Actuator

Abstract

The present invention provides an actuator that can narrow the range of rotation of the release lever when retracting the lock pin. [Solution] The cam gear 196 of the actuator 10 is configured to transmit driving force to the lock pin 13. The external lever 17 is provided outside the housing 11. The internal lever 18 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the external lever 17. The cam piece 191 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the cam gear 196 and is positioned to contact the internal lever 18. The cam piece 191 has a sliding contact surface 192 and a pressed end 193. When the rotation of the external lever 17 begins, the internal lever 18 presses against the sliding contact surface 192 of the cam piece 191 while sliding against it, causing the cam gear 196 to rotate. After the cam gear 196 has rotated beyond a certain point, the internal lever 18 presses against the pressed end 193 of the cam piece 191, causing the cam gear 196 to rotate further.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator.

Background Art

[0002] Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles are equipped with large in-vehicle batteries to obtain driving force. To charge the in-vehicle battery, it is necessary to connect an external connector connected to an external power source and a vehicle-side connector provided on the vehicle side. In addition, a locking mechanism is provided to prevent the external connector and the vehicle-side connector in the connected state from being inadvertently separated.

[0003] When charging an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, first, the vehicle is parked near the charging facility, and the external connector of the charging facility and the vehicle-side connector are connected. Further, the external connector and the vehicle-side connector are locked by a locking mechanism. Then, power is supplied from the external power source to the in-vehicle battery to charge the in-vehicle battery.

[0004] When charging is completed, after unlocking by the locking mechanism, the external connector is removed from the vehicle-side connector.

[0005] Also, as described in Patent Document 1, a locking mechanism that can prevent inadvertent unlocking of the locking mechanism has been developed. The locking mechanism is composed of a hook provided at the tip of the charging connector, an engagement protrusion formed at the tip of the power receiving connector, and an actuator provided above the power receiving connector. When the hook catches on the engagement protrusion, the charging connector cannot be pulled out from the power receiving connector.

[0006] When the charging connector is attached to the power receiving connector, the locking pin of the actuator advances, and the front part of the locking pin is disposed above the hook of the charging connector. Thereby, the tilting of the hook is restricted by the locking pin, and the hook is fixed in a state of being engaged with the engagement protrusion, so that the charging connector can be prevented from coming off from the power receiving connector.

[0007] Furthermore, a release lever is provided on the upper surface of the actuator housing. In the event of an emergency such as a power outage, the user can rotate the release lever to manually forcibly rotate the cam member and retract the lock pin. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-120392 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] However, the locking device described in Patent Document 1 had room for improvement in the drive mechanism of the unlocking lever, which is the release operation part.

[0010] Specifically, a rotating mechanism (cam member and rotating shaft) is interposed between the aforementioned lock pin and the unlocking lever. Since the unlocking lever is directly fixed to this rotating mechanism, the rotating mechanism and the unlocking lever rotate at the same angle. Therefore, if a wide range of rotation of the rotating mechanism is desired, the range of rotation of the unlocking lever must also be wide, requiring a large space around the unlocking lever.

[0011] Furthermore, when the motor rotated the rotation mechanism to move the locking pin forward and backward, there was a problem in that the release lever also rotated unnecessarily.

[0012] This invention has been made in view of these problems, and the object of this invention is to provide an actuator that can narrow the rotation range of the release operation part (release lever, etc.) necessary when retracting the lock pin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One embodiment of the actuator of the present invention comprises a drive source for generating a driving force, a gear for transmitting the driving force to a lock pin, a release operation unit provided on the outside of the housing, an internal lever provided on the inside of the housing and configured to rotate in conjunction with the release operation unit, and a cam piece configured to be linked to the gear and positioned to contact the internal lever, wherein the cam piece has a sliding contact surface and a pressed end, and when the release operation unit is operated and the rotation of the release operation unit begins, the internal lever applies pressure to the sliding contact surface of the cam piece while sliding in contact with it, thereby causing the gear to rotate, and after the gear has rotated beyond a certain point, the internal lever applies pressure to the pressed end of the cam piece by contacting it, causing the gear to rotate further.

[0014] In another embodiment of the actuator of the present invention, the internal lever is configured not to come into contact with the cam piece when the release operation unit is in the starting position.

[0015] In another embodiment of the actuator of the present invention, the cam piece further has a thickened portion, the thickened portion being adjacent to the sliding surface and the pressed end.

[0016] In another embodiment of the actuator of the present invention, the sliding contact surface is characterized by having a curved shape that is inclined radially outward along the direction of rotation by the operation of the release operation unit.

[0017] In another embodiment of the actuator of the present invention, the pressed end is characterized in that it protrudes in the opposite direction to the direction in which it rotates due to the operation of the release operation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the actuator of the present invention, when the user operates the lock pin by rotating the release operation portion, the rotation angle of the gear can be made larger than the rotation angle of the release operation portion. Therefore, the rotation ranges of the release operation portion and the internal lever can be reduced, and the space required for the arrangement and operation of the actuator can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1A] It is a side view showing a non-connected state in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] It is a side view showing a connected state and an unlocked state in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1C] It is a side view showing a connected state and a locked state in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state where the external lever is not operated. [Figure 3B] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state where the external lever is operated. [Figure 4A] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a cam piece, an internal lever, and a moving body. [Figure 4B] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing a cam piece, an internal lever, and a moving body at another angle. [Figure 5] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing an internal lever and a cam member. [Figure 6] It is a view showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing the rotation of an internal lever and a cam member as the protruding amount of a lock pin changes. [Figure 7A] It is a view partially showing an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state where the external lever is not operated. [Figure 7B] This figure partially shows an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing the state in which the external lever is operated. [Figure 8A] This is a diagram showing an actuator related to a comparative example, and is a plan view showing the state in which the external lever is not operated. [Figure 8B] This figure shows an actuator related to a comparative example, and is a plan view showing the state in which the external lever is operated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for identical components, and repeated descriptions will be omitted. In the following description, the directions of up, down, front, back, left, and right will be used, and these directions are for the convenience of explanation. Left and right refer to the directions in which the vehicle-side connector 22, which will be described later, is inserted into and removed from the vehicle-side connector 21. Furthermore, the left side is the direction facing outwards from the vehicle, and the right side is the direction facing inwards from the vehicle.

[0021] The locking device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1A to 1C. Figure 1A is a side view showing the disconnected state. Figure 1B is a side view showing the connected state and the unlocked state. Figure 1C is a side view showing the connected state and the locked state. Here, the connected state is the state in which the vehicle-side connector 21 and the vehicle-side connector 22 are electrically connected. The disconnected state is the state in which the vehicle-side connector 21 and the vehicle-side connector 22 are not electrically connected. The locked state is the state in which the engagement between the vehicle-side locking portion 24 and the vehicle-side engaging portion 25, which will be described later, is locked by the lock pin 13.

[0022] Referring to Figure 1A, the locking device 20 is a device that locks the vehicle-side connector 22 and the vehicle-side connector 21. The locking device 20 mainly comprises a vehicle-side engaging portion 25 disposed on the vehicle-side connector 22, a vehicle-side locking portion 24 disposed on the vehicle-side connector 21, and an actuator 10. As will be described later, when the vehicle-side connector 21 and the vehicle-side connector 22 are connected, the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 engages with the vehicle-side locking portion 24, and the lock pin 13 of the actuator 10 extends near the vehicle-side engaging portion 25, preventing the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 from disengaging, thereby creating a locked state.

[0023] The vehicle-side connector 21 is a connector provided on the vehicle body 23 for charging a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 30. The vehicle-side connector 21 has a vehicle-side locking portion 24 formed near its upper end. The vehicle-side locking portion 24 is a projection that protrudes upward. Furthermore, the side surface of the vehicle-side locking portion 24 facing the vehicle-side engagement portion 25 is an inclined surface that slopes upward and to the right. Here, the vehicle 30 is equipped with a rechargeable battery for generating driving force, and is, for example, an EV (Electric Vehicle), PHV (Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle), etc.

[0024] The external connector 22 is a connector provided at the end of a cable extending from a power supply device (not shown) installed outside the vehicle, for supplying power to a battery mounted on the vehicle 30. The external connector 22 has an external engaging portion 25 and a knob 26.

[0025] The exterior engagement portion 25 is an engagement portion located on the upper right end of the exterior connector 22. The exterior engagement portion 25 is rotatable about its left end as the pivot point. The exterior engagement portion 25 is also biased clockwise by a spring or the like (not shown).

[0026] The knob 26 is designed to be pushable into the exterior connector 22. The knob 26 and the exterior engaging portion 25 are configured to work in conjunction. That is, when the user is not operating the knob 26, the exterior engaging portion 25 is in the horizontal position shown in Figure 1A. On the other hand, when the user pushes in the knob 26, the exterior engaging portion 25 rotates counterclockwise, causing it to tilt, that is, to tilt upward to the right.

[0027] The actuator 10 is a device located on the vehicle body 23 near the vehicle-side connector 21. As will be described later, the actuator 10 has a lock pin 13. The lock pin 13 is movable in the left-right direction. When the lock pin 13 extends to the left, it enters a locked state that prevents the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 from disengaging. On the other hand, when the lock pin 13 moves to the right, it enters an unlocked state that allows the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 to disengage. Based on instructions from a calculation control unit, such as a CPU (not shown here), the actuator 10 uses the driving force of a motor 33 built into the actuator 10 (described later) to move the lock pin 13 in the left-right direction.

[0028] Referring to Figure 1B, when the user inserts the external connector 22 into the vehicle-side connector 21, the external engaging portion 25 engages with the vehicle-side locking portion 24. As mentioned above, the left side of the vehicle-side locking portion 24 is an inclined side surface. Furthermore, the external engaging portion 25 is biased clockwise. Therefore, when the external connector 22 is inserted into the vehicle-side connector 21, the external engaging portion 25 tilts along the inclined side surface of the vehicle-side locking portion 24 before engaging with the vehicle-side locking portion 24.

[0029] Referring to Figure 1C, after the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 engages with the vehicle-side locking portion 24, the lock pin 13 moves to the left based on user operation or instructions from the control unit. This locks the locking device 20 into a locked state. In the locked state, the left portion of the lock pin 13 is positioned immediately above the vehicle-side engaging portion 25. Therefore, even if the user accidentally pushes in the knob 26, causing the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 to rotate counterclockwise and the tip of the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 to rise, the lock pin 13 holds down the vehicle-side engaging portion 25, preventing it from rising significantly. Thus, even if such an accidental operation occurs, the engagement between the vehicle-side locking portion 24 and the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 is maintained. This prevents the locking state of the locking device 20 from being unintentionally released. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the external connector 22 and the vehicle-side connector 21 from unintentionally separating while the rechargeable battery mounted on the vehicle 30 is being charged.

[0030] In this locked state, the on-board battery installed in the vehicle 30 is charged. After this charging is complete, the lock pin 13 moves to the right based on user operation or instructions from the arithmetic control unit. As a result, the locking device 20 enters the unlocked state shown in Figure 1B. In this state, when the user pushes in the knob 26, the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 rotates counterclockwise, releasing the engagement between the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 and the vehicle-side locking portion 24. Furthermore, when the user pulls the vehicle-side connector 22 to the left, the connection between the vehicle-side connector 21 and the vehicle-side connector 22 is released. As a result, the vehicle 30 becomes ready to drive.

[0031] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the actuator 10.

[0032] The actuator 10 mainly comprises a housing 11, a protruding hole 12, and a locking pin 13. As described above, the actuator 10 can be in a locked state and an unlocked state.

[0033] The housing 11 is the main body of the actuator 10 and has a container-like shape with an open top. The top opening of the housing 11 is covered by a lid member 16. A drive mechanism, described later, for moving the lock pin 13 is arranged inside the housing 11. For the material of the housing 11, for example, a synthetic resin containing glass fibers is used.

[0034] The protruding hole 12 is a cylindrical portion that protrudes from the housing 11 toward the outside. The protruding hole 12 is a component that is integrally continuous with the housing 11. The protruding hole 12 and the housing 11 are formed, for example, by injection molding. The protruding hole 12 has, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape. The inside of the protruding hole 12 communicates with the inside of the housing 11.

[0035] The lock pin 13 is a roughly cylindrical part that is positioned to move back and forth toward the outside via the protruding hole 12. For the material of the lock pin 13, a highly rigid metal such as stainless steel (SUS) is used.

[0036] The external lever 17 is a release mechanism configured to be operated by the user in emergencies such as power outages. The external lever 17 can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise around the shaft 29, which will be described later, as its pivot point. As will be described later, the amount of protrusion of the lock pin 13 can be changed by operating the external lever 17. Here, other rotatable members such as knobs can also be used as the release mechanism.

[0037] In the event of an emergency such as a power outage, the user rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise. This retracts the lock pin 13, shortening its protrusion. As a result, the actuator 10 changes from the locked state shown in Figure 1C to the unlocked state shown in Figure 1B, and the user can disconnect it by pulling out the external connector 22.

[0038] Figure 3A is a plan view showing the actuator 10 in the locked state and with the external lever 17 not rotated. Figure 3B is a plan view showing the actuator 10 in the unlocked state with the external lever 17 rotated. In Figures 3A and 3B, the aforementioned cover member 16 is not shown for the sake of clarity. Here, the state with the external lever 17 not rotated means that the aforementioned locking device 20 is operating electrically without any abnormalities. The state with the external lever 17 rotated means that in the event of some abnormality such as a power outage, the locking pin 13 is manually retracted to unlock the aforementioned locking device 20.

[0039] Referring to Figure 3A, the actuator 10 is equipped with a drive mechanism inside the housing 11 for changing the protrusion amount L10 of the lock pin 13. This drive mechanism includes a motor 33 which is the drive source, various rotating bodies such as the first rotating body 34, and a cam member 19 and a movable body 37. Here, the various rotating bodies such as the first rotating body 34, and the cam member 19 and movable body 37 are parts made of injection-molded synthetic resin or metal. For the sake of simplifying the drawings, the gear teeth formed on the various rotating bodies such as the first rotating body 34 and the gear teeth formed on the cam body 195, which will be described later, are not shown. The same applies to subsequent drawings.

[0040] The actuator 10 mainly comprises a gear, a cam gear 196 (shown in Figure 4A, etc.), an external lever 17, an internal lever 18, and a cam piece 191. When an abnormality such as a power outage occurs, the actuator 10 can be operated by the user to manually rotate the external lever 17, thereby retracting the lock pin 13 and switching the locking device 20 to the unlocked state.

[0041] The cam gear 196 is a gear that transmits driving force to the lock pin 13. Since the cam gear 196 is a part that constitutes the lower part of the cam member 19, the cam gear 196 is not shown in Figures 3A and 3B. The cam gear 196 will be described later with reference to Figure 4A, etc.

[0042] The external lever 17 is a manually operated lever located on the outside of the housing 11. Details of the external lever 17 are as described above with reference to Figure 2. In Figures 3A and 3B, the external lever 17 is shown transparently to clearly illustrate the internal structure of the housing 11.

[0043] The internal lever 18 is a component configured to rotate in conjunction with the external lever 17. Details of the internal lever 18 will be described later with reference to Figure 4A, etc.

[0044] The cam piece 191 is configured to be linked to the cam gear 196, which will be described later, and is positioned to contact the internal lever 18. The cam piece 191 will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

[0045] Inside the housing 11 are a motor 33, a first rotating body 34, a second rotating body 35, a third rotating body 36, a cam member 19, and a movable body 37, which serve as a drive source for generating the driving force to change the amount of protrusion of the lock pin 13. Each of these components is housed in a concave region formed inside the housing 11.

[0046] The motor 33 is housed at the rear end inside the housing 11. A drive gear 332 is connected to the pivot shaft 331 of the motor 33 so that it cannot rotate relative to it.

[0047] Inside the housing 11, a first rotating body 34, a second rotating body 35, and a third rotating body 36 are arranged to transmit the rotational force generated from the motor 33 to the cam member 19. The first rotating body 34, the second rotating body 35, and the third rotating body 36 have parallel pivot axes along the left-right direction.

[0048] The first rotating gear 34 and the second rotating gear 35 are two-stage gears that combine large and small diameter spur gears, and transmit the rotational force generated from the motor 33 while reducing its speed.

[0049] The third rotating body 36 has a spur gear section 361 and a worm section 362. The spur gear section 361 meshes with the second rotating body 35. The worm section 362 meshes with the cam body section 195 of the cam member 19, which will be described later. The pivot shafts formed at the left and right ends of the first rotating body 34, the second rotating body 35, and the third rotating body 36 are rotatably supported by concave portions formed inside the housing 11.

[0050] The cam member 19 is a rotating body having a cam piece 191, which will be described later, and has a pivot axis that runs along the vertical direction. The cam member 19 has a cam gear 196, which is not shown in the drawings. The cam gear 196, which is not shown, meshes with a rack gear 371, which will be described later, formed on the movable body 37. The cam member 19 has a cam piece 191. The configuration of the cam piece 191 will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

[0051] The internal lever 18 is a lever configured to rotate together with the external lever 17. The internal lever 18 is located inside the housing 11. Details of the internal lever 18 will be described later with reference to Figure 4A, etc.

[0052] The movable body 37 is a component that is attached to the lock pin 13 and moves linearly along the left-right direction together with the lock pin 13. Details of the movable body 37 will be described later with reference to Figure 4A, etc.

[0053] In the locked state shown in Figure 3A, that is, when the external lever 17 is in the starting position, the internal lever 18 is configured not to move in conjunction with the cam piece 191. Therefore, when the lock pin 13 is displaced by the driving force of the motor 33, even if the cam piece 191 rotates together with the cam gear 196 (described later), the cam piece 191 does not have any effect on the internal lever 18. Thus, when the lock pin 13 is extended or retracted electrically, it is possible to prevent the external lever 17 from rotating unnecessarily.

[0054] Here, we will explain the operation of the electrically operated actuator 10. First, we will explain how to move the actuator 10 from the unlocked state to the locked state. Specifically, based on instructions from the control means that detect the connection state shown in Figure 1B, etc., the motor 33 rotates the drive gear 332. As a result, the rotational force of the drive gear 332 is transmitted in the following order: the first rotating body 34, the second rotating body 35, the third rotating body 36, the cam member 19 (described later), the cam gear 196 (described later), and the rack gear 371 (described later), moving the lock pin 13 to the left. This puts the actuator 10 into the locked state shown in Figure 1C.

[0055] Conversely, when changing the actuator 10 from the locked state to the unlocked state, the control means rotates the motor 33 in the reverse direction. This transmits rotational force through the same transmission path as when the actuator is locked, causing the lock pin 13 to move to the right. As a result, the actuator 10 enters the unlocked state shown in Figure 1B.

[0056] In the locked state shown in Figure 3A, if the external lever 17 is rotated counterclockwise by the user's manual operation in an emergency, the internal lever 18 also rotates counterclockwise at the same time.

[0057] Referring to Figure 3B, as a result, the internal lever 18 applies a counterclockwise pressing force to the cam piece 191. This causes the cam member 19, including the cam piece 191, to rotate clockwise as a whole. As will be described later, the rotation angle of the cam member 19 is much larger than the rotation angles of the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18. The cam gear 196 of the cam member 19, which will be described later, and the rack gear 371 of the movable body 37, which will be described later, are meshed. Therefore, as the cam member 19 rotates, the movable body 37 moves to the right. As the movable body 37 moves, the lock pin 13 also moves to the right, so the amount of protrusion L10 of the lock pin 13 decreases. As a result, the lock pin 13 enters the unlocked state shown in Figure 1B. This operation will be described later with reference to Figure 6, etc.

[0058] Referring to Figure 3B, after the actuator is manually unlocked and then electrically restored to the locked state, the cam member 19, including the cam piece 191, rotates counterclockwise as a whole. At this time, the cam piece 191 applies a counterclockwise pressing force to the internal lever 18. As a result, the internal lever 18 and the external lever 17 rotate clockwise, the external lever 17 returns to its starting position, and the system returns to the state shown in Figure 3A. After this state is reached, even if the cam member 19 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise electrically, the cam piece 191 does not have any effect on the internal lever 18. Therefore, when in the state shown in Figure 3A, the internal lever 18 does not move in conjunction with the cam piece 191, and the external lever 17 is prevented from rotating unnecessarily.

[0059] Figure 4A is a perspective view showing the cam piece 191, the internal lever 18, and the movable body 37. Figure 4B is a perspective view showing the cam piece 191, the internal lever 18, and the movable body 37 from a different angle.

[0060] Referring to Figure 4A, the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18 are assembled to a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 29 in such a way that they cannot rotate relative to each other. The internal lever 18 is located inside the housing 11 and is positioned in the same position as the cam piece 191 in the vertical direction.

[0061] Referring to Figures 4A and 4B, the movable body 37 is a member that has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape. A rack gear 371 is formed on the front surface of the movable body 37. The rack gear 371 is a gear with linear teeth and meshes with the cam gear 196 of the cam member 19, which will be described later. A concave portion 372 is formed by recessing the movable body 37 from the bottom surface. The concave portion 372 is formed from the left end to the right end of the movable body 37. The right end portion of the lock pin 13 is housed in the concave portion 372. A reduced diameter portion is formed near the right end of the lock pin 13. A narrow portion is formed in the middle of the concave portion 372. The reduced diameter portion of the lock pin 13 fits into the narrow portion of the concave portion 372. As a result, the relative position of the lock pin 13 and the movable body 37 is fixed in the left-right direction, and the lock pin 13 and the movable body 37 move together in the left-right direction.

[0062] The cam member 19 comprises a cam body 195, a cam gear 196, and a cam piece 191. The cam member 19 also has pivot shafts at its upper and lower ends. These pivot shafts are rotatably mounted in the housing 11 described above.

[0063] The cam body portion 195 is a disc-shaped part. It is a worm wheel with oblique teeth formed on the side surface of the disc shape, and it meshes with the worm portion 362 shown in Figure 3A.

[0064] The cam gear 196 is a spur gear installed on the lower surface of the cam body 195. The cam gear 196 meshes with the rack gear 371 of the movable body 37.

[0065] The cam piece 191 is a projection that partially protrudes upward from the upper surface of the cam body 195. The cam piece 191 is the part that is pressed by the internal lever 18 when the user rotates the external lever 17. As will be described later, the cam member 19 rotates as the internal lever 18 presses the cam piece 191 along the circumferential direction. The detailed shape of the cam piece 191 will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

[0066] Figure 5 is a top view showing the internal lever 18 and cam member 19. Here, it shows the position where the internal lever 18 begins to rotate, i.e., when the user is not operating the external lever 17 (not shown).

[0067] The internal lever 18 is rotatable around the lever pivot center 182. Specifically, when the user rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise, the internal lever 18 also rotates counterclockwise simultaneously. As shown in Figure 4A, both the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18 are connected to the shaft 29 in a way that prevents relative rotation. Therefore, the rotation angle of the internal lever 18 and the rotation angle of the external lever 17 are the same as those of the user.

[0068] The internal lever 18 has a lever sliding contact surface 181 on its front right side. The lever sliding contact surface 181 is the side surface that contacts the cam piece 191 when the internal lever 18 rotates counterclockwise around the lever pivot center 182.

[0069] When the user operates the external lever 17 mentioned above, the internal lever 18 rotates counterclockwise around the lever pivot center 182. Meanwhile, the cam member 19 rotates clockwise around the cam pivot center 197.

[0070] As described above, the cam piece 191 is a portion of the cam body 195 that partially protrudes upward from the upper surface. The cam piece 191 is positioned on the periphery of the cam body 195. The cam piece 191 has sides that are not at a constant distance from the cam pivot center 197. Specifically, the cam piece 191 has a sliding contact surface 192, a pressed end 193, and a thickened portion 194. In Figure 5, each part constituting the cam piece 191 is enclosed by a dotted line.

[0071] The sliding contact surface 192 has a curved shape that inclins radially outward along the direction in which the cam member 19 rotates due to the operation of the external lever 17. The sliding contact surface 192 is the side surface of the cam piece 191, extending from the radially outer end of the cam piece 191 to near the end of the cam piece 191 on the counterclockwise side. As will be described later, having the sliding contact surface 192 makes it possible to increase the rotation angle of the cam member 19 compared to the rotation angle of the internal lever 18.

[0072] The pressed end 193 has a shape that protrudes in the opposite direction to the direction in which the cam member 19 rotates when the external lever 17 is operated. The pressed end 193 is the end of the cam piece 191 on the counterclockwise side and is smoothly continuous with the counterclockwise end of the sliding contact surface 192. As will be described later, by having the pressed end 193, the rotation angle of the cam member 19 can be made larger than the rotation angle of the internal lever 18 by the internal lever 18 pushing the pressed end 193.

[0073] The thickened portion 194 is located adjacent to the sliding contact surface 192 and the pressed end 193 in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the thickened portion 194 is the portion of the cam piece 191 that is on the clockwise side of the sliding contact surface 192 and the pressed end 193. With this configuration, the thickened portion 194 can reinforce the cam piece 191, preventing deformation of the cam piece 191 when the internal lever 18 presses against it.

[0074] Figure 6 is a top view showing the rotation of the internal lever 18 and cam member 19 in response to a change in the protrusion amount L10 of the lock pin 13 as described above. Here, the state of the internal lever 18 and cam member 19 is shown when the protrusion amount L10 of the lock pin 13, as shown in Figure 3A, etc., is reduced from 8 mm to 1 mm in 1 mm increments.

[0075] When the protrusion amount L10 is 8 mm, the user manually rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise, causing the lever sliding contact surface 181 of the internal lever 18 to press against the sliding contact surface 192 of the cam piece 191 while sliding against it. The direction in which the lever sliding contact surface 181 presses against the sliding contact surface 192 is counterclockwise. As a result, the cam member 19 and the cam gear 196 (not shown) located on the cam member 19 rotate clockwise. Then, referring to Figure 4A, the cam gear 196 and the rack gear 371 mesh, causing the movable body 37 and the lock pin 13 to move to the right. As a result, referring to Figure 3A, the protrusion amount L10 of the lock pin 13 is shortened.

[0076] As the user further rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise, the lever sliding surface 181 of the internal lever 18 slides against the sliding surface 192 of the cam piece 191, applying further pressure. As a result, the protrusion amount L10 gradually decreases to 7 mm, 6 mm, and 5 mm.

[0077] When the protrusion amount L10 shortens to 4 mm, that is, after the cam gear 196 has rotated beyond a certain point, the lever sliding surface 181 of the internal lever 18 comes into contact with the pressed end 193 of the cam piece 191 and applies pressure. The lever sliding surface 181 presses the pressed end 193, which is the end of the cam piece 191, in a counterclockwise direction. As a result, the aforementioned cam gear 196 rotates further clockwise.

[0078] When the user further rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise, the lever sliding surface 181 of the internal lever 18 applies further counterclockwise pressure while pressing against the pressed end 193 of the cam piece 191. As a result, the cam gear 196 (not shown) rotates further clockwise, and the protrusion amount L10 gradually decreases to 3 mm, 2 mm, and 1 mm.

[0079] When the protrusion amount L10 is reduced to 1 mm, the actuator 10 enters the unlocked state shown in Figure 1B. Therefore, the user can release the engagement between the vehicle-side engaging portion 25 and the vehicle-side locking portion 24 by pushing in the knob 26, and remove the vehicle-side connector 22 from the vehicle-side connector 21.

[0080] Figure 7A is a plan view of the actuator 10 according to this embodiment, showing the locked state and the state in which the external lever 17 is not operated. Figure 7B is a plan view of the actuator 10 according to this embodiment, showing the state in which the external lever 17 is manually operated and the actuator is in the unlocked state. In Figures 7A and 7B, only the external lever 17, internal lever 18, and cam member 19, etc., from among the various components that make up the actuator 10 are shown.

[0081] In Figures 7A and 7B, a first reference axis A1 is defined that passes through the pivot center of the external lever 17 (which is the same as the lever pivot center 182 of the internal lever 18) and is parallel to the front-rear direction. Furthermore, a second reference axis A2 is defined that passes through the cam pivot center 197 of the cam member 19 and is parallel to the front-rear direction. The same applies to Figures 8A and 8B.

[0082] Referring to Figure 7A, when the external lever 17 is not operated, the angle θ10 at which the external lever 17 tilts clockwise from the first reference axis A1 is 19°. Also, in this state, the angle θ20 at which the line segment connecting the cam rotation center 197 of the cam member 19 and the confirmation part 198 (shown for convenience) tilts counterclockwise from the second reference axis A2 is 60°.

[0083] Referring to Figure 7B, when the external lever 17 is operated, the angle θ11 at which the external lever 17 tilts counterclockwise from the first reference axis A1 is 26°. Also, in this state, the angle θ21 at which the line segment connecting the cam rotation center 197 of the cam member 19 and the confirmation part 198 tilts clockwise from the second reference axis A2 is 69°.

[0084] From the above, the rotation angle of the external lever 17 when retracting the lock pin 13 is 19° + 26° ≈ 45°. On the other hand, the rotation angle of the confirmation part 198, that is, the rotation angle of the cam gear 196 of the cam member 19, when retracting the lock pin 13 is 60° + 69° ≈ 129°. Therefore, the rotation angle of the cam gear 196 of the cam member 19 is more than twice the rotation angle of the external lever 17. Consequently, when the user operates the lock pin 13 by rotating the external lever 17, the rotation angle of the cam gear 196 can be made more than twice as large as the rotation angle of the external lever 17. As a result, the rotation range of the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18 can be reduced, and the space required for the placement and operation of the actuator 10 can be reduced.

[0085] A comparative example will be described with reference to Figures 8A and 8B. Figure 8A is a plan view showing the actuator 10 of the comparative example, in the locked state and with the external lever 17 not operated. Figure 8B is a plan view showing the actuator 10 of the comparative example, with the external lever 17 manually operated and in the unlocked state.

[0086] In the actuator 10 shown in Figure 7A, etc., a cam piece 191 was formed on the upper surface of the cam body 195. On the other hand, in the comparative example shown in Figures 8A and 8B, a projection 31 is formed on the upper surface of the cam body 195. The projection 31 is a portion that protrudes in a roughly cylindrical shape from the upper surface of the cam body 195. Also, as in Figure 7A, etc., a confirmation part 198 is shown on the upper surface of the cam body 195 for convenience in order to confirm the rotation angle of the cam member 19.

[0087] Referring to Figure 8A, when the user rotates the external lever 17 counterclockwise, the internal lever 18 also rotates counterclockwise simultaneously, pressing against the projection 31. As a result, the cam member 19 rotates clockwise. Therefore, the cam gear 196, which is not shown here, also rotates clockwise.

[0088] Referring to Figure 8B, when the user rotates the external lever 17 further counterclockwise, the internal lever 18 presses further against the projection 31, and the cam member 19 rotates further clockwise. As the cam member 19 rotates, the cam gear 196 also rotates clockwise.

[0089] Referring to Figures 8A and 8B, the angle θ10 + θ11 at which the external lever 17 rotates counterclockwise is 45°, similar to the actuator 10 shown in Figure 7A, etc.

[0090] In Figure 8A, which shows the external lever 17 before it rotates, the angle θ30 at which the line segment connecting the cam rotation center 197 of the cam member 19 and the confirmation part 198 from the second reference axis A2 is inclined counterclockwise is 60°. On the other hand, in Figure 8B, which shows the external lever 17 after it rotates, the angle θ31 at which the line segment connecting the cam rotation center 197 of the cam member 19 and the confirmation part 198 from the second reference axis A2 is inclined counterclockwise is 3°. Therefore, the angle at which the external lever 17 rotates is 60°-3°=57°.

[0091] Therefore, in the comparative example having a projection 31 as a substitute for the cam piece 191, the rotation angle of the external lever 17 and the rotation angle of the cam member 19 are approximately the same. From this, in order to increase the rotation angle of the cam member 19, it is necessary to increase the rotation angles of the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18. Consequently, the space required for the rotation of the external lever 17 and the internal lever 18 becomes larger, making it difficult to miniaturize the actuator 10 as a whole.

[0092] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0093] For example, in the above embodiment, the cam body was a worm wheel with helical teeth, but it is not limited to this, and a spur gear may also be used. Any cam piece that is linked to the gear that drives the lock pin is acceptable, and the gear configuration of the drive mechanism is not limited in any way.

[0094] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described the application of the actuator of the present invention to a locking device that locks the connection between an external vehicle connector and a vehicle-side connector, the actuator of the present invention can also be applied to locking devices for other vehicles, homes, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 10...Actuator, 11...Housing, 12...Protruding hole, 13...Lock pin, 16...Cover member, 17...External lever, 18...Internal lever, 181...Lever sliding contact surface, 182...Lever rotation center, 19...Cam member, 191...Cam piece, 192...Sliding contact surface, 193...Pressed end, 194...Thickened part, 195...Cam body part, 196...Cam gear, 197...Cam rotation center, 198...Confirmation part, 20...Lock mechanism 21...Vehicle-side connector, 22...External-vehicle connector, 23...Vehicle body, 24...Vehicle-side locking part, 25...External-vehicle engaging part, 26...Knob, 29...Shaft part, 30...Vehicle, 31...Protrusion, 33...Motor, 331...Rotating shaft, 332...Drive gear, 34...First rotating body, 35...Second rotating body, 36...Third rotating body, 361...Spur gear part, 362...Worm part, 37...Moving body, 371...Rack gear, 372...Concave part,

Claims

1. A drive source that generates driving force, A gear that transmits the aforementioned driving force to the lock pin, A release operation unit located on the outside of the housing, An internal lever provided inside the housing and configured to rotate in conjunction with the release operation unit, The system comprises a cam piece configured to be interlocked with the gear and positioned to contact the internal lever, The cam piece has a sliding contact surface and a pressed end, When the release operation unit is operated, and the rotation of the release operation unit begins, the internal lever applies pressure to the sliding contact surface of the cam piece while sliding against it, thereby causing the gear to rotate. After the gear has rotated beyond a certain point, the internal lever contacts and presses against the pressed end of the cam piece, causing the gear to rotate further. An actuator characterized by the following features.

2. When the release operation unit is in the starting position, the internal lever is configured not to be linked to the cam piece. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized by the features described above.

3. The cam piece further has a thickened portion, The aforementioned thickened portion is provided adjacent to the sliding contact surface and the pressed end, The actuator according to claim 1, characterized by the features described above.

4. The sliding contact surface has a curved shape that is inclined radially outward along the direction of rotation caused by the operation of the release mechanism. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized by the features described above.

5. The pressed end has a shape that protrudes in the opposite direction to the direction in which it rotates due to the operation of the release operation part. The actuator according to claim 1, characterized by the features described above.

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