JP3874579B2 - Front panel device for in-vehicle equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a front panel device disposed on a front surface of a main body device of a vehicle-mounted device such as a car audio.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, in-vehicle devices such as a cassette tape player and a CD player are provided with various operation keys, a display section, or an insertion port for inserting a medium such as a tape cassette on a front panel attached to the front surface of the main unit. However, as the display unit becomes larger and the number of operation keys increases with the recent multi-functionalization, all of these display units, operation keys, insertion ports, etc. are limited on the front panel. It becomes difficult to arrange in the space.
[0003]
On the other hand, in the front panel device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-4612, etc., the insertion opening is provided on the front panel side mounted in the opening of the main body device, and the movable nose side that covers the front panel is provided. A display unit and various operation keys are provided, and the movable nose is rotated by a slide member to selectively open and close the insertion slot. The slide member is movable in the front-rear direction of the main body using a motor as a drive source, and a reduction gear group is interposed between the motor and the slide member.
[0004]
In the front panel device configured as described above, when the slide member is pulled into the retracted position, the movable nose is in an upright state, and the insertion opening is covered with the movable nose. When the motor is driven to rotate in one direction in such a closed state and the slide member is moved from the retracted position to the advanced position, the movable nose is pushed forward by the slide member, so that it tilts while rotating around the rotation fulcrum. When the movable nose is tilted by a predetermined amount, the insertion opening is exposed. In addition, after rotating the movable nose to the maximum tilt position, when the motor is driven to rotate in the reverse direction and the slide member is moved from the forward position to the reverse position, the movable nose is pulled backward by the slide member and is in the standing state. The insertion slot is again covered by the movable nose.
[0005]
Therefore, according to such a movable nose type front panel device, the entire surface of the closed movable nose can be used as a display area or a key operation area, and the movable nose is rotated only when a medium is inserted or ejected. Therefore, there is an advantage that a relatively large display portion and many operation keys can be arranged in a limited space.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, if the standing posture of the movable nose in the closed state that covers the insertion slot is not stable, an annoying rattle noise will be generated due to the vibration of the vehicle, etc., or the movable nose will easily open due to a shock at the time of a collision, etc. Therefore, there is a risk of danger to the passenger. Therefore, in the conventional movable nose type front panel device, a clutch gear is incorporated so that the movable nose is pressed against the main body device during the closing operation, or the movable nose is held in a closed state by a manually operated lock member. Measures are taken. However, in the former case, the backlash inevitably occurs in the reduction gear group that transmits the driving force to the movable nose, and the torque of the clutch gear cannot be increased unnecessarily. There is a problem that it is difficult to reliably prevent noise, and in the latter case, the user has to operate the lock member every time the movable nose is opened and closed, so that there is a problem that usability is poor.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, a tension spring that expands and contracts following the rotation of the drive gear without the movement of the movable nose is interposed in the drive force transmission system, and the movable nose is moved to a predetermined standing position with the rotation of the drive gear during the closing operation. After the movement, the lock lever is locked to the movable nose while the tension spring is extended by further rotation of the drive gear. In such a front panel device, when the drive gear is rotated in one direction, the movable nose can be engaged with the lock lever after the movable nose is moved to a predetermined standing position. The safety is enhanced by being locked, and the closed movable nose is elastically urged toward the main body by the tension spring and no rattle is generated, so that rattle noise can be reliably prevented.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the front panel device of the vehicle-mounted device according to the present invention, a movable nose that is disposed on the front surface of the main body device and is movable between an upright position and a tilted position, and a drive that rotates using a motor provided in the main body device as a drive source. A gear, a drive lever that causes the movable nose to move by the rotation of the drive gear, a tension spring interposed between the drive lever and the drive gear, and the drive gear. A locking lever that is operated by a driving body and can lock the movable nose in the standing position, and both ends of the tension spring are respectively latched on the driving lever and a latching pin provided on the driving gear. the long hole into which the locking pin is inserted through the driving lever is provided, in the process of moving the movable nose to the standing position from the tilted position, one of the drive gear By transmitting to the drive lever rotation force to via the tension spring, after said moving the movable nose to the standing position is stopped, by rotating the further in the same direction the drive gear, said hanging A stop pin moves along the elongated hole to extend the tension spring, and the driving body locks the lock lever to the movable nose.
[0009]
The front panel device configured as described above transmits the driving force of the motor from the driving gear to the driving lever without substantially extending or retracting the tension spring when the rotational movement of the movable nose is not restricted, and the movable nose is predetermined. Can be moved between the standing position and the tilting position. Even if the movable nose moves to a predetermined standing position and is regulated , the latch pin provided on the drive gear moves along the long hole provided on the drive lever, so that the tension spring is extended and driven. The gear can be further rotated, and the lock lever that is driven by the drive body during this rotation is designed to lock the movable nose in the closed state, so that the movable nose is locked to the main unit side by a series of operations. Can do. In addition, since the movable nose thus locked is elastically biased toward the main body by the extended tension spring, there is no risk of rattling even when vehicle vibration or the like is applied, and rattle noise can be reliably prevented.
[0011]
When a cam plate provided on the side surface of the drive gear is used as the drive body and a lock lever is brought into contact with the cam surface of the cam plate, a part of the lock lever is always in contact with the cam surface. If the presser spring for urging is provided, the lock lever can easily follow the movement of the cam plate, so that the reliability of the lock operation and the unlock operation is improved.
[0012]
Alternatively, when the drive pin protruding from the side of the drive gear is used as the drive body, and a cam groove that can be engaged with the drive pin is provided in the lock lever, at least when the lock lever is engaged with or disengaged from the movable nose, If the position of the lock lever is defined by the position of the drive pin in the cam groove, the operation timing of the lock lever can be accurately defined by the drive gear, so the reliability of the lock operation and unlock operation Is further improved. Also, with such a configuration, even if an impact is applied to the locked lock lever that holds the movable nose, if the drive gear with a large torque does not rotate, the lock lever can be moved in the unlocking direction. Since it becomes impossible, a more reliable locked state is realizable.
[0013]
【Example】
The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 are explanatory views when the movable nose is locked in the closed state of the front panel device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view when the movable nose is not locked in the closed state of the panel device, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the open state of the front panel device.
[0014]
1 to 3, a movable nose 2 is installed on the front surface of a main body device 1 such as a car audio. By rotating the movable nose 2 about a support shaft 3, the front surface of the main body device 1 is provided. The insertion slot of the attached front panel (not shown) can be opened and closed. This insertion slot is for inserting a medium such as MD or CD into the main unit 1 and is usually covered with a movable nose 2 held at a predetermined standing position. Further, a front end portion of a drive lever 4 is rotatably connected to the movable nose 2, and a front end portion of a tension spring 5 is hooked on the drive lever 4. A rear end portion of the tension spring 5 is latched by a latch pin 7 projecting from the drive gear 6, and the latch pin 7 is formed in the drive lever 4 as the tension spring 5 expands and contracts. It slides in the long hole 4a. The drive gear 6 rotates using a motor 8 as a drive source, and a reduction gear group 9 is interposed between the drive gear 6 and the motor 8. A cam plate 10 is integrally provided on the side surface of the drive gear 6, and a driven portion 11 a provided at the rear end portion of the lock lever 11 is engaged with the cam plate 10. The driven portion 11a is constantly urged toward the cam surface of the cam plate 10 by the presser spring 12, and the claw portion 11b provided at the front end of the lock lever 11 is covered by the movable nose 2 in the standing position. It can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking portion 2a. The drive gear 6, the reduction gear group 9, and the lock lever 11 are pivotally supported by a bracket 13 attached to the main body device 1, and the motor 8 is attached to the bracket 13. Further, a semicircular arc-shaped escape hole 14 that allows movement of the latch pin 7 is provided in a bracket (not shown) that is integrated with the bracket 13 and faces the bracket 13.
[0015]
In the front panel device schematically configured as described above, when the motor 8 rotates forward and backward, the driving force is transmitted to the latch pin 7 of the drive gear 6 via the reduction gear group 9 and further via the tension spring 5. As a result, the movable nose 2 can be moved between a predetermined standing position and a tilted position. That is, when the movable nose 2 is moved to the maximum tilting position shown in FIG. 3, when a motor 8 is driven to rotate in one direction by pressing an operation button (not shown) disposed at a predetermined position, the reduction gear group 9, the drive gear 6 rotates clockwise as shown in the drawing, and the drive lever 4 moves backward integrally with the tension spring 5, so that the movable nose 2 pulled by the drive lever 4 rotates around the support shaft 3. Then, it gets up and enters the state shown in FIG. However, since the force necessary for extending the tension spring 5 is set to be larger than the force necessary for raising the movable nose 2 from the tilted position, the state shown in FIG. In the process of shifting to the state, the tension spring 5 hardly extends, and the retaining pin 7 remains located at the front end of the long hole 4a. Further, the movable nose 2 has reached a predetermined standing position in the state of FIG. 2 and covers the insertion port.
[0016]
Thus, even after the movable nose 2 is moved to a predetermined standing position in accordance with the rotation of the drive gear 6 during the door closing operation, the front panel device does not immediately stop the rotation drive of the motor 8 and further rotates the drive gear 6. Although the predetermined amount is applied, the position of the movable nose 2 is already restricted by the main body device 1 and the drive lever 4 cannot be retracted. Therefore, when the drive gear 6 is further rotated clockwise in the state of FIG. The pin 7 slides to the rear end portion of the long hole 4a while extending the tension spring 5. When the tension spring 5 is extended to some extent, the driven portion 11a of the lock lever 11 is urged by the presser spring 12 and pressed against the flat portion 10a of the cam surface of the cam plate 10 as shown in FIG. Thus, the claw portion 11b of the lock lever 11 locks the locked portion 2a of the movable nose 2. Thus, when the lock lever 11 reaches the lock position where the movable nose 2 in the standing posture is locked, the motor 8 is stopped driving, so that the movable nose 2 is mechanically locked at the predetermined standing position. In addition, since the movable nose 2 in the locked state is elastically biased toward the main body device 1 by the extended tension spring 5, no backlash occurs even if the vehicle is subjected to vibrations or the like.
[0017]
If the motor 8 is driven in reverse while the movable nose 2 is locked in the closed state, the drive gear 6 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 and the latch pin 7 moves toward the front end of the long hole 4a. As the sliding movement proceeds, the extended tension spring 5 contracts, and the cam surface of the cam plate 10 pushes up the driven portion 11 a of the lock lever 11 against the biasing force of the presser spring 12. Accordingly, the claw portion 11b of the lock lever 11 is detached from the locked portion 2a of the movable nose 2 and returns to the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the movable nose 2 is already unlocked, and the latch pin 7 is engaged with the front end of the long hole 4a. Thereafter, the drive gear 6 further rotates counterclockwise as shown in the figure. As the operation proceeds, the drive lever 4 is driven by the latch pin 7 and moves forward, so that the movable nose 2 rotates around the support shaft 3 and tilts, resulting in the state shown in FIG. The drive is stopped. When the movable nose 2 is tilted to the maximum tilt position in this way, the insertion slot is exposed, so that a medium such as MD or CD can be inserted into the main body apparatus 1 or discharged from the main body apparatus 1.
[0018]
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view when the movable nose is locked when the front panel device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is closed, and FIG. 5 is when the movable nose is not locked when the front panel device is closed. The parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are given the same reference numerals.
[0019]
In the front panel device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive pin 15 protrudes from the side of the drive gear 6, and the cam groove 16 for engaging with the drive pin 15 is provided in the lock lever 11. The lock lever 11 is always urged counterclockwise by the pressurizing spring 17, and the mechanism for driving the lock lever 11 is greatly different from the first embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, the drive gear 6 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing, and the movable nose 2 is moved to a predetermined standing position via a tension spring and a drive lever (not shown) as in the first embodiment. Thereafter, when the drive gear 6 is further rotated in the same direction while extending the tension spring, the drive pin 15 enters and engages with the cam groove 16, and the drive pin 15 is biased by the pressurizing spring 17. Against this, the lock lever 11 is pushed up to the lock position shown in FIG. Further, the lock lever 11 that is held in the locked position and engages the movable nose 2 is pushed down as the drive pin 15 moves in the cam groove 16 when the drive gear 6 is rotated clockwise in the figure. Therefore, after the drive pin 15 is detached from the cam groove 16, the lock lever 11 is pushed down by the urging force of the pressurizing spring 17 and the state shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.
[0020]
4 and 5 indicate a bracket attached to the main body device 1. The bracket 18 is provided at a position facing the bracket 13 in FIGS. The bracket 18 is provided with a semicircular arc-shaped escape hole 14 that allows the latch pin 7 to move.
[0021]
Thus, when the lock lever 11 is engaged with and disengaged from the movable nose 2, the position of the lock lever 11 is defined by the position of the drive pin 15 in the cam groove 16. Since the operation timing can be accurately defined by the driving gear 6, the reliability of the locking operation and the unlocking operation is further improved. Further, with such a configuration, even if an impact is applied to the lock lever 11 held at the lock position and locking the movable nose 2, the lock lever 11 is locked unless the large driving gear 6 rotates. Since it cannot be moved in the release direction, a more reliable locked state can be realized. Note that the configuration of the present embodiment that is not particularly described is basically the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.
[0023]
When the drive gear is rotated in one direction using the motor as the drive source, the movable nose can be locked to the lock lever after the movable nose is moved to a predetermined standing position, so that the movable nose is mechanically locked. As safety is enhanced, the movable nose in the closed state is elastically biased toward the main body by the tension spring and no rattling occurs, so rattle noise can be reliably prevented. In addition, since the lock lever can be engaged with or released from the movable nose by extending or contracting the tension spring interposed in the driving force transmission system, the lock mechanism can be realized without complicating the configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram when a movable nose is locked in a closed state of a front panel device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when the movable nose is not locked in the closed state of the front panel device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an open state of the front panel device shown in FIGS.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram when a movable nose is locked in a closed state of a front panel device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view when the movable nose is not locked in the closed state of the front panel device shown in FIG. 4;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body apparatus 2 Movable nose 2a Locked part 3 Support shaft 4 Drive lever 4a Long hole 5 Tension spring 6 Drive gear 7 Latching pin 8 Motor 9 Reduction gear group 10 Cam plate 11 Lock lever 11a Driven part 11b Claw part 12 Presser spring 15 Drive pin 16 Cam groove 17 Pressurizing spring

Claims (4)

A movable nose disposed on the front surface of the main unit and movable between an upright position and a tilted position, a driving gear that rotates using a motor provided in the main unit as a driving source, and the movable nose by rotation of the driving gear The movable lever in the upright position is operated by a drive lever that causes the movement to move, a tension spring interposed between the drive lever and the drive gear, and a drive body that rotates integrally with the drive gear. With a lock lever that can lock the nose,
Both ends of the tension spring are latched to the drive lever and a latch pin provided on the drive gear, respectively, and a long hole through which the latch pin is inserted is provided in the drive lever, so that the movable nose is tilted. In the process of moving from the standing position to the standing position, by transmitting the rotational force in one direction of the driving gear to the driving lever via the tension spring, the movable nose is moved to the standing position and stopped, By further rotating the drive gear in the same direction, the latch pin moves along the elongated hole to extend the tension spring, and the drive body locks the lock lever to the movable nose. A front panel device for a vehicle-mounted device, characterized in that it is configured as described above. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , wherein a cam plate provided on a side surface of the drive gear is formed as the drive body, and the lock lever is brought into contact with the cam surface of the cam plate. Front panel device. The front panel device for on-vehicle equipment according to claim 2 , further comprising a presser spring that constantly biases a part of the lock lever with respect to the cam surface. 2. The drive pin according to claim 1 , wherein a drive pin projecting laterally of the drive gear is used as the drive body, a cam groove engageable with the drive pin is provided in the lock lever, and at least the lock lever is movable. A front panel device for a vehicle-mounted device, wherein the position of the lock lever is defined by the position of the drive pin in the cam groove when engaging and disengaging the nose.

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