Lid opening / closing device

Abstract

Provided is a lid opening / closing device having a simplified structure compared with conventional devices.　A lid opening / closing device (100A) comprises: a base (1) having an opening (1c); a lid (2) that rotates about a central axis (O) between a closed position and an open position, the lid (2) having a shaft part (5a) that rotates with respect to the base (1); and a drive mechanism (3A) for causing the shaft part (5a) to rotate using driving force from a drive source. The drive mechanism (3A) is provided with a drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) and a driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A). One of the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) and the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) has a first engagement part (20f). The other of the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) and the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) is provided with: a second engagement part (21c) that is movable between an advanced position at which the second engagement part (21c) engages with the first engagement part (20f) and a retracted position at which the second engagement part (21c) does not engage with the first engagement part (20f), and transmits driving force from the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) to the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) at the advanced position; and an elastic body (22) that biases the second engagement part (21c) from the retracted position toward the advanced position.

Description

Lid opening / closing device

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

[0002] For example, regarding a lid for closing an opening of a vehicle recess provided with a fuel filler port or a power supply port, a lid opening / closing device for opening and closing this lid is known. As such a lid opening / closing device, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that moves a lid in an opening direction or a closing direction using a slider that converts the rotational motion of a motor into a linear motion. Patent Document 2 also discloses a device that operates a lid in an opening direction or a closing direction using a moving body that moves linearly by the rotation of a motor. Further, the device of Patent Document 2 also includes a switch that detects that the moving body has reached a predetermined position in order to detect that the lid has moved to an open position or a closed position.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7357022 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-62485

[0004] As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, conventional lid opening / closing devices operate a lid in an opening direction or a closing direction using the driving force of a motor. However, in such a device, in the case where a situation that hinders the opening and closing of the lid occurs (an object touches the lid being opened, an object is sandwiched between the lid being closed and the vehicle, the periphery of the lid freezes, etc.), in order to prevent the lid or the like from being damaged, when an overload acts on the motor, measures such as providing a protection circuit that automatically stops the driving of the motor or a control circuit that rotates the motor in the reverse direction are required. Further, a configuration for reliably returning the automatically stopped motor is also necessary. In addition, a switch as shown in Patent Document 2 is also required to detect that the lid has moved to an open position or a closed position. Thus, conventional lid opening / closing devices have the problem that the structure becomes complicated because they require various configurations necessary when considering the actual usage situation.

[0005] In view of such points, an object of the present invention is to provide a lid opening / closing device having a simpler structure than conventional ones.

[0006] The lid opening and closing device according to the present invention comprises a base having an opening; a lid having a shaft portion that rotates relative to the base and rotating about the central axis of the shaft portion between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening; and a drive mechanism having a drive source that rotates the shaft portion by a driving force from the drive source, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism connected to the drive source and a driven-side transmission mechanism connected to the shaft portion, wherein either the drive-side transmission mechanism or the driven-side transmission mechanism has a first engagement portion, and the other of the drive-side transmission mechanism or the driven-side transmission mechanism has a second engagement portion that is movable between a forward position that engages with the first engagement portion and a retracted position that does not engage with the first engagement portion and transmits a driving force from the drive-side transmission mechanism to the driven-side transmission mechanism in the forward position, and an elastic body that biases the second engagement portion from the retracted position toward the forward position.

[0007] In the lid opening and closing device according to the present invention, the second engaging portion is an elastic body and is biased from the retracted position to the forward position. As the second engaging portion moves forward and engages with the first engaging portion, the driving force from the driving-side transmission mechanism can be transmitted to the driven-side transmission mechanism. On the other hand, if an external force acts on the lid and hinders its opening and closing, the second engaging portion retracts and disengages from the first engaging portion. Therefore, even if a situation arises that hinders the opening and closing of the lid, it will not cause damage to the lid or other parts. Consequently, conventional protective circuits and the like become unnecessary, and the structure becomes simpler.

[0008] This is a perspective view of the lid opening and closing device of the first embodiment embodying the present invention, with the lid body moved to the closed position. This is a perspective view of the lid opening and closing device shown in Figure 1, with the lid body moved to the open position. This is a diagram showing the lid body and shaft that constitute the lid. This is a perspective view of the drive mechanism in the lid opening and closing device shown in Figure 1. This is a diagram showing the drive mechanism shown in Figure 4A with the cover omitted. This is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism shown in Figure 4A. This is a diagram showing the area around the head part shown in Figure 4A. This is a cross-sectional view along A-A shown in Figure 6A. This is a diagram showing the lid opening and closing device shown in Figure 1, with the lid body moved to the closed position, from a viewpoint facing the drive mechanism. This is a partially enlarged view of Figure 7A. This is a diagram showing the lid opening and closing device shown in Figure 1, with the lid body moved to the open position, from a viewpoint facing the drive mechanism. This is a partially enlarged view of Figure 8A. This is a diagram showing the lid opening and closing device shown in Figure 1, with an external force applied to the lid body, causing it to remain stopped in the closed position when the operation to move the lid body from the closed position to the open position is performed. This is a partially enlarged view of Figure 9A. Figure 10A is a partial enlargement view of Figure 10A. The first part is a perspective view of the drive mechanism in the lid opening / closing device of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the drive mechanism when the lid body has moved to the closed position. The second part is a diagram showing the drive mechanism in the lid body has moved to the closed position. The third part is a diagram showing the drive mechanism in the lid opening / closing device of the second embodiment of the present invention, with the cover omitted. The fourth part is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism in the lid opening / closing device of the second embodiment of the present invention, showing the positional relationship between the first engaging part and the second engaging part of the drive output second rotating body and slide head shown in Figure 12. The fifth part is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the first engaging part and the second engaging part when the drive output second rotating body has rotated 90° around its central axis. The fifth part is a perspective view of the drive mechanism in the lid body has moved to the closed position of the lid opening / closing device of the third embodiment of the present invention, showing the drive mechanism in the lid body has moved to the closed position. The fifth part is a diagram showing the drive mechanism in the lid opening / closing device of the third embodiment of the present invention, with the cover omitted. The fifth part is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism in the lid opening / closing device of Figure 15A. Figure 15B shows the first engagement portion of the first rotating drive output body and the second engagement portion of the sliding member. Figure 17A shows a modified example of the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion.This figure shows another modified example of the first and second engaging parts shown in Figure 17A. This is a perspective view showing the drive mechanism of a lid opening and closing device of a fourth embodiment embodying the present invention, with the lid body moved to the closed position. This is a diagram showing the drive mechanism shown in Figure 18A with the cover omitted. This is a diagram showing the drive mechanism shown in Figure 18A with the cover omitted (a different viewpoint from Figure 18B). This is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism shown in Figure 18A. This figure shows the drive mechanism shown in Figure 18B with the closing side stopper engaged with the shaft member, locking the lid body that has moved to the closed position. This figure shows the drive mechanism shown in Figure 18B with the opening side stopper engaged with the shaft member, locking the lid body that has moved to the open position. This figure shows the drive mechanism of a lid opening and closing device of a fifth embodiment embodying the present invention, with the lid body moved to the closed position. This figure shows the drive mechanism shown in Figure 21A with the cover and second transmission gear omitted. This is an exploded perspective view of the drive mechanism shown in Figure 21A. Figure 21A shows the drive mechanism in the state where the emergency cable is being pulled. Figure 23A shows the drive mechanism in the same state, but with the cover and second transmission gear omitted.

[0009] The following describes a lid opening and closing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the diagrams shown in the attached drawings are schematic, and the thickness, width, and proportions of each part may differ from those of the actual implementation.

[0010] Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams showing the lid opening / closing device 100A of the first embodiment according to the present invention in an overall view. The lid opening / closing device 100A of this embodiment is used by being attached to the side of a vehicle, for example, and in Figures 1 and 2, it is shown in the orientation when it is attached to a vehicle. In this specification, the directions indicated as "upper side when attached" and "lower side when attached" in the drawings refer to the upper and lower sides when the lid opening / closing device 100A and the lid opening / closing devices of other embodiments described later are attached to a vehicle. For convenience, a detailed explanation of the lid opening / closing device 100A will be given in the orientation when the lid opening / closing device 100A is assembled, and the up and down directions in the following explanation will basically refer to the "up" and "down" directions shown in Figure 4A, etc., and when describing the orientation when it is attached to a vehicle, "upper side when attached" and "lower side when attached" will be used. In Figure 4A, etc., the above-mentioned "upper side when attached" and "lower side when attached" and the "up" and "down" directions are shown. Furthermore, in this specification, "one side in the circumferential direction" refers to the counterclockwise rotation direction in this embodiment, and "the other side in the circumferential direction" refers to the clockwise rotation direction in this embodiment. Note that the orientations described in this specification are used for explanatory purposes only and do not limit the orientation of the lid opening and closing device according to the present invention. Also, the ordinal numbers in this specification are assigned for convenience to distinguish components and do not indicate order or priority.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the lid opening / closing device 100A will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lid opening / closing device 100A comprises a base 1, a lid 2, and a drive mechanism 3A. As shown in Figure 3, the lid 2 comprises a lid body 4 and a shaft member 5A having a shaft portion 5a. The drive mechanism 3A comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism T1A, a driven-side transmission mechanism T2A, and a motor 7 shown in Figure 4B, as shown in Figure 1. The motor 7 corresponds to the "drive source" in this specification. In general terms, the lid opening / closing device 100A is configured such that the driving force from the motor 7 is transmitted from the drive-side transmission mechanism T1A to the driven-side transmission mechanism T2A, thereby causing the lid body 4 to rotate relative to the base 1 together with the shaft member 5A.

[0012] The drive-side transmission mechanism T1A includes the case 10, first terminal 11, second terminal 12, worm gear 13, helical gear 14, first transmission gear 15, second transmission gear 16, connecting gear 17, gear shaft 18, cover 19, first drive output rotating body 20, and screw S, as shown in Figure 5. The driven-side transmission mechanism T2A includes a head portion 5c provided on the shaft member 5A, as well as a slide member 21 and an elastic body 22, as shown in Figure 5. In this embodiment, the components constituting the drive-side transmission mechanism T1A and the driven-side transmission mechanism T2A are unitized, including the shaft member 5A described above.

[0013] Next, the various parts of the lid opening / closing device 100A will be described in detail. First, the base 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The base 1 comprises a pair of opposing support plates 1a and a front plate 1b provided perpendicular to the support plates 1a at one end of the support plates 1a. Note that the support plate 1a may be present only on the side to which the drive mechanism 3A is attached. The support plate 1a is provided with a through hole into which the shaft portion 5a is inserted. The front plate 1b is provided with an opening 1c that passes through it, as shown in Figure 2. As described above, the lid opening / closing device 100A of this embodiment is attached to the side of a vehicle, and when the base 1 is attached to the vehicle, the fuel filler port and power supply port provided on the vehicle are located inside the opening 1c.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the lid body 4 is provided with a cover portion 4a that closes the opening 1c. On the back surface of the cover portion 4a, a lid arm portion 4b is provided, which is roughly U-shaped, as shown in Figure 3. At the tip of the lid arm portion 4b, there is a circular insertion hole 4c through which the shaft portion 5a is inserted, and a pair of positioning recesses 4d extending radially outward from the insertion hole 4c.

[0015] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the shaft member 5A has a shaft portion 5a that is cylindrical overall with respect to the central axis O. A pair of positioning protrusions 5b extending radially outward are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 5a. When the shaft portion 5a is inserted into the insertion hole 4c, the positioning protrusions 5b are inserted into the positioning recesses 4d, thereby preventing the shaft member 5A from rotating against the lid body 4. The positioning recesses 4d and the positioning protrusions 5b correspond to the "shaft rotation prevention mechanism" as described herein. Above the positioning protrusions 5b on the shaft portion 5a, a groove is provided to which the E-ring R1 is attached (see Figure 5).

[0016] As shown in Figures 5, 6A, and 6B, a disc-shaped head portion 5c, which has a larger diameter than the shaft portion 5a, is provided at the upper end of the shaft portion 5a. The head portion 5c is integrally provided with respect to the shaft portion 5a. That is, the head portion 5c is provided so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the shaft portion 5a and non-movable in a direction along the central axis O. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the head portion 5c is provided with a circular first transverse hole 5d that extends in a direction intersecting the central axis O (in this embodiment, in a direction perpendicular to the central axis O that extends in the vertical direction), and a second transverse hole 5e that is located coaxially with the first transverse hole 5d and has a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the first transverse hole 5d. The first transverse hole 5d and the second transverse hole 5e support the slide member 21 so as to be movable, and correspond to the "slide support portion" in this specification, etc. The first transverse hole 5d also corresponds to the "elastic body arrangement portion" in this specification, etc., and an elastic body 22 is arranged inside the first transverse hole 5d.

[0017] Motor 7 is, for example, a DC motor and is electrically connected to a drive circuit (not shown). In this embodiment, motor 7 is connected to the drive circuit via the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 shown in Figure 4B. The drive shaft of motor 7 rotates when current is supplied from the drive circuit and rotates in the opposite direction when the direction of the current supplied to motor 7 changes.

[0018] As shown in Figure 5, the case 10 has recesses that correspond to the external shapes of the motor 7 and the connecting gear 17. In the recess of the case 10, a circular case through-hole 10a is provided in the center of the part where the connecting gear 17 is housed. As will be described later, a shaft member 5A is inserted through the case through-hole 10a. A connecting gear stopper 10b is provided on the inner circumference of the part where the connecting gear 17 is housed, projecting toward the housed connecting gear 17.

[0019] The worm gear 13 is inserted into and held by the drive shaft of the motor 7. In this embodiment, the worm gear 13 has two or fewer threads (i.e., the worm gear 13 has one or two threads).

[0020] In this embodiment, the helical gear 14 is a two-stage gear comprising a helical tooth portion that meshes with the worm gear 13 and a spur gear portion provided above the helical tooth portion.

[0021] The first transmission gear 15 and the second transmission gear 16 are both two-stage gears in which a spur gear section with fewer teeth and a spur gear section with more teeth are provided coaxially.

[0022] The connecting gear 17 has a spur gear tooth shape and includes a sector gear portion 17a where teeth are not provided in a part of the circumferential direction. When the connecting gear 17 is housed in the case 10, the connecting gear stopper 10b described above is located where the sector gear portion 17a is not provided. When the connecting gear 17 rotates relative to the case 10, the teeth located on both sides of the sector gear portion 17a in the circumferential direction contact the connecting gear stopper 10b, so that the connecting gear 17 rotates within a predetermined range in the circumferential direction. Here, in the sector gear portion 17a, the part that contacts the connecting gear stopper 10b when the connecting gear 17 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above to below is called the counterclockwise contact portion 17b, and the part that contacts the connecting gear stopper 10b when the connecting gear 17 rotates clockwise is called the clockwise contact portion 17c.

[0023] The connecting gear 17 also has a connecting gear through hole 17d that penetrates the central part of the connecting gear 17. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the connecting gear through hole 17d is square-shaped when the connecting gear 17 is viewed from above looking downwards. The inner diameter of the connecting gear through hole 17d is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 5A at the location where the pair of positioning protrusions 5b are provided, and the shaft member 5A can be inserted through the connecting gear through hole 17d.

[0024] The aforementioned helical gear 14, first transmission gear 15, and second transmission gear 16 are rotatably supported by a gear shaft 18. The gear shaft 18 is cylindrical and is inserted into the central through-holes provided in each of the helical gear 14, first transmission gear 15, and second transmission gear 16. The lower end of the gear shaft 18 is inserted into a hole provided in the case 10, and the upper end is inserted into a hole provided in the cover 19, and is supported by the case 10 and the cover 19.

[0025] In this embodiment, the helical gear 14, the first transmission gear 15, the second transmission gear 16, and the connecting gear 17 are combined as shown in Figure 4B. That is, as is clear from referring to Figures 4B and 5, the helical portion located below the helical gear 14 meshes with the worm gear 13, and the spur gear portion located above the helical gear 14 meshes with the upper spur gear portion of the first transmission gear 15. Furthermore, the lower spur gear portion of the first transmission gear 15 meshes with the upper spur gear portion of the second transmission gear 16, and the lower spur gear portion of the second transmission gear 16 meshes with the sector gear portion 17a of the connecting gear 17. Note that the number of teeth and arrangement of these gears are examples and are appropriately selected according to the torque required when opening and closing the lid 2.

[0026] The cover 19 is shaped to match the outer shape of the case 10, and a circular cover through-hole 19a is provided in the part corresponding to the case through-hole 10a, through which the cover 19 passes. The shaft member 5A is inserted through the cover through-hole 19a, as will be described later. As shown in Figure 4B, the cover 19 is placed over the case 10 after the motor 7, connecting gear 17, etc. are housed inside the case 10, and is attached to the case 10 with screws S.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the first drive output rotating body 20 is provided with a projection 20a located on its lower side. The projection 20a has a square outer surface when viewed from below looking upward. The projection 20a is insertable into the connecting gear through hole 17d of the connecting gear 17, and when the projection 20a is inserted into the connecting gear through hole 17d, the first drive output rotating body 20 is held in place by the connecting gear 17. A circular first through hole 20b is provided in the center of the projection 20a, which penetrates the first drive output rotating body 20 in the vertical direction. As will be described later, a shaft member 5A is inserted through the first through hole 20b.

[0028] A base portion 20c is provided above the projection portion 20a. The base portion 20c in this embodiment is disc-shaped and is provided coaxially with respect to the first through hole 20b. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, a recess 20d connected to the first through hole 20b is provided on the inside of the base portion 20c. In this embodiment, the recess 20d is roughly arc-shaped with respect to the central axis O in a plan view. When the shaft member 5A is inserted into the first through hole 20b, the head portion 5c is located inside the recess 20d, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B. Here, the arc-shaped surface located radially outward on the inner circumferential surface of the base portion 20c that demarcates the recess 20d is referred to as the opposing portion 20e. The inner diameter of the opposing portion 20e is larger than the outer diameter of the head portion 5c, and when the shaft member 5A is inserted into the first through hole 20b, the opposing portion 20e is located radially outward of the head portion 5c and faces the head portion 5c.

[0029] The opposing portion 20e is provided with a first engaging portion 20f that is concave toward the radially outward direction, as shown in Figure 6A. In this embodiment, the first engaging portion 20f has an arc shape (semicircular shape) in plan view and extends in the vertical direction, as shown in Figure 6B.

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6A, on the inner circumferential surface of the base portion 20c that demarcates the recess 20d, an inclined portion 20g is provided at a point where, in a plan view, it is shifted 90° counterclockwise from the first engaging portion 20f. The inclined portion 20g extends linearly with an inclination that approaches the first engaging portion 20f as it moves radially outward, relative to a straight line L that is shifted 90° counterclockwise from a straight line extending from the central axis O toward the first engaging portion 20f in a plan view.

[0031] The slide member 21 is cylindrical and includes a first columnar portion 21a having an outer diameter approximately the same as the inner diameter of the first transverse hole 5d, and a second columnar portion 21b located coaxially with the first columnar portion 21a and having an outer diameter approximately the same as the inner diameter of the second transverse hole 5e. A second engaging portion 21c is provided at the end of the first columnar portion 21a opposite to the end where the second columnar portion 21b is provided. The second engaging portion 21c is hemispherical and has an outer diameter approximately the same as the inner diameter of the arc-shaped first engaging portion 20f.

[0032] In this embodiment, the elastic body 22 is formed by spirally winding a metal wire to create a coil. The elastic body 22 in this embodiment is a compression spring in which elastic force is generated when the two ends are compressed in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6B, the slide member 21 and the elastic body 22 are inserted into the first horizontal hole 5d with the second columnar portion 21b inserted inside the elastic body 22. Then, as shown in Figure 5, the shaft member 5A to which the slide member 21 and the elastic body 22 are attached is attached to the first rotating drive output body 20 by inserting the shaft portion 5a into the first through hole 20b. In the illustrated state, as shown in Figure 6B, the slide member 21 is supported so that the first columnar portion 21a and the second columnar portion 21b are slidably supported in the first horizontal hole 5d and the second horizontal hole 5e. The elastic body 22 is compressed with one end in contact with the step connecting the first columnar portion 21a and the second columnar portion 21b, and the other end in contact with the step connecting the first horizontal hole 5d and the second horizontal hole 5e, thereby biasing the slide member 21 radially outward.

[0034] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 5, the shaft portion 5a is inserted into the cover through hole 19a of the cover 19 attached to the case 10. Then, the projection 20a is inserted into the inside of the connecting gear through hole 17d via the cover through hole 19a. Next, when the E-ring R1 is attached to the groove of the shaft portion 5a shown in Figure 5, the shaft member 5A is prevented from coming out in the vertical direction, so that each component shown in Figure 5 can be treated as a single unit.

[0035] Subsequently, the lid arm portion 4b of the lid body 4 is positioned between the pair of support plates 1a on the base 1 shown in Figure 1, and the shaft portion 5a is inserted through the through hole provided in the support plate 1a and the insertion hole 4c (see Figure 3) of the lid body 4, while the positioning projection 5b is inserted into the positioning recess 4d. This allows the lid opening and closing device 100A to be assembled.

[0036] The assembly procedure described above, as well as the assembly procedures for other embodiments described below, are merely examples, and the assembly order can be changed as appropriate, as long as it is possible to assemble the parts.

[0037] Next, the operation of the lid opening / closing device 100A will be explained with reference to Figures 7A to 8B. In the following explanation, the process will be described as moving from the state in which the lid body 4 shown in Figure 7A is in the closed position (with respect to the opening 1c shown in Figure 2, the state in which the opening 1c is covered by the lid portion 4a of the lid body 4 as shown in Figure 1) to the state in which the lid body 4 is in the open position shown in Figure 8A (Figure 2 also shows the state in which the lid body 4 is in the open position). Note that Figure 7B is a partial enlargement of Figure 7A, and Figure 8B is a partial enlargement of Figure 8A.

[0038] As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, when the lid body 4 is moved to the closed position, the first engaging portion 20f of the drive output first rotating body 20 is located to the left of the central axis O in Figure 7B. The slide member 21 is biased by the elastic body 22 shown in Figure 6B and moves forward to the left from the central axis O in Figure 7B, with the second engaging portion 21c engaged with the first engaging portion 20f. In other words, the shaft member 5A supporting the slide member 21 rotates together with the drive output first rotating body 20 as long as the second engaging portion 21c is engaged with the first engaging portion 20f.

[0039] Then, when current is supplied to the motor 7 shown in Figure 5 from the state shown in Figures 7A and 7B and it is driven, the connecting gear 17 rotates clockwise via the worm gear 13, the helical gear 14, the first transmission gear 15, and the second transmission gear 16, and the first rotating drive output body 20, which is held in place by the connecting gear 17, also rotates clockwise. As described above, the second engaging portion 21c is engaged with the first engaging portion 20f, and the shaft member 5A is in a state where it rotates together with the first rotating drive output body 20. Therefore, when the first rotating drive output body 20 rotates clockwise, the shaft member 5A and the lid body 4 also rotate clockwise, so that the lid body 4 can be moved to the open position as shown in Figures 8A and 8B. At this time, the clockwise contact portion 17c of the connecting gear 17 shown in Figure 5 is in contact with the connecting gear stopper 10b, preventing the first rotating drive output body 20 from rotating excessively clockwise.

[0040] In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 3A includes a worm gear 13 attached to the drive shaft of the motor 7 and a helical gear 14 having helical teeth that mesh with the worm gear 13. Therefore, the lid body 4 can be operated by the driving force of the motor 7, while even if an external force is applied to the lid body 4, the movement of the helical gear 14 to rotate the worm gear 13 is restricted. In other words, since the drive mechanism 3A has a self-locking mechanism with the worm gear 13 and the helical gear 14, when the lid body 4 is moved to the open position and the current supplied to the motor 7 is stopped, the movement of the lid body 4, which would otherwise try to rotate to the closed position due to its own weight, can be restricted. In particular, in this embodiment, since the number of threads in the worm gear 13 is set to 2 or less, the restriction of movement of the lid body 4 is made more reliable, and even if the current supplied to the motor 7 is stopped, the lid body 4 can be kept stopped in the open position.

[0041] To move the lid body 4 to the closed position from the state shown in Figure 8A, a current in the reverse direction should be supplied to the motor 7. This causes the connecting gear 17 shown in Figure 5 to rotate counterclockwise, and the drive output first rotating body 20, which is held in place by the connecting gear 17, also rotates counterclockwise. That is, since the second engaging portion 21c is engaged with the first engaging portion 20f, the shaft member 5A and the lid body 4 rotate counterclockwise together with the drive output first rotating body 20, and the lid body 4 can be moved to the closed position as shown in Figure 7A.

[0042] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 9A, if, for example, an external force is applied to the lid body 4, which has moved to the closed position, and the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position, the first rotating drive output body 20 rotates clockwise as shown in Figure 9B. At this time, since the lid body 4 is stationary, the shaft member 5A and the slide member 21 remain stationary without rotating. Even in this case, the elastic body 22 that biases the slide member 21 undergoes elastic deformation, causing the slide member 21 to retract toward the central axis O, and the engagement between the second engaging portion 21c and the first engaging portion 20f can be released. In other words, even if the drive mechanism 3A is driven while an external force is applied to the lid body 4, which has moved to the closed position, excessive force is not applied to the drive mechanism 3A, and this does not lead to damage to the various components that make up the drive mechanism 3A.

[0043] Also, in the states shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the inclined portion 20g of the drive output first rotating body 20 rotated clockwise contacts the second engaging portion 21c of the slide member 21. As described above, since the inclined portion 20g extends linearly while inclining in a direction approaching the first engaging portion 20f as it goes radially outward, a force in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 9B acts on the slide member 21 biased by the elastic body 22 from this inclined portion 20g. Therefore, when this external force is removed from the lid body 4 maintained in the closed position by the external force, the shaft member 5A that supports the slide member 21 and the lid body 4 locked to the shaft member 5A rotate clockwise by the force in the direction indicated by this arrow until the second engaging portion 21c moves to the end portion of the inclined portion 20g. That is, the lid body 4 slightly opens from the state shown in FIG. 1, and there is a gap between the front plate 1b and the lid portion 4a. Thus, the lid body 4 can be manually moved to the open position by inserting a finger into this gap and lifting the lid portion 4a.

[0044] And as shown in FIG. 10A, for example, when the motor 7 is driven so that the lid body 4 moves to the closed position while an external force acts on the lid body 4 moved to the open position, the drive output first rotating body 20 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 10B. At this time, since the lid body 4 is stationary, the shaft member 5A and the slide member 21 stop without rotating. Even in this case, the elastic body 22 elastically deforms and the slide member 21 retreats toward the central axis O, and the engagement between the second engaging portion 21c and the first engaging portion 20f can be released. Therefore, even if an external force acts on the lid body 4 moved to the open position, an excessive force is not applied to the drive mechanism 3A, and it does not lead to damage of each member constituting the drive mechanism 3A.

[0045] Thus, the lid opening / closing device 100A of the present embodiment is not affected by the operation of the drive output first rotating body 20 even when the movement of the lid body 4 is hindered. Therefore, it is only necessary to supply current to the motor 7 for the time required to open and close the lid body 4, and thus control by a timer is possible. That is, according to the present embodiment, control such as detecting the opening and closing of the lid body 4 and cutting off the current becomes unnecessary.

[0046] Next, the lid opening / closing device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 14. In the following, the description will focus on the parts that differ in function from the lid opening / closing device 100A described above, and for the parts that have the same function as the lid opening / closing device 100A, the same reference numerals will be given in the drawings and the detailed description will be omitted.

[0047] The lid opening / closing device 100B includes a drive mechanism 3B and a shaft member 5B shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, instead of the drive mechanism 3A and the shaft member 5A provided in the lid opening / closing device 100A shown in FIGS. 1, 4A, and 4B.

[0048] The drive mechanism 3B includes a drive-side transmission mechanism T1B, a driven-side transmission mechanism T2B, and a motor 7. As shown in FIG. 12, the drive-side transmission mechanism T1B includes a drive output second rotating body 23 instead of the drive output first rotating body 20 included in the drive-side transmission mechanism T1A, and the driven-side transmission mechanism T2B includes a slide head 24 and an elastic body 25 instead of the head portion 5c, the slide member 21, and the elastic body 22 included in the driven-side transmission mechanism T2A. The drive mechanism 3B also includes an E-ring R2 used when attaching the shaft member 5B.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 12, the shaft member 5B includes a shaft portion 5a having a cylindrical shape and a pair of positioning convex portions 5b extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 5a. A groove for attaching the E-ring R1 is provided above the positioning convex portion 5b. And at the upper end portion of the shaft portion 5a, a shaft portion positioning portion 5f having a shape obtained by removing the outer peripheral surface of the circular shaft portion 5a with a pair of opposing planes (a so-called H-cut shape) is provided. Also, a groove for attaching the E-ring R2 is provided above the shaft portion positioning portion 5f.

[0050] As shown in Figure 13, the second drive output rotating body 23 is located on the lower side of the second drive output rotating body 23 and has a projection 23a whose outer surface is square when viewed from below upward. The projection 23a has the same shape as the projection 20a described above, and when the projection 23a is inserted into the connecting gear through hole 17d, the second drive output rotating body 23 is held in place by the connecting gear 17 to prevent rotation. A circular through hole (hereinafter referred to as the second through hole 23b) is provided in the center of the projection 23a, through which the base 23c, which will be described later, also passes. The shaft member 5B is inserted through the second through hole 23b.

[0051] A base portion 23c is provided above the projection 23a. As shown in Figure 13, the base portion 23c of this embodiment is formed in an annular plate shape with the central part penetrated by a second through hole 23b. The upper surface of the base portion 23c (hereinafter referred to as the drive-side opposing surface 23d) has a shape in which the drive-side opposing surface 23d is recessed in a semicircular shape downwards, and a first engaging portion 23e is provided that extends linearly outward radially from the second through hole 23b. In this embodiment, a total of two first engaging portions 23e are provided, arranged at an angle of 180° around the central axis O. The drive-side opposing surface 23d is also provided with an inclined portion 23f that protrudes upwards and whose upper surface is inclined. The inclined portion 23f of this embodiment protrudes upwards from the drive-side opposing surface 23d and has a shape that extends downwards in a clockwise direction when viewed in plan, circling around the drive-side opposing surface 23d. There are a total of two inclined portions 23f, which are positioned at a 90° angle with respect to the central axis O relative to the first engaging portion 23e.

[0052] As shown in Figure 13, the slide head 24 has a cylindrical head peripheral wall portion 24a centered on the central axis O. A disc-shaped head bottom wall portion 24b is provided at the lower end of the head peripheral wall portion 24a, and a positioning hole portion 24c is provided in the center of the head bottom wall portion 24b, penetrating the head bottom wall portion 24b. The positioning hole portion 24c is shaped to correspond to the shaft positioning portion 5f of the shaft member 5B shown in Figure 12 (the inner surface has a pair of arc-shaped surfaces facing each other on either side of the central axis O, and a pair of vertical surfaces positioned 90° circumferentially from the arc-shaped surfaces and facing each other on either side of the central axis O). When the shaft positioning portion 5f is inserted into the positioning hole portion 24c, the slide head 24 is supported on the shaft member 5B so as to be immovable and movable along the central axis O.

[0053] The lower surface of the head bottom wall portion 24b (hereinafter referred to as the driven-side opposing surface 24d) is provided with a second engaging portion 24e that protrudes downward in a semicircular shape and extends linearly radially outward from the positioning hole portion 24c. In this embodiment, a total of two second engaging portions 24e are provided, arranged at an angle of 180° around the central axis O. The second engaging portion 24e can engage with the first engaging portion 23e, and when the driven-side opposing surface 24d is brought closer to the drive-side opposing surface 23d and the drive output second rotating body 23 is rotated around the central axis O, the slide head 24, with the second engaging portion 24e engaged with the first engaging portion 23e, rotates together with the drive output second rotating body 23 around the central axis O.

[0054] In this embodiment, the elastic body 25 is formed by winding a metal wire in a spiral shape to create a coil, and is a compression spring in which elastic force is generated when the two ends are compressed in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0055] When assembling the drive mechanism 3B, for example, after attaching the cover 19 to the case 10 which houses the motor 7 and connecting gear 17, the E-ring R1 shown in Figure 12 is attached to the shaft member 5B and inserted into the case through hole 10a from below. Then, the drive output second rotating body 23, slide head 24, and elastic body 25 are inserted into the upper end of the shaft member 5B that protrudes from the cover through hole 19a, and the E-ring R2 is fitted into the groove provided on the upper part of the shaft positioning part 5f while the elastic body 25 is compressed, thereby attaching it to the shaft member 5B. In this state, since the second through hole 23b of the drive output second rotating body 23 into which the shaft member 5B is inserted is circular in shape, the drive output second rotating body 23 is rotatably supported relative to the shaft member 5B. Also, since the positioning projection 5b of the shaft member 5B is inserted into the positioning hole 24c of the slide head 24, the slide head 24 is supported so that it cannot rotate relative to the shaft member 5B but can move in a direction along the central axis O. Furthermore, because the biasing force of the elastic body 25 acts on the slide head 24, the slide head 24 is pressed toward the drive output second rotating body 23. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 13, the standard state is when the positions of the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e coincide around the central axis O, and at this time the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e are engaged.

[0056] In the lid opening / closing device 100B equipped with such a drive mechanism 3B, the lid body 4 can be moved between the closed position shown in Figure 7A and the open position shown in Figure 8A, similar to the lid opening / closing device 100A. That is, for example, when the lid body 4 is in the closed position, the positions of the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e around the central axis O are as shown in Figure 13. When current is supplied to the motor 7 shown in Figure 12 and the connecting gear 17 rotates clockwise, the second rotating drive output body 23, which is held in place by the connecting gear 17, also rotates clockwise. At this time, the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e are engaged, and the slide head 24 is supported so as not to rotate with respect to the shaft member 5B. Therefore, since the slide head 24 and the shaft member 5B also rotate clockwise together with the second rotating drive output body 23, the lid body 4 can be moved to the open position. To move the lid body 4 from the open position to the closed position, a current in the reverse direction is supplied to the motor 7. As a result, the connecting gear 17 rotates counterclockwise, and the second rotating drive output body 23, which is held in place by the connecting gear 17, also rotates counterclockwise. That is, since the second engaging portion 24e is engaged with the first engaging portion 23e, the slide head 24 and the shaft member 5B rotate counterclockwise together with the second rotating drive output body 23, and the lid body 4 can be moved to the closed position.

[0057] Even when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4, which has moved to the closed position as shown in Figure 9A, the components constituting the drive mechanism 3B of the lid opening / closing device 100B will not be damaged. Specifically, for example, when the lid body 4 is in the closed position, the positions of the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e around the central axis O are as shown in Figure 13, and when the motor 7 is driven while an external force is applied to the lid body 4, the rotation of the slide head 24 around the central axis O is prevented, and the drive output second rotating body 23 rotates clockwise. However, since the slide head 24 can move in a direction along the central axis O, when the drive output second rotating body 23 rotates, the slide head 24 moves upward, thereby releasing the engagement between the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e. Therefore, as shown in Figure 14, the slide head 24 remains stationary while only the second drive output rotating body 23 is rotated, thus preventing excessive load from being applied to each component.

[0058] Furthermore, as described above, if the slide head 24 remains stationary and only the drive output second rotating body 23 rotates 90° around the central axis O, the second engaging portion 24e is positioned where the inclined portion 23f is provided, as shown in Figure 14, and is pressed against the inclined portion 23f by the biasing force of the elastic body 25. Therefore, when this external force is removed from the lid body 4, which has been moved to the closed position by the external force, the second engaging portion 24e moves along the downward-sloping inclined portion 23f, and the slide head 24 rotates around the central axis O until the second engaging portion 24e moves to the point where the drive-side opposing surface 23d and the inclined portion 23f are connected. In other words, the lid body 4 in the closed position opens slightly, allowing the lid body 4 to be manually moved to the open position by inserting a finger into the gap.

[0059] Furthermore, even when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the closed position, as shown in Figure 10A, the second rotating drive output body 23 rotates, causing the slide head 24 to move upward and releasing the engagement between the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e. Therefore, no excessive load is placed on any of the components constituting the drive mechanism 3B.

[0060] Next, a lid opening / closing device 100C of the third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15A to 17C. The lid opening / closing device 100C is equipped with a drive mechanism 3C and a shaft member 5C shown in Figures 15A and 15B, instead of the drive mechanism 3A and shaft member 5A that are present in the lid opening / closing device 100A shown in Figures 1, 4A, and 4B.

[0061] The shaft member 5C has the same configuration as the shaft member 5A, and as shown in Figure 16, it comprises a shaft portion 5a, a positioning projection 5b, and a head portion 5c. Although not shown in Figure 16, the shaft member 5C also comprises a first lateral hole 5d and a second lateral hole 5e, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B. The groove on the shaft portion 5a of the shaft member 5C to which the E-ring R1 is attached is located higher than that of the shaft member 5A.

[0062] The drive mechanism 3C comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism T1C, a driven-side transmission mechanism T2C, and a motor 7. As shown in Figure 16, the drive-side transmission mechanism T1C replaces the connecting gear 17 and the drive output first rotating body 20 of the drive-side transmission mechanism T1A with a drive output first rotating body 26, and replaces the slide member 21 and cover 19 of the drive-side transmission mechanism T1A with a slide member 27 and a cover 28.

[0063] The first drive output rotating body 26 has a configuration in which the connecting gear 17 and the first drive output rotating body 20 shown in Figure 5 are integrated. Referring to Figures 16 and 17A, the first drive output rotating body 26 has a circular base 26a, a recess 26b provided inside the base 26a, and a first through hole 26c that penetrates the base 26a along the central axis O where the recess 26b is provided. As shown in Figure 17A, the recess 26b has an opposing portion 26d, a first engaging portion 26e, and an inclined portion 26f, similar to the opposing portion 20e, first engaging portion 20f, and inclined portion 20g of the recess 20d shown in Figure 6A. While the first engaging portion 20f shown in Figure 6A extends in an arc shape in a plan view, the first engaging portion 26e, as shown in Figure 17A, has a pair of first inclined surfaces 26g that extend linearly, with the distance between them decreasing radially outward, and is shaped to taper radially outward in a plan view. The outer circumferential surface of the base portion 26a is provided with a sector gear portion 26h, counterclockwise contact portion 26j, and clockwise contact portion 26k, which have the same configuration as the sector gear portion 17a, counterclockwise contact portion 17b, and clockwise contact portion 17c of the connecting gear 17.

[0064] The slide member 27 has a first columnar portion 27a, a second columnar portion 27b, and a second engaging portion 27c, similar to the first columnar portion 21a, second columnar portion 21b, and second engaging portion 21c of the slide member 21 shown in Figure 6A. Note that while the second engaging portion 21c shown in Figure 6A extends in an arc shape in plan view, as shown in Figure 17A, the second engaging portion 27c has a pair of second inclined surfaces 27d that extend in the same direction as the first inclined surface 26g, and is shaped to taper radially outward in plan view.

[0065] The cover 28 is shaped in a way that eliminates the circular cover through-hole 19a provided in the cover 19.

[0066] When assembling the drive mechanism 3C, the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 are attached to the shaft member 5C in the same procedure as for the shaft member 5A, slide member 21, and elastic body 22 of the drive mechanism 3A. Then, as shown in Figure 16, the shaft portion 5a of the shaft member 5C with the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 attached is inserted into the first through hole 26c and attached to the first drive output rotating body 26. Next, the shaft portion 5a is inserted into the case through hole 10a to position the first drive output rotating body 26 inside the case 10, and the E-ring R1 is attached to the groove of the shaft portion 5a. Furthermore, the motor 7 and the second transmission gear 16 are positioned inside the case 10, and the cover 28 is attached to the case 10.

[0067] A lid opening / closing device 100C equipped with such a drive mechanism 3C operates basically the same as a lid opening / closing device 100A. That is, for example, when the lid body 4 is in the closed position and the first engaging portion 26e and the second engaging portion 27c are in the state shown in Figure 17A, current is supplied to the motor 7 shown in Figure 16, and when the drive output first rotating body 26, whose sector gear portion 26h meshes with the second transmission gear 16, rotates clockwise, the shaft member 5C also rotates clockwise because the first engaging portion 26e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, moving the lid body 4 to the open position. To move the lid body 4 from the open position to the closed position, a current in the opposite direction is supplied to the motor 7. As described above, since the first engaging portion 26e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, when the motor 7 is driven, the shaft member 5C also rotates counterclockwise together with the drive output first rotating body 26, moving the lid body 4 to the closed position.

[0068] Furthermore, in the lid opening / closing device 100C, similar to the lid opening / closing device 100A, the slide member 27 can retract toward the central axis O against the biasing force of the elastic body 22. Therefore, when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the closed position as shown in Figure 9A, or when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the closed position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the open position as shown in Figure 10A, the slide member 27 retracts, releasing the engagement between the second engagement portion 27c and the first engagement portion 26e. As a result, the shaft member 5C and the slide member 27 do not rotate around the central axis O, and only the drive output first rotating body 26 rotates, thus preventing damage to the various components constituting the drive mechanism 3C.

[0069] The lid opening / closing device 100C also has an inclined portion 26f with the same configuration as the inclined portion 20g of the drive mechanism 3A. As shown in Figure 9A, when an external force is applied to the lid body 4, which has moved to the closed position, and the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position, the inclined portion 26f comes into contact with the second engaging portion 27c. That is, similar to the drive mechanism 3A described with reference to Figure 9B, in the drive mechanism 3C, when the external force is removed from the lid body 4, which has moved to the closed position, the lid body 4 rotates clockwise until the second engaging portion 27c moves to the end of the inclined portion 26f. In other words, the lid body 4 opens slightly from the closed position, allowing the lid body 4 to be manually moved to the open position by inserting a finger into the gap.

[0070] In the drive mechanism 3C of this embodiment, the first engaging portion 26e has a pair of first inclined surfaces 26g that extend linearly inclined so that the distance between them narrows radially outward, and the second engaging portion 27c has a pair of second inclined surfaces 27d that extend in the same direction as the first inclined surfaces 26g. Therefore, the engagement strength between the first engaging portion 26e and the second engaging portion 27c can be changed by changing the angle formed by the pair of first inclined surfaces 26g and the angle formed by the pair of second inclined surfaces 27d. For example, if you want to weaken the engagement strength between the first engaging portion 26e and the second engaging portion 27c shown in Figure 17A, you can increase the angle formed by the pair of first engaging portions 26e and the angle formed by the pair of second inclined surfaces 27d (60° in Figure 17A) as shown in Figure 17B (90° in Figure 17B). If you want to further weaken the engagement strength, you can increase this angle even more as shown in Figure 17C (120° in Figure 17C). Therefore, for example, if the engagement strength between the first engagement portion 26e and the second engagement portion 27c is greater than expected, and the engagement between the first engagement portion 26e and the second engagement portion 27c is difficult to release when an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the closed position as shown in Figure 9A, then the first engagement portion 26e and the second engagement portion 27c shown in Figure 17A can be changed to those shown in Figures 17B and 17C.

[0071] Next, a lid opening / closing device 100D of the fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 18A to 20B. The lid opening / closing device 100D is equipped with a drive mechanism 3D and a shaft member 5D shown in Figures 18A to 18C, instead of the drive mechanism 3C and shaft member 5C provided in the lid opening / closing device 100C shown in Figures 15A to 17C.

[0072] The shaft member 5D is provided with a shaft member locking portion 5g on the head portion 5c of the shaft member 5C described above. As shown in Figure 19, the shaft member locking portion 5g protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the head portion 5c and has a rectangular shape.

[0073] The drive mechanism 3D comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism T1D, a driven-side transmission mechanism T2D, and a motor 7. As shown in Figure 19, the drive-side transmission mechanism T1D replaces the case 10 and the first drive output rotating body 26 of the drive-side transmission mechanism T1C with a case 31 and a first drive output rotating body 32. The drive-side transmission mechanism T1D also comprises a closing-side stopper 33, an elastic body 34 for the closing-side stopper, an opening-side stopper 35, and an elastic body 36 for the opening-side stopper.

[0074] Case 31 has a case through hole 31a and a connecting gear stopper 31b, which have the same configuration as the case through hole 10a and connecting gear stopper 10b of case 10 described above. Furthermore, case 31 has a cylindrical closing-side stopper shaft portion 31c and an opening-side stopper shaft portion 31d that protrude upward from the top surface of case 10.

[0075] The first drive output rotating body 32 has a base 32a, recess 32b, first through hole 32c, opposing portion 32d, first engagement portion 32e, inclined portion 26f, first inclined surface 26g, sector gear portion 26h, counterclockwise contact portion 26j, and clockwise contact portion 26k, which are configured similarly to the base 26a, recess 26b, first through hole 32c, opposing portion 32d, first engagement portion 32e, inclined portion 32f, first inclined surface 32g, sector gear portion 32h, counterclockwise contact portion 32j, and clockwise contact portion 32k of the first drive output rotating body 26 described above. As shown in Figure 20A, the circumferential length of the concave portion of the first engagement portion 32e is longer in the counterclockwise direction compared to the first engagement portion 26e shown in Figure 17, and in this state, a relatively large gap is formed in the counterclockwise direction of the second engagement portion 27c that engages with the first engagement portion 32e.

[0076] Furthermore, the first drive output rotating body 32 is equipped with a closed-side stopper release portion 32m and an open-side stopper release portion 32n. The closed-side stopper release portion 32m and the open-side stopper release portion 32n are arc-shaped in plan view and are shaped to protrude upward from the upper surface of the base portion 26a. When the first drive output rotating body 32 rotates clockwise around the central axis O, the closed-side stopper release portion 32m contacts the closed-side stopper contact portion 33c, which will be described later, and when it rotates counterclockwise, the open-side stopper release portion 32n contacts the open-side stopper contact portion 35c, which will be described later. The heights of the closed-side stopper release portion 32m and the open-side stopper release portion 32n are set to be lower than the shaft member lock portion 5g and lower than the closed-side stopper lock portion 33a and the open-side stopper lock portion 35a, which will be described later. In other words, when the first rotating drive body 32 rotates around the central axis O, the closed-side stopper release portion 32m and the open-side stopper release portion 32n are not in contact with the shaft member lock portion 5g, the closed-side stopper lock portion 33a, and the open-side stopper lock portion 35a in the height direction.

[0077] The closing stopper 33 is equipped with a closing stopper lock portion 33a that is claw-shaped in plan view. At the end of the closing stopper lock portion 33a, there is a closing stopper bearing portion 33b which is a through hole that is circular in plan view into which the closing stopper shaft portion 31c is inserted. In the middle of the length of the closing stopper 33, there is a closing stopper contact portion 33c. The closing stopper contact portion 33c is provided so as to protrude in the same direction as the tip of the claw-shaped closing stopper lock portion 33a protruding laterally.

[0078] The opening stopper 35 comprises an opening stopper lock portion 35a that is claw-shaped in plan view, an opening stopper bearing portion 35b provided at the end of the opening stopper lock portion 35a, and an opening stopper contact portion 35c provided in the middle of the opening stopper 35 in the longitudinal direction. The opening stopper 35 in this embodiment is shaped symmetrically with respect to the closing stopper 33 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the closing stopper 33.

[0079] In this embodiment, the closing stopper elastic body 34 and the opening stopper elastic body 36 are torsion springs formed in a shape having one end and the other end that extend long from a circularly wound portion, and when elastically deformed so that the one end and the other end come closer together, an elastic force is generated so that the one end and the other end move apart.

[0080] When assembling the drive mechanism 3D, the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 are attached to the shaft member 5D in the same procedure as for the shaft member 5C, slide member 27, and elastic body 22 of the drive mechanism 3C. Then, the shaft member 5D with the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 attached is inserted into the first through hole 32c and attached to the first drive output rotating body 32. Next, the shaft member 5a is inserted into the case through hole 31a to position the first drive output rotating body 32 inside the case 31, and the E-ring R1 is attached to the groove of the shaft member 5a. Furthermore, the motor 7 and the second transmission gear 16 are placed inside the case 31, and the elastic body 34 for the closing side stopper and the closing side stopper bearing portion 33b of the closing side stopper 33 are inserted into the shaft portion 31c for the closing side stopper, and the elastic body 36 for the opening side stopper and the opening side stopper bearing portion 35b of the opening side stopper 35 are inserted into the shaft portion 31d for the opening side stopper, and the cover 28 is attached to the case 31. In this state, the closing side stopper 33 is biased by the elastic body 34 for the closing side stopper to move toward the first rotating body 32 of the drive output, and the opening side stopper 35 is biased by the elastic body 36 for the opening side stopper to move toward the first rotating body 32 of the drive output.

[0081] A lid opening / closing device 100D equipped with such a drive mechanism 3D operates similarly to the lid opening / closing device 100C shown in Figures 15A to 17C, except for the parts related to the closing stopper 33 and the opening stopper 35. That is, for example, when the lid body 4 is in the closed position and the first engaging portion 32e and the second engaging portion 27c are in the state shown in Figure 20A, current is supplied to the motor 7 shown in Figure 19, and when the drive output first rotating body 32, whose sector gear portion 32h meshes with the second transmission gear 16, rotates clockwise, the shaft member 5D also rotates clockwise because the first engaging portion 32e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, allowing the lid body 4 to move to the open position. To move the lid body 4 from the open position to the closed position, a current is supplied to the motor 7 in the reverse direction. As described above, the first engaging portion 32e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, so when the motor 7 is driven, the shaft member 5D rotates counterclockwise together with the first rotating drive output body 32, and the lid body 4 can be moved to the closed position.

[0082] Here, the closing stopper 33 provided by the drive mechanism 3D has the function of preventing the lid body 4 from moving to the open position when it is in the closed position. When the lid body 4 is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 20A, the closing stopper release portion 32m of the drive output first rotating body 32 is located offset from the closing stopper contact portion 33c of the closing stopper 33, and the two are not in contact. For this reason, the closing stopper 33 is biased by the elastic body 34 for the closing stopper to move toward the drive output first rotating body 32, and the closing stopper lock portion 33a is engaged with the shaft member lock portion 5g. In other words, the clockwise rotation of the shaft member 5D is prevented by the closing stopper 33, so the lid body 4 can be locked in the closed position.

[0083] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when the motor 7 is driven with the closed-side stopper lock portion 33a engaged with the shaft member lock portion 5g, as shown in Figure 20A, the closed-side stopper 33 does not obstruct the movement of the shaft member 5D, nor does the open-side stopper 35 obstruct the movement of the shaft member 5D. This point will be explained in detail below.

[0084] As shown in Figure 20A, when the motor 7 is driven with the closed-side stopper locking portion 33a engaged with the shaft member locking portion 5g, the first drive output rotating body 32 begins to rotate clockwise. In the state shown in Figure 20A, a relatively large gap is formed in the counterclockwise direction of the second engaging portion 27c engaged with the first engaging portion 32e, so initially only the first drive output rotating body 32 rotates and the shaft member 5D remains stationary. When the first drive output rotating body 32 rotates clockwise, the closed-side stopper release portion 32m comes into contact with the closed-side stopper contacted portion 33c, separating the closed-side stopper 33, which is biased by the elastic body 34 for the closed-side stopper, from the first drive output rotating body 32, and the engagement between the closed-side stopper locking portion 33a and the shaft member locking portion 5g is automatically released. Subsequently, the gap between the first engaging portion 32e and the second engaging portion 27c, which was formed counterclockwise on the second engaging portion 27c, disappears, and the shaft member 5D supporting the second engaging portion 27c begins to rotate clockwise by the first engaging portion 32e, thereby allowing the lid body 4 in the closed position to move toward the open position. In the state shown in Figure 20A, the open-side stopper contact portion 35c is in contact with the open-side stopper release portion 32n, and the open-side stopper 35 is moving away from the drive output first rotating body 32 against the biasing force of the elastic body 36 for the open-side stopper. This state continues until contact between the open-side stopper release portion 32n and the open-side stopper contact portion 35c ends, so the clockwise rotation of the shaft member 5D is not obstructed by the open-side stopper 35.

[0085] Figure 20B shows the state of the drive mechanism 3D when the first drive output rotating body 32 rotates further clockwise and the lid body 4 moves to the open position. As the first drive output rotating body 32 rotates, the open-side stopper release part 32n also rotates further clockwise, releasing contact with the open-side stopper contacted part 35c. Consequently, the open-side stopper 35 moves toward the first drive output rotating body 32 due to the biasing force of the elastic body 36 for the open-side stopper, causing the open-side stopper lock part 35a to engage with the shaft member lock part 5g. In other words, in the state shown in Figure 20B, the counterclockwise rotation of the shaft member 5D is prevented by the open-side stopper 35, so the lid body 4 can be locked in the open position.

[0086] When the lid body 4 moves to the open position, a relatively large gap is formed in the clockwise direction of the second engaging portion 27c that engages with the first engaging portion 32e, as shown in Figure 20B. Therefore, when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 from the open position to the closed position, the shaft member 5D remains stationary while only the first drive output rotating body 32 begins to rotate counterclockwise. When the open-side stopper release portion 32n contacts the open-side stopper contact portion 35c, the engagement between the open-side stopper lock portion 35a and the shaft member lock portion 5g is automatically released in order to separate the open-side stopper 35, which is biased by the elastic body 36 for the open-side stopper, from the first drive output rotating body 32. Subsequently, the gap between the first engaging portion 32e and the second engaging portion 27c, which was formed clockwise on the second engaging portion 27c, disappears, and the shaft member 5D supporting the second engaging portion 27c begins to rotate counterclockwise by the first engaging portion 32e, thereby allowing the lid body 4 in the closed position to move toward the closed position.

[0087] Furthermore, in the lid opening / closing device 100D, similar to the lid opening / closing device 100A, the slide member 27 can retract toward the central axis O against the biasing force of the elastic body 22. Therefore, when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the open position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the closed position as shown in Figure 9A, or when the motor 7 is driven to move the lid body 4 to the closed position while an external force is applied to the lid body 4 which has moved to the open position as shown in Figure 10A, the slide member 27 retracts, releasing the engagement between the second engagement portion 27c and the first engagement portion 32e. As a result, the shaft member 5D and the slide member 27 do not rotate around the central axis O, and only the drive output first rotating body 32 rotates, thus preventing damage to the various components constituting the drive mechanism 3D.

[0088] Next, a lid opening / closing device 100E according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 21A to 23B. The lid opening / closing device 100E is equipped with a drive mechanism 3E and a shaft member 5E as shown in Figures 21A and 22, instead of the drive mechanism 3D and shaft member 5D provided in the lid opening / closing device 100D shown in Figures 18A to 20B.

[0089] The shaft member 5E is provided with an engaging projection 5h on the shaft member locking portion 5g of the shaft member 5D described above. The engaging projection 5h in this embodiment is shaped to include a cylindrical portion extending upward from the upper surface of the shaft member locking portion 5g, and a disc-shaped portion that is larger in diameter than the cylindrical portion and is provided at the upper end of the cylindrical portion.

[0090] The drive mechanism 3E comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism T1E, a driven-side transmission mechanism T2E, and a motor 7. As shown in Figure 22, the drive-side transmission mechanism T1E replaces the case 31, drive output first rotating body 32, and cover 28 of the drive-side transmission mechanism T1D with a case 37, a drive output first rotating body 38, and a cover 39. The drive-side transmission mechanism T1E also includes an emergency cable 40 and a return elastic body 41. Note that the closing-side stopper 33 and the elastic body 34 for the closing-side stopper, which are present in the drive-side transmission mechanism T1D shown in Figure 19, are omitted in the drive-side transmission mechanism T1E.

[0091] Case 37 has a case through hole 37a, a connecting gear stopper 37b, and an opening-side stopper shaft portion 37d, which have the same configuration as the case through hole 31a, connecting gear stopper 31b, and opening-side stopper shaft portion 31d of case 31 described above. Note that the closing-side stopper shaft portion 31c of case 31 is omitted in case 37.

[0092] The first drive output rotating body 38 has a base 38a, recess 38b, first through hole 38c, opposing part 38d, first engaging part 38e, inclined part 38f, first inclined surface 38g, sector gear part 38h, counterclockwise contact part 38j, clockwise contact part 38k, and open side stopper release part 38n, which have the same configuration as the first drive output rotating body 32 described above, which has a base 32a, recess 32b, first through hole 32c, opposing part 32d, first engaging part 32e, inclined part 32f, first inclined surface 32g, sector gear part 32h, counterclockwise contact part 32j, clockwise contact part 32k, and closed side stopper release part 32m. Note that the closed side stopper release part 32m that is present in the first drive output rotating body 32 is omitted in the first drive output rotating body 38.

[0093] The cover 39 is the cover 28 described above, with a groove 39a and a guide portion 39b provided. The groove 39a extends in an arc shape around the central axis O and penetrates the cover 39, and when assembled as the drive mechanism 3E, the engaging projection 5h is located inside the groove 39a and protrudes from the cover 39. The guide portion 39b is composed of a pair of opposing projections with a gap between them, into which the emergency cable 40 is inserted.

[0094] The emergency cable 40 comprises a cord-like cable body portion 40a and a cable hook portion 40b provided at the tip of the cable body portion 40a, which is L-shaped in plan view.

[0095] In this embodiment, the return elastic body 41 is formed by spirally winding a metal wire to create a coil. The return elastic body 41 in this embodiment is a compression spring in which elastic force is generated when the two ends are compressed in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0096] In assembling the drive mechanism 3E, the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 are attached to the shaft member 5E in the same procedure as for the shaft member 5D, slide member 27, and elastic body 22 of the drive mechanism 3D. Then, the shaft member 5E with the slide member 27 and elastic body 22 attached is inserted into the first through hole 38c and attached to the first drive output rotating body 38. Next, the shaft member 5a is inserted into the case through hole 37a to position the first drive output rotating body 38 inside the case 37, and the E-ring R1 is attached to the groove of the shaft member 5a. Furthermore, the motor 7 and the second transmission gear 16 are positioned inside the case 37, and the elastic body 36 for the opening side stopper and the opening side stopper bearing portion 35b of the opening side stopper 35 are inserted into the shaft portion 37d for the opening side stopper, and the cover 39 is attached to the case 37. Then, the cable body portion 40a is inserted inside the return elastic body 41, and while engaging the cable hook portion 40b with the engaging projection 5h, the cable body portion 40a is inserted into the gap of the guide portion 39b. At this time, the return elastic body 41 is positioned between the cable hook portion 40b and the guide portion 39b.

[0097] A lid opening / closing device 100E equipped with such a drive mechanism 3E operates in the same manner as the lid opening / closing device 100D described above, except for the function related to the closing-side stopper 33. That is, for example, when the lid body 4 is in the closed position and the first engaging portion 38e and the second engaging portion 27c are in the state shown in Figure 21B, current is supplied to the motor 7 shown in Figure 22, and when the drive output first rotating body 38, whose sector gear portion 38h meshes with the second transmission gear 16, rotates clockwise, the first engaging portion 38e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, so the shaft member 5E also rotates clockwise, moving the lid body 4 to the open position. When the lid body 4 moves to the open position, the opening-side stopper lock portion 35a engages with the shaft member lock portion 5g, so that the lid body 4 can be locked in the open position. When moving the lid body 4 from the open position to the closed position, a current in the reverse direction is supplied to the motor 7. As described above, since the first engaging portion 38e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged, when the motor 7 is driven, the shaft member 5E rotates counterclockwise together with the first rotating drive output body 38, and the lid body 4 can be moved to the closed position.

[0098] In this embodiment, if, for example, the power stored in the vehicle's battery becomes insufficient and the motor 7 fails to drive, the lid opening and closing device 100E can be moved from the closed position to the open position by the emergency cable 40 described above. This point will be explained with reference to the drawings.

[0099] When the lid body 4 moves to the closed position (see Figure 7A), the drive mechanism 3E is assumed to be in the state shown in Figures 21A and 21B. When the emergency cable 40 is pulled in this state (pulled so that the emergency cable 40 moves from right to left on the page in the state shown in Figure 21B), the cable hook portion 40b pulls the engaging projection 5h, and the shaft member 5E rotates clockwise around the central axis O as shown in Figures 23A and 23B. Note that the motor 7 is not driven in this state, so the drive output first rotating body 38 remains stationary. The first engaging portion 38e and the second engaging portion 27c are engaged in the state before the emergency cable 40 is pulled. In this state, even if the shaft member 5E is rotated by the emergency cable 40, the slide member 27 supported by the shaft member 5E retracts toward the central axis O against the biasing force of the elastic body 22, disengaging the first engagement portion 38e and the second engagement portion 27c, thus preventing damage to any of the components constituting the drive mechanism 3E.

[0100] When the emergency cable 40 is pulled and the shaft member 5E is rotated clockwise, the lid body 4, which is in the closed position, opens slightly. The lid body 4 can then be lifted with a finger or the like inserted into the gap to open the opening 1c (see Figure 2), and power can be supplied from the power supply port or the like located inside the opening 1c.

[0101] Furthermore, the emergency cable 40 is biased by the return elastic body 41 so that the cable hook portion 40b moves away from the guide portion 39b. In other words, when the pulling force is released, the emergency cable 40 can be automatically returned to its state before being pulled.

[0102] Although one embodiment embodying the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. For example, in the lid opening / closing device 100D of the fourth embodiment shown in Figures 18A to 20B, a closing-side stopper 33 and an opening-side stopper 35 are provided to lock the lid body 4 in the closed position and in the open position. However, these may be provided as needed, and only one of the closing-side stopper 33 or the opening-side stopper 35 may be provided. Furthermore, the closing-side stopper 33 and the opening-side stopper 35 can also be provided in the lid opening / closing device 100A of the first embodiment or the lid opening / closing device 100B of the second embodiment. In this case, the closing-side stopper release part 32m and the opening-side stopper release part 32n provided in the drive output first rotating body 32 shown in Figure 19 may be provided in the connecting gear 17 shown in Figures 5 and 12. Also, the emergency cable 40 may be provided in the lid opening / closing device 100B of the second embodiment shown in Figure 11A, etc. In this case, the emergency cable 40 can be connected to, for example, the slide head 24. That is, since the slide head 24 cannot rotate relative to the shaft member 5B which rotates together with the lid body 4, the lid body 4 can be moved from the closed position toward the open position by pulling the emergency cable 40 to rotate the slide head 24.

[0103] Furthermore, the configuration of each part can be modified in various ways as long as it can perform its intended function. For example, in order to prevent the connecting gear 17 and the first rotating drive output body 20 shown in Figure 5 from rotating, in the above embodiment the inner circumferential surface of the connecting gear through hole 17d is made square, and the projection 20a of the first rotating drive output body 20 inserted therein is also made square. However, as long as the shape prevents both from rotating, they can be changed as appropriate. For example, both may be other polygonal shapes (triangular or hexagonal), or they may be shapes that combine an arcuate surface and a flat surface, such as the shaft positioning part 5f and positioning hole part 24c shown in Figure 12. Also, the elastic body 22 shown as a coil spring may be a torsion spring, and the elastic body 34 for the closing side stopper shown as a torsion spring may be a coil spring. Furthermore, the head portion 5c, which is provided so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the shaft portion 5a and immovable in the direction along the central axis O, was provided integrally with the shaft portion 5a in the embodiment described above. However, the shaft portion 5a and the head portion 5c may be formed as separate components and joined together by fitting them during assembly, thereby making the head portion 5c non-rotatable with respect to the shaft portion 5a and immovable in the direction along the central axis O.

[0104] Furthermore, the first engaging portions 20f, 23e, etc. and the second engaging portions 21c, 24e, etc. described above can also be modified as appropriate. For example, as shown in Figure 6A, etc., the first engaging portion 20f, etc. is concave and the second engaging portion 21c, etc. is convex and fits into the first engaging portion 20f, etc., but the second engaging portion 21c, etc. may be concave and the first engaging portion 20f, etc. is convex and fits into it. Also, the second engaging portion 21c, etc. may be a rotating roller such as a cam follower. Furthermore, the relationship between the first inclined surface 26g of the first engaging portion 26e and the second inclined surface 27d of the second engaging portion 27c, as explained with reference to Figures 17A to 17C, can also be applied to the first engaging portion 23e provided on the second rotating body 23 of the drive output 23 and the second engaging portion 24e provided on the slide head 24, as shown in Figures 11 to 14. In other words, by forming the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e in a V-shape and appropriately changing the central angle of the V-shaped portion, the engagement strength of the first engaging portion 23e and the second engaging portion 24e can be adjusted. Also, in the lid opening and closing device 100A shown in Figure 5, the sliding member 21 that can move back and forth is provided in the driven-side transmission mechanism T2A as relating to the first engaging portion 20f and the second engaging portion 21c, but such a sliding member that can move back and forth may also be provided in the driving-side transmission mechanism T1A.

[0105] In this embodiment, a worm gear 13 and a helical gear 14 were used as the self-locking mechanism for the drive mechanism 3A, but a self-locking mechanism may also be configured using various braking mechanisms (for example, a solenoid having a shaft and a recess into which the shaft is inserted, wherein the solenoid is configured such that when current is supplied the shaft retracts from the recess, and when the current supply is stopped the shaft moves forward by an elastic body).

[0106] While the lid opening and closing device 100A described above had a lid body 4 that rotated vertically when attached to a vehicle or the like, the lid opening and closing device of the present invention also includes one in which the lid body 4 rotates horizontally.

[0107] (Note) This specification discloses the following technology in one aspect. The reference numerals listed below correspond to the reference numerals in the attached drawings, but are provided as examples only and are not intended to limit the invention of this application.

[0108] (Technical 1) A base (1) having an opening (1c), a lid (2) having a shaft portion (5a) that rotates relative to the base (1), and rotating about the central axis (O) of the shaft portion (5a) between a closed position that closes the opening (1c) and an open position that opens the opening (1c), and a drive mechanism (3A) having a drive source that rotates the shaft portion (5a) by the driving force from the drive source, wherein the drive mechanism (3A) comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) connected to the drive source, and a driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) connected to the shaft portion (5a), and either the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) or the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) has a first engagement portion (20f), A lid opening and closing device (100A) wherein the other of the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) and the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) is movable between a forward position in which it engages with the first engaging portion (20f) and a retracted position in which it does not engage with the first engaging portion (20f), and transmits the driving force from the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1A) to the driven-side transmission mechanism (T2A) in the forward position, and an elastic body (22) biases the second engaging portion (21c) from the retracted position toward the forward position.

[0109] This technology prevents damage to the lid and other parts, as even if a situation arises that prevents the lid from opening or closing, the second engaging part retracts, releasing the engagement between the first and second engaging parts. Therefore, conventional protective circuits are unnecessary, resulting in a simpler structure.

[0110] (Technology 2) The driven side transmission mechanism (T2A) comprises a head portion (5c) provided so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the shaft portion (5a) and non-movable in a direction along the central axis (O), and a slide member (21) having the second engagement portion (21c), wherein the head portion (5c) has a slide support portion that supports the slide member (21) so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the central axis (O), and an elastic body arrangement portion on which the elastic body (22) is arranged, and the driving side transmission mechanism (T1A) comprises a first drive output rotating body (20) that rotates about the central axis (O), wherein the first drive output rotating body (20) has an opposing portion (20e) located outside the head portion (5c) and facing the head portion (5c), and the first engagement portion (20f) is provided on the opposing portion (20e), the lid opening and closing device (100A) according to Technology 1.

[0111] This technology makes the configurations related to the first engaging portion, the second engaging portion, and the elastic body more suitable for mass production, thus facilitating the realization of the present invention.

[0112] (Technical 3) The lid opening and closing device (100A) according to Technical 2, wherein the lid (2) comprises a lid body (4) to which the shaft portion (5a) can be attached and which closes or opens the opening (1c), and a shaft portion anti-rotation mechanism which prevents the shaft portion (5a) from rotating on the lid body (4) when the shaft portion (5a) is attached to the lid body (4), and the drive output first rotating body (20) extends along the central axis (O) and has a first through hole (20b) into which the shaft portion (5a) is inserted.

[0113] This technology allows the shaft portion that makes up the lid, along with the components that make up the drive mechanism, to be unitized, thereby improving work efficiency during assembly.

[0114] (Technical 4) A lid opening and closing device (100D) according to any one of Technical 2 to 3, comprising a closing-side stopper (33) that moves to engage with the head portion (5c) to prevent the rotation of the head portion (5c) when the head portion (5c) and the shaft portion (5a) rotate to one side in the circumferential direction and the lid (2) is rotated to the closed position, the drive output first rotating body (32) has a closing-side stopper release portion (32m), and the closing-side stopper (33) has a closing-side stopper contact portion (33c) that, when the drive output first rotating body (32) rotates to the other side in the circumferential direction, contacts the closing-side stopper release portion (32m) and moves the closing-side stopper (33) so as to release its engagement with the head portion (5c).

[0115] This technology allows the lid to be locked in place once it has moved to the closed position, preventing it from rotating towards the open position. Furthermore, the lock to the lid can be automatically released when it is rotated towards the open position.

[0116] (Technical 5) A lid opening and closing device (100D) according to any one of Technical 2 to 4, comprising: an opening-side stopper (35) that moves to engage with the head portion (5c) to prevent the rotation of the head portion (5c) when the head portion (5c) and the shaft portion (5a) rotate to the other side in the circumferential direction and the lid (2) rotates to the open position; the drive output first rotating body (32) has an opening-side stopper release portion (32n); and the opening-side stopper (35) has an opening-side stopper contact portion (35c) that, when the drive output first rotating body (32) rotates to one side in the circumferential direction, contacts the opening-side stopper release portion (32n) to move the opening-side stopper (35) so as to release its engagement with the head portion (5c).

[0117] This technology allows the lid to be locked in place when it is in the open position, preventing it from rotating towards the closed position. Furthermore, the lock to the lid can be automatically released when it is rotated towards the closed position.

[0118] (Technical 6) A lid opening and closing device (100E) according to any one of Technical 2 to 5, comprising an emergency cable (40) connected to the head portion (5c) and which, when pulled, rotates the head portion (5c) toward the side toward the open position.

[0119] This technology allows the lid to be rotated from the closed position to the open position by pulling the emergency cable component, even when the drive source cannot be driven.

[0120] (Technical 7) The driven-side transmission mechanism (T2B) includes a slide head (24) that is not rotatable relative to the shaft portion (5a) and movable in a direction along the central axis (O), and the drive-side transmission mechanism (T1B) includes a second drive output rotating body (23) that rotates about the central axis (O) and faces the slide head (24) in a direction along the central axis (O), and the portion of the slide head (24) facing the second drive output rotating body (23) is defined as the driven-side opposing surface (24d), and the portion of the second drive output rotating body (23) facing the driven-side opposing surface (24d) is defined as the drive-side opposing surface (23d), the first engagement portion (23e) is provided on either the driven-side opposing surface (24d) or the drive-side opposing surface (23d), The lid opening and closing device (100E) according to Technical 1, wherein the second engaging portion (24e) is provided on the other of the driven side opposing surface (24d) and the drive side opposing surface (23d), and the elastic body (25) biases the slide head (24) or the drive output second rotating body (23) in a direction that brings the driven side opposing surface (24d) and the drive side opposing surface (23d) closer together.

[0121] This technology makes the configurations related to the first engaging portion, the second engaging portion, and the elastic body more suitable for mass production, thus facilitating the realization of the present invention.

[0122] (Technical 8) The lid opening and closing device (100A) according to Technical 7, wherein the lid (2) comprises a lid body (4) to which the shaft portion (5a) can be attached and which closes or opens the opening (1c), and a shaft portion anti-rotation mechanism which prevents the shaft portion (5a) from rotating on the lid (2) when the shaft portion (5a) is attached to the lid body (4), and the drive output second rotating body (23) extends along the central axis (O) and has a second through hole (23b) into which the shaft portion (5a) is inserted.

[0123] This technology allows the shaft portion that makes up the lid, along with the components that make up the drive mechanism, to be unitized, thereby improving work efficiency during assembly.

[0124] (Technical 9) The lid opening and closing device (100A) according to Technical 1, wherein the drive mechanism (3A) operates with a driving force from the drive source, while its operation is restricted by an external force input from the lid (2).

[0125] This technology makes it possible to restrict the movement of the lid, which would otherwise try to rotate to the closed position due to its own weight, even if the driving force from the drive source is stopped while the lid is rotated to the crawling position.

[0126] (Technical 10) The self-locking mechanism is the lid opening and closing device (100A) described in Technical 9, comprising a worm gear (13) provided on the drive source side and having 2 or fewer teeth, and a helical gear (14) provided on the shaft portion (5a) side and meshing with the worm gear (13).

[0127] This technology makes it possible to implement a self-locking mechanism with a simple configuration.

[0128] (Technical 11) The lid opening and closing device (100C) according to any one of Technical 2 to 10, wherein the first engaging portion (26e) has a pair of first inclined surfaces (26g) that extend linearly inclined such that the distance between them decreases with respect to the direction in which the second engaging portion (27c) moves forward, and the second engaging portion (27c) has a pair of second inclined surfaces (27d) that extend in the same direction as the first inclined surfaces (26g) and contact the pair of first inclined surfaces (26g) at the forward position.

[0129] This technology makes it easier to adjust the engagement strength between the first and second engagement parts, thereby reducing the effort required to optimize the operation of the lid opening and closing device.

[0130] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. For example, the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be added or deleted as appropriate, and the configuration of one embodiment can be provided in other embodiments. Furthermore, the effects in the above-described embodiment are merely illustrative of the effects that may result from the present invention. In other words, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and additional effects may also be produced in addition to the above-described effects.

[0131] 1: Base 1c: Opening 2: Lid 3A-3E: Drive mechanism 4d: Positioning recess (shaft rotation prevention mechanism) 5A-5E: Shaft member 5a: Shaft 5b: Positioning protrusion (shaft rotation prevention mechanism) 5c: Head 5d: First lateral hole (slide support part, elastic body arrangement part) 5e: Second lateral hole (slide support part) 7: Motor (drive source) 13: Worm gear 14: Hex gear 20: First rotating body for drive output 20b: First through hole 20e: Opposing part 20f: First engaging part 21: Slide member 21c: Second engaging part 22: Elastic body 23: Second rotating body for drive output 23b: Second through hole 23d: Drive side opposing surface 23e: First engaging part 24: Slide head 24d: Driven side opposing surface 24e: Second engaging part 25: Elastic body 26: First rotating body for drive output 26c: First through hole 26d: Opposing part 26e: First engaging part 26g: First inclined surface 27: Sliding member 27c: Second engaging part 27d: Second inclined surface 32: First rotating body for drive output 32c: First through hole 32d: Opposing part 32e: First engaging part 32g: First inclined surface 32m: Closed side stopper release part 32n: Open side stopper release part 33: Closed side stopper 33c: Closed side stopper contact part 35: Open side stopper 35c: Open side stopper contact part 38: First rotating body for drive output 38c: First through hole 38d: Opposing part 38e: First engaging part 38g: First inclined surface 40: Emergency cable 100A-100E: Lid opening / closing device; O: Central shaft; T1A-T1E: Drive side transmission mechanism; T2A-T2E: Driven side transmission mechanism

Claims

1. A lid opening and closing device comprising: a base having an opening; a lid having a shaft portion that rotates relative to the base and rotating about the central axis of the shaft portion between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening; and a drive mechanism having a drive source that rotates the shaft portion by a driving force from the drive source, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a drive-side transmission mechanism connected to the drive source and a driven-side transmission mechanism connected to the shaft portion, wherein either the drive-side transmission mechanism or the driven-side transmission mechanism has a first engagement portion, and the other of the drive-side transmission mechanism or the driven-side transmission mechanism has a second engagement portion that is movable between a forward position that engages with the first engagement portion and a retracted position that does not engage with the first engagement portion and transmits a driving force from the drive-side transmission mechanism to the driven-side transmission mechanism in the forward position, and an elastic body that biases the second engagement portion from the retracted position toward the forward position.

2. The driven-side transmission mechanism comprises a head portion provided so as to be non-rotatable with respect to the shaft portion and non-movable in a direction along the central axis, and a slide member having the second engagement portion, wherein the head portion has a slide support portion that supports the slide member so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the central axis, and an elastic body arrangement portion on which the elastic body is arranged, the driving-side transmission mechanism comprises a first drive output rotating body that rotates about the central axis, the first drive output rotating body comprises an opposing portion located outside the head portion and facing the head portion, and the first engagement portion is provided on the opposing portion, the lid opening and closing device according to claim 1.

3. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 2, wherein the lid comprises a lid body to which the shaft portion can be attached and which closes or opens the opening, and a shaft portion anti-rotation mechanism which prevents the shaft portion from rotating relative to the lid body when the shaft portion is attached to the lid body, and the first drive output rotating body has a first through hole that extends along the central axis into which the shaft portion is inserted.

4. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 2, comprising a closing-side stopper that moves to engage with the head portion to prevent the head portion from rotating when the head portion and the shaft portion rotate to one side in the circumferential direction and the lid rotates to the closed position, the drive output first rotating body has a closing-side stopper release portion, and the closing-side stopper has a closing-side stopper contact portion that, when the drive output first rotating body rotates to the other side in the circumferential direction, contacts the closing-side stopper release portion and moves the closing-side stopper so as to disengage from the head portion.

5. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 2, comprising an opening-side stopper that moves to engage with the head portion to prevent the head portion from rotating when the head portion and the shaft portion rotate to the other side in the circumferential direction and the lid rotates to the open position, the first drive output rotating body having an opening-side stopper release portion, and the opening-side stopper having an opening-side stopper contact portion that, when the first drive output rotating body rotates to one side in the circumferential direction, comes into contact with the opening-side stopper release portion and moves the opening-side stopper so as to disengage from the head portion.

6. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 2, further comprising an emergency cable connected to the head portion, which, when pulled, rotates the head portion toward the side toward the open position.

7. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the driven-side transmission mechanism comprises a slide head that is not rotatable with respect to the shaft and is movable in a direction along the central axis, the drive-side transmission mechanism comprises a second drive output rotating body that rotates about the central axis and faces the slide head in a direction along the central axis, the portion of the slide head facing the second drive output rotating body is the driven-side facing surface, and the portion of the second drive output rotating body facing the driven-side facing surface is the drive-side facing surface, the first engagement portion is provided on either the driven-side facing surface or the drive-side facing surface, the second engagement portion is provided on either the driven-side facing surface or the drive-side facing surface, and the elastic body biases the slide head or the second drive output rotating body in a direction that brings the driven-side facing surface and the drive-side facing surface closer together.

8. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 7, wherein the lid comprises a lid body to which the shaft portion can be attached and which closes or opens the opening, and a shaft portion anti-rotation mechanism which prevents the shaft portion from rotating on the lid when the shaft portion is attached to the lid body, and the second drive output rotating body extends along the central axis and has a second through hole into which the shaft portion is inserted.

9. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism operates with a driving force from the drive source, while its operation is restricted by an external force input from the lid.

10. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 9, wherein the self-locking mechanism comprises a worm gear provided on the drive source side and having two or fewer teeth, and a helical gear provided on the shaft side that meshes with the worm gear.

11. The lid opening and closing device according to claim 2 or 7, wherein the first engaging portion has a pair of first inclined surfaces that extend linearly inclined such that the distance between them decreases with respect to the direction in which the second engaging portion moves forward, and the second engaging portion has a pair of second inclined surfaces that extend in the same direction as the first inclined surfaces and contact the pair of first inclined surfaces at the forward position.

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