Extra-length absorbing device for wiring member

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce sliding resistance when a wiring member enters an extra-length absorbing housing. This extra-length absorbing device for a wiring member absorbs the extra length of a wiring member having an internal support part, the extra-length absorbing device comprising: an extra-length absorbing case for storing an extra-length portion of the wiring member, produced by an excess length thereof; and an urging unit for urging the extra-length portion in the extra-length absorbing case. The extra-length absorbing case includes a support part for supporting the internal support part, and a peripheral wall surrounding the support part at an interval. The peripheral wall has an entrance / exit for the wiring member. The extra length portion is a portion of the wiring member, which is passed through the entrance / exit and disposed in the extra length absorbing case so as to form a spiral around the support part. The urging unit includes a rigid body positioned on the outer peripheral side of the extra-length portion, and an urging member for urging the rigid body to the outer peripheral surface of the extra-length portion.

Description

Wiring member excess length absorption device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring member slack take-up device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wire harness routing device having a slack storage section having an entrance for introducing an excess length portion of a wire harness and for storing the excess length portion by spirally winding it therein, and a guide section arranged in the slack storage section and contacting the excess length portion to change the direction in which the excess length portion enters the slack storage section toward the inside of the slack storage section. In Patent Document 1, the guide section has a metallic leaf spring-shaped elastic member, and the radially inner side surface of the storage section main body of the elastic member is a contact section that comes into contact with the wire harness.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-44960

[0004] It is required to further reduce the sliding resistance when the slack portion of the wire harness enters the slack absorbing portion.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to reduce the sliding resistance when a wiring member enters a slack absorption housing.

[0006] The wiring member slack absorption device of the present disclosure is a wiring member slack absorption device that absorbs slack in a wiring member having an internal support portion, and includes: a slack absorption case that houses the slack portion of the wiring member generated by the slack; and a biasing unit that biases the slack portion within the slack absorption case, wherein the slack absorption case includes a support portion that supports the internal support portion and a peripheral wall that surrounds the support portion at a distance, the peripheral wall having an entrance and exit for the wiring member, the slack portion being a portion of the wiring member that passes through the entrance and is positioned within the slack absorption case, forming a spiral around the support portion, and the biasing unit includes a rigid body located on the outer periphery of the slack portion, and a biasing member that biases the rigid body against the outer periphery of the slack portion.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the sliding resistance when the wiring member enters the slack absorbing housing.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a slide seat and an excess length absorbing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device when the slide seat is positioned rearward. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device when the slide seat is positioned forward. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the excess length absorbing operation of the excess length absorbing device according to a reference example. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an excess length absorbing device according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an excess length absorbing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the excess length absorbing device. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the excess length absorbing device.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0010] The wiring member slack take-up device of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0011] (1) A wiring member slack absorption device that absorbs the slack of a wiring member having an internal support portion, comprising: a slack absorption case that houses the slack portion of the wiring member resulting from the slack; and a biasing unit that biases the slack portion within the slack absorption case, wherein the slack absorption case includes a support portion that supports the internal support portion and a peripheral wall that surrounds the support portion at a distance, the peripheral wall having an entrance and exit for the wiring member, the slack portion being a portion of the wiring member that passes through the entrance and is positioned within the slack absorption case, forming a spiral around the support portion, and the biasing unit including: a rigid body located on the outer periphery of the slack portion; and a biasing member that biases the rigid body against the outer periphery of the slack portion.

[0012] According to this slack absorption device, when the wiring member enters the slack absorption case through the opening, the rigid body presses against the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion. This makes it easy to secure a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion and the peripheral wall. The spiral slack portion can smoothly deform to increase its diameter by utilizing this gap, allowing the slack of the wiring member to be smoothly absorbed within the slack absorption case. Furthermore, because the rigid body presses against the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion, the contact state between the slack portion and the rigid body is stable, and the contact area between them can be kept small. This reduces sliding resistance when the wiring member enters the slack absorption housing.

[0013] (2) In the wiring member slack absorption device of (1), the biasing units may be arranged in a plurality in a dispersed manner in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the slack portion.

[0014] In this case, multiple rigid bodies can bias the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion at separate, dispersed positions in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion, thereby making it possible to control the position of the spiral of the excess length portion at multiple points on the outer periphery.

[0015] (3) In the wiring member slack absorption device of (1) or (2), the rigid body may include an entrance-opposing rigid body that is positioned opposite the entrance and guides the portion of the wiring member that enters through the entrance from an extension of the entrance toward the support portion.

[0016] In this case, it is possible to delay the increase in diameter of the excess length near the point where the wiring member enters through the entrance, thereby delaying the timing at which the excess length is pressed with a strong force against the peripheral wall or the like in the portion facing the entrance.

[0017] (4) In a wiring member slack absorption device according to any one of (1) to (3), the rigid body may be a long member supported so as to be swingable around a swing shaft portion located on the outer periphery of the slack portion, and the biasing member may include a torsion spring that swings the long member around the swing shaft portion and biases it toward the outer periphery of the slack portion.

[0018] This allows the long member to be biased toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion by an inexpensive torsion spring.

[0019] (5) In the wiring member slack absorption device of (4), the central axis of the oscillating shaft portion may be parallel to the axis of the spiral formed by the slack portion, and the elongated member may include a pressing surface that is recessed on the slack portion side when viewed along the oscillating shaft portion.

[0020] In this case, the diameter of the excess length portion can be increased by utilizing the recess on the pressing surface on the excess length portion side, thereby increasing the excess length absorption length of the excess length portion.

[0021] (6) A wiring member slack absorption device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the rigid body is supported on the outer periphery of the slack portion so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion, and the biasing member may include a compression coil spring that biases the rigid body toward the outer periphery of the slack portion.

[0022] This allows the rigid body to be biased toward the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion by an inexpensive compression coil spring.

[0023] (7) In the wiring member slack take-up device of (6), the biasing member may include a plurality of the compression coil springs.

[0024] In this way, the rigid body is biased by a plurality of compression coil springs, allowing the rigid body to move in a stable posture.

[0025] (8) In the wiring member slack absorption device of (6) or (7), the rigid body may include a pressing surface that is recessed on the side of the slack portion when viewed along the axis of the spiral formed by the slack portion.

[0026] In this case, the diameter of the excess length portion can be increased by utilizing the recess on the pressing surface on the excess length portion side, thereby increasing the excess length absorption length of the excess length portion.

[0027] (9) In the wiring member slack absorption device of (8), the pressing surface may include a straight surface located in the middle of the pressing surface and a pair of arc-shaped surfaces located on both sides of the straight surface.

[0028] As a result, the straight surface comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion, thereby reducing the contact area between the excess length portion and the pressing surface, and allowing the excess length portion to smoothly deform to increase in diameter. In addition, the recess formed by the pair of arc-shaped surfaces can be used to increase the diameter of the excess length portion. This allows the excess length absorption length to be increased.

[0029] (10) In a wiring member slack absorption device according to any one of (1) to (9), a protrusion extending along the circumferential direction of the slack portion may be formed on the surface of the rigid body that contacts the slack portion.

[0030] If the rigid body is formed with a protrusion extending in the circumferential direction of the excess length portion, when the wiring member comes into contact with the pressing surface, it can smoothly come into contact with and slide against the pressing surface.

[0031] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the wiring member slack take-up device of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0032] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, a description will be given of a wiring member slack absorbing device according to embodiment 1. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the slack absorbing device absorbs the slack of a wiring member between a vehicle body and a sliding seat.

[0033] <Prerequisite Configuration> An example of a support structure for the sliding seat 20 and an example of a guide structure for the wiring member 40 will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the sliding seat 20 assembled to the vehicle body 10 and the slack take-up device 50. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the slack take-up device 50 when the sliding seat 20 is positioned rearward. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the slack take-up device 50 when the sliding seat 20 is positioned forward. Note that the cover 51 of the slack take-up device 50 is omitted from Figs. 2 and 3 .

[0034] The slack absorber 50 according to this embodiment is a device for absorbing slack that occurs in a wiring member 40 that is wired between a first component and a second component that moves relative to the first component in a vehicle (not shown), such as an automobile. That is, when the wiring member 40 is wired between the first component and the second component, the length of the wiring member 40 is set to a size that assumes the state in which the wiring fixing point on the first component and the wiring fixing point on the second component are the farthest apart. Therefore, when the two wiring fixing points are close to each other, slack, or slack, may occur in the wiring member 40. The slack absorber 50 is a device for absorbing this slack.

[0035] Here, an example will be described in which the combination of the first part and the second part is the vehicle body 10 and the sliding seat 20. The combination of the first part and the second part may be something other than the vehicle body 10 and the sliding seat 20, for example, a vehicle body and a sliding door.

[0036] The sliding seat 20 is movably supported on the vehicle body 10 as follows. That is, seat rails 12, 13 are supported on the floor of the vehicle body 10. Each of the seat rails 12, 13 is a long, narrow rail that extends in the front-rear direction. The seat rails 12, 13 are arranged side by side and spaced apart in the left-right direction.

[0037] The sliding seat 20 is slidably supported on the floor of the vehicle body 10 via the seat rails 12, 13. For example, the lower part of the sliding seat 20 is fixed to a seat slider that moves along the seat rails 12, 13. The seat slider moves back and forth while being guided by the seat rails 12, 13, thereby allowing the sliding seat 20 to move back and forth in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0038] The sliding seat 20 is provided with electrical equipment. Such electrical equipment is not particularly limited and may be, for example, an electric reclining device, a seat heater, a sensor that detects whether an occupant is seated, a sensor that detects whether a seat belt is fastened, etc. The seat may have one type of electrical equipment or two or more types.

[0039] In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the terms up and down, front and rear, and left and right may be referred to. In this case, the side on which the sliding seat 20 is located relative to the seat rails 12 and 13 is the upper side, and the side on which the seat rails 12 and 13 are located relative to the sliding seat 20 is the lower side. The extension direction of the seat rails 12 and 13 is the front-rear direction, and in this embodiment, the side on which the slack absorber 50 is located relative to the seat rails 12 and 13 is the front, and the opposite side is the rear. Furthermore, left and right are defined based on the above-mentioned up and down and front and rear. Note that the slack absorber 50 can be installed in various positions regardless of the up and down, front and rear, and left and right positional relationships described in this embodiment.

[0040] The wiring member 40 connects the electrical components of the sliding seat 20 to electrical devices in the vehicle body 10. The electrical devices in the vehicle body are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a battery or an electronic control unit (ECU).

[0041] The wiring member 40 is a bendable wiring member that includes at least one conductive wire. The wiring member 40 may be routed to bend primarily in one plane.

[0042] For example, the wiring member 40 may include at least one sheathed electric wire and a connecting guide member to which multiple links are connected so as to be aligned in a row. Each of the multiple links may be a frame-shaped member through which at least one sheathed electric wire can be inserted, and adjacent links may be connected to each other so as to be rotatable mainly around one axis. Adjacent links may be rotatably connected to each other by a thin hinge or by a fitting structure between a shaft and a bearing. If the rotation axes between adjacent links are aligned in the same direction, the connecting guide member restricts the path of the at least one sheathed electric wire to bend mainly on one plane perpendicular to the rotation axis. By inserting and guiding at least one sheathed electric wire through the connecting guide member, the path of the at least one sheathed electric wire is restricted to bend mainly on one plane. Such a connecting guide member may be a component called a cable chain, a cable carrier, or a Cableveyor (registered trademark).

[0043] If each link member is formed in a flat frame shape, for example, a flat rectangular frame shape, the plurality of coated electric wires can be bundled in a flat shape that can be easily bent in the thickness direction of the flat shape.

[0044] The wiring member 40, whose path is restricted so as to bend mainly on one plane, does not have to have the above configuration. For example, the wiring member 40 may be a strip-shaped wiring material, such as a strip-shaped wiring material obtained by welding coated electric wires in parallel to a strip-shaped resin sheet such as a nonwoven sheet, an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable), or an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit).

[0045] The wiring member 40 does not have to be restricted in its path so as to bend mainly on one plane. The wiring member 40 may be configured such that a plurality of coated electric wires are held in a bundled state by a corrugated tube. The wiring member 40 may be configured such that a plurality of coated electric wires are bundled into a circular cross section by adhesive tape, a cable tie, or the like.

[0046] In this embodiment, the wiring member 40 has a flat band shape and can bend mainly in the thickness direction thereof. That is, the wiring member 40 is regulated so that it bends mainly in a plane perpendicular to the width direction of the flat band.

[0047] The wiring member 40 may be guided by a wiring guide unit 30 arranged parallel to the seat rails 12 and 13 so as to be guided in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the front-rear movement of the sliding seat 20 .

[0048] In this embodiment, the wiring guide unit 30 includes a guide portion 32 and a slider 38 .

[0049] An elongated guide space 32P extending in the front-rear direction is formed within the guide portion 32. The cross-sectional shape of the guide space 32P (the shape of a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) is larger than the cross-sectional shape of the wiring member 40. By being inserted into the guide space 32P, the wiring member 40 can move forward and backward in a constant posture in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the sliding seat 20.

[0050] For example, the wiring member 40 is inserted into the guide space 32P with its width direction aligned with the up-down direction, thereby allowing the wiring member 40 to move in the front-to-back direction within the guide space 32P with its width direction aligned with the up-down direction.

[0051] The slider 38 is supported by the guide portion 32. The slider 38 is capable of reciprocating movement between a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 is the position of the slider 38 when the sliding seat 20 is positioned near the rear ends of the seat rails 12, 13. The second position P2 is the position of the slider 38 when the sliding seat 20 is positioned near the front ends of the seat rails 12, 13.

[0052] The lower end of the slider 38 is movably supported by the guide portion 32 , and the upper end of the slider 38 protrudes above the guide portion 32 .

[0053] One end of the wiring member 40 is connected to the slider 38 within the guide space 32P. The middle portion of the wiring member 40 passes through the guide space 32P and is introduced through an opening in the guide portion 32. In this embodiment, the opening is located at the front end of the guide portion 32.

[0054] An extension wiring member, for example, a coated electric wire, extending from one end of the wiring member 40 passes through the slider 38 from the lower end to the upper end of the slider 38, extends from the upper end of the slider 38 and is connected to the electrical equipment of the slide seat 20.

[0055] As the slider 38 moves back and forth, one end of the wiring member 40 moves back and forth within the guide space 32P. As one end of the wiring member 40 moves back and forth within the guide space 32P, a portion of the wiring member 40 closest to the slider 38 moves back and forth within the guide space 32P along the guide space 32P. When the slider 38 is located at the second position P2 close to the entrance / exit, the length of the wiring member 40 that can be accommodated within the guide space 32P is shorter than the length of the wiring member 40 that can be accommodated within the guide space 32P when the slider 38 is located at the first position P1 far from the entrance / exit. Therefore, when the slider 38 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, a differential length of the wiring member 40, calculated by subtracting the former length from the latter length, is pushed out from the entrance / exit of the guide portion 32. Conversely, when the slider 38 moves from the second position P2 to the first position P1, a differential length of the wiring member 40 is pulled into the guide portion 32 from outside the entrance / exit of the guide portion 32.

[0056] The slack absorbing device 50 for the wiring member 40 is disposed at a position facing the entrance of the guide portion 32. The portion of the wiring member 40 that is pushed out from the entrance of the guide portion 32 can be pushed into the slack absorbing device 50. The portion of the wiring member 40 that was pushed into the slack absorbing device 50 can be pulled into the guide portion 32.

[0057] <Wiring Member Excess Length Absorbing Device> The wiring member 40 will now be described in more detail with reference to the wiring member 40. Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the wiring member 40. Figure 6 is a plan view showing the wiring member 40. Figure 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the wiring member 40.

[0058] The slack take-up device 50 includes a slack take-up case 52 and a biasing unit 60 .

[0059] The portion of the wiring member 40 that protrudes from the opening / exit of the guide portion 32 is accommodated as an excess portion 41R in the excess length absorbing case 52. A portion of the extending direction of the excess portion 41R is accommodated in the excess length absorbing case 52 and is supported at a fixed position by a support portion 59 that is away from the opening / exit of the guide portion 32. The portion of the excess portion 41R that is supported at a fixed position by the support portion 59 is the internal support portion 44. The internal support portion 44 may be, for example, the end of the connecting guide member that is opposite the end that is connected to the slider 38.

[0060] The slack absorbing case 52 is a case that accommodates the slack portion 41R of the wiring member 40 that protrudes from the opening / exit of the guide portion 32. More specifically, the slack absorbing case 52 includes a bottom portion 53, a peripheral wall 54, and a support portion 59. The slack absorbing case 52 may be, for example, a resin molded product.

[0061] The bottom portion 53 is formed in a plate shape, in this case, in a shape in which a rectangular plate portion is connected to a semicircular plate portion.

[0062] The support portion 59 is located inside the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 53. More specifically, the support portion 59 is located at the center of curvature of the arcuate edge of the semicircular plate-shaped portion of the bottom portion 53. The support portion 59 is cylindrical and protrudes from one main surface of the bottom portion 53, and a slit 59S is formed in part of its circumference. The internal support portion 44 of the wiring member 40 is sandwiched between the slit 59S, thereby supporting the internal support portion 44 in a fixed position by the support portion 59. Preferably, a convex portion is formed on one of the inner surface of the slit 59S and the internal support portion 44, and a concave portion into which the convex portion fits is formed on the other. In this case, fitting the convex portion into the concave portion more reliably supports the internal support portion 44 in a fixed position relative to the support portion 59.

[0063] An extraction opening 53h1 is formed in a portion of the bottom 53 that is surrounded by the internal support portion 44. The extraction wires 41 extending from the internal support portion 44 of the wiring member 40 are extracted to the outside through the extraction opening 53h1.

[0064] An access opening 53h2 may be formed in a region of the bottom 53 adjacent to the drawer opening 53h1. The access opening 53h2 is preferably larger than the drawer opening 53h1. The access opening 53h1 and the access opening 53h2 may be connected via a narrow slit 53f2s through which the drawer wiring 41 can pass. In this case, after the connector at the tip of the drawer wiring 41 is passed through the access opening 53h2, the drawer wiring 41 can be placed in the drawer opening 53h1 through the slit 53f2s. This allows the wiring member 40 to be easily installed in the slack absorber case 52.

[0065] The peripheral wall 54 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 53 toward one main surface of the bottom portion 53, and surrounds the support portion 59 with a gap therebetween.

[0066] An opening 54G for the wiring member 40 is formed in the peripheral wall 54. The wiring member 40 is pushed into or pulled out of the slack absorbing case 52 through the opening 54G. Because a gap is formed between the support portion 59 and the peripheral wall 54, the portion of the wiring member 40 that passes through the opening 54G and is housed in the slack absorbing case 52 can form a spiral around the support portion 59. The portion of the wiring member 40 that is housed in the slack absorbing case 52 and spirals around the support portion 59 is the slack portion 41R. The length of the slack portion 41R varies depending on the position of the slider 38. When the slider 38 is located at position P2 close to the slack absorbing case 52, the slack portion 41R is long. When the slider 38 is located at position P2 far from the slack absorbing case 52, the slack portion 41R is short.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the peripheral wall 54 includes a first wall portion 55 , a second wall portion 56 , a third wall portion 57 , and an arc-shaped wall portion 58 .

[0068] The first wall portion 55 is formed in a rectangular plate shape extending along the edge of the square plate portion of the bottom portion 53 on the side opposite to the semicircular plate portion.

[0069] The second wall portion 56 and the third wall portion 57 extend along two edges of the rectangular plate-shaped portion of the bottom portion 53 that are adjacent to the semicircular plate-shaped portion.

[0070] The second wall portion 56 is formed in a rectangular plate shape and is continuous with one end of the first wall portion 55. The first wall portion 55 and the second wall portion 56 are erected along edges that sandwich one corner of the rectangular plate-shaped portion of the bottom portion 53 on the side opposite to the semicircular plate-shaped portion.

[0071] The third wall portion 57 includes an arc-shaped surface 57f facing the support portion 59. The arc-shaped surface 57f is formed along an arc centered on the central axis of the support portion 59. A gap through which the wiring member 40 can pass is formed between the other end of the first wall portion 55 and the third wall portion 57, and this gap serves as an entrance / exit 54G.

[0072] The inner surface of the other end of the first wall 55 forms part of the inner circumferential surface of the entrance 54G. The surface of the third wall 57 that faces the other end of the first wall 55 faces the inner surface of the other end of the first wall 55 with a gap between them. A groove through which the wiring member 40 can pass is formed between the first wall 55 and the third wall 57. The wiring member 40 pushed out of the guide 32 passes through the entrance 54G and is pushed into the slack absorption case 52 while maintaining the same posture as it had within the guide 32.

[0073] The arc-shaped wall portion 58 is formed in a plate shape extending along the arc-shaped edge of the semicircular plate-shaped portion of the bottom portion 53 on the side opposite the rectangular plate-shaped portion. In other words, the arc-shaped wall portion 58 has a shape in which a rectangular plate-shaped portion is bent into a semicircular arc. Each of the two ends of the arc-shaped wall portion 58 is connected to the second wall portion 56 or the third wall portion 57 on the side opposite the first wall portion 55. The inner surface of the arc-shaped wall portion 58 is an arc-shaped surface 58f formed along an arc centered on the central axis of the support portion 59.

[0074] The arcuate surface 57f and the arcuate surface 58f are connected together so as to form about a three-quarters circle.

[0075] The biasing unit 60 biases the excess length portion 41R within the excess length absorbing case 52. The biasing unit 60 includes a rigid body 62 and a biasing member 70.

[0076] The rigid body 62 may be rigid enough to bias the wiring member 40 while maintaining the initial shape at the contact portion with the wiring member 40. The rigid body 62 may be made of resin, metal, or the like.

[0077] The rigid body 62 is located on the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R and is supported by the support portion 59 so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion 59.

[0078] More specifically, the rigid body 62 is located at the corner between the first wall portion 55 and the second wall portion 56. The rigid body 62 faces the entrance / exit 54G at the corner.

[0079] The rigid body 62 is a long member supported to be swingable around a swing shaft 53P1 located on the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R. The swing shaft 53P1 is a rod-shaped protrusion that protrudes from the portion of the bottom portion 53 within the angled portion. The central axis of the swing shaft 53P1 is parallel to the axis of the spiral formed by the excess length portion 41R and also parallel to the central axis of the support portion 59. A hole 62h into which the swing shaft 53P1 fits is formed at the base end of the rigid body 62. The swing shaft 53P1 fits into the hole 62h, thereby supporting the base end of the rigid body 62 to be swingable around the swing shaft 53P1. The swinging of the rigid body 62 around the swing shaft 53P1 allows the portion of the rigid body 62 closer to the tip than the base end to move toward and away from the excess length portion 41R.

[0080] More specifically, the rigid body 62 includes a pressing surface 62f that is recessed on the side of the excess length portion 41R when viewed along the swing shaft portion 53P1. The pressing surface 62f may be an arc-shaped surface, or may be an arc-shaped surface with the same radius of curvature as the arc-shaped surfaces 57f and 58f.

[0081] In this embodiment, the rigid body 62 has a rectangular plate-like portion that is curved to form an arc in the thickness direction. The inner peripheral surface of the rigid body 62 is an arc-shaped pressing surface 62f. The arc-shaped surfaces 57f, 58f and the pressing surface 62f preferably extend along the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the central axis of the support portion 59.

[0082] As described above, the rigid body 62 is disposed in a position facing the entrance / exit 54G. The base end of the rigid body 62 is disposed in a position closer to the entrance / exit 54G than the tip. When the tip of the rigid body 62 is farthest from the support portion 59, the tip of the rigid body 62 is in contact with the second wall portion 56. The posture of the rigid body 62 in this state is sometimes referred to as the separated posture. In this state, the tip of the rigid body 62 is positioned closer to the support portion 59 than on the extension line of the entrance / exit 54G. In other words, the pressing surface 62f is inclined so as to move away from the extension line of the entrance / exit 54G as it moves away from the entrance / exit 54G.

[0083] The rigid body 62 swings around the swing shaft 53P1, allowing the tip of the rigid body 62 to approach the support portion 59 (see FIG. 8). When the tip of the rigid body 62 approaches the support portion 59, the rigid body 62 may be nearly perpendicular to the first wall portion 55.

[0084] When the slider 38 is in the first position P1, the length of the excess length 41R is at its shortest. In this state, the excess length 41R is at its smallest, and the tip of the rigid body 62 is closest to the support portion 59. The orientation of the rigid body 62 in this state may be referred to as the closest orientation.

[0085] The wiring member 40 passing through the opening 54G and entering the slack absorption case 52 curves inward while facing the rigid body 62 and is pressed against the pressing surface 62f at a position near the tip of the rigid body 62. As the wiring member 40 presses against the pressing surface 62f, the rigid body 62 can assume a posture that is tilted from the extension of the opening 54G toward the support portion 59 as it moves away from the extension of the opening 54G (i.e., the first wall portion 55) and toward the support portion 59 along the pressing surface 62f.

[0086] In this regard, the rigid body 62 is an example of an entrance-facing rigid body that is positioned opposite the entrance / exit 54G and guides the portion of the wiring member 40 that enters through the entrance / exit 54G from the extension line of the entrance / exit 54G toward the support portion 59.

[0087] The biasing member 70 biases the rigid body 62 toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R. In this embodiment, the biasing member 70 is a torsion spring that swings the rigid body 62 around the swing shaft portion 53P1 to bias the rigid body 62 toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R. A torsion spring is a torsion coil spring that generates a rotational moment by a repulsive force against torsion of a coil portion. In this embodiment, the biasing member 70 includes a coil portion 70a and a first end 70b and a second end 70c that extend radially outward from the coil portion 70a.

[0088] A coil support shaft 53P2 protrudes from the bottom 53 adjacent to the swing shaft 53P1, and the coil support shaft 53P2 is inserted into the coil 70a. This allows the coil 70a of the biasing member 70 to be supported in a fixed position adjacent to the swing shaft 53P1. The first end 70b of the biasing member 70 is pressed against the inner surface of the first wall 55, and the second end 70c is pressed against the surface of the rigid body 62 opposite the pressing surface 62f. A groove 62g (see FIG. 7) into which the first end 70b or the second end 70c fits may be formed in the rigid body 62 or the first wall 55.

[0089] The biasing member 70 is disposed between the first wall portion 55 and the rigid body 62 in a twisted state so as to bias the first end 70b and the second end 70c in the direction away from each other. Therefore, the biasing member 70 swings the rigid body 62 around the swing shaft portion 53P1, and biases the tip of the rigid body 62 toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R.

[0090] The biasing member 70 may be a leaf spring, rubber, or the like.

[0091] The slack absorption device 50 may include a cover 51 that closes the opening of the slack absorption case 52 on the side opposite to the bottom 53 (see FIG. 1).

[0092] <Operation> The operation of the slack absorber 50 will now be described. When the slider 38 is located at the second position P2 close to the slack absorber 50, the length of the slack portion 41R is at its maximum. In this state, the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R is at its maximum and it spreads widely inside the slack absorber case 52. For example, the outer peripheral surface of the slack portion 41R spreads along the inner surfaces of the arcuate surfaces 57f, 58f and the pressing surface 62f. The rigid body 62 is pushed outward by the slack portion 41R and is in the separated position.

[0093] Furthermore, when the slider 38 is positioned at the second position P2, the excess portion 41R may expand to a large extent until it contacts the inner surfaces of the arcuate surfaces 57f, 58f, or it may expand to a size just short of contacting the inner surfaces.

[0094] From this state, the slider 38 moves toward the first position P1. As a result, the wiring member 40 housed in the slack take-up device 50 is pulled into the guide portion 32. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 , the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R becomes smaller within the slack take-up device 50. That is, in the slack portion 41R, the number of turns of the wiring member 40 does not change, but the length of each turn becomes shorter. This allows the necessary length of the wiring member 40 to be fed into the guide portion 32 as the slider 38 moves. In this state, the rigid body 62 assumes the closest position.

[0095] When the slider 38 is positioned at the first position P1, the excess portion 41R may be tightly wound around the support portion 59, or may be wound with a gap between each turn.

[0096] When the slider 38 moves from the first position P1 toward the second position P2, the wiring member 40 in the guide portion 32 is pushed through the opening 54G into the slack take-up device 50. The pushed-in wiring member 40 faces the rigid body 62 facing the opening 54G and pushes the rigid body 62 toward the separated position. This causes the rigid body 62 to move from the closest position toward the separated position. At the same time, the wiring member 40 is guided by the pressing surface 62f toward the support portion 59 from an extension of the opening 54G, and draws a spiral within the slack take-up case 52. Therefore, in the initial stage of pushing the wiring member 40 into the slack take-up device 50, the wiring member 40 is prevented from rapidly expanding to its maximum outer diameter within the peripheral wall 54 (see the slack portion 41R indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8 ).

[0097] Since the rigid body 62 is biased toward the closest position by the biasing member 70, the rigid body 62 can gradually move from the closest position toward the farthest position as the wiring member 40 is pushed in. Therefore, the maximum outer diameter of the excess length portion 41R gradually increases, and can absorb the excess length of the wiring member 40.

[0098] When the wiring member 40 is housed in the slack absorption case 52 up to the maximum slack length, the slack portion 41R expands to the maximum outer diameter and can absorb the slack of the wiring member 40.

[0099] 9 shows a reference example of a slack absorber 550 that does not include the biasing member 70. In this case, in the initial stage of pushing the wiring member 40 into the slack absorber 550, the slack portion 41R may expand to a large outer diameter, and most of the outer surface of the slack portion 41R may be pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 554 of the slack absorber 550 (see force F1). This increases the frictional force between the outer circumferential surface of the slack portion 41R and the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall 554. This increases the force required to push the wiring member 40 toward the slack absorber 550, and there is a possibility that the slack of the wiring member 40 may not be pushed properly into the slack absorber 550.

[0100] In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R is biased toward the support portion 59 by the rigid body 62, so that the outer diameter of the excess length portion 41R can gradually increase. Therefore, the excess length of the wiring member 40 can be smoothly absorbed.

[0101] <Effects, etc.> With the slack absorption device 50 for the wiring member 40 configured as described above, when the wiring member 40 enters the slack absorption case 52 through the entrance 54G, the rigid body 62 presses against the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion 41R. This makes it easy to ensure a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion 41R and the peripheral wall 54. The spiral slack portion 41R can smoothly deform by utilizing this gap to gradually increase its diameter, smoothly absorbing the slack of the wiring member 40 within the slack absorption case 52. Furthermore, because the rigid body 62 presses against the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion 41R, the contact state between the slack portion 41R and the rigid body is stable, and the contact area between them can be kept small. This reduces sliding resistance when the wiring member 40 enters the slack absorption case 52. Since the sliding resistance when the wiring member 40 enters the slack absorption case 52 is stable, the change in the movement resistance of the slider 38 can be suppressed.

[0102] Furthermore, rigid body 62 is disposed at a position facing opening 54G and guides the portion of wiring member 40 entering through opening 54G toward support portion 59 from an extension of opening 54G. This makes it possible to delay the increase in diameter of excess length portion 41R near the point where wiring member 40 enters through opening 54G. This makes it difficult for wiring member 40 to be pressed against peripheral wall 54 with a strong force on the extension of opening 54G, allowing wiring member 40 to enter excess length absorption case 52 smoothly.

[0103] The rigid body 62 is a long member supported so as to be able to swing about the swing shaft 53P1 located on the outer circumferential side of the excess length portion 41R, and the biasing member 70 includes a torsion spring that biases the rigid body 62 toward the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion 41R by swinging the rigid body 62 about the swing shaft 53P1. Therefore, the rigid body 62 can be biased toward the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion 41R by an inexpensive torsion spring.

[0104] Furthermore, the rigid body 62 includes a pressing surface 62f that is recessed on the side of the excess length portion 41R when viewed along the pivot shaft portion 53P1, and therefore the recess of the pressing surface 62f can be used to increase the diameter of the excess length portion 41R, thereby increasing the length of excess length absorption by the excess length portion 41R.

[0105] <Modification Based on First Embodiment> A modification based on the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are plan views showing an excess length absorption device 150 according to the modification. In Fig. 10, the excess length of the wiring member 40 is at its maximum, and the excess length portion 41R has its maximum outer diameter. In Fig. 11, the excess length of the wiring member 40 is at its minimum, and the excess length portion 41R has its minimum outer diameter.

[0106] The slack take-up device 150 of this modified example has a rectangular bottom 153 instead of the bottom 53. Also, instead of the arc-shaped wall 58, a partial rectangular wall 158 with one side open is provided to match the shape of the edge of the bottom 153. The partial rectangular wall 158 has a pair of side walls that are continuous with both ends of the rectangular, elongated plate-like wall, and the pair of side walls are continuous with the second wall and third wall. Therefore, the peripheral wall 154 corresponding to the peripheral wall 54 is formed in a rectangular frame shape.

[0107] In addition to the above-described urging unit 60, additional urging units 160, 160 are provided. The additional urging units 160 are disposed at positions obtained by rotating the urging unit 60 about the central axis of the support portion 59. One additional urging unit 160 is disposed at a position obtained by rotating the urging unit 60 by 90 degrees about the central axis of the support portion 59 on the opposite side from the entrance / exit 54G. In other words, one additional urging unit 160 is positioned inside one corner of the partial rectangular wall portion 158 (the corner facing the entrance / exit 54G).

[0108] The other additional urging unit 160 is disposed at a position obtained by rotating the urging unit 60 another 180 degrees around the central axis of the support portion 59 on the opposite side to the entrance / exit 54G. In other words, the other additional urging unit 160 is located inside the other corner of the partial rectangular wall portion 158 (the corner opposite to the urging unit 60).

[0109] Therefore, the urging unit 60 and the additional urging units 160, 160 are arranged dispersedly in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion 41R.

[0110] According to the slack absorber 150 of this modified example, when the slider 38 is located at the second position P2 close to the slack absorber 150, the length of the slack portion 41R is at its maximum. In this state, the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R is at its maximum and it extends widely into the slack absorber case 52. Therefore, the rigid bodies 62 of the biasing unit 60 and the additional biasing units 160, 160 are pushed outward by the slack portion 41R and are in a separated position. For example, the outer peripheral surface of the slack portion 41R extends along the arc-shaped surface 57f and the inner surfaces of the pressing surfaces 62f of the rigid bodies 62.

[0111] From this state, the slider 38 moves toward the first position P1. As a result, the wiring member 40 housed in the slack take-up device 150 is drawn into the guide portion 32, and the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R decreases, as shown in Figure 11. In this state, the rigid bodies 62 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the slack portion 41R by the biasing members 70, and are in the closest position.

[0112] When the slider 38 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the wiring member 40 in the guide portion 32 is pushed through the opening 54G into the slack absorber 150. The pushed wiring member 40 moves in a spiral motion toward the rigid body 62 of the urging unit 60 facing the opening 54G and toward the rigid bodies 62 of the two subsequent additional urging units 160. As the wiring member 40 is pushed in, the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R tends to increase, pushing each rigid body 62 toward the separated position. As a result, each rigid body 62 tends to move from the closest position toward the separated position. At the same time, the wiring member 40 moves in a spiral motion inside the slack absorber case 52 while being guided toward the support portion 59, i.e., toward the center of the spiral, by the pressing surfaces 62f of each rigid body 62. Therefore, in the initial stage when the wiring member 40 is pushed into the slack take-up device 150, the wiring member 40 is prevented from suddenly expanding to its maximum outer diameter within the peripheral wall 154 (see the slack portion 41R indicated by the two-dot chain line in Figure 11).

[0113] Since the rigid body 62 is biased toward the support portion 59 by the biasing member 70, the rigid body 62 can gradually move from the closest position toward the farthest position as the wiring member 40 is pushed in. Therefore, the maximum outer diameter of the excess length portion 41R gradually increases, and the excess length of the wiring member 40 can be absorbed.

[0114] When the wiring member 40 is housed in the slack absorption case 52 up to the maximum slack length, the slack portion 41R expands to the maximum outer diameter and can absorb the slack of the wiring member 40.

[0115] According to this modification, multiple rigid bodies 62 can bias the outer peripheral surface of excess length portion 41R at dispersed positions in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of excess length portion 41R. This allows the position of the spiral of excess length portion 41R to be controlled at multiple locations on the outer periphery. For example, the movement of increasing the outer diameter of excess length portion 41R can be controlled so that the center of the spiral of excess length portion 41R approaches support portion 59, or so that the size of the gap between the outer peripheral surface of excess length portion 41R and peripheral wall 154 remains constant along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of excess length portion 41R.

[0116] [Embodiment 2] A slack absorbing device 250 for a wiring member 40 according to embodiment 2 will be described. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the slack absorbing device 250. Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the slack absorbing device 250. In embodiment 2, descriptions of configurations common to embodiment 1 will be omitted, and differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described.

[0117] Similar to the first embodiment, the slack absorbing device 250 can be used as a device for absorbing the slack of the wiring member 40 extending from the slide sheet 20 .

[0118] The slack take-up device 250 includes a slack take-up case 252 and a biasing unit 260 .

[0119] The excess length absorbing case 252 is a case that accommodates the excess length portion 41R of the wiring member 40. The excess length absorbing case 252 includes a bottom portion 253, a peripheral wall 254, and a support portion 59. The excess length absorbing case 252 may be, for example, a resin molded product.

[0120] The bottom portion 253 is formed in a plate shape, here a rectangular plate shape.

[0121] The support portion 59 may be the same as the support portion 59 described in embodiment 1. The support portion 59 is located at the center of the bottom portion 253. As in embodiment 1, the internal support portion 44 of the wiring member 40 can be supported by the support portion 59.

[0122] The peripheral wall 254 protrudes from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 253 toward one main surface of the bottom portion 253, and surrounds the support portion 59 with a gap therebetween.

[0123] An opening 254G for the wiring member 40 is formed in the peripheral wall 254. The wiring member 40 is pushed into or pulled out of the slack absorbing case 252 through the opening 254G.

[0124] In this embodiment, the peripheral wall 254 is formed in the shape of a square frame extending along the periphery of the square plate-shaped bottom portion 253. An entrance 254G through which the wiring member 40 can pass is formed at one of the four corners of the peripheral wall 254.

[0125] The peripheral wall 254 includes a linear wall portion 255 , an opposing wall portion 256 , and an opposite linear wall portion 257 .

[0126] Straight wall portion 255 extends from entrance 254G along one straight edge of the periphery of rectangular plate-shaped bottom portion 253. Opposite straight wall portion 257 extends along one straight edge of the periphery of rectangular plate-shaped bottom portion 253 that faces straight wall portion 255. Opposing wall portion 256 extends along one straight edge of the periphery of rectangular plate-shaped bottom portion 253 that faces entrance 254G. Opposing wall portion 256 connects the end of straight wall portion 255 and the end of opposite straight wall portion 257 on the side opposite entrance 254G.

[0127] A portion of peripheral wall 254 that faces linear wall portion 255 across opening 254G is formed thicker than the other portions, and an arc-shaped surface 254f that faces support portion 59 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of this thick portion. Arc-shaped surface 254f is formed so as to follow an arc centered on the central axis of support portion 59.

[0128] The excess length portion 41R can become larger or smaller in a spiral shape within the space surrounded by the peripheral wall 254, thereby absorbing the excess length and sending out the absorbed excess length of the wiring member 40 to the outside.

[0129] The biasing unit 260 biases the excess length portion 41R within the excess length absorbing case 252. The biasing unit 260 includes a rigid body 262 and a biasing member 270.

[0130] The rigid body 262 may be rigid enough to bias the wiring member 40 while maintaining the initial shape at the contact portion with the wiring member 40. The rigid body 262 may be made of resin, metal, or the like.

[0131] The rigid body 262 is located on the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R. The rigid body 262 is supported by the support portion 59 so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion 59.

[0132] More specifically, the rigid body 262 is located inside the peripheral wall 254 so as to face the entrance 254G.

[0133] The rigid body 262 is supported on the outer peripheral side of the excess length portion 41R so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion 59.

[0134] In this embodiment, the rigid body 262 includes an arc-shaped portion 263 that forms a partial arc shape, and movable support portions 264 that are located at both ends of the arc-shaped portion 263. The rigid body 262 may be formed, for example, by a resin part that is molded using a mold.

[0135] The arc-shaped portion 263 has a shape in which a long, thin plate-like portion is bent to form an arc that is convex toward the outer periphery. When viewed along the axial direction of the support portion 59, the surface of the arc-shaped portion 263 facing the support portion 59 forms a pressing surface 262f that is recessed toward the excess portion 41R.

[0136] The pressing surface 262f includes a straight surface 262f1 located in the middle of the pressing surface, and a pair of arcuate surfaces 262f2 located on both sides of the straight surface 262f1.

[0137] The linear surface 262f1 is a surface that is observed as a straight line when viewed along the axial direction of the support portion 59. The linear surface 262f1 may be a flat surface, or may be a surface on which protrusions or slits are formed along the extending direction of the linear surface 262f1.

[0138] The pair of arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 are surfaces that extend in an arc shape from both ends of the linear surface 262f1. The arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 are surfaces that appear arc-shaped when viewed along the axial direction of the support portion 59. The arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 may be smooth surfaces that extend in an arc shape, or may be surfaces on which protrusions or slits are formed along the extension direction of the arc-shaped surfaces 262f2. The arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 may be surfaces that form an arc with the center of curvature being the central axis of the support portion 59. The pair of arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 are preferably arranged along the circumferential direction of the same circle.

[0139] In this embodiment, the pressing surface 262f is formed with ridges 262fp extending in the direction of its extension. More specifically, the ridges 262fp extend parallel to each other at intervals. The excess length portion 41R is disposed on the inner circumferential side of the pressing surface 262f. The ridges 262fp extend in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the excess length portion 41R that is the pressing target.

[0140] The pair of movable support portions 264 protrude outward from both ends of the arc-shaped portion 263. A guide protrusion 264P protrudes from each of the pair of movable support portions 264. A guide slit 256G is formed in the bottom portion 253 on the movement path of the guide protrusion 264P.

[0141] The head of the guide projection 264P is wider than the base end thereof. The end of the guide slit 256G on the entrance / exit 254G side is wider than the other portions.

[0142] The pair of guide protrusions 264P are fitted into the guide slit 256G at the end of the guide slit 256G on the entrance / exit 254G side. Thereafter, the guide protrusions 264P move toward the opposing wall 256 of the guide slit 256G, thereby preventing the guide protrusions 264P from coming out of the guide slit 256G.

[0143] The rigid body 262 is disposed at a position on the opposing wall portion 256 side of the bottom portion 253. In this state, the pair of guide protrusions 264P are guided by the guide slits 256G, and the outward surfaces of the pair of movable support portions 264 can be guided opposite to the inner surfaces of the straight wall portion 255 and the opposite straight wall portion 257.

[0144] As a result, the rigid body 262 is supported at a position on the side of the excess length absorbing case 252 opposite to the entrance 254G so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion 59.

[0145] When the rigid body 262 is furthest from the support portion 59, the portion of the arc-shaped portion 263 opposite the linear surface 262f1 is in contact with the opposing wall portion 256. The position of the rigid body 262 in this state is sometimes referred to as the separated position. In this state, one arc-shaped surface 262f2 is located in a position linearly opposed to the entrance 254G, a linear surface 262f1 extends continuously from the arc-shaped surface 262f2 so as to move away from the linear extension of the entrance 254G, and the other arc-shaped surface 262f2 is located at the end of the linear surface 262f1. The wiring member 40 pushed through the entrance 254G is guided along the pressing surface 262f, away from the linear extension of the entrance 254G, and around the support portion 59 to return to the entrance 254G side.

[0146] The wiring member 40 comes into contact with the protrusions 262fp formed on the pressing surface 262f, thereby reducing the contact area between the pressing surface 262f and the wiring member 40. This allows the wiring member 40 to slide smoothly and move on the pressing surface 262f.

[0147] The rigid body 262 can approach the support portion 59 while maintaining the same posture. When the length of the excess length portion 41R is at its shortest, the position at which the rigid body 262 is closest to the support portion 59 may be referred to as the closest position. In this state, the excess length portion 41R forms a spiral around the support portion 59 within the space surrounded by the pressing surface 262f that is recessed relative to the support portion 59.

[0148] The rigid body 262 is an example of an entrance-opposing rigid body that is positioned opposite the entrance / exit 254G and guides the portion of the wiring member 40 that enters through the entrance / exit 254G from the extension line of the entrance / exit 254G toward the support portion 59.

[0149] The biasing member 270 is a member that biases the rigid body 262 toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R. In the present embodiment, the biasing member 270 includes a compression coil spring 272 that biases the rigid body 262 toward the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R. More specifically, the biasing member 270 includes a plurality of (here, two) compression coil springs 272.

[0150] The compression coil spring is assembled into the slack take-up device 250 in the following manner.

[0151] That is, spring receiving portions 252R are formed on the inside of the corner where the straight wall portion 255 and the opposing wall portion 256 of the slack absorbing case 252 intersect, and on the inside of the corner where the opposite straight wall portion 257 and the opposing wall portion 256 intersect. The spring receiving portions 252R have an arc-shaped concave surface on which the end of a compression coil spring can be positioned.

[0152] A spring support protrusion 264PS protrudes from each of the pair of movable support portions 264 toward the opposing wall portion 256. The spring support protrusion 264PS is formed in a protruding shape that can be fitted onto the end of the compression coil spring 272.

[0153] With the rigid body 262 assembled in the slack absorbing case 252, the spring support protrusions 264PS of the pair of movable support parts 264 are inserted into one end of the compression coil spring 272, and the other end of the compression coil spring 272 is placed on the concave surface of the spring receiving part 252R, so that the pair of compression coil springs 272 urge the rigid body 262 from the separated position toward the close position.

[0154] The biasing member may include only one compression coil spring, or may be a leaf spring, rubber, or the like.

[0155] According to the slack absorption device 250 of the second embodiment, when the length of the slack portion 41R is at its maximum, the rigid body 262 is pushed outward by the slack portion 41R and is positioned at the separated position. In this state, the slack portion 41R can expand in a spiral shape with a large diameter inside the pressing surface 262f.

[0156] 14, the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R becomes smaller inside the slack absorption device 250. Then, the biasing member 270 pushes the rigid body 262 toward the support portion 59, so that the rigid body 262 moves to the closest position while remaining in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reduced slack portion 41R.

[0157] Thereafter, the wiring member 40 is pushed into the slack take-up device 250 through the opening 254G. The pushed-in wiring member 40 faces one of the arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 of the rigid body 262 facing the opening 254G, pushing the rigid body 262 toward the separated position. This causes the rigid body 262 to move from the closest position toward the separated position. At the same time, the wiring member 40 moves from one of the arc-shaped surfaces 262f2 to the other arc-shaped surface 262f2 via the linear surface 262f1, and is guided toward the support portion 59 from the linear extension of the opening 254G. As the wiring member 40 is pushed into the slack take-up device 250, the outer diameter of the slack portion 41R gradually increases.

[0158] That is, in the initial stage when the wiring member 40 is pushed into the slack absorbing device 250, the wiring member 40 is prevented from suddenly expanding to its maximum outer diameter within the peripheral wall 254 (see the slack portion 41R indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 14 ). The slack portion 41R gradually increases its outer diameter while gradually moving the rigid body 262 from the closest position toward the farthest position, gradually absorbing the slack. Therefore, the slack portion 41R can smoothly absorb the slack.

[0159] Furthermore, before the excess length portion 41R reaches its maximum outer diameter, part of the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R contacts part of the linear surface 262f1 of the pressing surface 262f. Therefore, as the excess length portion 41R grows, the contact area between the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R and the pressing surface 262f can be reduced, allowing the excess length portion 41R to slide smoothly against the pressing surface 262f. This also allows the excess length portion 41R to grow smoothly without being hindered by contact with the pressing surface 262f.

[0160] Therefore, with this slack absorption device 250 for the wiring member 40, when the wiring member 40 passes through the entrance 254G and enters the slack absorption case 252, the rigid body 262 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the spiral slack portion 41R, thereby stabilizing the contact state between the slack portion 41R and the rigid body and keeping the contact area between them small. This reduces the sliding resistance when the wiring member 40 enters the slack absorption case 252. Because the sliding resistance when the wiring member 40 enters the slack absorption case 252 is stabilized, changes in the movement resistance of the slider 38 can be suppressed.

[0161] Furthermore, rigid body 262 is disposed at a position facing entrance 254G and guides the portion of wiring member 40 entering through entrance 254G toward support portion 59 from an extension of entrance 254G. This makes it possible to delay the increase in diameter of excess length portion 41R near the point where wiring member 40 enters through entrance 254G. This makes it less likely that wiring member 40 will be pressed against peripheral wall 254 with a strong force on the extension of entrance 254G, allowing wiring member 40 to enter excess length absorption case 252 smoothly.

[0162] Furthermore, the rigid body 262 is supported on the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R so that it can move toward and away from the support portion 59, and the biasing member 270 includes a compression coil spring 272 that biases the rigid body 262 toward the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R, so that the rigid body 262 can be biased toward the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R by the inexpensive compression coil spring 272.

[0163] If the biasing member 270 includes a plurality of compression coil springs 272, the plurality of compression coil springs 272 bias the rigid body 262 at separate positions, allowing the rigid body 262 to move in a stable position. This stabilizes the contact state between the rigid body 262 and the excess length portion 41R, allowing the excess length portion 41R to change size stably.

[0164] Furthermore, since the rigid body 262 includes a pressing surface 262f that is concave on the side of the excess length portion 41R, the concavity of the pressing surface 262f can be used to increase the diameter of the excess length portion 41R, thereby increasing the length of excess length absorption by the excess length portion 41R.

[0165] The pressing surface 262f includes a linear surface 262f1 and a pair of arcuate surfaces 262f2 located on both ends of the linear surface 262f1. The linear surface 262f1 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the excess length portion 41R, thereby reducing the contact area between the excess length portion 41R and the pressing surface 262f, allowing the excess length portion 41R to smoothly deform to increase in diameter. Furthermore, the recess formed by the pair of arcuate surfaces 262f2 can be used to increase the diameter of the excess length portion 41R. This allows the excess length absorption length of the excess length portion 41R to be increased.

[0166] Furthermore, since the protrusions 262fp are formed on the pressing surface 262f, the wiring member 40 can smoothly slide and move on the pressing surface 262f.

[0167] [Other Modifications] The configurations described in the above embodiments and modifications can be combined as appropriate as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. For example, in the second embodiment, a plurality of biasing units 260 including a rigid body 262 and a biasing member 270 may be provided at different positions on the outer periphery of the excess length portion 41R. In the first embodiment, a protrusion may be formed on the pressing surface 62f of the rigid body 62.

[0168] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Vehicle body 12, 13 Seat rail 20 Slide seat 30 Wiring guide unit 32 Guide portion 32P Guide space 38 Slider 40 Wiring member 41 Pull-out wiring 41R Excess length portion 44 Internal support portion 50, 150, 250, 550 Excess length absorption device 51 Lid 52, 252 Excess length absorption case 53, 153, 253 Bottom 53P1 Swing shaft portion 53P2 Coil support shaft portion 53f2s Slit 53h1 Pull-out opening 53h2 Work opening 54, 154, 254, 554 Peripheral wall 54G, 254G Entrance / exit 55 First wall portion 56 Second wall portion 57 Third wall portion 57f, 58f, 254f Arc-shaped surface 58 Arc-shaped wall portion 59 Support portion 59S Slit 60, 260 Urging unit 62, 262 Rigid body 62f, 262f Pressing surface 62g Groove 62h Hole 70, 270 Urging member 70a Coil portion 70b First end 70c Second end 158 Partial rectangular wall portion 160 Additional urging unit 252R Spring receiving portion 255 Straight wall portion 256 Opposite wall portion 256G Guide slit 257 Opposite side straight wall portion 262f1 Straight surface 262f2 Arc-shaped surface 262fp Protrusion 263 Arc-shaped portion 264 Movable support portion 264P Guide protrusion 264PS Spring support protrusion P1 First position P2 Second position

Claims

1. A wiring member slack absorption device that absorbs slack in a wiring member having an internal support part, comprising: a slack absorption case that houses an slack portion of the wiring member generated by the slack; and a biasing unit that biases the slack portion within the slack absorption case, wherein the slack absorption case includes a support part that supports the internal support part, and a peripheral wall that surrounds the support part with a gap therebetween, the peripheral wall having an entrance / exit for the wiring member, the slack portion being a part of the wiring member that is disposed inside the slack absorption case through the entrance and forms a spiral around the support part, and the biasing unit including: a rigid body located on the outer periphery of the slack portion, and a biasing member that biases the rigid body against the outer periphery of the slack portion.

2. A wiring member slack absorbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biasing units are arranged in a plurality of positions dispersed in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the slack portion.

3. A wiring member slack absorbing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rigid body is arranged in a position opposite the entrance and includes an entrance-opposing rigid body that guides the portion of the wiring member that enters through the entrance from an extension line of the entrance toward the support portion.

4. A wiring member slack absorption device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rigid body is an elongated member supported so as to be able to swing about a pivot shaft portion located on the outer periphery of the excess portion, and the biasing member includes a torsion spring that biases the elongated member toward the outer periphery of the excess portion by swinging it about the pivot shaft portion.

5. A wiring member slack absorbing device as described in claim 4, wherein the central axis of the oscillating shaft portion is parallel to the axis of the spiral formed by the slack portion, and the elongated member includes a pressing surface that is recessed on the side of the slack portion when viewed along the oscillating shaft portion.

6. A wiring member slack absorbing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the rigid body is supported on the outer circumferential side of the slack portion so as to be movable toward and away from the support portion, and the biasing member includes a compression coil spring that biases the rigid body toward the outer circumferential surface of the slack portion.

7. A wiring member slack absorbing device according to claim 6, wherein the biasing member includes a plurality of the compression coil springs.

8. A wiring member slack absorbing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rigid body includes a pressing surface that is recessed on the side of the slack portion when viewed along the axis of the spiral formed by the slack portion.

9. A wiring member slack absorbing device as described in claim 8, wherein the pressing surface includes a straight surface located midway between the pressing surface and a pair of arc-shaped surfaces located on both sides of the straight surface.

10. A wiring member slack absorbing device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a protrusion extending circumferentially around the excess portion is formed on a surface of the rigid body that contacts the excess portion.

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