Actuator

Abstract

This actuator comprises a moving member, a housing, and a cover member. The housing has an opening and movably supports the moving member. The cover member is disposed so as to close off the opening. The housing has a guiding part and a locked part. The cover member has a guided part and a locking part. The guided part is guided in guide direction B by the guiding part. The locking part locks the locked part by guiding in guide direction B. The locking part locks the locked part, thereby restricting movement of the cover member in locking direction J in relation to the housing. Locking direction J and the guide direction B are not parallel to each other. The structure described above makes it possible to provide an actuator in which the cover member is easily attached to the housing and any gap between the cover member and the housing can be minimized.

Description

Actuator

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In vehicles such as automobiles, a lid opening and closing device for a fuel lid or the like that covers a fuel filler opening uses a lid actuator that moves a reciprocating member between a position that closes the lid and a position that opens the lid.

[0003] The lid actuator has a housing that supports the advancing / retreating member so that it can move back and forth, and a cover member attached to the housing so as to cover the opening of the housing, and the cover member is attached to the housing by protrusions and claws (see, for example, Figure 9 of Patent Document 1).

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-005579

[0005] However, in the structure in which the cover member is attached to the housing by the protrusion and the claw portion as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a gap is generated between the claw portion and the protrusion portion in the attachment direction of the cover member.

[0006] The gap will be described using FIGS. 11( a) to 11(c). FIGS. 11(a) to 11(c) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of attaching a cover member 1002 to a housing 1001 in a conventional configuration. As shown in FIG. 11(a), the cover member 1002 is moved downward from above the housing 1001. Next, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the claw portion 1003 provided on the cover member 1002 bends and moves over a protrusion 1004 provided on the side of the housing 1001. As a result, the cover member 1002 is attached to the housing 1001 as shown in FIG. 11(c). However, because the claw portion 1003 bends and moves over the protrusion 1004, a gap d is created between the claw portion 1003 and the protrusion 1004. The presence of such a gap causes play between the housing 1001 and the cover member 1002.

[0007] On the other hand, if the gap is made smaller, it becomes difficult for the claw portion 1003 to climb over the protrusion 1004, making it difficult to attach the cover member 1002 to the housing 1001.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator in which a cover member can be easily attached to a housing and a gap between the cover member and the housing can be reduced.

[0009] An actuator according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a moving member, a housing, and a cover member. The housing has an opening and movably supports the moving member. The cover member is arranged to cover the opening. The housing has an edge portion, a guide portion, and an interlocking portion. The edge portion forms the opening. The guide portion is arranged on the edge portion and guides the cover member in the guide direction. The interlocking portion interlocks with the cover member guided in the guide direction. The cover member has a guided portion and an interlocking portion. The guided portion is guided in the guide direction by the guide portion. The interlocking portion interlocks with the interlocking portion by being guided in the guide direction. The interlocking portion interlocks with the interlocking portion, thereby restricting movement of the cover member relative to the housing in the interlocking direction. The interlocking direction and the guide direction are not parallel to each other.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an actuator in which the cover member can be easily attached to the housing and the gap between the cover member and the housing can be reduced.

[0011] 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an opening and closing device including an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a perspective view showing the appearance of the actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9C is a perspective view showing the appearance of the actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9D is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator when the moving member is advanced. FIG. 9E is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator when the moving member is retracted. FIG. 9F is a perspective view showing the actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention with the cover member removed. FIG. 9G is a plan view of the actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9G is a perspective view showing the cover member as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 9H is a cross-sectional view showing the HH side of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9H is a cross-sectional view showing the II side of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9G is a perspective view showing the cover member being attached to the housing. (a) to (c) are diagrams illustrating the attachment of a cover member to a conventional housing.

[0012] Hereinafter, an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The actuator of this embodiment moves a movable member back and forth relative to a housing, and is applied, for example, to a fuel lid opening and closing device, but may also be applied to devices other than fuel lid opening and closing devices, such as a charging lid opening and closing device.

[0014] (Opening and closing device 100 to which actuator 1 is applied) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an opening and closing device 100 including an actuator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing the appearance of the actuator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] The opening and closing device 100 is a device that opens and closes a fuel lid 120, which is a lid for closing a fuel filler opening 2a of a vehicle body 2. The opening and closing device 100 includes the actuator 1 of this embodiment. The configuration of the actuator 1 will be described in detail later.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the opening and closing device 100 includes a main body 110 attached to the fuel filler opening 2a of the vehicle body 2, a fuel lid 120, a hinge 130 that rotatably supports the fuel lid 120, and an actuator 1.

[0017] The main body 110 forms a fuel chamber surrounding a fuel filler pipe, for example. A fuel filler opening formed at the tip of the fuel filler pipe is closed by a screw cap 150.

[0018] 2A, the moving member 11 is a member for opening and closing the fuel lid 120. The moving member 11 has a lid locking portion 11a at its tip.

[0019] In the opening and closing device 100 configured in this manner, when the fuel lid 120 is closed, the lid locking portion 140 of the fuel lid 120 comes into contact with the moving member 11. At this time, the lid locking portion 11a provided on the moving member 11 is inserted into the lid locking portion 140.

[0020] In this state, when the fuel lid 120 is pushed in, the moving member 11 moves back toward the inside of the vehicle body 2. Moving back means that the moving member 11 moves from the outside of the housing 16 (described later) toward the inside of the housing 16.

[0021] Furthermore, when the moving member 11 retracts, the rotation of the moving member 11 rotates the lid locking portion 11a, and the lid locking portion 11a is locked to the lid locked portion 140. When the lid locking portion 11a is locked to the lid locked portion 140, the moving member 11 is disposed in the retracted position.

[0022] The retracted position is a stop position of the retracted moving member 11. The retracted position is also a position where the fuel lid 120 is held in a closed state.

[0023] In this state, a locking member 13 (described later) engages with the retaining member 12, which moves together with the movable member 11, thereby restricting the movement of the movable member 11 held by the retaining member 12, i.e., locking the movable member 11. As a result, the fuel lid 120 is locked while closing the fuel fill opening 2a.

[0024] When the movable member 11 is unlocked by the lock member 13 in order to open the fuel lid 120, the movable member 11 moves forward toward the outside of the vehicle body 2. Moving forward means that the movable member 11 moves from the inside of the housing 16 (described later) toward the outside of the housing 16.

[0025] At this time, the lid locking portion 11a of the moving member 11 rotates, thereby releasing the locking of the lid locking portion 11a with the lid locked portion 140. As a result, the lid locking portion 11a comes out of the lid locked portion 140, and the fuel lid 120 can be opened.

[0026] (Actuator 1) Fig. 3A is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator 1 when the movable member 11 is advanced. Fig. 3B is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the actuator 1 when the movable member 11 is retracted. The actuator 1 of this embodiment has the movable member 11, a holding member 12, a locking member 13, a biasing member 14, a drive mechanism 15, a housing 16, and a cover member 17 (Fig. 2A).

[0027] The actuator 1 uses a drive mechanism 15 to lock a movable member 11, which moves back and forth relative to a housing 16. The housing 16 is generally box-shaped. The housing 16 supports the movable member 11 so that the movable member 11 can move back and forth. The housing 16 houses a holding member 12, a biasing member 14, a locking member 13, and a drive mechanism 15. A cover member 17 is arranged to cover an opening 16a of the housing 16.

[0028] (Moving member 11) The moving member 11 is a columnar or cylindrical member that can move back and forth relative to the housing 16. The moving member 11 is inserted into a through-hole (not shown) formed in a front wall portion 31 (described later) of the housing 16. The moving member 11 moves between an advanced position where it advances relative to the housing 16 and a retracted position where it retracts relative to the housing 16. The advanced position is the stopping position of the advanced moving member 11. The advanced position is also the position of the moving member 11 when the lid locking portion 11a is released from the lid locked portion 140 shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] (Holding member 12, locking member 13) The holding member 12 is a member that rotatably holds the moving member 11 and moves within the housing 16, thereby restricting the moving member 11 between an advanced position and a retracted position. The holding member 12 is disposed in the area between a front wall portion 31 and a rear wall portion 32 (described later) of the housing 16.

[0030] The holding member 12 restricts the forward movement of the moving member 11 by contacting the front wall portion 31. The moving member 11 restricts the backward movement of the moving member 11 by contacting the rear wall portion 32.

[0031] The holding member 12 is provided with a recess (not shown), and the locking member 13 can be engaged with the recess to restrict the advancement of the moving member 11. Note that instead of the recess, the holding member 12 may be provided with a fitting hole. The fitting hole is a through hole with which the locking member 13 engages to restrict the advancement of the moving member 11.

[0032] The locking member 13 is moved by a drive mechanism 15 (described later) between a locked position where it engages with the holding member 12 and an unlocked position where it is separated from the holding member 12 .

[0033] (Biasing member 14) The biasing member 14 is a coil spring that generates a biasing force to move the movable member 11, which is disposed in the retracted position, toward the advanced position. The biasing member 14 is disposed, for example, inside the housing 16, in a region between the holding member 12 and the rear wall portion 32. One end of the biasing member 14 is fitted into the holding member 12, and the other end of the biasing member 14 abuts against the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16. Note that the biasing member 14 is not limited to a coil spring, and may be any elastic member that generates a biasing force to move the movable member 11, such as a leaf spring.

[0034] (Drive mechanism 15) The drive mechanism 15 has a motor 21, an output gear 22, a gear unit 23, and a rack 24. The motor 21 is disposed alongside the moving member 11. An output shaft 21a of the motor 21 is disposed parallel to the moving member 11. The motor 21 is disposed so that the output shaft 21a faces the rear wall portion 32.

[0035] The output gear 22 is fixed to the output shaft 21a of the motor 21. The gear unit 23 transmits the rotation of the output gear 22 to the rack 24. The gear unit 23 has a rotating shaft 23a, a first gear 23b, and a second gear 23c. The rotating shaft 23a of the gear unit 23 is arranged parallel to the output shaft 21a. The gear unit 23 is rotatably supported by the housing 16. The first gear 23b and the second gear 23c are arranged on the rotating shaft 23a. The first gear 23b meshes with the output gear 22. The second gear 23c is arranged on the rear wall portion 32 side of the first gear 23b.

[0036] The rack 24 meshes with the second gear 23c. The rack 24 is disposed on the bottom surface 30 side of the second gear 23c. A locking member 13 is disposed on the moving member 11 side of the rack 24. When the motor 21 is rotated in a predetermined direction with the moving member 11 disposed in the retracted position, the gear unit 23 meshing with the output gear 22 rotates. As a result, when the rack 24 moves to the right in the figure, the locking member 13 also moves to the right and engages with the holding member 12, locking the movement of the moving member 11. On the other hand, when the motor 21 is rotated in the opposite direction, the gear unit 23 rotates in the opposite direction, and the rack 24 moves to the left. As the rack 24 moves to the left, the locking member 13 also moves leftward and disengages from the holding member 12, unlocking the moving member 11.

[0037] (Housing 16) FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the actuator 1 of this embodiment with the cover member 17 removed.

[0038] The housing 16 is box-shaped and has an opening 16a. The housing 16 has a front wall 31, a rear wall 32, a right side wall 33, a left side wall 34, and a bottom 30. The front wall 31 is disposed in the direction in which the moving member 11 advances. The rear wall 32 faces the front wall 31 and is disposed in the direction in which the moving member 11 retreats. The right side wall 33 connects the right end of the front wall 31 to the right end of the rear wall 32. The left side wall 34 connects the left end of the front wall 31 to the left end of the rear wall 32. The bottom 30 forms the bottom of the box. The bottom 30 is connected to the front wall 31, the rear wall 32, the right side wall 33, and the left side wall 34. The end of the front wall portion 31 opposite the bottom surface portion 30, the end of the right side wall portion 33 opposite the bottom surface portion 30, the end of the rear wall portion 32 opposite the bottom surface portion 30, and the end of the left side wall portion 34 opposite the bottom surface portion 30 form the opening 16a.

[0039] The cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 so as to close the opening 16a of the housing 16. The method of attaching the cover member 17 to the housing 16 will be outlined below. As shown in FIG. 4A , the cover member 17 is placed in the opening 16a of the housing 16 so as to close the opening 16a. Arrow A is perpendicular to the bottom surface 30. As shown in FIG. 4B , the cover member 17 is placed on the housing 16 so that the right end 51c of the cover member 17 faces the right side wall 33, the left end 51d faces the left side wall 34, and a gap is formed between the front end 51a of the cover member 17 and the front wall 31 of the housing 16. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B , the cover member 17 is slid along arrow B relative to the housing 16. As will be described in detail later, arrow B indicates the guide direction of the cover member 17 when attaching the cover member 17 to the housing 16. This allows the cover member 17 to be attached to the housing 16 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B .

[0040] Fig. 5 is a plan view of the actuator 1. Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 5. Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Fig. 5. The housing 16 has guide portions 35, 36, a locked portion 37 (Fig. 2A), and retaining claws 38, 39 (Fig. 5A).

[0041] The guide portions 35 and 36 guide the cover member 17 along the guide direction B when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 .

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6A , the guide portion 35 is disposed on an end surface 33a of the right side wall portion 33. The end surface 33a is disposed on the side of the right side wall portion 33 opposite the bottom surface portion 30. The end surface 33a corresponds to the edge of the opening 16a. The guide portion 35 protrudes from the end surface 33a. The guide portion 35 is disposed on the end surface 33a closer to the opening 16a. The guide portion 35 is disposed over substantially the entire right side wall portion 33. The guide portion 35 is formed along a guide direction B from the front side wall portion 31 toward the rear side wall portion 32.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6A , the guide portion 36 is disposed on an end surface 34a of the left side wall portion 34. The end surface 34a is disposed on the side of the left side wall portion 34 opposite the bottom surface portion 30. The end surface 34a corresponds to the edge of the opening 16a. The guide portion 36 protrudes from the end surface 34a. As shown in FIG. 4A , the guide portion 36 is disposed in a portion of the left side wall portion 34 near the rear wall portion 32. The guide portion 36 is formed along a guide direction B from the front wall portion 31 toward the rear wall portion 32.

[0044] The locked portion 37 is locked to the cover member 17 guided in the guiding direction B. Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Fig. 5. Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in Fig. 5. Fig. 7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in Fig. 5. The locked portion 37 has a hole 41 (Fig. 7A), a hole 42 (Fig. 7C), and a protrusion 43 (Fig. 7B).

[0045] As shown in Fig. 4A, holes 41 and 42 are formed in the front wall 31. Hole 41 is located closer to the right wall 33 than hole 42. As shown in Fig. 7A, hole 41 is formed penetrating through the front wall 31 along the guide direction B. As shown in Fig. 7C, hole 42 is formed penetrating through the front wall 31 along the guide direction B. Hole 42 is located closer to the left wall 34.

[0046] As shown in Figures 2B and 7B, the protrusion 43 is disposed on the rear wall 32. Although the shape of the protrusion 43 is not limited, in this embodiment, the protrusion 43 is generally rectangular. The protrusion 43 is formed to protrude outward from the rear wall 32. The protrusion 43 protrudes from the rear wall 32 in the direction opposite to the guide direction B.

[0047] The retaining claws 38, 39 prevent the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16. As shown in FIG. 3A , the retaining claw 38 is disposed on the outside of the right side wall portion 33. The retaining claw 38 is triangular in plan view. The retaining claw 38 has an inclined surface 38a that protrudes outwardly by a length that increases in the guide direction B. The retaining claw 39 is disposed on the outside of the left side wall portion 34 as shown in FIG. 3A . The retaining claw 39 is triangular in plan view. The retaining claw 39 has an inclined surface 39a that protrudes outward by a length that increases in the guide direction B.

[0048] (Cover Member 17) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cover member 17 as viewed from the rear side. The cover member 17 has a cover main body 51, guided portions 52 and 53, a locking portion 54, retaining portions 55 and 56, and restricting protrusions 57 to 60. The cover main body 51 is generally plate-shaped. The cover main body 51 covers the opening 16a of the housing 16. The cover main body 51 has a front end 51a, a rear end 51b, a right end 51c, and a left end 51d. The front end 51a is disposed along the front wall portion 31 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The rear end 51b is disposed along the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The right end 51c is disposed along the right side wall portion 33 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16. The left end 51 d is disposed along the left side wall portion 34 of the housing 16 when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 .

[0049] The guided portions 52, 53 are guided in the guide direction B by the guide portions 35, 36 of the housing 16. The guided portion 52 is located at the right end 51c of the cover body 51. In the position shown in FIG. 6A (between D and D), the guided portion 52 has a first opposing portion 52a and a second opposing portion 52b. The first opposing portion 52a faces the guide portion 35 in the locking direction J described below. In this embodiment, the locking direction J is perpendicular to the guide direction B and perpendicular to the opening 16a. The second opposing portion 52b extends from the outer end of the first opposing portion 52a toward the housing 16. The second opposing portion 52b is located outside the guide portion 35. The second opposing portion 52b faces the guide portion 35 in the left-right direction. The first opposing portion 52 a or the second opposing portion 52 b slides on the guide portion 35 , thereby guiding the cover member 17 along the guide direction B relative to the housing 16 .

[0050] At the cross-sectional position (between CC) shown in FIG. 6B , the guided portion 53 further has a third opposing portion 52c. Here, FIG. 8 shows the cross-sectional positions between D and D and between CC. As shown in FIG. 8 , the third opposing portion 52c is formed by an inner raised portion 51P of the cover body 51. The third opposing portion 52c is discontinued at the front side in the guiding direction B, and therefore does not exist at the cross-sectional position shown in FIG. 6A . The third opposing portion 52c is disposed opposite the second opposing portion 52b. The first opposing portion 52a, the second opposing portion 52b, and the third opposing portion 52c form a groove into which the guide portion 35 fits.

[0051] As shown in Figures 6A and 8, the guided portion 53 is a groove formed on the inner surface 51s of the cover main body 51. As shown in Figure 8, the guided portion 53 is formed on the left end of the cover main body 51. The guided portion 53 is formed along the guiding direction B. As shown in Figure 6A, the guiding portion 36 fits into the guided portion 53.

[0052] The first opposing portion 52a, the second opposing portion 52b and the third opposing portion 52c slide against the guide portion 35, and the guided portion 53 slides against the guide portion 36, thereby guiding the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 along the guide direction B.

[0053] The locking portion 54 locks the locked portion 37 by guiding the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 in the guide direction B. As shown in Figure 8, the locking portion 54 has extensions 61, 62 and a claw portion 63. The extensions 61, 62 are disposed at the front end 51a of the cover body 51.

[0054] The extension portion 61 is disposed on an extension protrusion 64 that protrudes from the front end 51a of the cover main body 51 toward the housing 16. The extension portion 61 protrudes from the extension protrusion 64 in the guide direction B. The extension portion 61 is disposed closer to the right end 51c. As shown in Figures 2A and 7A, the extension portion 61 fits into the hole 41 of the housing 16. The extension portion 62 protrudes from the front end 51a of the cover main body 51 in the guide direction B. As shown in Figure 7B, the extension portion 62 fits into the hole 42 of the housing 16.

[0055] The claw portion 63 engages with the protrusion 43 of the housing 16. The claw portion 63 is disposed at the rear end 51 b of the cover body 51. The claw portion 63 is disposed on a claw projection 65 that protrudes from the rear end 51 b of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The claw portion 63 protrudes from the tip of the claw projection 65 in the guide direction B. As shown in FIG. 7B , the claw projection 65 is located outside the protrusion 43, and the claw portion 63 is disposed on the opposite side of the cover body 51 with the protrusion 43 in between.

[0056] 7A to 7C, the extensions 61 and 62 engage with the holes 41 and 42, and the claw 63 engages with the protrusion 43. In this embodiment, the engagement direction J is perpendicular to the opening 16a. The engagement direction J is a direction in which movement of the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 is restricted. The engagement direction J is perpendicular to the guiding direction B.

[0057] The retaining portions 55, 56 fit into the retaining claws 38, 39 to prevent the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16. The retaining portion 55 fits into the retaining claw 38. The retaining portion 55 extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The retaining portion 55 has a first portion 55a, a second portion 55b, and a third portion 55c. The first portion 55a extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The second portion 55b extends from the right end 51c of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. The first portion 55a and the second portion 55b are arranged with a gap between them in the guide direction B. The third portion 55c connects the tip of the first portion 55a to the tip of the second portion 55b. 5, the first portion 55a is disposed on the front wall 31 side of the retaining claw 38, and the second portion 55b is disposed on the rear wall 32 side of the retaining claw 38. The third portion 55c is disposed on the bottom surface 30 side of the retaining claw 38. In this manner, the retaining claw 38 is disposed in the space surrounded by the first portion 55a, the second portion 55b, and the third portion 55c.

[0058] The retaining portion 56 fits into the retaining claw 39. The retaining portion 56 extends from the left end 51 d of the cover body 51 toward the housing 16. Similarly, the retaining portion 56 also has a first portion 56 a, a second portion 56 b, and a third portion 56 c, and the retaining claw 39 is surrounded by the first portion 56 a, the second portion 56 b, and the third portion 56 c.

[0059] In this way, the anti-slip claw 38 is positioned in the space surrounded by the first part 55a, the second part 55b and the third part 55c, and the anti-slip claw 39 is positioned in the space surrounded by the first part 56a, the second part 56b and the third part 56c, thereby preventing the cover member 17 from coming off the housing 16.

[0060] The restricting protrusions 57 to 59 restrict movement of the gear unit 23 and rack 24 of the drive mechanism 15 in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 60 restricts movement of the locking member 13 in the locking direction J. As shown in Figure 8, the restricting protrusions 57 to 59 protrude from the inner surface 51s of the cover main body 51. Figure 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line H-H in Figure 5.

[0061] 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 9A . As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the restricting protrusions 57 and 58 are disposed opposite the rotating shaft 23a of the gear unit 23 (an example of a driving member) in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 57 faces a portion of the rotating shaft 23a closer to the front wall 31 than the first gear 23b. The restricting protrusion 58 faces a portion of the rotating shaft 23a closer to the rear wall 32 than the second gear 23c. As shown in FIG. 9B , the restricting protrusion 59 is disposed opposite the rack 24 (an example of a driving member) in the locking direction J. The restricting protrusion 60 is disposed opposite the locking member 13 in the locking direction J.

[0062] (Installation Operation) As shown in Fig. 4A , the cover member 17 is placed on the housing 16 so that the guided portions 52, 53 of the cover member 17 correspond to the guiding portions 35, 36 of the housing 16. Next, as shown in Fig. 4B , the cover member 17 is slid relative to the housing 16 so that the guided portions 52, 53 of the cover member 17 are guided in the guiding direction B by the guiding portions 35, 36 of the housing 16. As shown in the enlarged view of section S in Fig. 10 , the extension portion 61 is inserted into the hole 41 of the housing 16, and as shown in the enlarged view of section T, the extension portion 62 is inserted into the hole 42 of the housing 16. Here, the front end 51 a of the cover member 17 abuts against the inner surface of the front wall portion 31 (an example of a restricting wall portion) of the housing 16, thereby restricting the sliding of the cover member 17 in the guiding direction B. When the front end 51a of the cover member 17 abuts against the front wall portion 31, the extension portion 61 is inserted into the hole portion 41, and the extension portion 62 is inserted into the hole portion 42, resulting in an engaged state.

[0063] Furthermore, as the cover member 17 slides relative to the housing 16 in the guide direction B, the claw portion 63 is positioned on the bottom surface portion 30 side of the protrusion 43 .

[0064] Furthermore, as the retaining portion 55 climbs over the inclined surface 38a of the retaining claw 38, the retaining claw 38 engages with the retaining portion 55, and as the retaining portion 56 climbs over the inclined surface 39a of the retaining claw 39, the retaining claw 38 engages with the retaining portion 55.

[0065] As described above, the cover member 17 can be attached to the housing 16 simply by sliding it.

[0066] (Features, etc.) In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, the guide direction B when attaching the cover member 17 to the housing 16 and the locking direction J when the cover member 17 is attached to the housing 16 are not parallel to each other, which eliminates the need to provide a gap between the cover member 17 and the housing 16 and reduces rattling, compared to conventional cases where the attachment direction and locking direction are parallel. Also, the cover member 17 and the housing 16 are locked together by moving the cover member 17 along the guide portions 35, 36, so the cover member 17 can be easily attached to the housing 16.

[0067] The locking direction J is not parallel to the guiding direction B means that when the locking direction J is projected onto a plane including the guiding direction B, the projected locking direction intersects with the guiding direction B. When the locking direction J is parallel to the guiding direction B, when the locking direction J is projected onto a plane including the guiding direction B, the projected locking direction does not intersect with or coincides with the guiding direction B.

[0068] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, by guiding the cover member 17 relative to the housing 16 along the guide portions 35, 36, the extensions 61, 62 are inserted into the holes 41, 42, the claw portion 63 engages the protrusion 43, and the cover member 17 engages the housing 16. This makes it easy to attach the cover member 17 to the housing 16.

[0069] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, when the movement of the cover member 17 is restricted by the front wall portion 31, the cover member 17 is in a state of being locked to the housing 16, and therefore, the actuator 1 can be easily attached.

[0070] In the actuator 1 of this embodiment, the restricting projections 57 to 59 can suppress the gear unit 23 or the rack 24 from floating up, and can prevent a decrease in durability due to floating up.

[0071] (Other Embodiments) Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0072] (A) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the forward / backward direction of the movable member 11 is parallel to the guide direction B, but this is not limited to this. For example, the movable member 11 may be arranged on the right side wall portion 33 of the housing 16 so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

[0073] (B) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the cover member 17 is provided with extensions 61, 62, and the housing 16 is provided with holes 41, 42, but this is not limited to this. Alternatively, the cover member 17 may be provided with holes, and the front wall portion 31 of the housing 16 may be provided with extensions extending inward.

[0074] (C) In the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, the claw portion 63 of the cover member 17 engages with the protrusion 43 of the housing 16, but this configuration is not limited to this. A hole may be formed in the rear wall portion 32 of the housing 16, a protrusion may be formed on the cover member 17, and the protrusion may fit into the hole.

[0075] (D) In ​​the actuator 1 of the above embodiment, two guiding portions 35, 36 are provided, but only one of them may be provided. In this case, only one corresponding guided portion 52, 53 may be provided.

[0076] The actuator of the present invention has the effect of making it easy to attach the cover member to the housing and reducing the gap between the cover member and the housing, and is useful as a lid opening and closing device for a fuel lid or the like.

[0077] 1: Actuator 11: Moving member 16: Housing 16a: Opening 17: Cover member 35: Guide portion 36: Guide portion 37: Locked portion 52: Guided portion 53: Guided portion 54: Locking portion

Claims

1. An actuator comprising: a movable member; a housing having an opening and movably supporting the movable member; and a cover member arranged to cover the opening, wherein the housing has an edge portion forming the opening, a guiding portion arranged on the edge portion and guiding the cover member in a guiding direction, and an engaged portion engaged with the cover member guided in the guiding direction, wherein the cover member has a guided portion guided in the guiding direction by the guiding portion, and a engaging portion that engages the engaged portion by guiding in the guiding direction, wherein the engaging portion engages the engaged portion, thereby restricting movement of the cover member relative to the housing in the engaging direction, and the engaging direction and the guiding direction are not parallel to each other.

2. An actuator as described in claim 1, wherein the engaged portion has a hole portion formed along the guiding direction and a convex portion protruding in a direction opposite to the guiding direction in which the guided portion is guided towards the engaging portion, and the engaging portion has an extension portion extending in the guiding direction and inserted into the hole portion, and a claw portion arranged on the opposite side of the engaging direction of the convex portion.

3. An actuator as described in claim 1, wherein the housing further has a regulating wall portion that regulates the guiding of the cover member in the guiding direction, and the engaging portion engages the engaged portion at a position where the movement of the cover member in the guiding direction is regulated by the regulating wall portion of the housing.

4. The actuator as described in claim 1, wherein the movable member moves relative to the housing in conjunction with opening and closing of a lid, the actuator is a lid actuator, and further comprises a drive mechanism housed in the housing and locking the movable member, the drive mechanism having a drive unit and a drive member driven by the drive unit, and the cover member has a regulating protrusion that regulates movement of the drive member in the engagement direction.

5. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the locking direction is perpendicular to the guiding direction.

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