JP2000348841A - Panel mounting structure for bulb socket - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a panel mounting structure for a bulb socket, excellent in insertion workability of the socket and capable of obtaining high mounting strength. SOLUTION: A pair of upper and lower flexible lock pieces 30 locked on a hole edge of a mounting opening 16 of a panel 15 are flexibly provided on the front end side of a socket 20 mounted with a bulb 10. A slider 40 is fitted back-and-forth slidably on an outer circumference of the socket 20, and flexure regulating pieces 42 capable of entering flexure space 36 on the lock pieces 30 are projectingly provided in front of the slider 40. At first, the slider 40 is locked in a back position, then the socket 20 is inserted into the mounting opening 16 while flexing the lock pieces 30, and when it has been inserted to a normal position, the lock pieces 30 are restoration deformed and locked into the mounting opening 16. Thereafter, by pushing the slider 40 to a fore position, the flexure regulating pieces 42 enter the flexure space 36, thereby regulating the flexure of the lock pieces 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a valve socket on a panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the following is known as an example of a structure in which a socket to which a valve is mounted is inserted into a mounting opening of a panel and mounted. This is a structure in which a plurality of elastic locking pieces are provided on the outer surface of the socket and extend in the insertion direction, and a plurality of elastic locking pieces are provided on the extending end side. Is inserted into the mounting opening while bending and deforming, and when the locking portion passes through the mounting opening, the locking piece is restored and deformed and locked to the back side edge of the mounting opening, thereby holding the socket in a retaining state. It can be attached. Such a mounting structure is described, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-72010.

[0003]

In the above conventional structure, it is effective to increase the bending rigidity of the elastic locking piece in order to increase the mounting strength of the socket to the panel. The stop piece is less likely to bend and deform, resulting in a decrease in insertion workability. Conversely, if the bending stiffness of the elastic locking piece is reduced with emphasis on the insertion workability, the mounting strength will be inferior this time, and in this type of mounting structure, the mounting strength and the insertion workability are incompatible with each other. there were. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a panel mounting structure of a valve socket which is excellent in socket insertion workability and can obtain high mounting strength. is there.

[0004]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure in which a socket to which a valve is mounted is inserted into a mounting opening of a panel for mounting. A locking piece is provided on the rim of the mounting opening so as to be able to be bent and deformed in a posture along the insertion direction of the socket, and moves into and out of the bending space of the locking piece. The present invention is characterized in that a possible deflection regulating member is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the socket is inserted into the mounting opening from a mounting end side of the valve, and the deflection restricting member includes The socket is characterized in that it can advance on the outer surface of the socket along the insertion direction of the socket and enter the bending space.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the bending restricting member is retracted to the rear of the bending space, and is advanced to the bending space. The present invention is characterized in that a lock means for locking each is provided.

[0007]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> When the socket is inserted into the mounting opening in a state where the deflection regulating member is retracted, the locking piece is pushed in while being flexibly deformed and pushed to the predetermined position. At this point, the locking piece is locked to the rim of the mounting opening while being restored and deformed. Subsequently, when the bending restricting member enters the bending space, the bending deformation of the locking piece is restricted. By restricting the bending deformation of the locking piece, the locking force with respect to the mounting opening is substantially enhanced, and on the other hand, the bending rigidity of the locking piece can be reduced accordingly, so that the insertion force of the socket is reduced. be able to. Also, in the half-inserted state in which the socket is not inserted to the proper position, the locking piece is still bent and deformed in the bending space, so when the bending restricting member is inserted into the bending space, it hits the locking piece and enters. Is regulated,
With this, half insertion of the socket can be detected.

<Invention of claim 2> As an example of the arrangement structure of the valve, there is a structure in which a lens hood is provided in advance around the mounting opening on the front surface side of the panel, and the assembling procedure of this is that the socket is previously provided. Attach the valve,
The mounting end side is limited to being inserted into the mounting opening from the back side of the panel. Even with this structure, the bending restricting member can be advanced forward along the outer surface of the socket toward the front in the insertion direction, so that it can enter the bending space of the locking piece, thereby increasing the mounting force and the socket. Easy insertion is ensured. In addition, when the socket is in the half-inserted state, when the deflection control member is advanced, the socket abuts on the locking piece that is bent into the bending space and the entry is restricted, so that the half-inserted state can be detected. In addition, when the deflection restricting member is further pushed in, it is possible to push the socket together with the locking piece to the normal position.

<Invention of Claim 3> Since the deflection restricting member is lockable at the retracted position, the socket is prevented from being accidentally advanced before being inserted into the mounting opening, and is also moved to the advanced position. Being lockable to
It is possible to prevent the deflection regulating member from accidentally falling out of the deflection space after mounting the socket.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the structure of a part for attaching a socket 20 to which a wedge base valve 10 is mounted to a panel 15 is illustrated. In the wedge base bulb 10, a flat base portion 12 is formed on the base end side of the light emitting portion 11, and a lead wire drawn out from both ends of the filament is folded on both surfaces of the base portion 12 to form a pair of contacts. This is a known structure.

A circular mounting opening 16 is formed in the panel 15, and a hemispherical lens made of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin material is provided on the front side of the panel 15 (the left side in FIG. 1). A hood 17 is applied so as to cover around the mounting opening 16 and is fixed by welding or the like.

The socket 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole from a synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the socket 20 has a rectangular cylindrical portion 22 on the rear side of the flange 21. On the front side of the valve mounting portion 21, a pair of upper and lower arc-shaped peripheral walls 23 are disposed so as to form a cylindrical shape as a whole with a space therebetween in a vertical direction.
4 are formed.

From the rear of the rectangular tube portion 22 of the socket 20,
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of connection terminals 27 fixed to the ends of the electric wires 26 are inserted and accommodated in a retaining state, and each of the connection terminals 27 is further provided with a pair of holding pieces 28 facing each other. ing. The valve 10 is connected to the base 12
From the side into the bulb mounting part 24, the side of the light emitting part 11 close to the base part 12 is fitted into the bulb mounting part 24, and the base part 12 is elastically connected by a pair of holding pieces 28 of each connection terminal 27. And each contact is electrically connected to a corresponding connection terminal 27 (see FIG. 10).

A pair of locking pieces 30 are provided on both upper and lower surfaces of the socket 20 on the valve mounting portion 24 side. Specifically, window holes 31 are respectively opened at upper and lower two positions on the inner peripheral side of the flange 21, and upper and lower two positions on the outer peripheral side are respectively formed on upper and lower peripheral walls 23 constituting the valve mounting portion 24. Further, a groove 32 in the front-rear direction which is open from the window hole 31 to the front surface is cut.

The locking pieces 30 are formed so as to rise from the inner surface of each window hole 31 and extend forward, and each of the tips can be bent and deformed inward. A hook-shaped locking portion 33 that can be locked to the edge of the mounting opening 16 of the panel 15 is formed on the outer surface of the tip. The outer surface on the distal end side of the engaging portion 33 is a rounded guide surface 34. The space on the inner surface side of each locking piece 30 is a bending space 36 that allows the bending deformation of the locking piece 30 as described above.

A slider 40 is fitted on the outer periphery of the rectangular tube portion 22 of the socket 20 so as to be slidable in the length direction. The slider 40 is formed separately from the socket 20 by a synthetic resin material, and includes a rectangular frame portion 41 that is tightly fitted to the outer periphery of the rectangular tube portion 22 as shown in FIGS. ing. On the front surface of the frame body portion 41, long bending restricting pieces 42 are respectively protruded from central portions in the width direction at two upper and lower edges thereof. On the other hand, an insertion opening 37 into which the bending restricting piece 42 can be inserted is formed in the rising base of the locking piece 30 so as to communicate with the bending space 36 as shown in FIGS.

A mounting groove 45 for a lock piece 44 is formed at a central height position between two left and right edges of the slider 40. The mounting groove 45 is opened over the entire area in the thickness direction on the front edge side, and is opened except for the ceiling portion on the rear edge side. At a position inside the mounting groove 45, the mounting groove 45 extends forward from the lower surface of the ceiling portion. The lock piece 44 is formed so as to extend, so that the lock piece 44 is capable of bending and deforming outward at the extension end side. The lock piece 44 has a lock hole 46 formed on the rear surface.

On the other hand, on the left and right surfaces of the socket 20, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a main lock projection 48 is located near the flange 21 and a temporary lock projection 49 is located at a position rearward from the flange 21 by a predetermined distance. Each pair is formed. These projections 48 and 49 can be fitted into the lock holes 46 of the lock pieces 44 described above. The temporary lock projections 49 have a tapered surface on the rear surface side, while the temporary lock projections 48
Both front and rear surfaces are tapered.

That is, the slider 40 is fitted into the square tube portion 22 of the socket 20 from the rear, and when slid forward,
First, the tip of the lock piece 44 hits the tapered surface of the temporary lock projection 49 and rides on the temporary lock projection 49 while flexing and deforming outward. It fits inside and is locked. Also, the tip of the lock piece 44 is the main lock projection 4.
By hitting 8, forward movement is also restricted. In this state, the slider 40 is held at the retracted position. At this retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1, the bending restricting piece 42 provided on the slider 40 is inserted into the insertion opening 37 at the base of the locking piece 30. , Staying in front of the bending space 36.

When the slider 40 is further pushed in from the retracted position, the leading end of the lock piece 44 rides while flexing and deforming on the tapered surface on the rear surface side of the lock projection 48, and the slider 4
When the frame portion 41 is pushed until it abuts against the flange 21, the lock piece 44 is restored and deformed by passing through the main lock projection 48, and the main lock projection 48 is inserted into the lock hole 46.
It fits inside and is locked by retaining (FIGS. 8 and 9). This position is the forward position of the slider 40. At this time, the bending restricting piece 42 is designed to enter deep into the bending space 36 as shown in FIG.

This embodiment has a structure as described above,
Subsequently, the operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the slider 40 is mounted to the socket 20 at a retracted position in advance. Then, the valve 10 is mounted on the valve mounting portion 24 in the manner described above. The socket 20 to which the valve 10 is mounted is inserted into the mounting opening 16 of the panel 15 from the mounting end side of the valve 10 as shown in FIG.

As the insertion proceeds, the locking piece 30 of the socket 20
11 comes into contact with the edge of the rear surface side of the mounting opening 16 and is further pushed in. As shown in FIG.
0 is pushed into the bending space 36 while being bent and deformed. When the flange 21 abuts against the rim on the back side of the mounting opening 16, as shown in FIG.
6, the locking piece 30 returns to the original position by the restoring elasticity, and the locking portion 33 is locked to the front edge of the mounting opening 16.

Next, when the slider 40 is pushed in to move forward from the retracted position toward the advanced position, as shown in FIG.
It penetrates to a depth of about half in the bending space 36. Thereby, the bending deformation of the locking piece 30 is regulated, and the
Is attached to the mounting opening 16 of the panel 15 in a strong retaining state.

When the socket 20 is inserted into the mounting opening 16 of the panel 15, it may not be inserted to the proper position, that is, the insertion operation may be interrupted while being kept in a half-inserted state. In that case, as shown in FIG.
The locking piece 30 is bent and deformed, and is kept in a state of protruding into the bending space 36. When the slider 40 is moved forward in such a state, the deflection restricting piece 42 hits the locking piece 30 to restrict the forward movement of the slider 40, and this causes the socket 20 to move forward.
Is detected to be in a half-inserted state. At this time,
The socket 20 may be pushed again to the normal position. Further, when the socket 40 is in the half-inserted state and the slider 40 is pushed in with a stronger force from the state in which the bending restricting piece 42 has hit the locking piece 30, the locking piece 30 and the socket 20 are both regular. It is possible to push it into position.

When the valve 10 is to be replaced, the slider 40 is pulled back to the retracted position, and as shown in FIG. 12, the bending restricting piece 42 comes out behind the bending space 36 and the locking piece 30 is bent. The socket 20 can be removed together with the bulb 10 from the panel 15 by forcibly bending and deforming the locking piece 30 with a jig or the like and pulling the socket 20 backward.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
After the locking piece 30 is restored and locked in the mounting opening 16, the bending restricting piece 42 enters the bending space 36 to restrict the bending deformation of the locking piece 30.
0 can be attached to the attachment opening 16 firmly as a retaining state. On the other hand, as described above, the locking piece 30
The bending force of the locking piece 30 does not need to be so high, and the insertion force of the socket 20 can be reduced accordingly. .

In the half-inserted state in which the socket 20 is not inserted to the proper position, the locking piece 30 is still bent and deformed in the bending space 36, so that the bending restricting piece 42 is bent with the advance of the slider 40. The locking piece 3 when entering 36
When it hits 0, it is regulated and half insertion of the socket 20 can be detected. When the slider 40 is further pushed in after the detection of the half insertion, the locking piece 3
It is also possible to push the socket 20 all the way to the normal position.

Further, since the slider 40 can be locked between the retracted position and the advanced position, the slider 40 may be inadvertently advanced before the socket 20 is inserted into the mounting opening 16. After the socket 20 is mounted, the slider 40 retreats carelessly, and
Does not fall out of the bending space 36.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) Unlike the above embodiment, a lens hood or the like is not provided on the front surface side of the panel in advance, and the valve can be mounted from the front surface side of the panel. The structure may be such that it enters the flexure space from the front, or the flexure restricting member may enter from the side.

(2) The present invention can be similarly applied to a socket for mounting a base valve. (3) Further, the present invention is similarly applicable to a valve socket of a type in which a connector portion to be fitted to a mating connector is formed on the rear end side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a valve socket.

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the slider.

FIG. 6 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the socket with the slider moved to a forward position.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway plan view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of an initial state of insertion of a socket.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a locking piece is flexed and deformed.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the socket is inserted to a regular position.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the slider is pushed to a forward position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wedge base valve 15 ... Panel 16 ... Mounting opening 20 ... Socket 22 ... Square tube part 24 ... Valve mounting part 30 ... Locking piece 33 ... Locking part 36 ... Bending space 40 ... Slider 42 ... Bending restriction piece 44 ... Lock Piece 46 ... lock hole 48 ... final lock projection 49 ... temporary lock projection

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A structure in which a socket to which a valve is mounted is inserted into a mounting opening of a panel and mounted, wherein the socket has a locking piece which is locked to a rim of the mounting opening in a retaining state. A panel mounting structure for a valve socket, characterized by being provided so as to be able to bend and deform in a posture along the insertion direction of the socket, and having a bending restricting member capable of moving forward and backward in the bending space of the locking piece. 2. The socket is adapted to be inserted into the mounting opening from the mounting end side of the valve, and the deflection regulating member advances on the outer surface of the socket along the insertion direction of the socket. 2. The panel mounting structure for a valve socket according to claim 1, wherein said panel mounting structure is capable of entering said bending space. 3. A locking means for locking the deflection restricting member at a retracted position retracted to the rear of the bending space and at a forward position entered into the bending space, respectively. The panel mounting structure for a valve socket according to claim 1 or 2.