Fastening structure

Abstract

To provide a technology which can secure the operability of an individual user, in a fastening structure.SOLUTION: A fastening structure is constituted so that a first screw component and a second screw component can be screwed to each other. An internal peripheral face of the first screw component has a first screw groove in a right rotation direction, and a second screw groove in a left rotation direction intersecting with the first screw groove. An external peripheral face of the second screw component has a first screw thread in the right rotation direction which can be screwed with the first screw groove, and a second screw thread in the left rotation direction which can be screwed with the second screw groove. The second screw component is constituted so as to be switchable between a first state that the first screw thread is protruded to an external peripheral side with respect to the external peripheral face, and the second screw thread is located at an internal peripheral side with respect to the external peripheral face, and a second state that the second screw thread is protruded to an external peripheral side with respect to the external peripheral face, and the first screw thread is located at an internal peripheral side with respect to the external peripheral face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a fastening structure. In particular, it relates to a fastening structure formed by screwing together a component having a thread groove and a component having a thread.

Background Art

[0002] A fastening structure formed by screwing together a component having a thread and a component having a thread groove is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a structure of a fuel filling portion having a filler neck and a fuel cap. A thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the filler neck, and a thread groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fuel cap. By rotating the fuel cap relative to the filler neck and screwing it in, the thread and the thread groove are screwed together, and the fuel cap is attached to the filler neck.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the structure of Patent Document 1, by rotating the fuel cap relative to the filler neck in one direction (for example, the clockwise direction), the screw is tightened, and by rotating it in the other direction (for example, the counterclockwise direction), the screw is loosened. When a user rotates the screw component, there is a rotation direction in which it is easy to apply force. Also, the rotation direction in which it is easy to apply force varies depending on the user's dominant hand and the like. In the structure of Patent Document 1, the rotation direction when tightening or loosening the screw is predetermined, and the operability of the user is not sufficient. In this specification, a technology capable of ensuring the operability of individual users in a fastening structure is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This specification discloses a fastening structure in which a first threaded part and a second threaded part are configured to be screw-engageable. In a first aspect of the present technology, the inner peripheral surface of the first threaded part has a first thread groove in the right rotation direction and a second thread groove in the left rotation direction that intersects the first thread groove. The outer peripheral surface of the second threaded part has a first thread ridge in the right rotation direction that is screw-engageable with the first thread groove and a second thread ridge in the left rotation direction that is screw-engageable with the second thread groove. The second threaded part is configured to be switchable between a first state in which the first thread ridge protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface and the second thread ridge is located on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface, and a second state in which the second thread ridge protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface and the first thread ridge is located on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface.

[0006] In the above fastening structure, the second threaded part is configured to be switchable between a first state in which only the first thread ridge protrudes and a second state in which only the second thread ridge protrudes. That is, in the first state, the screw is tightened by rotating the second threaded part to the right with respect to the first threaded part, and the screw is loosened by rotating it to the left. On the other hand, in the second state, the screw is tightened by rotating the second threaded part to the left with respect to the first threaded part, and the screw is loosened by rotating it to the right. Thus, by switching between the first state and the second state, the rotation directions for attachment and removal can be made opposite. Therefore, for example, when the second threaded part is in the first state when tightening the screw and in the second state when loosening the screw, both attachment and removal can be performed by rotating the second threaded part to the right with respect to the first threaded part. In this way, the above fastening structure can provide operability that does not depend on the user, improving the ease of handling by the user.

[0007] In a second aspect, in the above first aspect, a plurality of the first threads and the second threads may be provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the second threaded component. In such a configuration, for example, by arranging each thread so that the first thread and the second thread do not interfere with each other, the switching structure between the first state and the second state can be simplified.

[0008] In a third aspect, in the above first or second aspect, the length of the first thread in the first direction in which the first thread extends may be longer than the distance in the first direction within the range where the first thread groove and the second thread groove intersect, and the length of the second thread in the second direction in which the second thread extends may be longer than the distance in the second direction within the range where the first thread groove and the second thread groove intersect. In such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the first thread from entering the second thread groove when the first thread passes through the above range, or the second thread from entering the first thread groove when the second thread passes through the above range.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, in any one of the above first to third aspects, the second threaded component may include a first biasing member that biases the first thread toward the inner peripheral side, a first cam member that projects the first thread toward the outer peripheral side against the biasing force of the first biasing member, a second biasing member that biases the second thread toward the inner peripheral side, a second cam member that projects the second thread toward the outer peripheral side against the biasing force of the second biasing member, and an operating mechanism that operates the first cam member and the second cam member. In such a configuration, the first state and the second state of the second threaded component can be easily switched.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, in any one of the above first to fourth aspects, the first threaded component may be a fuel tank filler member, and the second threaded component may be a fuel cap that opens and closes the opening of the filler member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the fastening structure 10 of the embodiment will be described. The fastening structure 10 has a filler neck 12 as a fuel inlet member formed in a substantially cylindrical shape for supplying fuel to the fuel tank, and a fuel cap 26 detachably attached to the filler neck 12.

[0013] The filler neck 12 has a cylindrical shape. In FIG. 1, the filler neck 12 is depicted in a cross-section including its central axis. A fuel tank (not shown) is connected below the axial direction (below the lower end 12b) of the filler neck 12, and the inside of the filler neck 12 serves as a fuel inlet. A fuel gun for refueling is inserted from the upper end 12a of the filler neck 12.

[0014] On the inner peripheral surface 13 of the filler neck 12, a first thread groove 14 and a second thread groove 16 are formed. The first thread groove 14 is formed in a spiral shape in the right rotation direction (clockwise) from the upper part to the lower part of the filler neck 12. The second thread groove 16 is formed in a spiral shape in the left rotation direction (counterclockwise) from the upper part to the lower part of the filler neck 12. The cross-sections of the first thread groove 14 and the second thread groove 16 have a semi-circular shape. The first thread groove 14 and the second thread groove 16 intersect in the region R. Although not shown, the first thread groove 14 and the second thread groove 16 also intersect on the side opposite to the region R with respect to the central axis of the filler neck 12. That is, the first thread groove 14 and the second thread groove 16 intersect at 180° intervals from above to below.

[0015] The fuel cap 26 is configured to be detachable from the filler neck 12. The fuel cap 26 has a main body portion 28 and a lid portion 30 attached to the upper part of the main body portion 28. In FIG. 1, the fuel cap 26 is drawn in a view from the side.

[0016] The main body portion 28 has a substantially cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the inner peripheral surface 13 of the filler neck 12. On the outer peripheral surface 29 of the main body portion 28, a first thread ridge 32 and a second thread ridge 34 are provided. The first thread ridge 32 is configured to be screw-engageable with the first thread groove 14. The first thread ridge 32 extends in the right rotation direction along the first thread groove 14 (shown by a broken line) from the upper part to the lower part of the main body portion 28. A plurality of first thread ridges 32 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 29 of the main body portion 28. Specifically, the first thread ridges 32 are also provided on the side opposite to the illustrated first thread ridge 32 with respect to the central axis of the fuel cap 26. That is, in this embodiment, four first thread ridges 32 are provided at 180° intervals along the first thread groove 14.

[0017] The second thread 34 is configured to be threadably engaged with the second thread groove 16. The second thread 34 extends in the counterclockwise direction along the second thread groove 16 (shown by the dashed line) from the upper part to the lower part of the main body 28. A plurality of second threads 34 are provided on the outer peripheral surface 29 of the main body 28. In this embodiment, similar to the first thread 32, four second threads 34 are provided at intervals of 180° along the second thread groove 16.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the length L1 of the second thread 34 in the extending direction (the direction along the second thread groove 16) is longer than the distance D2 in the extending direction of the intersection range (region R) of the first thread groove 14 and the second thread groove 16. Similarly, the length (not shown) of the first thread 32 in the extending direction (the direction along the first thread groove 14) is longer than the distance D1 in the extending direction of the region R.

[0019] As will be described later, the first thread 32 and the second thread 34 are configured such that one protrudes to the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface 29 and the other is accommodated on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface 29. That is, both threads 32 and 34 are configured so as not to protrude to the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface 29 at the same time.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the fuel cap 26 has a changeover switch 40. A heart cam 48 is connected to the changeover switch 40. That is, the changeover switch 40 is a so-called alternate switch. The changeover switch 40 is configured to be switchable between a first position (see FIG. 3) protruding from the upper surface of the lid portion 30 when the guide pin 49 is in the starting position and a second position (see FIG. 4) buried in the upper surface of the lid portion 30 when the guide pin 49 is in the locked position. Note that FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3. The fuel cap 26 can be switched between a first state in which only the first thread 32 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 29 and a second state in which only the second thread 34 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 29 by switching the changeover switch 40 between the first position and the second position. Hereinafter, the switching between the first state and the second state will be described in detail.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first thread 32 is biased toward the inner peripheral side of the main body 28 by the first spring 36, and the second thread 34 is biased toward the inner peripheral side of the main body 28 by the second spring 38. Therefore, when no external force is applied, the first thread 32 is housed on the inner peripheral side rather than the outer peripheral surface 29 by the first spring 36 (see FIG. 4). Also, when no external force is applied, the second thread 34 is housed on the inner peripheral side rather than the outer peripheral surface 29 by the second spring 38 (see FIG. 3).

[0022] A shaft portion 42 is connected to the changeover switch 40. The shaft portion 42 has a cylindrical shape, and a first cam 44 and a second cam 46 are provided around the shaft portion 42. The first cam 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the first thread 32 in the circumferential direction of the main body 28. The second cam 46 is provided at a position corresponding to the second thread 34 in the circumferential direction of the main body 28.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, in the first state where the changeover switch 40 is in the first position, the guide pin 49 of the heart cam 48 is in the start position. In the first state, the height position of the first cam 44 coincides with the height position of the first thread 32. Therefore, the first thread 32 is pushed out to the outer peripheral side of the main body 28 against the biasing force of the first spring 36 by the first cam 44. As a result, the first thread 32 protrudes to the outer peripheral side rather than the outer peripheral surface 29. On the other hand, in the first state, the second cam 46 is offset from the second thread 34 in the height direction. Therefore, the second thread 34 remains housed on the inner peripheral side rather than the outer peripheral surface 29 by the biasing force of the second spring 38. That is, in the first state, only the first thread 32 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 29. Since only the first thread 32 in the right rotation direction protrudes, for example, by rotating the fuel cap 26 to the right with respect to the filler neck 12, the first thread 32 can be screwed into the first thread groove 14 to attach the fuel cap 26 to the filler neck 12.

[0024] In the first state shown in FIG. 3, when the switching switch 40 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide pin 49 moves from the starting position to the locking position and locks onto the heart cam 48. In this second state, the second cam 46 moves to a position that coincides with the height position of the second thread 34. For this reason, the second thread 34 is pushed out to the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 28 against the biasing force of the second spring 38 by the second cam 46. As a result, the second thread 34 protrudes to the outer peripheral side more than the outer peripheral surface 29. On the other hand, when switching from the first state to the second state, the first cam 44 moves to a position that is offset in the height direction from the first thread 32. For this reason, the first thread 32 is released from the external force by the first cam 44 and is housed inside the outer peripheral surface 29 by the biasing force of the first spring 36. That is, in the second state, only the second thread 34 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 29. Since only the second thread 34 in the counterclockwise rotation direction protrudes, for example, by rotating the fuel cap 26 to the left with respect to the filler neck 12, the second thread 34 is screwed into the second thread groove 16, and the fuel cap 26 can be attached to the filler neck 12.

[0025] Note that in the second state shown in FIG. 4, by pressing the switching switch 40 again, the locking of the guide pin 49 is released, and the guide pin 49 moves back to the starting position. Thereby, the fuel cap 26 can be switched from the second state to the first state. Thus, the fuel cap 26 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to alternately switch between the first state and the second state by repeatedly pressing the switching switch 40.

[0026] As is apparent from the above description, when the fuel cap 26 is switched between the first state and the second state, the first thread 32 and the second thread 34 alternately protrude. Therefore, in a state where the fuel cap 26 is removed from the filler neck 12, the switching between the states of the fuel cap 26 can be easily performed. On the other hand, there may be a situation where it is desired to switch between the first state and the second state while the fuel cap 26 is attached to the filler neck 12 or during the attachment or removal of the fuel cap 26. However, for example, in the process of attaching or removing the fuel cap 26 in the first state, as shown in FIG. 5, there is an angular position where the position of the second thread 34 does not coincide with the position of the second thread groove 16. In such a case, since there is no space (i.e., the second thread groove 16) on the outer periphery of the second thread 34, the second thread 34 cannot be pushed out, and the switching from the first state to the second state cannot be performed. In the present embodiment, in order to assist the user in switching between the first state and the second state during the process of attaching or removing the fuel cap 26, as shown in FIG. 2, a first marker 52 and a second marker 54 are provided on the upper surface of the lid portion 30 of the fuel cap 26.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, members around the filler neck 12 are provided with a marker 56 corresponding to the first marker 52 and the second marker 54. In this embodiment, when the circumferential angular position of the first marker 52 or the second marker 54 coincides with the marker 56 in a state where the fuel cap 26 is screwed onto the filler neck 12, each state can be switched. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the angular position of the second marker 54 coincides with the marker 56, it indicates that the position of the second thread 34 coincides with the position of the second thread groove 16 (the state shown in FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the angular position of the first marker 52 coincides with the marker 56, it indicates that the position of the first thread 32 coincides with the position of the first thread groove 14. For example, when the user wants to switch from the first state to the second state, the user rotates the fuel cap 26 until the angular position of the second marker 54 coincides with the marker 56 (the state shown in FIG. 2). As a result, the position of the second thread 34 coincides with the position of the second thread groove 16 (the state shown in FIG. 1). Then, the user presses the changeover switch 40. Since the second thread groove 16 is located on the outer circumference of the second thread 34, by pressing the changeover switch 40, the second thread 34 can be projected to the outer circumference side. Also, for example, when the user wants to switch from the second state to the first state, the user rotates the fuel cap 26 until the angular position of the first marker 52 coincides with the marker 56 (the state where the lid portion 30 is rotated 180° in the circumferential direction from the state shown in FIG. 2), and presses the changeover switch 40 to switch from the second state to the first state. Thus, in this embodiment, even in a state where the fuel cap 26 is attached to the filler neck 12, the first state and the second state can be easily switched.

[0028] As described above, in the fastening structure 10 of the present embodiment, the fuel cap 26 is configured to be switchable between a first state in which only the first thread 32 protrudes and a second state in which only the second thread 34 protrudes. That is, in the first state, the thread is tightened by rotating the fuel cap 26 in the right direction with respect to the filler neck 12, and the thread is loosened by rotating it in the left direction. On the other hand, in the second state, the thread is tightened by rotating the fuel cap 26 in the left direction with respect to the filler neck 12, and the thread is loosened by rotating it in the right direction. Thus, by switching between the first state and the second state, the rotational directions of attachment and detachment can be made opposite. Therefore, for example, by setting the fuel cap 26 to the first state when tightening the thread and to the second state when loosening the thread, both attachment and detachment can be performed by rotating the fuel cap 26 in the right direction with respect to the filler neck 12. As described above, the fastening structure 10 of the present embodiment can provide operability independent of the user and can be easily handled. In addition, since it is not necessary to prepare screw parts for the right rotation direction and the left rotation direction respectively, the types of parts to be prepared can be reduced, and the parts management can be easily performed.

[0029] Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of the first threads 32 and the second threads 34 are provided so as to be separated in the circumferential direction of the fuel cap 26 and not to interfere with each other. Therefore, the switching structure between the first state and the second state can be simplified.

[0030] Further, in the present embodiment, the length L1 of the second thread 34 in the extending direction is longer than the distance D2 in the extending direction of the region R. Similarly, the length of the first thread 32 is also longer than the distance D1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first thread 32 from entering the second thread groove 16 when passing through the region R, or the second thread 34 from entering the first thread groove 14 when passing through the region R.

[0031] In addition, in this embodiment, since the cam mechanism is used to switch between the first state and the second state, the first state and the second state can be switched with a simple structure.

[0032] (Corresponding relationship) The filler neck 12 and the fuel cap 26 are each an example of a "first threaded part" and a "second threaded part". The first spring 36 and the second spring 38 are each an example of a "first biasing member" and a "second biasing member". The first cam 44, the second cam 46, and the heart cam 48 are each an example of a "first cam member", a "second cam member", and an "actuating mechanism".

[0033] As described above, specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples exemplified above. Hereinafter, modified examples of the above-described embodiments will be listed below.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, the switching switch 40 is a heart cam type alternate switch. However, the switching switch 40 may be, for example, a ratchet cam type or a rotary cam type.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the first spring 36 and the second spring 38 bias the first thread 32 and the second thread 34 toward the inner circumferential side of the main body 28, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other elastic members or the like may be used to bias the first thread 32 and the second thread 34.

[0036] In addition, the number of the first threads 32 and the number of the second threads 34 are not particularly limited. Each thread 32, 34 may be provided at three or more different angular positions in the circumferential direction of the main body 28. In addition, the cross-sectional shapes of the respective thread grooves 14, 16 and the respective threads 32, 34 are not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a shape such as a square.

[0037] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the structure of the fuel supply unit has been described as an example, but the technology disclosed in this specification may be applied to other structures. For example, the technology disclosed in this specification may be applied to fastening components for rotating members such as motors. In the technology disclosed in this specification, since the rotation direction for fastening can be selected by switching between the first state and the second state, loosening of the fastening component can be suppressed by aligning the rotation direction of the rotating member with the rotation direction for fastening.

[0038] The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility either individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives itself has technical utility.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0039] 10: Fastening structure, 12: Filler neck, 14: First thread groove, 16: Second thread groove, 26: Fuel cap, 32: First thread, 34: Second thread, 40: Switch

Claims

1. A fastening structure in which a first threaded component and a second threaded component are configured to be threadably engaged, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the first threaded component has a first thread groove in a right rotation direction and a second thread groove in a left rotation direction that intersects the first thread groove, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the second threaded component has a first thread ridge in a right rotation direction that can be threadably engaged with the first thread groove and a second thread ridge in a left rotation direction that can be threadably engaged with the second thread groove, wherein the second threaded component is configured to be switchable between a first state in which the first thread ridge protrudes to the outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral surface and the second thread ridge is located on the inner peripheral side from the outer peripheral surface, and a second state in which the second thread ridge protrudes to the outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral surface and the first thread ridge is located on the inner peripheral side from the outer peripheral surface, the fastening structure.

2. The fastening structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first thread ridges and the second thread ridges are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the second threaded component, the fastening structure.

3. The fastening structure according to claim 1, wherein a length of the first thread ridge in a first direction in which the first thread ridge extends is longer than a distance in the first direction in a range where the first thread groove and the second thread groove intersect, wherein a length of the second thread ridge in a second direction in which the second thread ridge extends is longer than a distance in the second direction in the range where the first thread groove and the second thread groove intersect, the fastening structure.

4. The fastening structure according to claim 1, wherein the second threaded component includes a first biasing member that biases the first thread ridge toward the inner peripheral side, a first cam member that projects the first thread ridge to the outer peripheral side against the biasing force of the first biasing member, a second biasing member that biases the second thread ridge toward the inner peripheral side, a second cam member that projects the second thread ridge to the outer peripheral side against the biasing force of the second biasing member, and an operating mechanism that operates the first cam member and the second cam member, the fastening structure.

5. The fastening structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first threaded component is a fuel tank filler member, wherein the second threaded component is a fuel cap that opens and closes an opening of the filler member, the fastening structure.

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