Rotatable connector device
AssigneesFurukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc.
InventorAkio Yamaguchi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotatable connector device includes a rotator and a stator which are fit to each other so as to be rotatable with respect to each other. The rotator and the stator form an accommodation space. In a bottom part of the accommodation space, a retainer for axially supporting a plurality of rotatable rollers and a flat cable are accommodated. A guide unit for allowing a reversed part to be pressed thereon is fit and fixed to the retainer. In a vertical cross-section vertical to a planar surface of the retainer, a guide surface of the guide unit which faces the reversed part has a vertical cross-sectional shape which does not contact a prescribed range of the flat cable in a width direction of the flat cable.
Claims8
A rotatable connector device, comprising:
- a rotator including a ring-shaped rotatable-side ring plate and an inner cylindrical section having a cylindrical shape and formed along an inner circumferential edge of the rotatable-side ring plate, and a stator including a ring-shaped fixed-side ring plate and an outer cylindrical section having a cylindrical shape and formed along an outer circumferential edge of the fixed-side ring plate, the rotator and the stator being fit to each other so as to be rotatable with respect to each other in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction;
- wherein:
- an accommodation space is defined by the rotatable-side ring plate and the inner cylindrical section of the rotator and the fixed-side ring plate and the outer cylindrical section of the stator;
- a ring-shaped retainer for axially supporting a plurality of rotatable rollers is located on a bottom surface of the accommodation space;
- in a part of the accommodation space above the retainer, a flat cable for electrically connecting the rotator and the stator to each other, the flat cable having a reversed part which is wound along one of the plurality of rotatable rollers and has a winding direction thereof reversed, are accommodated along the rotatable rollers, such that the flat cable is wound and rewound;
- a guide unit for allowing the reversed part to be pressed thereon is fit and fixed to the retainer;
- and
- in a vertical cross-section vertical to a planar surface of the retainer, a guide surface of the guide unit which faces the reversed part has a vertical cross-sectional shape which does not contact with at least a prescribed range of the flat cable in a width direction of the flat cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.