Patent Grant
10400486
The present invention relates to a locking device to be mounted on an opening and closing member, and a mounting method thereof.
A locking device for maintaining an opening and closing member in a closed state is mounted on the opening and closing member to open and close an opening of a glove compartment of a vehicle. A user unlocks to open the glove compartment by manipulating a manipulation member of the locking device.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a side locking device mounted on a door panel to open and close an opening of a storage box. The side locking device includes a positioning pin. When mounting the side locking device, positioning is made by inserting the positioning pin into a positioning hole provided to the door panel. After positioning, the side locking device is fixed to the door panel with a screw.
In the technique described in Patent Literature 1, when mounting the locking device 10 on the door panel, the user inserts the positioning pin into the positioning hole. This work is performed by looking for the positioning hole of the door panel and aligning the positioning pin of the side locking device to the positioning hole. The work of inserting the positioning pin into the positioning hole is complicated, and could take time.
The present invention is made in view of the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a locking device that can be easily mounted.
To solve the above-described problem, an aspect of the present invention provides
a locking device that is mounted on an opening and closing member, and maintains the opening and closing member in a locked stated with a locking member, the locking device including:
a base member fixed to a mount surface of the opening and closing member; and
a driving member being rotatably supported by the base member, protruding backwardly from an opening portion of the mount surface, and being connected to the locking member to drive the locking member upon manipulation of a manipulation member,
wherein the base member includes
wherein the first locating portion protrudes toward the back side more than the second locating portion.
Another aspect of the present invention provides
a locking device that is mounted on an opening and closing member, and maintains the opening and closing member in a locked stated with a locking member, the locking device including:
a base member fixed to a mount surface of the opening and closing member; and
a driving member being rotatably supported by the base member, protruding backwardly from an opening portion of the mount surface, and being connected to the locking member to drive the locking member upon manipulation of a manipulation member,
wherein the base member includes
Still another aspect of the present invention provides
a method for mounting a locking device including a first locating portion and a second locating portion arranged to make positioning of the locking device with respect to an opening and closing member including a first opening portion and a second opening portion, the method including:
inserting the first locating portion into the first opening portion to restrict a relative displacement between the second locating portion and the second opening portion;
after the first locating portion has been inserted into the first opening portion, inserting the second locating portion into the second opening portion to make positioning of the locking device; and
fixing the locking device to the opening and closing member.
With the present invention, a locking device can be easily mounted.
The opening and closing member 12 defines, for example, a lid member for a vehicle glove compartment. The glove compartment (not illustrated) is a fixed member including a concave section that is a housing space provided in a dashboard. The opening and closing member 12 is rotatably supported by the fixed member, and arranged to open and close the opening of the concave section.
The opening and closing member 12 includes a mounting structure for mounting the locking device 10 behind a mounting port 12a. The locking device 10 mounted on the opening and closing member 12 maintains the opening and closing member 12 in the locked state with respect to the fixed member.
As shown in
The manipulating force by a user is transmitted from the manipulation member 20 to the driving member 25, and then from the driving member 25 to the first locking member 26a and the second locking member 26b (referred to as the“locking members 26” when they are not distinguished from each other).
As shown in
User's manipulation of the manipulation member 20 rotationally moves the driving member 25, and in accordance with the rotational movement of the driving member 25, the locking members 26 get in and get out of engaging holes (not illustrated) provided to the glove compartment that defines a fixed member. When the locking members 26 get in the engaging holes of the glove compartment, the opening and closing member 12 is brought into a locked state. When the locking members 26 get out of the engaging holes, the opening and closing member 12 is brought into an unlocked state.
The opening and closing member 12 includes the mounting port 12a, the depressed portion 12b, an opening portion 12c, locating holes 12d, screw holes 12e, mount surfaces 12f, and edge portions 12g. As shown in
The depressed portion 12b includes a curved surface extending upward from the lower end of the mounting port 12a, and functions as a guide where a user inserts his/her fingers. The pair of mount surfaces 12f that are distanced from each other in the width direction, and the opening portion 12c that is disposed between the mount surfaces 12f are disposed on the upper end of the depressed portion 12b.
The locking device 10 is mounted on the outer surfaces of the mount surfaces 12f shown in
The opening portion 12c penetrates in order to transmit the manipulation of the manipulation member 20 on the front side to the locking members 26 disposed on the back side more than the mount surfaces 12f. The edge portions 12g of the opening portion 12c define the opening portion 12c to constitute the facing side edges of the pair of the mount surfaces 12.
As described above, the opening and closing member 12 includes a structure for mounting the locking device 10 to the opening and closing member 12. Detailed descriptions of the components of the locking device 10 will be provided further with reference to the drawings.
The manipulation member 20 has a plate shape, and includes rotational shaft holes 38, a manipulation surface 40, and a transmission portion 42. The rotational shaft holes 38 are each disposed on the pair of side surfaces of the manipulation member 20. The manipulation surface 40 is disposed in the lower portion of the manipulation member 20 on the back surface, and a user can hook his/her fingers on the manipulation surface 40 during the manipulation.
The transmission portion 42 is erected on the back surface of the manipulation member 20, and is arranged to abut on the driving member 25 to transmit the rotational manipulation by the user to the driving member 25. By connecting the rotational shaft holes 38 to the base member 22, the manipulation member 20 is rotatably supported by the base member 22. When the manipulation member 20 rotationally moves, the transmission portion 42 moves up and down to rotationally move the driving member 25.
A main body portion 44 of the base member 22 includes a pedestal surface 51 that extends in the width direction. Rotational movement supporting portions 46 protrude in the width direction from both the side surfaces of the main body portion 44. The rotational movement supporting portions 46 are inserted into the rotational shaft holes 38 of the manipulation member 20 to rotatably support the manipulation member 20. A driving bearing portion 48 is disposed in the center of the pedestal surface 51 to rotatably support the driving member 25.
A rotor supporting wall 50 is erected from the pedestal surface 51, has a circular cylindrical shape having the driving bearing portion 48 as its center, and is arranged to house the driving member 25. The rotor supporting wall 50 includes, in addition to the driving bearing portion 48, a communicating portion 54, a spring receiving portion 62, and a rotation regulating portion 64 that are disposed inside of the rotor supporting wall 50.
The communicating portion 54 penetrates the pedestal surface 51 inside the rotor supporting wall 50. The communicating portion 54 defines a communicating hole arranged to make the transmission portion 42 of the manipulation member 20 abut on a rotor member 24 of the driving member 25.
The spring receiving portion 62 has a protruding shape disposed on the pedestal surface 51 inside the rotor supporting wall 50, and abuts on a winding end portion of a spring member that constitutes the driving member 25. The rotation regulating portion 64 protrudes on the pedestal surface 51 inside the rotor supporting wall 50, and is arranged to regulate the rotation of the driving member 25.
The first locating portion 52 is disposed around the rotor supporting wall 50 so as to be erected on the pedestal surface 51 as a wall portion surrounding the rotor supporting wall 50. The first locating portion 52 is disposed in the vicinity of the outer circumference side of the rotor supporting wall 50. As shown in
The first locating portion 52 is inserted into the opening portion 12c of the opening and closing member 12, and contacts or closely faces the edge portions 12g of the opening portion 12c. The first locating portion 52 is disposed around the driving member 25 and the rotor supporting wall 50, and prevents the rotor supporting wall 50 from contacting the edge portions 12g of the opening portion 12c of the opening and closing member 12 when mounting the locking device 10 on the opening and closing member 12. In addition, the first locating portion 52 functions as a guide for facilitating the insertion of second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d when mounting the base member 22 on the opening and closing member 12.
The first locating portion 52 includes a pair of facing wall portions 52a that face each other in the width direction of the base member 22, and a connecting wall portion 52b that connects the pair of facing wall portions 52a. The inner wall of the first locating portion 52 is connected to the outer wall of the rotor supporting wall 50 at plural positions to improve the rigidity.
A pair of engagement pawl portions 60 protrude outward in the width direction from the facing wall portions 52a of the first locating portion 52. The engagement pawl portions 60 are engaged with the mount surfaces 12f of the opening and closing member 12 in mounting the base member 22 on the opening and closing member 12. Thus, the engagement pawl portions 60 function as temporarily fixing portions until the locking device 10 is fixed with the screw members 28.
The pair of second locating portions 56 protrude from the pedestal surface 51, and have the shape of a rod identical to each other. The second locating portions 56 define locating pins to make positioning of the base member 22 with respect to the mount surfaces 12f of the opening and closing member 12. The pair of second locating portions 56 are distanced from each other in the width direction, and the first locating portion 52 is disposed between the pair of second locating portions 56. By inserting the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d of the opening and closing member 12, positioning of the sub-assembly unit 16 is made.
A pair of thread receiving portions 58 are distanced from each other in the width direction, and have holes having a circular cylindrical shape into which the screw members 28 can be screwed. The pair of second locating portions 56 are disposed between the pair of thread receiving portions 58.
The rotor member 24 includes a disk portion 68, a rotating shaft portion 70, a retaining groove portion 72, a first connecting portion 74a, a second connecting portion 74b, an abutting portion 76, and a spring receiving portion 78. The rotor member 24 is included in the driving member driven in accordance with the rotational manipulation of the manipulation member 20.
The rotating shaft portion 70 is erected vertically in the center of the disk portion 68. The rotating shaft portion 70 is inserted into the driving bearing portion 48 of the base member 22 so as to be rotatably supported. The retaining groove portion 72 has a groove shape disposed on the outer circumference of the disk portion 68, and is arranged to retain a ring member.
The first connecting portion 74a and the second connecting portion 74b (referred to as the “connecting portions 74” when they are not distinguished from each other) are connected respectively to the first locking member 26a and the second locking member 26b, and arranged to transmit the rotation movement of the rotor member 24 thereto. The connecting portions 74 protrude vertically on the back surface of the disk portion 68. In addition, the connecting portions 74 are distanced from the center of the disk portion 68 on the back surface, and disposed on the outer side in the radial direction on the disk portion 68 so as to face each other.
The abutting portion 76 protrudes on the front surface of the disk portion 68. The abutting portion 76 is mounted on the base member 22 so as to be capable of abutting on the transmission portion 42 via the communicating portion 54, and the manipulating force of the manipulation member 20 is transmitted from the transmission portion 42. The spring receiving portion 78 protrudes on the front surface of the disk portion 68, and is arranged to abut on a winding end portion of a spring member.
A first winding end portion 30a of the spring member 30 is arranged to abut on the spring receiving portion 78 of the rotor portion 24 while a second winding end portion 30b of the spring member 30 is arranged to abut on the spring receiving portion 62 of the base member 22. The spring member 30 is arranged to urge, when a user performs unlocking manipulation, the rotor portion 24 in a direction to bring the locking members 26, which are brought into an unlocked state, into a locked state.
The ring member 32 defines a rubber O-ring, and is disposed on the outer circumference of the disk portion 68. The ring member 32 contacts the inner wall of the rotor supporting wall 50, whereby the rate of rotation of the driving member 25 is reduced. The driving member 25 is mounted on the base member 22.
The sub-assembly unit 16 includes the manipulation member 20, the base member 22, and the driving member 25. The manipulation member 20 is connected to the base member 22 by connecting the rotational shaft holes 38 to the rotational movement supporting portions 46. The driving member 25 shown in
The rotating shaft portion 70 of the rotor member 24 shown in
Comparing the protrusion height of the second locating portions 56 and the protrusion height of the first locating portion 52 shown in
The sub-assembly unit 16 is mounted to be housed in the mounting port 12a of the opening and closing member 12. As shown in
The connecting portions 74 of the rotor member 24 protrude toward the back side more than the opening portion 12c to be connected to the locking members 26. As shown in
The engagement pawl portions 60 are engaged with the mount surfaces 12f, and function as temporarily fixing portions for the sub-assembly unit 16 before the sub-assembly unit 16 is fixed with the screw members 28 in being mounted. By temporarily fixing the sub-assembly unit 16 to the mount surfaces 12f by the engagement of the engagement pawl portions 60, a user can once release his/her hands from the sub-assembly unit 16 in fixing the sub-assembly unit 16 with the screw members 28, which enables easy screwing work.
As shown in
In the first mounting step shown in
In the second mounting step shown in
In this manner, a relative displacement width between the second locating portions 56 and the locating holes 12d is restricted. The relative displacement width between the second locating portions 56 and the locating holes 12d defines a distance between the second locating portions 56 and the locating holes 12d in the two dimension parallel to the mount surfaces 12f.
While the second locating portions 56 are not inserted into the locating holes 12d in
In the third mounting step shown in
After the insertion of the first locating portion 52 into the opening portion 12c, the second locating portions 56 are inserted into the locating holes 12d, thereby making positioning of the locking device 10. By positioning of the locking device 10, the thread receiving portions 58 are aligned with the screw holes 12e.
In the third mounting step, the engagement of the engagement pawl portions 60 allows the sub-assembly unit 16 to be temporarily fixed to the mount surfaces 12f. In this manner, the user can once release his/her hands from the sub-assembly unit 16, and then fix the sub-assembly unit 16 with the screw members 28 in the next mounting step.
In the next fourth mounting step, the screw members 28 are inserted into the screw holes 12e and the thread receiving portions 58, and thus the sub-assembly unit 16 is fixed to the mount surfaces 12f without rattling. Then, the locking members 26 are connected to the rotor member 24, and thus mounting of the locking device 10 is completed.
The first clearance t1 shown in
(t2−t1)>(t4−t3) Expression 1
This expression means that the clearance between the first locating portion 52 and the opening portion 12c is larger than the clearance between each second locating portion 56 and each locating hole 12d at least in the width direction. In the mounting step of the sub-assembly unit 16, the work of inserting the first locating portion 52 into the opening portion 12c where the clearance is relatively larger is first performed. The second locating portions 56 and the locating holes 12d where the clearances are relatively smaller are thus roughly aligned with each other, and then the work of inserting the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d is performed. In this manner, the second locating portions 56 can be easily inserted into the locating holes 12d.
The insertion of the first locating portion 52 into the opening portion 12c (the first opening portion) defines mounting work in the first stage, and the insertion of the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d (the second opening portion) defines mounting work in the second stage. The work of inserting the first locating portion 52 into the opening portion 12c that is a large hole is easier than the work of inserting the small locating pins into the small locating holes 12d. Thus, the mounting work in the second stage is also made easy by the mounting work in the first stage in which the insertion is relatively easier, whereby the locking device 10 can be easily mounted. Restricting the relative displacement width between the second locating portions 56 and the locating holes 12d by the mounting work in the first stage makes the insertion of the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d in the mounting work in the second stage easier than the mounting work in the first stage.
By defining the second locating portions 56 as a pair of locating pins, the rotation of the base member 22 can be restricted to improve the positioning accuracy.
Since the first locating portion 52 includes the pair of facing wall portions 52a, the rotation of the sub-assembly unit 16 can be restricted when the facing wall portions 52a are inserted into the opening portion 12c while the displacement width of the facing wall portions 52a in the width direction is restricted. Since the first locating portion 52 includes the connecting wall portion 52b that connects the pair of facing wall portions 52a, the first locating portion 52 surrounds the rotor member 24 to prevent the rotor member 24 from contacting the edge portions 12g of the opening portion 12c or the like during the mounting work, whereby the rotor member 24 can be protected.
The engagement pawl portions 60 are engaged with the opening portion 12c when the insertion of the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d is completed. In other words, the engagement pawl portions 60 are not engaged with the opening portion 12c before the insertion of the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d is completed. Further, the engagement pawl portions 60 are not engaged with the opening portion 12c during the time when the second locating portions 56 are being inserted into the locating holes 12d. This configuration can prevent only one of the pair of engagement pawl portions 60 from being first engaged with the opening portion 12c to interfere with the insertion of the second locating portions 56 into the locating holes 12d.
A base member 122 according to the first modification shown in
The base member 122 at least includes a rotor supporting wall 150 arranged to house the driving member 25, and the first locating portions disposed around the driving member 25. The first locating portions include rod bodies 152a having a rod shape and disposed slightly outside of the rotor supporting wall 150 in the width direction, and a pair of protruding portions 152 protruding outward in the radial direction from the outer circumference of the rotor supporting wall 150.
The pair of rod bodies 152a and the pair of protruding portions 152b are arranged around the rotor supporting wall 150 so as to be disposed at the vertices of a oblong shape or a square shape. The first locating portions protrude toward the back side of the pedestal surface 51 more than the second locating portions 56.
As shown in
A base member 222 according to the second modification shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The locating portion 250 is inserted into the opening portion 212a, and thus the sub-assembly unit 216 is fixed to the mount surface 212c with the screw members 28. When the sub-assembly unit 216 is mounted on the opening and closing member 212, the locating portion 250 contact or closely face the opening portion 212a, thereby making positioning of the sub-assembly unit 216.
The locating portion 250 is disposed around the rotor member 24 to prevent the rotor member 24 from contacting the edge portion of the opening portion 212a during the mounting work or after the completion of mounting. The pair of protruding portions 250a get in the pair of cutout portions 212b of the opening portion 212a, and can restrict the rotation of the sub-assembly unit 216 before screwed. In the second modification, the locating portion 250 can protect the rotor member 24 and can make positioning of the rotor member 24.
A base member 322 according to the third modification shown in
As shown in
The locating portion 352 is inserted into an opening portion 312a, and thus the sub-assembly unit 316 is fixed to a mount surface 312c with the screw members 28. When the sub-assembly unit 316 is mounted on the opening and closing member 312, the locating portion 352 contacts or closely faces an opening portion 312a, thereby making positioning of the sub-assembly unit 316.
In the third modification, a clearance t5 between the edge portions of the opening portion 312a in the width direction and a clearance t6 between the outer walls of the pair of facing wall portions 352a in the width direction are very small. To be specific, the clearance of (t2−t1) shown in
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it is also possible to add modifications such as various kinds of design changes to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Embodiments to which such modifications are added can also be included within the scope of the present invention.
In the embodiment, the rotor member 24 is used as a driving member to drive the locking members 26 by receiving the manipulating force of the manipulation member 20. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a gear mechanism arranged to rotationally move in accordance with the manipulation of the manipulation member 20 may be used instead of the rotor member 24. The gear mechanism is disposed between the annular-shaped first locating portions 52, and the connecting portion with the locking members 26 protrudes inward more than the opening portion 12c.
In the embodiment, the pair of locating pins are used as the second locating portions 56. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. One locating pin may be used, or three or more locating pins may be used. Also in an embodiment where three or more locating pins are used, the first locating portion 52 is disposed between the second locating portions 56.
In the embodiment, the engagement pawl portions 60 are provided to the facing wall portions 52a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The engagement pawl portions 60 may be engaged with the edges of the mount surfaces 12f, and may be disposed at different positions of the base member 22.
The present invention relates to a locking device to be mounted on an opening and closing member, and a mounting method thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-025369 | Feb 2014 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2015/053793 | 2/12/2015 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2015/122447 | 8/20/2015 | WO | A |
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| International Search Report (ISR) (PCT Form PCT/ISA/210), in PCT/JP2015/053793, dated Apr. 28, 2015. |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170009496 A1 | Jan 2017 | US |
