JP2008018779A - Rudder angle sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rudder angle sensor equipped with a stopper mechanism which is simply attached/detached. <P>SOLUTION: The rudder angle sensor 1 can attach/detach a stopper member 8 to/from a rotating element 5 having a cord plate 6, and a restraining portion (a notch portion 8c and a regulating protrusion 8d), holding portion 8b, and a mounting portion (a locking portion 8f) are formed on the stopper member 8. When the holding portion 8b is inserted in a through-hole 5a of the rotating element 5, the holding portion 8b is locked to the rotating element 5 by a lock portion 8f, and free rotations of the rotating element 5 to a housing 7 are prevented by the restraining portion. When a steering angle sensor 1 and a rotating connector 2 are superimposed and integrated, a drive receiver 8g projecting out from a lock portion 8f abuts on a rotor member 4 of the rotating connector 2 to be pressed, thereby displacing the lock portion 8f inward to automatically release locking of the holding portion 8b and the rotating element 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rudder angle sensor that is unitized with a rotary connector and incorporated in a steering apparatus of an automobile, and in particular, holds a rotating body of a rudder angle sensor at a reference position until the rudder angle sensor is unitized with a rotary connector. It is related with the stopper mechanism for this.

  The rudder angle sensor includes a hollow box-shaped housing, a rotating body rotatably supported by the housing, a code plate provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, a photo interrupter disposed to face the code plate, and the like. When the rotating body and the code plate rotate integrally with respect to the housing, the rotation information is output from the detection element. The rudder angle sensor schematically configured as described above is incorporated in the steering device of the automobile with the housing fixed to the column side and the rotating body connected to the handle side, and rotates a plurality of times in both forward and reverse directions with respect to the neutral position. Used as means for detecting rotation information of the handle. In this case, since the steering angle sensor needs to detect a rotation angle exceeding one rotation of the steering wheel, it can detect an absolute angle as a reference position in the rotation direction. ) Must be incorporated into the steering device in a state where it matches the neutral position of the steering wheel.

  Therefore, there is a conventional stopper mechanism that uses a fixed pin to hold and restrain the rotating body at a reference position until the rudder angle sensor is incorporated into the steering device, and then pulls out the fixed pin after assembly to release the restraint of the rotating body. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). A rudder angle sensor equipped with such a stopper mechanism has through holes formed in the top plate, bottom plate, and code plate of the housing, and a pin holder made of rubber or the like is fixed around one through hole of the housing. In the final assembly process of the rudder angle sensor, the fixing pins are inserted into the respective through holes and held by the pin holders, so that the code plate and the rotating body are maintained at the reference position with an absolute angle of 0 degrees with respect to the housing. ing.

In addition, this type of rudder angle sensor is often used in combination with a rotary connector which is an electrical connection means such as an air bag system. Conventionally, the rotary connector and the rudder angle sensor are previously stacked and integrated in two stages in the upper and lower directions. There is known a technique in which a unit product is assembled and incorporated into a steering apparatus in the state of the unit product (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In such a prior art, an engagement protrusion is provided on one of the rotor member of the rotary connector and the rotating body of the rudder angle sensor, and an engagement groove is provided on the other, and the rotation connector, the rudder angle sensor, If the rotor member and the rotating body are joined together, the rotor member and the rotating body are coaxially connected by joining the end faces of the rotor member and the rotating body and inserting the engaging protrusion into the engaging groove, and the structure of the rotating connector The housing, which is a component of the rudder angle sensor, is fixed to the stator member, which is a component, by screwing or the like. Therefore, if the stopper mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to the unit product disclosed in Patent Document 2, the rotating body of the rudder angle sensor is fixed by the fixed pin until the steering angle sensor and the rotation connector are unitized. It can be held at the reference position, and if the fixing pin is pulled out after being unitized, the restraint of the rotating body by the fixing pin can be released.
JP 2006-17663 A JP-A-11-135221

  However, in the conventional steering angle sensor with a stopper mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, a fixing pin is inserted into a pin holder fixed to one surface of the housing, and the fixing pin is inserted into the through hole of the code plate disposed in the housing. Is inserted into the housing and protrudes to the other side of the housing, so that there is a problem that it is difficult to insert the fixing pins into the through holes of the housing and the code plate. Therefore, there is a problem that the arrangement space of the code pattern is greatly restricted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a rudder angle sensor provided with a stopper mechanism that can be easily attached and detached.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a rotating body having a through-hole, a code plate provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and a rotary support for the rotating body including the code plate. A rotating member, and a stopper member that can be attached to and detached from the rotating body, and by laminating and integrating the housing below a stator member of the rotating connector, the rotor member of the rotating connector and the rotating body In the rudder angle sensor that is coaxially connected to the stopper member, a restraining portion that restrains the rotating body and the housing in the rotational direction on the bottom surface side of the housing, and a top of the housing from one open end of the through hole. A holding portion that is inserted toward the surface side, a mounting portion that attaches the holding portion to the rotating body, and a drive receiver that protrudes outward from the top surface of the housing from the holding portion. When the housing is laminated and integrated on the lower side of the stator member, the drive receiver is brought into contact with and pressed against a part of the rotor member, whereby the attachment portion and the rotating body are It was configured to release the attached state.

  In the rudder angle sensor configured as described above, when the holding portion of the stopper member is inserted into the through hole of the rotating body, the holding portion is attached to the rotating body by the attaching portion, and the rotating body is free from the housing by the restraining portion. Since rotation is prevented, the rotating body can be held at the reference position by the stopper member until the steering angle sensor and the rotation connector are unitized. Then, when assembling the unit product by stacking and integrating the rudder angle sensor and the rotary connector in two upper and lower stages, the drive receiver projecting outward from the holding portion comes into contact with and is pressed against the rotor member of the rotary connector. Since the attachment state of the attachment portion and the rotating body is released and the holding portion is pushed outward from the opening end on the bottom surface side of the through hole, the stopper member can be easily removed from the bottom surface side of the housing.

  Here, the attachment portion may be anything as long as it functions as a means for attaching the holding portion to the rotating body, and a locking portion provided on the holding portion and locked to the rotating body is preferably used. As an example, it may be a member that is provided on the outer wall of the holding portion and is pressed against the inner wall of the through hole of the rotating body when the housing is integrated with the lower side of the stator member of the rotary connector.

  In the above configuration, the attaching portion of the stopper member is a lock portion that is displaced inward when the housing is integrated with the stator member by being locked to the rotating body, and the holding portion of the stopper member has a cylindrical shape, An elastic piece sandwiched between a pair of slits extending in the axial direction is formed in the holding portion, and the lock portion and the drive receiver are integrally formed on the free end side of the elastic piece. It is preferable because the holding force can be increased.

  In this case, it is preferable that the lock portion is formed of a snap claw that is locked to the end face of the rotating body, and the drive receiver extends obliquely inward in the radial direction from the snap claw. When the configuration is adopted, the stopper member can be easily and reliably attached by the snap claw, and the axial claw received from the rotor member of the rotary connector is converted into the inner diameter direction by the drive receiver, thereby engaging the snap claw. The stopper can be easily removed by easily releasing the stop.

  In the above configuration, the restraining portion of the stopper member may be anything as long as it can restrain the rotating body in the rotational direction with respect to the housing. However, the restraining portion is inserted into a protrusion formed on the end surface of the rotating body. It is preferable if it has a notch part and a regulating projection inserted between a pair of regulating walls formed on the bottom surface of the housing.

  In the rudder angle sensor of the present invention, a restraining portion, a holding portion, and an attaching portion are formed on a stopper member that can be attached to and detached from a rotating body having a code plate, and the holding portion is inserted into a through hole of the rotating body. Then, the attachment portion is attached to the rotating body, and the restraining portion prevents the rotating body from freely rotating with respect to the housing. Therefore, the rotating member is moved to the reference position by the stopper member until the rudder angle sensor and the rotating connector are unitized. Can be held in. Then, when assembling the unit product by stacking and integrating the rudder angle sensor and the rotary connector in two upper and lower stages, the drive receiver that protrudes outward from the top of the housing from the holding part comes into contact with the rotor member of the rotary connector. By pressing, the attachment state of the attachment portion and the rotating body is released, and the holding portion is pushed outward from the opening end on the bottom surface side of the through hole, so that the stopper member can be easily removed from the bottom surface side of the housing. Can be removed.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rudder angle sensor, a stopper member, and a rotary connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of mounting the stopper member on the rudder angle sensor. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the stopper member, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the stopper member when uniting this rudder angle sensor into a rotation connector.

  The rudder angle sensor 1 according to this embodiment is used as rotation information detection means for a steering wheel (steering wheel). The rudder angle sensor 1 is laminated and integrated on the lower surface of the rotary connector 2 in an automobile. It is designed to be incorporated into the steering device. The rotary connector 2 is used as an electrical connection means for an air bag system or the like, and includes a stator housing 3 that is a stator member, and a rotor member 4 having a hollow shaft structure that is rotatably supported at the center of the stator housing 3. And a flexible cable (not shown) housed and wound inside the stator housing 3 and the rotor member 4. A plurality of positioning pins 3 a are formed on the bottom surface of the stator housing 3, and a plurality of engagement grooves 4 a are formed on the bottom surface of the rotor member 4. Although not shown, the rotary connector 2 is provided with a lock member that prevents the rotor member 4 from freely rotating, and the rotor member 4 is locked by the lock member until the rotary connector 2 is incorporated into the steering device. Is held in the rotational neutral position.

  The rudder angle sensor 1 includes a synthetic resin rotating body 5 having a through hole 5a in the center, a code plate 6 integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 5, and a housing 7 that rotatably supports the rotating body 5. A stopper member 8 described later is attached to and detached from the rotating body 5. A cancel projection 5b is formed on the lower end surface of the rotator 5, and a cancel cam of a turn signal stalk switch (not shown) is arranged in the rotation region of the cancel projection 5b. When the cancel cam comes into contact with the cancel protrusion 5b during the rotation and is kicked, the stalk switch that is swung in the left or right turn direction is automatically returned to the neutral position. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of engaging protrusions 5 c are formed on the upper end surface of the rotating body 5, and these engaging protrusions 5 c are formed on the bottom surface of the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2. The groove 4a can be engaged and disengaged. Then, as will be described later, when the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 are unitized, the engagement protrusion 5c enters the corresponding engagement groove 4a, whereby the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2 and the rudder angle sensor. 1 rotating body 5 is coaxially connected.

  The housing 7 is composed of an upper case 9 and a lower case 10 which are joined and integrated with each other, and both the upper case 9 and the lower case 10 are formed of synthetic resin. A plurality of positioning holes 9a are formed in the outer edge portion of the upper case 9, and when the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 are unitized, the positioning pins 3a of the stator housing 3 are inserted into the positioning holes 9a. It has come to be. As shown in FIG. 3, the code plate 6 is covered with a housing 7, and a plurality of light shielding walls 6a arranged concentrically on the code plate 6 are formed. Although not shown, a circuit board on which a plurality of photointerrupters are mounted is accommodated in the housing 7, and the light shielding wall 6a passes through the recess of the photointerrupter. A connector 11 is mounted on the circuit board. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 11 passes through the lower surface of the lower case 10 and protrudes downward. Further, a pair of regulating walls 10 a are formed on the lower surface of the lower case 10, and these regulating walls 10 a are separated by a predetermined angle along the rotation direction of the rotating body 5.

  The stopper member 8 is a synthetic resin molded product, and the stopper member 8 is detachable from the rudder angle sensor 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stopper member 8 has a flat plate-shaped flange portion 8a having a diameter sufficiently larger than the through hole 5a of the rotating body 5 and a cylindrical holding member standing from the upper surface of the flange portion 8a. The part 8b is integrally formed. On the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 8a, a notch portion 8c inserted into the cancel projection 5b of the rotating body 5 and a regulation projection 8d inserted between the regulation walls 10a of the lower case 10 are formed. A restricting portion that restricts free rotation of the rotating body 5 is configured by the portion 8c and the restricting protrusion 8d. The outer diameter of the holding portion 8b is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 5a, and the height of the holding portion 8b is set to be substantially the same as the axial length of the through hole 5a. Three elastic pieces 8e are formed in the holding portion 8b at regular intervals of 120 degrees in the circumferential direction, and slits 12 extending in the axial direction are formed on both sides of the elastic pieces 8e. Further, an upper end (free end) of each elastic piece 8e is integrally formed with a lock portion 8f protruding outward and a drive receiver 8g extending obliquely upward from the lock portion 8f radially inward. . The lock portion 8f is an attachment portion for attaching the holding portion 8b to the rotating body 5. The lock portion 8f functions as a snap claw that is locked to the upper end of the rotating body 5 to prevent the stopper member 8 from falling off. The drive receiver 8g functions as a lock release unit that releases the lock between the lock unit 8f and the rotating body 5.

The rudder angle sensor 1 configured as described above is laminated and integrated in advance on the lower surface of the rotary connector 2 and handled as one unit product, and is incorporated into the vehicle steering apparatus in the state of this unit product. When the sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 are unitized, the rotating body 5 having the code plate 6 needs to be connected to the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2 while being aligned in the rotational direction. In the manufacturing process, after the code plate 6 and the rotating body 5 are aligned with respect to the housing 7 at the reference position having an absolute angle of 0 degrees, the holding portion 8b of the stopper member 8 is moved to the lower opening end of the through hole 5a of the rotating body 5. Insert from. When the stopper member 8 is further pushed in and the drive receiver 8g protrudes from the upper opening end of the through hole 5a, each lock portion 8f positioned on the distal end side in the insertion direction of the holding portion 8b snaps to the upper end of the rotating body 5 Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stopper member 8 is attached to the rudder angle sensor 1 in a state in which the stopper member 8 is prevented from falling off the rotating body 5. In such a mounted state, of the restraining portions formed on the flange portion 8 a of the stopper member 8, the notch portion 8 c is inserted into the cancel projection 5 b of the rotating body 5, and the regulation projection 8 d is both regulation walls 10 a of the lower case 10. Since it is inserted between them, free rotation of the rotating body 5 with respect to the housing 7 (lower case 10) is prevented. Therefore, the rotating body 5 does not rotate with respect to the housing 7 during the transport of the rudder angle sensor 1 or the like, and the state as it is can be maintained until the rotary connector 2 is unitized.

  When the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotation connector 2 are unitized, the rudder angle sensor 1 with the stopper member 8 mounted is brought close to the lower surface of the rotation connector 2 and the positioning formed on the upper case 9 of the rudder angle sensor 1 is determined. A positioning pin 3 a protruding from the stator housing 3 of the rotary connector 2 is inserted into the hole 9 a, and a drive receiver 8 g protruding from the upper end surface of the rotating body 5 of the rudder angle sensor 1 is inserted into the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2. Insert into the shaft hole. At this time, the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2 is held at the rotation neutral position by a lock member (not shown), and the rotor 5 of the rudder angle sensor 1 is held at the reference position by the stopper member 8. The engaging groove 4a formed on the bottom surface of 4 and the engaging protrusion 5c formed on the upper end surface of the rotating body 5 face each other. When the rudder angle sensor 1 is pressed against the lower surface of the rotary connector 2 in this state, as shown in FIG. 6A, the drive receiver 8g contacting the lower opening end of the rotor member 4 receives the axial pressing force. Accordingly, the drive receiver 8g and the lock portion 8f are displaced inward (in the direction of arrow A) with the base end side of the elastic piece 8e as a fulcrum, and when the rudder angle sensor 1 is pressed against the lower surface of the rotary connector 2, FIG. ), The lock portion 8f is disengaged from the upper end surface of the rotating body 5 and moves to the inner peripheral surface. At this time, the snap engagement of the stopper member 8 with the rotating body 5 is released. At this time, since the engaging protrusion 5c enters the engaging groove 4a, the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2 and the rotating body 5 of the rudder angle sensor 1 are coaxially connected. By fixing the housing 3 and the housing 7 of the rudder angle sensor 1 by snapping or screwing, the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 are stacked and integrated into one unit product. After that, when the flange portion 8a of the stopper member 8 is picked and separated from the bottom surface side of the lower case 10, the holding portion 8b that has already been released from the snap lock with the rotating body 5 is easily pulled out from the through hole 5a. Thus, the rotator 5 can freely rotate with respect to the housing 7.

  Then, after the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 that are unitized in this way are incorporated in the steering device of the automobile, the rotor member 4 rotates relative to the stator housing 3 by removing the lock member described above from the rotary connector 2. Be free. Therefore, when the driver rotates the handle clockwise or counterclockwise during use, the rotor member 4 and the rotating body 5 rotate integrally with the rotation of the handle, and the rotation connector 2 and the steering angle sensor 1 are respectively connected. Operate. That is, for the rotary connector 2, the flexible cable (not shown) is wound or unwound by the rotation of the rotor member 4, and for the steering angle sensor 1, the rotating body 5 and the code plate 6 are rotated. Thus, a rotation amount detection signal is output from a photo interrupter (not shown).

  As described above, the steering angle sensor 1 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the stopper member 8 can be attached to and detached from the rotating body 5 having the code plate 6, and the stopper member 8 has a restraining portion (a notch portion 8 c and a restriction protrusion 8 d). ), A holding portion 8b, and a lock portion 8f. When the holding portion 8b is inserted into the through hole 5a of the rotating body 5, the holding portion 8b is locked to the upper end surface of the rotating body 5 by the lock portion 8f. At the same time, since the free rotation of the rotating body 5 with respect to the housing 7 is prevented by the restraining portion, the rotating body 5 can be held at the reference position by the stopper member 8 until the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotating connector 2 are unitized. it can. When the rudder angle sensor 1 and the rotary connector 2 are stacked and integrated to assemble a unit product, the drive receiver 8g protruding from the lock portion 8f is pressed against the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2, Since the locking portion 8f is displaced inward and the locking of the holding portion 8b and the rotating body 5 is automatically released, the stopper member 8 can be easily removed from the bottom surface side of the housing 7.

  In addition, the elastic piece 8e sandwiched between the pair of slits 12 extending in the axial direction is formed in the holding portion 8b of the stopper member 8, and the lock portion 8f and the drive receiver 8g are integrally formed on the free end side of the elastic piece 8e. The retaining force of the lock portion 8f can be increased by the elastic piece 8e. In addition, since the drive receiver 8g extends obliquely inward in the radial direction from the lock portion 8f made of a snap claw, the holding portion 8b inserted into the through hole 5a of the rotating body 5 is easily and easily formed on the upper end surface of the rotating body 5. The locking portion 8f and the rotating body 5 can be reliably released by converting the axial pressing force received from the rotor member 4 of the rotary connector 2 into the inner diameter direction by the drive receiver 8g. Thus, the stopper member 8 can be easily removed.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the lock portion is provided as the attachment portion has been shown. However, as another configuration example of the attachment portion, the holding portion whose outer diameter is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole. In addition, the plurality of elastic pieces have a base end portion on the top surface side of the housing and a free end on the bottom surface side of the housing and are formed so as to be widened, and the free end side presses the inner wall of the through hole. The example of a structure formed in a dimension may be sufficient. Further, as another configuration example of the attachment portion, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the outer wall of the holding portion whose outer diameter is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole in the rotation axis direction of the rudder angle sensor. A configuration example may be adopted in which the height dimension is gradually increased from the top surface side to the bottom surface side so that the inner wall of the through hole is press-contacted on the bottom surface side of the housing. Furthermore, as another configuration example of the mounting portion, the outer diameter is formed on the outer wall of the holding portion whose outer diameter is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole, from the top surface side to the bottom surface side of the housing. It may be a configuration example in which is gradually increased and is formed in a size that presses the inner wall of the through hole on the bottom surface side of the housing.

It is a perspective view of a rudder angle sensor, a stopper member, and a rotary connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear view which shows the state which mounted | wore the steering angle sensor with the stopper member. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is a top view of this stopper member. It is sectional drawing which follows the VV line of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the stopper member when uniting this rudder angle sensor into a rotation connector.

Explanation of symbols

1 Steering angle sensor 2 Rotating connector 3 Stator housing (stator member)
3a Positioning pin 4 Rotor member 4a Engagement groove 5 Rotating body 5a Through hole 5b Cancel 5c Engagement protrusion 6 Code plate 7 Housing 8 Stopper member 8a Eave part 8b Holding part 8c Notch part 8d Restriction protrusion 8e Elastic piece 8f Lock part (Dressing part)
8g Drive receiver 9 Upper case 9a Positioning hole 10 Lower case 10a Restriction wall 11 Connector 12 Slit

Claims (4)

A rotating body having a through-hole, a code plate provided on an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, a housing that includes the code plate and rotatably supports the rotating body, and is detachable from the rotating body A steering angle sensor, wherein the rotor member of the rotary connector and the rotating body are coaxially connected by laminating and integrating the housing on the lower side of the stator member of the rotary connector.
A restraining portion that restrains the rotating body and the housing in the rotational direction on the bottom surface side of the housing, and a holding portion that is inserted from one opening end of the through hole toward the top surface side of the housing. And an attachment portion for attaching the holding portion to the rotating body, and a drive receiver that protrudes outward from the top surface of the housing from the holding portion,
When the housing is laminated and integrated on the lower side of the stator member, the attachment portion and the rotating body are attached by pressing the drive receiver against a part of the rotor member. A steering angle sensor characterized in that is released.   2. The attachment portion according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion is a lock portion that is inwardly displaced when the housing is integrated with the stator member by being locked to the rotating body, and the holding portion has a cylindrical shape. A steering angle characterized by forming an elastic piece sandwiched between a pair of slits extending in the axial direction in the holding portion, and integrally forming the lock portion and the drive receiver on the free end side of the elastic piece. Sensor.   3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the lock portion is formed of a snap claw that is locked to an end surface of the rotating body, and the drive receiver extends obliquely inward in the radial direction from the snap claw. Rudder angle sensor.   5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the restraining portion is formed between a notch portion inserted into a protrusion formed on an end surface of the rotating body and a pair of regulating walls formed on a bottom surface of the housing. A rudder angle sensor, characterized in that it has a restricting protrusion to be inserted into the door.

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