JP2005349936A - Hinge structure of console - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide hinge structure of a console where holding performance holding a turning movable body part at an arbitrary angle is not reduced irrespective of repetitive use. <P>SOLUTION: The hinge structure of the console has a base part 11 fixed to a vehicle 23, a support part 12 provided on the base part 11, and an armrest 17 rotatably pivoted to the support part 12 through a turning shaft mechanism. Bearing part 14 composing the turning shaft mechanism is fixed to the support part 12, and the turning shaft part 16 is fixed to the armrest 17. The magnetic force gives rotational resistance by using the one surface of the surfaces where the bearing part 14 and the turning shaft part 16 are facing each other as a permanent magnet 15, and by using the other surface as a magnetic material or a magnet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a console hinge structure that is provided in a space between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of an automobile and stores small items or is used as an armrest.

  In the space adjacent to the driver's seat of the car, in order to improve the convenience and comfort of the driver, a box for storing small items necessary for driving and an armrest for placing an elbow are provided.

  The box has a lid called a lid, and the lid is coupled to the box main body by a slide structure, a shade structure, or a hinge structure.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like, a conventional console has a lid that also serves as an armrest, and has a structure in which the rear end of the lid is coupled with a hinge structure and pivoted up and down to open and close. is there.

  In recent years, with the upgrading and diversification of vehicles, various forms of the appearance and function of the lid are required, and a lid that can be held at an arbitrary angle during rotation is also known (for example, (See Patent Document 1).

  First, the configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The friction shaft 3 that is pushed and expanded in the left-right direction by the extension force of the spring 4, the pivot short shaft 2 having an internal hole for housing the friction shaft 3, and the pivot short A lid 1 that rotates as the shaft 2 rotates is provided.

  The friction shaft 3 is formed, for example, in a truncated cone shape, and the inner hole of the pivotal support short shaft 2 is formed in a tapered shape so as to be in close contact with the surface of the friction shaft 3.

  Next, the operation of this conventional hinge structure will be described.

  In the conventional hinge structure configured as described above, the lid 1 is held by the frictional resistance generated between the inner surfaces of the holes of the friction shaft 3 and the pivotal short shaft 2.

  Here, the friction shafts 3 and 3 are expanded in the left-right direction by the extension force of the spring 4 attached between the friction shafts 3 and 3. The friction shaft 3 is pressed against the inner surface of the hole of the pivotal short shaft 2 formed in a tapered shape, and the frictional resistance between the friction shaft 3 and the pivotal short shaft 2 increases.

  The increased frictional resistance counters the force that the lid 1 tries to fall by its own weight as the rotational resistance.

In addition to this, a technique for adjusting the rotational resistance of the hinge structure by the pressing force of the spring is also known in other technical fields (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
JP-A-9-267852 (FIG. 9, FIG. 1, paragraphs 0002 to 0003) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-65543 (FIG. 1, paragraphs 0002 to 0004) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-280781 (FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional hinge structure, a desired frictional resistance is ensured by the extension force of the spring. For this reason, when the extension force of the spring decreases due to repeated use, the frictional resistance decreases, and it becomes impossible to secure a rotational resistance enough to hold the lid 1 at an arbitrary angle.

  Further, since the extension force of the spring is constant regardless of the angle between the pivotal short shaft 2 and the friction shaft 3, the magnitude of the rotational resistance cannot be changed by the angle.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a console hinge structure in which the holding performance for holding the rotationally movable body portion at an arbitrary angle does not deteriorate even after repeated use.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a base portion fixed to a vehicle, a support portion provided on the base portion, and a rotation pivotally supported by the support portion via a rotation shaft mechanism. A hinge structure of a console having a moving moving body portion, wherein the rotating shaft mechanism has one side surface of the supporting portion side facing the other side surface and the other side surface of the rotating moving body portion side; On one side, the magnetic material or magnet provided on the other side and a magnet that imparts rotational resistance by magnetic force are characterized.

  Further, in the present invention, the rotating shaft mechanism has a rotating shaft portion provided with a cylindrical bearing portion and a flange portion facing the end surface of the bearing portion, The console hinge structure according to claim 1, wherein a magnet is partially fixed, and a part of an end surface of the bearing portion is cut out so that a contact area with the magnet is increased or decreased depending on a rotation angle. .

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, one of the rotating shaft mechanisms is provided on a pair of upright portions opposed to each other with an interval provided in the support portion, and the rear end of the rotating moving body portion is provided. The other of the said rotating shaft mechanism is provided in the right-and-left both sides of the provided pivot support base, The said pivot support base is arrange | positioned between the said standing parts, and the said rotational movement body part is pivotally supported by the said support part. Or it is the hinge structure of the console of Claim 2. It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention configured as described above, the hinge structure of the console pivotally supports the rotationally movable body portion rotatably on the support portion via the rotational shaft mechanism. And the said rotating shaft mechanism has one side surface of the said support part side which opposes, and the other side surface of the said rotational movement body part side, The magnetic material provided in the other on one side of the said opposing surface Or the magnet which provides rotational resistance with a magnet and magnetic force is provided.

  For this reason, attraction force and repulsive force due to the magnetic force generated between the magnet and the magnetic material or the magnet become resistance, and the rotationally movable body portion can be held at an arbitrary angle. In addition, since the resistance is generated by magnetic force, the holding force does not decrease even when used repeatedly.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the rotating shaft mechanism is constituted by a rotating shaft portion provided with a cylindrical bearing portion and a flange portion facing the end surface of the bearing portion. And a magnet is fixed to a part of said collar part, and a part of end surface of the said bearing part is notched so that a contact area with the said magnet may increase / decrease according to a rotation angle.

  For this reason, the rotation of the rotating shaft changes the width of the contact area between the end face of the bearing portion other than the notch and the permanent magnet, and the rotational resistance due to the magnetic force also changes in proportion to the change in the contact area.

  Further, when the rotary moving body is in a horizontal state, a downward force due to its own weight acts on a position separated by a horizontal distance from the rotation fulcrum to the center of gravity. For this reason, even if it starts rotation, until it becomes a perpendicular state, the force of the direction in which a rotation moving body part falls around a rotation fulcrum acts.

  For this reason, if the force to fall by its own weight decreases due to an increase in the angle of the rotationally movable body part, the force required to rotate the rotationally movable body part may also decrease and move more than necessary. is there.

  On the other hand, by adopting a configuration in which the rotation resistance can be adjusted by the rotation angle, the decrease in the force to fall is compensated by the increase in the rotation resistance, and the operation force necessary to rotate the rotating moving body part is obtained. It can always be kept constant.

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of upright portions that are opposed to each other with a gap is provided on the support portion, and the pivot base portion is disposed between the upright portions.

  For this reason, the pivot support base part of the rotationally movable body part can be supported from both sides, and the rotational shaft mechanisms on both sides have a holding force (rotational resistance) by magnetic force, so the weight of the rotationally movable body part is large. Even then, it can be securely held at an arbitrary angle.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  The same or equivalent parts as those in the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the console 10 is provided between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the entire console 10. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the console 10 according to the present embodiment.

  First, from the configuration, the console 10 according to the present embodiment has a base portion 11 fixed to the vehicle 23, a support portion 12 provided at the rear end of the base portion 11, and a support portion 12 that is rotatably supported. And an armrest 17 as a rotationally movable body part.

  The base portion 11 is provided with a box portion 11a for storing small items and compact discs used during driving. For example, the front portion of the base portion 11 is the box portion 11a, and the support portion 12 is fixed to the rear.

  The support portion 12 is a member that pivotally supports the armrest 17 in a rotatable manner. The height of the support part 12 can be set arbitrarily. For example, the height difference between the height of the base portion 11 and the height suitable for the driver to put his elbow is used as the height of the support portion 12.

  The support part 12 and the base part 11 are usually molded separately, and the support part 12 is fixed to the base part 11 by a fitting method or screws 22 or the like. In addition, the base 11 and the support 12 can be formed integrally.

  For example, a pair of upright portions 13 and 13 that are opposed to each other with a space therebetween are provided at, for example, the tip of the support portion 12, and holes are formed therein to form attachment holes. The mounting holes provided in the pair of standing portions 13 and 13 are formed in a positional relationship such that they overlap when projected in the horizontal direction.

  The support portion 12 can be improved in appearance by covering the front surface with the front cover 18 after assembly, covering the side surfaces with the side covers 19 and 19, and covering the back surface with the rear cover 20 and the hinge cover 21.

  The rotating shaft mechanism is configured by combining a pair of members, for example. For example, it is configured by a cylindrical bearing portion 14 serving as a receiving shaft and a rotating shaft portion 16 inserted into the bearing portion 14. FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the rotating shaft mechanism.

  The bearing portion 14 includes a cylindrical portion 14 c into which the rotating shaft portion 16 is inserted and an attachment portion 14 d for fixing to the support portion 12. The bearing portion 14 is made of a magnetic material such as iron. For example, a steel material such as a cold rolled steel plate (SPC) is pressed and molded. It can also be molded by shaving.

  Further, a part of the end surface 14a of the bearing part 14 is cut out to form a cutout part 14b. Surfaces having different heights are formed between the end surface 14a and the notch portion 14b.

  The rotating shaft portion 16 includes an insertion portion 16b that is inserted into the inner space of the cylindrical portion 14c, a flange portion 16a that the end surface 14a of the cylindrical portion 14c faces, and a locking portion 16c that is locked to the armrest 17. . The rotating shaft portion 16 is molded from a resin material or the like.

  A permanent magnet 15 as a magnet is fixed to the flange portion 16a of the rotating shaft portion 16 with a screw 22 or the like. The permanent magnet 15 can be a ferrite magnet, an alnico magnet, a rare earth magnet, or the like. As the permanent magnet 15, an arc shape or an annular shape matching the shape of the flange portion 16 a can be used.

  The armrest 17 as a rotationally movable body part is constituted by, for example, a pad 17a constituting a surface, a frame 17b serving as a framework, and a bottom lid 17c arranged on the bottom surface.

  The pad 17a may be a fixed type or an openable / closable type that expands to the passenger seat side. In the case of the openable type, the armrest 17 also has a function as a box for storing small items.

  At the rear end of the frame 17b, a pivot base 17d for fixing the rotation shaft 16 is provided. The pivot support portion 17d is formed to have a width that can be disposed between the standing portions 13 and 13 of the support portion 12.

  Then, the cylindrical portion 14c is inserted into the mounting holes provided in the standing portions 13 and 13 from the outside, and the mounting portion 14d is fixed around the mounting holes with screws 22 or the like, so that the bearing portion 14 is attached to the support portion 12 ( (See FIG. 1).

  The rotation shaft portion 16, which is another member constituting the rotation shaft mechanism, is fixed to the armrest 17.

  An attachment hole is also provided in the pivot base portion 17d of the armrest 17, and the insertion portion 16b and the flange portion 16a of the rotating shaft portion 16 are inserted into the attachment hole from the inside. The rotation shaft portion 16 is attached to the armrest 17 by fitting and coupling the rotation shaft portion 16 to the mounting hole of the pivot base portion 17d (see FIG. 1).

  FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the console 10 that has been assembled. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view in the direction of arrows AA in FIG.

  The hinge structure of the assembled console becomes rotatable as the rotating shaft portion 16 rotates inside the bearing portion 14. A permanent magnet 15 is interposed between the end surface 14 a of the bearing portion 14 and the flange portion 16 a of the rotating shaft portion 16.

  For this reason, an attractive force due to a magnetic force acts between the permanent magnet 15 fixed to the rotating shaft portion 16 and the end surface 14 a of the bearing portion 14. Here, the surface of the permanent magnet 15 and the end surface 14a may be in close contact with each other, or there may be a gap within a range where an attractive force due to magnetic force is generated.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  The console hinge structure configured as described above can freely rotate the armrest 17 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.

  The armrest 17 is provided with a stopper or the like so as not to be lowered below the horizontal in order to use the armrest 17 in a horizontal posture.

  When the armrest 17 is rotated and the rotation shaft portion 16 rotates inside the bearing portion 14, the permanent magnet 15 fixed to the rotation shaft portion 16 and the end surface 14 a of the bearing portion 14 rotate while rubbing against each other. In addition, in order to prevent wear of the permanent magnet 15 at the time of rotation, the end surface 14a of the bearing portion 14 and the surface of the permanent magnet 15 can be slightly separated.

  When the rotation of the armrest 17 is stopped at an arbitrary angle, the armrest 17 can be held at that position by the magnetic force between the permanent magnet 15 and the bearing portion 14.

  As described above, since the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnet 15 and the bearing portion 14 made of a magnetic material is used as a rotational resistance, the rotational resistance hardly decreases even if it is repeatedly used.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship during rotation when the permanent magnet 15 is formed in an arc shape and a part of the end surface 14a of the bearing portion 14 is cut out in an arc shape to form the notch portion 14b. .

  In the state on the left side of FIG. 6, since the area where the permanent magnet 15 and the end surface 14 a overlap is small, the attractive force due to the magnetic force acting between the bearing portion 14 and the rotating shaft portion 16 is small. This is because the notch portion 14b is recessed from the end surface 14a, and the permanent magnet 15 and the notch portion 14b are separated from each other to reduce the attractive force.

  Then, when the rotation shaft portion 16 is rotated to the right side in FIG. 6, the overlapping area between the permanent magnet 15 and the end surface 14 a increases, and the attractive force acting between the bearing portion 14 and the rotation shaft portion 16 is increased. Become.

  When the armrest 17 is rotated from the horizontal state to the vertical state, the force that tends to return to the horizontal state due to the weight of the armrest 17 is greatest when the armrest 17 is in the horizontal state. The horizontal distance is reduced, and the overturning force for the armrest 17 to return to the horizontal state is reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a rotation resistance force (F ₁ ) generated between the bearing portion 14 and the rotation shaft portion 16 when the armrest 17 is rotated, and a falling force (F ₂ ) that the armrest 17 tries to return to the horizontal due to its own weight. ) And a desirable relationship between the operation force (F) that is the sum of the two.

  When the driver rotates the armrest 17, if the operating force (F) varies depending on the angle of the armrest 17, the driver feels heavier and becomes lighter as soon as the force is applied. It becomes difficult to adjust the angle of the armrest 17 to an appropriate position desired.

Therefore, if the rotation resistance force (F ₁ ) generated between the bearing portion 14 and the rotation shaft portion 16 is increased with a decrease in the overturn force (F ₂ ) due to the weight of the armrest 17, it is always constant. The operating force (F) can be maintained.

  For this reason, since the driver only needs to turn the armrest 17 by applying a certain operating force (F), the armrest 17 can be easily stopped at an arbitrary position.

  In addition, since both the left and right sides of the pivot base 17d of the armrest 17 are supported by the rotation shaft mechanism, the rotation resistance can be applied in a balanced manner from both sides. For this reason, desired rotation resistance can be easily provided.

  Furthermore, since the structure uses the permanent magnet 15, it hardly deteriorates due to temperature change or usage frequency. In addition, there is almost no difference in holding performance depending on usage conditions such as temperature and humidity.

  Also, when a hinge structure is configured by tightening bolts and nuts, torque management at the time of tightening is required, but according to the configuration of the present invention, it is not necessary to perform such torque management, and assembly is easy. .

  In the embodiment described above, the rotation shaft mechanism in which the bearing portion 14 having the notch portion 14b and the rotation shaft portion 16 to which the permanent magnet 15 formed in an arc shape is attached has been described as an example.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, an annular permanent magnet 25 and an annular end face 24a without a notch are used.

  That is, the end surface 24a of the bearing portion 24 formed of a magnetic material is a flat surface having the same height because it is not cut out. On the other hand, the permanent magnet 25 attached to the rotation shaft portion 26 facing the end surface 24a is also formed in a ring shape without a step, and is disposed on the entire flange portion 26a.

  For this reason, an attractive force due to a magnetic force is generated on the entire surface of the end surface 24 a and the permanent magnet 25, resulting in rotational resistance between the bearing portion 24 and the rotating shaft portion 26. For this reason, the holding force is increased as compared with the case where the notch portion 14b is provided, and even the armrest 17 having a large weight can be held at an arbitrary angle.

  When the magnetic material and the permanent magnet are overlapped over the entire surface in this way, the rotational resistance is always constant regardless of the rotational angle.

  In the above-described embodiment and Example 1, the surfaces on which the pair of members constituting the rotation shaft mechanism face each other are the end surfaces 14a, 24a of the bearing portions 14, 24 and the flange portions 16a of the rotation shaft portions 16, 26. Although it was set as 26a, the surface which opposes other than that can also be used.

  For example, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 24c of the bearing portion 24 and the side surface of the insertion portion 26b of the rotating shaft portion 26 are surfaces where the two members face each other. Then, a cylindrical permanent magnet (not shown) is attached to the side surface of the insertion portion 26b.

  When the insertion portion 26b to which the permanent magnet is attached is inserted into the cylindrical portion 24c, an attractive force is generated between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 24c and the permanent magnet, and this becomes rotational resistance when the armrest 17 rotates.

  Further, by using a semi-cylindrical permanent magnet or by forming a part of the side surface of the cylindrical portion 24c as an opening (not shown), the permanent magnet is changed depending on the rotation angle of the bearing portion 24 and the rotating shaft portion 26. The area where the magnetic material faces is changed, and the magnitude of the rotational resistance can be adjusted.

  In addition, it is possible to obtain a rotational resistance by attaching a permanent magnet to both the flange portion 26a and the insertion portion 26b and using a magnetic force between the two opposing surfaces.

  In the embodiments and examples described above, the rotational resistance is generated between the bearing portion and the rotating shaft portion by the attractive force due to the magnetic force acting between the magnet and the magnetic material.

  In Example 3, an example using the repulsive force of a magnet will be described.

  In this embodiment, a magnet (not shown) is also attached to the end surface 24 a of the bearing portion 24, and the permanent magnet 25 attached to the flange portion 26 a of the rotating shaft portion 26 is a magnet that repels the magnet on the bearing portion 24 side. The rotation shaft portion 26 is configured to be slidable in the axial direction within the bearing portion 24.

  Further, a friction plate (not shown) having a large sliding resistance with the locking portion 26c is installed on the back surface of the locking portion 26c of the rotating shaft portion 26.

  The operation of this embodiment will be described. The rotating shaft portion 26 that receives the repulsive force due to the magnetic force moves in a direction away from the bearing portion 24. The back surface of the locking portion 26c of the moved rotating shaft portion 26 comes into contact with the friction plate, and a frictional resistance is generated between the rotating shaft portion 26 and the friction plate. This frictional resistance becomes rotational resistance and can hold the armrest 17 at an arbitrary angle.

  Although the best embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are possible. Are included in the present invention.

  For example, when the holding force that can be secured by the pair of rotating shaft mechanisms is large enough to hold the armrest 17 at an arbitrary angle, a hinge structure that supports a single point can be used. In this case, it can be used not only for installation on the floor between the driver seat and the passenger seat, but also when the armrest 17 is attached to the side surface of the seat of the driver seat. In this case, the seat of the driver's seat becomes the base fixed to the vehicle.

  Moreover, the structure which does not have a box at all in the structure of a console, such as having only the function of the armrest 17, may be sufficient. Moreover, a lid such as a lid may be used as the rotating moving body that rotates by the rotation of the hinge structure.

  Further, contrary to the above-described embodiment, the bearing portions 14 and 24 constituting the rotating shaft mechanism can be fixed to the armrest 17 and the rotating shaft portions 16 and 26 can be fixed to the support portion 12.

  Moreover, the bearing part and rotation shaft part which comprise a rotation axis mechanism can also be shape | molded integrally with a support part and a rotation moving body part.

  Further, the rotating shaft portions 16 and 26 can be formed of a magnetic material, and the permanent magnets 15 and 25 can be attached to the end surfaces 14a and 24a of the bearing portions 14 and 24, respectively.

  Further, permanent magnets 15 and 25 can be attached to both sides of the rotating shaft portions 16 and 26 and the bearing portions 14 and 24. When magnets are attached to both sides, it is possible to increase the attractive force, but it is also possible to change the magnitude of the rotational resistance depending on the rotation angle by using a combination that generates a repulsive force.

  Moreover, as a magnet, an electromagnet etc. can be used besides a permanent magnet.

It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the whole structure of the hinge structure of the console of the best embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view explaining the arrangement position of a console. It is a perspective view explaining the whole console after assembly and an operation situation. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the structure of a rotating shaft mechanism. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. It is explanatory drawing explaining the positional relationship of the bearing part and permanent magnet by the rotation angle of a hinge. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the rotation angle of a hinge, and operating force. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a rotating shaft mechanism according to the first embodiment. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of the hinge structure of the console of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Console 11 Base 12 Support part 13 Standing part 14 Bearing part (rotating shaft mechanism)
14a End face 14b Notch 15 Permanent magnet 16 Rotating shaft (Rotating shaft mechanism)
16a ridge part 17 armrest (rotation movable body part)
17d Pivot support base 23 Vehicle 24 Bearing part (rotating shaft mechanism)
25 Permanent magnet 26 Rotating shaft part (Rotating shaft mechanism)

Claims (3)

  A console hinge structure having a base fixed to a vehicle, a support provided on the base, and a rotary moving body rotatably supported on the support via a rotary shaft mechanism, The rotating shaft mechanism has one side surface on the support portion side facing the other side and the other side surface on the rotating moving body portion side. A console hinge structure comprising a magnet for imparting rotational resistance.   The rotation shaft mechanism includes a rotation shaft portion provided with a cylindrical bearing portion and a flange portion facing the end surface of the bearing portion, a magnet is fixed to a part of the flange portion, and the bearing portion 2. The hinge structure for a console according to claim 1, wherein a part of the end face is cut out so that a contact area with the magnet increases or decreases depending on a rotation angle. One of the rotating shaft mechanisms is provided on a pair of standing portions facing each other with a gap provided in the support portion, and the rotation is performed on both left and right sides of a pivot base portion provided at the rear end of the rotating moving body portion. The other side of a shaft mechanism is provided, The said pivot support base part is arrange | positioned between the said standing parts, The said rotation moving body part was pivotally supported by the said support part, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Console hinge structure.

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