The present application is National Phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2010/067888 filed on Oct. 12, 2010, and claims priority from Japanese Application No. 2009-237203, filed on Oct. 14, 2009.
The present invention relates to a structure provided in an attached member, the structure being configured to combine the attached member with an attaching member so that a portion of the attaching member is inserted into a predetermined place of the attached member, thereby assembling both the members so that they cannot be easily separated from each other by one action, and an attachment tool attached to the attached member to cause the attached member to have the attachment structure.
There is proposed a coupling structure in which one of two coupled components has a frame part, the other has two pieces and an upper surface of one of the two pieces has an engaging angled part (refer to Patent Document 1). The frame part enters between the two pieces. One of the two pieces engages an edge of one of two components located at a protruding bottom of the frame part with the engaging angled part. In such coupling structure, when a force in separating direction is applied to the two coupled components, a high resisting force (pulling force) can be ensured. However, as the pulling force becomes higher, a resisting force (inserting force) is higher.
Patent Document 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-173615 (
A main problem to be solved by this invention is to ensure a high pulling force while reducing the inserting force in this type of attachment structure and an attachment tool (attachment unit) that causes the attachment structure to have the attached member.
To solve the problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an attachment structure includes an elastically deformable bridging piece having an engaging protruding part between both ends of the piece, the attachment structure being configured to insert a portion of an attaching member in a direction intersecting a longitudinal direction of the bridging piece by elastically deforming the bridging piece, which is caused by contacting with the engaging protruding part with the portion, and to engage the engaging protruding part with an engaging hole formed in the portion at an insertion terminating position due to elastic return of the bridging piece. The attachment structure further includes a restricting part restricting elastic deformation of the bridging piece. When inserting the portion, the restricting part inclines the bridging piece to position the engaging protruding part toward the obliquely downward side, and when a force in a reverse direction to the direction at insertion acts on the portion located at the insertion terminating position, the restricting part restricts inclination of the bridging piece, which is reversely-oriented to the former inclination.
Most suitably, the engaging protruding part has an apex located closer to an inserted side of the portion than a midpoint in a width direction of the bridging piece, and a restricting part restricting elastic deformation of the bridging piece is provided closer to the inserted side of the portion than the apex of the engaging protruding part. When inserting the portion, the restricting part inclines the bridging piece to position the engaging protruding part at the obliquely downward side, and when a force in a reverse direction to the direction at insertion acts on the portion located at the insertion terminating position, the restricting part restricts inclination of the bridging piece, which is reversely-oriented to the former inclination.
When inserting the portion of the attaching member, the restricting part inclines the bridging piece to position the engaging protruding part toward the obliquely downward side. Thereby, when inserting the portion of the attaching member toward the insertion terminating position, the resisting force, that is, the so-called inserting force is reduced. On the other hand, when the force in the reverse direction to the inserting direction acts on the portion of the attaching member located at the insertion terminating position, the restricting part restricts the downward inclination of the bridging piece toward the inserting side. Thereby, the resisting force against movement of the piece part from the insertion terminating position to the pre-insertion position, that is, the so-called pulling force is increased.
Most suitably, the restricting part is configured as a support part formed below the bridging piece or a contact part formed in the bridging piece contacting with a support surface formed below the bridging piece.
In order to solve the problem, according to a second aspect of the present invention, an attachment tool includes the bridging piece and the restricting part, and is attached to the attached member for use. The attachment tool is attached to the attached member to form a receiving gap in a portion of the attaching member between the attached member and the bridging piece.
Alternatively or in addition, an attachment tool includes the bridging piece and the restricting part, and is attached to the attached member for use. The attachment tool further includes a wall part forming a receiving gap in a portion of the attaching member between the wall part and the bridging piece.
According to the present invention, the restricting part that restricts elastic deformation of the bridging piece can reduce the resisting force (inserting force) when inserting a portion of the attaching member and also ensure a high resisting force (pulling force) when a force in the reverse direction to the inserting direction acts, with a simple configuration.
A typical embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
In an example shown in
In an example shown in
That is, in the example shown in
The attachment structure 3 in accordance with this embodiment has the restricting part 31 restricting elastic deformation of the bridging piece 30. When inserting a portion of the attaching member 2, that is, the piece part 20, the restricting part 31 inclines the bridging piece 30 to position the engaging protruding part 30b at an obliquely downward side. When a force in the reverse direction to the direction at insertion acts on the above-mentioned portion at the insertion terminating position, the restricting part 31 restricts inclination of the bridging piece 30, which is reversely-oriented to the above-mentioned inclination.
Specifically, in this embodiment, each bridging piece 30 is shaped like a band plate having a length and a width. The bridging piece 30 extends across both the side walls 43a, 43a of the divided groove 43 so that its lower surface faces the groove bottom 43b of the divided groove 43. A central part 30f that is substantially parallel to the groove bottom 43b of the divided groove 43 is located at a midpoint of the bridging piece 30 in the longitudinal direction. A region between the central part 30f and one end in the bridging piece 30 and a region between the central part 30f and the other end in the bridging piece 30 are slightly inclined so that an interval between the central part 30f and the groove bottom. 43b becomes larger as it gets closer to the central part 30f. The central part 30f of the bridging piece 30 is formed slightly wider than other regions, and the engaging protruding part 30b is formed on an upper surface of the central part 30f. An apex 30c of the engaging protruding part 30b is located closer to an inserted side Fw of the piece part 20 as a portion of the attaching member 2, that is, the rear side, than the midpoint in the width direction of the bridging piece 30. The engaging protruding part 30b is formed over the substantially whole length of the central part 30f of the bridging pieces 30. In the state where the bridging pieces 30 is cut along in the width direction at the position where the engaging protruding part 30b is formed, both a side surface 30d facing an inserting side Bw and a side surface 30d facing the inserted side Fw are inclined toward the apex 30c so as to gradually narrowing the engaging protruding part 30b. Inclination of the side surface 30d facing the inserting side Bw is moderate than inclination of the side surface 30d facing the inserted side Fw. In the illustrated example, the apex 30c of the engaging protruding part 30b is located above a lower surface facing the upper surface 42 of the attachment tool 4, of both surfaces along an insertion center line of the piece part 20. At this insertion, an end 22 of the piece part 20 hits against the side surface 30d facing the inserting side Bw in the engaging protruding part 30b. When the end 22 hits against the side surface 30d facing the inserting side Bw in the engaging protruding part 30b, the bridging piece 30 is elastically deformed so as to move the central part 30f downward due to inclination of the side surface 30d, allowing this insertion. When the piece part 20 of the attaching member 2 reaches the insertion terminating position, the engaging protruding part 30b can enter into the engaging hole 21. Thereby, the bridging piece 30 elastically returns at the insertion terminating position and enters into the engaging hole 21 of the piece part 20 and engages therewith.
The bridging piece 30, as shown in
The restricting part 31 is located closer to a portion of the attaching member 2 than the apex 30c of the engaging protruding part 30b, that is, on the inserting side Bw of the piece part 20.
In an example shown in
In an example shown in
Entire contents of all of description, claims, figures and abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-237203 filed on Oct. 14, 2009 are cited herein and are cooperated hereinto as disclosure of description of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-237203 | Oct 2009 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2010/067888 | 10/12/2010 | WO | 00 | 5/18/2012 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2011/046118 | 4/21/2011 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
201428671 | Mar 2010 | CN |
202007003498 | May 2007 | DE |
2732731 | Oct 1996 | FR |
H04-46954 | Apr 1992 | JP |
2001-173615 | Jun 2001 | JP |
2003-049812 | Feb 2003 | JP |
2005-098496 | Apr 2005 | JP |
2006-234035 | Sep 2006 | JP |
Entry |
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Machine Translation of DE202007003498, Espacenet, http://worldwide.espacenet.com, Translated Aug. 30, 2014. |
Chinese Patent Office, “Office Action for CN 201080046537.1”, May 29, 2013. |
Europe Patent Office, “European Search Report for EP 10823386.7,” May 12, 2014. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120230761 A1 | Sep 2012 | US |