JP2010215072A - Slide mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a slide mechanism capable of automating both the pull-out and the pull-in of a slide member such as an armrest using an operation lever without using any electric drive source. <P>SOLUTION: The slide mechanism includes an operation lever 6 which is turnably provided on a spindle 10 provided on a housing 9 sliding together with an armrest 5 to incline a rolling face 6d formed on an arm 6c extending to both sides from the base 6b side of an outwardly exposed operation unit 6a in both directions, and an expansion unit 13 which is provided on a fixed bracket, and having a roller 13d which is brought into contact with the rolling face 6d and rolled on a fore end of a rod 13c urged by an elastic member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a slide mechanism, and more particularly to a slide mechanism suitable for sliding an armrest provided in a center console of an automobile.

  Generally, a center console is installed between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of a car. At the top of this type of center console, there is an armrest for placing the occupant's arms and elbows. In addition, the armrest can be opened and closed using a hinge or the like as well as placing an arm or elbow, so that an accessory can be taken in and out of an article storage section provided below.

  Further, the armrest as described above can slide back and forth on the upper part of the center console because the position of placing the arm and elbow of the occupant changes back and forth according to the seat position and physique of the occupant.

  In Patent Document 1, a slide mechanism is attached to either the base or the armrest body, the guide portions provided on both sides of the slide base, and the base or the armrest body. A slide part supported by the slide base so as to be slidable along the guide part, and the position of which is slidable between the first position and the second position by the heart cam mechanism; and the slide part And a coil spring provided between the slide base and the slide base.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, an armrest is provided with a fixed base portion having a pair of left and right rail portions and a rail portion slidably engaged with the armrest so as to move in a forward and backward direction and at a predetermined position. A slide plate having a lock mechanism that can be stopped at the top, and an armrest moving unit having a cover portion disposed so as to cover the upper side of the slide plate with the back side fixed to the slide plate, and the slide plate is advanced Sometimes it is automatically moved to the end position of the extension by the elastic body, and when moving backward, the slide plate is manually pushed and moved in the backward direction which is the storage start end position. It describes what can be stopped at a predetermined position.

JP 2006-327329 A JP2008-179230

  However, in the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, either one of the drawer and the pull-in can be automated by an elastic member such as a spring, but the other is manually slid over the entire stroke. Must be. Although it is conceivable to use an electric drive source such as a motor so that both the drawing and the drawing can be automatically performed, the electric drive source becomes necessary and expensive.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and both pulling out and pulling in of a slide member such as an armrest can be automated at low cost using an operation lever without using an electric drive source. The object is to provide a slide mechanism.

  In order to achieve the above object, a slide mechanism according to the present invention is a slide mechanism that reciprocally moves a slide member arranged on the slide surface side of a fixed member in a slide direction by a guide portion. An operation lever that is rotatably provided on a support shaft provided on either side of the control unit and inclines in both directions an inclination variable surface formed on an arm that extends to both sides from the base side of the operation unit exposed to the outside; Elastic expansion and contraction provided on the other side of either the slide member or the fixed member, and having a contact portion that is in contact with the tilt variable surface and moves relatively in the downward tilt direction at the tip of the rod biased by the elastic member Means.

  Specifically, the elastic member may be provided on the slide surface side of the fixed member, and a housing that covers the slide surface of the fixed member may be provided on the slide member side, and the arm of the operation lever may be disposed in the housing.

  Moreover, it is preferable to provide an operation lever holding means for holding the operation lever on both sides of the operation range.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a lock means for fixing the slide member to the fixing member at the start position and the end position in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever.

  Moreover, you may provide the braking means which brakes the moving speed of a slide member.

  And it is more suitable if the above slide members are the armrests provided in the center console of a motor vehicle.

  According to the present invention, both pulling out and pulling in of the slide member can be automated at a low cost by using the operation lever without using an electric drive source.

  In addition, while the elastic member is provided on the slide surface side of the fixed member, a housing that covers the slide surface of the fixed member is provided on the slide member side. Since the direction of the slide and the slide direction of the slide member are the same, it can be operated without a sense of incongruity, and the arm of the operation lever and the elastic expansion / contraction means are housed in the housing, so that the appearance can be improved and foreign matter intrusion etc. A malfunction can be prevented.

  Further, by providing the operation lever holding means for holding the operation lever on both sides of the operation range, it is not necessary to hold the operation lever by hand until the sliding movement of the slide member is completed, so that the operability is improved.

  Furthermore, by providing a locking means for fixing the slide member to the fixed member at the start end position and the end position in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever, it is possible to automatically lock the slide member at a predetermined position simply by operating the operation lever. Therefore, the operability is further improved, and it is possible to prevent a problem that the slide member moves even if an external force is applied at the start position or the end position.

  Further, if a braking means for braking the moving speed of the slide member is provided, smooth movement of the slide member can be realized.

  If the slide member as described above is an armrest provided on the center console of the automobile, both improvement of usability of the armrest by the occupant and reduction of the cost of the automobile can be realized simultaneously.

The perspective view which shows the arrangement position in the vehicle interior of the armrest of the center console for motor vehicles as one Example to which the slide mechanism which concerns on this invention is applied. The principal part side view of the center console of FIG. AA sectional drawing of FIG. Explanatory drawing which planarly viewed the state which removed the bracket. The longitudinal cross-sectional view cut | disconnected in the width direction in the rotary damper part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view cut | disconnected in the width direction in the lock nail | claw part. Explanatory drawing of a structure and operation | movement of an operation lever holding mechanism. Operation | movement explanatory drawing of the said Example. Similarly operation explanatory drawing. Similarly operation explanatory drawing. Similarly operation explanatory drawing. It is explanatory drawing which shows another Example, and is a figure corresponding to FIG. 10 of the said Example. CC sectional drawing of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an arrangement position of an armrest of an automobile center console as an embodiment to which a slide mechanism according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the center console. As shown in FIG. 1, a center console 3 is provided between independent front seats (driver seat and front passenger seat) 1, 1 among the front seat 1 and the rear seat 2 in the vehicle interior. The center console 3 is provided with an article storage section 4 on the rear side, and an armrest 5 that can be opened and closed is provided above the article storage section 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the armrest 5 is slidable in the front-rear direction between the start position (shown by a solid line) and the end position (shown by a two-dot broken line) as a slide member, as shown in FIG. ing. On the side surface of the armrest 5, an opening 7 is formed that is cut out over the operation range of the operation lever 6 described in detail later.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and a flat bracket 8 as a fixing member is attached to the upper portion of the article storage portion 4 in the center console 3 described above. Then, an armrest 5 having a hollow inside and an open bottom side is disposed on the upper surface (sliding surface) side of the bracket 8 so as to cover the housing 8 via a housing 9, and is reciprocated in a sliding direction by a guide unit described later. It is configured to be able to. The bracket 8 is provided on the rear end side of the opening in the article storage portion 4 of the center console 3 described above so as to be opened and closed via a hinge or the like (not shown).

  The armrest 5 is composed of a core material 5b made of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP) and a skin material 5a made of a soft synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin covering the surface of the core material 5b. ing. By covering the hard core material 5b with the soft skin material 5a, the armrest 5 having a soft feeling and cushioning when the occupant puts his arm or elbow is formed.

  A housing 9 that covers the upper surface of the bracket 8 described above is attached to the inside of the armrest 5. The bracket 8 and the housing 9 are configured to be slidable in the sliding direction with both side edge portions 8 a of the bracket 8 being fitted into guide grooves 9 a formed at the bottom opening edge of the housing 9. The housing 9 is formed with a support shaft 10 extending downward from the top surface on the operation lever opening 7 side formed on the side surface of the armrest 5, and the support shaft 10 has a base portion of the operation portion 6 a in the operation lever 6. The 6b side is rotatably attached. The operation portion 6 a of the operation lever 6 is exposed to the outside through an opening portion 11 formed on the side surface of the housing 9 and an opening portion 7 formed on the side surface of the armrest 5.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram viewed from above with the bracket 8 removed. The operation lever 6 is integrally formed with an arm 6c extending from the base portion 6b of the operation portion 6a to both sides, and a rolling surface (inclination variable surface) 6d on which a roller described later comes into contact with the arm 6c to roll. Is formed. Therefore, when the operation portion 6a of the operation lever 6 is operated back and forth, the rolling surface 6d of the arm 6c is inclined in both the directions shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 and the directions shown in FIGS. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a guide rail 12 is formed on the top surface of the housing 9 in the center in the width direction and extending in the front-rear direction. On one side surface of the guide rail 12, a rack 12a is formed in which a gear of a rotary damper described later is engaged.

  On the other hand, on the upper surface of the bracket 8, the tip of a rod 13c urged by an elastic member 13b such as a coil spring mounted in a cylindrical tube 13a is brought into contact with the rolling surface 6d of the arm 6c described above. An expansion / contraction unit (elastic expansion / contraction means) 13 having a rolling roller (contact portion) 13d is attached. Further, a guide groove 13 e formed so as to sandwich the guide rail 12 formed on the top surface of the housing 9 is provided on the upper surface of the cylindrical body 13 a in the extendable unit 13. The guide rail 12 and the guide groove 13e constitute a guide portion together with the above-described guide groove 9a formed at the bottom opening edge of the housing 9. Further, in the vicinity of the telescopic unit 13, a rotary damper (braking means) 14 using a braking force due to oil viscosity resistance or the like has a gear 14a and a rack 12a formed on one side of the guide rail 12. As shown in FIG. 5, it is positioned and attached so as to mesh. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the width direction at the rotary damper 14 portion.

  Further, on the outer surface of the housing 9 on the operation portion 6a side of the operation lever 6, there is a lock arm 15 located below the operation lever 6 and extending in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. Is supported by a protrusion 6e formed between the operation portion 6a and the base portion 6b of the operation lever 6, and is slidable along the outer surface of the housing 9. On the outer side surface of the lock arm 15, a step 15 a is formed by an inclined surface so that the thickness of each end side becomes thin on both end sides. Further, lock claws 16 having an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 6 are arranged on both ends of the lock arm 15 as shown in FIG. It is urged inward by. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view cut in the width direction at the lock claw 16 portion. On the side surface of the housing 9 corresponding to the lock claw 16, an opening 9 b is formed for the claw portion 16 a of the lock claw 16 to enter and exit the guide groove 9 a at the opening edge of the housing 9. The bracket side edge portion 8a that slides in the guide groove 9a is formed with two lock grooves 8b and 8b into which the claw portion 16a of the lock claw 16 is fitted at a predetermined interval only on the front side. ing.

  Further, on the outer surface of the housing on the operation portion 6a side of the operation lever 6, the operation lever 6 is positioned at the upper side of the operation lever 6 as shown in FIG. 7 which is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. A leaf spring 18 bent in a V-shaped cross section is provided. On the other hand, the upper surface side of the operation lever 6 is formed in a cam shape in which the central portion protrudes in an inverted V-shaped cross section and has grooves 6f and 6g having a V-shaped cross section on both sides. As a result, an operating lever holding mechanism (means) 20 is formed, and the V-shaped bent portion 18a of the leaf spring 18 is formed in one V-shaped groove 6f on the upper surface of the operating lever 6 as shown in FIG. When the operation lever 6 is operated from the held state to the opposite side, the V-shaped bent portion 18a of the leaf spring 18 relatively passes the top of the cam shape on the upper surface of the operation lever 6 as shown in FIG. 7B. And the repulsive force of the leaf spring 18 attracts the other V-shaped groove 6g, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the V-shaped bent portion 18a of the leaf spring 18 enters the other V-shaped groove 6g. The operating lever 6 is held at this position.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the operation explanatory diagrams shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the armrest 5 is in the retracted position (starting end position). When the operation lever 6 is tilted forward as shown in FIG. 9 from this state, the base 6b (support shaft 10) of the operation lever 6 is removed. The arms 6c extending on both sides are inclined in the opposite direction, and the extension unit 13 is compressed. At this time, the operation lever 6 is fixed to the front side by the operation lever holding mechanism 20 shown in FIG. Accordingly, it is not necessary to hold the operation lever 6 by hand until the sliding movement of the armrest 5 is completed, so that the operability is improved.

  Further, the locked state is released by the front locking claw 16 being constrained to the thick portion via the front inclined step 15 a of the lock arm 15 in conjunction with the operation lever 6. The lock claw 16 on the opposite side (rear side) is released from restraint by the thick portion through the inclined step 15a on the rear side of the lock arm 15, but there is no lock groove on the rear side of the bracket 8, Don't get caught.

  The repulsive force of the expansion / contraction unit 13 compressed as described above causes the roller 13d provided at the tip of the rod 13c of the expansion / contraction unit 13 to move relatively while rolling on the rolling surface 6d of the arm 6c as shown in FIG. The armrest 5 together with the housing 9 is pulled forward as indicated by an arrow. At this time, the gear 14a of the rotary damper 14 meshes with the rack 12a of the guide rail 12 to become resistance and prevent sudden movement. Thereby, the smooth movement of the armrest 6 is realizable.

Note that a rotary damper 14 may be attached instead of the roller 13d of the expansion / contraction unit 13, a rack shape may be formed on the rolling surface 6d, and the wheel may be engaged with the gear 14a of the rotary damper 14 and rolled. Also, a sliding body is attached in place of the roller 13d, and the rolling surface 6d is used as a sliding surface, and each is configured with a member having good sliding properties, or is configured to reduce sliding resistance by interposing lubricating oil. May be.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11, when the armrest 5 reaches the drawing position (end position), the rear locking claw 16 automatically fits in the rear locking groove 8 b of the bracket 8, and the armrest 5 is moved together with the housing 9. Fixed. As described above, since the lock operation at the predetermined position of the armrest 5 is automatically performed only by operating the operation lever 6, the operability is further improved, and the occupant can move the arm rest at the start position or the end position. Even if a force is applied to the front and back by placing the elbow, it is possible to prevent the armrest 5 from moving.

  When the operation lever 6 is tilted backward from the drawn state (end position) of FIG. 11, the armrest 5 is pulled together with the housing 9 to the state (start position) shown in FIG. .

  Since the thing of a present Example has a structure and an effect | action as mentioned above, both pull-out and pull-in of the armrest 5 can be automated at low cost using the operation lever 6 without using an electric drive source.

  Further, the operating direction of the operating lever 6 and the sliding direction of the armrest 5 are the same so that it can be operated without a sense of incongruity, and the arm 6c, the telescopic unit 13, the rotary damper 14 and the like of the operating lever 6 are housed in the housing 9. In addition, the appearance can be improved and problems due to foreign matter intrusion can be prevented.

  As described above, the present embodiment can realize both improvement in the usability of the armrest 6 by the occupant and cost reduction of the automobile at the same time.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 corresponds to FIG. 10 of the above embodiment, and FIG. In addition, the description which overlaps using the same code | symbol for the part same as the said Example or an equivalent part is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this embodiment, instead of the rolling surface 6d of the above-described embodiment, a rail portion 6h is formed on the variable tilt surface of the arm 6c. On the other hand, at the tip of the rod 13c of the telescopic unit 13, instead of the roller 13d of the above embodiment, there is a slide block 13g that has a groove portion 13f into which the rail portion 6h is fitted and slides along the rail portion 6h. It is provided so as to be rotatable in accordance with the inclination of the rail portion 6h. The sliding surface on which the rail portion 6h of the arm 6c is formed and the sliding surface on which the groove portion 13f of the slide block 13g is formed are formed of a member having a very small friction coefficient such as a fluororesin. Even if configured in this manner, substantially the same operational effects as in the above-described embodiment can be expected.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the armrest 6 of the center console between the independent front seats (driver's seat and front passenger seat) of the automobile has been described, but there is an armrest between the seats of the rear seat. In such a case, the same effect as described above can be obtained even if it is applied. Furthermore, the present invention is effective not only for automobiles but also for armrests of chairs and sofas and slide mechanisms for other uses other than armrests.

3 Center console 5 Armrest 6 Operation lever 6a Operation part 6b Base part 6c Arm 6d Rolling surface 6e Projection part 6f, 6g Groove 6h Rail part 8 Bracket 8b, 8c Lock groove 9 Housing 9a Guide groove 10 Support shaft 12 Guide rail 12a Rack 13 Telescopic unit 13a Cylinder 13b Elastic member 13c Rod 13d Roller 13e Guide groove 13f Groove 13g Slide block 14 Rotary damper 14a Gear 15 Lock arm 15a Step 16 Lock claw 16a Claw 18 Plate spring 20 Operating lever holding mechanism

Claims (6)

In the slide mechanism for reciprocating the slide member arranged on the slide surface side of the fixed member in the slide direction by the guide portion,
The tilt variable surface formed on the arm provided on either side of the slide member or the fixed member so as to be rotatable and extending to both sides from the base side of the operation portion exposed to the outside is provided in both directions. An operation lever that tilts
Provided on the other side of either the slide member or the fixed member, the tip of the rod biased by the elastic member has a contact portion that contacts the variable tilt surface and moves relatively in the downward tilt direction. A slide mechanism comprising an elastic expansion / contraction means.   The elastic member is provided on the sliding surface side of the fixing member, and a housing for covering the sliding surface of the fixing member is provided on the sliding member side, and the arm of the operation lever is disposed in the housing. The slide mechanism according to claim 1.   3. A slide mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising operation lever holding means for holding the operation lever on both sides of the operation range.   The slide mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising lock means for fixing the slide member to the fixing member at a start position and an end position in conjunction with an operation of the operation lever. .   The slide mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a braking unit that brakes a moving speed of the slide member.   The slide mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the slide member is an armrest provided in a center console of an automobile.

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