housing space S along the rotation axis a toward the outside (toward the-Z direction) can be disposed so as to protrude in the direction in which the stator 20 is disposed with respect to the rotor 10 (the (-Z direction). That is, the one end side of the FFC 100 can be prevented from being drawn out radially outward, and the fixed-side connector 40 can be prevented from protruding radially outward of the fixed-side ring plate 21. Therefore, the rotatable connector device 1 can be downsized.

Further, since the fitting recess 26, in which the fixed-side connector 40 is detachably provided, is provided on the main surface outside (in the (-Z direction) of the housing space of the fixed-side ring plate 21, the fixed-side connector 40 inserted into the insertion portion 24 can be detachably attached to the fixed-side ring plate 21, and therefore, the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be efficiently performed.

Specifically, the fixed-side connector 40 can be detached from the fixed-side ring plate 21 by providing the fitting recess 26 in the fixed-side ring plate 21. Therefore, for example, when the fixed-side connector 40 is coupled to the FFC 100 inserted into the insertion portion 24, the fixed-side connector 40 can be moved to a desired position where it is easy to couple to the FFC 100, and the FFC 100 and the fixed-side connector 40 can be easily coupled. Therefore, the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be efficiently performed.

Further, since the fixed-side connector 40 can be detached from the fixed-side ring plate 21, the fixed-side connector 40 can be easily detached from the FFC 100, and the disassembling operation can be easily performed.

Further, the fitting recess 26 is integrally formed on the principal surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21 in the-Z direction, so that the FFC 100 can be more smoothly slid in the housing space S, and the quality of the rotatable connector device 1 can be improved.

Specifically, since the fitting recess 26 in which the fixed-side connector 40 is provided in the fixed-side ring plate 21 is formed in the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21, it is possible to prevent a projection projecting toward the housing space S, a recess recessed in the-Z direction, or a through hole from being formed in the housing space S of the fixed-side ring plate 21.

Thus, when the FFC 100 accommodated in the accommodation space S is slid along with the relative rotation of the rotor 10, the FFC 100 can be prevented from being caught by the fixed-side ring plate 21. Therefore, the FFC 100 can be smoothly slid.

In addition, since the FFC 100 stored in the storage space S can be prevented from interfering with the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21 on the storage space S side, damage to the FFC 100 can be prevented.

Further, the stator 20 is constituted by the sub stator 20B having the outer peripheral cylindrical portion 22 and the stator main body 20A having the fixed-side ring plate 21, and the sub stator 20B is provided with the temporary fixing portion 28 for temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector 40 to the outer side in the radial direction of the outer peripheral cylindrical portion 22, whereby the FFC 100 can be prevented from being damaged in the assembly of the rotatable connector device 1, and the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be made efficient.

Specifically, since the stator 20 is composed of the sub-stator 20B and the stator main body 20A, in the assembly work of the rotatable electrical connector device 1, after the sub-stator 20B is assembled to the rotor 10 in which the FFC 100 is wound around the inner circumferential cylindrical portion 12, the fixed-side connector 40 can be extended to the outside of the housing space S, and the FFC 100 coupled to the fixed-side connector 40 can be inserted into the insertion portion 24 so as to be inserted from the housing space S in the-Z direction. Then, the stator main body 20A can be assembled to the sub-stator 20B. Therefore, the FFC 100 inserted into the insertion portion 24 can be prevented from interfering with the stator body 20A, and the FFC 100 can be prevented from being damaged.

Further, when the stator main body 20A is assembled to the sub-stator 20B, the fixed-side connector 40 coupled to one end of the FFC 100 can be temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing section 28, and therefore, the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be efficiently performed without the fixed-side connector 40 and the one end side of the FFC 100 interfering with the assembly work at the time of the assembly work of the stator main body 20A.

Further, by temporarily fixing the fixed-side connector 40 to the temporary fixing section 28, it is possible to more reliably prevent the one end side of the FFC 100 from being twisted or damaged due to interference with other components in the assembly work of the stator body 20A.

In this way, by configuring the stator 20 from the sub-stator 20B and the stator main body 20A and providing the temporary fixing portion 28 to the sub-stator 20B, it is possible to prevent the FFC 100 from being damaged and to efficiently perform the assembling work of the rotatable connector device 1.

Further, since the insertion portion 24 is provided radially outward of the housing space S, the FFC 100 connected to the fixed-side connector 40 is inserted through the insertion portion 24 provided radially outward of the fixed-side ring plate 21, and therefore, one end side of the FFC 100 housed in the housing space S is disposed radially outward of the housing space S. Therefore, excessive friction between one end side of the FFC 100 inserted from the insertion portion 24 and the FFC 100 wound radially inward can be prevented, and damage to the FFC 100 can be prevented.

Further, by providing the case cover 50 attached to the fixed-side ring plate 21 so as to surround the upper fitting projection 422, which is a coupling portion of the fixed-side connector 40 and the FFC 100, one end side of the FFC 100 and the fixed-side connector 40 can be protected, and an unexpected external force can be prevented from acting on the one end side of the FFC 100 and the fixed-side connector 40. Therefore, the fixed-side connector 40 and one end side of the FFC 100 can be prevented from being damaged, and the fixed-side connector 40 can be reliably fixed to the fixed-side ring plate 21 by fixing the case cover 50 to the fixed-side ring plate 21.

Further, since the fixed-side connector 40 fitted into the fitting recess 26 is disposed radially inward of the outer peripheral edge of the fixed-side ring plate 21, the fixed-side connector 40 can be reliably disposed radially inward of the rotatable connector device 1 when viewed from above, and therefore, the one end side of the FFC 100 can be pulled radially inward. Therefore, interference between the FFC 100 and another member disposed radially outward of the rotatable connector device 1 can be prevented, damage to the FFC 100 can be prevented, and the rotatable connector device 1 can be reliably downsized.

In the configuration of the present invention corresponding to the above embodiment, the rotating body corresponds to the rotor 10, the fixed body corresponds to the stator 20, the installation portion corresponds to the fitting recess 26, the 1 st fixed body corresponds to the sub-stator 20B, the 2 nd fixed body corresponds to the stator main body 20A, the fixed-side cover corresponds to the housing cover 50, the 1 st fixed body assembling step corresponds to the sub-stator assembling step, the fixed-side connector temporary fixing step corresponds to the rotating-side connector temporary fixing step, the 2 nd fixed body assembling step corresponds to the stator main body assembling step, and the fixed-side connector installing step corresponds to the fixed-side connector assembling step.

For example, in the present embodiment, although the fixed-side connector 40 can be fitted into the fitting recess 26 provided in the fixed-side ring plate 21, it is not necessary to adopt a structure in which the fixed-side connector 40 is fitted like the fitting recess 26, and for example, a structure in which the bottom surface side of the fixed-side connector 40 is slid and locked, a structure in which the fixed-side connector is locked by a hook or the like, or a structure provided using another member may be adopted.

The fitting recess 26 may be formed of a through hole penetrating the fixed-side ring plate 21 to fit the fixed-side connector 40 into the through hole, but is preferably formed so as not to penetrate the fixed-side ring plate 21.

Further, the fixed-side connector 40 may be fixed to the fixed-side ring plate 21 by thermosetting resin, adhesive, or the like.

In this case, in the present embodiment, the rotor 10 is constituted by the rotor 10 and the sleeve 30 integrally assembled with the rotor 10, and the rotor 10 is constituted by the annular rotating-side ring plate 11 and the cylindrical inner cylindrical portion 12 formed on the inner circumferential edge of the rotating-side ring plate 11, but the rotor 10 may be constituted by only the rotor 10 that can relatively rotate with respect to the stator 20.

The stator 20 is not limited to the case where the sub-stator 20B constituting the outer peripheral tube portion 22 and the stator main body 20A constituting the fixed-side ring plate 21 are fitted to each other, and the outer peripheral tube portion 22 and the fixed-side ring plate 21 may be integrally formed.

In the present embodiment, the insertion portion 24 is formed by recessing the outer peripheral edge portion of the fixed-side ring plate 21, but may be formed by recessing the inner peripheral edge portion, or may be provided so as to penetrate the main surface of the fixed-side ring plate 21, for example. In addition, when the outer peripheral tube portion 22 formed on the outer peripheral edge of the fixed-side ring plate 21 is formed so as to slightly protrude outward in the radial direction, the outer peripheral tube portion 22 and the fixed-side ring plate 21 may be integrally formed so as to form a gap.

In the present embodiment, the height of the protective wall 29 is lower than the height of the partition 25 (see fig. 8), but as shown in fig. 16, the height of the protective wall 29 may be higher than the height of the partition 25.

Thus, when the fixed-side connector 40 is temporarily fixed to the temporary fixing section 28, the FFC 100 inserted into the insertion section 24 is pushed in by the protective wall section 29, so that the temporarily engaged section 423 can be prevented from coming off the temporary fixing section 28, and the assembly work of the rotatable connector device 1 can be efficiently performed.

In the present embodiment, the fixed-side connector 40 is configured such that the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 are arranged along the ± Z direction, but the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 may be arranged along the ± Y direction, for example.

However, when the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 are arranged along the ± Y direction, the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 are arranged on the fixed-side ring plate 21 having a small space, and a part of the upper bus bar cover 42 and a part of the lower bus bar cover 43 may protrude outward in the radial direction.

Therefore, the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 are preferably arranged along the ± Z direction. Further, since the strength of the fixed-side connector 40 may be weakened by arranging the upper bus bar cover 42 and the lower bus bar cover 43 along the ± Z direction, it is preferable to reinforce the fixed-side connector 40 with the case cover 50.

In the method of assembling the rotatable connector device 1 according to the present embodiment, the temporary fixing portion 28 provided in the outer circumferential tube portion 22 of the sub stator 20B is temporarily fixed in the fixed-side connector temporary fixing step (step s3), but may be temporarily fixed to a temporary fixing portion provided separately in an assembling device (not shown) for assembling the rotatable connector device 1, for example. In other words, the temporary fixing portion to which the fixed-side connector 40 is temporarily fixed is not necessarily provided at a specific portion of the rotatable connector device 1, and may be provided outside the rotatable connector device 1.

Further, the characteristic structures described in the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention that realizes downsizing of the rotatable connector device 1.

Description of the reference symbols

1: a rotary connector; 10: a rotor; 11: rotating the side ring plate; 12: an inner peripheral tube section; 20: a stator; 20A: a stator body; 20B: a secondary stator; 21: fixing the side ring plate; 22: an outer peripheral tube portion; 24: a penetration insertion part; 26: a fitting recess; 28: a temporary fixing section; 40: a fixed-side connector; 50: a housing cover; 100: a flat cable; s: a storage space; s2: a sub-stator assembling process; s3: a temporary fixing process of the rotating side connector; s4: a stator body assembling process; s5: and a fixed-side connector assembling step.