Connection structure
The connection structure uses an elastic claw rotating around a center to align force directions for stable engagement, addressing the challenge of easy detachment and assembly complexity in existing connection systems.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023105913
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing connection structures using elastically deformable claws for connecting members, such as a carrier plate and guide rail, face challenges where making the claws easier to flex facilitates detachment, while making them harder to bend complicates assembly.
A connection structure where a first member and a second member are connected via an elastic claw that rotates around a defined rotation center, with a pressed portion and an engaging portion, allowing easy assembly while preventing detachment by aligning force directions to enhance engagement stability.
Facilitates connection between members while preventing them from coming apart, ensuring secure attachment and reducing the likelihood of separation.
Smart Images
Figure 2025005653000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a connection structure. [Background technology]
[0002] For example, in Patent Document 1, a window regulator that raises and lowers a window glass uses a structure in which a carrier plate is connected to a guide rail by a snap fit using elastically deformable claws provided on the carrier plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-8483 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, in a structure in which two components are connected to each other using elastically deformable claws, such as the carrier plate and guide rail described above, if the claws are made flexible to make it easier to attach the components, one component will be more likely to come off the other component. On the other hand, if the claws are made less flexible to make it harder for one component to come off the other component, it will be more difficult to attach the components.
[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a connection structure in which a first member and a second member are connected to each other, which facilitates the connection between the first member and the second member and prevents the first member and the second member from coming loose from each other. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The connection structure of the present invention is a connection structure comprising a first member and a second member, and wherein the second member moves relative to the first member in a predetermined movement direction to connect the second member to the first member, the first member comprising a main body and an elastic claw extending from the main body and configured to be elastically deformable so as to rotate around a rotation center provided at a connection point with the main body, the elastic claw comprising an arm portion extending from the rotation center and a claw portion provided at an end of the arm portion on the opposite side to the rotation center, the claw portion comprising a pressed portion that comes into contact with and is pressed against the second member when the second member moves in the movement direction, and a pressed portion that is pressed against the second member when the second member is in a connection completion position in which the second member is connected to the first member, The elastic claw is provided with an engagement portion that is located on the removal direction side, which is the opposite direction to the movement direction, relative to the second member and is capable of engaging with the second member, and the elastic claw is configured to bend in a first rotation direction about the rotation center when the second member is connected to the first member by the second member pressing the pressed portion, and the position of the rotation center is set so that when a force is applied to the second member in the removal direction, the direction of the force applied from the second member to the engagement portion faces toward a second rotation direction side that is opposite to the first rotation direction with respect to a virtual line passing through the rotation center and the engagement portion, and the elastic claw receives a force from the second member to rotate in the second rotation direction. Effect of the Invention
[0007] According to the connection structure of the present invention, in a connection structure in which a first member and a second member are connected to each other, the connection between the first member and the second member is facilitated and the first member and the second member are prevented from coming loose from each other. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a window regulator provided with a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged view of a portion in which the connection structure of FIG. 1 is provided. [Diagram 3] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a state in which a guide rail is connected to a carrier plate. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a resilient claw of the carrier plate; [Figure 5A] 13 is a view showing the elastic claws of the carrier plate as viewed in the thickness direction of the main body. FIG. [Figure 5B] 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VB-VB in FIG. 5A. [Figure 6] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a force applied to the elastic claw from the guide rail when the guide rail receives a force in a direction in which the guide rail separates; FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the elastic claw is bent in a first rotation direction when the guide rail is connected to the carrier plate. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a schematic view showing a state in which the elastic claw is bent in a second rotation direction when the guide rail receives a force to separate from the carrier plate. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is a schematic diagram showing a reference example in which the elastic claws extend perpendicularly from a first surface of the main body. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] Hereinafter, a connection structure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the connection structure of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.
[0010] In this specification, the terms "perpendicular to A" and similar expressions do not only refer to a direction completely perpendicular to A, but also refer to a direction that is approximately perpendicular to A. In this specification, the terms "parallel to B" and similar expressions do not only refer to a direction that is completely parallel to B, but also refer to a direction that is approximately parallel to B. In this specification, the terms "C-shape" and similar expressions do not only refer to a perfect C-shape, but also refer to a shape that visually resembles a C-shape (approximately a C-shape).
[0011] The connection structure S (see FIG. 1) of this embodiment includes a first member 1 and a second member 2, and the second member 2 moves relative to the first member 1 in a predetermined movement direction MD1 (see FIG. 3), thereby connecting the second member 2 to the first member 1. Here, the "relative movement" of the second member 2 with respect to the first member 1 includes the second member 2 moving relative to the first member 1 while the first member 1 is stationary, the first member 1 moving relative to the second member 2 while the second member 2 is stationary, and both the first member 1 and the second member 2 moving relative to each other. The "predetermined movement direction" is a direction in which the second member 2 and the first member 1 move closer to each other due to the above-mentioned relative movement between the first member 1 and the second member 2, and this direction may be a linear movement direction or a curved movement direction. In this embodiment, the second member 2 moves relative to the first member 1 in a predetermined movement direction MD1 while the movement of the second member 2 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the movement direction MD1 (the width direction D2 described later) relative to the first member 1 is restricted.
[0012] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first member 1 is a carrier plate of the window regulator WR (hereinafter, the first member 1 is also referred to as the carrier plate 1), and the second member 2 is a guide rail of the window regulator WR (hereinafter, the second member 2 is also referred to as the guide rail 2). However, the combination of the first member 1 and the second member 2 is not limited to the combination of the carrier plate and the guide rail. The combination of the first member and the second member may be a combination of other members, such as, for example, a combination of a casing connected to each other in a vehicle and a lid that closes the casing. In the following description of this specification, the "carrier plate" can be read as the "first member", and the "first member" can be read as the "carrier plate". Similarly, the "guide rail" can be read as the "second member", and the "second member" can be read as the "guide rail". In this embodiment, the first member 1 and the second member 2 are configured as separate bodies, but as long as the first member and the second member are capable of moving relative to each other and are connectable to each other, the first member and the second member may be provided as an integral unit (for example, the first member and the second member may be provided as an integral unit by a hinge and configured to be connected by rotating and moving relative to each other).
[0013] Below, the connection structure S will be described using as an example a connection structure S provided on a window regulator WR, in which the first member is a carrier plate 1 and the second member is a guide rail 2; however, the connection structure S is not limited to the following example.
[0014] In this embodiment, the window regulator WR includes a drive unit DR, a first cable C1 connected to the drive unit DR, and a second cable C2 connected to the drive unit DR, as shown in Fig. 1. The window regulator WR also includes a carrier plate 1, which is a first member, and a guide rail 2, which is a second member. In this embodiment, the connection structure S is provided in a part of the window regulator WR, specifically, in a part where the carrier plate 1 and the guide rail 2 are connected, as shown in Fig. 1.
[0015] The window regulator WR drives the first cable C1 and the second cable C2 by the drive unit DR to move the carrier plate 1 along the guide rail 2. This causes the window glass W attached to the carrier plate 1 to rise and fall. The window regulator WR is attached to a predetermined attachment target. Specifically, the window regulator WR is attached to a door panel (not shown) of the vehicle body to which it is attached.
[0016] The drive unit DR is a drive source that drives the first cable C1 and the second cable C2 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as the cable C). The drive unit DR may be one that drives the cable C electrically or manually. In this embodiment, the drive unit DR includes a motor DR1 and a drum DR2 as shown in FIG. 1. The motor DR1 is configured to be capable of rotating forward and reverse, and rotates the drum DR2 forward and reverse. As a result, the cable C connected to the drum DR2 is wound onto the drum DR2 and unwound from the drum DR2.
[0017] The cable C is operated by a drive unit DR to move the carrier plate 1 connected to the cable C in the lifting and lowering direction of the window glass W (the up and down direction in FIG. 1). The cable C has a first cable C1 and a second cable C2. In this embodiment, the first cable C1 is an ascending wire that pulls the carrier plate 1 in the ascending direction when the window glass W is raised. The second cable C2 is a descending wire that pulls the carrier plate 1 in the descending direction when the window glass W is lowered. The first cable C1 and the second cable C2 can be cables used in known window regulators.
[0018] One end C11 of the first cable C1 is connected to the carrier plate 1, and the other end (not shown) of the first cable C1 is connected to the drum DR2 of the drive unit DR. In this embodiment, the one end C11 of the first cable C1 is connected to a first fitting portion 111a provided on the carrier plate 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The other end of the first cable C1 is wound around the drum DR2 and then connected to an end fixing portion (not shown) provided on an end surface or the like of the drum DR2. In addition, one end C21 of the second cable C2 is connected to the carrier plate 1, and the other end (not shown) of the second cable C2 is connected to the drum DR2 of the drive unit DR. In this embodiment, the one end C21 of the second cable C2 is connected to a second fitting portion 111b provided on the carrier plate 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The other end of the second cable C2 is wound around the drum DR2 and then connected to an end fixing portion (not shown) provided on an end surface or the like of the drum DR2.
[0019] 1, the first cable C1 extends from one end C11 connected to the carrier plate 1 toward the upper end of the guide rail 2, and is redirected by a direction-changing member 3 provided on the upper end side of the guide rail 2 to extend toward the lower end (see FIG. 1) of the guide rail 2. The second cable C2 extends from one end C21 connected to the carrier plate 1 toward the lower end of the guide rail 2.
[0020] The guide rail 2, which is the second member, is connected to the carrier plate 1, which is the first member, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The guide rail 2 guides the carrier plate 1 so that the carrier plate 1 moves along a predetermined moving path. The guide rail 2 has a predetermined length to move the carrier plate 1 by a predetermined moving length. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a driving unit DR is provided on the lower end side of the guide rail 2, and a direction changing member 3 is provided on the upper end side. The guide rail 2 is fixed to an attachment object such as a door panel of a vehicle by a known fixing means such as a bolt. In this embodiment, the guide rail 2 is formed in a long and narrow plate shape extending along the moving path of the carrier plate 1, and is curved in a bow shape along the length direction of the guide rail so as to follow the curvature of the attachment object (e.g., a door panel, etc.). However, the shape of the guide rail 2 is not particularly limited as long as it can guide the carrier plate 1 along the predetermined moving path. The material of the guide rail 2 can be, for example, metal or hard resin, but is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a predetermined rigidity required to withstand the tension applied by the cable C.
[0021] 2 and 3, the guide rail 2 includes an engaged portion (first engaged portion) 21a provided on one of both sides in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2) of the guide rail 2 and engaged with an elastic claw 12 of the carrier plate 1 described later in the thickness direction of the guide rail 2, and an engaged portion (second engaged portion) 21b provided on the other side in the width direction and engaged with an engaging claw 112 of the carrier plate 1 described later in the thickness direction of the guide rail 2 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the first engaged portion 21a and the second engaged portion 21b are flat plate-shaped portions provided at the end of the width direction of the guide rail 2 so as to be approximately parallel to the first surface 11a of the carrier plate 1 at a connection completion position (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3) in which the connection of the guide rail 2 to the carrier plate 1 is completed. In this embodiment, the guide rail 2 has a center portion 21c provided between the first engaged portion 21a and the second engaged portion 21b in the width direction of the guide rail 2. The central portion 21c extends substantially parallel to the first engaged portion 21a and the second engaged portion 21b, and is connected to the first engaged portion 21a and the second engaged portion 21b by the extending portions 21d that bend and extend substantially perpendicularly to the central portion 21c from both sides in the width direction of the central portion 21c. The guide rail is not limited to the shape shown in Fig. 3, and various known shapes can be adopted. The back surface of the first engaged portion 21a (the surface facing the first surface 11a) becomes the pressing portion 21e that presses the pressed portion 122a of the elastic claw 12 described later.
[0022] A carrier plate 1, which is a first member, is connected to a guide rail 2, which is a second member. In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 is configured to move along the guide rail 2. As described above, the first member is not limited to the carrier plate 1.
[0023] As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the carrier plate 1, which is the first member, includes a main body 11 and elastic claws 12 extending from the main body 11 and configured to be elastically deformable so as to rotate around a rotation center provided at a connection point with the main body 11. In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 also has a window glass connection portion 13 as shown in Fig. 2. The window glass W is attached directly or indirectly to the window glass connection portion 13. The material constituting the carrier plate 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a synthetic resin used for known carrier plates.
[0024] The main body 11 is a portion that serves as a base on which the elastic claws 12 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the main body 11 is configured to hold the guide rail 2, which is the second member, together with the elastic claws 12. The shape and structure of the main body 11 are not particularly limited as long as the main body 11 serves as a base on which the elastic claws 12 are provided and can hold the guide rail 2. In this embodiment, the main body 11 is configured by a plate-like member having a first surface 11a and a second surface 11b opposite to the first surface 11a, as shown in FIG. 3. Note that the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b do not need to be flat surfaces, and may have unevenness on the surface, or may be curved instead of flat. In this embodiment, the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b are parallel to each other, but may be non-parallel to each other.
[0025] In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 (main body 11) includes a first fitting portion 111a into which the first cable C1 fits, and a second fitting portion 111b into which the second cable C2 fits, as shown in Fig. 2. One end C11 of the first cable C1 engages with the first fitting portion 111a, and one end C21 of the second cable C2 engages with the second fitting portion 111b. This allows the cable C to be connected to the carrier plate 1, and the carrier plate 1 can be driven along the guide rail 2 by driving the cable C. Note that the first fitting portion 111a and the second fitting portion 111b may be provided with an elastic member, such as a spring for stretching the cable C.
[0026] 2, in this embodiment, the first fitting portion 111a is provided on the opposite side in the width direction from the elastic claw 12 with the guide rail 2, which is the second member, sandwiched therebetween, and the second fitting portion 111b is also provided on the opposite side in the width direction from the elastic claw 12 with the guide rail 2, which is the second member, sandwiched therebetween. That is, the first fitting portion 111a and the second fitting portion 111b are not provided at a position overlapping with the guide rail 2 in the width direction, but are located outside the guide rail 2 with respect to the side edge of the guide rail 2 in the width direction. Note that in this embodiment, the second fitting portion 111b is provided at a position offset in the width direction from the first fitting portion 111a, but the first fitting portion 111a and the second fitting portion 111b may be located at the same position in the width direction (positions spaced apart by the same distance in the width direction from the side edge of the guide rail 2).
[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the main body 11 has an engagement claw 112 with which the other of both widthwise sides of the guide rail 2 (the second engaged portion 21b) engages. The other of both widthwise sides of the guide rail 2 (the second engaged portion 21b) engages with the engagement claw 112, and one widthwise side of the guide rail 2 (the first engaged portion 21a) engages with the elastic claw 12, thereby completing the connection of the guide rail 2 to the carrier plate 1 (see the solid line in FIG. 3; connection completion position). The engagement claw 112 engages in the thickness direction of the guide rail 2 so that the carrier plate 1 can move along the guide rail 2, but does not engage in the length direction of the guide rail 2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an engagement recess 14 into which the second engaged portion 21b of the guide rail 2 fits is provided on one surface 11a of the main body 11, and the engagement claw 112 is provided to face the second engaged portion 21b that fits into the engagement recess 14 in the thickness direction of the guide rail 2. The engaging claw may have other configurations, such as an engaging claw protruding from one surface 11a of the main body 11, so long as it can engage with the guide rail 2. As described later, the guide rail 2 rotates toward the elastic claw 12 from the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 to the state shown by the solid line, using the engaging point with the engaging claw 112 (inside the engaging recess 14) as a fulcrum (moves in the moving direction MD1 (see FIG. 3)). As a result, a part of the guide rail 2 (first engaged portion 21a) engages with the elastic claw 12, and the guide rail 2 is connected to the carrier plate 1.
[0028] The elastic claw 12 is elastically deformed when it is connected to the guide rail 2, which is the second member. Specifically, when the guide rail 2 moves in a predetermined moving direction MD1 relative to the carrier plate 1 (or the carrier plate 1 moves relative to the guide rail 2), the elastic claw 12 is elastically deformed (see FIG. 7), allowing the guide rail 2 to move to a final connection completion position (see the solid line in FIG. 3). When the guide rail 2 reaches the final connection completion position, the elastic claw 12 elastically returns to its initial state and engages with the guide rail 2. This prevents the guide rail 2 from coming off the carrier plate 1. In this embodiment, the elastic claw 12 engages with one of both sides in the width direction of the guide rail 2 (first engaged portion 21a), and the engaging claw 112 engages with the other side in the width direction of the guide rail 2 (second engaged portion 21b). This prevents the guide rail 2 from coming off the carrier plate 1. In this embodiment, the elastic claw 12 is made of a resin material formed integrally with the main body 11. As will be described in more detail later, as shown in FIG. 7, when the guide rail 2, which is the second member, is connected to the carrier plate 1, which is the first member, the guide rail 2 presses the pressed portion 122a of the elastic claw 12, which will be described later, so that the elastic claw 12 bends in a first rotational direction RD1 around the rotation center RC.
[0029] In this embodiment, the rotation center RC of the elastic claw 12 is a connection part with the main body 11, where the elastic claw 12 bends so as to change its posture when a force is applied to the elastic claw 12, among the elastic claws 12 provided integrally with the main body 11. In this embodiment, the elastic claw 12 is configured to be elastically deformed mainly at the rotation center RC, and the entire elastic claw 12 rotates around the rotation center RC (see FIG. 7). In this embodiment, the part that becomes the rotation center RC of the elastic claw 12 has lower rigidity than other parts of the elastic claw 12 (e.g., arm parts 121 and claw parts 122, which will be described later, other than the peripheral parts of the rotation center RC), and is configured to be more easily deformed than other parts of the elastic claw 12 when a force is applied to the elastic claw 12 from the guide rail 2. As a result, the elastic claw 12 is configured to rotate around the rotation center RC. Note that when the elastic claw 12 rotates around the rotation center RC, other parts of the elastic claw 12 (e.g., arm parts 121 and claw parts 122) may also be slightly deformed. In this specification, among the rotation directions of the elastic claw 12 centered on the rotation center RC, the direction in which the pressed portion 122a of the elastic claw 12 is pressed and rotated by the guide rail 2 when the guide rail 2 is connected to the carrier plate 1 is referred to as the first rotation direction RD1, and the rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction RD1 is referred to as the second rotation direction RD2.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5B, the elastic claw 12 includes an arm portion 121 extending from a rotation center RC, and a claw portion 122 provided at an end of the arm portion 121 opposite to the rotation center RC.
[0031] The arm portion 121 is a portion that extends from the rotation center RC to the claw portion 122. The arm portion 121 is configured to rotate mainly around the rotation center RC. The shape and structure of the arm portion 121 are not limited to the structure shown in the figures. In this embodiment, the arm portion 121 includes a first extension portion 121a and a second extension portion 121b, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5B.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5B, the first extension portion 121a extends from the first surface 11a in the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11, which is the direction connecting the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b. The first extension portion 121a is connected to the second extension portion 121b, and in this embodiment, the first extension portion 121a and the second extension portion 121b are arranged in a substantially L-shape. A claw portion 122 protrudes from the end of the first extension portion 121a opposite to the end connected to the second extension portion 121b. In addition, in the main body 11, the direction along the width direction of the guide rail 2 is called the width direction D2 of the main body 11, and the direction along the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 2 is called the height direction D3 of the main body 11. In addition, the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11 can also be said to be the thickness direction of the guide rail 2, the width direction D2 of the main body 11 can also be said to be the width direction of the guide rail 2, and the height direction D3 of the main body 11 can also be said to be the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 2.
[0033] In this embodiment, the first extension portion 121a is configured to have higher rigidity than the second extension portion 121b. In this case, the amount of deformation of the first extension portion 121a when the elastic claw 12 is pressed by the guide rail 2 is suppressed, and the entire elastic claw 12 is easily rotated around the rotation center RC. In this embodiment, the first extension portion 121a is formed in a columnar (quadratic columnar) shape, and has higher rigidity than the plate-shaped second extension portion 121b.
[0034] The second extension portion 121b extends from the first extension portion 121a toward the rotation center RC. In this embodiment, the second extension portion 121b extends in the same direction (rightward in FIG. 5B) as the protruding direction of the claw portion 122 from the first extension portion 121a, as shown in FIG. 5B. The second extension portion 121b is configured so that the cross-sectional area is smaller at the portion that becomes the rotation center RC (the connection portion between the second extension portion 121b and the main body 11) than at other portions of the second extension portion 121b. In this case, the rotation center RC, which is the connection portion between the second extension portion 121b and the main body 11, is easily elastically deformed, and the entire elastic claw 12 is easily rotated around the rotation center RC. In this embodiment, the second extension portion 121b is configured by a plate-like body extending from the first extension portion 121a toward the main body 11, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A. At the connection portion between the second extension portion 121b and the main body 11, the width is narrower than other portions of the second extension portion 121b, so that the cross-sectional area is smaller. As a result, the narrow width portion 121c, which is the connection portion between the second extension portion 121b and the main body 11, is more easily deformed than other portions of the second extension portion 121b, and becomes the rotation center RC of the elastic claw 12. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5B, the second extension portion 121b is composed of a pair of plate-like bodies arranged at a distance in the height direction D3 of the main body 11 (the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 2). Of the second extension portion 121b composed of plate-like bodies, the narrow width portion 121c protrudes in the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11 from the base end E (see FIG. 5B) on the opposite side to the first extension portion 121a in the width direction D2 of the main body 11, and is connected to the connection portion 113 of the main body 11. In this embodiment, the connection portion 113 of the main body 11 extends from the first surface 11a side of the wall portion WL facing the base end portion E of the second extension portion 121b toward the second extension portion 121b among the walls defining the recess CP described later. Between the base end portion E of the second extension portion 121b and the wall portion WL (below the connection portion 113 in FIG. 5B), a gap is provided in the width direction D2 of the main body 11. As a result, when the elastic claw 12 rotates in the first rotation direction RD1 around the rotation center RC, the base end portion E and the wall portion WL do not come into contact with each other, and the rotation of the elastic claw 12 in the first rotation direction RD1 is not hindered.In the drawings, the center of rotation RC is shown by one point for convenience of explanation, but the center of rotation does not have to be only the point shown in the drawing.
[0035] In this embodiment, the elastic claw 12 has a first extension portion 121a and a second extension portion 121b, and is configured to be approximately L-shaped when viewed in the height direction D3 of the main body 11, but the elastic claw may have other shapes other than approximately L-shaped, such as a curved approximately C-shape.
[0036] As shown in Figure 7, the claw portion 122 has a pressed portion 122a that comes into contact with and is pressed by the guide rail 2 when the second member, the guide rail 2, moves in the moving direction MD1, and an engaging portion 122b that is located on the side of the guide rail 2 in the removal direction MD2, which is the opposite direction to the moving direction MD1, and is engageable with the guide rail 2 when the guide rail 2 is in the connection completion position (see solid line in Figure 3 and Figure 6) in which the guide rail 2 is connected to the carrier plate 1.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 7, the pressed portion 122a is a portion that comes into contact with the guide rail 2 when the guide rail 2 moves from a state before the guide rail 2 is connected to the carrier plate 1 to a connection completion position. The pressed portion 122a is configured to convert a force applied from the guide rail 2 to the elastic claw 12 into a force in a first rotation direction RD1 when pressed by the guide rail 2 moving in the movement direction MD1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the pressed portion 122a is inclined with respect to the movement direction MD1 so that a component of the force applied from the pressing portion 21e of the guide rail 2 to the pressed portion 122a faces the first rotation direction RD1 at the contact point between the guide rail 2 and the pressed portion 122a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, when the guide rail 2 moves in the movement direction MD1, the elastic claw 12 rotates in the first rotation direction RD1 around the rotation center RC.
[0038] When the guide rail 2 is located at the connection completion position, the engaging portion 122b is located on the side of the guide rail 2 in the removal direction MD2 (upper side in FIG. 6), which is the opposite direction to the movement direction MD1. As a result, the engaging portion 122b engages with the guide rail 2 (first engaged portion 21a) in the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11, and holds the guide rail 2 at the connection completion position.
[0039] In this embodiment, the carrier plate 1 includes an auxiliary claw 15 that sandwiches the first engaged portion 21a of the guide rail 2 between the engaging portion 122b and the carrier plate 1 in the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11. The auxiliary claw 15 protrudes from the first surface 11a of the main body 11 toward the engaging portion 122b in a cantilever manner and is configured to be elastically deformable in the moving direction MD1. When the guide rail 2 is in the connection completion position, the auxiliary claw 15 presses the first engaged portion 21a toward the engaging portion 122b and sandwiches the first engaged portion 21a of the guide rail 2 together with the engaging portion 122b. This allows the guide rail 2 to be held in a state where rattling is suppressed. The auxiliary claw 15 may have another configuration or may not be provided.
[0040] 6, in this embodiment, the position of the rotation center RC is set so that when a force is applied to the guide rail 2 in the removal direction MD2, the direction of the force F1 applied from the guide rail 2 to the engaging portion 122b faces the second rotation direction RD2 side, which is the opposite side to the first rotation direction RD1, with respect to a virtual line L passing through the rotation center RC and the engaging portion 122b, and the elastic claw 12 receives a force (force F3 described later) that rotates in the second rotation direction RD2 from the guide rail 2. Here, the "direction of the force F1 applied from the guide rail 2 to the engaging portion 122b" refers to the direction of the force acting on the engaging portion 122b at the contact portion between the first engaged portion 21a of the guide rail 2 and the engaging portion 122b as a result of the guide rail 2 receiving a force in the removal direction MD2. In this embodiment, the force F1 is a force applied from the guide rail 2 to the engaging portion 122b when a force is applied to move the guide rail 2 relative to the carrier plate 1, but it may be a force applied from the guide rail 2 to the engaging portion 122b when a force is applied to move the carrier plate 1 relative to the guide rail 2, or a force applied from the guide rail 2 to the engaging portion 122b when a force is applied to both the carrier plate 1 and the guide rail 2. In FIG. 6, the virtual line L is an extension of a line (a rotation radius of a virtual circle CC to be described later) that connects the rotation center RC and the contact portion of the guide rail 2 (the first engaged portion 21a) and the engaging portion 122b. In FIG. 6, the virtual circle indicated by the reference symbol CC is a circle that extends the rotation locus of the contact portion between the first engaged portion 21a of the guide rail 2 and the engaging portion 122b when the elastic claw 12 rotates around the rotation center RC. In this embodiment, the force F1 applied from the guide rail 2 can be decomposed into a force F2 along the imaginary line L and a force F3 along the tangent direction of the imaginary circle CC, and the force F3 along the tangent direction of the imaginary circle CC acts in the second rotation direction RD2 on the elastic claw 12. As a result, when a force in the removal direction MD2 is applied to the guide rail 2, the elastic claw 12 receives a force that rotates in the second rotation direction RD2.
[0041] In this embodiment, as described above, the position of the rotation center RC is set so that the elastic claw 12 receives a force F3 from the guide rail 2 to rotate in the second rotation direction RD2. In this case, as shown in Fig. 8, even if a force in the removal direction MD2 is applied to the guide rail 2, the elastic claw 12 does not receive a force to rotate in the first rotation direction RD1, which is the rotation direction in which the engagement is released, but receives a force in the second rotation direction RD2 (clockwise in Fig. 8) which is the direction in which the engagement is strengthened. Therefore, the engagement between the elastic claw 12 and the guide rail 2 becomes difficult to release.
[0042] On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows a reference example in which the elastic claw 120 extends perpendicularly from the first surface 110a of the main body 110 of the carrier plate 10. In this reference example, when a force is applied to the guide rail 20 in the removal direction MD2, the direction of the force F10 applied from the guide rail 20 to the engagement portion 1220b is oriented in the first rotation direction RD1 with respect to the imaginary line Lr passing through the rotation center RC and the engagement portion 1220b. The force F10 applied from the guide rail 20 can be decomposed into a force F20 along the imaginary line Lr and a force F30 along the tangent direction of the imaginary circle Cr, and the force F30 along the tangent direction of the imaginary circle Cr acts on the elastic claw 120 in the first rotation direction RD1. Therefore, the direction in which the elastic claw 120 rotates when the guide rail 20 is connected and the direction in which the elastic claw 120 rotates when the guide rail 20 is about to be removed are the same (first rotation direction RD1). Therefore, when a force in the removal direction MD2 is applied to the guide rail 20, the elastic claw 120 rotates in the first rotation direction RD1 in which the engagement between the elastic claw 120 and the guide rail 20 is released, and the guide rail 20 may be removed. In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, when a force in the removal direction MD2 is applied to the guide rail 2, the elastic claw 12 rotates in the second rotation direction RD2 in which the engagement between the elastic claw 12 and the guide rail 2 is strengthened. Therefore, the guide rail 2 is prevented from being removed from the carrier plate 1.
[0043] As described above, in this embodiment, the direction of the force applied to the elastic claw 12 is opposite when the guide rail 2 is connected and when the guide rail 2 is about to be detached. Therefore, even if the entire elastic claw 12 or the area around the rotation center RC is made flexible so that the elastic claw 12 is easily elastically deformed when the guide rail 2 is connected, the elastic claw 12 is simply made more likely to rotate in the second rotation direction RD2 when the guide rail 2 is about to be detached. Therefore, even if the elastic claw is made easily deformed to facilitate the connection of the guide rail 2 to the carrier plate 1, the detachment of the guide rail 2 from the carrier plate 1 can be suppressed.
[0044] 9, if the elastic claw 120 is made flexible by thinning the entire elastic claw 120 or the area around the rotation center RC, the elastic claw 120 will bend more easily when connecting the guide rail 20 to the carrier plate 10, making it easier to connect the guide rail 20. On the other hand, even if the guide rail 20 tries to separate from the carrier plate 10, the elastic claw 120 rotates in the first rotation direction RD1, so that the guide rail 20 will also be easily separated from the carrier plate 10. In contrast, in this embodiment, even if the elastic claw 12 is made easy to elastically deform in order to make it easier to assemble the guide rail 2 to the carrier plate 1 with a small force, the guide rail 2 will not be easily separated from the carrier plate 1.
[0045] As described above, the carrier plate 1 includes the first fitting portion 111a and the second fitting portion 111b, which are provided on the opposite side of the guide rail 2 from the elastic claw 12 in the width direction of the guide rail 2, as shown in FIG. 2, and the first cable C1 and the second cable C2 are fitted into the first fitting portion 111a and the second fitting portion 111b, respectively. In the window regulator WR having such a configuration, a rotational moment acts around a rotation axis extending in the extending direction of the guide rail 2 at the engagement portion between the guide rail 2 and the carrier plate 1. In particular, when the guide rail 2 is curved and the carrier plate 1 is disposed at an intermediate position, the rotational moment is likely to act, and the carrier plate 1 is more likely to come off the guide rail 2. In this case, once the elastic claw 12 has rotated to a position where it is disengaged from the guide rail 2, the rotational moment acting on the carrier plate 1 causes the carrier plate 1 to rotate to a position far removed from the guide rail 2, making it difficult to connect the guide rail 2 to the carrier plate 1 again. Moreover, such a rotational moment applies a pressing force between the engaging portion 122b and the guide rail 2. In the case of a structure such as the reference example of Fig. 9, this force is added to the force rotating the elastic claw 12 in the first rotational direction RD1, so that the engagement is more easily released. On the other hand, in the case of this embodiment, the above-mentioned rotational moment applied to the carrier plate 1 becomes a force rotating the elastic claw 12 in the second rotational direction RD2, so that the engagement between the elastic claw 12 and the guide rail 2 is more difficult to release.
[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the first extension portion 121a extends in the thickness direction D1 of the main body 11, protruding from the first surface 11a, and the second extension portion 121b extends from the first extension portion 121a toward the rotation center RC in the same direction as the protruding direction of the claw portion 122 from the first extension portion 121a, with a length longer than the protruding amount of the claw portion 122 from the first extension portion 121a. In this case, the rotation center RC located on the base end E side of the second extension portion 121b is located at a position (a position closer to the center in the width direction of the guide rail 2) farther from the first extension portion 121a than the tip end portion of the claw portion 122 (a contact portion between the engagement portion 122b and the guide rail 2) in the width direction D2. In this case, the virtual line L connecting the rotation center RC and the engagement portion 122b inclines so as to move away from the center in the width direction of the guide rail 2 as it moves away from the first surface 11a of the main body 11 of the carrier plate 1, as shown in FIG. When the guide rail 2 is about to be released, the force F1 applied from the guide rail 2 to the engagement portion 122b is directed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first surface 11a (more precisely, in a direction slightly tilted toward the center of the guide rail 2 from the direction perpendicular to the first surface 11a). Therefore, when the amount of protrusion of the second extension portion 121b from the first extension portion 121a is greater than the amount of protrusion of the claw portion 122 from the first extension portion 121a, the component force F3 in the tangential direction of the virtual circle CC is directed in the second rotation direction RD2. This makes it possible to reliably apply the force in the second rotation direction RD2 to the elastic claw 12, and to prevent the guide rail 2 from being released from the carrier plate 1.
[0047] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the engaging portion 122b is inclined so as to approach the first surface 11a as it moves from the first extending portion 121a to the tip of the claw portion 122. In this case, the magnitude of the force toward the second rotation direction RD2 can be made larger compared to the case where the engaging portion 122b extends parallel to the first surface 11a. That is, the force from the guide rail 2 applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the engaging portion 122b is inclined toward the second rotation direction RD2 side because the engaging portion 122b is inclined so as to approach the first surface 11a as it moves from the first extending portion 121a to the tip of the claw portion 122. In this case, the component force F3 in the tangential direction of the virtual circle CC into which the force applied to the engaging portion 122b is resolved is larger compared to the case where the engaging portion 122b is parallel to the first surface 11a. Therefore, the guide rail 2 can be further prevented from coming off the carrier plate 1.
[0048] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5B, the main body 11 is provided with a recess CP extending from the first surface 11a toward the second surface 11b. A part of the first extension portion 121a and the second extension portion 121b are arranged in the recess CP. In this manner, by arranging a part of the first extension portion 121a and the second extension portion 121b in the recess CP provided in the main body 11, the amount of protrusion of the elastic claw 12 from the first surface 11a can be suppressed. Therefore, the length of the main body 11 in the thickness direction D1 required for the carrier plate 1 can be shortened, and the space required for the carrier plate 1 can be reduced. Note that, in this embodiment, the recess CP is configured to penetrate from the first surface 11a to the second surface 11b, but the recess CP may be a non-penetrating recess with a bottom.
[0049] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Note that the above embodiment mainly describes the invention having the following configuration.
[0050] (1) A connection structure including a first member and a second member, the second member being connected to the first member by moving relative to the first member in a predetermined moving direction, The first member is The main body, an elastic claw extending from the main body and configured to be elastically deformable so as to rotate around a rotation center provided at a connection point with the main body; Equipped with The elastic claw includes an arm portion extending from the rotation center and a claw portion provided at an end of the arm portion opposite to the rotation center, the claw portion includes a pressed portion that is in contact with and pressed by the second member when the second member moves in the movement direction, and an engaging portion that is located on a detachment direction side, which is the opposite direction to the movement direction, with respect to the second member when the second member is in a connection completion position in which the second member is connected to the first member, and is engageable with the second member; the elastic claw is configured to bend in a first rotation direction about the rotation center by the second member pressing the pressed portion when the second member is connected to the first member, a connection structure in which the position of the rotation center is set so that, when a force is applied to the second member in the removal direction, the direction of the force applied from the second member to the engagement portion faces toward a second rotation direction that is opposite to the first rotation direction with respect to a virtual line passing through the rotation center and the engagement portion, and the elastic claw receives a force from the second member to rotate in the second rotation direction.
[0051] (2) The main body of the first member is a plate-like member having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, The arm portion is a first extension portion that protrudes and extends from the first surface in a thickness direction of the main body, which is a direction connecting the first surface and the second surface; a second extension portion that extends from the first extension portion toward the rotation center in the same direction as the protruding direction of the claw portion from the first extension portion, and by a length longer than the protruding amount of the claw portion from the first extension portion; The connection structure according to (1) above,
[0052] (3) A connection structure described in (1) or (2), wherein the main body has a recess extending from the first surface toward the second surface, and a portion of the first extension portion and the second extension portion are disposed within the recess.
[0053] (4) The first member is a carrier plate of a window regulator, The second member is a guide rail of the window regulator, The window regulator includes a drive unit, a first cable connected to the drive unit, and a second cable connected to the drive unit, The elastic claw of the first member is configured to engage with one of both widthwise sides of the second member, The connection structure according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the first member has a first fitting portion into which the first cable fits, the first fitting portion being provided on the opposite side of the second member in the width direction from the elastic claw, and a second fitting portion into which the second cable fits, the second member being provided on the opposite side of the second member in the width direction from the elastic claw. [Explanation of symbols]
[0054] 1, 10 First component (carrier plate) 11, 110 Main unit 11a, 110a First side 11b The second side 111a 1st fitting part 111b 2nd fitting part 112 Engagement claw 113 Connection 12, 120 Elastic claw 121 Arm section 121a 1st extension part 121b Second extension part 121c narrow part 122 Claw part 122a Pressed part 122b, 1220b engaging part 13 Window glass connection 14 Engagement recess 15 Auxiliary Claw 2, 20 Second member (guide rail) 21a First engaged part 21b Second engaged part 21c central part 21d Extension 21e Pressing part 3. Direction change member C Cable C1 First Cable C11 One end of the first cable C2 2nd cable C21 One end of the second cable CC: A virtual circle extending the rotation trajectory of the contact portion between the first engaged portion and the engaging portion of the guide rail. CP Recess D1 Body thickness direction D2 Body width direction D3 Body height direction DR Drive Unit DR1 motor DR2 Drum E Proximal end F1, F10 Force applied from guide rail to engagement part F2, F20 Force along the imaginary line F3, F30 Force along the tangent direction of a virtual circle L, Lr Imaginary line passing through the center of rotation and the engagement part MD1 Movement direction MD2 Detachment direction RC Rotation Center RD1 1st rotation direction RD2 Second rotation direction S Connection structure W Window Glass WL wall WR Window Regulator
Claims
1. A connection structure including a first member and a second member, the second member being connected to the first member by moving relatively to the first member in a predetermined moving direction, The first member is The main body, an elastic claw extending from the main body and configured to be elastically deformable so as to rotate around a rotation center provided at a connection point with the main body; Equipped with The elastic claw includes an arm portion extending from the rotation center and a claw portion provided at an end of the arm portion opposite to the rotation center, the claw portion includes a pressed portion that is in contact with and pressed by the second member when the second member moves in the moving direction, and an engaging portion that is located on a detachment direction side, which is the opposite direction to the moving direction, with respect to the second member when the second member is in a connection completion position in which the second member is connected to the first member, and is engageable with the second member; the elastic claw is configured to bend in a first rotation direction about the rotation center by the second member pressing the pressed portion when the second member is connected to the first member, a connection structure in which the position of the rotation center is set so that, when a force is applied to the second member in the removal direction, the direction of the force applied from the second member to the engagement portion faces toward a second rotation direction that is opposite to the first rotation direction with respect to a virtual line passing through the rotation center and the engagement portion, and the elastic claw receives a force from the second member to rotate in the second rotation direction.
2. the main body of the first member is a plate-like member having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, The arm portion is a first extension portion that protrudes and extends from the first surface in a thickness direction of the main body, the thickness direction being a direction connecting the first surface and the second surface; a second extension portion that extends from the first extension portion toward the rotation center in the same direction as the protruding direction of the claw portion from the first extension portion, and by a length longer than the protruding amount of the claw portion from the first extension portion; The connection structure of claim 1 , comprising:
3. The connection structure of claim 2 , wherein the body includes a recess extending from the first surface toward the second surface, and a portion of the first extension and the second extension are disposed within the recess.
4. the first member is a carrier plate of a window regulator, The second member is a guide rail of the window regulator, The window regulator includes a drive unit, a first cable connected to the drive unit, and a second cable connected to the drive unit, The elastic claw of the first member is configured to engage with one of both side portions in a width direction of the second member, The connection structure described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first member has a first fitting portion into which the first cable fits, the first fitting portion being provided on the opposite side of the second member in the width direction from the elastic claw, and a second fitting portion into which the second cable fits, the second member being provided on the opposite side of the second member in the width direction from the elastic claw.
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