Latch device

Abstract

Even if the striker is tried to be removed in the locked state of the engaging part, since the abutting part abuts on the case inside corresponding part, the holding force to the striker can be strengthened, and the size can be reduced accordingly.SOLUTION: The latch device includes a latch main body (2) having a sliding portion (20) disposed in the case (1) and an engaging portion (26) connected to the sliding portion (20) and capable of holding the striker (7) between the engaging portion (26) and an inner surface of the case (1), an urging member (4) urging the latch main body in a direction protruding from the case (1), and a guide lever (5) capable of moving along a cam groove (3) provided in the sliding portion (20) to lock the engaging portion (26) in the case (1). The engaging part 26 has an abutting part 6 projected at a position opposed to the inner surface of the case in the locked state, and the abutting part 6 abuts on the opposed surface of the case in the process of switching from the unlocked state to the locked state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a push-type latch device that is used when detachably fastening a movable body such as a lid to a main body such as a base, and that fastens a striker on the movable body with an initial push and releases the striker with a subsequent push. [Background technology]

[0002] Fig. 11 shows the push-type latch device of Patent Document 1. This latch device is composed of five components: a case (housing) 1, a sliding body 2 slidably arranged within the case 1, an engaging body 3 swingably connected to the sliding body 2 by fitting a shaft portion 35 into a shaft hole 24a, a spring member 4 that biases the sliding body 2 toward the front of the case 1, and a pin member 5 that traces along a pair of cam grooves 27 provided in the sliding body 2. The basic operation is as follows: the sliding body 2 is pressed by the door-side striker 9, and the engaging body 3 moves in the left direction of the arrow in (a) against the biasing force of the spring member 4, entering an overstroke state. After that, when the pushing force is released, the engaging body 3 moves in the right direction of the arrow due to the biasing force of the spring member 4, and is locked in a locked state by the engagement of the engaging groove of the cam groove 27 with the tip 5c of the pin member. In addition, the unlocking operation involves the sliding body 2 being pushed by the striker 9 and moving slightly to the left of the arrow in (a) against the biasing force of the spring member 4, resulting in an overstroke state. When the pushing force is released, the engaging body 3 moves to the right of the arrow due to the biasing force of the spring member 4, and the pin member 5 is disengaged from the locking groove of the cam groove 27, after which the striker 7 can move freely to the left.

[0003] In this structure, the engaging body 3 has the claw portion 32 and the protruding portion 33 for the pivotal support portion that maintains a predetermined gap with the claw portion, protrudes in the same direction as the claw portion, and is rotatably supported on the sliding body 2, and also has the abutment portion 22 that is disposed between the claw portion 32 and the protruding portion 33 when the sliding body 2 supports the engaging body 3. Therefore, by making the engaging body 3 enter the inside of the sliding body 2, the dimensions in the width direction or thickness direction of the sliding body 2 with the engaging body 3 attached, and therefore the thickness of the case 1, can be reduced when the engaging body 3 is supported on the sliding body 2, and the pivotal portion of the engaging body 3 is disposed behind the abutment portion 22, which enables compactification due to the shape of the engaging body 3, etc. (paragraph 0009).

[0004] 12 shows a push-type latch device disclosed in Patent Document 2. This latch device is configured so that the striker S is locked and unlocked by pushing the striker S into a case (housing) 12. The latch device has a four-part configuration including the case 12, a latch body 15 that is movable within the case 12 between an unlocked position and a fully pushed-in position, a biasing spring 13 that biases the latch body 15 toward the unlocked position, and a guide lever 14 that slides along a cam groove 35c formed in the latch body 15 and locks the latch body 15 at a locked position between the unlocked position and the fully pushed-in position. In other words, this structure has an enlarged portion 25 formed on the entrance / exit side of the case 12, and the latch body 15 forms a pair of clamping pieces 30 connected via a hinge portion 32, and the latch body 15 forms the cam groove 35c. In terms of operation, even if a pair of clamping pieces 30 of the latch body 15 is spread open on both sides and a striker S is forcibly inserted into the latch body 15 while the clamping pieces 30 are locked, a so-called forced insertion operation, is performed, each clamping piece 30 is able to spread open within the expansion section 25 and accept the striker S, thereby preventing deformation or damage to the latch body 15 or case 12, which is likely to occur when a striker S is forcibly inserted, and deformation or damage due to unintended force being applied to the latch body 15 (paragraph 0009). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5171547 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-19446 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The latch device of Patent Document 2 has fewer components than Patent Document 1 and is easier to assemble, but the case looks unattractive due to the presence of an expanded portion on the front, and when in the unlocked state, the pair of clamping pieces protrude significantly to the left and right on the front side, creating problems with appearance and compactness.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a latch device that maintains a four-point configuration, reduces costs, has a good appearance, and is easy to make compact or miniaturized. Other objects will become clear in the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, when specified with reference to the drawings, is characterized in that a latch device in which a striker (7) is locked and unlocked by pushing the striker into a case (1) of the latch device, comprises a latch body (2) having a sliding part (20) arranged on the case (1) and an engaging part (26) connected to the sliding part and capable of restraining or clamping the striker (7) between the case and the inner surface of the case within the case, a biasing member (4) that biases the latch body in a direction that protrudes from the case, and a guide lever (5) that moves along a cam groove (3) provided in the sliding part (20) and can engage the engaging part (26) in a locked state within the case (1), and further, the engaging part (26) has an abutting part (6) that protrudes from a position facing the inner surface of the case (1) in the locked state, and the abutting part abuts against the opposing surface of the case during the process of switching from the unlocked state to the locked state.

[0009] The present invention is more preferably embodied as follows: (A) The abutment portions are provided on both ends of the upper surface of the engaging portion when the engaging portion is in a locked state (claim 2). (i) The engaging portion is connected to the sliding portion via a hinge portion so as to be swingable in the up-down direction of the cam groove (claim 3).

[0010] (c) The engaging portion is configured to be in pressure contact with the edge of the opening of the case due to the reaction force of the hinge portion in the unlocked state (claim 4). (e) The hinge and abutment portion are arranged above the thickness of the latch body when the engagement portion is locked, and the engagement portion is arranged diagonally upward outside the case via the hinge portion when unlocked, and is inserted into the case when locked and arranged approximately horizontally (Claim 5). [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In the invention of claim 1, even if an attempt is made to remove the striker while the engagement portion is locked, the abutment portion abuts against the corresponding surface on the inside of the case, thereby increasing the holding force against the striker and enabling a more compact design. In other words, with this structure, as shown in Figure 6, by lowering the engagement position of the engagement portion using the abutment portion when the engagement portion is locked, the amount of contact with the striker is increased, making it easy to reliably improve the engagement and holding force. Another advantage is that by providing the abutment portion at the abutment position on the inside of the case, the abutment surface is made clear, making it easy to adjust the engagement or holding force against the striker simply by changing the height or width of the abutment portion.

[0012] In the invention of claim 2, the abutment portions are arranged on both sides of the upper surface of the engagement portion when the engagement portion is in the locked state, so that they abut near the corners on the inside of the case, that is, at locations where deformation of the case is unlikely to occur, making it easier to prevent deformation of the case, and thereby making it possible to stably maintain the holding force of the striker in the locked state.

[0013] In the invention of claim 3, the engaging part is connected to the sliding part via a hinge part so that it can swing normal to the cam groove or in the vertical direction of the groove. Therefore, compared to Patent Document 2, the engaging part and sliding part can be molded as a single unit, which improves the installation work and assembly procedure, and makes it easier to achieve weight reduction and cost reduction.

[0014] In the invention of claim 4, the engaging portion is pressed against the opening edge of the case by the reaction force of the hinge portion when the engaging portion is in the unlocked state, so that rattle of the engaging portion when in the unlocked state can be suppressed, thereby improving quality.

[0015] In the invention of claim 5, the hinge portion and the abutment portion are positioned on the upper side of the thickness direction of the latch body when in the locked state, and the engagement portion is positioned diagonally upward outside the case when in the unlocked state, and is positioned approximately horizontally inside the case when in the locked state.This makes it possible to make the structure more attractive and compact than, for example, a configuration in which a pair of engagement portions expand in diameter via the hinge portion to both sides of the case, as in Patent Document 1. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is an external view showing a latch device according to an embodiment in an unlocked state of an engagement portion. FIG. [Figure 2] 1(a) and 1(b) are a top view and a side view showing the latch device in an unlocked state and a locked state. [Figure 3] 1(a) and 1(b) are a front view and a rear view showing the latch device in an unlocked state. [Figure 4] 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2(a) showing the latch device together with a striker in an unlocked state, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2(a). [Figure 5] 4(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the latch device in an overstroke state in which the striker is pushed in the direction of the arrow, and FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B1-B1 in FIG. 4(a). [Figure 6] 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 in FIG. 2(a) showing the latch device together with a striker in a locked state, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B2-B2 in FIG. 2(a). [Figure 7] 7A is a cross-sectional view showing the latch device in an overstroke state in which the striker is pushed in the direction of the arrow in the locked state of FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B3-B3 in FIG. [Figure 8] (a) is an enlarged external view of the case alone as seen from the front, and (b) is an enlarged external view of the latch body alone as seen from the rear. [Figure 9] 1 shows the case alone, where (a) is an enlarged side view with a part broken away, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in (a). [Figure 10] The latch body is shown alone, with (a) being an enlarged top view, (b) being an enlarged bottom view, (c) being a side view taken from the direction of the arrow FF in (a), and (d) being a cross-sectional view taken from the direction of the arrow GG in (a). [Figure 11] 4(a), (b), and (c) are explanatory diagrams showing the latch device of Patent Document 1 in the locked state of FIG. 4(a), the unlocked state of FIG. 4(c), and the state in which the striker has been forcibly removed of FIG. 4(d). [Figure 12] 8(a), (b), and (c) are explanatory diagrams showing the latch device of Patent Document 2 in the locked state of FIG. 8, the unlocked state of FIG. 5, and the maximum pushed-in state of FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 3 show the structure of the latch device, Figures 4 to 7 show the operation of the latch device, and Figures 8 to 10 show details of the components. Note that the details in the drawings are schematic and simplified due to limitations in drawing. In the following explanation, the device structure and assembly procedure will be clarified, and then the operational features will be described in detail.

[0018] (Device Structure) The latch device of the example embodiment is used when detachably engaging a movable body 9 such as a lid to a main body 8 such as a base, and is a push-type device in which a striker 7 attached to the movable body 9 is engaged with an initial push operation and released with a subsequent push operation. It is composed of four parts: a flattened container-shaped case 1; a latch main body 2 having an engagement part 26 connected to a sliding part 20 via a hinge part 25 and arranged so as to be able to slide within the case 1; a biasing member 4 that biases the latch main body 2 in a direction that protrudes from the case 1; and a guide lever 5 that can trace along a cam groove 3 provided in the sliding part 20 to engage the engagement part 26 in a locked state within the case 1.

[0019] The main body 8 is a box-shaped base having a frame-shaped mounting portion 8a to which the latch device is attached, and the movable body 9 has a striker 7 that is engaged with and disengaged from the latch device. As shown in Figure 4, the striker 7 is made up of a base portion 7a that is integrated with the movable body 9, and a concave recess portion 7c that is formed between the base portion 7a and a tip portion 7b.

[0020] The main ingenious features are that the engaging portion 26 has a contact portion 6 protruding from a position facing the inner surface of the case 1 when in the locked state, and that the contact portion 6 comes into contact with the opposing inner surface of the case 1 when the engaging portion 26 is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, that the engaging portion 26 is connected to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 in the thickness direction via the hinge portion 25, and that the contact portion 6 is pressed against the opening edge of the case 1 by the reaction force of the hinge portion 25 when in the unlocked state. Other features include that the hinge portion 25 and the contact portion 6 are located on the upper side of the latch body 2 in the thickness direction, are inserted into the case 1 and positioned approximately horizontally when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state, and are positioned outside the case 1 via the hinge portion 25 and positioned obliquely upward when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state.

[0021] In addition, in an example of use in which the above latch device is used to engage and disengage the striker 7 on the movable body 9 side shown in Figure 4, when the movable body 9 is pushed toward the closed position on the main body 8 side, it engages the movable body 9 via the striker 7, and when the movable body 9 is further pushed in the same direction to release the pushing force, it releases the engagement with the striker 7. Of course, in terms of usage, the latch device may be attached to the movable body 9 side and the striker 7 to the main body 8 side. Furthermore, although the case 1 and latch main body 2 are molded from resin, materials other than resin may also be used.

[0022] 1, 8, and 9, case 1 has an interior 16 defined by upper and lower walls 10 and 11, side walls 12, and a rear bottom wall 13, forming a generally rectangular cylindrical shape with an open front side. Top wall 10 is provided with a guide groove 10a extending therethrough to guide the forward and backward movement of latch body 2, a recessed recess 10b formed in the width direction on the inside of the opening edge, and a guide recess 10c extending from a portion of recess 10b through guide groove 10a to bottom wall 13. Bottom wall 11 is provided with a recess 11a capable of receiving tip 7b of striker 7 when engagement portion 26 is engaged with striker 7, and a guide recess 11b extending from a portion of recess 11a in the same direction as guide groove 10a to bottom wall 13, facing guide groove 10a, as shown in FIG. 6. Both side walls 12 are provided with outer surfaces 15 with tapers 15a formed by bulging out both sides of the entrance / exit side frame and cutting out the lower corners, and elastic locking claws 17 for attachment that are separated by a U-shaped slit 12a and have their tips protruding outward.

[0023] The bottom wall 13 has upper and lower insertion holes 13a penetrating the interior and exterior, elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c (see FIG. 3(b)) that are partitioned by notches and pivotally grip the guide lever 5 between them, a support shaft 18 that protrudes from the interior surface and supports the biasing member 4, and a pair of restricting protrusions 19 (see FIGS. 4 and 5(b)) that restrict unintended rattle of the sliding part 20 when the engaging part 26, described below, is locked. The insertion hole 13a has a hole width larger than the wire diameter of the guide lever 5, allowing the approximately U-shaped guide lever 5 to be inserted into the case 1. The elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c are arranged opposite each other with a gap between them and can hold the middle part 5a of the guide lever 5 with a predetermined clamping force. The support shaft 18 protrudes to the left when viewed from the front. 5(b), when the engaging portion 26 of the latch body is in the locked state, the rear corner portion of the sliding portion 20, designated by the reference numeral 22, is inserted between the restricting protrusions 19. As a result, when the engaging portion 26 of the latch body 2 is in the locked state, the latch body 2 is stably positioned within the case 1 without any rattle.

[0024] Further, a guide lever 5 is pivotally supported on the elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c, and an urging member 4 is held on the support shaft 18. This urging member 4 is a coil spring as shown in Fig. 4, and its lower side is axially inserted into the support shaft 18 and its upper side is engaged with a protruding piece 37b of the engaging body 26 through a through-hole 24 of the sliding body 2, which will be described later. The guide lever 5 is substantially U-shaped as shown by the imaginary line in Fig. 9(a), and is composed of an intermediate part 5a swingably supported by the elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c of the case bottom wall 13, arm parts 5b bent from the upper and lower ends of the intermediate part 5a, and tracing end parts 5c formed by bending the tip end of each arm part 5b inward.

[0025] In contrast, the latch body 2 is an injection-molded body of a size that fits almost entirely within the case 1, and has a sliding part 20 that is placed in the case 1 as shown in Figures 4, 8(b), and 10, and an engaging part 26 that is connected to the front of the sliding part 20 via a hinge part 25 and can restrain or clamp the striker 7 between itself and the inner surface of the case 1.

[0026] The sliding portion 20 comprises a block portion 21 provided on one side in the width direction or left / right direction and a cam groove forming plate portion 22 provided on the other side. The block portion 21 has ribs 23 provided on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a through-hole 24 penetrating from front to back. The upper and lower ribs 23 slidably fit into guide recesses 10c and 11b on the case 1 side. The front side of the upper rib 23 has a protrusion 23a that fits into the case-side guide groove 10a. When the sliding portion 20 is moved in the direction of coming out of the case 1 by the biasing force of the biasing member 4 as shown in FIG. 4(a), the protrusion 23a abuts against one end face of the guide groove 10a, preventing the sliding portion 20 from coming out. The through-hole 24 allows the support shaft 18 to move in and out while supporting the biasing member 4.

[0027] Meanwhile, heart-shaped cam grooves 3 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of plate portion 22. Each cam groove 3 has approximately the same shape as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), is provided around convex cam island 30, and has a guide groove 3a extending from the rear to the lower front, a locking guide groove 3b and a release guide groove 3d located in front of guide groove 3a and separated into upper and lower grooves, a concave locking groove 3c located on the rear side between guide grooves 3b and 3d, and a return groove 3e extending rearward from guide groove 3d.

[0028] The engaging portion 26 is connected to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 in the thickness direction by a thin hinge portion 25. The engaging portion 26 can be switched between an unlocked state shown in FIG. 4, in which it is exposed from the case 1, and a locked state shown in FIG. 6, in which it is substantially retracted within the case 1. That is, the engaging portion 26 is roughly U-shaped and comprises a rear portion 27 aligned in front of the sliding portion 20 in the locked state shown in FIG. 6, a tip portion 29, and an upper portion 28 connecting the rear portion 27 and the tip portion 29. The rear portion 27 has two recesses 27a and a protrusion 27b on its underside, as shown in FIGS. 10(b) and (c). The protrusion 27b is biased forward by the biasing member 4 when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, the engaging portion 26 tilts obliquely upward with the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, as shown in the figure. The tip portion 29 is bent at approximately 90 degrees relative to the upper portion 28. The hinge portion 25 connects the upper rear side of the upper portion 28 and the upper front side of the sliding portion 20.

[0029] 10(c), in the as-molded state of the latch body 2, the rear portion 27 is disposed horizontally on the lower side, the upper portion 28 and the contact portions 6 on both sides are disposed vertically, and the tip portion 29 is disposed directly above the rear portion 27. The latch body 2 is assembled to the case 1 with the protrusion 23a fitted into the guide groove 10a so as to be movable a predetermined distance in the front-to-rear direction. When the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state of FIG. 4, the engaging portion 26 is pressed forward by the biasing member 4, so that the upper portion 28 and the contact portions 6 on both sides are tilted obliquely upward with the upper hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, and each contact portion 6 is in contact with the inner surface of the case top wall 10. When the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state of FIG. 6, the engaging portion 26 is inserted substantially horizontally into the case 1 against the biasing force of the biasing member 4, and each contact portion 6 faces the inner surface of the top wall 10. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4(a), the front side of each contact portion 6 is formed into a taper 6a toward the tip portion 29 of the engagement portion 26.

[0030] (Assembly) The latch body 2 described above is assembled into the case 1 together with the biasing member 4 and guide lever 5. In this assembly, for example, the biasing member 4 is first supported by the support shaft 8, and the guide lever 5 is inserted into the case 1 through the insertion hole 13a in the bottom wall 13 as described above. The middle portion 5a is clamped or gripped by the clamping pieces 13b and 13c, and is held swingably. From this state, the latch body 2 is pushed into the case 1 so that the upper and lower ribs 23 fit into the guide recesses 10c and 11b in the upper and lower walls 10 and 11, and the upper convex portion 23a of the sliding portion 20 fits into the case-side guide groove 10a. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the biasing member 4 abuts against the protruding piece 27b of the sliding portion 20 through the through hole 24, causing the latch body 2 to move toward the front of the case 1 as shown in the figure, and the engaging portion 26 enters the unlocked state. The guide lever 5 has each end 5c positioned behind the guide groove 3a of the cam groove 3.

[0031] (Operation) In use, the above latch device is positioned and attached to the main body 8 or the main body-side attachment portion 8a in correspondence with the striker 7 attached to a movable body 9 such as a door, as shown in Fig. 4. In the attached state, the latch device is normally such that the latch main body 2 is moved in the protruding direction by the biasing member 4 (this movement is restricted by the protrusion 23a coming into contact with the front end surface of the guide groove 10a), as shown in Fig. 4, and the tip portion 29 of the engaging body 26 protrudes outward from the inside of the case 1, tilting obliquely upward with the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum. This state is the unlocked state of the engaging portion 26.

[0032] (A) When the movable body 9 is pushed in the direction of the left arrow in FIG. 4(a), which is the closing direction, the latch body 2 is moved by the striker 7 in a direction retracting into the case 1 against the biasing force of the biasing member 4, resulting in the overstroke state shown in FIG. 5. In this state, the tip 7b of the striker 7 abuts the rear portion 27 of the engagement portion and is separated from the tip portion 29 of the engagement portion. During this movement, the abutment portion 6 contacts the upper inner surface of the case, and the engagement portion 26 rotates downward around the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, i.e., in the direction of the locked state. Then, due to the rearward movement of the latch body 2, each end 5c of the guide lever shown in FIG. 4(b) enters the locking guide groove 3b from the guide groove 3a as shown in FIG. 5(b), resulting in the overstroke state. When the pressing force of the movable body 9 is released, the latch body 2 is moved slightly to the right by the biasing force of the biasing member 4 as shown in Figure 6, and as a result, each end 5c of the guide lever enters the locking groove 3b from the guide groove 3b and is locked as shown in Figure 6(b). This locking brings about a locked state in which the movable body 9 is held in the closed state.

[0033] Furthermore, when switching the movable body 9 back to the unlocked state shown in Figure 4, the movable body 9 is slightly pushed in the direction of the arrow in Figure 6 and then the pushing force is released. Then, each end 5c of the guide lever returns from the locking groove 3c as shown in Figure 6(b) to the groove entrance again via the release guide groove 3d and return groove 3e as shown in Figures 7(b) and 4(b), and at the same time, the engaging portion 26 is switched back to its initial unlocked state. This latch device is similar to the conventional latch device in the normal operation described above, but has the following improvements.

[0034] (2) That is, in this latch device, when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state shown in FIG. 6 , even if an attempt is made to forcibly separate the movable body 9 from the main body 8 or forcibly remove the striker 7 from the engaging portion 26 of the latch device, the abutting portion 6 abuts against the corresponding inner surface of the case 1, thereby strengthening the holding force on the striker 7 and facilitating compactness. In other words, in this latch device, when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state, the engaging position of the engaging portion 26 is lowered by the abutting portion 6, thereby increasing the amount of contact with the striker 7 and reliably maintaining or improving the engaging force and holding force. Another advantage is that by providing the abutting portion 6 at the position where the engaging portion 26 abuts against the inner surface of the case, the abutting surface is made clear, making it easy to adjust the engaging force or holding force on the striker 7 to the required value simply by changing the height and width of the abutting portion 6.

[0035] (3) Furthermore, in this latch device, when the engaging portion 26 is locked, the abutment portions 6 are provided on the top surface of the engaging portion—specifically, on both sides of the upper portion 28 of the engaging portion 26, which connects the rear portion 27 and the front portion 29—and abut against the top wall 10 of the case 1 near the inner corners, i.e., at locations where deformation of the case 1 is unlikely to occur. This makes it easier to prevent deformation of the case 1, thereby stably maintaining the holding force of the striker 7 in the locked state. In other words, this structure allows the abutment portions 6 to abut against a specific location on the case 1, i.e., by positioning the abutment portions 6 near the corners of the case 1, the load is dissipated away from the center of the case width and toward the rigid periphery or corners of the case. As a result, deformation of the case 1 is suppressed without increasing the thickness of the case 1, thereby improving the holding force in the locked state. In this regard, for example, if the thickness of the case 1 is increased and the length and width dimensions of the case 1 are small, such as around 10 mm, a die taper is required in the mold structure, which results in poor formability, but this problem can be solved.

[0036] (4) In addition, in this latch device, the engaging portion 26 is connected to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 via the hinge portion 25 so that it can swing relative to the sliding portion 20 in the normal direction of the cam groove 3 or in the vertical direction of the groove. Therefore, compared to Patent Document 2, the engaging portion and the sliding portion can be molded as a single unit, which improves the installation work and assembly procedure, and makes it easier to reduce weight and costs.

[0037] (5) Furthermore, in this latch device, when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state, the hinge portion 25 is pressed against the edge of the opening of the case 1 by the reaction force of the hinge portion 25 (this reaction force is a force that always tries to return the hinge portion 25, which connects the sliding portion 20 and the engaging portion 26, from the molded position in FIG. 10 to the molded position as shown in FIG. 4 or 6, when the hinge portion 25 is assembled into the case 1 with elastic deformation of the hinge portion 25). Therefore, rattle can be suppressed when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state, thereby improving quality.

[0038] (6) Furthermore, in this latch device, the hinge portion 25 and the abutment portion 6 are positioned at the upper side in the thickness direction of the latch body 2 in the locked state shown in FIG. 6, the engagement portion 26 is positioned at an upward angle outside the case in the unlocked state, and is positioned approximately horizontally inside the case 1 in the locked state. This makes it possible to make the latch device more attractive and compact than, for example, a configuration in which a pair of clamping pieces expands in diameter to both sides of the case via the hinge portion, as in Patent Document 2.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made as needed as long as the requirements specified in the claims are met. As an example, a guide groove may be provided on the bottom wall of the case, and a claw that fits into the guide groove may be provided on the underside of the sliding body. Also, although the example in which the striker is formed integrally with the movable body has been shown, it may also be configured to be attached to the movable body later. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Case (10a is a guide groove, 16 is an interior, 17 is a locking claw, 19 is a support shaft) 2. Latch body (20 is a sliding portion, 25 is a hinge portion, and 26 is an engagement portion) 3····Cam groove (3c is a locking groove, 35 is a heart-shaped island) 4. Urging member 5 Guide lever (5a is the middle part, 5c is the end part) 6. Contact part (6a is the tapered part) 7. Striker (7a is the expanded diameter portion, 7b is the base end portion) 8: Main body (box-shaped base, 8a: mounting portion for latch device) 9. Movable body (door)

Claims

1. In a latch device in which locking and unlocking of a striker is performed by pushing the striker into a case of the latch device, a latch body having a sliding portion disposed in the case and an engaging portion connected to the sliding portion so as to be able to restrain or clamp the striker between the sliding portion and an inner surface of the case within the case; a biasing member that biases the latch body in a direction that protrudes from the case; a guide lever that moves along a cam groove provided in the sliding portion to lock the engaging portion in the case, The latch device is also characterized in that the engaging portion has a protruding abutment portion at a location facing the inner surface of the case in the locked state, and the abutment portion abuts against the opposing surface of the case during the process of switching from the unlocked state to the locked state.

2. 2. The latch device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment portions are provided on both ends of an upper surface of the engaging portion when the engaging portion is in a locked state.

3. 3. The latch device according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is connected to the sliding portion via a hinge portion so as to be swingable relative to the sliding portion in a direction normal to the cam groove or in a direction vertical to the groove.

4. 4. The latch device according to claim 3, wherein the engaging portion is in pressure contact with the edge of the opening of the case due to a reaction force of the hinge portion in the unlocked state.

5. The latch device described in claim 3, characterized in that the hinge portion and abutment portion are arranged on the upper side in the thickness direction of the latch body when the engagement portion is in the locked state, and the engagement portion is arranged diagonally upward outside the case via the hinge portion in the unlocked state, and is arranged approximately horizontally so as to be inserted into the case in the locked state.

Images