JP2025030087A - Electric locking device for opening and closing body - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electrically-driven type lock device of opening/closing body capable of stabilizing a rotation operation of a wheel in a return direction.SOLUTION: An electrically-driven type lock device 10 includes a lock part, a rod, energization means, and an actuator 20. The actuator 20 includes a motor 22, a wheel 60 and a rotor 80. The wheel 60 includes a pressing surface 75 for pressing the rotor 80 when rotating being interlocked with the motor 22. The rotor 80 includes a reception surface 95 for receiving a pressing force from the pressing surface 75. A contact surface M between the reception surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is provided so that a reaction force F2 acting on the pressing surface 75 from the reception surface 95 becomes in a direction gradually separated from a meshing portion S of teeth 23a of a drive gear 23 and wheel teeth 65.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

The present invention relates to an electric locking device for an opening/closing body that is attached to the opening of a fixed body so as to be able to open and close, and that locks the opening/closing body in a closed state.

For example, an opening formed in a fixed body such as an automobile glove box has an opening such as a lid that can be opened and closed. A locking device is provided between the opening and the opening and closing body, which locks the opening and closing body when it is closed and unlocks the opening and closing body when it is opened. There is also a known locking device that uses an electric actuator to unlock the opening and closing body.

For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes an electric locking device for an opening/closing body that includes a pair of locking parts, a pair of rods that engage with and disengage from the locking parts, a biasing means that biases the rods in a direction that engages with the locking parts, and an actuator that disengages the pair of rods from the pair of locking parts, the actuator having a case, a motor arranged within the case, a worm gear fixed to the drive shaft of the motor, a wheel that has teeth that mesh with the worm gear and rotates in conjunction with the motor, and a rotor that disengages the rods from the locking parts, and the wheel is provided with a pressing part that engages with a receiving part provided on the rotor when the wheel rotates in a predetermined direction, and moves the rods in a direction that disengages them from the locking parts.

In the above electric locking device, when the motor is turned on and the worm gear rotates, the wheel with teeth meshing with the worm gear rotates in a predetermined direction, the pressing part of the wheel presses the receiving part of the rotor, and the pair of rods disengage from the locking part against the biasing force of the biasing means. As a result, the opening/closing body is unlocked and the opening/closing body can be opened from the opening.

On the other hand, when the power to the motor is turned off, the rotor is urged to rotate by the urging force of the urging means, urging the pair of rods in the direction to engage with the pair of locking parts, and the receiving part of the rotor presses the pressing part of the wheel, causing the wheel to rotate in the opposite direction to when the motor was energized, returning to the state it was in before the motor was energized.

WO2022/185890A1

In the electric locking device for the opening and closing body of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the meshing state between the worm gear and the teeth of the wheel may change due to the rattle of the wheel, etc. In such a case, when the power supply to the motor is turned off, the rotational operation of the wheel may become unstable when the wheel rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation when the motor is powered on (returning direction) due to the biasing force of the biasing means.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electric locking device for an opening/closing body that can stabilize the rotational movement of the wheel in the return direction.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric locking device for an opening/closing body that is attached to an opening of a fixed body so as to be able to be opened and closed, the device comprising a locking section provided on one of the opening/closing body or the fixed body, a rod that is disposed on the other of the opening/closing body or the fixed body and engages and disengages with the locking section, a biasing means that directly or indirectly biases the rod in a direction in which it engages with the locking section, and an actuator that releases the engagement between the rod and the locking section, the actuator comprising a motor having a drive gear, a wheel that is provided with wheel teeth that mesh with the teeth of the drive gear and that rotates in conjunction with the motor, and a biasing means that biases the rod in a direction in which it engages with the locking section, the biasing means being arranged to bias ... Therefore, the wheel and the rotor have the same rotation axis, and the wheel has a pressing surface that presses the rotor to release the engagement between the rod and the locking portion when it rotates in conjunction with the motor, and the rotor has a receiving surface that contacts the pressing surface and receives the pressing force from the pressing surface, and the contact surface between the receiving surface and the pressing surface is provided so that the reaction force acting on the pressing surface from the receiving surface is in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion between the teeth of the drive gear and the teeth of the wheel.

According to the present invention, the contact surface between the receiving surface and the pressing surface is provided so that the reaction force acting from the receiving surface to the pressing surface is gradually directed away from the meshing portion between the teeth of the drive gear and the teeth of the wheel, so that the meshing between the teeth of the drive gear and the teeth of the wheel can be made moderate while maintaining backlash. As a result, the rotational movement of the wheel in the return direction can be stabilized after the engagement between the rod and the locking portion is released.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of an electric locking device for an opening/closing body according to the present invention, illustrating an actuator constituting the electric locking device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the actuator with a second case removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wheel constituting the actuator, seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a rear view of a wheel that constitutes the actuator. 2 is a perspective view of a rotor constituting the actuator, as viewed from a direction different from that in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a rear view of a rotor that constitutes the actuator. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wheel and a rotor that constitute the actuator. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the wheel and rotor that constitute the actuator. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 3. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 3. 11 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a state in which the rotor has rotated in a predetermined direction from the state shown in FIG. 10 . 12 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a state in which the rotor has rotated in a predetermined direction from the state shown in FIG. 11 . 1 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the opening-closing body is locked in a closed state by the electric locking device for the opening-closing body according to the present invention; FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the opening/closing body is unlocked from the state shown in FIG. 15 in which the opening/closing body is closed. FIG.

(One embodiment of an electric locking device for an opening/closing body)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electric locking device for an opening/closing body according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the electric locking device 10 for an opening/closing body in this embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as "electric locking device 10") locks an opening/closing body (not shown), such as a glove box, which is openably attached to an opening 2 of a fixed body 1, such as an instrument panel of a vehicle, in a closed state relative to the opening 2 of the fixed body 1, and electrically opens the opening/closing body in the locked state using an actuator 20.

The electric locking device 10 of this embodiment has a pair of locking parts 3, 3 (see FIG. 15) provided at the opening 2 of the fixed body 1, a pair of rods 11, 12 slidably arranged on the opening/closing body side and engaged with and disengaged from the pair of locking parts 3, 3, a torsion spring 15 that indirectly urges the pair of rods 11, 12 in a direction that normally engages with the pair of locking parts 3, 3, and an actuator 20 that is arranged on the opening/closing body side and slides the pair of rods 11, 12 to release the engagement between the pair of rods 11, 12 and the pair of locking parts 3, 3. The torsion spring 15 constitutes the "urging means" of the present invention.

The actuator 20 also includes a case 21 arranged on the opening/closing body side, a motor 22 arranged inside the case 21 and having a drive gear 23, a wheel 60 provided with wheel teeth 65 that mesh with the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and that rotates in conjunction with the motor 22, and a rotor 80 that is rotatably supported inside the case 21 and inside the wheel 60, to which the pair of rods 11, 12 are engaged and pivoted, and which disengages the pair of rods 11, 12 from the pair of locking sections 3, 3 by rotating.

As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 22 constituting the actuator 20 has a drive gear 23 fixed to its drive shaft 22a (the drive gear 23 is fixed to the drive shaft 22a in a rotation-restricted state).

The drive gear 23 is a so-called worm gear that extends a predetermined length and has spiral teeth 23a formed on its outer periphery. The teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 mesh with the wheel teeth 65 of the wheel 60, so that when the drive gear 23 rotates, the wheel 60 rotates in conjunction with it.

Note that Figs. 10 and 11 show a state in which electricity is not supplied to the motor 22 and the drive gear 23 is not rotating (also referred to as a "motor non-energized state" in which the motor 22 is not energized). On the other hand, Figs. 13 and 14 show a state in which electricity is supplied to the motor 22 and the drive gear 23 is rotating (also referred to as a "motor energized state" in which the motor 22 is energized).

In addition, an elastic member 26 made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to the actuator 20.

As described above, the electric locking device may be applied to a structure in which a box-shaped glove box is rotatably attached to an opening of an instrument panel (in this case, the instrument panel constitutes the "fixed body" and the glove box constitutes the "opening/closing body"), or to a structure in which a lid is attached to an opening of an instrument panel so that it can be opened and closed (in this case, the instrument panel constitutes the "fixed body" and the lid constitutes the "opening/closing body"). It can be used widely for various opening/closing bodies that open and close the opening of a fixed body.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, in this embodiment, a pair of hole-shaped locking portions 3, 3 are provided on both sides of the width direction of the opening 2 of the fixed body 1. However, the locking portions do not have to be hole-shaped, and may be recessed, protruding, frame-shaped, etc., and the locking portions may be provided on the opening/closing body instead of the fixed body, and are not particularly limited.

In addition, a switch (not shown) (such as a touch switch, push button switch, or lever switch) is disposed at a predetermined position on the surface side of the opening/closing body to operate the motor 22.

The torsion spring 15 also comprises a wound portion 16 formed by winding a wire rod, a first arm portion 17 protruding inward from one circumferential end of the wound portion 16, and a second arm portion 18 protruding inward from the other circumferential end of the wound portion 16.

In this embodiment, the first arm 17 is engaged with the spring engagement groove 39a of the first case 30, and the second arm 18 is engaged with the engagement surface 96 of the rotor 80, so that the rotor 80 is urged to rotate in a predetermined direction (details will be described later).

In this embodiment, the direction indicated by the arrow R1 in Figures 10 and 15 refers to the direction in which the rotor 80 is urged to rotate by the torsion spring 15, which is the urging means (the return direction, i.e., the direction in which the rotor 80 returns to its original position by the urging means after the rotation motor 22 is stopped), and is hereinafter also referred to simply as the "R1 direction." On the other hand, the rotation of the rotor 80 in the direction opposite to the rotation urging direction R1 is hereinafter also referred to simply as the "R2 direction."

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, each rod 11, 12 is rod-shaped, and an engagement portion 13 with an inclined surface 13a is provided at the axial tip of each rod, and these engagement portions 13, 13 are adapted to engage with and disengage from the pair of locking portions 3, 3. Note that the engagement portion 13 does not have to be provided at the tip of the rod 11, 12, but may be provided midway in the axial direction.

The pair of rods 11, 12 have their base ends 14, 14 pivoted to the rotor 80, and the engagement parts 13, 13 at the tip end are biased in the direction of engaging with the pair of lock parts 3, 3 via the rotor 80 which is biased to rotate by a torsion spring 15 (see the arrows in Figure 15).

That is, in this embodiment, the pair of rods 11, 12 are indirectly biased to slide in a direction in which they normally engage with the pair of locking parts 3, 3 by the biasing means, the torsion spring 15. Note that the rods may also be directly biased to slide in a direction in which they engage with the locking part 3 by the biasing means.

In addition, in this embodiment, the rods 11 and 12 are slidably arranged on the opening/closing body, and the locking portion 3 is formed on the opening 2 side of the fixed body 1, but conversely, the rods may be slidably arranged on the fixed body side, and the locking portion may be provided on the opening/closing body side. Note that although the rods 11 and 12 in this embodiment consist of a pair, a single rod may also be used.

Furthermore, the wheel 60 and the rotor 80 are supported concentrically and rotatably on the case 21. That is, as shown in Figures 10 to 14, the axis of the support shaft 38, the center of rotation of the rotor 80, and the center of rotation of the wheel 60 are aligned, and the support shaft 38, the wheel 60, and the rotor 80 share the same rotation axis C.

As shown in Figures 10 and 13, the wheel 60 has a pressing surface 75 that, when rotated in conjunction with the motor 22, presses the rotor 80 to release the engagement between the rods 11, 12 and the locking portions 3, 3, and the rotor 80 has a receiving surface 95 with which the pressing surface 75 comes into contact and which receives the pressing force F1 from the pressing surface 75.

As shown in FIG. 10, the electric locking device 10 is configured such that the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is provided so that the reaction force F2 acting on the pressing surface 75 from the receiving surface 95 is in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65 (hereinafter, this configuration is also referred to as the "contact surface separation structure," but this will be described in detail in the explanation of the rotor 80).

Next, the case 21 that constitutes the actuator 20 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the case 21 in this embodiment is composed of a first case 30 and a second case 50 that is assembled to the first case 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first case 30 has a bottom wall 31 and a peripheral wall 32 extending from the periphery thereof, and is a bottomed frame with an opening on the side (upper side) facing the second case 50.

The first case 30 has a motor arrangement section 33 in which the motor 22 is arranged, and a gear arrangement section 34 that is provided adjacent to the drive shaft 22a (see FIG. 1) side of the motor arrangement section 33 and in which the drive gear 23, wheel 60, and rotor 80 are arranged. In addition, a connector insertion section 35 is provided on one side of the motor arrangement section 33 of the first case 30, into which a power connector (not shown) that supplies electricity to the motor 22 is inserted.

Furthermore, a groove-shaped arrangement recess 36 is formed in the peripheral wall 32 on the side of the gear arrangement section 34, opposite the location where the drive gear 23 is arranged, and a part of the elastic member 26 is accommodated and arranged (see FIG. 2). In addition, a plurality of engagement protrusions 32a are protruding from predetermined locations on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 32 for assembly with the second case 50.

Furthermore, a generally cylindrical support shaft 38 that rotatably supports the rotor 80 protrudes from the inner surface of the bottom wall 31 on the gear arrangement section 34 side. This support shaft 38 protrudes from the radial center via a protruding portion 37 that protrudes from the inner surface of the bottom wall 31. The support shaft 38 also extends perpendicular to the surface direction of the inner surface of the bottom wall 31, and a single protrusion 38a protrudes from the outer periphery of the tip end in the protruding direction.

The rotor 80 is rotatably supported by inserting the support shaft 38 into the shaft hole 81a of the rotor 80. Furthermore, the wheel 60 is rotatably supported by inserting the cylindrical wall 41 of the first case 30 inside the peripheral wall 62 of the wheel 60. The axis of the support shaft 38, the center of rotation of the rotor 80, and the center of rotation of the wheel 60 are aligned, and each has the same rotation axis C.

Furthermore, a spring locking wall 39 is erected concentrically on the inner surface of the bottom wall 31 on the gear arrangement section 34 side, on the outer periphery of the support shaft 38. A notched spring locking groove 39a is formed at one circumferential location of this spring locking wall 39, and the first arm 17 of the torsion spring 15 is locked in this spring locking groove 39a.

A cylindrical wall 41 having a generally cylindrical shape is erected on the inner surface of the bottom wall 31 on the gear arrangement section 34 side, on the outer periphery of the spring locking wall 39. The wheel 60 is supported for rotation by the tip of the cylindrical wall 41 in the protruding direction.

On the other hand, the second case 50, which is assembled to the first case 30, has a ceiling wall 51 and a peripheral wall 52 that hangs down from the periphery of the ceiling wall 51, and is frame-shaped with an opening on the side facing the first case 30 (the lower side).

As shown in FIG. 1, the second case 50 is provided with a motor arrangement section 53, a gear arrangement section 54, and a connector insertion section 55 at positions corresponding to the motor arrangement section 33, the gear arrangement section 34, and the connector insertion section 35 of the first case 30, respectively.

The ceiling wall 51 on the side of the gear arrangement section 34 has a circular opening 51a through which the base 81 of the rotor 80 protrudes. Furthermore, a number of engagement pieces 52a are vertically provided on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 52 at positions corresponding to the plurality of engagement protrusions 32a of the first case 30. The first case 30 and the second case 50 are assembled by engaging the plurality of engagement pieces 52a with the corresponding engagement protrusions 32a to form the case 21.

The motor 22, which is placed in the motor arrangement space of the case 21, is electrically connected to a power connector (not shown) via a pair of bus bars 25, 25, and its drive shaft 22a rotates when a switch (not shown) located on the surface side of the opening and closing body is operated.

A cylindrical connector case 24, which is separate from the case 21, is attached to the connector insertion parts 35 and 55 (see FIG. 1). A pair of bus bars 25, 25 are arranged inside the connector case 24, and a power connector (not shown) is inserted to supply electricity to the motor 22.

Furthermore, a notch 57a is formed in the peripheral wall 52 on the side of the gear arrangement section 54, on the side opposite to where the drive gear 23 is arranged, at a position that matches the arrangement recess 36 of the first case 30 (see FIG. 1). A protrusion 57 protrudes from the inner surface of this notch 57a, and the elastic member 26 is attached to the protrusion 57.

The case described above consists of a pair of cases 30, 50, but may be a single member. Furthermore, the shape and structure of each part of each case (bottom wall, peripheral wall, support shaft, spring locking wall, cylindrical wall, engaging protrusion, engaging piece, protrusion, etc.) are not limited to the above-mentioned form.

Next, we will explain the wheel 60 in detail.

As shown in Figures 1, 8, and 9, the wheel 60 is separate from the rotor 80 and is rotatably supported on the case 21.

The wheel 60 also has a pressing surface 75 that, when rotating in conjunction with the motor 22, presses the rotor 80, moving the rods 11, 12 in a direction away from the locking portion 3 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 15, which is the biasing means, and disengages the rods 11, 12 from the locking portion 3, 3. Furthermore, the wheel 60 has a rotation axis C that is common to the support shaft 38 and the rotor 80.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the wheel 60 has an insertion hole 66 into which the shaft portion 83 of the rotor 80 is inserted, a notch portion 67 formed in part of the inner circumference of the insertion hole 66 into which the protrusion 90 of the rotor 80 fits, and a rib 71 that partially surrounds the outer circumference of the shaft portion 83 of the rotor 80.

More specifically, the wheel 60 of this embodiment has a substantially disk-shaped base 61 and a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall 62 that extends from the periphery of the base 61 in the direction of the rotation axis of the wheel 60 (direction along the rotation axis C). The peripheral wall 62 extends perpendicularly to the base 61 from the periphery of the base 61 toward the bottom wall 31 of the first case 30.

As shown in FIG. 12, the wound portion 16 of the torsion spring 15 is arranged inside the peripheral wall 62 of the wheel 60. Furthermore, a pair of protrusions 63, 64 protrude from predetermined locations on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 62. As shown in FIG. 10, when the motor is not energized, one of the protrusions 63 abuts against one end 26a of the elastic member 26, restricting the rotational position of the wheel 60.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13, when the motor 22 operates and the drive gear 23 rotates, causing the wheel 60 to rotate to its maximum extent in the direction (R2 direction) opposite to the rotational bias direction (R1 direction) of the rotor 80, the other protrusion 64 abuts against the other end 26b of the elastic member 26, thereby restricting the rotational position of the wheel 60.

Furthermore, on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 62, between the pair of protruding portions 63, 64, wheel teeth 65 are formed in a helical (angled) shape that meshes with the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23, which is a worm gear. When the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 is driven and the drive gear 23 rotates, the wheel 60 rotates in the R2 direction in conjunction with the rotation of the drive gear 23.

The portion where the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65 mesh with each other constitutes the "meshing portion" of the present invention. In this embodiment, the portion enclosed in a two-dot chain rectangular frame shown in FIG. 10 is the meshing portion S. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the axis J of the worm gear which is the drive gear 23 coincides with the axis of the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 (is arranged coaxially), but the above-mentioned meshing portion S is arranged approximately parallel to the axis J of the drive gear 23.

The configuration for rotating the wheel does not have to be a combination of a worm gear and helical wheel teeth. For example, a spur gear (straight or helical teeth, etc.) can be fixed to the drive shaft of the motor, and spur-toothed (straight or helical teeth, etc.) wheel teeth that mesh with the spur gear can be formed on the outer periphery of the wheel, as long as the wheel can be linked to the motor.

A stepped recess 62a is formed on the inner surface of the leading end of the peripheral wall 62 in the extending direction (see FIG. 4). The leading end of the cylindrical wall 41 in the protruding direction fits into this recess 62a, so that the wheel 60 is rotatably supported by the cylindrical wall 41.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, an insertion hole 66 having an arc-shaped inner peripheral surface is formed in the radial center of the base 61, and a roughly fan-shaped notch 67 is formed in part of the outer periphery of the insertion hole 66.

The insertion hole 66 has an arc-shaped inner peripheral surface that faces the protruding portion 64. The cutout portion 67 has an inner diameter dimension that is larger than the arc-shaped inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 66, and has an inner peripheral surface 68 that faces the protruding portion 63.

As shown in FIG. 5, one circumferential end surface 69 of the insertion hole 66 and the notch portion 67 is a flat surface formed so as to be substantially parallel to the line segment L3 passing through the rotation axis C of the wheel 60. On the other hand, the other circumferential end surface 70 of the insertion hole 66 and the notch portion 67 is an inclined surface that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to L3 so as to fit the inclined contact surface M that constitutes the contact surface separation structure.

A part of the shaft 83 provided on the base 81 of the rotor 80 is rotatably inserted into the insertion hole 66. Meanwhile, the remaining part of the shaft 83 of the rotor 80 is rotatably inserted into the cutout portion 67, and the protrusion 90 is rotatably inserted.

In addition, a rib 71 having a generally arc-shaped wall shape extends from the rear peripheral edge of the insertion hole 66 toward the bottom wall 31 of the first case 30. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, this rib 71 is positioned radially outward of the shaft portion 83 of the rotor 80.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, one circumferential end surface 72 of the rib 71 is flat and arranged to be flush with one circumferential end surface 69 of the cutout portion 67.

On the other hand, the other end surface 73 of the rib 71 in the circumferential direction is inclined so as to be arranged on the same plane as the other end surface 70 of the notch 67 in the circumferential direction. The other end surface 73, which is the inclined surface of the rib 71, and the other end surface 70, which is the inclined surface of the notch 67, form the "pressing surface 75" in this invention.

Note that "66'" in FIG. 5 is a virtual circle drawn on an extension of the insertion hole 66 and refers to the inner circumference of the insertion hole 66, but the pressing surface 75 is positioned outside the inner circumference 66' of the insertion hole 66, and the insertion hole 66 is not related to the formation of the pressing surface 75.

In other words, this pressing surface 75 is an inclined surface that extends continuously from the other end surface 73 of the rib 71 to the other end surface 70 of the notch portion 67.

The wheel described above is not limited to the above shape and structure, and may have any shape and structure as long as it has at least a pressing surface and can adopt the above-mentioned "contact surface separation structure." The operation of the wheel 60 will be described later together with the operation of the rotor 80.

Next, we will explain the rotor 80 in detail.

As shown in Figures 1 and 6 to 8, the rotor 80 is separate from the wheel 60, rotatably supported on the case 21, and rotatably disposed inside the wheel 60, and has two rotational movements: one in which it rotates in conjunction with the wheel 60, and the other in which it rotates independently of the wheel 60 (also called free rotation or free rotation).

The rotor 80 also has a shaft portion 83 that has a circular outer periphery and a rotation axis C that is common to the support shaft 38 and the rotor 80, and a protrusion 90 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and has a pair of side surfaces.

One side of the protrusion 90 comes into contact (abuts) with the pressing surface 75 provided on the wheel 60, forming a receiving surface 95 that receives the pressing force from the pressing surface 75. Here, one side of the protrusion 90 is located on the tangent line L2 (see FIG. 7) to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and extends along the tangent line L2, forming the receiving surface 95. It can also be said that one side of the protrusion 90 is located on the tangent line L2 to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and extends continuously without any steps relative to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83, forming the receiving surface 95.

The other side of the protrusion 90 forms an engagement surface 96 with which the second arm 18, one arm of the torsion spring that serves as the biasing means, engages. Note that although the engagement surface 96 is located on a tangent to the outer periphery of the shaft 83, it does not extend along the tangent and differs from the receiving surface 95 in that it is a surface that has a step relative to the outer periphery of the shaft 83.

More specifically, the rotor 80 in this embodiment has a substantially disk-shaped base 81, a circular shaft hole 81a formed in the radial center of the base 81, a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall 82 that is vertically extending from the periphery of the base 81 toward the bottom wall 31 of the first case 30, and a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 83 that is vertically extending from the rear periphery of the shaft hole 81a on the rear side of the base 81.

As shown in FIG. 7, on the back side of the base 81, between the peripheral wall 82 and the shaft 83, multiple ribs 84 are provided that extend radially from the center of rotation of the rotor 80. Here, four ribs 84 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, an inner protrusion 85 protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the shaft portion 83. An axial notch 85a is formed by cutting out a portion of the circumference of the inner protrusion 85 and extending along the axial direction of the shaft portion 83. A protrusion 38a provided on the support shaft 38 can be inserted into the axial notch 85a.

Then, the support shaft 38 provided on the first case 30 is inserted into the inner protrusion 85 on the inner circumference of the shaft portion 83, so that the rotor 80 is rotatably supported on the first case 30 via the support shaft 38.

As shown in FIG. 12, the upper end surface of the inner protrusion 85 forms a stepped locking surface 85b. When an external force acts in a direction that moves the rotor 80 away from the bottom wall 31 of the first case 30, the protrusion 38a of the support shaft 38 locks onto this locking surface 85b, preventing the rotor 80 from coming loose.

In this embodiment, the spindle 38 is provided on the first case 30 side, and the shaft portion 83 and shaft hole 81a into which the spindle 38 can be inserted are provided on the rotor 80 side. However, for example, the spindle may be provided on the second case 50 side to rotatably support the rotor 80, or the spindle may be provided on the rotor 80 side, and a support hole into which the spindle can be inserted may be provided on the first case 30 or second case 50 side to rotatably support the rotor 80.

In addition, with the rotor 80 rotatably supported on the support shaft 38, the shaft portion 83 and the protrusion 90 are accommodated and positioned within the insertion hole 66 and the notch portion 67 of the wheel 60 (see FIG. 10), and the base portion 81 and the peripheral wall 82 of the rotor 80 are positioned on the front side of the base portion 61 of the wheel 60 (see FIG. 12), so as to hold the wheel 60 in place and prevent it from coming loose.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of spherically bulging rod engagement portions 87, 87 are provided on the surface of the base 81 at locations that face each other in the circumferential direction of the rotor 80. These pair of rod engagement portions 87, 87 are inserted and engaged with the base ends 14, 14 of the pair of rods 11, 12 in a non-removable state, so that the base ends 14, 14 of the pair of rods 11, 12 are pivotally supported at locations that face the rotation axis C of the rotor 80.

As a result, when the rotor 80 rotates, the pair of rods 11, 12 are configured to slide in sync in opposite directions (in the direction in which the engagement portions 13, 13 disengage from the lock portions 3, 3) (see Figure 16).

As shown in FIG. 6, a protrusion 90 protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft 83 on the back side of the base 81, and rotates within a notch 67 formed in the wheel 60.

The protrusion 90 has a first side portion 91 that is located on the tangent line L2 of the outer circumference of the shaft portion 83 and has a side surface that extends continuously without any steps relative to the outer circumference of the shaft portion 83, a second side portion 92 that is arranged parallel to the first side portion 91 at a predetermined distance, and a connecting portion 93 that connects the protruding tips of both sides 91, 92 to each other and has a curved outer surface that fits the inner circumference 68 of the cutout portion 67.

The outer surface of the first side portion 91 forms a receiving surface 95 that comes into contact with the pressing surface 75 provided on the wheel 60 and receives the pressing force from the pressing surface 75, and the outer surface of the second side portion 92 forms an engaging surface 96 that engages with the second arm 18 of the torsion spring, which is the biasing means. The receiving surface 95 and the engaging surface 96 are parallel to each other (see FIG. 7).

The second arm 18 of the torsion spring 15 is engaged with the engagement surface 96, while the first arm 17 of the torsion spring 15 is engaged with the spring engagement groove 39a of the first case 30. With the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 separated from each other, the rotor 80 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 38 on the first case 30 side.

As a result, the rotor 80 is urged to rotate in a direction in which the second arm 18 approaches the first arm 17 of the torsion spring 15, i.e., in the direction of arrow R1 in Figures 10 and 15, so that the engagement portions 13, 13 of a pair of rods 11, 12 pivoted to the rotor 80 are urged in a direction in which they engage with the lock portions 3, 3.

As shown in Figure 10, the rotor 80, which is urged to rotate in the direction of arrow R1 by the torsion spring 15, is always configured so that its receiving surface 95 is in contact with the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60, thereby restricting further rotation of the rotor 80 in the direction of arrow R1. The surface where the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 come into contact with each other is referred to as "contact surface M" (see Figures 8 and 10).

The receiving surface 95 is adapted to come into contact with or separate from the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60 when the rotor 80 rotates in a predetermined direction via the support shaft 38. Furthermore, when the rotor 80 rotates, the outer surface of the connecting portion 93 of the protrusion 90 rotates along the inner peripheral surface 68 of the notch portion 67 of the wheel 60, thereby guiding the rotation of the rotor 80.

The wheel 60 and rotor 80 configured as described above operate as follows.

Figure 10 shows the motor in a non-energized state, with the opening 2 closed by the opening/closing body, no electricity being supplied to the motor 22, and the drive gear 23 not rotating.

When the motor 22 is energized from this state, the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 rotates and the drive gear 23 rotates. Then, the wheel 60 rotates in the opposite direction (direction indicated by R2) to the rotational bias direction (direction indicated by R1) of the rotor 80, and the pressing surface 75 that is in contact with (engaged in contact with) the receiving surface 95 presses the receiving surface 95.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, a pressing force F1 acts from the pressing surface 75 toward the receiving surface 95. This pressing force F1 is perpendicular to the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75. This causes the rotor 80 to rotate in the R2 direction as shown in FIG. 13. In other words, both the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 rotate together in the R2 direction (they rotate together).

Then, the pair of rods 11, 12 pivoted to the rotor 80 slide in a direction in which the engagement portions 13, 13 of the pair of rods 11, 12 disengage from the pair of locking portions 3, 3 (see Figure 16).

When the receiving surface 95 receives a pressing force F1 from the pressing surface 75, a reaction force F2 in the opposite direction acts from the receiving surface 95 to the pressing surface 75, as shown in FIG. 10.

When the motor is de-energized from the state shown in FIG. 13, the rotor 80 is again urged to rotate in the R1 direction, and the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80 contacts and presses the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60, causing the wheel 60 to rotate in the R1 direction. As a result, both the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 rotate in the R1 direction, and the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 return to the state shown in FIG. 10.

At the same time, the pair of rods 11, 12 slide in the direction in which the engagement portions 13, 13 engage with the pair of locking portions 3, 3 (see Figure 15).

In addition, in the state shown in FIG. 10, that is, when the rods 11, 12 are biased in the direction of engaging with the locking portions 3, 3 by the torsion springs 15, which are the biasing means, a force that rotates the rotor 80 in a direction against the biasing force of the biasing means acts on the rotor 80 via the rods 11, 12, so that the receiving surface 95 moves in a direction away from the pressing surface 75, and the rotor 80 is configured to rotate independently of the wheel 60.

The electric locking device 10 employs the following contact surface separation structure.

In other words, FIG. 10 shows the state when the motor is not energized and the wheel 60 and rotor 80 are viewed from the rotation axis C. In this state, the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is provided so that the reaction force F2 (the reaction force F2 in the opposite direction to the pressing force F1) acting from the receiving surface 95 to the pressing surface 75 is gradually moved away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65.

The above-mentioned reaction force F2 can also be said to be the force acting from the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80 to the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60 when the wheel 60 rotates in the R2 direction (opposite the rotational biasing direction R1 of the rotor 80) in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 22, and then rotates in the R1 direction (return direction) by the biasing means.

In this embodiment, the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65 is arranged generally parallel to the axis J of the drive gear 23 as described above, but the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is arranged diagonally outward with respect to the arrangement direction of the meshing portion S (a direction generally parallel to the axis J) so that the reaction force F2 acting on the pressing surface 75 from the receiving surface 95 gradually moves away from the meshing portion S (i.e., so that the reaction force F2 does not move toward the meshing portion S).

In addition, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 13 of Patent Document 1, the contact surface between the receiving portion of the rotor and the pressing portion of the wheel is such that the reaction force acting from the receiving portion to the pressing portion is parallel to the meshing portion between the gear and the teeth of the wheel, and the reaction force does not move gradually away from the meshing portion between the gear and the teeth of the wheel, which is different from the contact surface separation structure in the present invention.

The contact surface separation structure can also be described as follows:

In other words, the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is inclined with respect to the line segment L1 passing through the rotation axis C of the wheel 60 and the meshing portion S so that the reaction force F2 acting from the receiving surface 95 to the pressing surface 75 is in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65.

In this embodiment, the line segment L1 passes through the rotation axis C and the meshing portion S of the wheel 60 and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the worm gear, which is the drive gear 23 (perpendicular to the axis J). The contact surface M is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the line segment L1. As a result, the reaction force F2 is directed gradually away from the meshing portion S.

Furthermore, if the drive gear is not a worm gear but a spur gear with straight or helical teeth, the above line passes through the axis of rotation and meshing portion of the wheel as well as the axis of the drive gear, and the above contact surface is inclined at a specified angle relative to this line, so that the above reaction force is directed away from the meshing portion.

In addition, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 13 of Patent Document 1, the contact surface between the receiving portion of the rotor and the pressing portion of the wheel is such that the reaction force acting from the receiving portion to the pressing portion is parallel to the meshing portion between the gear and the teeth of the wheel, and is parallel to the line segment passing through the rotation axis of the wheel and the meshing portion, which differs from the contact surface separation structure in the present invention.

Furthermore, the contact surface separation structure can be rephrased as follows:

That is, the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is inclined with respect to a line segment passing through the rotation axis C and a predetermined point on the contact surface M a predetermined distance away from the rotation axis C, such as (a) a line segment L4 passing through the rotation axis C and a point M' on the contact surface M that is the furthest from the rotation axis C, (b) a line segment L5 passing through the rotation axis C and a point M'' on the contact surface M that is closest to the rotation axis C, and (c) a line segment L6 passing through the rotation axis C and the point M' and the intermediate point between the point M'' on the contact surface M, so that the reaction force F2 acting from the receiving surface 95 on the pressing surface 75 is in a direction away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the biasing means, which is the torsion spring 15, is arranged on the actuator 20 with its winding portion 16 twisted, and in this state, the winding portion 16 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis C of the wheel 60 and the rotor 80, and is configured to apply a force that presses the wheel teeth 65 toward the meshing portion S.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the torsion spring 15 has its wound portion 16 arranged inside the peripheral wall 62 of the wheel 60 and inside the cylindrical wall 41 of the first case 30, but the first arm 17 is engaged with the spring engagement groove 39a of the first case 30, and the second arm 18 is engaged with the engagement surface 96 of the protrusion 90 of the rotor 80, so that the wound portion 16 is twisted and tilted with respect to the rotation axis C of the wheel 60 and the rotor 80.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, a pressing force F3 is applied from the twisted winding portion 16 in a direction that presses the wheel teeth 65 toward the meshing portion S.

However, the reaction force F2 acting from the receiving surface 95 to the pressing surface 75 is configured to be greater than the pressing force F3. This reaction force F2 is in a direction that gradually moves away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65, which can be said to be roughly the opposite direction to the pressing force F3 (see FIG. 10), and therefore acts to weaken the pressing force F3.

The rotor described above is not limited to the above shape or structure, and may be of any shape or structure as long as it has at least a receiving surface and can employ the above-mentioned "contact surface separation structure."

(Action and Effect)
Next, the function and effect of the electric locking device 10 having the above structure will be described.

Figure 15 shows the case where the opening 2 of the fixed body 1 is closed by the opening/closing body and locked in that state. That is, the engagement parts 13, 13 of a pair of rods 11, 12, which are slidably biased via a rotor 80 that is rotatably biased in the R1 direction by a torsion spring 15 as a biasing means, engage with a pair of locking parts 3, 3, so that the opening 2 of the fixed body 1 is locked in a closed state by the opening/closing body.

To open the opening/closing body from the opening 2 of the fixed body 1 from this state, a switch (not shown) is operated. Then, electricity is supplied to the motor 22 from a power connector connected to a power source (not shown) via the bus bars 25, 25, driving the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 to rotate the drive gear 23, which in turn rotates the wheel 60 in the R2 direction against the biasing force of the torsion spring 15.

As a result, the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60 presses against the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80, and as shown in Figures 13 and 14, both the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 rotate in the direction R2, so that the pair of rods 11, 12 slide in the direction in which the engagement parts 13, 13 disengage from the pair of lock parts 3, 3, as shown in Figure 16. As a result, the engagement part 13 is disengaged from the lock part 3, and the opening and closing body can be opened from the opening 2 of the fixed body 1.

In addition, when the motor is de-energized after the opening 2 of the fixed body 1 is opened, the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 stops and the drive gear 23 stops rotating, so that the rotor 80 is again urged to rotate in the R1 direction by the urging force of the torsion spring 15.

As a result, the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80 presses against the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60, and both the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 rotate in the direction R1, returning the rotor 80 and the wheel 60 to the state shown in FIG. 10, and the pair of rods 11, 12 slide in the direction in which the engagement portions 13, 13 engage with the pair of locking portions 3, 3.

When the opening/closing body is pushed into the opening 2 from the above state, the inclined surfaces 13a of the engagement portions 13 of the rods 11, 12 are pressed against the inner edge of the opening 2, and the pair of rods 11, 12 are pulled inward of the opening/closing body against the biasing force of the torsion spring 15. After that, the engagement portions 13, 13 engage with the pair of locking portions 3, 3, respectively, so that the opening 2 of the fixed body 1 can be locked again in a closed state by the opening/closing body (see Figure 15).

As shown in FIG. 10, in this electric locking device 10, the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is provided so that the reaction force F2 acting on the pressing surface 75 from the receiving surface 95 in a state where the motor is not energized is in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion S between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65.

In other words, because the contact surface M between the receiving surface 95 and the pressing surface 75 is configured as described above, the engagement between the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65 can be made appropriate while maintaining backlash.

As a result, after the pair of rods 11, 12 and the locking parts 3, 3 are disengaged, the wheel 60 rotates smoothly in the return direction (R2 direction), and the rotational movement of the wheel 60 in the return direction can be stabilized, so that the engagement parts 13, 13 of the pair of rods 11, 12 can smoothly slide in the direction in which they engage with the pair of locking parts 3, 3.

In this embodiment, the rotor 80 has a shaft portion 83 having a circular outer periphery and a rotation axis C, and a protrusion 90 protruding from the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and having a pair of side surfaces. One side surface of the protrusion 90 is located on a tangent line L2 (see FIG. 7) to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and extends along the tangent line L2, and the one side surface forms a receiving surface 95.

According to the above aspect, since the protrusion 90 of the rotor 80 is configured as described above, the reaction force F2 acting in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion S of the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the wheel teeth 65 can be effectively applied to the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60 while ensuring the rigidity of the protrusion 90 (the reaction force F2 can be effectively applied to the pressing surface 75).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the biasing means is a torsion spring 15 having a winding portion 16 and a pair of arms 17, 18 extending from both ends of the winding portion 16, and the rotor 80 has a shaft portion 83 with a rotation axis C and a protrusion 90 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 with the same width and has a pair of side surfaces, one side surface forming a receiving surface 95 and the other side surface forming a locking surface 96 with which one arm (second arm portion 18) of the biasing means is engaged.

According to the above aspect, since the protrusion 90 of the rotor 80 is configured as described above, the rigidity of the protrusion 90 is sufficiently ensured, while the second arm 18, which is one arm of the torsion spring 15, which is the biasing means, can be easily engaged with the engaging surface 96 of the protrusion 90, thereby improving the ease of assembly of the electric locking device 10.

In this embodiment, the rotor 80 has a shaft portion 83 with a rotation axis C and a protrusion 90 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83 and has a pair of side surfaces. The wheel 60 has an insertion hole 66 into which the shaft portion 83 is inserted, a notch portion 67 formed in part of the inner periphery of the insertion hole 66 into which the protrusion 90 fits, and a rib 71 that partially surrounds the outer periphery of the shaft portion 83. The pressing surface 75 is an inclined surface that is formed to extend continuously from the end face (other end face 73) of the rib 71 to the end face (other end face 70) of the notch portion 67.

According to the above aspect, since the pressing surface 75 has the above-mentioned configuration, the pressing surface 75 can be secured to be wide. As a result, when the wheel 60 rotates in the R2 direction by the driving of the motor 22, the pressing force F1 from the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60 can be stably applied to the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80, and the reaction force F2 from the receiving surface 95 of the rotor 80 can be stably applied to the pressing surface 75 of the wheel 60.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the biasing means is a torsion spring 15 having a winding portion 16 and a pair of arms 17, 18 extending from both ends of the winding portion 16, and the biasing means is arranged on the actuator 20 with the winding portion 16 in a twisted state, and in this state, the winding portion 16 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis C of the wheel 60 and the rotor 80, and a force (pressing force F3) is applied that presses the wheel teeth 65 toward the meshing portion S (see FIG. 11).

According to the above embodiment, even if a pressing force F3 is applied to press the wheel teeth 65 toward the meshing portion S, the reaction force F2 acts to gradually move the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 and the meshing portion S of the wheel teeth 65 away from each other, so that the pressing force F3 can be weakened by the reaction force F2.

As a result, even when a torsion spring 15 is used as the biasing means, the wheel teeth 65 can be engaged with the teeth 23a of the drive gear 23 while ensuring an appropriate backlash, making the return rotation of the wheel 60 smoother and more stable.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modified embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention, and such embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1 Fixed body 2 Opening 3 Locking part 10 Electric locking device for opening/closing body (electric locking device)
11, 12 Rod 15 Torsion spring (biasing means)
16 Winding portion 17 First arm portion 18 Second arm portion 20 Actuator 21 Case 22 Motor 23 Drive gear 23a Teeth 30 First case 38 Support shaft 50 Second case 65 Wheel teeth 66 Insertion hole 67 Notch portion 71 Rib 75 Pressing surface 80 Rotor 83 Shaft portion 90 Protrusion 95 Receiving surface 96 Locking surface

Claims (5)

An electric locking device for an opening/closing body that is openably and closably attached to an opening of a fixed body,
A lock portion provided on one of the opening/closing body or the fixed body;
a rod that is disposed on the other of the opening/closing body or the fixed body and engages with and disengages from the lock portion;
a biasing means for directly or indirectly biasing the rod in a direction in which the rod engages with the locking portion;
an actuator that releases the engagement between the rod and the locking portion,
the actuator includes a motor having a drive gear, a wheel having wheel teeth that mesh with teeth of the drive gear and that rotates in conjunction with the motor, and a rotor that engages and disengages the rod from the lock portion by a rotating motion;
The wheel and the rotor have the same rotation axis,
the wheel has a pressing surface that, when rotated in conjunction with the motor, presses the rotor to release the engagement between the rod and the locking portion,
the rotor has a receiving surface with which the pressing surface comes into contact and which receives a pressing force from the pressing surface,
An electric locking device for an opening/closing body, characterized in that a contact surface between the receiving surface and the pressing surface is provided so that a reaction force acting from the receiving surface to the pressing surface is in a direction gradually moving away from the meshing portion between the teeth of the drive gear and the wheel teeth. the rotor has a shaft portion having a circular outer periphery and including the rotation axis, and a protrusion protruding from the outer periphery of the shaft portion and including a pair of side surfaces;
2. The electric locking device for an opening/closing body according to claim 1, wherein one of the side surfaces of the protrusion is located on a tangent to the outer periphery of the shaft portion and extends along the tangent, the one side surface forming the receiving surface. The biasing means is a torsion spring having a winding portion and a pair of arms extending from both ends of the winding portion,
the rotor has a shaft portion on which the rotation axis is provided, and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the shaft portion by the same width and having a pair of side surfaces,
3. The electric locking device for an opening/closing body according to claim 1, wherein one of said side surfaces forms said receiving surface, and the other side surface forms a locking surface with which one of said arm portions of said biasing means is locked. the rotor has a shaft portion on which the rotation axis is provided, and a protrusion protruding from an outer periphery of the shaft portion and having a pair of side surfaces,
the wheel has an insertion hole into which the shaft portion is inserted, a notch portion formed in a part of an inner periphery of the insertion hole and into which the protrusion is inserted, and a rib partially surrounding an outer periphery of the shaft portion,
3. The electric locking device for an opening/closing body according to claim 1, wherein the pressing surface is an inclined surface formed so as to extend continuously from an end face of the rib to an end face of the notch. the biasing means is a torsion spring having a winding portion and a pair of arms extending from both ends of the winding portion, and the biasing means is disposed on the actuator in a state in which the winding portion is twisted,
3. An electric locking device for an opening/closing body as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein in the above-mentioned state, the winding portion is inclined with respect to the rotational axis of the wheel and the rotor, and a force is applied to press the wheel teeth toward the meshing portion.

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