Latch device

Abstract

Even if a striker is likely to be removed in a locked state of an engaging part, an abutting part abuts on the inner-side corresponding part of the case, therefore making it possible to increase holding force applied to the striker, and accordingly, the striker can be made compact.　Provided is a latch device in which a striker 7 is locked and unlocked through an operation for pushing the striker into a case 1 of the latch device, the latch device being configured from a latch body 2 having a sliding part 20 that is disposed in the case 1 and an engaging part 26 that is connected to the sliding part and is capable of sandwiching the striker between the engaging part 26 and the inner surface of the case within the case 1, a biasing member 4 for biasing the latch body in a direction projecting from the case 1, and a guide lever 5 that moves along a cam groove 3 provided to the sliding part 20 and is capable of engaging with the engaging part 26 in a locked state within the case, the engaging part 26 having an abutting part 6 that is projected at a location facing the inner surface of the case in the locked state, and the abutting part 6 abutting on the facing surface of the case in a process for switching from an unlocked state to the locked state.

Description

Latching Device

[0001] The present invention relates to a push-type latch device that is used when detachably fastening a movable body such as a lid to a main body such as a base, and that fastens a striker on the movable body with an initial push and releases the striker with a subsequent push.

[0002] 11A to 11C show a push-type latch device disclosed in Patent Document 1. This latch device is configured with five components: a case (housing) 1, a sliding body 2 slidably disposed within the case 1, an engaging body 3 pivotally connected to the sliding body 2 by fitting a shaft portion 35 into a shaft hole 24a, a spring member 4 that biases the sliding body 2 toward the front of the case 1, and a pin member 5 that traces along a pair of cam grooves 27 provided in the sliding body 2. The basic operation is as follows: the sliding body 2 is pressed by the door-side striker 9, and the engaging body 3 moves in the left direction of the arrow in Fig. 11A against the biasing force of the spring member 4 to reach an overstroke state. After the pressing force is released, the engaging body 3 moves in the right direction of the arrow due to the biasing force of the spring member 4, and is locked in a locked state by the engagement of the engaging groove of the cam groove 27 with the tip 5c of the pin member. In addition, in the unlocking operation, the sliding body 2 is pushed by the striker 9 and moves slightly in the left direction of the arrow in FIG. 11A against the biasing force of the spring member 4, resulting in an overstroke state. When the pushing force is released, the engaging body 3 moves in the right direction of the arrow due to the biasing force of the spring member 4, and the pin member 5 is disengaged from the locking groove of the cam groove 27. Thereafter, the striker 7 can move freely in the right direction.

[0003] In this structure, the engaging body 3 has the claw portion 32 and the protruding portion 33 for the pivotal support portion, which maintains a predetermined gap between the engaging body 3 and the claw portion and protrudes in the same direction as the claw portion, and is rotatably supported by the sliding body 2, and further has the abutting portion 22 disposed between the claw portion 32 and the protruding portion 33 in a state in which the sliding body 2 supports the engaging body 3. Therefore, by fitting the engaging body 3 inside the sliding body 2 and supporting the engaging body 3 on the sliding body 2, the width or thickness of the sliding body 2 with the engaging body 3 attached thereto, and hence the thickness of the case 1, can be reduced, and the pivotal portion of the engaging body 3 is disposed behind the abutting portion 22, which enables compactification due to the shape of the engaging body 3 and the like (see paragraph 0009 of Patent Document 1).

[0004] 12A to 12C show a push-type latch device disclosed in Patent Document 2. This latch device locks and unlocks a striker S by pushing the striker S into a case (housing) 12. The latch device has a four-part configuration including the case 12, a latch body 15 that is movable within the case 12 between an unlocked position and a fully pushed-in position, a biasing spring 13 that biases the latch body 15 toward the unlocked position, and a guide lever 14 that slides along a cam groove 35c formed in the latch body 15 and locks the latch body 15 at a locked position between the unlocked position and the fully pushed-in position. In other words, this structure has an enlarged portion 25 formed on the entrance / exit side of the case 12, and the latch body 15 forms a pair of clamping pieces 30 connected via a hinge portion 32, and the latch body 15 forms the cam groove 35c. In operation, even if a pair of clamping pieces 30 of the latch body 15 are spread apart on both sides and a striker S is forcibly inserted into the latch body 15 while the clamping pieces 30 are locked, a so-called forced insertion operation, is performed, each clamping piece 30 can spread apart within the expansion section 25 to accept the striker S, thereby preventing deformation or damage to the latch body 15 or case 12, which is likely to occur when a striker S is forcibly inserted, and deformation or damage due to unintended force being applied to the latch body 15 (see paragraph 0009 of Patent Document 2).

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 5171547 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-194446

[0006] The latch device of Patent Document 2 has fewer components than Patent Document 1 and is easier to assemble, but the case looks unattractive due to the presence of an expanded portion on the front, and when in the unlocked state, the pair of clamping pieces protrude significantly to the left and right on the front side, creating problems with appearance and compactness.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a latch device that maintains a four-point configuration, reduces costs, has a good appearance, and is easy to make compact or miniaturized. Other objects will become clear in the following description.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a latch device in which a striker is locked and unlocked by pushing the striker into a case of the latch device, and the latch device comprises a sliding portion arranged on the case and a latch body having an engaging portion connected to the sliding portion and capable of restraining or clamping the striker between the case and the inner surface of the case within the case, a biasing member that biases the latch body in a direction that causes it to protrude from the case, and a guide lever that moves along a cam groove provided in the sliding portion to engage the engaging portion in a locked state within the case, and further characterized in that the engaging portion has an abutting portion that protrudes from a location that faces the inner surface of the case in the locked state, and the abutting portion abuts against the opposing surface of the case during the process of switching from the unlocked state to the locked state.

[0009] The present invention described above is more preferably configured as follows: (A) The abutting portion is provided on both ends of the upper surface of the engaging portion when the engaging portion is in the locked state. According to this aspect, the abutting portion abuts near the corners on the inside of the case, i.e., at a location where deformation of the case is unlikely to occur, making it easier to prevent deformation of the case, thereby making it possible to stably maintain the holding force of the striker in the locked state. (B) The engaging portion is connected to the sliding portion via a hinge portion so as to be able to swing up and down in the cam groove. According to this aspect, compared to Patent Document 2, the engaging portion and sliding portion are integrally molded, which improves installation and assembly procedures and makes it easier to reduce weight and costs.

[0010] (c) In the unlocked state, the engaging portion is pressed against the edge of the opening of the case by the reaction force of the hinge portion. According to this aspect, rattle of the engaging portion in the unlocked state can be suppressed, thereby improving quality. (d) The hinge and abutment portion are located above the thickness of the latch body when the engaging portion is locked, and the engaging portion is located diagonally upward outside the case via the hinge portion in the unlocked state, and is inserted into the case and positioned approximately horizontally in the locked state. According to this aspect, the appearance is better and more compact than, for example, a configuration in which a pair of engaging portions expands in diameter to both sides of the case via the hinge portion, as in Patent Document 1.

[0011] In this invention, even if you try to remove the striker when the engagement part is locked, the abutment part abuts against the corresponding surface on the inside of the case, so the holding force on the striker is strong and the device can be made more compact. In other words, with this structure, by lowering the engagement position of the engagement part when the engagement part is locked using the abutment part, the amount of contact with the striker is increased, making it easy to reliably improve the engagement force and holding force. Another advantage is that by providing the abutment part at the abutment position on the inside of the case, the abutment surface is made clear, making it easy to adjust the engagement force or holding force on the striker simply by changing the height and width of the abutment part.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an external view of a latch device according to an embodiment, showing an engagement portion in an unlocked state. FIGS. 2A and 2B are top and side views showing the latch device in an unlocked and locked state, respectively. FIGS. 3A and 3B are front and rear views showing the latch device in an unlocked state. FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2A, showing the latch device together with a striker in an unlocked state. FIGS. 4B and 4A are cross-sectional views taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4A. FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views taken along the line B1-B1 in FIG. 5A. FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views taken along the line A1-A1 in FIG. 2A, showing the latch device together with a striker in a locked state. FIGS. 6B and 6A are cross-sectional views taken along the line B2-B2 in FIG. 6A. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view showing the latch device in the overstroke state with the striker pushed in the direction of the arrow in the locked state of Figure 6A, and Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B3-B3 in Figure 7A. Figure 8A is an enlarged external view of the case alone as seen from the front, and Figure 8B is an enlarged external view of the latch body alone as seen from the rear. Figures 9A to 9C show the case alone, with Figure 9A being an enlarged side view with a partial cutaway, Figure 9B being a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 9A, and Figure 9C being a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Figure 9A. Figures 10A to 10D show the latch body alone, with Figure 10A being an enlarged top view, Figure 10B being an enlarged bottom view, Figure 10C being a side view taken along line F-F in Figure 10A, and Figure 10D being a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in Figure 10A. 11A to 11C are explanatory diagrams showing the latch device of Patent Document 1 in a locked state, an unlocked state, and a state where the striker has been forcibly removed, respectively. Figures 12A to 12C are explanatory diagrams showing the latch device of Patent Document 2 in a locked state, an unlocked state, and a state where the striker has been forcibly removed, respectively.

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 3B show the structure of a latch device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figures 4A to 7B show the operation of the latch device, and Figures 8A to 10D show details of the components of the latch device. Note that the details are schematic and simplified in the drawings due to drawing constraints. In the following description, the structure and assembly procedure of the latch device will be clarified, and then the characteristics of the operation of the latch device will be described in detail.

[0014] (Device Structure) The latch device of the illustrated embodiment is a push-type latch device used when detachably locking a movable body 9 such as a lid to a main body 8 such as a base, and locks a striker 7 provided on the movable body 9 with an initial push, and unlocks with a subsequent push. The latch device is composed of four parts: a flat, container-shaped case 1; a latch main body 2 having an engaging portion 26 connected to a sliding portion 20 via a hinge portion 25 and slidably disposed on the case 1; a biasing member 4 that biases the latch main body 2 in a direction that protrudes from the case 1; and a guide lever 5 that traces along a cam groove 3 provided in the sliding portion 20 to lock the engaging portion 26 within the case 1.

[0015] The main body 8 is a box-shaped base body and has a frame-shaped mounting portion 8a to which the latch device is attached. The movable body 9 has a striker 7 that engages and disengages with the latch device. As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the striker 7 is made up of a base portion 7a integrated with the movable body 9 and a concave recess portion 7c formed between the base portion 7a and a tip portion 7b.

[0016] The main ingenious features are that the engaging portion 26 has a contact portion 6 protruding from a location facing the inner surface of the case 1 when in the locked state, and that the contact portion 6 contacts the opposing inner surface of the case 1 when the state is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, that the engaging portion 26 is connected via the hinge portion 25 to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 in the thickness direction, and that the contact portion 6 is pressed against the opening edge of the case 1 by the reaction force of the hinge portion 25 when in the unlocked state. Other features include that the hinge portion 25 and the contact portion 6 are located on the upper side of the latch body 2 in the thickness direction, are inserted into the case 1 and positioned approximately horizontally when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state, and are positioned outside the case 1 via the hinge portion 25 and positioned obliquely upward when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state.

[0017] 4A and 4B, when the movable body 9 is pressed toward the closed position toward the main body 8, the latch device engages the movable body 9 via the striker 7, and when the movable body 9 is further pushed in the same direction to release the pushing force, the latch device is released from the engagement with the striker 7. Of course, the latch device may be used in a configuration in which the latch device is attached to the movable body 9 and the striker 7 is attached to the main body 8. Furthermore, although the case 1 and latch main body 2 are molded from resin, materials other than resin may also be used.

[0018] 1, 8A and 8B, and 9A to 9C, the case 1 has an interior 16 that is defined by upper and lower walls 10 and 11, both side walls 12, and a rear bottom wall 13, forming a generally rectangular cylindrical shape that is open at the front. The upper wall 10 is provided with a guide groove 10a that penetrates the interior 16 and guides the forward and backward movement of the latch body 2, a recessed recess 10b that is inclined in the width direction on the inside of the opening edge, and a guide recess 10c that extends from a portion of the recess 10b through the guide groove 10a to the bottom wall 13. The lower wall 11 is provided with a recess 11a that can receive the tip end 7b of the striker when the engaging portion 26 is engaged with the striker 7, and a guide recess 11b that extends from a portion of the recess 11a in the same direction as the guide groove 10a to the bottom wall 13, facing the guide groove 10a, as shown in FIGS. Both side walls 12 are provided with outer surfaces 15 having tapered edges 15a formed by bulging out both sides of the entrance / exit side frame and cutting out the lower corners, and elastic locking claws 17 for attachment which are separated by a U-shaped slit 12a and have their tips protruding outward.

[0019] The bottom wall 13 has upper and lower insertion holes 13a penetrating the interior and exterior, elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c (see FIG. 3B ) partitioned by notches that pivotally grip the guide lever 5 between them, a support shaft 18 protruding from the interior surface and supporting the biasing member 4, and a pair of restricting projections 19 (see FIGS. 4B and 5B ) that restrict unintended rattle of the sliding portion 20 when the engaging portion 26, described below, is locked. The insertion hole 13a has a hole width larger than the wire diameter of the guide lever 5, allowing the approximately U-shaped guide lever 5 to be inserted into the case 1. The elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c are arranged opposite each other with a gap between them, allowing the middle portion 5a of the guide lever 5 to be held with a predetermined clamping force. The support shaft 18 protrudes to the left when viewed from the front. 5B, when the engaging portion 26 of the latch body is in the locked state, the rear corner portion of the sliding portion 20, denoted by reference numeral 22, is inserted between the restricting protrusions 19. This allows the latch body 2 to be stably positioned within the case 1 without rattle when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state.

[0020] 9A, the guide lever 5 is pivotally supported by the elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c, and the biasing member 4 is held by the support shaft 18. This biasing member 4 is a coil spring as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, and its lower part is inserted into the support shaft 18 and its upper part is engaged with a protruding piece 37b of the engaging body 26 through a through-hole 24 of the sliding body 2, which will be described later. The guide lever 5 is substantially U-shaped as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 9A, and is composed of an intermediate part 5a swingably supported by the elastic clamping pieces 13b, 13c of the case bottom wall 13, arm parts 5b bent from the upper and lower ends of the intermediate part 5a, and tracing end parts 5c bent inward from the tip end of each arm part 5b.

[0021] In contrast, the latch body 2 is an injection-molded body of a size that fits almost entirely within the case 1, and as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, 8B, and 10A to 10D, has a sliding part 20 that is placed in the case 1 and an engaging part 26 that is connected to the front of the sliding part 20 via a hinge part 25 and can restrain or clamp the striker 7 between itself and the inner surface of the case 1.

[0022] The sliding portion 20 comprises a block portion 21 provided on one side in the width direction or left / right direction and a cam groove forming plate portion 22 provided on the other side. The block portion 21 has ribs 23 extending in the front-to-rear direction on the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, and a through-hole 24 penetrating the block portion 21 from front to back. The upper and lower ribs 23 slidably fit into the guide recesses 10c and 11b on the case 1 side. The front side of the upper rib 23 has a protrusion 23a that fits into the case guide groove 10a. When the sliding portion 20 is moved in the direction of coming out of the case 1 by the biasing force of the biasing member 4 as shown in FIG. 4A , the protrusion 23a abuts against one end surface of the guide groove 10a, preventing the sliding portion 20 from coming out. The through-hole 24 allows the support shaft 18 to move in and out while supporting the biasing member 4.

[0023] Meanwhile, heart-shaped cam grooves 3 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of plate portion 22. Each cam groove 3 has substantially the same shape as shown in Figures 10A and 10B, is provided around convex cam island 30, and has a guide groove 3a extending from the rear to the lower front, a locking guide groove 3b and a release guide groove 3d located in front of guide groove 3a and separated into upper and lower grooves, a concave locking groove 3c located on the rear between guide grooves 3b and 3d, and a return groove 3e extending rearward from guide groove 3d.

[0024] The engaging portion 26 is connected to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 in the thickness direction by a thin hinge portion 25. The engaging portion 26 can be switched between an unlocked state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B in which it is exposed from the case 1 and a locked state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B in which it is substantially retracted within the case 1. That is, the engaging portion 26 is generally U-shaped and comprises a rear portion 27 aligned in front of the sliding portion 20 in the locked state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a tip portion 29, and an upper portion 28 connecting the rear portion 27 and the tip portion 29. The rear portion 27 has two recesses 27a and a protrusion 27b on its underside, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C. The protrusion 27b is biased forward by the biasing member 4 when the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Therefore, the engaging portion 26 tilts obliquely upward with the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, as shown in the figures. The tip portion 29 is bent at approximately 90 degrees relative to the upper portion 28. The hinge portion 25 connects the upper rear side of the upper portion 28 and the upper front side of the sliding portion 20.

[0025] 10C , in the as-molded state of the latch body 2, the rear portion 27 is disposed horizontally on the lower side, the upper portion 28 and the contact portions 6 on both sides are disposed vertically, and the tip portion 29 is disposed directly above the rear portion 27. The latch body 2 is assembled to the case 1 with the protrusion 23a fitted into the guide groove 10a so as to be movable a predetermined distance in the front-to-rear direction. When the engaging portion 26 is in the unlocked state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , the engaging portion 26 is pressed forward by the biasing member 4, so that the upper portion 28 and the contact portions 6 on both sides are tilted obliquely upward with the upper hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, and each contact portion 6 abuts against the inner surface of the case top wall 10. When the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , the engaging portion 26 is inserted substantially horizontally into the case 1 against the biasing force of the biasing member 4, and each contact portion 6 faces the inner surface of the top wall 10. The front side of each contact portion 6 is formed into a taper 6a toward the tip portion 29 of the engagement portion 26 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4A.

[0026] (Assembly) The latch body 2 described above is assembled into the case 1 together with the biasing member 4 and guide lever 5. In this assembly, for example, the biasing member 4 is first supported on the support shaft 18, and the guide lever 5 is inserted into the case 1 through the insertion hole 13a in the bottom wall 13 as described above. The middle portion 5a is clamped or gripped by the clamping pieces 13b and 13c, and is held swingably. From this state, the latch body 2 is pushed into the case 1 so that the upper and lower ribs 23 fit into the guide recesses 10c and 11b in the upper and lower walls 10 and 11, and the upper convex portion 23a of the sliding portion 20 fits into the case-side guide groove 10a. Then, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the tip of the biasing member 4 abuts against the protruding piece 27b of the sliding portion 20 through the through hole 24, causing the latch body 2 to move toward the front of the case 1, as shown in the figures, and the engaging portion 26 enters the unlocked state. Each end 5c of the guide lever 5 is located behind the guide groove 3a of the cam groove 3.

[0027] (Operation) In use, the above latch device is positioned and attached to the main body 8 or the main body-side attachment portion 8a in correspondence with the striker 7 attached to a movable body 9 such as a door, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B. In the attached state, the latch device is normally configured such that the latch main body 2 is moved in the protruding direction by the biasing member 4 (this movement is restricted by the protrusion 23a contacting the front end surface of the guide groove 10a), and the engaging body 26 has its tip portion 29 protruding outward from the inside of the case 1 and tilting obliquely upward with the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, as shown in Figures 4A and 4B. This state is the unlocked state of the engaging portion 26.

[0028] (1) When the movable body 9 is pushed in the direction of the left arrow in Fig. 4A, which is the closing direction, the latch body 2 is moved by the striker 7 in a direction retracting into the case 1 against the biasing force of the biasing member 4, resulting in the overstroke state shown in Figs. 5A and 5B. In this state, the tip 7b of the striker 7 abuts the rear portion 27 of the engagement portion and is separated from the tip portion 29 of the engagement portion. During this movement, the abutment portion 6 contacts the upper inner surface of the case, while the engagement portion 26 rotates downward about the hinge portion 25 as a fulcrum, i.e., toward the locked state. Then, due to the rearward movement of the latch body 2, each end 5c of the guide lever shown in Fig. 4B enters the locking guide groove 3b from the guide groove 3a, as shown in Fig. 5B, resulting in the overstroke state. 6A and 6B, the latch body 2 is moved slightly to the right by the biasing force of the biasing member 4, and as a result, each end 5c of the guide lever enters and locks into the locking groove 3b from the guide groove 3b as shown in Fig. 6B. This locking causes the movable body 9 to enter a locked state in which it is held in the closed state.

[0029] 4A and 4B, the movable body 9 is pressed slightly in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6A, and then the pressing force is released. Then, each end 5c of the guide lever returns from the locking groove 3c as shown in Fig. 6B to the groove entrance via the release guide groove 3d and return groove 3e as shown in Fig. 7B and 4B, and at the same time, the engaging portion 26 is switched back to its initial unlocked state. This latch device is similar to the conventional latch device in the normal operation described above, but has the following improvements.

[0030] 6A and 6B , even if an attempt is made to forcibly separate the movable body 9 from the main body 8 or forcibly remove the striker 7 from the engagement portion 26 of the latch device, the abutment portion 6 abuts against the corresponding inner surface of the case 1, thereby strengthening the holding force on the striker 7 and facilitating compactness. In other words, in this latch device, when the engagement portion 26 is in the locked state, the engagement position of the engagement portion 26 is lowered by the abutment portion 6, thereby increasing the amount of contact with the striker 7 and reliably maintaining or improving the engagement force and holding force. Another advantage is that the engagement portion 26 has the abutment portion 6 at a position where it abuts against the inner surface of the case, making the abutment surface clear and making it easy to adjust the engagement force or holding force on the striker 7 to the required value simply by changing the height and width of the abutment portion 6.

[0031] (3) Furthermore, in this latch device, when the engaging portion 26 is in the locked state, the abutment portions 6 are provided on the upper surface of the engaging portion 26—specifically, on both sides of the upper portion 28 of the engaging portion 26 that connects the rear portion 27 and the tip portion 29—and are configured to abut near the inner corners of the top wall 10 of the case 1, i.e., at locations where deformation of the case 1 is unlikely to occur. This makes it easier to prevent deformation of the case 1, thereby stably maintaining the holding force of the striker 7 in the locked state. In other words, this structure allows the abutment portions 6 to abut near the corners of the case 1, thereby moving the load-bearing area away from the center of the case width and distributing the load to the outer periphery or near the corners of the case, which are more rigid. As a result, deformation of the case 1 is suppressed without increasing the thickness of the case 1, thereby improving the holding force in the locked state. In this regard, for example, if the thickness of the case 1 is increased and the length and width dimensions of the case 1 are reduced to about 10 mm, a die taper is required in the die structure, which deteriorates moldability, but this problem can be solved.

[0032] (4) In addition, in this latch device, the engaging portion 26 is connected to the upper side of the sliding portion 20 via the hinge portion 25 so that it can swing relative to the sliding portion 20 in the normal direction of the cam groove 3 or in the vertical direction of the groove. Therefore, compared to Patent Document 2, the engaging portion and the sliding portion can be molded as a single unit, which improves the installation work and assembly procedure, and makes it easier to reduce weight and costs.

[0033] (5) Furthermore, in this latch device, in the unlocked state, the engaging portion 26 is pressed against the edge of the opening of the case 1 by the reaction force of the hinge portion 25 (this reaction force is a force that always tries to return the hinge portion 25, which connects the sliding portion 20 and the engaging portion 26, to the molded position as shown in Figures 4A and 4B or 6A and 6B, as the hinge portion 25 is assembled into the case 1 with elastic deformation of the hinge portion 25), so that rattle of the engaging portion 26 in the unlocked state can be suppressed, thereby improving quality.

[0034] (6) Furthermore, in this latch device, the hinge portion 25 and the abutment portion 6 are positioned on the upper side in the thickness direction of the latch body 2 in the locked state shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the engaging portion 26 is positioned diagonally upward outside the case in the unlocked state, and the engaging portion 26 is positioned approximately horizontally inside the case 1 in the locked state. As a result, the latch device has a more attractive appearance and can be made more compact than a configuration in which a pair of clamping pieces expand in diameter via the hinge portion to both sides of the case, as in Patent Document 2, for example.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may be modified in various ways as needed as long as the requirements specified in the claims are met. As an example, a guide groove may be provided on the bottom wall of the case, and a claw that fits into the guide groove may be provided on the underside of the sliding body. Also, although the example in which the striker is formed integrally with the movable body has been shown, it may also be configured to be attached to the movable body later.

[0036] 1...Case (10a is guide groove, 16 is interior, 17 is locking claw, 18 is support shaft) 2...Latch body (20 is sliding portion, 25 is hinge portion, 26 is engagement portion) 3...Cam groove (3c is locking groove, 35 is heart-shaped island) 4...Using member 5...Guide lever (5a is middle portion, 5c is end portion) 6...Abutment portion (6a is tapered portion) 7...Striker (7a is enlarged diameter portion, 7b is base end portion) 8...Main body (box-shaped base, 8a is mounting portion for latch device) 9...Movable body (door) The entire contents of the specification, claims, drawings and abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-124113, filed on July 31, 2024, are hereby incorporated by reference as the disclosure of the specification of the present invention.

Claims

1. A latch device in which a striker is locked and unlocked by pushing the striker into a case of the latch device, comprising: a latch body having a sliding part arranged on the case and an engaging part connected to the sliding part so as to restrain or clamp the striker between the case and the inner surface of the case within the case; a biasing member which biases the latch body in a direction in which it protrudes from the case; and a guide lever which moves along a cam groove provided on the sliding part and can engage the engaging part in a locked state within the case, wherein the engaging part has an abutting part which protrudes from a location which faces the inner surface of the case in the locked state, and wherein the abutting part abuts against the opposing surface of the case in the process of switching from the unlocked state to the locked state.

2. A latch device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment portions are provided on both ends of the upper surface of the engaging portion when the engaging portion is in a locked state.

3. A latch device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the engaging portion is connected to the sliding portion via a hinge portion so as to be swingable relative to the sliding portion along the normal to the cam groove or in the vertical direction of the groove.

4. The latch device according to claim 3, wherein the engaging portion is pressed against the edge of the opening of the case by the reaction force of the hinge portion in the unlocked state.

5. A latch device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the hinge portion and abutment portion are positioned above the thickness of the latch body when the engagement portion is in the locked state, and the engagement portion is positioned diagonally upward outside the case via the hinge portion when in the unlocked state, and is positioned approximately horizontally so as to be inserted into the case when in the locked state.

Images