JP2012154366A - Locking portion structure of resin block - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a locking portion structure of a resin block which can prevent coming off and backlash of the resin block with a simple structure being easy to manufacture, and can attain the reduction in manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: Locking legs 9 inserted into an engaging hole 7 of an optical axis adjusting shaft 3 are protrudingly provided in an operation knob 4. A front end side of the locking leg 9 is provided with a retaining protrusion 10 that protrudes from the engaging hole 7 and comes in contact with the edge portion of another end side of the engaging hole 7 at the surface thereof. The side wall of the base side of the locking leg 9 is provided with a cam piece 12 which is capable of flexurally deforming radially inward. The cam piece 12 is provided with a taper plane 13a, which inclines to the insertion direction and receives a reactive force by contact with one end portion of the engaging hole 7, when the front end portion of the locking leg 9 is inserted into the engaging hole 7.

Description

  The present invention relates to a resin block locking portion structure that can be easily attached to a locking mating member.

  In a vehicle fog lamp or the like, an operation knob that is a resin block may be separately attached to an optical axis adjustment shaft that is a main body part. In this case, the operation knob employs a locking portion structure that can be easily attached to the optical axis adjusting shaft and that does not easily come off after being attached once.

  As a locking part structure of this type of resin block, a locking leg that protrudes from the resin block main body and is inserted into the locking hole of the locking mating member is provided, and on the distal end side of the locking leg, A thing provided with a retaining projection that comes into contact with the edge of the locking hole when protruding from the locking hole of the locking mating member is often used. A taper surface is provided on the distal end side of the retaining protrusion so as to bend the retaining leg portion inward of the retaining hole when inserted into the retaining hole. When protruding from the engagement hole to the opposite side, the retaining protrusion is brought into contact with the end edge of the engagement hole on the surface by the shape return due to the elasticity of the locking leg.

Further, in such a resin block locking portion structure, a structure in which a structure for preventing rattling after the resin block is mounted has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The locking part structure described in Patent Document 1 is a thin inclined flange projecting obliquely outwardly so as to surround the base part side of the locking leg part on the surface of the resin block body on the protruding side of the locking leg part. The outer edge of the inclined flange is in elastic contact with the back surface of the mating counterpart member when the resin block is mounted. Thereby, the retaining protrusion of the locking leg is always pressed against the edge of the engaging hole of the locking mating member by receiving the biasing force of the inclined flange after the resin block is mounted.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-200237

  However, in this conventional locking portion structure, a thin inclined flange projecting diagonally outward so as to surround the base portion side of the locking leg portion is formed on the surface of the locking leg portion of the resin block body that protrudes. Due to the protruding structure, it is difficult to mold a thin and large inclined flange together with the resin block main body, the locking leg portion, etc., and there is a concern that the manufacturing cost will increase.

  Accordingly, the present invention is intended to provide a resin block locking portion structure capable of simultaneously preventing the looseness of the resin block from being loosened with a simple structure that is easy to manufacture, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. Is.

The resin block locking portion structure according to the present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The invention according to claim 1 protrudes from the resin block main body (for example, the knob main body 8 of the embodiment) and engages with the engagement partner member (for example, the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 of the embodiment) (for example, the embodiment). A locking leg (for example, the locking leg 9 of the embodiment) to be inserted into the engagement hole 7), and inserted into the distal end of the locking leg from one end side of the engagement hole. A retaining protrusion (for example, the retaining protrusion 10 of the embodiment) that comes into contact with the edge of the other end side of the engagement hole when the protrusion protrudes toward the other end side due to the elastic shape of the locking leg. In the locking part structure of the resin block provided with a cam piece (for example, deformable in a direction intersecting the insertion direction with respect to the engagement hole, on a part of the side wall on the base side of the locking leg part) The cam piece 12) of the embodiment is provided, and this cam piece is inclined with respect to the insertion direction. And a tapered surface (for example, the tapered surface 13a in the embodiment) that abuts against one end of the engagement hole when the distal end of the locking leg is inserted into the engagement hole. It is a feature.
Thus, when the distal end portion of the locking leg portion is inserted into the engagement hole of the locking mating member, the retaining protrusion on the distal end side of the locking leg portion protrudes to the other end side of the engagement hole, and the engagement hole While being in contact with the edge on the other end side, the cam piece of the locking leg is in contact with one end of the engagement hole with a tapered surface. At this time, when the tapered surface comes into contact with one end portion of the engagement hole, the cam piece is pressed by the one end portion of the engagement hole to bend and deform in a direction crossing the insertion direction with respect to the engagement hole, and the retaining protrusion is The reaction force in the direction of pressing against the edge on the other end side of the engagement hole is received from the locking mating member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the locking portion structure of the resin block according to the first aspect, the cam piece is provided at a portion facing the retaining protrusion in the insertion direction of the locking leg. It is characterized by this.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the resin block locking portion structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the locking leg portions are provided in the resin block main body, and the plurality of locking leg portions are one. A plurality of the cam pieces are provided in a plurality of positions so as to equally divide the circumference around the axis on the plurality of locking legs arranged in the ring. It is what.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the locking protrusion is provided on the distal end side of the locking leg, and the part of the side wall on the base side of the locking leg is bent and deformed in a direction intersecting the insertion direction. The cam piece is provided with a tapered surface that is inclined with respect to the insertion direction and abuts against one end of the engagement hole when the distal end of the locking leg is inserted into the engagement hole. Therefore, the resin block can be prevented from coming off and rattling can be prevented at the same time by a simple structure in which the retaining protrusion and the cam piece are integrally formed on the locking leg protruding from the resin block main body. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the resin block can be easily formed by a relatively simple molding apparatus, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cam piece for preventing the resin block from rattling is provided at a portion facing the retaining protrusion in the insertion direction of the locking leg. The locking mating member can be stably held in the direction along the insertion direction by the retaining projection.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the plurality of cam pieces are provided in the plurality of annularly arranged locking legs so as to be at positions that equally divide the circumference around the axis, the cam pieces Therefore, the resin block can be locked more stably with respect to the locking mating member.

It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the resin block of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view corresponding to the A view of FIG. 2 of the resin block of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing corresponding to the BB cross section of FIG. 3 of the resin block of one Embodiment of this invention, and described the state (A) before the latching of the resin block, and the state (B) after the latching together FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lamp unit 1 of a vehicle fog lamp as viewed from the back side, in which 2 is a lamp block incorporating a lamp bulb (not shown) and 3 is for adjusting the optical axis of the lamp bulb. The optical axis adjusting shafts 4 and 4 are operation knobs that are connected to the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 and are gripped by an operator by hand when adjusting the optical axis. The optical axis adjustment shaft 3 and the operation knob 4 are both formed of a resin material, the operation knob 4 constitutes a resin block, and the optical axis adjustment shaft 3 constitutes a locking counterpart member to which the resin block is locked. ing. In FIG. 1, 5 is a cover plate that is disposed on the front surface of the lamp block 2 and transmits the light emitted from the lamp bulb, and 6 is a connection socket that is disposed on the back surface of the lamp block 2 and to which an electrical system is connected. It is.

  The optical axis adjusting shaft 3 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and four arcuate engagement holes 7 penetrating in the axial direction are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The four engagement holes 7 are evenly arranged around the central axis of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3.

2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view showing details of the operation knob 4, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state of the operation knob 4 and the optical axis adjusting shaft 3.
The operation knob 4 has a knob main body 8 (resin block main body) formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a short axis, and is inserted into an engagement hole 7 of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 on one end surface of the knob main body 4. One locking leg 9 is projected. Each of the locking leg portions 9 has a substantially arcuate cross section corresponding to the engaging hole 7 and is equally disposed around the central axis o of the knob body 8. Further, the arc width around the central axis o of each locking leg 9 is formed to be substantially the same as the arc width of the engagement hole 7 of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3.
Hereinafter, with respect to the locking leg 9, the central axis o side is referred to as a radially inner side, and the opposite side of the central axis o is referred to as a radially outer side. For convenience of explanation, the side of the operation knob 4 where the locking leg 9 is located is called “upper”, and the side where the knob body 8 is located is called “lower”.

  At the distal end portion of each locking leg portion 9, a retaining projection 10 that protrudes outward in the radial direction is provided. The retaining protrusion 10 is provided with a tapered surface 10a inclined downward in the radial direction on the upper surface side, and a holding surface 10b that is substantially perpendicular to the outer general surface of the locking leg portion 9 on the lower surface side. It has been. As shown in FIG. 4A, each locking leg 9 is slightly inclined radially outward in the initial state before being inserted into the corresponding engagement hole 7 of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3. is doing.

  Further, a substantially U-shaped notch 11 that opens upward is provided on the side wall on the base side of the two locking legs 9, 9 at the diagonal position of the locking legs 9. In addition, a cam piece 12 is provided inside the notch 11. The cam piece 12 is supported in a cantilevered manner in a region where the notch portion 11 is not provided on the side wall of the locking leg portion 9, and can be bent and deformed radially inward. Further, the cam piece 12 is provided with a gradually increasing thickness portion 13 that gradually bulges radially outward on the lower edge portion side, and a tapered surface that slopes downward radially outward on the upper surface side of the gradually increasing thickness portion 13. 13a is formed. The gradually increasing portion 13 (tapered surface 13a) of the cam piece 12 is provided so as to correspond to the pressing surface 10b of the retaining projection 10 in the insertion direction of the locking leg 9.

  In the case of the operation knob 4 of this embodiment, the base portion of the locking leg portions 9 and 9 having the cam pieces 12 is slightly larger than the cross section of the general portion of the locking leg portions 9 and 9, and the optical axis adjusting shaft A pedestal portion 14 that is not inserted into the three engagement holes 7 is provided. The notch portion 11 and the gradually increasing thickness portion 13 of the cam piece 12 are formed so as to partially enter the region in the pedestal portion 14.

  In the above configuration, when the operation knob 4 is attached to the end of the optical axis adjustment shaft 3, as shown in FIG. 4 (A), the locking legs 9 of the operation knob 4 are connected to the optical axis adjustment shaft 3 side. The engaging legs 7 are directly inserted into the engaging holes 7 on the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 side. At this time, when the locking leg 9 is inserted into the corresponding engagement hole 7, the taper surface 10a of the retaining projection 10 is guided to the inner surface of the engagement hole 7, and the entire locking leg 9 is radially inward. To bend and deform. When the locking leg 9 is further inserted into the engagement hole 7 in this state, as shown in FIG. It protrudes to the end side, and the retaining protrusion 10 protrudes radially outward by the elastic return of the locking leg 9, so that the holding surface 10 b of the retaining protrusion 10 contacts the edge of the other end side of the engagement hole 7 with the surface. Will be in touch. Thereby, the removal of each locking leg 9 is regulated.

  Further, at this time, the two locking leg portions 9, 9 having the cam piece 12 are arranged so that the tapered surface 13 a of the cam piece 12 is one end portion of the engaging hole 7 as the locking leg portion 9 is inserted into the engaging hole 7. The reaction force in the direction in which the pressing surface 10b of the retaining projection 10 is pressed against the end edge on the other end side of the engagement hole 7 while the cam piece 12 is bent and deformed radially inward is applied to the optical axis adjusting shaft. You will receive from 3. Therefore, the shakiness of the operation knob 4 in the axial direction is suppressed by the reaction force at this time.

As described above, in the locking portion structure of the operation knob 4 of this embodiment, the retaining protrusion 10 is provided on the distal end side of the locking leg portion 9 of the operation knob 4 and a part of the side wall on the base side. A cam piece 12 that can be bent and deformed is provided on the radially inner side, and one end of the engagement hole 7 is inserted into the engagement piece 7 of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 in the cam piece 12. Since the tapered surface 13a that receives the reaction force when pressed by the portion is provided, the locking leg portion 9 protruding from the knob body 8 has a simple structure in which the retaining protrusion 10 and the cam piece 12 are integrally provided. However, it is possible to prevent the operation knob 4 from coming off and to prevent rattling at the same time.
Therefore, the operation knob 4 can be easily formed by a relatively simple molding apparatus while having the above functions, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, it is possible to easily cope with an increase in the size of the product.

  Moreover, in the latching | locking part structure of this embodiment, the cam piece 12 for preventing shakiness of the operation knob 4 is provided so that it may oppose to the latching protrusion 10 in the insertion direction of the latching leg part 9. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the edge of the engagement hole 7 of the optical axis adjusting shaft 3 can be stably clamped and fixed from above and below by the cam piece 12 and the retaining protrusion 10 opposed thereto.

  Furthermore, in the case of the locking portion structure of this embodiment, the cam piece 12 for preventing rattling of the operation knob 4 is provided at two positions that equally bisect the circumference around the central axis o. The reaction force of the plurality of cam pieces 12 can be applied in a well-balanced manner around the central axis o. Therefore, the operation knob 4 can be locked more stably with respect to the optical axis adjustment shaft 3.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various design change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary. For example, in the above embodiment, two cam pieces for preventing the operation knob from rattling are provided around the central axis, but any number of cam pieces may be provided as long as the number is one or more. However, when three or more cam pieces are provided, locking can be stabilized by arranging the cam pieces at positions that equally divide the circumference around the central axis.

3. Optical axis adjustment shaft (locking counterpart member)
4. Operation knob (resin block)
7 ... engagement hole 8 ... knob body (resin block body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Locking leg part 10 ... Stopping protrusion 12 ... Cam piece 13a ... Tapered surface

Claims (3)

Protruding from the resin block main body, provided with a locking leg portion inserted into the engaging hole of the locking mating member,
When inserted into one end side of the engagement hole and protrudes to the other end side at the distal end portion of the engagement leg portion, the other end side of the engagement hole is restored by the elastic shape of the engagement leg portion. In the resin block locking portion structure provided with retaining protrusions that come into contact with the edge at the surface,
A cam piece that can be bent and deformed in a direction intersecting the insertion direction with respect to the engagement hole is provided on a part of the side wall on the base side of the locking leg,
The cam piece is provided with a tapered surface that is inclined with respect to the insertion direction and abuts against one end of the engagement hole when the distal end of the locking leg is inserted into the engagement hole. A resin block locking portion structure characterized by comprising:   The said cam piece is provided in the site | part facing the said retaining protrusion in the insertion direction of the said latching leg part, The latching | locking part structure of the resin block of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. A plurality of the locking leg portions are provided in the resin block main body, and the plurality of locking leg portions are annularly arranged around one axis,
The said cam piece is provided with two or more so that it may become a position which divides | segments the circumference | surroundings around the said axis | shaft equally in the some locking leg part arrange | positioned at the said cyclic | annular form. The resin block locking portion structure described.

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