JP2001173289A - Coupling structure of output shaft of actuator unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily mount an output shaft on an actuator unit. SOLUTION: In a coupling structure of the output shaft of the actuator unit comprising a rotary lever 13 which is disposed in a case 2 with a motor 3 built therein and rotated between one position L and the other position U by the power of the motor 3, and the output shaft 30 an outer end of which is projected outward piercing the case and which transfers the rotational force of the rotary lever 13 outside, a T-head 31 is formed on an inner end of the output shaft, an opening part 35 for the T-head through which the T-head 31 can be just passed is provided in the case 2, an engagement recessed portion 32 for the T-head with which the T-head 31 is just fitted is provided on a base portion of the rotary lever 13, and the direction of the engagement recessed portion 32 for the T-head is set to be not to agree with the direction of the opening part 3 for the T-head of the case 2 even when the rotary lever 13 is rotated between one position L and the other position U.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a motor type actuator unit, and more particularly to a structure for connecting a rotary lever inside an actuator unit to an output shaft.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-144602 discloses that a motor B is provided in a case A as shown in FIG.
A cylindrical worm C that is rotated by the motor B; a worm wheel D that meshes with the cylindrical worm C; a rotating lever E that switches between one position and the other position when the worm wheel D rotates; And an output shaft F to be supported.
Describes an actuator unit in which a switching member that is protruded outward through the case A and that is switched between one position and the other position is connected thereto. The switching member is exemplified by a lock lever of a vehicle door latch device that switches between a locked position and an unlocked position.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above-mentioned known devices,
The output shaft F is formed of a synthetic resin integrally with the rotary lever E, and the outer end of the output shaft F is projected outward through a round hole formed in the case A, and the switching member is fixed to the projected portion. The method and, on the contrary, the output shaft F is formed of synthetic resin integrally with the switching member, and the inner end of the output shaft F is protruded into the case A through a round hole formed in the case A, There is a method of fixing the rotating lever E to the inner end thereof. However, in either method, it is necessary to fix and connect the output shaft to the rotating lever or the switching member. For this work, a welding method using heat, a fixing method using screws or screws, or an adhesive is used. The joining method used was required.

[0004]

Accordingly, the present invention provides a rotary lever 13 provided in a case 2 having a motor 3 built therein and rotated between one position L and another position U by the power of the motor 3.
And an outer end having an output shaft 30 penetrating through the case 2 and projecting outward to transmit the rotational force of the rotary lever 13 to the outside. A T-head portion 31 is provided at the inner end of the output shaft. The case 2 is provided with a T-head opening 35 through which the T-head portion 31 can just pass, and a T-head engaging recess in which the T-head portion 31 is exactly engaged with the base of the rotary lever 13. 32, the orientation of the T-head engaging recess 32 is such that the T-head opening 35 of the case 2 can be rotated even if the rotary lever 13 rotates between the one position L and the other position U. This is a structure in which the output shafts of the actuator units are configured so as not to coincide with the directions.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes an actuator unit according to the present invention. A motor 3 and a cylindrical worm 5 attached to a motor shaft 4 of the motor 3 are provided in the case 2.
A worm wheel 6 meshing with the cylindrical worm 5 is provided. Reference numeral 7 denotes a central axis of the worm wheel 6.

The worm wheel 6 is normally held at the neutral position in FIGS. 1 and 4 by the elastic force of the neutral return spring 8, and rotates in both the left and right directions by the power of the motor 3. 9 is a gear that rotates integrally with the worm wheel 6. The gear 9 is formed with an extremely coarse pitch as shown, and in the embodiment, five teeth are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the tooth pieces of the gear 9 are shifted in three stages in the axial direction (length direction) of the central shaft 7, and the upper part thereof has one tooth. Piece of basic tooth 1
0 is formed, and two first driving teeth 11A, 1
1B, and the first driving teeth 11A, 11B
Second drive teeth 12A and 12B having the same shape as B are formed.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a rotary lever, which is rotatably supported on the case 2 by a fastening shaft 14. It is desirable that the fastening shaft 14 be formed integrally with the case 2 or the rotary lever 13.
Toothed portions 15 meshing with the gear 9 are formed at the arcuate end of the rotary lever 13. Rotary lever 13 of this embodiment
, The rotational force of the worm wheel 6 is transmitted through the meshing of the gears. However, as in the conventional case, the worm wheel 6 is provided with a cam groove and the follower of the rotating lever 13 is provided. May be transmitted to the rotation lever 13.

At the base of the rotary lever 13, a T-head 31 formed at the tip of the output shaft 30 shown in FIG.
Is formed with the engaging recess 32 for the T head (FIG. 10).
reference). The output shaft 30 is integrally formed with a switching member 33 set to be switched between one position and the other position,
The T head portion 31 is attached to the cover 34 of the case 2 (FIG. 1).
Case 2 through the T-head opening 35 formed in 1)
Is inserted into. Reference numeral 36 denotes a seal member that adheres to the cover 34 in a watertight manner. When the rotation lever 13 switches from the one position L to the other position U and vice versa by the rotation of the worm wheel 6, the switching member 33 switches from one position to the other position and vice versa in conjunction therewith.
An example of the switching member 33 is a lock lever of a vehicle door latch device that switches between a locked position and an unlocked position.

The teeth 15 are also formed at an extremely coarse pitch similarly to the gear 9, and are displaced in three stages in the axial direction of the fastening shaft 14.
Outer teeth 16A and 16B that can be engaged with only the first driving teeth 11A and 11B are formed in the middle, and the second driven teeth 17 that can be engaged only with the first driving teeth 11A and 11B are formed in the middle. A second passive tooth piece 18 that can mesh with only the tooth pieces 12A and 12B is formed.

The rotary lever 13 is turned by the power of the motor 3 between one position L shown in FIG. 1 and another position U shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the orientation of the T-head engaging recess 32 of the rotary lever 13 in this rotation range is equal to the T-head opening 35 of the cover 34.
Set not to match the direction of.

[0012]

The present invention is constructed as described above. At the time of assembling, first, the motor 3, the cylindrical worm 5, the worm wheel 6, the rotating lever 13 and the like are mounted in the case 2, and then the T-head 31 of the switching member 33. Into the T-head opening 35 of the cover 34 of the case 2. Opening 35
When the switching member 33 is rotated, the T-head portion 31 does not come off as is well known, and this rotation further inserts and fits into the T-head engaging concave portion 32 of the rotary lever 13 already mounted in the case 2. Since it becomes possible, the cover 34 is attached to the case 2 while the T head portion 31 is aligned with the engagement recess 32 for the T head, and both are fixed. Thus, the assembly of the actuator unit 1 is completed.

In the actuator unit 1 assembled in this manner, the rotary lever 13 is rotatable only between the one position L and the other position U. Engaging recess 3
The direction of 2 does not match the direction of the opening 35 for the T head of the cover 34 as shown in FIG. For this reason, only by inserting the T head portion 31 into the opening portion 35 and then engaging with the engagement concave portion 32, a separate fixing tool such as a screw or a screw is not used.
Not only can the output shaft 30 of the switching member 33 be connected to the rotary lever 13, but also the
4) is also prevented.

Next, the operation of the actuator unit 1 will be described. Here, the switching member 33 is expressed as a lock lever 33 here. 1 and 9, the worm wheel 6 is held at the neutral position by the elastic force of the neutral return spring 8, and the rotating lever 13 interlocked with the lock lever 33 is at the locked position L. In addition, only the basic teeth 10 of the gear 9 face the trajectory of the teeth 15 of the rotating lever 13 and are in contact with the outer teeth 16B of the teeth 15.

In the state shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
Is manually moved in the unlock direction.
3 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, the basic teeth 10 of the gear 9
Since only the outer teeth 16A and 16B of the rotating lever 13 can mesh with each other, the rotating lever 13 can rotate freely until the outer teeth 16A abuts on the basic gear 10 (FIGS. 4 and 5). The manual switching of the 33 to the unlock position U is completed without rotating the gear 9. The same applies to the switching of the lock lever 33 from the unlock position U to the lock position L. This mechanism becomes the clutch mechanism of the actuator unit 1.

1 and 9, when the motor 3 is unlocked, the cylindrical worm 5 is unlocked and the worm wheel 6 is rotated clockwise. Then, the gear 9 also rotates clockwise, so that the basic tooth 10 pushes the outer tooth 16B of the rotary lever 13 slightly rightward, and then the second driving tooth 12A of the gear 9 becomes the second passive tooth of the rotary lever 13. 18
To rotate the rotation lever 13 counterclockwise (FIG. 2),
Then, the first driving tooth 11A of the gear 9 meshes with the first passive tooth 17 of the rotating lever 13 to further rotate the rotating lever 13 counterclockwise to the state shown in FIG. 3, and the rotating lever 13 and the lock lever 33 It switches to the unlock position U. FIG.
In this state, the rotation lever 13 reaches the mechanical rotation limit, whereby the rotation of the motor 3 is stopped and the energization is terminated.

When the energization of the motor 3 is completed, the worm wheel 6 is rotated counterclockwise by the elastic force of the neutral return spring 8 and returned to the neutral position, as shown in FIGS.
Are just in contact with the outer teeth 16A of the rotary lever 13. 4 and 5, when the motor 3 is locked and rotated, the cylindrical worm 5 is locked and the worm wheel 6 is rotated counterclockwise. Then, the gear 9 also rotates counterclockwise, and the basic tooth piece 10 is rotated by the rotation lever 13.
Is pushed slightly leftward, and then the first driving tooth 11B of the gear 9 is moved to the first passive tooth 1 of the rotary lever 13.
7, the rotation lever 13 is rotated clockwise (FIG. 6),
Then, the second driving tooth 12B of the gear 9 meshes with the second passive tooth 18 of the rotating lever 13 to further rotate the rotating lever 13 clockwise (FIG. 7), and the lock lever 33 moves to the lock position L.
(FIG. 8). Thus, when the energization of the motor 3 is completed, the worm wheel 6 is rotated clockwise by the elastic force of the neutral return spring 8 and returned to the neutral position.
State.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, the rotating lever 13 provided between the one position L and the other position U provided in the case 2 in which the motor 3 is incorporated is driven by the power of the motor 3.
And an outer end having an output shaft 30 penetrating through the case 2 and projecting outward to transmit the rotational force of the rotary lever 13 to the outside. A T-head portion 31 is provided at the inner end of the output shaft. The case 2 is provided with a T-head opening 35 through which the T-head portion 31 can just pass, and a T-head engaging recess in which the T-head portion 31 is exactly engaged with the base of the rotary lever 13. 32, the orientation of the T-head engaging recess 32 is such that the T-head opening 35 of the case 2 can be rotated even if the rotary lever 13 rotates between the one position L and the other position U. Since the connection structure of the output shaft of the actuator unit is configured so as not to coincide with the direction, only by inserting the T head portion 31 into the opening portion 35 and then engaging with the engagement concave portion 32,
The switching member 33 is used without using a separate fixing tool such as a screw or a screw.
Not only can the output shaft 30 be connected to the rotary lever 13 but also the switching member 33 is prevented from falling off the case 2 (cover 34).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a locked state of an actuator unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a worm wheel is slightly rotated clockwise by a motor from the state shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which a rotation lever has been rotated to an unlock position.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the worm wheel has returned to a neutral position from the state shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part in an unlocked state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a state in which the worm wheel is slightly counterclockwise rotated from the state of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a state in which the worm wheel is slightly counterclockwise rotated from the state of FIG. 6;

8 is a perspective view of a state in which the worm wheel is slightly counterclockwise rotated from the state of FIG. 7 and the rotation lever is switched to the lock position.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a state where the worm wheel has returned to the neutral position from the state of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of a rotary lever.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a case cover.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a switching member.

FIG. 13 is a known example showing an actuator unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-144602.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Actuator unit, 2 ... Case, 3 ... Motor, 4 ... Motor shaft, 5 ... Cylindrical worm, 6 ... Worm wheel, 7 ... Central shaft, 8 ... Neutral return spring, 9 ... Gear, 1
0: basic tooth, 11A, 11B: first driving tooth, 12
A, 12B ... second drive tooth piece, 13 ... rotary lever, 14 ...
Fixing shaft, 15: tooth portion, 16A, 16B: outer tooth piece, 17
... first passive tooth, 18 ... second passive tooth, 30 ... output shaft,
31: T-head part, 32: T-head engaging recess, 33 ...
Switching member, 34 ... cover, 35 ... opening for T head, 3
6 ... Seal member.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission Date] January 20, 2000 (2000.1.2
0)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All figures

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

FIG. 4

FIG. 5

FIG. 6

FIG. 7

FIG. 8

FIG. 9

FIG. 10

FIG. 11

FIG.

FIG. 13

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotating lever (13) provided in a case (2) containing a motor (3) for rotating between one position (L) and another position (U) by the power of the motor (3), and an outer end passing through the case (2). An output shaft 30 protruding outward and transmitting the rotational force of the rotary lever 13 to the outside, wherein a T head portion 31 is formed at an inner end of the output shaft, and the case 2
The T-head portion 31 is provided with a T-head opening portion 35 through which the T-head portion 31 can just pass. The orientation of the head engaging recess 32 is as follows.
The rotation lever 13 is moved between the one position L and the other position U
And the output shaft of the actuator unit is configured so as not to match the direction of the T head opening 35 of the case 2 even when rotated between the two.