JP4580703B2 - Locking structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a locking structure in which, for example, a locking protrusion is provided on a base body, and an elastic locking member having a locking hole into which the locking protrusion enters the assembly is provided.

  As this type of conventional locking structure, a structure that locks the lower housing 100 and the upper housing 101 constituting the meter device as shown in FIG. 4 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this locking structure, locking protrusions 102 are provided at appropriate positions on the outer peripheral surface of the lower housing 100. On the outer peripheral wall of the upper housing 101, an elastic locking portion 103 that can be bent and deformed is projected. The elastic locking portion 103 is formed with a locking hole 104 into which the locking projection 102 is inserted.

  In the above configuration, the lower housing 100 and the upper housing 101 are aligned at a predetermined assembly position and brought close to each other so that the locking hole 104 of the elastic locking portion 103 matches the position of the locking protrusion 102. It has become. Then, the elastic protrusion 103 is elastically deformed so that the engaging protrusion 102 enters the engaging hole 104. As a result, the elastic locking portion 103 is locked to the locking projection 102.

By the way, the meter device assembled by assembling the lower housing 100 and the upper housing 101 or the like is transported to a predetermined place and assembled to the vehicle. An external force may act on the lower housing 100 or the upper housing 101 when the meter device is transported or assembled to a vehicle, and the external force may act on the elastic locking portion 103 or the locking projection 102. Then, the external force is received by the locking force between the elastic locking portion 103 and the locking projection 102, and the assembly between the lower housing 100 and the upper housing 101 is held.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-63406 (first page, FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional locking structure, the external force is received only by the locking force between the elastic locking portion 103 and the locking projection 102. The locking force between the elastic locking portion 103 and the locking protrusion 102 depends on the bending rigidity of the elastic locking portion 103 and the member strength of the elastic locking portion 103 and the locking protrusion 102 itself. When an external force exceeding the member strength is applied, the elastic locking portion 103 is further deformed and the locking with the locking projection 102 is released, or the elastic locking portion 103 and the locking projection 102 are damaged. was there.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the elastic locking portion from being bent and deformed by an external force acting on the base body or the assembled body after assembly, or the elastic locking portion and the locking projection portion from being damaged. An object of the present invention is to provide a locking structure that can be used.

The invention according to claim 1 is a main body case which is a base body to which meter parts are fixed, a turn-back member which is an assembly body which is assembled to the front side of the main body case and clearly shows the contents of the meter, and the main body case Used for metering equipment with a back cover, which is another assembled body assembled on the rear side, and provided with a locking projection on one of the main body case and the turning member, and deformed flexibly on the other An elastic locking portion that is free and has a locking hole is provided, and the locking by deformation of the elastic locking portion at a position where the locking hole of the elastic locking portion coincides with the position of the locking projection. In the locking structure in which the locking protrusion is inserted into the hole and the elastic locking portion is locked to the locking protrusion, the elastic locking portion is disposed at a position close to the elastic locking portion, and A protective wall that regulates the transition is provided, and the protective wall is The tip protection wall portion disposed along the outer peripheral end surface of the tip wall portion of the elastic locking portion, and the side protection wall portion disposed along the outer peripheral end surface of the side wall portion of the elastic locking portion, At least a part of the tip protective wall is provided on the back cover assembled to the main body case .

The invention of claim 2 is a locking structure according to claim 1, wherein the protective wall is characterized in that it is set in thickness over the height of the elastic locking portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an external force acts on the base body or the assembled body after assembling and the elastic locking portion attempts to shift relative to the locking projection by the external force, The protective wall portion comes into contact with the portion, and the change of the elastic locking portion is restricted. That is, the external force acting on the base body and the assembly is received by the locking force between the elastic locking portion and the locking projection and also received by the protective wall portion that prevents the elastic locking portion from changing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the elastic locking portion from being detached due to bending or deformation, and further, the elastic locking portion and the locking projection portion from being damaged. Further, the displacement of the tip wall portion having the largest displacement amount among the elastic locking portions is restricted. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the elastic locking portion from being detached due to bending or deformation, and the elastic locking portion and the locking projection from being damaged. Furthermore, the transition of the side wall portion of the elastic locking portion is restricted. By combining with the tip protective wall, it is possible to reliably prevent the elastic locking part from being detached due to bending or deformation, and the elastic locking part and the locking projection part from being damaged.
In addition, since the external force acting on the base body and assembly can be distributed to other assemblies, damage to the base body and assembly caused by external force can be reduced, and the amount of displacement within the elastic locking part is the largest. Since the external force acting on the large tip wall portion can be distributed to the other assembly, the external force can be distributed to the other assembly.

According to the invention of claim 2 , in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the entire thickness direction of the outer peripheral end surface of the elastic latching portion to be displaced abuts against the protective wall portion. Transition can be regulated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment in which the locking structure of the present invention is applied to a locking structure for assembling a facing member to a case main body of a meter device, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the meter device 1 is a main body case 2 that is a base body to which meter parts are fixed, and an assembly that is assembled to the front side of the main body case 2 and clearly shows the contents of the meter. A facing member 3 and a back cover 4 which is another assembled body assembled to the rear side of the main body case 2 are provided.

  The main body case 2 is provided with locking projections 5 at appropriate positions on the outer peripheral surface 2a. The surface on the rear end side of the locking projection 5 is formed as a tapered surface 5 a that gradually increases in the locking direction D of the turning member 3. The front end surface of the locking projection 5 is formed as a vertical surface 5b.

  The turn-back member 3 is provided with an elastic locking frame 6 that is an elastic locking portion at an appropriate position. The elastic locking frame 6 has a rectangular frame shape from a pair of left and right side wall portions 6a, 6a fixed at one end to the turn-back member 3 and a front end wall portion 6b connecting the ends of the pair of side wall portions 6a, 6a. And projecting in the locking direction D of the facing member 3. The elastic locking frame 6 is formed with a locking hole 7 surrounded by a pair of side wall portions 6a, 6a and a tip wall portion 6b. The opening size of the locking hole 7 is set to be slightly larger than the planar size of the locking projection 5.

  The back cover 4 is assembled to the main body case 2 by locking means (not shown). The back cover 4 is provided with a front end protective wall portion 11 constituting a protective wall portion 10 extending on the outer peripheral surface 2 a of the main body case 2. The tip protection wall portion 11 has a concave groove 11a along the shape of the outer peripheral end surface of the tip wall portion 6b of the elastic locking frame 6, and is disposed at a position close to the tip wall portion 6b. Specifically, the outer peripheral end surfaces of the tip wall portion 6b and the tip protection wall portion 11 are arranged at positions where they substantially contact each other. The tip protection wall portion 11 has a height dimension that is approximately the same as the thickness dimension of the elastic locking frame body 6.

  The protective wall portion 10 is composed of the above-described tip protective wall portion 11 and side protective wall portions 12a and 12b. The side protection walls 12a and 12b are formed in the main body case 2 and are formed by setting a part of the outer peripheral surface 2a one step higher than the other surfaces. The side protection wall portions 12a and 12b are a pair of side wall portions 6a and 6a of the elastic locking frame 6, and are disposed at close positions where the tip protection wall 11 is not disposed. Specifically, the outer peripheral end surfaces of the side protection wall portions 12a and 12b and the side wall portions 6a and 6b are disposed at positions where they substantially contact each other. In this embodiment, the protection wall portion 10 including the tip protection wall portion 11 and the side protection wall portions 12 a and 12 b is disposed over the entire outer peripheral end surface of the elastic locking frame 6.

  In the above configuration, the main body case 2 and the facing member 3 are aligned at a predetermined assembly position and brought close to each other. Then, the distal end wall 6 b rides on the locking projection 5 due to the bending deformation of the elastic locking frame 6. Thereby, the movement of the elastic locking frame 6 in the locking direction D is allowed. When the movement of the elastic locking frame body 6 in the locking direction D proceeds and the locking hole 7 of the elastic locking frame body 6 coincides with the position of the locking projection 5, the elastic locking frame body 6 bends and deforms to return. Then, the locking projection 5 enters the locking hole 7. As a result, the elastic locking frame 6 is locked to the locking projection 5.

  In addition, the back cover 4 is assembled to the main body case 2 after or before the turning member 3 is assembled to the main body case 2. When the turning member 3 and the back cover 4 are assembled to the main body case 2, the elastic locking frame body 6 is locked to the locking protrusion 5, and the protective wall portion 10 is positioned in the vicinity of the elastic locking frame body 6. The tip protection wall 11 and the side protection walls 12a and 12b are arranged.

  When the external force acts on the main body case 2 and the turn-back member 3 on the meter device 1 assembled in this way, and the elastic locking frame body 6 tries to shift by the external force, the protective wall portion 10 is attached to the elastic locking frame body 6. The end protection wall 11 and the side protection walls 12a and 12b come into contact with each other, and the displacement of the elastic locking frame 6 is restricted. That is, the protective wall 10 that receives external force acting on the main body case 2 and the turning member 3 by the locking force between the elastic locking frame 6 and the locking projection 5 and prevents the elastic locking frame 6 from shifting. Also receive. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the elastic locking frame body 6 from coming off due to the bending deformation and the elastic locking frame body 6 and the locking projection 5 from being damaged as much as possible.

  In this embodiment, the tip protection part 11 regulates the transition of the tip wall part 6b having the largest transition amount in the elastic locking part 6. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent the elastic locking frame body 6 from coming off and the elastic locking frame body 6 and the locking projection 5 from being damaged.

  In this embodiment, the lateral protection walls 12a and 12b regulate the displacement of the side wall portions 6a and 6a of the elastic locking frame 6. That is, the tip protection wall portion 11 and the side protection walls 12a and 12b can more reliably prevent the elastic locking frame body 6 from being detached due to bending deformation and the elastic locking frame body 6 and the locking projection portion 5 from being damaged. . Further, the tip protection wall 11 and the side protection walls 12 a and 12 b arranged around the entire circumference of the elastic locking frame 6 also function as a protector for preventing inadvertent contact with the elastic locking frame 6. To do. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent inadvertent release of the elastic locking frame 6 which is not intended by the operator.

  In this embodiment, the entire thickness direction of the outer peripheral end surface of the elastic locking frame 6 abuts against the tip protection wall portion 11 and the side protection wall portions 12a and 12b. Therefore, the displacement of the elastic locking frame body 6 can be reliably regulated. In the embodiment, the tip protection wall portion 11 and the side direction protection wall portions 12a and 12b are set to the same height as the thickness of the elastic locking frame 6, but the elastic locking frame It may be set higher than the thickness dimension of 6. The higher the thickness of the elastic locking frame 6 is, the more effectively the deformation of the elastic locking frame 6 can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, since the front end protection wall portion 11 is provided on the back cover 4 other than the main body case 2 and the look-back member 3, the external force can be distributed to the back cover 4. Can reduce damage. In particular, since the external force acting on the tip wall portion 6b having the largest displacement amount in the elastic locking frame 6 can be distributed to the back cover 4, the external force can be effectively distributed to the back cover 4. In this embodiment, only the tip protective wall portion 11 of the protective wall portion 10 is provided on the back cover 4, but the entire protective wall portion 10 may be provided on the back cover 4.

  In addition, according to the embodiment, the case where the base body is the main body case 2 and the assembled body is the turning member 3 is shown, but the present invention can of course be applied to other cases.

  In the embodiment, the main body case 2 that is the base body is provided with the locking projection 5, and the turning member 3 that is the assembly is provided with the elastic locking frame 6 that is the elastic locking portion. The main body case 2 may be provided with an elastic locking frame 6 as an elastic locking portion.

  In addition, in embodiment, although the locking hole 7 of the elastic locking frame 6 which is an elastic locking part is a through-hole opened on an upper surface, you may form as a hole which does not open on an upper surface.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part showing the embodiment of the present invention and showing a state in which a facing member is assembled to a case body and an elastic locking frame is locked to a locking projection. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of the present invention and is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view before the latching of the latching structure of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Meter device 2 Body case (base body)
3 facing parts (assembly)
4 Back cover (other assembly)
5 Locking projection 6 Elastic locking frame (elastic locking)
6a Side wall part 6b Tip wall part 7 Locking hole 10 Protection wall part 11 Tip protection wall part 12a, 12b Side protection wall part

Claims (2)

A main body case that is a base body to which meter parts are fixed, a turning member that is assembled to the front side of the main body case and clearly shows the contents of the meter, and other parts that are assembled to the rear side of the main body case Used in a meter device provided with a back cover that is an assembly of the main body case and the turning member provided with a locking projection, the other is flexible and deformable, and has a locking hole. An elastic locking portion is provided, and the locking protrusion is inserted into the locking hole by deformation of the elastic locking portion at a position where the locking hole of the elastic locking portion matches the position of the locking protrusion. In the locking structure that enters and the elastic locking portion locks to the locking projection,
Provided in the proximity position of the elastic locking portion, and provided with a protective wall portion that regulates the transition of the elastic locking portion;
The protection wall portion includes a tip protection wall portion disposed along an outer peripheral end surface of the tip wall portion of the elastic locking portion;
It consists of a side protection wall portion arranged along the outer peripheral end surface of the side wall portion of the elastic locking portion,
At least a part of the tip protective wall is provided on the back cover assembled to the main body case . The locking structure according to claim 1,
The locking structure according to claim 1, wherein the protective wall portion is set to a height equal to or greater than a thickness dimension of the elastic locking portion.

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