Lock device

Abstract

To provide a lock device capable of suppressing the generation of striking sounds during locking operation.SOLUTION: A lock device 1 includes a locking member 5 arranged on a first member 2, and a receiving portion 12 and a guiding portion 20 arranged on a second member 3. The lock device 1 locks the first member 2 and the second member 3 at a specified locking position when the locking member 5 is guided to the receiving portion 12 by abutting against the guiding portion 20 in response to relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3 and is received in the receiving portion 12. The guiding portion 20 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in a direction that has a component in the direction of the relative movement and that intersects with the locking direction of the locking member 5, and is biased in the advancing direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking device that locks a first member and a second member in a predetermined locking position. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional storage box (storage device) for a vehicle such as an automobile, when closing a lid, which is a movable body attached to a box body that is a base material so as to be movable relative to the box body, a locking member disposed on the box body is brought into contact with an engaging portion formed on the lid, guiding the locking member into a recess that is a receiving portion, and the claw portion of the locking member is fitted into the recess to lock it. In this configuration, to prevent the generation of abnormal noise (noise, low-pitched noise) caused by rattling of the lid while the vehicle is running, a stopper provided on the box body is elastically pressed against the lid in the locked position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-47844 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above configuration, when the lid is closed, not only does a striking sound occur due to the contact between the locking member and the engaging portion, but also due to the strong spring reaction force of the stopper being made to resist rattle when the vehicle is in motion, a striking sound is also generated due to contact between the stopper and the lid.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has an object to provide a locking device that can suppress the generation of striking sounds during locking operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A locking device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a locking element disposed on a first member, and a receiving portion and a guide portion disposed on a second member, and the locking element is guided to the receiving portion by abutting against the guide portion in response to relative movement between the first member and the second member, and is received in the receiving portion, thereby locking the first member and the second member in a predetermined locking position, and the guide portion is arranged to be able to advance and retreat in a direction that has a component in the direction of the relative movement and that intersects the locking direction of the locking element, and is biased in the advancement direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the generation of striking sounds during the locking operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views showing the locking operation of the locking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the locking device. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a storage device equipped with the same locking device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a guide portion of a locking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a guide portion of a locking device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In FIGS. 1(a) to 1(c), 1 denotes a locking device. The locking device 1 holds, or locks, a first member 2 and a second member 3 in a predetermined locking position. The first member 2 and the second member 3 may be any member, but for example, the first member 2 and the second member 3 constitute an opening / closing device or a storage device, one of which is a main body having an opening 4 and the other of which is an opening / closing body or a lid that opens and closes the opening 4, and the locked position is a position where the opening / closing body or the lid closes the opening 4. As an example, the first member 2 and the second member 3 constitute an opening / closing device or a storage device for a vehicle such as an automobile shown in FIG. 4, for example, a storage box B such as a glove box located in front of the passenger seat or a console box located in the center console between the seats. In the following description of the present embodiment, the first member 2 is a movable member such as an opening / closing body, and the second member 3 is a fixed member such as a main body. The first member 2 moves relative to the second member 3, and the opening 4 formed in the second member 3 is opened and closed by the first member 2. However, the first member 2 and the second member 3 are provided to be movable relative to each other. The first member 2 may be a fixed member and the second member 3 may be a movable member, or both the first member 2 and the second member 3 may be movable members. The opening 4 may also be formed in either the first member 2 or the second member 3. For clarity of explanation, the up-down direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the front-rear direction (indicated by arrows FR and RR), and the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the left-right direction (indicated by arrows L and R). In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the forward direction is the direction in which the first member 2 moves toward the locked position, i.e., the locking operation direction, i.e., the direction in which the opening 4 is closed, and the rearward direction is defined as the direction in which the opening 4 is opened by the occupant who is the user. Furthermore, the up-down direction (indicated by arrows U and D in FIG. 2) is based on the direction as seen by the occupant. Also, in Figure 1, only the right side portion of the locking device 1 is shown, and an example of a side lock in which the locking direction by the locking device 1 is to the right is described, but the left side portion of the locking device 1 may be provided with the same structure that is symmetrical or approximately symmetrical, and in this case, the left side portion will not be described because the position and operation in the left-right direction will simply be reversed from those of the right side portion.

[0011] The locking device 1 has a locking member 5 disposed on the first member 2. The locking member 5 is movably supported in the left-right direction from the first member 2 and is biased in the forward direction, i.e., rightward in the illustrated example, by a biasing means such as a spring. In this embodiment, the locking member 5 is a rod-shaped member, a portion of which is disposed inside the first member 2. A locking portion 9 at the tip end, exposed through a hole 8 opened in a side wall portion 7 of the first member 2, is movable forward and backward. The locking member 5 is configured so that the locking portion 9 retracts toward the hole 8 against the biasing force in response to operation of an operating unit, etc. The side wall portion 7 is a portion located inside the opening 4 of the second member 3 in the locked position. In this embodiment, the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 is disposed behind, i.e., in front of, a blind portion 10 formed on the first member 2, making it difficult for an occupant to directly see it from behind. The blind portion 10 extends outward from the first member 2 relative to the side wall portion 7, i.e., to the right in the drawing. In this embodiment, the concealing portion 10 forms the outer edge of the design side of the first member 2. For example, the concealing portion 10 is a portion that covers the opening 4 of the second member 3 in the locked position.

[0012] The locking device 1 also has a receiving portion 12 arranged on the second member 3. The receiving portion 12 is a portion that receives the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5, thereby locking the first member 2 and the second member 3 so that they are maintained in the locked position. That is, the receiving portion 12 has a restricting portion 13 that restricts the relative position of the first member 2 and the second member 3 to the locked position by contacting the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5. In this embodiment, the restricting portion 13 functions as a rearward restricting portion that serves as a first restricting portion that restricts the position of the locking member 5, i.e., the rearward position of the first member 2, by abutting against the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 from behind. In this embodiment, the restricting portion 13 is formed as a surface that extends in the left-right direction.

[0013] The receiving portion 12 is located in the first opposing wall portion 15 of the second member 3, which laterally faces the side wall portion 7 of the first member 2 in the locked position. That is, the receiving portion 12 is located on the inner edge of the opening 4. In this embodiment, the receiving portion 12 is a recessed portion recessed in the first opposing wall portion 15. The receiving portion 12 has a U-shaped cross section with an open left side, and in this embodiment, defines a rectangular parallelepiped space inside. The restricting portion 13 forms at least a part of the rear surface of the receiving portion 12. The left end of the restricting portion 13 is offset to the right with respect to the left side surface of the first opposing wall portion 15. Therefore, a space portion 16 is formed between the left end of the restricting portion 13 and the left side surface of the first opposing wall portion 15.

[0014] The locking device 1 further includes a guide portion 20 disposed on the second member 3. The guide portion 20 contacts the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 in response to relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3, and guides the contacted locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 toward the receiving portion 12. The guide portion 20 includes a guide main body 21 located rearward of the receiving portion 12 and the restricting portion 13. The guide main body 21 has a guide surface 22 at its rear that directly contacts the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5. The guide surface 22 is formed on the guide main body 21 at a portion on the inner side in the left-right direction of the second member 3, i.e., on the left side in the illustrated example. The guide surface 22 includes a first guide surface 22a and a second guide surface 22b. The first guide surface 22a is an abutment portion that contacts an abutment surface 23 formed in the front of the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5, and guides the guide portion 20 along the slope. In the illustrated example, the first guide surface 22a is an inclined surface that slopes leftward as it faces forward, and guides the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 leftward and forward. The abutment surface 23 is an inclined surface that slopes leftward as it faces forward, just like the first guide surface 22a. The second guide surface 22b guides the guide portion 20 by contacting the tip of the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5. In the illustrated example, the second guide surface 22b is a surface that guides the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 forward and is a surface that extends in the front-to-rear direction. The second guide surface 22b smoothly connects to the left end of the first guide surface 22a. Furthermore, the guide main body portion 21 extends forward in a tongue-like shape at the position of the second guide surface 22b. The guide surface 22 is located to the right of the first opposing wall portion 15. The first guide surface 22a is behind the restricting portion 13, and the second guide surface 22b is to the left of the restricting portion 13.

[0015] The guide main body 21 is disposed on an attachment portion 25 formed at the rear of the receiving portion 12. The attachment portion 25 is adjacent to the rear of the restricting portion 13. That is, the restricting portion 13 separates the receiving portion 12 and the attachment portion 25 from the front to the rear. The attachment portion 25 is recessed in a second opposing wall portion 26 of the second member 3 that faces the blind portion 10 of the first member 2 in the locked position in the front-to-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the second opposing wall portion 26 is formed to be continuous with the rear end portion of the first opposing wall portion 15 and extend to the right.

[0016] The guide unit 20 is movably provided. The guide unit 20 is provided to be movable toward and away from the second member 3 in a direction having a component of the direction of relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3, which intersects the locking direction of the locking member 5. In this embodiment, the "component of the direction of relative movement" refers to the directional component of the relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3 immediately before the locking device 1 is activated. For example, in a glove box in which the first member 2 moves while rotating relative to the second member 3, this refers to the tangential component of the rotational direction immediately before the locking device 1 is activated. The guide unit 20 has a guided portion 28 for guiding the guide unit 20 in the direction of movement toward and away from the second member 3. The guided portion 28 is connected to the front portion, which is the rear side of the guide main body 21, and extends forward. In the illustrated example, the guided portion 28 protrudes forward from the right end portion on the rear side of the guide main body 21. The guided portion 28 is formed in a straight rod shape. The guided portion 28 is guided by a guide portion 29 formed on the second member 3. The guide portion 29 extends longitudinally in the front-rear direction, and in this embodiment is a hole portion recessed in the mounting portion 25. In the example shown in the figure, the guide portion 29 is located adjacent to the right side of the receiving portion 12.

[0017] Furthermore, the guide portion 20 is biased rearward, which is the direction of advancement from the second member 3. That is, the guide portion 20 is supported from the front by biasing means 31 such as a coil spring. The biasing means 31 is held by a holding portion 32 formed on the guide portion 20. In this embodiment, the holding portion 32 is formed, for example, at the tip of the guided portion 28. Therefore, the biasing means 31 is housed inside the guide portion 29.

[0018] The guide portion 20 also functions as a stopper for the second member 3 in the locked position. When the guide portion 20 guides the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 into the receiving portion 12, it returns rearward due to the biasing force of the biasing means 31, thereby forming a contact surface 34 at its rear portion that contacts the first member 2 in the locked position. The contact surface 34 is a surface extending in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the contact surface 34 is formed as a flat surface continuous with the guide surface 22 and is located to the right of the guide surface 22 in the illustrated example. When the first member 2 and the second member 3 are in an unlocked state, i.e., when the opening 4 is open, the contact surface 34 is located rearward from the mounting portion 25 and protrudes beyond the second opposing wall portion 26, as shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 1( c), the contact surface 34 contacts the front portion, which is the rear side of the concealing portion 10 of the first member 2. That is, the first member 2 has a contact portion 35 formed at the front portion of the concealing portion 10 that contacts the contact surface 34 from behind when in the locked position. Therefore, the contact surface 34 (guiding portion 20) functions as a forward direction restricting portion, which is a second restricting portion that restricts the position of the first member 2 in the forward direction, in the locked position.

[0019] At least a part of the portion of guide portion 20 that comes into contact with locking member 5 is formed from soft member 37 shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, a portion of guide portion 20 that includes at least a part of first guide surface 22a, that is, in the illustrated example, a portion that includes first guide surface 22a and contact surface 34, is formed from soft member 37. Soft member 37 is also called a pad, and is formed from a member such as a soft and elastic synthetic resin, for example, rubber or elastomer.

[0020] On the other hand, in consideration of the smooth advancement and retreat of the guide portion 20, it is preferable that the guide portion 20, particularly the portion including the guided portion 28, be formed of a hard member 38. The hard member 38 is formed of a synthetic resin that is harder than the soft member 37. In this embodiment, the hard member 38 includes the second guide surface 22b. In the illustrated example, the guide portion 20 is formed by fitting together the soft member 37 and the hard member 38, which are separate members, but the soft member 37 and the hard member 38 may also be formed integrally by, for example, insert molding or two-color molding.

[0021] 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the receiving portion 12 including the restricting portion 13, the mounting portion 25, and the guide portion 29 are integrally formed on a block-shaped spacer 40. The spacer 40 forms a part of the second member 3 including the first opposing wall portion 15 and the second opposing wall portion 26.

[0022] Next, the operation of the locking device 1 will be described.

[0023] 1(a), when the first member 2 is pushed forward against the second member 3 to close the opening 4, i.e., to perform a locking operation, first, the abutment surface 23 of the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 of the first member 2 abuts against the first guide surface 22a of the guide portion 20. At this time, the guide portion 20 moves slightly forward against the biasing force of the biasing means 31, thereby elastically absorbing the impact of the abutment, and because the first guide surface 22a is formed of the soft member 37, the impact sound is absorbed and kept to a minimum.

[0024] 1(b), when the first member 2 is pushed further forward from this state, a leftward force against the bias is generated on the locking member 5 in accordance with the inclination of the abutment surface 23 of the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 and the first guide surface 22a of the guide portion 20, causing the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 to retreat to the front and left. Then, when the locking member 5 retreats to the left and the locking portion 9 reaches a position where it no longer faces the first guide surface 22a in the front-rear direction, the locking portion 9 is guided forward toward the receiving portion 12 by the second guide surface 22b that is continuous with the first guide surface 22a. At this time, the second guide surface 22b is positioned in the space 16 and covers the left end of the restricting portion 13, so that the tip of the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 does not come into contact with the restricting portion 13 in the front-rear direction. In this state, the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 is positioned shifted to the left relative to the guide portion 20, and therefore the force pushing the guide portion 20 forward from the locking member 5 of the first member 2 is no longer transmitted to the guide portion 20, so that the guide portion 20 tries to return backward due to the biasing force of the biasing means 31.

[0025] 1(c), the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 of the first member 2 is biased to return to a position beyond the second guide surface 22b, protruding to the right, and is inserted into the receiving portion 12 so as to face the restricting portion 13 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the contact surface 34 of the returned guide portion 20 comes into contact with the contact portion 35 at the front of the blind portion 10 of the first member 2. Since the contact surface 34 is made of the soft member 37, the impact sound is absorbed and minimized. Therefore, rearward movement of the first member 2 relative to the second member 3, i.e., an attempt to leave the locked position and release the locked state, is restricted by the locking portion 9 of the locking member 5 being in contact with the restricting portion 13 from behind. In other words, the first member 2 and the second member 3 are locked in the locked position by the locking device 1. Furthermore, because the rearward biasing force of the biasing means 31 in the guide portion 20 exceeds the forward load (lid load) of the first member 2, in the locked position the contact surface 34 always maintains contact with the contact portion 35 of the first member 2. Therefore, even if vibrations occur due to the vehicle traveling, the first member 2 does not rattle back and forth, and repeated small contacts between the first member 2 and the second member 3 in the front and rear direction are suppressed, so that abnormal noises (noise, low-pitched noise) do not occur.

[0026] Thus, according to the first embodiment, the guide portion 20 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in a direction which has a component in the direction of relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3 and which intersects the locking direction by the locking member 5, and is biased in the advancing direction. Therefore, when guiding the locking member 5 to the receiving portion 12 in accordance with the relative movement between the first member 2 and the second member 3 during the locking operation, the guide portion 20 which comes into contact with the locking member 5 retreats against the bias and thereby elastically absorbs the impact of the contact, thereby suppressing the generation of hitting sounds.

[0027] Furthermore, at least a part of the portion of the guide portion 20 that comes into contact with the locking member 5 is formed of the soft member 37, so that the generation of hitting sounds caused by the locking member 5 coming into contact with the guide portion 20 can be further suppressed.

[0028] Since the first member 2 is formed with a contact portion 35 that comes into contact with the guide portion 20 when in the locked position, the guide portion 20 functions as a stopper for the first member 2 in the locked position, preventing the first member 2 and the second member 3 from rattling relative to each other and coming into repeated contact due to vibrations while the vehicle is running, and preventing the generation of abnormal noise caused by this.

[0029] The receiving portion 12 has a regulating portion 13 that regulates the relative position of the first member 2 and the second member 3 to the locked position by contacting the locking member 5 in response to the bias of the guiding portion 20. Therefore, even if the biasing force of the guiding portion 20 in the advancing direction acts on the contact portion 35, the first member 2 is prevented from moving relative to the second member 3, and the first member 2 and the second member 3 can be held in the locked position.

[0030] Furthermore, by being able to suppress the occurrence of striking sounds during locking operation and abnormal noises in the locked position, the marketability of opening / closing devices and storage devices that include the first member 2 and the second member 3 can be improved, and since the guide portion 20 that guides the locking member 5 also serves as a stopper for the first member 2 in the locked position, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing man-hours can also be reduced compared to a configuration that includes a guide portion and a stopper separately.

[0031] Note that instead of being configured with two components, the soft member 37 and the hard member 38, the guide portion 20 may be configured with a single, integrated component (preferably a soft member) as in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 5. Furthermore, the position of the guide surface 22 in the front-to-rear direction may be set according to the position at which sliding with the lock member 5 starts, for example, by setting the thickness of the guide portion 20 in the front-to-rear direction to be thin as in the third embodiment shown in Fig. 6.

[0032] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the locking device 1 is not limited to applications to opening / closing devices or storage devices for vehicles, but can be applied to any device having a first member 2 and a second member 3 that are locked together in a locked position. [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] The present invention can be suitably used as, for example, a locking device capable of locking an opening / closing body or a lid to a main body of an opening / closing device or a storage device for a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Locking device 2 First member 3 Second member 5 Locking member 12 Receptor 13 Regulatory Department 20 Guidance part 35 Contact area 37 Soft materials

Claims

1. a locking device comprising a locking member disposed on a first member, and a receiving portion and a guiding portion disposed on a second member, wherein the locking member is guided to the receiving portion by contact with the guiding portion in response to relative movement between the first member and the second member, and is received in the receiving portion, thereby locking the first member and the second member at a predetermined locking position; The guide portion is provided so as to be movable forward and backward in a direction having a component of the direction of the relative movement and intersecting with the locking direction of the locking member, and is biased in the forward direction. A locking device characterized by:

2. At least a part of the guide portion that comes into contact with the locking member is made of a soft material.

2. The locking device according to claim 1.

3. The first member has a contact portion that is formed on the first member and contacts the guide portion when the first member is in the locked position.

3. The locking device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The receiving portion has a restricting portion that restricts the relative position of the first member and the second member to the locked position by contacting the locking member in response to the bias of the guide portion.

4. The locking device according to claim 3.

Images