JP2000292118A - Angle of rotation sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an angle-of-rotation sensor which achieves a miniaturization by regulating the movement of a circuit board in the axial direction of a rotating shaft. SOLUTION: This angle-of-rotation sensor is provided with a housing 1 having a housing part 5 with an opening part 5a formed therein, a rotating shaft 8 rotatably supported on the housing 1, a rotor 31 supported on the rotating shaft 8, a slider 32 supported on the rotor 31, a circuit board 25 which has a resistor pattern 26 and a current collector pattern 27 formed on the surface thereof and a cover 22 to open or close the opening part 5a. The rotor 31, the slider 32 and the circuit board 25 are arranged sequentially toward the inner part of the housing part 5 from the opening part 5a and the circuit board 25 is arranged almost vertical to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 with the rear thereof contacting a receiving surface 5c of the housing part 5 while the cover 22 is provided with a plurality of regulating protrusions 22d extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 to regulate the movement of the circuit board 25 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 within the housing part 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotation angle sensor provided in, for example, a vehicle and used for detecting a torque generated in a steering according to a steering operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional rotation angle sensor shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 has a cylindrical housing 41 made of insulating synthetic resin and having both ends opened. The housing 41 has an annular stepped portion 41a and a cylindrical housing 41a. Is formed. The housing 41 includes bearings 42a, 42
b are connected by insert molding and a rotating shaft 43 is rotatably supported by the bearings 42a and 42b. In the housing 41, a circuit board 45 is fastened and fixed using two screws 44a and 44b. On the surface of the circuit board 45, an arch-shaped resistor pattern 46 and a current collector pattern 47 are provided. Is formed,
Terminals 48, 49, and 50 are fixed to both ends of the resistor pattern 46 and one end of the current collector pattern 47.

A rotating body 51 is fixed to one end of a rotating shaft 43 located in a housing 41 via a fixing member 52. The rotating body 51 has a pair of sliding pieces 5
A slider 53 having 3a and 53b is a pair of sliding pieces 53.
a, 53b are replaced with the resistor pattern 46 and the current collector pattern 4
7 are slidably contacted with each other and are supported in a conductive state. Then, one end of each of the three lead wires 55 integrated into the housing 41 from the lead wire insertion portion 41b by the seal member 54 is connected to the terminals 48, 49, 50 respectively.

Next, a method of assembling the conventional rotation angle sensor will be described. First, the bearing 42 is formed by insert molding.
a and 42b are inserted into the housing 41, and one end of each of the three lead wires 55 integrated by the seal member 54 is inserted from the lead wire insertion portion 41b into the housing 4.
1, and one end of each of three lead wires 55 is soldered to the terminals 48, 49, and 50 of the circuit board 45 outside the housing 41, and then connected to the outside. , The circuit board 45 with two screws 44a, 44b
Is fastened and fixed in the housing 41. Next, the rotating body 51 supporting the slider 53 is accommodated in the housing 41, and then the rotating shaft 43 is inserted into the bearings 42 a and 42 b to be positioned inside the housing 41, and the rotating shaft 43 is rotated at one end of the rotating shaft 43. The body 51 is fixed via a fixing member 52 and the rotating shaft 4
3 and the rotating body 51 are integrated.

[0005] The assembly of the conventional rotation angle sensor is completed in this way, but after the assembly, the screws 44a, 44
The movement of the circuit board 45 in the axial direction (the direction of the arrow A) of the rotating shaft 43 is restricted by b, and the rotating body 51 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 43 and the rotating body 51 rotates. Accordingly, the pair of sliding pieces 53a and 53b of the slider 53 slide on the resistor pattern 46 and the current collector pattern 47.

The conventional rotation angle sensor thus constructed and assembled is mounted on, for example, a vehicle with the lever 56 being caulked to the other end of the rotation shaft 43, and the steering (not shown) is steered. In a casing of a conversion mechanism (not shown) provided with a conversion unit for converting a resistance force generated in the steering into linear motion in accordance with a frictional force between a wheel of the vehicle and a road surface, a portion closer to the lever 56 than the step portion 41a. , The lever 56 is engaged with the conversion section, and three lead wires 55 are connected to a control circuit (not shown) for controlling an electric motor (not shown) connected to the steering wheel. And a predetermined voltage is applied between terminals 48 and 49 at both ends of the resistor pattern 46.

When the operator steers the steering wheel, a resistance is generated in the steering wheel. The converter converts the resistance into a linear motion and rotates the rotary shaft 43 via the lever 56. The pair of sliding pieces 53a and 53b slide on the resistor pattern 46 and the current collector pattern 47 with the rotation, and
A voltage corresponding to the position of the pair of sliding pieces 53a and 53b on the first and second slides 47 and 47 is output via the terminal 50 and the lead wire 55, and based on the resistance detection signal thus obtained,
The control circuit controls the driving of the power motor so that the resistance decreases. Then, since the steering assist torque is applied to the steering, the resistance is reduced, and the burden on the driver in steering can be reduced.

[0008]

However, in the conventional rotation angle sensor described above, two screws 44a and 44b are used to restrict the movement of the circuit board 45 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43 (the direction of arrow A). It is necessary to fix the circuit board 45 to the housing 41 by using
The tightening work of 44b requires assembly man-hours, and has a disadvantage that the rotation angle sensor is expensive.

Further, since the connection portions between the three lead wires 55 and the terminals 48, 49, 50 are arranged on the back surface of the circuit board 45, the three connection portions are loaded so that a load is not applied and the disconnection does not occur. Since it is necessary to dispose the lead wire 55 on the back surface side of the circuit board 45, the lead wire connection portion 41b protrudes toward the back surface side of the circuit board 45 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43 and occupies the space S1. Of the circuit board 45 and the slider 53 in this space S1.
The space S2 occupied in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43 by the rotating body 51 and the rotating body 51 is added, and the height is high. As a result, in this conventional rotation angle sensor, the step portion 41a
There is a problem that a portion closer to the lead wire 55 protrudes greatly from the casing of the conversion mechanism (not shown), and a large space for accommodating the portion is required in the vehicle.

Further, since the connecting portions of the three lead wires 55 and the terminals 48, 49, 50 are arranged on the back surface of the circuit board 45, the three lead wires 55 integrated by the seal member 54 are formed. One end is inserted from the lead wire insertion portion 41b to be led out from the open end (lower side in FIG. 22) of the housing 41, and the other end of the three lead wires 55 outside the housing 41 is connected to the terminals 48 and 49, respectively. , 50, and three lead wires 55 and terminals 4
The connection work with 8, 49, 50 becomes extremely complicated, and there is a problem of cost increase due to an increase in the number of assembly steps.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances of the prior art, and its object is to use screws without using screws.
An object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost rotation angle sensor that can restrict the movement of a circuit board in the axial direction of a rotating shaft and can reduce the size of the rotating shaft in the axial direction.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a housing having a housing having an opening, a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the housing, and a rotating shaft. A rotating body supported by the housing and supported by the rotating body; a slider supported by the rotating body; a resistor pattern housed in the housing and the slider being in sliding contact with a surface thereof; A circuit board on which a body pattern is formed, and a cover for closing the opening, wherein the rotating body, the slider, and the circuit board are arranged from the opening toward the back of the storage section. Sequentially arranged in this order, the circuit board is arranged substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft with its back surface abutting against the receiving surface of the storage portion,
The cover is provided with a plurality of regulating protrusions extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and in a state where the movement of the circuit board in the housing portion in the axial direction of the rotating shaft is regulated by the plurality of regulating protrusions, The most main feature is that the circuit board is held in the storage section.

[0013] In the above configuration, the semiconductor device further includes a plurality of terminals supported by the circuit board, and a lead wire connected to the plurality of terminals, wherein each of the plurality of terminals extends in an axial direction of the rotating shaft. A base extending perpendicularly to the base, and a connecting portion bent from one end of the base in the axial direction of the rotation shaft; the housing is formed in a tubular shape from an insulating material; and an outer wall of the housing is formed. A lead wire insertion portion is integrally provided, and a hole is provided in the housing to allow the housing to communicate with the storage portion and the lead wire insertion portion within the lead wire insertion portion, and the hole is brought into contact with an inner wall of the storage portion. The connection portion of the terminal is opposed to the hole portion, and one end of the lead wire inserted into the lead wire insertion portion is located in the storage portion from the hole portion, and the regulation protrusion is in the storage portion. Times The range of space occupied in the axial direction of the shaft, was connected to one end portion of the lead wire connecting portion of the terminal.

In the above structure, an insulating wall is provided on the inner wall of the housing between the connecting portions of the plurality of terminals.

Further, in the above structure, a packing mounted on an annular step formed on an inner wall of the storage section,
A cover that abuts against the packing to close the opening, and a seal member that has elasticity and closes the hole through which the lead wire passes, and crushes a peripheral edge of the opening in the housing. Forming a crushed portion, and compressing the packing by sandwiching the cover between the crushed portion and the annular step, and press-fitting the seal member into the lead wire holding portion to seal the storage portion. did.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the rotation angle sensor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The rotation angle sensor includes a housing 1 made of an insulating synthetic resin material such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), a rotation shaft 8 rotatably supported by the housing 1, and a rotation shaft 8 inserted therethrough. Sealing member 11, a rotor 13 fixed to the rotating shaft 8, a coil spring 12 for urging the rotor 13, and a rotation amount of the rotating shaft 8 housed in the housing 5 of the housing 1. And a lead wire 1 for leading a detection signal output from the rotation amount detecting means 24 out of the housing 1.
5 to 18, a leaf spring 21 for holding the circuit board 25 of the rotation amount detecting means 24 in the housing portion 5 of the housing 1, and a cover 22 for closing the opening 5a of the housing portion 5 of the housing 1. It is configured.

The housing 1 is formed of a hollow cylindrical member having a small diameter portion 2 and a large diameter portion 3 integrally formed in a stepped shape and having different diameters. As shown in FIGS. A storage section 5 partitioned by the partition wall 4 and formed on the large diameter section 3 side, and a storage section 6 formed to face the storage section 5 via the partition wall 4 are provided. An opening 5 a is formed in the part 5 on the opposite side to the partition wall 4, and an opening 6 a is formed in the housing part 6 on the opposite side to the partition wall 4.

A hole 4a is formed in the center of the partition wall 4, and a metal bearing 7 is attached to the hole 4a by insert molding so as to extend into the storage portion 5, as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a rotary shaft 8 made of stainless steel is rotatably supported by the bearing 7 through the hole 4a.
Further, an annular portion 4b is formed in the partition wall 4 so as to surround the bearing 7 in the housing portion 6, and first and second portions are provided between the outside of the annular portion 4b and the small diameter portion 2 and inside the annular portion 4b. Second gaps 6b and 6c are provided respectively, and an engagement hole 6d is formed in the first gap 6b.

The outer wall of the large diameter portion 3 has an arc-shaped mounting hole 9a.
And a pair of cylindrical lead wire insertion portions 10
In the lead wire insertion portion 10, four large holes 3 a are formed in the large diameter portion 3.
“a” communicates the inside of the lead wire insertion section 10 with the inside of the storage section 5. An annular step 5b having an annular mountain-shaped protrusion is formed on the inner wall of the storage section 5 along the periphery of the opening 5a, and a circuit described later is provided inside the annular step 5b. A receiving surface 5c for receiving the board 25 is formed. The receiving surface 5c has a pair of engaging protrusions 5e for engaging with the circuit board 25 and a rectangular hole 5f into which the leaf spring 21 is inserted.
And five protruding portions 5d arranged at equal intervals on the lower surface.

The receiving surface 5c and the annular step 5b
Are formed on the inner wall of the storage section 5 between the two holes 3a adjacent to each other, and these insulating walls 5g are arranged so as to face the protrusions 5d. I have. Further, in the large diameter portion 3, a crushed portion 5h is formed as shown in FIG. 1 by crushing a peripheral portion of the opening 5a inward by a heat staking method.
A part of the small-diameter portion 2 is cut off at the peripheral edge of a, and both ends of the notch 2a are a pair of stoppers 2b and 2c.

The sealing member 11 is formed in a donut shape by embedding a thin metal plate in a rubber material. As shown in FIG. 1, the sealing member 11 is housed by press-fitting in the second gap 6c and the rotary shaft 8 is inserted therethrough. I have. The sealing member 11 is in a state where its inner peripheral surface is in close contact with the rotating shaft 8 and closes the hole 4 a of the partition wall 4.

The coil spring 12 is formed by winding a metal wire, and as shown in FIG.
b is accommodated in the first gap portion 6b with its one end 12b engaged with the engagement hole 6d.

The rotor 13 is formed in a disc shape from a steel flat plate. As shown in FIG. 20, an oval-shaped mounting hole 13a is formed in the center, and a radial direction is formed from the mounting hole 13a. An engagement pin 13b is fixed at a position separated from the front end, and a pair of locking portions 13d and 13e are provided by forming cutouts 13c at two locations on the edge. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is fixed to the rotating shaft 8 through a disc-shaped metal plate 14 in a form in which one end of the rotating shaft 8 penetrated through the mounting hole 13a is closed and the opening 6a is closed.
c, the other end 12c of the coil spring 12 is engaged, and the urging force of the coil spring 12 causes the locking portion 13d to come into contact with the stopper portion 2b. The locking portion 13e corresponds to the stopper portion 2c at a predetermined interval. A stopper mechanism that limits the rotation angle range of the rotation shaft 8 in a state where the rotation shaft 8 can be abutted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lead wires 15 to 18 are formed by covering a conductive wire 19 with an insulating material except for both ends thereof, and are formed in a rectangular shape from an elastic material such as rubber. One end is inserted into the sealed seal member 20 to be integrated. One end of each of the lead wires 15 to 18 is inserted into the lead wire insertion portion 10 of the housing 1, and the lead wire 19 is positioned in the storage portion 5 through the hole 3 a. The seal member 20 press-fitted to the inner surface of the lead wire insertion portion 10 by its elastic force closes the hole 3a.

The leaf spring 21 is formed of a rectangular thin plate made of stainless steel, and has a central portion 21 as shown in FIGS.
It is formed in a V-shape by bending at a, and bent portions 21b are provided at both ends. The leaf spring 21 is used as a pressing unit that presses a circuit board 25 described later, and the central portion 21 is formed in the rectangular hole 5 f of the housing 1.
a and is stored in the storage unit 5.

The cover 22 is formed in a flat plate shape from an insulating synthetic resin material such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), and has a mountain-shaped protruding portion over its entire periphery as shown in FIGS. A step 22a is provided, a circular recess 22b is formed in the center, and a holding protrusion 22c and three regulating protrusions 22d are formed between the step 22a and the recess 22b. It stands up concentrically with 22b. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 22 is provided on the annular step 5 b of the housing 1.
The stepped portion 22a is brought into contact with the ring-shaped packing 23 placed on the storage portion 5 to close the opening 5a, and is caulked by the crushing portion 5h, and the stepped portion 2 is disposed opposite to the stepped portion 2a.
The packing 23 is formed by a mountain-shaped protruding portion formed by the 2a and the annular step 5b.
Is fixed to the housing 1 in a compressed state, whereby the inside of the storage section 5 is hermetically sealed in cooperation with the sealing member 11 and the sealing member 20, and the holding projection 22c and the regulating projection 22d are stored. The extending portion 5 is provided so as to extend in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1), and the holding projection 22c indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The leaf spring 21 is held in the storage part 5 so as not to fall off.

The rotation amount detecting means 24 includes a circuit board 25 supported in the housing 5 of the housing 1 and a rotating body 3 supported by the rotating shaft 8 and housed in the housing 5 of the housing 1.
1, four terminals 29 supported by the circuit board 25, and two sliders 32 supported by the rotating body 31.

The circuit board 25 is formed by forming an insulating material such as ceramic into a square shape. As shown in FIG. 8, one corner is cut off to form a tapered portion 25a, and a circular insertion hole is formed at the center. 25b is drilled. A notch 25c is formed on one side of the circuit board 25,
A protruding piece 25d is integrally provided on the other side, and five protruding parts 25f are formed on one end edge of the circuit board 25 by providing notches 25e at regular intervals. I have. Also, on the surface of the circuit board 25, the resistor patterns 26a and 26b and the current collector patterns 27a and 27b
Are formed concentrically with the insertion hole 25b by printing, and conductive patterns 28a to 28d connected to the resistor patterns 26a and 26b and the current collector patterns 27a and 27b are formed at one end of the circuit board 25. Portion and extends to reach the notch 25e.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the circuit board 25 has its back surface in contact with the receiving surface 5c of the housing 1, and the rotary shaft 8 and the bearing 7 are inserted through the insertion holes 25b. When the tapered portion 25a is pressed by the leaf spring 21 in the direction of arrow B, the notch 25c and the projection 25d are formed.
Are elastically contacted with protrusions provided on two side surfaces of the engagement protrusion 5e on the left side in FIG. 3 and protrusions provided on one side surface of the engagement protrusion 5e on the right side in FIG. The three regulating projections 22d indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3 are opposed to the surface of the circuit board 25 with a clearance of about several tens of microns, and the axial direction of the rotation shaft 8 in the housing portion 5 of the circuit board 25 (arrow) A direction) (Figure 3,
In FIG. 8, hatched bands are attached to the resistor patterns 26a and 26b).

Each of the four terminals 29 has the same configuration, and as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, is formed by bending a long base 29a made of a conductive thin plate and a right angle from one end of the base 29a. It has a connecting portion 29b and a clip portion 29c which is bent from the other end of the base portion 29a into a U-shape, and a hole 29d is formed in the connecting portion 29b. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the four terminals 29 are connected to the conductor patterns 28a to 28d in a state of being electrically connected to the conductor patterns 28a to 28d by sandwiching one edge of the circuit board 25 with the clip portions 29c. It is supported and accommodated in the accommodating portion 5 of the housing 1 together with the circuit board 25. The base portion 29a is located between the protruding portions 5d, the connecting portion 29b abuts on the inner wall of the accommodating portion 5, and the hole portion of the housing 1 is provided. The hole 29d of the connection portion 29b faces the hole 3d, and one end of the conductive wire 19 of the lead wires 15 to 18 inserted into the hole 29d is connected to the connection portion 29b and the solder 30 near the opening 5a. The insulating wall 5g is located between the adjacent connecting portions 29b.

The rotating body 31 is formed in a disk shape from an insulating synthetic resin material such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), and has a shaft hole 31a formed in the center thereof as shown in FIG. A projection 31b is provided around the shaft hole 31a.
Is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotating body 31 is fixed to the rotating shaft 8 by caulking the other end of the rotating shaft 8 penetrated through the shaft hole 31a, and
And is opposed to the circuit board 25 at a predetermined interval.

The two sliders 32 are formed by cutting and bending a conductive thin plate such as nickel-white or phosphor bronze, and both have the same configuration. As shown in FIGS. It has a mounting portion 32a having a shape, and a pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c extending from the mounting portion 32a. A mounting hole 32d is formed in the mounting portion 32a. The two sliders 32 are supported by the rotating body 31 by press-fitting the mounting holes 32d into the projections 31b, and are housed together with the rotating body 31 in the housing portion 5 of the housing 1. The slider 32 brings the pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c into sliding contact with the resistor pattern 26a and the current collector pattern 27a, respectively, so that the resistor pattern 26a and the current collector pattern 27a are electrically connected to each other. The slider 32 makes the pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c slidably contact the resistor pattern 26b and the current collector pattern 27b, respectively, and makes the resistor pattern 26b and the current collector pattern 27b conductive. ing.

Next, a method of assembling the rotation angle sensor thus configured will be described. First, the rotation shaft 8 is inserted into the bearing 7 of the housing 1, and then the sealing member 11 is inserted into the second gap 6c. Press-fit. Next, the metal plate 14 is inserted through one end of the rotating shaft 8, and then the one end 12b is engaged with the engagement hole 6d to accommodate the coil spring 12 in the first gap 6b. Next, while the other end 12c of the coil spring 12 is engaged with the notch 13c to retract the coil spring 12, the rotor 13 to which the engaging pin 13b is fixed is attached to the mounting hole 1c.
The rotor 13 is fixed by inserting the one end of the rotating shaft 8 through the one end of the rotating shaft 8 from 3a.

Next, the rotating shaft 8 and the bearing 7 are inserted into the insertion holes 25b.
And the circuit board 25 supporting the four terminals 29
The circuit board 25 is housed in the housing 5 by contacting the back surface of the circuit board 25 with the receiving surface 5c. Next, the leaf spring 21 is inserted into the rectangular hole 5f of the housing 1 from the center portion 21a side, and the leaf spring 21 presses the tapered portion 25a of the circuit board 25 so that the notch portion 25c and the protruding piece 25d are engaged with each other by a pair of engagements. With the projection 5d being pressed against and engaged with the projection 5e, the projection 5d is melted by heat and
Is caulked to the receiving surface 5c. Next, when one end of the lead wires 15 to 18 integrated by the seal member 20 is pressed into the lead wire insertion portion 10 together with the seal member 20, the seal member 20 is guided by the inner surface of the lead wire insertion portion 10, and One end of the line 15-18 is the hole 3
a, each of the conductive wires 19 passes through the holes 29 d of the connection portions 29 b of the four terminals 29, and in this state, the conductive members 19 and the connection portions 29 b are connected by the solder 30. At this time, since the insulating wall 5g is located between the adjacent connecting portions 29b, the insulating wall 5g prevents the flow of the solder 30 and prevents the adjacent connecting portion 29b from being connected by the solder 30.

Next, the other end of the rotating shaft 8 is passed through the shaft hole 31a, and the rotating body 31 supporting the two sliders 32 is housed in the housing portion 5, and the other end of the rotating shaft 8 is The rotating body 31 is fixed by caulking the part. Thereafter, when the packing 23 is placed on the annular step portion 5b and the cover 22 is stored in the storage portion 5 through the opening 5a, the step portion 22a contacts the packing 23 and the holding projection 22c In this state, the cover 22 is fixed to the housing 1 by abutting against the bent portion 21b and crushing the periphery of the opening 5a inward by a heat staking method to form a crushed portion 5h.

Although the assembly of the rotation angle sensor is completed in this way, after the assembly, as shown in FIG. 1, the circuit board 25 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 (direction of arrow A). A terminal 2 is provided from the circuit board 25.
The base portion 29 a of the terminal 9 extends perpendicularly to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8, and the connecting portion 29 b of the terminal 29 stands up in parallel with the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8. The opening 5a
The rotating body 31, the slider 32, and the circuit board 25 are sequentially arranged in this order from the inside toward the back of the housing 5, and the rotating body 31, the slider 32, and the circuit board 25 are arranged in the housing 5. Within the space H1 occupied in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8 within 4
The connection portion 29b of the terminal 29 and one end of the conductive wire 19 of the lead wires 15 to 18 are connected by solder 30. In this connection portion, the regulating protrusion 22d of the cover 22 is connected to the axial direction of the rotary shaft 8 (arrow). (A direction).

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 13
The other end portion 12c of the coil spring 12 is engaged with the notch portion 13c.
d is brought into contact with the stopper 2b, and the locking portion 13e and the stopper portion 2c face each other at a predetermined interval. At this time, the one slider 32 connects the pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c to the resistor pattern 26a. One end and the current collector pattern 27a are slid in contact with each other, so that the resistor pattern 26a and the current collector pattern 27a
The other slider 32 slides the pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c on one end of the resistor pattern 26b and the current collector pattern 27b, respectively. It is in a state where it is electrically connected to the electric body pattern 27b.

The thus constructed and assembled rotation angle sensor of the present invention is mounted on, for example, a vehicle, and responds to the frictional force between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface during steering (not shown). The small-diameter portion 2 is located in a casing 34 of a conversion mechanism in which a conversion portion 33 that converts the resistance force generated in the steering into linear motion is accommodated, and the conversion portion 33 is engaged with the engagement pin 13b. The lead wires 15 to 18 are connected to a control circuit (not shown) for controlling an electric motor (not shown) connected to the housing 1, and screws (not shown) are screwed into mounting holes 29 a of the pair of mounting portions 9, thereby housing the housing 1. 34, and is used in a state where a predetermined voltage is applied between the conductive patterns 28a and 28c from the control circuit (not shown) via the leads 16 and 18 and the terminal 29.

When the operator steers the steering wheel, a resistance force is generated in the steering wheel, and the conversion part 33 converts the resistance force into a linear motion, and the coil spring 12
2 to rotate the rotary shaft 8 via the rotor 13 (rotation in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2). With this rotation, one of the sliders 32 rotates together with the rotating body 31, and the pair of sliding members When the moving pieces 32b and 32c slide on the resistor pattern 26a and the current collector pattern 27a from one end to the other end, the resistor pattern 26a and the current collector pattern 27a by one of the sliders 32 are formed. And the amount of rotation of the rotary shaft 8 is detected, and a voltage corresponding to the amount of rotation of the rotary shaft 8 is supplied to the terminal 29 as a detection signal of the resistance.
The control circuit controls the driving of the power supply motor so as to reduce the resistance based on the detection signal. Then, since the steering assist torque is applied to the steering, the resistance is reduced, and the burden on the driver in steering can be reduced.

Further, with the rotation of the rotating shaft 8, the rotating body 31 is rotated.
The other slider 32 also rotates integrally, and the pair of sliding pieces 32b and 32c slide on the resistor pattern 26b and the current collector pattern 27b from one end to the other end. A voltage corresponding to the conductive position of the other slider 32 on these patterns 26b and 27b is output to the control circuit via the terminal 29 and the lead 15 as a monitoring signal. Therefore, the control circuit can always monitor the drive state for any abnormality in the output of the rotation angle sensor by calculating and comparing the monitoring signal and the detection signal.

When the steering wheel is rotated approximately four times over the entire movable range, the stopper mechanism described above functions, and the locking portion 13e of the rotor 13 is
c, the rotation of the rotary shaft 8 is stopped, and the sliding pieces 32 b of the two sliders 32 are
Stops at the other ends of the a and 26b, thereby reliably preventing the sliding pieces 32b and 32b from protruding into the conductive patterns 28c and 28a. Further, when the steering wheel is reversely steered to return to the neutral position from the state where the steering wheel is rotated four times, the coil spring 12 causes the rotor 13 to follow the movement of the conversion unit 33 by the urging force, and
This function prevents a difference (so-called hysteresis) from being generated between the detection signal and the monitoring signal when the sensor rotates in the direction of arrow C and when the sensor rotates in the direction opposite to arrow C.

In this embodiment, the lead wires 15 to 1
In order to connect the terminal 8 and the terminal 29, the connecting portion 2 of the terminal 29
Although the description has been made on the case where the hole 29d is provided in the 9b, the present invention is not limited to this, and various changes are possible, such as cutting out a part of the connection portion 29b and replacing the cutout with the hole 29d. It is.

In this embodiment, the cover 22
Is provided with a stepped portion 22a, which is a portion where the packing 23 contacts, and a regulation protrusion 22d for regulating the movement of the circuit board 25, so that the height of the regulation protrusion 22d is appropriately set, so that the circuit Care is taken so that the storage section 5 can be sealed without giving an excessive load force to the substrate 25.

[0045]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

A housing having a storage section with an opening formed therein, a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the housing, a rotating body supported by the rotating shaft and stored in the storage section, A circuit board on which a slider housed in the housing, a resistor pattern and a current collector pattern which are housed in the housing section and whose surfaces are in sliding contact with the slider, respectively, are formed, and the opening is closed. A cover, and the rotator, the slider, and the circuit board are sequentially arranged in this order from the opening toward the back of the storage section, and the circuit board has a rear surface of the storage section. While being arranged substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft by contacting the receiving surface,
The cover is provided with a plurality of regulating protrusions extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and in a state where the movement of the circuit board in the housing portion in the axial direction of the rotating shaft is regulated by the plurality of regulating protrusions, Since the circuit board is held in the housing, the opening is closed with the cover,
Since the movement of the circuit board in the axial direction of the rotating shaft can be reliably restricted, there is no need to use screws as shown in the related art, the number of assembly steps can be reduced, and the cost of the rotation angle sensor is reduced. be able to.

Further, the semiconductor device includes a plurality of terminals supported by the circuit board, and a lead wire connected to the plurality of terminals.
Each of the plurality of terminals includes a base portion extending perpendicularly to the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and a connecting portion bent from one end of the base portion in the axial direction of the rotating shaft,
The housing is formed in a tubular shape from an insulating material, and a lead wire insertion portion is integrally formed on an outer wall of the housing to project the lead wire insertion portion. The housing portion communicates with the housing inside the lead wire insertion portion. A hole is provided, and the connection portion of the terminal, which is in contact with the inner wall of the storage portion, faces the hole, and one end of the lead wire inserted into the lead wire insertion portion is removed from the hole. Positioned in the storage portion, the connection portion of the terminal and one end of the lead wire were connected within a range of the space occupied in the storage portion in the axial direction of the rotation shaft in the storage portion.
The rotation angle sensor can be made compact in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. Also, since the lead wire is inserted into the lead wire insertion portion and only one end of the lead wire is located in the housing portion from the hole, the lead wire is led to the terminal, The connection work between the terminal and the lead wire becomes extremely simple, and the connection between the lead wire and the terminal can be performed quickly. Further, since the terminal is connected to the lead wire in a state in which the terminal is in contact with the inner wall of the storage portion, the connection between the lead wire and the terminal can be sufficiently protected against the pulling of the lead wire.

Further, since an insulating wall is provided on the inner wall of the housing between the connecting portions of the plurality of terminals, when the connecting portion and one end of the lead wire are connected by solder, Can be blocked by the insulating wall, and the connection between the adjacent connection portions by the solder can be prevented.

Further, a packing placed on an annular step formed on the inner wall of the storage section, a cover abutting on the packing to close the opening, and an elasticity, the lead wire A seal member that closes the hole portion that has been penetrated, and crushes a peripheral portion of the opening in the housing to form a crushed portion. The cover is sandwiched between the crushed portion and the annular step portion. And compressing the packing, and press-fitting the seal member into the lead wire holding section to seal the storage section, thereby preventing intrusion of dust, moisture, and the like into the storage section. The occurrence of abnormal output can be prevented, and the life of the slider, the resistor pattern, and the current collector pattern can be increased. Also, since the storage section can be sealed without using an insulating adhesive,
The steps of filling and drying the insulating adhesive can be omitted, and the manufacturing process can be simplified as a whole.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a rotation angle sensor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a rotation angle sensor according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the rotation angle sensor according to the present invention with the cover removed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a housing according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the rotation angle sensor according to the present invention with a part of the housing cut away.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a housing according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a circuit board according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a terminal according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a terminal according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of a terminal according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a leaf spring according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front view of a leaf spring according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a leaf spring according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a cover according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along the line 16-16 in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of a cover according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a rotating body according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a side view of a slider according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a rotor according to the rotation angle sensor of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of a conventional rotation angle sensor.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along the line 22-22 in FIG. 21;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 Small diameter part 2a Notch part 2b Stopper part 2c Stopper part 3 Large diameter part 3a hole part 4 Partition wall 4a hole 4b annular part 5 Storage part 5a opening part 5b annular step part 5c receiving surface 5d projection part 5e engaging projection 5f Rectangular hole 5g Insulating wall 5h Crushed part 6 Housing part 6a Open part 6b First void 6c Second void 6d Engagement hole 7 Bearing 8 Rotary shaft 9 Mounting part 9a Mounting hole 10 Lead wire insertion part 11 Sealing Member 12 Coil spring 12a Winding part 12b One end part 12c Other end part 13 Rotor 13a Mounting hole 13b Engagement pin 13c Notch part 13d Lock part 13e Lock part 14 Metal plate 15 Lead wire 16 Lead wire 17 Lead wire 18 Lead wire DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 Conductive wire 20 Sealing member 21 Leaf spring 21a Central part 21b Bent part 22 Cover 22a Step part 22b Depression 22c Holding projection 22d Restriction projection 23 Packing 24 Rotation amount detecting means 25 Circuit board 25a Taper part 25b Insertion hole 25c Notch part 25d Projection 25e Notch part 25f Projection 26a Resistor pattern 26b Resistor pattern 27a Collector pattern 27b Collector Pattern 28a conductive pattern 28b conductive pattern 28c conductive pattern 28d conductive pattern 29 terminal 29a base 29b connecting part 29c clip part 29d hole 30 solder 31 rotator 31a shaft hole 31b protrusion 32 slider 32a mounting part 32b sliding piece 32c sliding piece 32d mounting hole 33 conversion part 34 casing

Claims (4)

[Claims] A housing having an accommodation portion having an opening, a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the housing, a rotating body supported by the rotating shaft and accommodated in the accommodation portion; A circuit board on which a slider supported by a rotating body, a resistor pattern and a current collector pattern which are housed in the housing section and on which the slider slides in contact with the surface, respectively, are formed; A cover to be closed, wherein the rotating body, the slider, and the circuit board are sequentially arranged in this order from the opening toward the back of the storage section, and the back surface of the circuit board is stored in the storage section. Abutting against the receiving surface of the section and arranged substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft,
The cover is provided with a plurality of regulating protrusions extending in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and in a state where the movement of the circuit board in the housing portion in the axial direction of the rotating shaft is regulated by the plurality of regulating protrusions, A rotation angle sensor, wherein a circuit board is held in the storage section. 2. A semiconductor device comprising: a plurality of terminals supported by the circuit board; and a lead wire connected to the plurality of terminals, wherein each of the plurality of terminals is perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotation axis. The housing comprises an extended base portion and a connection portion bent from one end of the base portion in the axial direction of the rotation shaft, and the housing is formed in a tubular shape from an insulating material, and is integrally formed with an outer wall of the housing. A wire insertion portion is protruded, and a hole is provided in the housing in the lead wire insertion portion to allow the storage portion and the lead wire insertion portion to communicate with each other, and the connection of the terminal contacted to an inner wall of the storage portion is provided. A part is opposed to the hole, and one end of the lead wire inserted into the lead wire insertion part is located in the storage part from the hole, and the regulating protrusion is positioned inside the storage part by the rotation axis. Space in the direction The rotation angle sensor according to claim 1, wherein a connection portion of the terminal and one end of the lead wire are connected within a range of a source. 3. The rotation angle sensor according to claim 2, wherein an insulating wall is provided on an inner wall of the housing between the connecting portions of the plurality of terminals. 4. A packing placed on an annular step formed on an inner wall of the storage section, a cover abutting on the packing to close the opening, and an elasticity, the lead wire A seal member that closes the hole portion that has been penetrated, and crushes a peripheral portion of the opening in the housing to form a crushed portion. The cover is sandwiched between the crushed portion and the annular step portion. 4. The rotation angle sensor according to claim 3, wherein the packing is compressed to press the seal member into the lead wire holding portion to seal the storage portion. 5.