Actuator

Abstract

To provide an actuator in which a cover member is easily attached to a housing and which can suppress a gap between the cover member and the housing.SOLUTION: An actuator 1 includes a moving member 11, a housing 16, and a cover member 17. The housing 16 has an aperture 16a and movably supports the moving member 11. The cover member 17 is disposed to block the aperture 16a. The housing 16 has guide parts 35 and 36 and a part 37 to be locked. The cover member 17 has parts 52 and 53 to be guided and a locking part 54. The parts 52 and 53 to be guided are guided in a guiding direction B by the guide parts 35 and 36. The locking part 54 locks the part 37 to be locked through guide in the guiding direction B. When the locking part 54 locks the part 37 to be locked, a movement in a locking direction J of the cover member 17 with respect to the housing 16 is restricted. The locking direction J and the guiding direction B are not parallel to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In vehicles such as automobiles, a lid opening and closing device for a fuel lid or the like that covers a fuel filler opening uses a lid actuator that moves a reciprocating member between a position for closing the lid and a position for opening the lid.

[0003] The lid actuator has a housing that supports a retractable member so that it can move back and forth, and a cover member attached to the housing so as to cover an opening of the housing, and the cover member is attached to the housing by protrusions and claws (see, for example, Figure 9 of Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-005579 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the structure in which the cover member is attached to the housing by the projection and the claw portion as shown in Patent Document 1, a gap is generated between the claw portion and the protrusion in the attachment direction of the cover member.

[0006] The gap will be described with reference to Fig. 11(a) to Fig. 11(c). Fig. 11(a) to Fig. 11(c) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of attaching the cover member 1002 to the housing 1001 in a conventional configuration. As shown in Fig. 11(a), the cover member 1002 is moved downward from above the housing 1001. Next, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the claw portion 1003 provided on the cover member 1002 overcomes the protrusion 1004 provided on the side surface of the housing 1001 while bending. As a result, the cover member 1002 is attached to the housing 1001 as shown in Fig. 11(c), but since the claw portion 1003 overcomes the protrusion 1004 while bending, a gap d is generated between the claw portion 1003 and the protrusion 1004. When such a gap exists, a rattle occurs between the housing 1001 and the cover member 1002.

[0007] On the other hand, if the gap is made smaller, it becomes difficult for the claw portion 1003 to climb over the projection 1004, and it becomes difficult to attach the cover member 1002 to the housing 1001.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator in which a cover member can be easily attached to a housing and a gap between the cover member and the housing can be reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An actuator according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a moving member, a housing, and a cover member. The housing has an opening and movably supports the moving member. The cover member is arranged to cover the opening. The housing has an edge portion, a guide portion, and an engaged portion. The edge portion forms the opening. The guide portion is arranged on the edge portion and guides the cover member in the guide direction. The engaged portion engages with the cover member guided in the guide direction. The cover member has a guided portion and an engaging portion. The guided portion is guided in the guide direction by the guide portion. The engaging portion engages with the engaged portion by guiding it in the guide direction. The engaging portion engages with the engaged portion, thereby restricting movement of the cover member relative to the housing in the engaging direction. The engaging direction and the guiding direction are not parallel to each other. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an actuator in which the cover member can be easily attached to the housing and the gap between the cover member and the housing can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an opening and closing device including an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2A] 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2B] 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3A] 13 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator when the moving member is advanced. FIG. [Figure 3B] 13 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator when the moving member is retracted. FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover member is removed from the actuator of the present embodiment. [Figure 4B] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining an operation when attaching a cover member to a housing in the actuator of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the actuator of the present embodiment. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 5. [Figure 7A] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 5. [Figure 7B] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 5. [Figure 7C] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cover member as viewed from the back side. [Figure 9A]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line HH in FIG. 5. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 9A. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining attachment of a cover member to a housing. [Figure 11] 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams illustrating attachment of a cover member to a conventional housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The actuator of this embodiment moves a movable member back and forth relative to a housing, and is applied, for example, to a fuel lid opening and closing device, but may also be applied to devices other than the fuel lid opening and closing device, such as a charging lid opening and closing device.

[0014] (Opening and closing device 100 to which actuator 1 is applied) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an opening and closing device 100 including an actuator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are perspective views showing the appearance of the actuator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The opening and closing device 100 is a device that opens and closes a fuel lid 120 that is a lid for closing a fuel filler opening 2a of a vehicle body 2. The opening and closing device 100 includes an actuator 1 of this embodiment. The configuration of the actuator 1 will be described in detail later.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the opening / closing device 100 includes a main body 110 attached to a fuel filler opening 2a of a vehicle body 2, a fuel lid 120, a hinge 130 that rotatably supports the fuel lid 120, and an actuator 1.

[0017] The main body 110 constitutes, for example, a fuel supply chamber surrounding a fuel supply pipe. A fuel supply port formed at the tip of the fuel supply pipe is closed by a screw cap 150.

[0018] 2A, the movable member 11 is a member for opening and closing the fuel lid 120. The movable member 11 has a tip provided with a lid locking portion 11a.

[0019] In the opening and closing device 100 configured in this manner, when the fuel lid 120 is closed, the lid locked portion 140 of the fuel lid 120 comes into contact with the moving member 11. At this time, the lid locking portion 11a provided on the moving member 11 is inserted into the inside of the lid locked portion 140.

[0020] In this state, when the fuel lid 120 is pushed in, the moving member 11 retreats toward the inside of the vehicle body 2. Retreating means that the moving member 11 moves from the outside of the housing 16 to the inside of the housing 16, which will be described later.

[0021] Furthermore, when the moving member 11 retracts, the rotation of the moving member 11 rotates the lid locking portion 11a, and the lid locking portion 11a is locked to the lid locked portion 140. When the lid locking portion 11a is locked to the lid locked portion 140, the moving member 11 is disposed in the retracted position.

[0022] The retracted position is a stop position of the retracted movable member 11. The retracted position is also a position where the fuel lid 120 is held in a closed state.

[0023] In this state, a locking member 13 (described later) engages with the retaining member 12 that moves together with the movable member 11, thereby restricting the movement of the movable member 11 held by the retaining member 12, i.e., locking the movable member 11. As a result, the fuel lid 120 is locked while closing the fuel filler opening 2a.

[0024] When the movable member 11 is unlocked by the lock member 13 in order to open the fuel lid 120, the movable member 11 moves forward toward the outside of the vehicle body 2. The forward movement refers to the movement of the movable member 11 from the inside of the housing 16 to the outside of the housing 16, which will be described later.

[0025] At this time, the lid locking portion 11a of the moving member 11 rotates, and thereby the lid locking portion 11a is released from the lid locked portion 140. As a result, the lid locking portion 11a comes out of the lid locked portion 140, and the fuel lid 120 can be opened.

[0026] (Actuator 1) Fig. 3A is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator 1 when the moving member 11 is advanced. Fig. 3B is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator 1 when the moving member 11 is retreated. The actuator 1 of this embodiment has the moving member 11, a holding member 12, a locking member 13, a biasing member 14, a driving mechanism 15, a housing 16, and a cover member 17 (Fig. 2A).

[0027] The actuator 1 uses a drive mechanism 15 to lock a movable member 11, which moves back and forth relative to a housing 16. The housing 16 is substantially box-shaped. The housing 16 supports the movable member 11 so that the movable member 11 can move back and forth. The housing 16 houses a holding member 12, a biasing member 14, a locking member 13, and a drive mechanism 15. The cover member 17 is disposed so as to cover an opening 16a of the housing 16.

[0028] (moving member 11) The movable member 11 is a columnar or cylindrical member that can move forward and backward with respect to the housing 16. The movable member 11 is inserted into a through hole (not shown) formed in a front wall portion 31 (described later) of the housing 16. The movable member 11 moves between an advanced position where it is advanced with respect to the housing 16 and a retracted position where it is retracted with respect to the housing 16. The advanced position is the stop position of the advanced movable member 11. The advanced position is also the position of the movable member 11 when the lid locking portion 11a is released from the lid locked portion 140 shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] (Holding member 12, locking member 13) The holding member 12 is a member that rotatably holds the moving member 11 and moves within the housing 16, thereby restricting the moving member 11 between an advanced position and a retreated position. The holding member 12 is disposed in a region between a front wall portion 31 and a rear wall portion 32 (described later) of the housing 16.

[0030] The holding member 12 restricts the forward movement of the moving member 11 by contacting the front wall portion 31. The moving member 11 restricts the backward movement of the moving member 11 by contacting the rear wall portion 32.

[0031] The holding member 12 is provided with a recess (not shown), and the locking member 13 can be engaged with the recess to restrict the forward movement of the moving member 11. Note that the holding member 12 may be provided with a fitting hole instead of the recess. The fitting hole is a through hole with which the locking member 13 engages to restrict the forward movement of the moving member 11.

[0032] The locking member 13 is moved between a locked position where it engages with the holding member 12 and an unlocked position where it is separated from the holding member 12 by a driving mechanism 15 which will be described later.

[0033] (urging member 14) The biasing member 14 is a coil spring that generates a biasing force for moving the moving member 11, which is disposed in the retracted position, toward the advanced position. The biasing member 14 is disposed, for example, in a region between the holding member 12 and the rear wall portion 32 inside the housing 16. One end of the biasing member 14 is fitted into the holding member 12, and the other end of the biasing member 14 abuts against the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16. Note that the biasing member 14 is not limited to a coil spring, and may be any elastic member that generates a biasing force for moving the moving member 11, such as a leaf spring.

[0034] (Drive mechanism 15) The drive mechanism 15 has a motor 21, an output gear 22, a gear unit 23, and a rack 24. The motor 21 is disposed next to the moving member 11. An output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is disposed parallel to the moving member 11. The motor 21 is disposed such that the output shaft 21a faces the rear side wall portion 32.

[0035] The output gear 22 is fixed to the output shaft 21a of the motor 21. The gear unit 23 transmits the rotation of the output gear 22 to the rack 24. The gear unit 23 has a rotating shaft 23a, a first gear 23b, and a second gear 23c. The rotating shaft 23a of the gear unit 23 is arranged parallel to the output shaft 21a. The gear unit 23 is rotatably supported by the housing 16. The first gear 23b and the second gear 23c are arranged on the rotating shaft 23a. The first gear 23b is engaged with the output gear 22. The second gear 23c is arranged on the rear side wall portion 32 side of the first gear 23b.

[0036] The rack 24 meshes with the second gear 23c. The rack 24 is disposed on the bottom surface portion 30 side of the second gear 23c. The locking member 13 is disposed on the moving member 11 side of the rack 24. When the motor 21 is rotated in a predetermined direction in a state where the moving member 11 is disposed in the retreated position, the gear unit 23 meshing with the output gear 22 rotates. As a result, when the rack 24 moves to the right in the figure, the locking member 13 also moves to the right and engages with the holding member 12, and the movement of the moving member 11 is locked. On the other hand, when the motor 21 is rotated in the opposite direction, the gear unit 23 rotates in the opposite direction, and the rack 24 moves to the left. Due to the movement of the rack 24 to the left, the locking member 13 also moves to the left and is disengaged from the holding member 12, and the lock of the moving member 11 is released.

[0037] (Housing 16) FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover member 17 is removed from the actuator 1 of this embodiment.

[0038] The housing 16 is box-shaped and has an opening 16a. The housing 16 has a front wall portion 31, a rear wall portion 32, a right side wall portion 33, a left side wall portion 34, and a bottom surface portion 30. The front wall portion 31 is disposed in a direction in which the moving member 11 advances. The rear wall portion 32 faces the front wall portion 31 and is disposed in a direction in which the moving member 11 retreats. The right side wall portion 33 connects the right end of the front wall portion 31 to the right end of the rear wall portion 32. The left side wall portion 34 connects the left end of the front wall portion 31 to the left end of the rear wall portion 32. The bottom surface portion 30 forms the bottom surface of the box shape. The bottom surface portion 30 is connected to the front wall portion 31, the rear wall portion 32, the right side wall portion 33, and the left side wall portion 34. The end of the front wall portion 31 opposite the bottom portion 30, the end of the right side wall portion 33 opposite the bottom portion 30, the end of the rear wall portion 32 opposite the bottom portion 30, and the end of the left side wall portion 34 opposite the bottom portion 30 form an opening 16a.

[0039] The cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 so as to close the opening 16a of the housing 16. The method of attaching the cover member 17 to the housing 16 will be briefly described below. As shown by the arrow A in FIG. 4A, the cover member 17 is disposed in the opening 16a of the housing 16 so as to close the opening 16a. The arrow A is a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface portion 30. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cover member 17 is disposed in the housing 16 so that the right end 51c of the cover member 17 faces the right side wall portion 33, the left end 51d faces the left side wall portion 34, and a gap is provided between the front end 51a of the cover member 17 and the front wall portion 31 of the housing 16. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cover member 17 is slid relative to the housing 16 along the arrow B. The arrow B is a guide direction of the cover member 17 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16, which will be described in detail later. This allows the cover member 17 to be attached to the housing 16 as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B.

[0040] Fig. 5 is a plan view of the actuator 1. Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 5. Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Fig. 5. The housing 16 has guide portions 35, 36, a locked portion 37 (Fig. 2A), and retaining claws 38, 39 (Fig. 5A).

[0041] The guide portions 35 and 36 guide the cover member 17 along the guide direction B when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6A, the guide portion 35 is disposed on an end face 33a of the right side wall portion 33. The end face 33a is disposed on the side opposite the bottom face portion 30 of the right side wall portion 33. The end face 33a corresponds to the edge of the opening 16a. The guide portion 35 protrudes from the end face 33a. The guide portion 35 is disposed closer to the opening 16a on the end face 33a. The guide portion 35 is disposed over substantially the entire right side wall portion 33. The guide portion 35 is formed along a guide direction B from the front side wall portion 31 toward the rear side wall portion 32.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6A, the guide portion 36 is disposed on an end surface 34a of the left side wall portion 34. The end surface 34a is disposed on the side opposite the bottom surface portion 30 of the left side wall portion 34. The end surface 34a corresponds to the edge of the opening 16a. The guide portion 36 protrudes from the end surface 34a. As shown in FIG. 4A, the guide portion 36 is disposed in a portion of the left side wall portion 34 near the rear wall portion 32. The guide portion 36 is formed along a guide direction B from the front wall portion 31 toward the rear wall portion 32.

[0044] The locked portion 37 is locked to the cover member 17 guided in the guiding direction B. Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in Fig. 5. Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in Fig. 5. Fig. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in Fig. 5. The locked portion 37 has a hole 41 (Fig. 7A), a hole 42 (Fig. 7C), and a protrusion 43 (Fig. 7B).

[0045] As shown in Fig. 4A, holes 41 and 42 are formed in the front wall portion 31. Hole 41 is disposed closer to the right wall portion 33 than hole 42. As shown in Fig. 7A, hole 41 is formed penetrating the front wall portion 31 along the guiding direction B. As shown in Fig. 7C, hole 42 is formed penetrating the front wall portion 31 along the guiding direction B. Hole 42 is disposed closer to the left wall portion 34.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 2B and Fig. 7B, the protrusion 43 is disposed on the rear wall portion 32. Although the shape of the protrusion 43 is not limited, in this embodiment, the protrusion 43 is generally rectangular parallelepiped. The protrusion 43 is formed to protrude outward from the rear wall portion 32. The protrusion 43 protrudes from the rear wall portion 32 in the opposite direction to the guiding direction B.

[0047] The retaining claws 38, 39 prevent the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16. As shown in Fig. 3A, the retaining claw 38 is disposed on the outside of the right side wall portion 33. The retaining claw 38 has a triangular shape in a plan view. The retaining claw 38 has an inclined surface 38a whose length protruding outward becomes longer in the guide direction B. 3A, the retaining claw 39 is disposed on the outer side of the left side wall portion 34. The retaining claw 39 is triangular in plan view. The retaining claw 39 has an inclined surface 39a whose outward protruding length increases in the guiding direction B.

[0048] (Cover member 17) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cover member 17 as viewed from the back side. The cover member 17 has a cover body 51, guided portions 52 and 53, a locking portion 54, retaining portions 55 and 56, and restricting protrusions 57 to 60. The cover body 51 is substantially plate-shaped. The cover body 51 covers the opening 16a of the housing 16. The cover body 51 has a front end 51a, a rear end 51b, a right end 51c, and a left end 51d. The front end 51a is disposed along the front wall portion 31 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The rear end 51b is disposed along the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The right end 51c is disposed along the right side wall portion 33 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The left end 51d is disposed along the left side wall portion 34 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16.

[0049] The guided parts 52, 53 are guided in the guide direction B by the guide parts 35, 36 of the housing 16. The guided part 52 is disposed at the right end 51c of the cover body 51. At the position (between DD) shown in FIG. 6A, the guided part 52 has a first opposing part 52a and a second opposing part 52b. The first opposing part 52a faces the guide part 35 in a locking direction J described later. In this embodiment, the locking direction J is perpendicular to the guide direction B and perpendicular to the opening 16a. The second opposing part 52b extends from the outer end of the first opposing part 52a toward the housing 16. The second opposing part 52b is disposed outside the guide part 35. The second opposing part 52b faces the guide part 35 in the left-right direction. The first opposing portion 52a or the second opposing portion 52b slides on the guide portion 35, whereby the cover member 17 can be guided along the guide direction B relative to the housing 16.

[0050] At the cross-sectional position (between CC) shown in FIG. 6B, the guided portion 53 further has a third opposing portion 52c. Here, the cross-sectional positions between DD and CC are shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the third opposing portion 52c is formed by the inner surface raised portion 51P of the cover main body 51. The third opposing portion 52c is discontinued at the front side in the guiding direction B, so it does not exist at the cross-sectional position shown in FIG. 6A. The third opposing portion 52c is disposed opposite the second opposing portion 52b. A groove is formed by the first opposing portion 52a, the second opposing portion 52b, and the third opposing portion 52c, and the guide portion 35 fits into the groove.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 6A and Fig. 8, the guided portion 53 is a groove formed on the inner surface 51s of the cover body 51. As shown in Fig. 8, the guided portion 53 is formed on the left end of the cover body 51. The guided portion 53 is formed along the guiding direction B. As shown in Fig. 6A, the guiding portion 36 fits into the guided portion 53.

[0052] The first opposing portion 52a, the second opposing portion 52b and the third opposing portion 52c slide against the guiding portion 35, and the guided portion 53 slides against the guiding portion 36, thereby guiding the cover member 17 along the guiding direction B relative to the housing 16.

[0053] The locking portion 54 locks the locked portion 37 by guiding the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 in the guide direction B. As shown in Fig. 8, the locking portion 54 has extensions 61, 62 and a claw portion 63. The extensions 61, 62 are disposed at the front end 51a of the cover body 51.

[0054] The extension portion 61 is disposed on an extension protrusion 64 that protrudes from the front end 51a of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The extension portion 61 protrudes from the extension protrusion 64 in the guide direction B. The extension portion 61 is disposed closer to the right end 51c. As shown in Figs. 2A and 7A, the extension portion 61 fits into the hole 41 of the housing 16. The extension portion 62 protrudes from the front end 51a of the cover body 51 in the guide direction B. As shown in Fig. 7B, the extension portion 62 fits into the hole 42 of the housing 16.

[0055] The claw portion 63 engages with the protrusion 43 of the housing 16. The claw portion 63 is disposed at the rear end 51b of the cover body 51. The claw portion 63 is disposed on a claw projection 65 that protrudes from the rear end 51b of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The claw portion 63 protrudes from the tip of the claw projection 65 in the guide direction B. As shown in FIG. 7B, the claw projection 65 is located outside the protrusion 43, and the claw portion 63 is disposed on the opposite side of the cover body 51 with the protrusion 43 in between.

[0056] 7A to 7C, the extensions 61, 62 engage with the holes 41, 42, and the claw 63 engages with the protrusion 43. In this embodiment, the engagement direction J is perpendicular to the opening 16a. The engagement direction J is a direction in which movement of the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 is restricted. The engagement direction J is perpendicular to the guiding direction B.

[0057] The retaining portions 55 and 56 are fitted with the retaining claws 38 and 39 to prevent the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16. The retaining portion 55 is fitted with the retaining claws 38. The retaining portion 55 extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The retaining portion 55 has a first portion 55a, a second portion 55b, and a third portion 55c. The first portion 55a extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The second portion 55b extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The first portion 55a and the second portion 55b are arranged with a space therebetween in the guide direction B. The third portion 55c connects the tip of the first portion 55a to the tip of the second portion 55b. 5, the first portion 55a is disposed on the front wall portion 31 side of the retaining claw 38, and the second portion 55b is disposed on the rear wall portion 32 side of the retaining claw 38. The third portion 55c is disposed on the bottom surface portion 30 side of the retaining claw 38. In this manner, the retaining claw 38 is disposed in the space surrounded by the first portion 55a, the second portion 55b, and the third portion 55c.

[0058] The retaining portion 56 fits into the retaining claw 39. The retaining portion 56 extends from the left end 51d of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. Similarly, the retaining portion 56 also has a first portion 56a, a second portion 56b, and a third portion 56c, and the retaining claw 39 is surrounded by the first portion 56a, the second portion 56b, and the third portion 56c.

[0059] In this way, the anti-slip claw 38 is positioned in the space surrounded by the first part 55a, the second part 55b, and the third part 55c, and the anti-slip claw 39 is positioned in the space surrounded by the first part 56a, the second part 56b, and the third part 56c, thereby preventing the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16.

[0060] The restricting protrusions 57-59 restrict movement of the gear unit 23 and the rack 24 of the drive mechanism 15 in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 60 restricts movement of the locking member 13 in the locking direction J. As shown in Fig. 8, the restricting protrusions 57-59 protrude from the inner surface 51s of the cover main body 51. Fig. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH in Fig. 5.

[0061] 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 9A. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the restricting protrusions 57 and 58 are disposed opposite the rotating shaft 23a of the gear unit 23 (an example of a driving member) in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 57 faces a portion of the rotating shaft 23a that is closer to the front wall portion 31 than the first gear 23b. The restricting protrusion 58 faces a portion of the rotating shaft 23a that is closer to the rear wall portion 32 than the second gear 23c. As shown in FIG. 9B, the restricting protrusion 59 is disposed opposite the rack 24 (an example of a driving member) in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 60 is disposed opposite the locking member 13 in the locking direction J.

[0062] (Installation operation) As shown in FIG. 4A, the cover member 17 is placed on the housing 16 so that the guided portions 52, 53 of the cover member 17 correspond to the guiding portions 35, 36 of the housing 16. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cover member 17 is slid relative to the housing 16 so that the guided portions 52, 53 of the cover member 17 are guided in the guiding direction B by the guiding portions 35, 36 of the housing 16. As shown in the enlarged view of a portion S in FIG. 10, the extension portion 61 is inserted into the hole portion 41 of the housing 16, and as shown in the enlarged view of a portion T, the extension portion 62 is inserted into the hole portion 42 of the housing 16. Here, the front end 51a of the cover member 17 abuts against the inner surface of a front wall portion 31 (an example of a regulating wall portion) of the housing 16, thereby regulating the sliding of the cover member 17 in the guiding direction B. When the front end 51a of the cover member 17 abuts against the front side wall portion 31, the extension portion 61 is inserted into the hole portion 41, and the extension portion 62 is inserted into the hole portion 42, resulting in an engaged state.

[0063] Furthermore, as the cover member 17 slides relative to the housing 16 in the guiding direction B, the claw portion 63 is disposed on the bottom surface portion 30 side of the protrusion 43.

[0064] Furthermore, as the anti-slip portion 55 climbs over the inclined surface 38a of the anti-slip claw 38, the anti-slip claw 38 engages with the anti-slip portion 55, and as the anti-slip portion 56 climbs over the inclined surface 39a of the anti-slip claw 39, the anti-slip claw 38 engages with the anti-slip portion 55.

[0065] As described above, the cover member 17 can be attached to the housing 16 simply by sliding it.

[0066] (Features, etc.) In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, the guide direction B when attaching the cover member 17 to the housing 16 and the locking direction J when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 are not parallel to each other, which eliminates the need to provide a gap between the cover member 17 and the housing 16 and reduces rattling, compared to the conventional case where the attachment direction and the locking direction are parallel. Also, since the cover member 17 and the housing 16 are locked by moving the cover member 17 along the guide portions 35, 36, the cover member 17 can be easily attached to the housing 16.

[0067] The locking direction J is not parallel to the guiding direction B means that when the locking direction J is projected onto a plane including the guiding direction B, the projected locking direction intersects with the guiding direction B. When the locking direction J is parallel to the guiding direction B, when the locking direction J is projected onto a plane including the guiding direction B, the projected locking direction does not intersect with or coincides with the guiding direction B.

[0068] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, by guiding the cover member 17 along the guide portions 35, 36 relative to the housing 16, the extensions 61, 62 are inserted into the holes 41, 42, the claw portion 63 engages the protrusion 43, and the cover member 17 engages the housing 16. Therefore, the cover member 17 can be easily attached to the housing 16.

[0069] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, when the movement of the cover member 17 is restricted by the front wall portion 31, the cover member 17 is in a state of being locked to the housing 16, and therefore the actuator 1 can be easily attached.

[0070] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, the restricting protrusions 57 to 59 can suppress the gear unit 23 or the rack 24 from floating up, and the deterioration of durability due to the floating up can be prevented.

[0071] (Other embodiments) Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0072] (A) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the advancing / retracting direction of the movable member 11 is parallel to the guiding direction B, but this is not limited to this. For example, the movable member 11 may be disposed on the right side wall portion 33 of the housing 16 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

[0073] (B) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the cover member 17 is provided with the extensions 61, 62, and the housing 16 is provided with the holes 41, 42, but this is not limited to the above, and a hole may be provided in the cover member 17, and an extension extending inward may be provided on the front wall portion 31 of the housing 16.

[0074] (C) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the claw portion 63 of the cover member 17 engages with the protrusion 43 of the housing 16, but this configuration is not limited to this. A hole may be formed in the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16, and a protrusion may be formed on the cover member 17, and the protrusion may fit into the hole.

[0075] (D) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, two guiding portions 35, 36 are provided, but either one may be sufficient. In this case, it is sufficient that only one corresponding guided portion 52, 53 is provided. [Industrial Applicability]

[0076] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The actuator of the present invention has the effect of making it easy to attach a cover member to a housing and reducing the gap between the cover member and the housing, and is useful as a lid opening and closing device for a fuel lid or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1: Actuator 11: Moving parts 16: Housing 16a: Opening 17: Cover material 35: Information department 36: Information department 37:Locked part 52:Guided part 53:Guided part 54: Locking part

Claims

1. A moving member; a housing having an opening and movably supporting the movable member; A cover member disposed to cover the opening, The housing includes: An edge portion that defines the opening; A guide portion disposed on the edge portion and configured to guide the cover member in a guide direction; a locking portion that is locked to the cover member guided in the guiding direction, The cover member is a guided portion that is guided in the guiding direction by the guiding portion; a locking portion that locks the locked portion by being guided in the guiding direction, The locking portion locks onto the locked portion, thereby restricting movement of the cover member relative to the housing in a locking direction, The locking direction and the guiding direction are not parallel to each other. Actuator.

2. The engaged portion is A hole portion formed along the guiding direction; a protruding portion protruding in a direction opposite to the guiding direction in which the guided portion is guided toward the locking portion, The locking portion is An extension portion that extends in the guide direction and is inserted into the hole portion; and a claw portion disposed on the opposite side of the protrusion in the locking direction. The actuator of claim 1 .

3. The housing includes: The cover member may further include a restricting wall portion that restricts the guide of the cover member in the guide direction, the locking portion locks the locked portion at a position where the movement of the cover member in the guiding direction is restricted by the restricting wall portion of the housing. The actuator of claim 1 .

4. The movable member moves relative to the housing in conjunction with opening and closing of the lid, the actuator is a lid actuator, a drive mechanism that is housed in the housing and that locks the movable member; The drive mechanism includes: A drive unit; a driving member driven by the driving unit, The cover member has a restricting protrusion that restricts movement of the drive member in the locking direction. The actuator of claim 1 .

5. The locking direction is perpendicular to the guiding direction. The actuator of claim 1 .

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