US 6,475,006 B2Granted

Rotary connector having mechanism for locking pair of housings in relatively rotational relation

AssigneeAlps Electric Co., Ltd.

InventorNobuo Matsuzaki

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Abstract

Since a rotary connector B in which lock operation is released is mounted onto a steering device, in this mounting operation, the neutral rotation positions of both housings are shifted, resulting in wrong mounting. Therefore, there is provided a rotary connector permitting reliable mounting. A lock member is integrally formed of an arm portion, a finger-hook portion, a coupling portion, and a fixing portion, the fixing portion having a thin portion and a fixing remaining portion wherein, in a locked state, the fixing remaining portion is held at a locking portion of a first housing, the coupling portion is engaged with a rotation restraint portion, the arm portion is provided along a top surface, and the finger-hook portion is protruded outwardly of an outer cylindrical portion, and in an unlocked state, the finger-hook portion is folded so as to be close to the outer cylindrical portion, thereby separating the arm portion from the thin portion while the fixing remaining portion remains held in the locking portion of the first housing.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A rotary connector comprising a first and a second housings coupled in a freely rotational relation, a flexible cable for establishing electrical connection between the first and second housings, a lock member which is detachably mounted on the first and second housings and which blocks free rotation between the first and second housings when the lock member is mounted thereon, wherein

the first housing has a ring-like outer cylindrical portion and a locking portion provided in the outer cylindrical portion, the second housing has a top surface closing the outer cylindrical portion of the first housing and a rotation restraint portion provided in the top surface,
the lock member integrally comprising an arm portion, a finger-hook portion continuously extending to one end of the arm portion and extending in a direction orthogonal to the arm portion, a coupling portion provided in the other end of the arm portion, and a fixing portion extending between the coupling portion and the finger-hook portion in the same direction as that of the finger-hook portion, the fixing portion having a thin portion and a fixing remaining portion continuously extending to the thin portion, wherein, when the first and second housings are in a locked state to block free rotation therebetween, the fixing remaining portion of the lock member is held at the locking portion of the first housing, the coupling portion is engaged with the rotation restraint portion of the second housing, the arm portion is provided along the top surface of the second housing, and the finger-hook portion is protruded outwardly of the outer cylindrical portion of the first housing, and
when the first and second housings are put into an unlocked state to permit free rotation therebetween, the finger-hook portion is folded so as to be close to the outer cylindrical portion, thereby separating the arm portion from the thin portion while the fixing remaining portion remains held in the locking portion of the first housing.

A rotary connector comprising first and second housings coupled in a freely rotational relation, a flexible cable that establishes electrical connection between the first and second housings, a lock member which is detachably mounted on the first and second housings and which blocks free rotation between the first and second housings when the lock member is mounted thereon, wherein

the first housing has a ring-like outer cylindrical portion and a locking portion provided in the outer cylindrical portion, the second housing has a top surface closing the outer cylindrical portion of the first housing and a rotation restraint portion provided in the top surface,
the lock member integrally comprises an arm portion, a finger-hook portion continuously extending to one end of the arm portion, a coupling portion provided in the other end of the arm portion, and a fixing portion arranged between the coupling portion and the finger-hook portion, the fixing portion has a thin portion and a fixing remaining portion continuously extending to the thin portion,
when the first and second housings are in a locked state to block free rotation therebetween, the fixing remaining portion of the lock member is held at the locking portion of the first housing, the coupling portion is engaged with the rotation restraint portion of the second housing, the arm portion is provided along the top surface of the second housing, and the finger-hook portion is protruded outwardly of the outer cylindrical portion of the first housing, and
when the first and second housings are in an unlocked state to permit free rotation therebetween, the finger-hook portion is folded, thereby separating the arm portion from the thin portion while the fixing remaining portion remains held in the locking portion of the first housing.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/862,553Filed 22 May 2001
Priority: JP 2000-16478930 May 2000
Published: US 2001/0055898 A127 Dec 2001
Granted: 5 Nov 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

B60R 16/027
For transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems: between relatively movable parts of the vehicle, e.g. between steering wheel and…
H01R 35/025
Flexible line connectors without frictional contact members: having a flexible conductor wound around a rotation axis
B60R
Vehicle fittings and parts
H01R
Electrically-conductive connections