JP2010078519A - Fixing member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing member capable of shortening the assembly time by reducing the man-hours. <P>SOLUTION: A bezel assembly fixes a sensor body 30 including a columnar part 33 to a bumper 40 having a hole part 41. The bezel assembly includes: a bezel 20 including a cylindrical part 20g having a hollow part 20f in which the columnar part 33 of the sensor body 30 is disposed, holding parts 20b, 20i provided at a sidewall of the cylindrical part 20g and holding the sensor body 30 in a state in which the columnar part 33 is disposed at the hollow part 20f, and a plurality of through-holes 20c provided at the sidewall of the cylindrical part 20g and penetrating to the hollow part 20f; and a spring member 10 including a plurality of spring parts 12 whose contact parts 12d are disposed at the through-holes 20c and fixing parts 13, 14 fixing the spring parts 12 to the bezel 20. The plurality of spring parts 12, and the plurality of spring parts 12 and the fixing parts 13, 14 are formed so as to be integrated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing member that fixes a sensor main body to an attached body. In particular, it is suitable for application to a fixing member that fixes an ultrasonic sensor to a part of a vehicle.

  Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a fixing member that fixes a sensor body to an attached body.

  Patent Document 1 discloses that a bezel and a plurality of metal springs are used to fix a sensor body to a bumper (attachment body). This bezel is constituted by a substantially cylindrical member made of, for example, resin, and a flange having a partially enlarged diameter is formed at one end. The shape and size of the hollow portion of the bezel correspond to the shape of the opening surface in the sensor body, and the ultrasonic vibrator is inserted into the hollow portion.

  A snap fit is provided on the lower surface of the bezel. This snap fit functions as a claw-shaped locking portion, and the claw portion formed at the tip is inserted into the hole of the receiving portion of the case of the sensor main body described above, so that it is hooked on the receiving portion. ing. Thereby, the bezel and the sensor main body are more firmly fixed.

A plurality of metal springs are arranged on the side wall of the bezel. Specifically, a through hole is provided in the side wall of the bezel, and the free end of the metal spring is disposed in the through hole. When the bezel is inserted into the hole of the bumper, the free end of the metal spring is pushed by the wall surface of the hole and protrudes from the inner wall surface of the bezel. To be. With the elastic reaction force of the metal spring, an ultrasonic sensor that can firmly fix the bezel to the bumper and firmly fix the sensor body to the bezel can be obtained.
JP 2007-248230 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of metal springs are used, the number of steps for assembling the plurality of metal springs to the bezel increases, and there is a problem that it takes time.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said problem, and it aims at providing the fixing member which can reduce a man-hour and can shorten assembly | attachment time.

In order to achieve the above object, the fixing member according to claim 1 is a fixing member for fixing a sensor body having at least a columnar part to an attached body having a hole,
A cylindrical portion having a hollow portion in which the columnar portion of the sensor body is disposed, a holding portion that is provided on a side wall of the tubular portion and holds the sensor body in a state where the columnar portion is disposed in the hollow portion, A sensor holding member having a plurality of through holes provided on the side wall and penetrating to the hollow portion;
A spring member having a plurality of spring portions at least partially disposed in the through hole and a fixing portion for fixing the spring portion to the sensor holding member;
In a state where the spring member is fixed and the sensor holding member holding the sensor body is inserted into the hole of the mounted body, a plurality of spring portions arranged in the through hole are between the mounted body and the sensor body. The sensor body is fixed to the mounted body by the elastic reaction force accompanying the compression deformation and the compression deformation,
The plurality of spring portions, and the plurality of spring portions and the fixing portion are formed integrally.

  Thus, by integrally forming the plurality of spring portions and the plurality of spring portions and the fixing portion, the number of steps for assembling the spring member to the sensor holding member can be reduced, and the assembly time can be shortened. .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of spring portions may be arranged so that the elastic reaction force accompanying the compressive deformation is uniform in each spring portion.

  By doing in this way, the position shift of a sensor main body can be suppressed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of fixing portions may be provided, and the fixing portions may be arranged so that the force for fixing the spring portion to the sensor holding member is equal in each fixing portion.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of fixing portions may include ones having different shapes.

  By doing so, it is possible to prevent erroneous assembly when the spring member is fixed to the sensor holding member.

  Further, as shown in claim 5, the spring member may include a plurality of spring portions and an annular portion that connects the plurality of spring portions and the fixing portion.

  Further, as shown in claim 6, the plurality of spring portions and the fixed portion are bent from the annular portion, and are bent in the same direction on either the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the annular portion. You may do it.

  When the spring part and the fixed part are bent from the annular part, it is difficult to bend the spring part and the fixed part from the line along the outer periphery or inner periphery of the annular part. For this reason, it bends and forms from the position away in the direction of a spring part or a fixed part from the line along the outer periphery or inner periphery of an annular part. That is, an allowance is required in the direction of forming the spring portion and the fixed portion from the line along the outer periphery or inner periphery of the annular portion. Therefore, as in claim 6, by bending the plurality of spring portions and the fixed portion in the same direction, the bending allowance may be provided on either the outer peripheral side or the inner peripheral side of the annular portion, and the spring member An increase in the width of the sheet can be suppressed.

  Further, as shown in claim 7, the attached body may be a part of the vehicle, and the sensor body may be an ultrasonic sensor.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a spring member in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a bezel (sensor holding member) in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spring member showing a schematic configuration of the spring portion in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a spring member showing a schematic configuration of the fixing portion in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the bezel assembly (fixing member) in the embodiment of the present invention. 6A and 6B are plan views of the spring member according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is a drawing for explaining the arrangement of the fixing portions, and FIG. 6B is a drawing for explaining the arrangement of the spring portions. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state before the sensor main body is fixed to the bumper by the bezel assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which the sensor main body is fixed to the bumper by the bezel assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a partial plan view showing a schematic configuration of the spring member in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the bezel assembly (fixing member) in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the fixing member of the present invention will be described using an example in which the fixing member is applied to a bezel assembly that fixes a sensor body 30 of an ultrasonic sensor to a bumper 40 of a vehicle. Note that the sensor main body 30 of the ultrasonic sensor has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-248230 by the applicant of the present application, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bezel assembly includes a spring member 10 and a bezel 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the bezel 20 corresponds to a sensor holding member of the present invention. The bezel 20 is made of, for example, a resin or the like, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape 20g having a hollow portion 20f (corresponding to the cylindrical portion of the present invention, hereinafter also referred to as a cylindrical portion 20g). Is provided.

  The columnar portion 33 (at least the detection portion of the sensor) of the sensor main body 30 is inserted into the hollow portion 20f of the cylindrical portion 20g, and the detection surface of the sensor main body 30 is exposed from the opening of the cylindrical portion 20g. Therefore, the shape and size of the hollow portion 20 f and the cylindrical portion 20 g correspond to the shape of the columnar portion 33 in the sensor main body 30. Further, a flange 20a having a partially enlarged diameter is formed at one end of the cylindrical portion 20g (the one where the detection surface of the sensor body 30 is exposed). The flange 20 a has one surface disposed outside the vehicle and the other surface facing the surface of the bumper 40.

  Further, the bezel 20 has a holding portion that holds the sensor body 30 in a state where the columnar portion 33 of the sensor body 30 is disposed in the hollow portion 20f. This holding | maintenance part can be comprised by the sensor holding | maintenance part 20b (holding | holding part) provided in the side wall of the cylindrical part 20g, and the fitting hole 20i (holding | holding part), for example. The sensor holding portion 20b includes a portion that protrudes from the tubular portion 20g substantially perpendicularly to the center axis of the tubular portion 20g (a direction away from the center axis), and a direction along the central axis from the protruding portion (vehicle). A substantially L-shape having a portion projecting substantially perpendicularly to the inner direction). And it has the fitting hole 20h fitted to the convex part of the sensor main body 30 in the part protruded in the direction along a central axis.

  On the other hand, the fitting hole 20i is, for example, a through hole provided at a position facing the sensor holding portion 20b on the side wall of the cylindrical portion 20g. And the convex part of the sensor main body 30 and the fitting hole 20h are fitted in a state where a part of the sensor holding part 20b (the part protruding in the direction along the central axis) is inserted into the holding hole 31 of the sensor main body 30. At the same time, the sensor body 30 is held by fitting the bezel clip portion 32 of the sensor body 30 and the fitting hole 20i. Note that the holding portion (mechanism) that holds the sensor main body 30 in the bezel 20 and the mechanism of the sensor main body 30 with respect to the holding portion are not limited thereto.

  Further, the bezel 20 has through holes 20c, spring fitting holes 20d, and spring contact portions 20j for attaching the spring member 10 to a plurality of locations (four in this case) on the side wall of the cylindrical portion 20g. The through hole 20c corresponds to the through hole of the present invention, and is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical portion 20g and penetrates to the hollow portion 20f. The spring portion 12 of the spring member 10 is disposed in the through hole 20c in a state where the spring member 10 is attached (fixed) to the bezel 20. Further, the spring fitting hole 20d is a portion where the claw portion 13c of the spring member 10 is hooked. That is, the spring member 10 is attached (fixed) to the bezel 20 by fitting the claw portion 13c of the spring member 10 into the spring fitting hole 20d. In the state where the spring member 10 is attached (fixed) to the bezel 20, the pressing portion 12 e of the spring member 10 is pressed against the spring contact portion 20 j.

  Further, the side wall of the bezel 20 is provided with a removal preventing claw 20e for preventing the bumper 40 from coming out of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the spring member 10 includes a plurality of spring portions 12, a plurality of fixing portions 13 and 14 that fix the spring portions to the bezel 20, and an annular portion 11 that connects the spring portion 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14. And have.

  The spring member 10 is integrally formed by bending a thin plate metal. In other words, the spring member 10 has a spring forming portion that becomes the spring portion 12 by bending and is provided so as to protrude outward in the radial direction of the annular portion 11, and a fixing portion forming portion that becomes the fixing portions 13 and 14 by bending. It is formed by bending a spring forming portion and a fixed portion forming portion using a thin plate metal. Note that the fixing portion 13 and the fixing portion 14 have different widths and lengths in order to prevent erroneous assembly when the spring member 10 is fixed to the bezel 20.

  In the present embodiment, four spring portions 12 are employed, but all the spring portions 12 are made of the same shape (also having the same size) and the same material. The number of spring portions 12 is not limited to four, and the object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a plurality of spring portions 12. Further, the number of the fixing portions 13 and 14 is not limited to four, and the number of the fixing portions 13 and 14 is not limited as long as the spring member 10 can be fixed to the bezel 20, and the object of the present invention can be achieved.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the spring portion 12 extends from the bent portion 12a bent from the annular portion 11, the convex portion 12b protruding from the bent portion 12a to the radially outer side of the annular portion 11, and the convex portion 12b. The folded portion 12c is folded back to the annular portion 11 side (the side opposite to the bending direction of the bent portion 12a), and the portion extending from the folded portion 12c to the annular portion 11 side is in contact with the columnar portion 33 of the sensor body 30. The contact portion 12d is a portion formed at the tip of the contact portion 12d, and the presser portion 12e is provided by pressing in the protruding direction of the convex portion 12b.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixing portion 13 includes a bent portion 13a bent from the annular portion 11 to the same side as the bent portion 12a of the spring portion 12, and a connecting portion 13b that is a portion extending from the bent portion 13a. The claw portion 13c is formed by turning the tip of the connecting portion 13b back to the annular portion 11 side (the side opposite to the bending direction of the bent portion 13a). Since the fixing portion 14 is different from the fixing portion 13 only in width and length, the basic configuration is the same as that of the fixing portion 13, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In addition, the length of the connection part 13b respond | corresponds to the length from the edge part (end part on the opposite side to the flange 20a) of the cylindrical part 20g to the spring fitting hole 20d.

  When a plurality of fixing portions 13 and 14 are provided as in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, the spring member 10 is used to equalize the force with which the bezel 20 holds the spring member 10. Are arranged symmetrically in the vertical and horizontal directions as viewed from the direction along the central axis of the spring member 10. In addition, the fixing portions 13 and 14 may be arranged, for example, at equal intervals between the fixing portions in order to equalize the force with which the bezel 20 holds the spring member 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the spring portion 12 is a state in which the spring member 10 is viewed from the direction along the central axis of the spring member 10 in order to equalize the force with which the bezel assembly holds the bumper 40. Place them symmetrically up and down. Moreover, in order to equalize the force with which the bezel 20 holds the spring member 10, the spring portion 12 may be arranged, for example, at equal intervals between the spring portions.

  Further, when the spring portion 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14 are formed by bending a thin plate metal, as shown in FIG. 9, the bent portion 12a (bending margin), bent substantially flush with the annular portion 11 The part 13a (music piece) is required. As in the present embodiment, the spring portion 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14 are provided in the same direction (the radially outer side (outer peripheral side) of the annular portion 11), and therefore the width of the annular portion 11 and the bent portion 12a. Or the width t1 which added the width | variety of the bending part 13a becomes the thickness A (refer FIG. 10) of a bezel assembly. However, when the spring portion 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14 are provided in different directions (the radially outer side (outer peripheral side) and the inner side (inner peripheral side) of the annular portion 11), the width of the annular portion 11 and the bent portion 12a. A width t2 obtained by adding the width of the bent portion 13a to the width A of the bezel assembly (see FIG. 10). As described above, the plurality of spring portions 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14 are bent in the same direction on either the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the annular portion 11, so that the thickness of the bezel assembly (spring member 10) is increased. Can be prevented from becoming thick.

  The spring member 10 is attached to the bezel 20 from the end of the cylindrical portion 20g (the end opposite to the flange 20a). The spring member 10 has the contact portion 12d in a state where the annular portion 11 contacts the end portion of the bezel 20, and the presser portion 12e presses the spring contact portion 20j of the bezel 20 to the inside in the radial direction of the tubular portion 20g. Is disposed in the through hole 20 c of the bezel 20. Further, the spring member 10 is attached (fixed) to the bezel 20 when the claw portions (13c, etc.) of the fixing portions 13, 14 are fitted into the spring fitting holes 20d of the bezel 20.

  As described above, by integrally forming the plurality of spring portions 12 and the plurality of spring portions 12 and the fixing portions 13 and 14, the number of steps for assembling the spring member 10 to the bezel 20 can be reduced, and the assembling time can be shortened. Can do.

  Here, the assembly of the sensor main body 30 to the bumper 40 using the bezel assembly (with the spring member 10 attached to the bezel 20) having the above configuration will be described. The bumper 40 includes a hole 41 for attaching the sensor main body, as shown in FIG.

  First, the bezel 20 is inserted into the hole 41 of the bumper 40. At this time, the bezel 20 is inserted from the outside of the vehicle. When inserting the bezel 20 into the hole 41 of the bumper 40, first, the bezel 20 is inclined and the sensor holding unit 20 b is inserted into the hole 41. Thereafter, the cylindrical portion 20g of the bezel 20 is inserted into the hole 41 while rotating the bezel 20 in a direction in which the bezel-side mounting surface (inner surface) of the flange 20a and the bumper-side mounting surface (outer surface) of the bumper 40 are in contact.

  Thereafter, in a state where the bezel assembly is assembled to the bumper 40, the columnar portion 33 of the sensor body 30 is inserted into the hollow portion 20 f of the bezel 20. And the convex part of the sensor main body 30 and the fitting hole 20h are fitted in a state where a part of the sensor holding part 20b (the part protruding in the direction along the central axis) is inserted into the holding hole 31 of the sensor main body 30. At the same time, the sensor body 30 is held by fitting the bezel clip portion 32 of the sensor body 30 and the fitting hole 20i. At this time, the bezel assembly includes the spring portion 12 provided in the spring member 10 in a state where the cylindrical portion 20g in a state where the columnar portion 33 of the sensor body 30 is disposed in the hollow portion 20f is inserted into the hole portion 41. Is elastically compressed and deformed between the columnar portion 33 and the hole portion 41, and the elastic reaction force accompanying this compression deformation acts on the hole portion 41, the sensor main body 30, and the cylindrical portion 20g, whereby the bumper 40 is subjected to the sensor main body. 30 is fixed. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a clip 50 for bundling cords may be provided behind the sensor body 30.

  By doing so, the sensor main body 30 can be assembled (fixed) to the bumper 40 using a bezel assembly (the spring member 10 attached to the bezel 20) (see FIG. 8). The ultrasonic sensor fixed to the bumper 40 in this way is used as a back sonar or a corner sonar.

  In the present embodiment, the bumper 40 is employed as the attachment body, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the ultrasonic sensor is fixed to vehicle body parts other than the bumper 40.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the bezel assembly is applied to fixing an ultrasonic sensor has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to other sensors. The objective can be achieved.

  In the present embodiment, the annular portion 11 of the spring member 10 has been described by adopting an example in which the annular portion 11 is disposed on the end portion of the cylindrical portion 20g (the end portion on the opposite side to the flange 20a). The present invention is not limited to this. As described above, the columnar portion 33 of the sensor main body 30 is inserted into the hollow portion 20f from the annular portion 11 side. At this time, the detection surface of the sensor main body 30 (the tip surface of the columnar portion 33) may come into contact with the annular portion 11 to cause scratches. Since the detection surface of the sensor main body 30 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle, the appearance of the vehicle is deteriorated when a scratch is generated. Therefore, it is preferable that the annular portion 11 of the spring member 10 is provided around the tubular portion 20g (side wall), or a groove is dug in the end portion of the tubular portion 20g. If it does in this way, since it can control that spring member 10 is arranged at the end of cylindrical part 20g, the possibility that a crack will arise in the detection surface of sensor main part 30 (tip face of columnar part 33) can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the spring member in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the bezel (sensor holding member) in embodiment of this invention. It is a spring member sectional view showing a schematic structure of a spring part in an embodiment of the invention. It is a spring member sectional view showing a schematic structure of a fixed part in an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the bezel assembly (fixing member) in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the spring member in embodiment of this invention, (a) is drawing explaining arrangement | positioning of a fixing | fixed part, (b) is drawing explaining arrangement | positioning of a spring part. It is a perspective view which shows the state before fixing a sensor main body to a bumper with the bezel assembly in embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the state which fixed the sensor main body to the bumper with the bezel assembly in embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary top view which shows schematic structure of the spring member in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the bezel assembly (fixing member) in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 spring member, 11 annular portion, 12 spring portion, 12a bent portion, 12b convex portion, 12c folded portion, 12d contact portion, 12e presser portion, 13, 14 fixing portion, 13a bent portion, 13b connecting portion, 13c claw portion, 20 Bezel, 20a Flange, 20b Sensor holding part, 20c Through hole, 20d Spring fitting hole, 20e Retaining prevention claw, 20f Hollow part, 20g Cylindrical part, 20h Fitting hole, 20i Fitting hole, 20j Spring contact part 30 Sensor body 31 Holding hole 32 Bezel clip part 33 Columnar part 40 Bumper 41 Hole part 50 clip

Claims (7)

A fixing member for fixing a sensor body having at least a columnar part to an attached body having a hole,
A cylindrical portion having a hollow portion in which the columnar portion of the sensor body is disposed, and a holding portion that is provided on a side wall of the tubular portion and holds the sensor body in a state in which the columnar portion is disposed in the hollow portion. And a sensor holding member having a plurality of through holes provided on a side wall of the cylindrical portion and penetrating to the hollow portion,
A spring member having a plurality of spring portions at least partially disposed in the through hole and a fixing portion for fixing the spring portion to the sensor holding member;
In a state where the spring holding member and the sensor holding member holding the sensor main body are inserted into the hole of the attached body, a plurality of the spring portions arranged in the through holes are attached to the attached body. A body and the sensor body are compressed and deformed, and the sensor body is fixed to the mounted body by an elastic reaction force accompanying the compression deformation,
The plurality of spring portions, and the plurality of spring portions and the fixing portion are integrally formed.   The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spring portions are arranged so that an elastic reaction force accompanying the compressive deformation is uniform in each spring portion.   The said fixing | fixed part is provided with two or more, and it arrange | positions so that the force which fixes the said spring part to the said sensor holding member may become equal in each fixing | fixed part. Fixed member.   The fixing member according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of fixing parts include ones having different shapes.   5. The fixing according to claim 1, wherein the spring member includes a plurality of the spring portions and an annular portion that connects the plurality of spring portions and the fixing portion. 6. Element.   The plurality of spring portions and the fixed portion are bent from the annular portion, and are bent in the same direction on either the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the annular portion. Item 6. The fixing member according to Item 5.   The fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the attached body is a part of a vehicle, and the sensor main body is an ultrasonic sensor.

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