Locking device and storage device

Abstract

The present invention provides a locking device that makes it difficult to cause knocking noises or reduced operability caused by collisions of the rod portion when closing the rotating body of the housing device. [Solution] The locking device (1) of the present invention has a retaining hole (20) provided in one of the mounting body and the rotating body (2), a rod portion (30) provided in the other and which can be inserted into and removed from the retaining hole (20), and a buffer portion (40) disposed near the retaining hole (20) so as to be in contact with the rod portion (30). The buffer portion (40) has a deformation / return structure in which, when the rotating body (2) moves to the locked position, the rod portion (30) comes into contact with the buffer portion (40) and deforms at least a part of the buffer portion (40), and when the contact between the rod portion (30) and the buffer portion (40) is released, the buffer portion (40) returns to its state before deformation. The buffer portion (40) comes into contact with the rotating body (2) and elastically presses the rotating body (2) when the rod portion (30) is inserted into the retaining hole (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking device that holds a rotating body rotatably attached to an attached body, and a storage device having the locking device.

Background Art

[0002] In the passenger compartment of a vehicle such as an automobile, storage devices such as a glove box and a console box are generally installed. For example, the glove box is provided in a portion in front of the passenger seat on the instrument panel of the vehicle. The glove box has a lid portion (cover portion) that opens and closes with respect to the instrument panel, and a box body portion that is provided integrally with the lid portion and forms a storage portion of the glove box.

[0003] In this case, the instrument panel is an attached body that rotatably attaches the lid portion of the glove box, and an opening for attaching the glove box is formed at a required position on the instrument panel. The lid portion (or the lid portion and the box body portion) of the glove box is a rotating body that rotates with respect to the instrument panel, and by rotating the lid portion, the opening of the instrument panel can be opened and closed.

[0004] The glove box is generally provided with a locking device that locks the lid portion with respect to the instrument panel by holding the lid portion in a closed position (locking position) that closes the opening of the instrument panel.

[0005] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-138407 (Patent Document 1) describes a vehicle side locking mechanism used for side locking of an opening and closing body (lid portion of a glove box). In the side locking mechanism of Patent Document 1, an insertion portion (locking hole) into which the tip of a lock rod is inserted is provided inside the opening of the instrument panel.

[0006] The insertion portion of Patent Document 1 has an elastic tongue portion, which has an inclined portion that narrows the opening width toward the back of the insertion portion, and a contact portion that is positioned to make surface contact with the tip of the lock rod. Furthermore, a cushion rubber is provided on the opposing surface portion that faces the outer periphery (outer surface portion) of the opening of the instrument panel in the closed position of the lid portion (glove box door).

[0007] According to the side lock mechanism described in Patent Document 1, the tip of the lock rod is inserted into the insertion part (lock hole), thereby making surface contact with the contact portion of the elastic tongue in the insertion part. This restricts both movement of the lid to the open position and movement beyond the closed position, thus locking the lid.

[0008] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 explains that by installing the cushion rubber, the opposing surface of the lid is pressed toward the interior of the vehicle, and the tip of the lock rod is pressed toward the contact portion of the tongue, thereby effectively suppressing rattling of the lock rod within the insertion portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-138407 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] However, in the side lock mechanism described in Patent Document 1, when closing the glove box lid, the locking rod collides with the outer edge of the opening in the instrument panel. As a result, this can cause a knocking sound when the locking rod collides, and can also create resistance for the operator of the lid, reducing operability, indicating room for improvement.

[0011] Furthermore, in the side lock mechanism described in Patent Document 1, when the glove box lid is closed, a separate cushioning rubber is required to prevent rattling of the locking rod within the insertion section, as mentioned above. However, installing cushioning rubber solely for the purpose of preventing such rattling is one of the factors that leads to increased manufacturing costs.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its object is to provide a locking device and a storage device having a locking device that can prevent or suppress rattling of the rod portion within the holding hole when the rod portion is inserted into the holding hole and the rotating body of the storage device is locked, without installing a dedicated rattling prevention member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] To achieve the above objective, the locking device provided by the present invention is a locking device that holds a rotating body, which is rotatably attached to a mounting body, in a lockable position so as to be unlockable, and comprises a holding hole provided in one of the mounting body and the rotating body, a rod portion provided in the other of the mounting body and the rotating body and which can be inserted into and removed from the holding hole, and a buffer portion disposed in or near the holding hole so as to be in contact with the rod portion, wherein the buffer portion has a deformation / return structure in which, when the rotating body moves to the lockable position, the rod portion contacts the buffer portion and deforms at least a part of the buffer portion, and when the contact between the rod portion and the buffer portion is released, the buffer portion returns to its state before deformation, and the buffer portion is a locking device that elastically presses the rotating body by contacting the rotating body when the rod portion is inserted into the holding hole.

[0014] In the locking device of the present invention, the cushioning portion comprises a cushioning body portion rotatably held by the mounting body and an elastic member that biases the cushioning body portion, and it is preferable that when the rotating body moves to the locking position, the rod portion rotates the cushioning body portion against the biasing force of the elastic member.

[0015] Furthermore, in the present invention, the buffer portion has a contact portion that contacts the rod portion, and it is preferable that the portion of the buffer portion including the contact portion is formed of a soft synthetic resin.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a storage device having the locking device described above is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the locking device and storage device of the present invention, when the rod portion is inserted into the holding hole and the rotating body of the storage device is locked, rattling of the rod portion within the holding hole can be prevented or suppressed without installing a rattling prevention member such as the cushion rubber described in Patent Document 1. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the main part of a locking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the buffer section of the locking device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the buffer section. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state in which the rod portion is in contact with the buffer portion when the lid portion is rotated to the closed position by the locking device. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state in which the rod portion is inserted into the holding hole by the locking device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the storage device installed inside the vehicle is the glove box 1, and a locking device 10 that holds the lid portion (cover portion) 2 of the glove box in the closed position (locked position) is applied to the glove box 1. The case will be described.

[0020] In the following description of the glove box 1 and the locking device 10, the front-rear direction is the direction along the direction in which the lid portion 2 of the glove box 1 opens and closes. In particular, the direction along the direction of opening the lid portion 2 is taken as the front, and the direction along the direction of closing the lid portion 2 is taken as the rear. The left-right direction and the up-down direction are the directions along the width direction and the height direction of the lid portion 2 when the lid portion 2 is viewed from the front side, respectively.

[0021] First, the glove box 1 to which the locking device 10 of this embodiment is applied will be described. Although not shown in the drawings, the glove box 1 is provided at a position in front of the passenger seat on the instrument panel of the vehicle. An installation opening for inserting and installing the glove box 1 is provided in the portion of the instrument panel facing the passenger on the passenger seat side. The installation opening of the instrument panel communicates with the installation space portion of the glove box 1 provided inside the instrument panel.

[0022] At least left and right support side wall portions 5 (also referred to as spacer portions) that extend from the outer peripheral edge portion of the installation opening of the instrument panel toward the front side of the vehicle body (the rear side of the glove box 1) and are arranged on both the left and right sides of the glove box 1 are provided on the instrument panel. Holding holes (locking portions) 20 formed in a concave shape are provided in the left and right support side wall portions 5 of the instrument panel, and a later-described rod portion 30 forming the locking device 10 of this embodiment is inserted into and locked to the holding holes 20.

[0023] The glove box 1 has a lid portion 2 shaped to close the opening for the instrument panel, and a box body portion (not shown) integrally formed on the back side of the lid portion 2 and having a storage compartment capable of accommodating small items. The specific shapes of the lid portion 2 and the box body portion are omitted from the description and illustration.

[0024] The lid portion 2 of the glove box 1 is rotatably supported by the instrument panel. The lid portion 2 has a lid body portion (outer member) positioned opposite the passenger seat of the automobile, a case portion (inner member) 3 provided on the back side of the lid body portion and housing and holding at least a part of the locking device 10 of this embodiment, and an operating portion (not shown) provided on the front side (passenger seat opposite side) of the lid body portion and for operating the locking device 10. The operating portion can be operated, for example, by an operator, to slide the rod portion 30 of the locking device 10 inward in the left-right direction.

[0025] In this embodiment, the instrument panel is a mountable body to which the lid portion 2 of the glove box is rotatably attached. The lid portion 2 (or the glove box 1 including the lid portion 2) is a rotatable body that can rotate between a closed position (locked position) in which the installation opening of the instrument panel is closed and held, and an open position in which the installation opening of the instrument panel is opened.

[0026] In this case, the lid portion 2 moves to the closed position (locked position) and is held by the locking device 10, thereby closing the installation opening of the instrument panel and closing the storage area of ​​the glove box body in the glove box 1. When the lid portion 2 moves from the closed position to the open position, the glove box body of the glove box 1, which was housed in the instrument panel, is pulled out to the passenger side, and the storage area of ​​the glove box body is opened. In this invention, the shape of the instrument panel, as well as the shape and size of the lid portion 2 and the glove box body of the glove box 1, are not particularly limited.

[0027] The locking device 10 in this embodiment is used to hold and lock the lid portion 2 of the glove box 1 in the closed position (locked position) relative to the instrument panel. The locking device 10 is also configured to allow the lock on the lid portion 2, which is held in the closed position, to be released.

[0028] The locking device 10 includes a pair of left and right retaining holes 20 provided in the left and right support side walls 5 of the instrument panel, a pair of left and right rod portions 30 slidably attached to the lid body in the left and right direction, a buffer portion 40 positioned close to or adjacent to the front side of the retaining holes 20 and to which the rod portions 30 can make contact, a biasing portion (not shown) that biases the left and right rod portions 30 outward in the left and right direction, and an operating portion (not shown) provided on the surface side of the lid body.

[0029] The operating part of the locking device 10 is the part operated by the driver or passenger of the automobile when opening the glove box 1, and is sometimes called an operating handle. This operating part has a structure that allows the driver or other person to slide the left and right rod parts 30 inward in the left-right direction against the biasing force of the biasing part by performing an operation such as placing their fingers on the operating part and pulling it toward them.

[0030] The locking device 10 of this embodiment is characterized by its rod portion 30 and buffer portion 40, and the specific structure of the biasing portion (not shown) and operating portion (not shown) of the locking device 10 is not particularly limited. For example, the biasing portion and operating portion of this embodiment can be a biasing portion and an operating portion having a structure that is generally known from the past. Furthermore, the rod portion 30 of the locking device 10, the retaining hole 20 into which the rod portion 30 is inserted and locked, and the buffer portion 40 located near or adjacent to the retaining hole 20 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0031] In the locking device 10 of this embodiment, the left and right rod portions 30 are mounted inside the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2 such that the directions in which they are inserted into the retaining holes 20 of the instrument panel are opposite to each other.

[0032] Each of the left and right rod portions 30 is provided to slide along the left-right direction, and a portion of the rod portion 30 is positioned to protrude to the outside of the case portion 3 through a through hole 3a provided in the left or right wall of the case portion 3. In this case, the through hole 3a of the case portion 3 is formed to a size that does not obstruct the movement of the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30, which will be described later, when the rod portion 30 moves along the left-right direction.

[0033] The rod portion 30 is biased outward in the left-right direction (to the right in Figure 1) by a biasing part (not shown) provided on the locking device 10, causing the rod portion 30 to protrude from the case portion 3. Furthermore, when the operating part (not shown) of the locking device 10 is operated, the rod portion 30 is designed to move inward in the left-right direction (to the left in Figure 1) so as to pull the rod portion 30 into the case portion 3 against the biasing force of the biasing part.

[0034] Each left and right rod portion 30 has at least a rod body portion 31 extending along the left-right direction and an engaging claw portion 33 protruding from the tip of the rod body portion 31 via a bent portion 32, as shown in Figure 1, etc. In this case, the rod body portion 31, the bent portion 32, and the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 are integrally formed. In this embodiment, the shape and size of the rod body portion 31 and the bent portion 32 are not particularly limited.

[0035] The engaging claws 33 provided on the left and right rod portions 30 have a shape that is symmetrical to each other. For this reason, the engaging claw 33 of the right rod portion 30 shown in Figure 1, etc., will be described in detail, and the specific description of the engaging claw 33 of the left rod portion 30 will be omitted.

[0036] The engaging claw portion 33 of the right-side rod portion 30 has, for example, a flat front end surface facing forward, a flat rear end surface facing backward, and a tip surface 34 that is inclined with respect to the left-right direction, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the vertical direction of the locking device 10 (see, for example, Figure 1). The tip edge of the engaging claw portion 33 is formed by the portion where the front end surface and the tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 intersect.

[0037] The front and rear end surfaces of the engaging claw portion 33 are arranged along the left-right direction. At least the front end surface of the engaging claw portion 33 is arranged perpendicular to the front-rear direction. In the cross-sectional view of the locking device 10, the tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 is inclined such that the rear end of the tip surface 34 is positioned further inward in the left-right direction than the front end of the tip surface 34. For example, when rotating the lid portion 2 toward the closed position, the inclined tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 is brought into contact (sliding contact) with the buffer portion 40, as described later, and the force that rotates the lid portion 2 can press and move the rod portion 30, which includes the engaging claw portion 33, inward in the left-right direction.

[0038] The retaining holes 20 into which the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 is inserted are provided in the left and right support side walls 5 of the instrument panel. The left and right retaining holes 20 are positioned corresponding to the position of the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 when the lid portion 2 is moved to the closed position (locked position), and they have a symmetrical shape. Here, we will specifically describe the right retaining hole 20 shown in Figure 1, etc., and omit a detailed description of the left retaining hole 20.

[0039] The retaining hole 20 provided in the support side wall portion 5 has a shape that is recessed in the left-right direction relative to the support side wall portion 5. Specifically, the retaining hole 20 is formed in a box shape comprising a pair of front wall portions 21 and rear wall portions 22, a pair of upper wall portions and lower wall portions, and a side wall portion 23 that forms the bottom surface of the retaining hole 20, and it opens inward in the left-right direction. The retaining hole 20 is formed to a size that allows the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 to be inserted into the internal space of the retaining hole 20.

[0040] The front wall portion 21 of the retaining hole 20 serves as a support portion (support wall portion) that contacts and supports the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 when the rod portion 30 of the locking device 10 is inserted into the retaining hole 20 to lock the lid portion 2. At least the inner wall surface of the front wall portion 21 in the retaining hole 20 is formed as a flat surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the front wall portion 21 is formed with a larger dimension in the left-right direction so that the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 does not come into contact with the side wall portion 23 of the retaining hole 20 when the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 is inserted into the retaining hole 20.

[0041] In this embodiment, the distance between the front wall portion 21 and the rear wall portion 22 in the retaining hole 20 is made larger than the distance between the front end face and the rear end face of the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30. This allows for some play (looseness) so that the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 can move in the front-rear direction within the retaining hole 20 when it is inserted into the retaining hole 20. This allows the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 to be inserted into the retaining hole 20 stably and smoothly when closing the lid portion 2. Furthermore, the retaining hole 20 may not be a concave recess, but rather a shape that penetrates in the left-right direction.

[0042] In this embodiment, the support side wall portion 5 is provided with a mounting portion 50 for attaching the buffer portion 40, as shown in Figure 3, for example. This mounting portion 50 has an upper mounting wall portion and a lower mounting wall portion 51 positioned above and below the buffer portion 40, a housing space portion provided between the upper mounting wall portion and the lower mounting wall portion 51, upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 protruding from the upper mounting wall portion and the lower mounting wall portion 51, and a first spring holding portion 53 (see Figure 1) protruding from the side wall portion 23 of the holding hole 20.

[0043] The upper mounting wall and lower mounting wall 51 of the mounting portion 50 are arranged adjacent to or close to the front side of the holding hole 20, and are also arranged parallel to each other. The housing space of the mounting portion 50 is formed so as to penetrate the support side wall 5 in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0044] The mounting shaft portion 52 protrudes toward the housing space from the lower surface of the upper mounting wall portion and the upper surface of the lower mounting wall portion 51, respectively. The upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 have a shape that allows for the rotatable attachment of the buffer body portion 41 of the buffer portion 40 (described later) and the attachment of a torsion coil spring 42 (hereinafter abbreviated as coil spring 42) which is installed as an elastic member. The first spring holding portion 53 of the mounting portion 50 is formed to hold one arm portion (first arm portion 42b) of the coil spring 42 (described later).

[0045] In this embodiment, the buffer portion 40 is positioned close to or adjacent to the front side of the retaining hole 20. The buffer portion 40 may, for example, be rotatably attached to the front wall portion 21 of the retaining hole 20 that forms the retaining hole 20. The cushioning portion 40 has a deformation / return structure in which, when the lid portion 2 moves to the closed position, the rod portion 30 comes into contact with the cushioning portion 40 and deforms at least a part of the cushioning portion 40, and when the contact between the rod portion 30 and the cushioning portion 40 is released, the cushioning portion 40 returns to its state before deformation.

[0046] More specifically, the cushioning portion 40 of this embodiment comprises a cushioning body portion 41 and a coil spring (elastic member) 42 that biases the cushioning body portion 41.

[0047] In this embodiment, the buffer body 41, in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the vertical direction of the locking device 10 (Figure 1), has a spring housing portion 41a that houses a coil spring 42, a claw sliding contact portion 41b that extends inward from the spring housing portion 41a in the left-right direction and has a tapered shape, a protruding portion 41c provided at the base end of the claw sliding contact portion 41b and projecting forward, and a stopper portion 41d provided at the left-right outer end of the spring housing portion 41a. Here, the base end of the claw sliding contact portion 41b means the end of the claw sliding contact portion 41b that connects to the spring housing portion 41a.

[0048] The spring housing portion 41a of the buffer body portion 41 is formed in a shape that includes a space capable of housing at least a portion of the coil spring 42 inside, and an opening communicating with the space. A second spring holding portion 41e is provided inside the spring housing portion 41a for holding the other arm portion (second arm portion 42c) of the coil spring 42.

[0049] The upper and lower surfaces of the spring housing 41a are provided with shaft holding portions 41f for holding the upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 provided on the support side wall portion 5 of the instrument panel. The buffer portion 40 is attached to the support side wall portion 5 so as to accommodate the upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 of the support side wall portion 5 by inserting them into the upper and lower shaft holding portions 41f of the spring housing 41a, thereby being rotatably held on the support side wall portion 5.

[0050] The claw sliding contact portion 41b of the cushion body portion 41 is integrally formed with the spring housing portion 41a and has a shape close to a triangle in the cross-sectional view (Figure 1). The claw sliding contact portion 41b has a claw sliding contact surface 41g that slides against the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 when the lid portion 2 is rotated toward the closed position. The claw sliding contact surface 41g of the claw sliding contact portion 41b is continuously arranged from the base end to the tip end of the claw sliding contact portion 41b.

[0051] The claw contact surface 41g of the claw contact portion 41b has a first contact surface located on the base end side of the claw contact portion 41b, a second contact surface located on the tip side of the claw contact portion 41b and having a different inclination angle from the first contact surface, and a curved contact surface located between the first and second contact surfaces. The second contact surface is formed, for example, by making the inclination angle of the claw contact surface 41g with respect to the front end surface of the spring housing portion 41a larger than that of the first contact surface.

[0052] Because the claw-sliding contact surface 41g is formed in this way, when the lid portion 2 is rotated toward the closed position, the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 can be smoothly slid toward the claw-sliding contact surface 41g, and the claw-sliding contact surface 41g of the buffer portion 40 can reliably guide the engaging claw portion 33 into the holding hole 20 of the support side wall portion 5. Furthermore, because the second sliding contact surface has a larger inclination angle than the first sliding contact surface, when the lid portion 2 moves toward the closed position, the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 can be quickly moved toward the holding hole 20 on the front side of the holding hole 20 and stably inserted into the holding hole 20.

[0053] The protruding portion 41c of the cushioning body portion 41 is provided at the base end of the claw sliding contact portion 41b and protrudes forward from the front end surface of the spring housing portion 41a. When the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 is inserted into and held in the holding hole 20, this protruding portion 41c contacts the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2, and through this contact with the case portion 3, it elastically presses the case portion 3 forward using the biasing force of the coil spring 42 of the cushioning portion 40.

[0054] The stopper portion 41d of the cushioning body portion 41 is provided at the outer left-right end of the spring housing portion 41a so as to be able to abut against the support side wall portion 5 of the instrument panel. This stopper portion 41d determines the rotation limit position of the cushioning body portion 41 in the counterclockwise direction when the cushioning body portion 41 is subjected to a biasing force from the coil spring 42 that rotates it counterclockwise around the upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 provided on the support side wall portion 5, as shown in Figure 1.

[0055] The cushioning body 41 of this embodiment has a base portion 46 made of synthetic resin and a pad portion 47 made of a synthetic resin softer than the base portion 46 so as to cover a part of the base portion 46. The cushioning body 41 has a base portion 46 which is made harder than the pad portion 47, and at least a second spring retaining portion 41e is provided on the base portion 46, so that the cushioning body 41 can be stably biased by the coil spring 42.

[0056] The pad portion 47, which is formed to be softer than the base portion 46, is provided so as to cover the base portion 46 from the outside, at least the portion of the cushion body portion 41 that includes the first sliding contact surface of the claw sliding contact portion 41b, the protruding portion 41c, and the stopper portion 41d. As a result, when the lid portion 2 is rotated toward the closed position, even if the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 comes into contact with the claw sliding contact portion 41b of the cushion body portion 41, it is possible to make it difficult to generate a knocking sound or a decrease in operability caused by the contact between the engaging claw portion 33 and the claw sliding contact portion 41b. Furthermore, when the protruding portion 41c of the cushion body portion 41 comes into contact with the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2, or when the stopper portion 41d of the cushion body portion 41 comes into contact with the support side wall portion 5, it is also possible to make it difficult to generate a knocking sound caused by such contact.

[0057] The cushioning body 41, having a base portion 46 and a pad portion 47, can be manufactured, for example, by insert molding, in which the pad portion 47 is molded using a mold in which the base portion 46 is inserted. In this invention, the method and means for manufacturing the cushioning body 41 are not particularly limited, and the cushioning body 41 may be manufactured by two-color molding, or by molding the base portion 46 and the pad portion 47 separately and then assembling or fixing the pad portion 47 to the base portion 46.

[0058] The coil spring 42 of the buffer section 40 has a coil section 42a made by winding a long, thin wire into a coil shape, and a first arm section 42b and a second arm section 42c extending from the coil section 42a. The coil section 42a of the coil spring 42 is housed in the spring housing section 41a of the buffer section 40 and is rotatably held by upper and lower shaft holding sections 41f provided on the support side wall section 5. The first arm section 42b of the coil spring 42 is inserted into and held in the first spring holding section 53 of the support side wall section 5. The second arm section 42c of the coil spring 42 is inserted into and held in the second spring holding section 41e of the buffer section 40. In this way, the coil spring 42 attached to the locking device 10 biases the buffer body section 41 of the buffer section 40 to rotate counterclockwise around the upper and lower mounting shaft sections 52 provided on the support side wall section 5, as shown in Figure 1.

[0059] In a glove box 1 equipped with the locking device 10 of this embodiment as described above, when closing the instrument panel installation opening with the lid portion 2 by moving the lid portion 2 from the open position to the closed position (locked position), the operator operating the glove box 1 (for example, the driver) first moves the lid portion 2 toward the rear by pushing the lid portion 2 of the glove box 1 from the front side.

[0060] For example, when the lid portion 2 is in the open position, the left and right rod portions 30 attached to the lid portion 2 have their engaging claw portions 33 protruding outward from the case portion 3 in the left and right directions. At this time, the left and right engaging claw portions 33 protruding from the case portion 3 are held at a position spaced forward from the support side wall portion 5 of the instrument panel.

[0061] As described above, when the lid portion 2, which is in the open position, is moved backward by the operator's movement, the left and right rod portions 30 of the locking device 10 move backward together with the lid portion 2, and then, as shown in Figure 1, the engaging claw portions 33 of the left and right rod portions 30 come into contact with the cushioning body portion 41 of the cushioning portion 40, which is rotatably held by the support side wall portion 5.

[0062] At this time, the cushioning body 41 is biased by the coil spring 42 of the cushioning part 40 in the direction that pushes back the engaging claw part 33 (counterclockwise direction in Figure 1), and the stopper part 41d of the cushioning body 41 is held in contact with the support side wall part 5.

[0063] In the locking device 10 of this embodiment, as described above, when the lid portion 2 moves backward, the inclined tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 first comes into contact with the inclined claw contact surface 41g of the cushioning body portion 41. Even if the engaging claw portion 33 collides strongly with the cushioning portion 40, for example, because the claw contact surface 41g is formed by a pad portion 47 made of soft synthetic resin, it is possible to prevent or suppress the generation of a knocking sound (collision sound) due to the collision, and to prevent or suppress the reduction in the operability of the lid portion 2 by giving the operator a feeling of resistance.

[0064] Next, as the lid portion 2 moves further rearward, the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 presses against the claw sliding contact surface 41g of the cushion portion 40, causing the cushion body portion 41 to rotate clockwise in Figure 1 and elastically deform the coil spring 42. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, while the cushion body portion 41 is rotated against the biasing force of the coil spring 42, the engaging claw portion 33, which is in contact with the claw sliding contact surface 41g of the cushion portion 40, can be moved inward in the left-right direction along the inclination of the claw sliding contact surface 41g, against the biasing force of the biasing portion (not shown) of the locking device 10.

[0065] Subsequently, as the lid portion 2 moves backward, the tip edge of the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 moves backward beyond the claw contact surface 41g of the buffer portion 40, and further backward beyond the position of the front wall portion 21 of the holding hole 20 provided in the support side wall portion 5. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, the contact between the tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 and the claw contact surface 41g of the inclined portion is released, and the rod portion 30 is biased by the biasing portion (not shown) of the locking device 10, causing the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 to be inserted into the holding hole 20 of the support side wall portion 5.

[0066] Furthermore, after the engaging claw portion 33 is inserted into the holding hole 20 of the support side wall portion 5, when the operator finishes moving the lid portion 2 backward, the glove box 1 moves slightly forward due to its weight. This causes the front end surface of the engaging claw portion 33 to make surface contact with the front wall portion 21 of the holding hole 20, thereby locking the engaging claw portion 33 into the holding hole 20. As a result, the locking device 10 of this embodiment can hold and lock the lid portion 2 of the glove box 1 in the closed position (locked position) so that it does not move toward the open position.

[0067] As described above, when the contact between the tip surface 34 of the engaging claw portion 33 and the claw sliding contact surface 41g of the inclined portion is released, the coil spring 42 of the cushioning portion 40 elastically returns to its original position, and the cushioning body portion 41 rotates clockwise relative to the support side wall portion 5 due to the biasing force of the coil spring 42, causing the protruding portion 41c of the cushioning body portion 41 to contact the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2. Furthermore, the cushioning portion 40 uses the biasing force of the coil spring 42 to elastically press the lid portion 2 forward (towards the open position) with the protruding portion 41c of the cushioning body portion 41.

[0068] As a result, in the locking device 10 of this embodiment, when the lid portion 2 moves to the closed position, the front end surface of the engaging claw portion 33 makes surface contact with the front wall portion 21 of the holding hole 20, as described above, locking the lid portion 2 so that it does not move forward, and the cushioning portion 40 can elastically press the lid portion 2 forward by making contact with the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2 by the protruding portion 41c. As a result, the lid portion 2 is stably held by the locking device 10 so that it does not move in the front-rear direction, and even if the automobile vibrates while driving, for example, the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 can be stably prevented or suppressed from rattling inside the holding hole 20.

[0069] On the other hand, in the glove box 1 of this embodiment, for example, when moving the lid portion 2, which is held in the closed position, to the open position by releasing the lock by the locking device 10, the operator operates an operating part (not shown) of the locking device 10 to move the left and right rod portions 30 inward in the left-right direction.

[0070] This releases the surface contact between the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 and the holding hole 20 of the support side wall portion 5, allowing the engaging claw portion 33 to be removed from the holding hole 20, thereby releasing the lock state of the lid portion 2 by the locking device 10. Subsequently, the operator can move the lid portion 2 from the closed position (locked position) to the open position by pulling the operating part towards them, or by the weight of the glove box 1 itself, thereby opening the installation opening for the instrument panel. This makes it possible to put small items into and take them out of the box body of the glove box.

[0071] As described above, in the glove box 1 having the locking device 10 of this embodiment, a buffer portion 40 is rotatably provided relative to the support side wall portion 5 near the holding hole 20 of the support side wall portion 5, with which the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 makes contact. Furthermore, the claw sliding contact surface 41g that contacts the engaging claw portion 33 of the buffer portion 40 is made of a soft synthetic resin. Therefore, when the lid portion 2 is rotated to the closed position (locked position), even if the engaging claw portion 33 collides with the buffer portion 40, it is possible to make it difficult to generate a knocking sound (collision sound), and it is also possible to make it difficult to give the operator a feeling of resistance caused by the collision when operating the lid portion 2.

[0072] Furthermore, when the lid portion 2 is locked in the closed position by the locking device 10, even if the glove box is subjected to vibrations, for example, due to the driving of the automobile, the protruding portion 41c of the cushioning portion 40 elastically presses the case portion 3 of the lid portion 2 forward, thereby more stably preventing the engaging claw portion 33 from rattling within the retaining hole 20. In addition, this prevents noise from being generated from the contact area between the engaging claw portion 33 and the front wall portion 21 of the retaining hole 20 due to rattling of the engaging claw portion 33 within the retaining hole 20.

[0073] Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of this embodiment, the aforementioned cushioning portion 40 can prevent or suppress the generation of knocking noises, and can also prevent rattling of the engaging claw portion 33 within the holding hole 20. For this reason, the locking device 10 of this embodiment can reduce manufacturing costs and the number of parts compared to the side locking device of Patent Document 1, which separately installs a dedicated cushioning rubber to suppress rattling of the rod portion, for example.

[0074] Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of this embodiment, the structure of the rod portion 30 and the retaining hole 20 of the locking device 10 can be the same as the structure of the rod portion and retaining hole used in conventional glove boxes. Therefore, since no design changes to the rod portion 30 and the retaining hole 20 in the glove box 1 are necessary, the locking device 10 of this embodiment can be applied to the glove box 1 without placing a significant burden on manufacturing costs. In this case, the insertability (ease of insertion) of the rod portion 30 into the retaining hole 20 of the glove box can be stably maintained.

[0075] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of having a configuration substantially identical to that described in the claims of the present invention and achieving similar effects.

[0076] For example, in the locking device 10 of the above-described embodiment, the cushioning portion 40 is rotatably attached to upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 provided on the support side wall portion 5. However, in the present invention, instead of providing upper and lower mounting shaft portions 52 on the support side wall portion 5, upper and lower pin holding holes for attaching mounting pins may be provided, and the cushioning body portion 41 and coil spring 42 of the cushioning portion 40 may be rotatably attached to the support side wall portion 5 by rotatably holding them on the mounting pins attached to the support side wall portion 5.

[0077] In another embodiment, the elastic member that biases the cushioning body portion 41 of the cushioning portion 40 is formed by a torsion coil spring 42. However, in the present invention, the elastic member of the cushioning portion 40 may be formed by a leaf spring or a compression spring or the like.

[0078] Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of the embodiment, the rod portion 30 is installed on the lid portion 2, which is a rotating body, and a retaining hole 20 is provided in the support side wall portion 5 of the instrument panel, which is the mounting body, from which the rod portion 30 can be inserted and removed. However, in the present invention, the rod portion may be installed on the instrument panel, which is the mounting body, and a retaining hole is provided in the lid portion 2, which is a rotating body, from which the rod portion can be inserted and removed.

[0079] Furthermore, while the locking device 10 of the embodiment is formed having a pair of left and right rod portions 30, a pair of left and right support side wall portions 5 with holding holes 20, and a pair of left and right buffer portions 40, the locking device 10 of the present invention may be formed having only one of the left or right rod portions 30, a holding hole 20, and a buffer portion 40.

[0080] Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of this embodiment, the engaging claw portion 33 of the rod portion 30 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the left and right side edges of the case portion 3 in the lid portion 2, and is inserted into the holding holes 20 provided on the left and right sides of the lid portion 2, thereby holding the lid portion 2 in the locked position.

[0081] However, in the present invention, the locking device may be installed in the central part of the lid portion 2 in the left-right direction, for example, by installing a pair of left and right rod portions that protrude along the left-right direction, with the engaging claw portion 33, and providing a retaining hole on the instrument panel side at a position outside the left-right direction relative to the pair of left and right rod portions.

[0082] Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of the embodiment, the deformation / return structure of the buffer portion 40, that is, the structure in which, when the lid portion 2 moves to the closed position, the rod portion 30 contacts the buffer portion 40 and deforms at least a part of the buffer portion 40, and when the contact between the rod portion 30 and the buffer portion 40 is released, the buffer portion 40 returns to its state before deformation, is formed by a buffer body portion 41 and an elastic member (torsion coil spring) 42 that biases the buffer body portion 41.

[0083] However, in the present invention, the deformation / recovery structure of the buffer portion may be formed by forming the buffer portion as a whole in a form that is elastically deformable. For example, the buffer portion can be formed as a whole in a form that is elastically deformable by molding the entire buffer portion using a soft synthetic resin that is elastically deformable, or by creating a buffer portion having a base portion that is flexible by forming it thinly (and / or thinly) using a hard synthetic resin, and an outer layer portion that is formed to enclose the base portion using a soft synthetic resin.

[0084] If the cushioning portion is formed in such a way that it is elastically deformable as a whole, then when the lid portion 2 moves to the closed position, the rod portion 30 comes into contact with the cushioning portion and deforms at least a part of the cushioning portion, and when the contact between the rod portion 30 and the cushioning portion is released, the cushioning portion can return to its state before deformation. In this way, a locking device equipped with a cushioning portion formed in such a way that it is elastically deformable as a whole can also obtain the same effect as the locking device 10 of the above-described embodiment.

[0085] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment explains the case in which the locking device 10 is applied to the glove box 1 of an automobile. However, the locking device of the present invention can be applied to various storage devices installed in the vehicle other than the glove box, such as a console box. In addition, the locking device of the present invention can be applied to a locking device that locks the table in a predetermined position in a retractable rotating table device provided in a console box or the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0086] 1. Glove box 2. Lid section (cover section) 3. Case section (inner component) 3a Through hole 5 Support side wall 10 Locking device 20 Retaining hole (locking part) 21 Front wall 22 Rear wall 23 Side wall section 30 Rod section 31 Rod body 32. Bending section 33 Engaging claw portion 34 Tip surface 40 Buffer 41 Buffer body part 41a Spring housing 41b Claw sliding contact area 41c Protrusion 41d Stopper part 41e Second spring retaining part 41f Shaft holding part 41g Nail sliding surface 42. Coil spring (elastic component) 42a Coil section 42b First Arm Section 42c Second Arm Section 46 Base section 47 Pad section 50 Mounting part 51 Lower mounting wall section 52 Mounting shaft 53 First spring retaining part

Claims

1. A locking device that holds a rotating body, which is rotatably mounted to an object to be mounted, in a lockable position so as to be unlockable, The mounting body and the rotating body have a retaining hole provided in one of them, a rod portion provided in the other of the mounting body and the rotating body and which can be inserted into and removed from the retaining hole, and a buffer portion disposed in or near the retaining hole so as to be in contact with the rod portion. The cushioning portion includes a deformation / return structure in which, when the rotating body moves to the locked position, the rod portion contacts the cushioning portion and deforms at least a part of the cushioning portion, and when the contact between the rod portion and the cushioning portion is released, the cushioning portion returns to its state before deformation. The buffer portion contacts the rotating body and elastically presses the rotating body when the rod portion is inserted into the holding hole. A locking device characterized by the following features.

2. The cushioning portion comprises a cushioning body portion that is rotatably held by the mounting body, and an elastic member that biases the cushioning body portion. When the rotating body moves to the locked position, the rod portion rotates the cushioning body against the biasing force of the elastic member. The locking device according to claim 1.

3. The buffer portion has a contact portion that contacts the rod portion, The portion of the buffer, including the contact portion, is formed of a soft synthetic resin. The locking device according to claim 1.

4. A storage device characterized by having the locking device described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

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