Opening and closing device

Abstract

To provide a switching device to be easily assembled on a vehicle but hardly removed therefrom.SOLUTION: The switching device includes an expandable linear motion actuator, a socket 100 fixed to the end of the linear motion actuator to construct a ball joint together with a ball fixed to a vehicle body and a back door, a plate spring 200 supported by the socket 100 for holding the ball together with the socket 100, and a cover 300 mounted on one of an allowable position for allowing the displacement of the plate spring 200 with respect to the socket 100 and a restriction position for restricting the displacement of the plate spring 200 with respect to the socket 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening / closing device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle including a vehicle body having a door opening, a back door that opens and closes the door opening, and an opening / closing device that drives the back door. The opening / closing device has a shaft shape and is configured to be expandable and contractible in the axial direction. The opening / closing device has a socket that forms a ball joint together with a ball fixed to the vehicle body at a first end in the axial direction. On the other hand, the opening / closing device has a socket that forms a ball joint together with a ball fixed to the door at a second end in the axial direction. Thus, both ends in the axial direction of the opening / closing device are connected to the vehicle body and the back door, respectively. Then, the opening / closing device opens the back door by extending. On the other hand, the opening / closing device closes the back door by contracting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described opening / closing device is required to be easily assembled to and difficult to come off from the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Hereinafter, means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described. [Aspect 1] An opening / closing device that connects a vehicle body having an opening and an opening / closing body that opens and closes the opening, and extends to cause the opening / closing body to perform an opening operation. At least one of the vehicle body and the opening / closing body has a ball stud including a ball, and has a shaft member that is shaft-shaped and telescopable in the axial direction, a socket that is fixed to at least one end of the shaft member and forms a ball joint together with the ball, an elastic body that is supported by the socket and holds the ball together with the socket, and a cover that is attached to the socket at one of a position that allows displacement of the elastic body with respect to the socket and a position that restricts displacement of the elastic body with respect to the socket.

[0006] When assembling the opening / closing device to a vehicle, the mounting position of the cover with respect to the socket is set as the allowable position. In this case, since the elastic body is easily displaced with respect to the socket, the ball can be accommodated in the socket while deforming the elastic body. When the ball is accommodated in the socket, the mounting position of the cover is changed from the allowable position to the restricted position. Then, since the elastic body is less likely to deform with respect to the socket, the ball is less likely to fall out of the socket. In this way, the opening / closing device can be easily assembled to the vehicle and is less likely to come off by changing the mounting position of the cover with respect to the socket.

[0007] [Aspect 2] In the opening / closing device according to Aspect 1, when the direction in which the ball is inserted into the socket is defined as the insertion direction, the socket is a housing portion including a peripheral wall that forms an arc shape when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, and has a housing portion that houses the ball while covering the ball with the peripheral wall. The elastic body is a leaf spring having a base portion that extends along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall, and two sandwiching portions that extend from both ends of the base portion and sandwich the ball housed in the housing portion. The cover preferably has a pressing portion that restricts displacement of the leaf spring by sandwiching the base portion of the leaf spring in the insertion direction together with the peripheral wall at the restricted position.

[0008] When the ball is received in the socket or taken out of the socket, the ball passes between the two clamping portions of the leaf spring while widening the distance between the two clamping portions. At this time, the base of the leaf spring tends to lift off the peripheral wall due to the load acting on the two clamping portions. In this regard, the pressing portion of the cover restricts the displacement of the leaf spring by sandwiching the base of the leaf spring together with the peripheral wall of the socket at the limiting position. Therefore, the opening / closing device can further suppress the ball from falling out of the socket after the cover is mounted at the limiting position.

[0009] [Aspect 3] In the opening / closing device according to Aspect 2, the cover has two side walls that sandwich the accommodating portion of the socket in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and one of the accommodating portion and the side walls has a concave portion, and the other of the accommodating portion and the side walls preferably has a convex portion that fits into the concave portion when the cover is in the allowable position.

[0010] When the mounting position of the cover is the allowable position, the two side walls of the cover sandwich the accommodating portion of the socket, and the convex portion fits into the concave portion. For this reason, the opening / closing device can make it difficult for the cover located at the allowable position to fall off the socket.

[0011] [Aspect 4] In the opening / closing device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, the cover has a regulating arm that extends in the axial direction, has one end in the axial direction as a fixed end, and the other end in the axial direction as a free end. The free end of the regulating arm preferably sandwiches the base of the leaf spring together with the peripheral wall when the cover is in the allowable position, and restricts the axial displacement of the leaf spring when the cover is in the limiting position.

[0012] In the opening / closing device, when the cover is in the allowable position, the regulating arm can suppress the leaf spring from moving relative to the socket. Also, when the cover is in the limiting position, the regulating arm can suppress the leaf spring from moving axially relative to the socket. In this way, the opening / closing device can give the regulating arm different functions according to the position of the cover.

[0013] [Aspect 5] In the opening and closing device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, the socket has a marking, and one of the allowable position and the restricted position is a position where the cover does not cover the marking, and the other of the allowable position and the restricted position is preferably a position where the cover covers the marking.

[0014] In the opening and closing device, the covering state of the marking changes according to the position of the cover. Therefore, the opening and closing device can indicate whether the position of the cover is the allowable position or the restricted position according to the covering state of the marking. [Advantages of the Invention]

[0015] The opening and closing device can be easily assembled to the vehicle and is difficult to come off. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle equipped with an opening / closing device will be described. <Configuration of this Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 20, a back door 30, and two opening / closing devices 50.

[0018] <Vehicle Body 20> The vehicle body 20 has a door opening 21 that opens rearward, and two ball studs 41(40) provided on both sides of the door opening 21. The door opening 21 has, for example, a rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the vehicle 10 and the transverse direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10. The door opening 21 corresponds to the "opening". The ball studs 41 are located closer to the upper end than the lower end of the door opening 21.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the ball stud 41 has a ball 43, a shaft portion 44 extending from the ball 43, and a bracket 45 that supports the shaft portion 44. The ball 43 has a spherical shape. The shaft portion 44 has a cylindrical shape. When the end of the shaft portion 44 connected to the ball 43 is the tip and the end of the shaft portion 44 connected to the bracket 45 is the base end, the diameter of the shaft portion 44 gradually decreases from the base end toward the tip. The bracket 45 is fixed to the vehicle body 20 by a fastening member such as a screw.

[0020] <Back Door 30> As shown in FIG. 1, the back door 30 has a shape corresponding to the door opening 21. The back door 30 is supported by the vehicle body 20 via a hinge or the like so as to be rotatable about a swing axis extending in the width direction of the vehicle 10. The back door 30 is displaced between a fully open position where the door opening 21 is fully opened and a fully closed position where the door opening 21 is fully closed by rotating about the swing axis. The fully open position of the back door 30 is the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and the fully closed position of the back door 30 is the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1. The back door 30 corresponds to the "opening / closing body".

[0021] In the following description, in the side view of the vehicle 10, the end of the back door 30 supported by the vehicle body 20 is referred to as the "base end", and the end on the opposite side of the base end is referred to as the "tip end". Further, the direction in which the back door 30 moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position is referred to as the "open direction", and the direction in which the back door 30 moves from the fully open position to the fully closed position is referred to as the "closed direction".

[0022] The back door 30 has two ball studs 42(40) provided on both sides of the door opening 21. The ball studs 42 are fixed at a position closer to the base end than the tip end of the back door 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the ball studs 42 have the same configuration as the ball studs 41 provided on the vehicle body 20.

[0023] <Opening and closing device 50> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening and closing device 50 is a long shaft-like member. In FIG. 1, only one opening and closing device 50 on one side in the width direction of the vehicle 10 is illustrated. One opening and closing device 50 connects the ball stud 41 of the vehicle body 20 and the ball stud 42 of the back door 30 on the right side in the width direction of the vehicle 10. The other opening and closing device 50 connects the ball stud 41 of the vehicle body 20 and the ball stud 42 of the back door 30 on the left side in the width direction of the vehicle 10. In the following description, the axial direction of the opening and closing device 50 is simply referred to as the "axial direction". As shown in FIG. 2, the opening and closing device 50 includes a linear actuator 60 and two connecting portions 70(71, 72).

[0024] <Linear actuator 60> The linear actuator 60 is a portion of the opening and closing device 50 excluding both ends. The linear actuator 60 corresponds to an axially expandable and contractible "shaft member". The linear actuator 60 includes an inner tube 61, an outer tube 62, a motor case 63, an electric motor 64, and a transmission mechanism 65.

[0025] The inner tube 61 and the outer tube 62 are cylindrical. The outer diameter of the inner tube 61 is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube 62. The first end of the inner tube 61 is inserted into the second end of the outer tube 62. The inner tube 61 is movable axially with respect to the outer tube 62. The motor case 63 is cylindrical like the outer tube 62. The second end of the motor case 63 is connected to the first end of the outer tube 62.

[0026] The electric motor 64, together with a drive circuit (not shown), is housed in the motor case 63. The electric motor 64 is driven, for example, based on electric power supplied from the battery of the vehicle 10. In FIG. 2, the power supply line and the signal line extending from the electric motor 64 and the drive circuit are omitted.

[0027] The transmission mechanism 65 is housed across the inner tube 61, the outer tube 62, and the motor case 63. The transmission mechanism 65 converts the rotational motion of the output shaft of the electric motor 64 into a linear motion in the axial direction of the inner tube 61. For example, the transmission mechanism 65 can be configured to include a speed reducer and a feed screw mechanism.

[0028] The linear actuator 60 extends by rotating the output shaft of the electric motor 64 in the first rotation direction. At this time, the protruding amount of the inner tube 61 with respect to the outer tube 62 increases. Thus, the linear actuator 60 applies a load in the opening direction to the back door 30 to cause the back door 30 to open. On the other hand, the linear actuator 60 contracts by rotating the output shaft of the electric motor 64 in the second rotation direction, which is the reverse direction of the first rotation direction. At this time, the protruding amount of the inner tube 61 with respect to the outer tube 62 decreases. Thus, the linear actuator 60 applies a load in the closing direction to the back door 30 to cause the back door 30 to close.

[0029] <Connecting portion 70> As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portion 70 has a connecting portion 71 fixed to the first end in the axial direction of the linear actuator 60 and a connecting portion 72 fixed to the second end in the axial direction of the linear actuator 60. As shown in FIG. 1, when the opening / closing device 50 is assembled to the vehicle 10, the connecting portion 71 is connected to the ball stud 41 of the vehicle body 20, and the connecting portion 72 is connected to the ball stud 42 of the back door 30. In the linear actuator 60, the two connecting portions 70 have the same configuration.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the connecting portion 70 includes a socket 100, a leaf spring 200, and a cover 300. In the following description, the direction orthogonal to the axial direction is referred to as the "width direction", and the direction orthogonal to both the axial direction and the width direction is referred to as the "vertical direction". Further, in the axial direction, the end portion of the connecting portion 70 fixed to the linear actuator 60 is referred to as the base end, and the end portion on the side opposite to the base end of the connecting portion 70 is referred to as the tip end. The width direction and the vertical direction of the connecting portion 70 are independent of the width direction and the vertical direction of the vehicle 10.

[0031] <Socket 100> As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the socket 100 has a housing portion 110 that houses the ball 43 of the ball stud 40, a fixing portion 140 fixed to the linear actuator 60, and a connecting portion 150 that connects the housing portion 110 and the fixing portion 140. The material of the socket 100 is preferably a resin material with high strength and capable of injection molding.

[0032] The housing portion 110 has a first housing wall 120 that constitutes the lower side of the housing portion 110 and a second housing wall 130 that constitutes the upper side of the housing portion 110. Further, the housing portion 110 has a housing hole 111 with the depth direction upward and two guide grooves 112 extending in the axial direction.

[0033] The first housing wall 120 has a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the height direction. The first housing wall 120 has two sliding surfaces 121 that intersect the width direction and a locking surface 122 that intersects the vertical direction. The two sliding surfaces 121 are the side surfaces of the first housing wall 120 in the width direction. Since the two sliding surfaces 121 are parallel, the distance between the two sliding surfaces 121 is constant with respect to the axial direction. Recesses 123 are provided at positions closer to the tip in the axial direction on the two sliding surfaces 121. The recesses 123 have a groove shape extending in the vertical direction. The cross-sectional shape of the recesses 123 perpendicular to the vertical direction is semi-circular. The locking surface 122 is the bottom surface of the first housing wall 120. In the present embodiment, the locking surface 122 and the two sliding surfaces 121 are perpendicular.

[0034] The second housing wall 130 covers the first housing wall 120 from above. The second housing wall 130 has a peripheral wall 131 that forms an arc shape when viewed from the axial direction, and a front wall 132 and a rear wall 133 that are adjacent to the peripheral wall 131 in the axial direction. The outer diameter of the peripheral wall 131 is smaller than the outer diameter of the front wall 132 and the outer diameter of the rear wall 133. For this reason, a step is formed between the peripheral wall 131 and the front wall 132 and the rear wall 133 in the axial direction. Further, the central portions of the front wall 132 and the rear wall 133 in the width direction are recessed.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the accommodation hole 111 penetrates the first housing wall 120 but does not penetrate the second housing wall 130. In the first housing wall 120, the opening of the accommodation hole 111 has an enlarged diameter. In the first housing wall 120, the inner diameter of the accommodation hole 111 hardly changes in the depth direction except in the vicinity of the opening. On the other hand, in the second housing wall 130, the inner diameter of the accommodation hole 111 gradually decreases in the depth direction. The accommodation hole 111 is a hole for accommodating the ball 43. For this reason, the inner diameter of the accommodation hole 111 is an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the ball 43.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the two guide grooves 112 extend from the tip to the base of the first housing wall 120 in the axial direction. The two guide grooves 112 are spaced apart in the width direction. In a front view in the axial direction, the guide grooves 112 are inclined so as to go upward as they proceed outward in the width direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two guide grooves 112 communicate with the housing hole 111. Here, a hole through which the two guide grooves 112 and the housing hole 111 communicate is defined as a communication hole 113. The formation position of the communication hole 113 in the axial direction coincides with the formation position of the peripheral wall 131 in the axial direction.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing portion 140 has a disk shape with the axial direction being the plate thickness direction. The fixing portion 140 is fixed to the end portion of the linear actuator 60. The connecting portion 150 has a columnar shape with the axial direction being the height direction. A circular marking 151 is provided on the upper surface of the connecting portion 150. The marking 151 is preferably colored in a color that is easy for an operator to visually recognize or has a reflectance different from that of other portions. Note that the shape of the marking 151 does not necessarily have to be circular.

[0038] <Leaf spring 200> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the leaf spring 200 has a C shape in a front view in the axial direction. The leaf spring 200 includes a base portion 210 having an arc shape and two clamping portions 220 extending linearly from both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 210, respectively. The tip end portion of the clamping portion 220 is recessed at the central portion in the axial direction more than at both end portions in the axial direction. In other words, the tip end portion of the clamping portion 220 has a shape corresponding to the ball 43. The leaf spring 200 corresponds to an "elastic body". The leaf spring 200 may be formed, for example, by bending a metal plate having a rectangular plate shape.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the leaf spring 200 is mounted on the socket 100. The leaf spring 200 is mounted on the socket 100 by being pushed toward the proximal end in the axial direction of the socket 100 through the two guide grooves 112 of the socket 100. At this time, the base portion 210 of the leaf spring 200 extends along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 131 of the socket 100. Further, the two clamping portions 220 of the leaf spring 200 respectively pass through the two guide grooves 112 and also pass through the two communication holes 113. As a result, the tips of the two clamping portions 220 of the leaf spring 200 are located inside the receiving hole 111 of the socket 100. Furthermore, the two clamping portions 220 of the leaf spring 200 face each other in the width direction.

[0040] <Cover 300> As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cover 300 includes an upper wall 310, a regulating arm 320, two side walls 330, and two locking portions 340. The material of the cover 300 is preferably a resin material with high strength and capable of injection molding.

[0041] The upper wall 310 is sized to cover the receiving portion 110 and the connecting portion 150 of the socket 100. The upper wall 310 has a pressing portion 311 for pressing the leaf spring 200 mounted on the socket 100. The upper wall 310 also has a through hole 312 penetrating in the vertical direction. The pressing portion 311 is a surface facing downward of the upper wall 310. The pressing portion 311 is planar. The pressing portion 311 is adjacent to the through hole 312 in the axial direction and is located at the central portion in the width direction. The through hole 312 has a rectangular shape with the width direction as the short side direction and the axial direction as the long side direction. The through hole 312 is located at the central portion in the width direction.

[0042] The regulating arm 320 extends axially along the surface located on the proximal end side among the two surfaces intersecting the axial direction of the through hole 312. The proximal end of the regulating arm 320 is a fixed end, and the distal end of the regulating arm 320 is a free end. In this regard, the proximal end of the regulating arm 320 corresponds to "one end in the axial direction", and the distal end of the regulating arm 320 corresponds to "the other end in the axial direction". The lower surface of the distal end portion of the regulating arm 320 is inclined so as to go downward as it goes toward the distal end in the axial direction. The distal end surface of the regulating arm 320 is orthogonal to the axial direction.

[0043] The two side walls 330 extend downward from both end portions in the width direction of the upper wall 310, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the two side walls 330 have convex portions 331 protruding inward in the width direction over the vertical direction. In this regard, the convex portion 331 has a rib shape with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction. The cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 331 orthogonal to the vertical direction is semicircular. That is, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion 331 orthogonal to the vertical direction corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion 123 of the socket 100 orthogonal to the vertical direction.

[0044] The two locking portions 340 extend inward in the width direction from the lower end portions of the two side walls 330, respectively. The locking portion 340 has a claw shape that tapers toward the tip. The upper surface of the locking portion 340 is orthogonal to the side wall 330.

[0045] <Operation of the present embodiment> With reference to FIGS. 7 to 10, the operation when the opening / closing device 50 is assembled to the vehicle 10 will be described.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the opening / closing device 50 before being assembled to the vehicle 10, the cover 300 is attached to the socket 100. The attachment position of the cover 300 to the socket 100 at this time is referred to as the "allowable position".

[0047] When the mounting position of the cover 300 is the allowable position, on both sides in the width direction of the connecting portion 70, the side walls 330 of the cover 300 are in contact with the sliding surface 121 of the socket 100. In other words, the two side walls 330 of the cover 300 sandwich the first housing wall 120 of the socket 100 in the width direction. Thus, the cover 300 is positioned with respect to the socket 100 in the width direction. Further, the convex portion 331 of the side wall 330 of the cover 300 fits into the concave portion 123 of the sliding surface 121 of the socket 100. Thus, the cover 300 is positioned with respect to the socket 100 in the axial direction.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 8, the tip of the regulating arm 320 of the cover 300 presses the base 210 of the leaf spring 200 mounted on the socket 100 downward. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the locking portion 340 of the cover 300 is locked to the locking surface 122 of the socket 100. In other words, the locking portion 340 of the cover 300 is in contact with the locking surface 122 of the socket 100 from below. That is, the regulating arm 320 and the locking portion 340 of the cover 300 sandwich the housing portion 110 of the socket 100 and the leaf spring 200 in the vertical direction. Thus, the cover 300 is positioned with respect to the socket 100 in the vertical direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the leaf spring 200 is sandwiched between the peripheral wall 131 of the socket 100 and the regulating arm 320 of the cover 300 in the vertical direction.

[0049] As described above, the cover 300 is configured not to separate from the socket 100 at the allowable position. The allowable position is not the original mounting position of the cover 300 with respect to the socket 100, but a temporary mounting position for handling the cover 300 and the socket 100 integrally. Further, when the cover 300 is at the allowable position, the cover 300 does not cover the marking 151 of the socket 100. For this reason, when looking at the socket 100 from above, the marking 151 is in a visible state.

[0050] When assembling the opening / closing device 50 to the vehicle 10, the connecting part 71 of the opening / closing device 50 and the ball stud 41 of the vehicle body 20 are connected. Also, the connecting part 72 of the opening / closing device 50 and the ball stud 42 of the back door 30 are connected. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the connecting part 70 of the opening / closing device 50 is pressed against the ball stud 40 respectively, the ball 43 is inserted into the accommodation hole 111 of the socket 100.

[0051] As shown by the solid line in FIG. 9, the ball 43 enters the accommodation hole 111 while expanding the two clamping parts 220 of the leaf spring 200. At this time, due to the reaction force received from the ball 43, the leaf spring 200 is displaced upward in the insertion direction of the ball 43. Since the tip of the regulating arm 320 is in contact with the leaf spring 200, due to the reaction force received from the ball 43, the leaf spring 200 is displaced upward together with the regulating arm 320. Thus, when the cover 300 is in the allowable position, the displacement of the leaf spring 200 relative to the socket 100 is allowed. Therefore, it is possible to insert the ball 43 into the socket 100 while elastically deforming the leaf spring 200. In the vertical direction, when the portion with the largest diameter of the ball 43 passes between the two clamping parts 220 of the leaf spring 200, the leaf spring 200 starts to recover. That is, the base 210 of the leaf spring 200 is displaced downward together with the regulating arm 320.

[0052] As shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 9, when the ball 43 reaches the back of the accommodation hole 111, the ball 43 is clamped in the width direction by the two clamping parts 220 of the leaf spring 200. In this way, the ball 43 is held by the socket 100 and the leaf spring 200, and a ball joint is formed by the ball 43 and the socket 100.

[0053] Thereafter, the cover 300 is axially moved relative to the socket 100. At this time, the convex part 331 of the side wall 330 of the cover 300 slides on the sliding surface 121 of the socket 100, and the locking part 340 of the cover 300 slides on the locking surface 122 of the socket 100. Also, the regulating arm 320 of the cover 300 slides on the base 210 of the leaf spring 200.

[0054] When the cover 300 moves to the restricted position shown in Fig. 10, in the axial direction, the tip of the regulating arm 320 of the cover 300 faces the leaf spring 200. Further, in the vertical direction, the leaf spring 200 is disposed between the pressing portion 311 of the cover 300 and the peripheral wall 131 of the socket 100. At this time, the regulating arm 320 and the leaf spring 200 may be in contact with each other, or a slight gap may be formed between the regulating arm 320 and the leaf spring 200. Similarly, the pressing portion 311 and the leaf spring 200 may be in contact with each other, or a slight gap may be formed between the pressing portion 311 and the leaf spring 200. Thus, when the cover 300 is located at the restricted position, the displacement of the leaf spring 200 relative to the socket 100 is restricted. Therefore, even when a load acts in the direction of pulling out the ball 43 from the socket 100, the distance between the two clamping portions 220 of the leaf spring 200 is difficult to widen, and the base portion 210 of the leaf spring 200 is difficult to displace upward. As a result, the ball 43 is difficult to come out of the socket 100. Note that it is preferable that the socket 100 and the cover 300 have a configuration for preventing the cover 300 from moving axially from the restricted position.

[0055] After the ball 43 is inserted into the socket 100, the cover 300 is moved to the restricted position. In this regard, the restricted position is a position where the displacement of the leaf spring 200 relative to the socket 100 is restricted, and is a position for suppressing the ball 43 from inadvertently coming out of the socket 100. Further, when the cover 300 is located at the restricted position, the cover 300 covers the marking 151 of the socket 100. Therefore, when the socket 100 is viewed from above, the marking 151 is in a non-visible state.

[0056] <Effects of the present embodiment> (1) When assembling the opening and closing device 50 to the vehicle 10, the mounting position of the cover 300 with respect to the socket 100 is set as the allowable position. In this case, since the leaf spring 200 can be easily displaced with respect to the socket 100, the ball 43 can be accommodated in the socket 100 while elastically deforming the leaf spring 200. When the ball 43 is accommodated in the socket 100, the mounting position of the cover 300 is changed from the allowable position to the restricted position. Then, since it becomes difficult for the leaf spring 200 to be elastically deformed with respect to the socket 100, it becomes difficult for the ball 43 to drop out from the socket 100. Thus, the opening and closing device 50 can be easily assembled to and hardly detached from the vehicle 10.

[0057] (2) When accommodating the ball 43 in the socket 100 or taking out the ball 43 from the socket 100, the ball 43 passes between the two clamping portions 220 of the leaf spring 200 while widening the interval between the two clamping portions 220. At this time, the base portion 210 of the leaf spring 200 tends to lift off from the peripheral wall 131 due to the load acting on the two clamping portions 220. In this regard, the pressing portion 311 of the cover 300 restricts the displacement of the leaf spring 200 by sandwiching the base portion 210 of the leaf spring 200 together with the peripheral wall 131 in the restricted position. Therefore, the opening and closing device 50 can further suppress the ball 43 from dropping out of the socket 100 after the cover 300 is mounted in the restricted position.

[0058] (3) When the mounting position of the cover 300 is the allowable position, the two side walls 330 of the cover 300 sandwich the accommodating portion 110 of the socket 100. Further, the two convex portions 331 of the cover 300 are respectively fitted into the two concave portions 123 of the socket 100. For this reason, the opening and closing device 50 can prevent the cover 300 located in the allowable position from dropping off from the socket 100.

[0059] (4) In the opening / closing device 50, the covering state of the marking 151 changes according to the position of the cover 300. Specifically, when the cover 300 is in the allowable position, the marking 151 is not covered. On the other hand, when the cover 300 is in the restricted position, the marking 151 is covered. Therefore, the opening / closing device 50 can inform whether the position of the cover 300 is the allowable position or the restricted position according to the covering state of the marking 151. As a result, the opening / closing device 50 can prevent an operator assembling the opening / closing device 50 to the vehicle 10 from forgetting to change the cover 300 from the allowable position to the restricted position.

[0060] (5) As shown in FIG. 8, when the cover 300 is in the allowable position, the tip of the regulating arm 320 is in contact with the base 210 of the leaf spring 200 from above. Therefore, when the opening / closing device 50 is being transported, the leaf spring 200 is prevented from unexpectedly moving relative to the socket 100. Also, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9, when the cover 300 is inserted into the socket 100, the tip of the regulating arm 320 is displaced upward by being pushed by the base 210 of the leaf spring 200. Here, the regulating arm 320 is in a cantilever shape, and the portion of the regulating arm 320 that is pushed by the base 210 of the leaf spring 200 is the tip portion. As a result, it can be said that the regulating arm 320 is easily displaceable. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the load from becoming high when inserting the socket 100 into the ball 43 as a result of the regulating arm 320 excessively restricting the displacement of the base 210 of the leaf spring 200.

[0061] (6) As shown in FIG. 10, when the cover 300 is in the restricted position, in the axial direction, the tip of the regulating arm 320 faces the base 210 of the leaf spring 200. Therefore, during the opening / closing operation of the back door 30, specifically, when the ball 43 moves relative to the socket 100, even if the leaf spring 200 tries to move toward the proximal end in the axial direction, the movement of the leaf spring 200 is restricted by the regulating arm 320.

[0062] <Modified Example> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

[0063] · In the socket 100 and the cover 300, the shapes of the concave portion 123 and the convex portion 331 can be appropriately changed. For example, the concave portion 123 and the convex portion 331 may be a male shape and a female shape constituting a so-called snap fit. Also, the above embodiment can be replaced with a configuration in which the socket 100 has the convex portion 331 and the cover 300 has the concave portion 123.

[0064] · The marking 151 may be provided on the cover 300. In this case, when the cover 300 is in the allowable position, it is preferable that the marking 151 is exposed, and when the cover 300 is in the restricted position, it is preferable that the marking 151 is hidden by the socket 100.

[0065] · The marking 151 may be covered by the cover 300 when the cover 300 is in the allowable position and exposed when the cover 300 is in the restricted position. · The leaf spring 200 may be an elastic body made of an elastomer such as rubber and resin. In this case, it is preferable that at least a part of the elastic body is located above the peripheral wall 131 of the socket 100 and at least a part of the elastic body is located inside the accommodation hole 111 of the socket 100.

[0066] · The cover 300 may be positioned at the allowable position or the restricted position by the frictional force between the cover 300 and the socket 100. That is, the cover 300 is not limited to being positioned by the convex portion 331 fitting into the concave portion 123 of the socket 100.

[0067] · The cover 300 may not have the regulating arm 320. ·In the above embodiment, the depth directions of the accommodation holes 111 of the socket 100 fixed to the first end of the linear actuator 60 and the depth directions of the accommodation holes 111 of the socket 100 fixed to the second end of the linear actuator 60 face the same direction. Depending on the fixing mode of the ball stud 40 to the vehicle body 20 and the back door 30, the depth directions of the accommodation holes 111 of the above two sockets 100 may face different directions.

[0068] ·One connecting portion 70 of the opening and closing device 50 does not have to form a ball joint together with the vehicle body 20 or the back door 30. One connecting portion 70 of the opening and closing device 50 may form a universal joint such as a hook joint together with the vehicle body 20 or the back door 30.

[0069] ·The opening and closing device 50 may be a so-called gas spring or gas damper. In this case, the portion that extends by the reaction force of the gas corresponds to the "shaft member". The opening and closing device according to this modification can apply a load in the opening direction to the back door 30, but cannot apply a load in the closing direction to the back door 30. That is, the opening and closing device can open the back door 30, but cannot close the back door 30.

[0070] ·The opening and closing body where the opening and closing device 50 is provided may be a door other than the back door 30. For example, the opening and closing body may be a front door and a rear door as swing doors. ·The opening and closing body to be opened and closed by the opening and closing device 50 does not have to be a door. For example, the opening and closing body may be a bonnet panel or a fuel lid.

Description of reference numerals

[0071] 10…Vehicle 20…Vehicle body 21…Door opening (opening) 30…Back door (opening and closing body) 40(41,42)…Ball stud 43…Ball 50…Opening and closing device 60… Linear actuator (shaft member) 65… Transmission mechanism 70(71,72)… Connecting part 100… Socket 110… Accommodating part 111… Accommodating hole 112… Guide groove 113… Communication hole 120… First accommodating wall 121… Sliding surface 122… Locking surface 123… Concave part 130… Second accommodating wall 131… Peripheral wall 151… Marking 200… Leaf spring (elastic body) 210… Base part 220… Clamping part 300… Cover 310… Upper wall 311… Pressing part 312… Through hole 320… Restricting arm 330… Side wall 331… Protrusion 340… Locking part

Claims

1. An opening / closing device that connects a vehicle body having an opening and an opening / closing body that opens and closes the opening, and that opens the opening / closing body by extending, comprising: At least one of the vehicle body and the opening / closing body has a ball stud including a ball; A shaft member having a shaft shape and being axially telescopic; A socket fixed to at least one end of the shaft member and constituting a ball joint together with the ball; An elastic body supported by the socket and holding the ball together with the socket; A cover attached to the socket at one of a tolerance position that allows displacement of the elastic body with respect to the socket and a limit position that restricts displacement of the elastic body with respect to the socket; When the direction in which the ball is inserted into the socket is defined as the insertion direction, The socket is a housing portion including a peripheral wall that forms an arc shape when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, and has a housing portion that houses the ball while covering the ball with the peripheral wall; The elastic body is a leaf spring having a base portion extending along the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall, and two sandwiching portions extending from both ends of the base portion and sandwiching the ball housed in the housing portion; The cover has a pressing portion that restricts displacement of the leaf spring by sandwiching the base portion of the leaf spring in the insertion direction together with the peripheral wall at the limit position. An opening / closing device.

2. The cover has two side walls that sandwich the housing portion of the socket in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; One of the housing portion and the side walls has a recess; The other of the housing portion and the side walls has a protrusion that fits into the recess when the cover is in the tolerance position. The opening / closing device according to Claim 1.

3. The cover has a regulating arm that extends in the axial direction, has one end in the axial direction as a fixed end, and the other end in the axial direction as a free end; The free end of the regulating arm sandwiches the base portion of the leaf spring together with the peripheral wall when the cover is in the tolerance position, and restricts the axial displacement of the leaf spring when the cover is in the limit position. The opening / closing device according to Claim 1.

4. The socket has a marking; One of the tolerance position and the limit position is a position where the cover does not cover the marking; The other of the tolerance position and the limit position is a position where the cover covers the marking. The opening / closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images