Opening / closing structure

Abstract

To provide an opening / closing structure capable of improving quality by reducing a wind leakage amount in a closed state.SOLUTION: An opening / closing device is an opening / closing structure comprising a shaft part, a bearing part that rotatably supports the shaft part, and a valve body that opens and closes a ventilation passage by rotating around the shaft part. At least one of the shaft part and the bearing part has a discharge function that discharges an airflow outside the ventilation passage when the ventilation passage is closed by the valve body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening and closing structure. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A blower device that is attached to an instrument panel of an automobile and has a duct for blowing out air is known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a shutter valve opening and closing structure that includes a case body connected to a duct of a blowing device, and a shutter valve that is rotatably supported inside the case body and can be opened and closed by an operating means, the shutter valve having a valve body, and when the case body is closed by the valve body, the peripheral portion of the valve body is pressed against the inner wall surface of the case body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-108654 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the shutter valve opening and closing structure described in Patent Document 1, the peripheral edge of the valve body is made up of a soft, elastically deformable seal portion.

[0006] Therefore, when the periphery of the seal is pressed against the inner wall surface of the case body, the seal receives a reaction force from the inner wall surface, causing wrinkles in the seal, which creates a gap between the periphery of the seal and the inner wall surface of the case body, which can cause air leakage through the gap into the vehicle interior.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an opening and closing structure that can improve quality by reducing the amount of air leakage in the closed state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the opening and closing device of the present invention comprises: A shaft portion; a bearing portion that rotatably supports the shaft portion; a valve body that rotates about the shaft portion to open and close a ventilation passage through which airflow passes; An opening and closing structure comprising: At least one of the shaft portion and the bearing portion has a discharge function of discharging the airflow to the outside of the ventilation passage when the ventilation passage is closed by the valve body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the amount of air leakage in the closed state is reduced, thereby improving quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an opening and closing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the opening and closing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the opening / closing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the upstream side of the ventilation. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ventilation passage is opened in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an opening / closing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the opening / closing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the opening / closing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the upstream side in the ventilation direction. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 depicts an X axis and a Y axis. In FIG. 4, the left-right direction is referred to as the ventilation direction or X direction, the right direction is referred to as the right side, the upstream side in the ventilation direction or "+X direction," and the left direction is referred to as the left side, the downstream side in the ventilation direction or "-X direction." The up-down direction is referred to as the height direction or Y direction, the up direction is referred to as the upper side or "+Y direction," and the down direction is referred to as the lower side or "-Y direction." The depth direction in FIG. 4 is referred to as the width direction or Z direction, the front direction is referred to as one side in the width direction or "+Z direction," and the back direction is referred to as the other side in the width direction or "-Z direction."

[0012] The opening / closing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention opens and closes a ventilation passage. The ventilation passage is attached to, for example, an automobile instrument panel, and is connected to an air conditioning duct (see FIG. 4) on the upstream side of the ventilation passage in the direction of airflow. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, ventilation passage 1 is a duct having a rectangular cross section and has an upper wall 1a, a lower wall 1b, one widthwise side wall 1c, and the other widthwise side wall 1d. Therefore, the inner wall surfaces of ventilation passage 1 are formed by the respective inner wall surfaces of upper wall 1a, lower wall 1b, one widthwise side wall 1c, and the other widthwise side wall 1d. Ventilation passage 1 is molded, for example, from a synthetic resin material.

[0013] The opening / closing structure 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a shaft portion 10, a valve body 20, a bearing portion 30, and a shielding portion 40. In the following description, the shaft portion 10 is integrated with the valve body 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the shaft portion 10 may be separate from the valve body 20.

[0014] (shaft 10) The shaft portion 10 is disposed on one widthwise side (+Z direction) and the other widthwise side (-Z direction) with the valve body 20 in between. The shaft portion 10 has a communication portion 50 that communicates an upstream portion of the ventilation passage 1 located upstream in the ventilation direction (+X direction) of the valve body 20 with the outside of the ventilation passage 1. The shaft portion 10 has a hollow wall 12 that extends from a position inside the ventilation passage 1 to a position outside the ventilation passage 1 to form the communication portion 50. As a result, the inside of the hollow wall 12 is open to the outside of the ventilation passage 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the hollow wall 12 (communication portion 50) may be provided in the bearing portion 30 instead of or together with the shaft portion 10.

[0015] The hollow wall 12 is divided along a plane including the axis of the shaft portion 10, and comprises an upstream hollow wall portion 12a located upstream in the ventilation direction (+X direction) and a downstream hollow wall portion 12b located downstream in the ventilation direction (-X direction).

[0016] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the hollow wall 12 has an inlet portion 14 that communicates from the outside of the hollow wall 12 to the inside of the hollow wall 12 at a position inside the ventilation passage 1. The inlet portion 14 is disposed in the upstream hollow wall portion 12a.

[0017] (Bearing part 30) The bearing portion 30 is disposed on one widthwise side wall 1c. The bearing portion 30 is also disposed on the other widthwise side wall 1d. The pair of bearing portions 30 disposed on the one widthwise side wall 1c and the other widthwise side wall 1d are disposed opposite each other in the width direction (Z direction).

[0018] The bearing 30 arranged on one widthwise side wall 1c rotatably supports the shaft 10 arranged on one widthwise side (+Z direction). The bearing 30 arranged on the other widthwise side wall 1d rotatably supports the shaft 10 arranged on the other widthwise side (-Z direction).

[0019] The bearing portion 30 is a circular through-hole that penetrates each of the one widthwise side wall 1c and the other widthwise side wall 1d in the width direction. The bearing portion 30 (through-hole) is open to the inside of the ventilation passage 1 and also to the outside of the ventilation passage 1. The radius of the circular through-hole is set according to the radius of the outer shape of the shaft portion 10 (hollow wall 12).

[0020] (Valve body 20) Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ventilation passage is open in the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 6. Valve body 20 opens and closes ventilation passage 1 by rotating around shaft portion 10. Valve body 20 is movable from a position in which ventilation passage 1 is closed (see Figs. 2 and 4) to a position in which ventilation passage 1 is open (see Figs. 6 and 7).

[0021] 4 and 5, the valve body 20 is divided along a plane including the axis of the shaft portion 10, and has an upstream plate portion 22 located upstream in the direction of ventilation (right side in FIG. 4, upper side in FIG. 5) and a downstream plate portion 23 located downstream in the direction of ventilation (left side in FIG. 4, lower side in FIG. 5). Each of the upstream plate portion 22 and the downstream plate portion 23 has a rectangular flat plate.

[0022] The upstream plate portion 22 has an upper edge portion 22a, a lower edge portion 22b, one widthwise edge portion 22c, and the other widthwise edge portion 22d. The upstream plate portion 22 is integrated with the upstream hollow wall portion 12a. Specifically, the upstream hollow wall portion 12a protrudes from the one widthwise edge portion 22c to one widthwise side (+Z direction) and from the other widthwise edge portion 22d to the other widthwise side (-Z direction).

[0023] The downstream plate portion 23 is disposed on the rear side of the upstream plate portion 22 (below the upstream plate portion 22 in FIGS. 6 and 7). The downstream plate portion 23 has an upper edge portion 23a, a lower edge portion 23b, one widthwise edge portion 23c, and the other widthwise edge portion 23d. The downstream plate portion 23 is integrated with the downstream hollow wall portion 12b. Specifically, the downstream hollow wall portion 12b protrudes from the one widthwise edge portion 23c toward one widthwise side (+Z direction) and from the other widthwise edge portion 23d toward the other widthwise side (-Z direction).

[0024] The peripheral edge of the valve body 20 is formed by a seal portion 24. The seal portion 24 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the upstream plate portion 22 and the downstream plate portion 23. The seal portion 24 has a rectangular outer shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the ventilation passage 1. The seal portion 24 is molded from a soft, elastically deformable material such as resin rubber. The seal portion 24 can be pressed against the upper wall 1a, the lower wall 1b, the one widthwise side wall 1c, and the other widthwise side wall 1d of the ventilation passage 1. This allows the valve body 20 to close the ventilation passage 1 without any gaps. As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the seal portion 24 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the upstream plate portion 22 and the downstream plate portion 23. However, FIG. 1 shows the seal portion 24 positioned upstream in the ventilation direction (+X direction) of the valve body 20 (the upstream plate portion 22 and the downstream plate portion 23) so that the overall configuration of the seal portion 24 can be seen.

[0025] (Shielding part 40) A pair of shielding portions 40 are arranged opposite each other in the width direction (Z direction) on each of the width direction side wall 1c and the width direction other side wall 1d. The pair of shielding portions 40 are arranged at the same positions as the positions where the bearing portions 30 (through holes) are provided.

[0026] 6, the pair of shielding portions 40 are integrated with the ventilation passage 1. Specifically, the shielding portions 40 protrude from one widthwise side wall 1c toward the other widthwise side (-Z direction). Also, the shielding portions 40 protrude from the other widthwise side wall 1d toward one widthwise side (+Z direction).

[0027] As shown in Fig. 7, the shielding portion 40 has a semi-cylindrical shape obtained by cutting a cylinder along a plane including its cylindrical axis. The radius of the semi-cylindrical shape is set according to the radius of the outer shape of the shaft portion 10 (hollow wall 12), similar to the radius of the circular through-hole in the bearing portion 30. Also, as described above, the pair of shielding portions 40 are disposed at the same positions as the bearing portions 30 (through-holes). As a result, the semi-cylindrical shape of the shielding portion 40 is disposed so as to overlap the circular shape of the bearing portion 30 (through-hole).

[0028] The shielding portion 40 is disposed so that the inlet portion 14 is exposed to the interior of the ventilation passage 1 when the valve body 20 closes the ventilation passage 1 (see FIG. 4). The shielding portion 40 is disposed so that the inlet portion 14 is shielded from the interior of the ventilation passage 1 when the valve body 20 opens the ventilation passage 1 (see FIG. 7). In other words, when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the shaft portion 10 rotates to a retracted position where the inlet portion 14 is retracted from the shielding portion 40 and opened, and when the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20, the shaft portion 10 rotates to a shielding position where the inlet portion 14 is shielded and closed by the shielding portion 40. When the inlet portion 14 is retracted from the shielding portion 40 and exposed to the interior of the ventilation passage 1, the airflow on the interior side of the ventilation passage 1 can be discharged from the upstream portion to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 through the hollow wall 12 (communicating portion 50). When the inlet portion 14 is shielded by the shielding portion 40, the airflow inside the ventilation passage 1 can be discharged from the upstream portion to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 through the hollow wall 12 (communicating portion 50).

[0029] Next, the operation of the valve body 20 will be described. In the state shown in Figure 6 where the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20, the ventilation air flows through the ventilation passage 1 from the upstream side in the ventilation direction (+X direction) to the downstream side in the ventilation direction (-Z direction). This allows the ventilation air to be sent into the vehicle cabin from an air conditioning duct (not shown) through the ventilation passage 1. Note that in the state shown in Figure 6 where the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20, the inlet portion 14 is blocked by the shielding portion 40, so the ventilation air does not flow into the inlet portion 14, does not pass through the inside of the hollow wall 12, and is not discharged to the outside of the ventilation passage 1, making it possible to send a sufficient amount of ventilation air into the vehicle cabin.

[0030] On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 4 etc. where the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the valve body 20 blocks the ventilation air on the upstream side (+X direction) of the ventilation direction, preventing the ventilation air from flowing inside the ventilation passage 1 from the upstream side (+X direction) of the ventilation direction to the downstream side (-Z direction) of the ventilation direction. As a result, the ventilation air cannot be sent from the air conditioning duct (not shown) into the vehicle cabin through the ventilation passage 1. Note that in the state shown in FIG. 4 etc. where the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the valve body 20 is subjected to wind pressure due to the ventilation air. However, in the state where the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the inlet portion 14 is retracted from the shielding portion 40, and the ventilation air flows into the inlet portion 14, passes through the inside of the hollow wall 12, and is discharged to the outside of the ventilation passage 1, thereby reducing the internal pressure inside the ventilation passage 1. This reduces the amount of air leakage that passes through the gap between the peripheral edge of the seal portion 24 and the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1 and flows downstream in the ventilation direction, thereby improving the quality of the opening and closing structure.

[0031] The opening / closing structure 100 in the above embodiment is an opening / closing structure including a shaft portion 10, a bearing portion 30 that rotatably supports the shaft portion 10, and a valve body 20 that opens and closes the ventilation passage 1 by rotating around the shaft portion 10, and at least one of the shaft portion 10 and the bearing portion 30 has a discharge function of discharging airflow to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20. According to the above configuration, for example, the peripheral portion of the valve body 20 is configured to be elastically deformable, and when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the peripheral portion is pressed against the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1, and receives a reaction force from the inner wall surface, causing wrinkles in the peripheral portion and a gap between the peripheral portion and the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1. Even if this occurs, for example, the internal pressure in the ventilation passage 1 decreases because the ventilation that has flowed into the ventilation passage 1 from an air conditioning duct is discharged to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 via the shaft portion 10 or the like. This reduces the amount of air leakage that passes through the gap between the peripheral edge portion and the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1 and flows downstream in the ventilation direction (-X direction), thereby improving quality. In addition, in the opening and closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, at least one of the shaft portion 10 and the bearing portion 30 has a communication portion 50 that communicates between an upstream portion located upstream of the valve body 20 in the ventilation passage 1 in the ventilation direction and the outside of the ventilation passage 1.

[0032] According to the above configuration, for example, the airflow that flows into the ventilation passage 1 from the air conditioning duct is exhausted from the upstream side in the ventilation direction (+X direction) to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 through the communication part 50, thereby reducing the internal pressure within the ventilation passage 1. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of air leakage that passes through the gap between the peripheral part and the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1 and flows downstream in the ventilation direction (-X direction), thereby improving quality.

[0033] Moreover, the opening / closing structure 100 in the above embodiment further includes a shielding part 40 that opens the communicating part 50 so that the airflow is discharged from the upstream part to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, and closes the communicating part 50 so that the airflow is not discharged from the upstream part to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 when the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20. The simple configuration using the shielding part 40 makes it possible to open / close the communicating part 50.

[0034] In the opening and closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, the shaft portion 10 may have a hollow wall 12 extending from a position inside the ventilation passage 1 to a position outside the ventilation passage 1 so as to form the communication portion 50. This makes it possible to provide the communication portion 50 without increasing the number of parts.

[0035] Furthermore, in the opening and closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, the hollow wall 12 may have an inlet portion 14 that communicates from the outside of the hollow wall 12 to the inside of the hollow wall 12 at a position on the inside of the ventilation passage 1. This makes it possible for ventilation to flow from the outside of the hollow wall 12 to the inside of the hollow wall 12 via the inlet portion 14.

[0036] Furthermore, in the opening and closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, the inside of the hollow wall 12 may be open to the outside of the ventilation passage 1. This makes it possible to exhaust the ventilation that has flowed into the inside of the hollow wall 12 to the outside of the ventilation passage 1.

[0037] Furthermore, in the opening / closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, the hollow wall 12 has an inlet portion 14 that communicates from the outside of the hollow wall 12 to the inside of the hollow wall 12 at a position inside the ventilation passage 1, and the inlet portion 14 may be opened when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20 and closed when the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20. In this way, when the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20, the inlet portion 14 is closed and ventilation is not discharged from the inlet portion 14 to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 through the communication portion 50, so that a sufficient amount of ventilation can be supplied to, for example, the vehicle interior.

[0038] Furthermore, in the opening and closing structure 100 of the above embodiment, the shielding portion 40 may be arranged so as to protrude from the wall portion of the ventilation passage 1 toward the inside of the ventilation passage 1 at the position where the bearing portion 30 is provided. This makes it possible to provide the shielding portion 40 without increasing the number of parts.

[0039] Furthermore, in the opening / closing structure 100 in the above embodiment, the peripheral edge of the valve body 20 may have an elastically deformable seal portion 24. This makes it possible to press the peripheral edge of the valve body 20 against the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1. Furthermore, since the peripheral edge of the valve body 20 is made of the elastically deformable seal portion 24 and the central portion and other portions of the valve body 20 other than the peripheral edge can be made of a material that is less prone to elastic deformation, the rigidity required of the valve body 20 can be ensured.

[0040] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the communicating portion 50 is provided in the shaft portion 10 as the hollow wall 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the communicating portion may be provided in the shaft portion 10 and the bearing portion 30. For example, a communicating portion (gap) that runs from the inside of the ventilation passage 1 to the outside of the ventilation passage 1 may be provided between the outer peripheral wall of the shaft portion 10 and the periphery of the hole of the bearing portion 30 (through hole). This makes it possible to provide the communicating portion without increasing the number of parts.

[0041] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the ventilation passage 1 is closed by the valve body 20, the inlet portion 14 is retracted from the shielding portion 40, and when the ventilation passage 1 is opened by the valve body 20, the inlet portion 14 is shielded by the shielding portion 40, but the inlet portion 14 may be always open regardless of whether the ventilation passage 1 is opened or closed by the valve body 20. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of air leakage that passes through the gap between the peripheral edge portion and the inner wall surface of the ventilation passage 1 and flows downstream in the ventilation direction.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communicating portion 50 (hollow wall 12) is provided in each of the pair of shaft portions 10, 10, but it may be provided in at least one of the pair of shaft portions 10, 10.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communicating portion 50 (hollow wall 12) is provided independently in each of the pair of shaft portions 10, 10, but the communicating portions 50 provided in each of the pair of shaft portions 10, 10 may be connected to each other. In this case, the pair of shaft portions 10, 10 may be connected, and the communicating portion 50 may be arranged so as to pass through the connected pair of shaft portions 10, 10.

[0044] Furthermore, the communication portion in the present invention may be provided in the bearing portion 30 instead of the shaft portion 10. In this case, the inlet portion of the communication portion is located inside the ventilation passage 1, and the outlet portion of the communication portion is located outside the ventilation passage 1. At least one of the inlet portion and the outlet portion is opened and closed by the relative rotation of the shaft portion 10 with respect to the bearing portion 30. This makes it possible to control the amount of air leakage.

[0045] The communication part of the present invention may also be provided in the bearing part 30 together with the shaft part 10. In this case, the inlet part of the communication part is located inside the ventilation passage 1, and the outlet part of the communication part is located outside the ventilation passage 1. The exhaust passage between the inlet part and the outlet part of the communication part is closed or opened by the relative rotation of the shaft part 10 with respect to the bearing part 30. This makes it possible to control the amount of air leakage.

[0046] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof. [Industrial Applicability]

[0047] The present invention is suitably used for vehicle instrument panels having an opening / closing structure that requires improved quality by reducing the amount of wind leakage in the closed state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Ventilation duct 1a Upper wall 1b Lower wall 1c One side wall in the width direction 1d Other side wall in width direction 10 Shaft 12 hollow wall 12a Upstream hollow wall 12b Downstream hollow wall 14 Entrance 20 Valve body 22 Upstream plate section 22a Upper edge 22b Lower edge 22c One side edge in the width direction 22d Other side edge in width direction 23 Downstream plate section 23a Upper edge 23b Lower edge 23c One edge in the width direction 23d Other side edge in width direction 24 Seal part 30 Bearing section 40 Shielding part 50 Communication part 100 Opening and closing structure 200 injection molds 210 cores 211 Concave section 220 cavity 221 Convex part 230 Hollow

Claims

1. A shaft portion; a bearing portion that rotatably supports the shaft portion; a valve body that rotates about the shaft portion to open and close a ventilation passage through which airflow passes; An opening and closing structure comprising: At least one of the shaft portion and the bearing portion has a discharge function of discharging the airflow to the outside of the ventilation passage when the ventilation passage is closed by the valve body. Opening and closing structure.

2. At least one of the shaft portion and the bearing portion has a communication portion as the exhaust function that communicates an upstream portion located upstream of the valve body in the ventilation passage in the ventilation direction with the outside of the ventilation passage. The opening and closing structure according to claim 1 .

3. The airflow passage is closed by the valve body, and the airflow passage is opened by the valve body. The airflow passage is opened by the valve body. The airflow passage is closed by the valve body. The airflow passage is not discharged from the upstream portion to the outside of the airflow passage. The airflow passage is closed by the valve body. The opening and closing structure according to claim 2.

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