JP2017195715A - Lock structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel lock structure that can avoid increasing sizes of a first member and a second member and improve retaining force while employing a low-insertion-force lock structure.SOLUTION: A lock structure 10 is characterized in that while an elastic lock arm 20 provided with a lock projection part 22 extends downward from a first member 14, a lock frame body 34 comprising an elastic piece 42 capable of elastically deforming in a plate thickness direction on a lower side is provided on an outer surface of a peripheral wall 32 of a second member 16, and the lock projection part 22 is locked to the elastic piece 42 to assemble the first member 14 above the second member 16. The second member 16 has a thin part 46, made small in thickness of a peripheral wall 32, formed at a position corresponding to the lock frame body 34, and an outer surface 45 of the thin part 46 and an outer surface 50 of a thick part 48 located below the thin part 46 and made thin are connected below the elastic piece 42 by an inclined surface 52 gradually projecting outward toward a lower side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a lock structure for assembling and fixing a first member and a second member to each other, for example, a lock structure between a protector body and a lid in a protector that protects a wire harness routed in a vehicle. Is.

  Conventionally, a lock structure for assembling and fixing two members such as a main body and a lid has been widely used. For example, in a protector for a wire harness described in JP-A-2015-23615 (Patent Document 1). By this lock structure, the protector body and the lid are assembled and fixed to each other.

  By the way, in the protector of the said patent document 1, while the latching frame body which equips the outer surface of a protector main body with the elastic piece which can be elastically deformed in a plate | board thickness direction below is provided, a lid body has a tip at An elastic locking arm having a locking projection is provided, and the locking structure of the protector main body and the lid is constituted by the locking frame body and the elastic locking arm. In other words, the lid is superimposed on the opening of the protector body, so that the elastic projection arm is inserted into the engagement frame while the elastic projection elastically deforms the elastic piece outward. And when a latching protrusion gets over an elastic piece, an elastic piece will return to an initial position, and a latching protrusion will be latched by an elastic piece. In this way, by providing a part that can be elastically deformed to a part of the lock structure, assembly with a low insertion force is possible.

  However, in the lock structure described in Patent Document 1, in order to keep the insertion force during assembly small, the gap formed by the locking frame body and the outer surface of the protector body is made larger than the locking protrusion. The elastic piece protruded so as to incline inward from the locking frame toward the outer surface of the protector body. For this reason, the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the protector main body in the locking frame tends to be large, and a lock structure that enables downsizing of the protector has been demanded.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-23615

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above-described circumstances, and its solution is to avoid the increase in size of the first member and the second member while adopting a lock structure with a low insertion force, and to hold it. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel lock structure capable of improving the force.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an elastic locking arm provided with a locking protrusion extends downward from the first member, while the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the second member is elastically deformed in the thickness direction. A locking frame body provided with a possible elastic piece is provided below, and the first member is assembled above the second member by locking the locking projection to the elastic piece. In the lock structure, the second member is formed with a thin portion with a reduced thickness dimension of the peripheral wall at a position corresponding to the locking frame, and an outer surface of the thin portion; The outer surface of the thick wall portion positioned below the thin wall portion and thickened is connected to the lower surface of the elastic piece by an inclined surface that gradually protrudes outward as it goes downward. It is characterized by.

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, since the position corresponding to the locking frame body is a thin portion in which the thickness dimension of the peripheral wall is reduced on the outer surface of the second member, the thickness dimension of the peripheral wall is Compared with the case where the locking frame is provided on the outer surface of the peripheral wall, the projecting dimension of the locking frame from the outer surface of the second member can be reduced. Thereby, the enlargement of the first member and the second member can be avoided while adopting a lock structure with a low insertion force as in Patent Document 1.

  In addition, an inclined surface that gradually protrudes outward as it goes downward is provided below the thin-walled portion. Therefore, when the elastic locking arm is fitted into the locking frame, the elastic engagement is first performed. The stop arm is inserted along the outer surface of the thin portion, and then deformed so as to be pushed outward by the inclined surface. Thereby, at the time of the assembly of the first member and the second member, the elastic locking arm is elastically deformed in a direction to be pushed outward with respect to the insertion direction, and is positioned outside the elastic locking arm. Since the elastic piece is more reliably engaged, the holding force can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lock structure according to the first aspect, the locking protrusion is engaged with the elastic piece in a state where the elastic piece is pressed outward by the elastic locking arm. It has been stopped.

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, in the assembled state of the first member and the second member, the elastic locking arm is locked in a state where the elastic piece is pressed outward. The restoring force of the elastic piece is always exerted. Therefore, since the lower end of the elastic piece is positioned so as to bite into the outer surface of the elastic locking arm, the possibility that the elastic locking arm will come off from the locking frame is reduced, and the elastic locking arm becomes elastic piece. And the outer surface of the second member can be held more securely.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the lock structure according to the first or second aspect, the thin portion is configured by a groove bottom wall of a concave groove that extends in the vertical direction and opens outward. It is.

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, since the concave portion is provided in the portion corresponding to the locking frame body in the second member, and the thin wall portion is configured by the groove bottom wall of the concave groove, The formation region can be kept small, and the strength reduction in the second member can be suppressed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the lock structure according to any one of the first to third aspects, the elastic piece is provided to be inclined toward the outer surface of the second member. .

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, since the elastic piece is inclined inward toward the outer surface of the second member, the elastic locking arm is inserted into the locking frame body and the elastic piece is elastically outward. Also during deformation, the elastic piece can be prevented from protruding from the locking frame or can be kept small. Thereby, when assembling the first member and the second member, the necessary space can be further reduced.

  Further, since the elastic piece is inclined inward, the locking protrusion located inside the elastic piece is more securely locked to the elastic piece, and the first member and the second member are combined. The holding force after attaching can be further improved.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the lock structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in the assembled state of the first member and the second member, The upper end surface is inclined and spreads with respect to the horizontal direction, and is substantially parallel to the lower end surface of the elastic piece.

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, in the assembled state of the first member and the second member, the upper end surface of the locking projection and the lower end surface of the elastic piece are substantially parallel. The contact area between the upper end surface of the locking projection and the lower end surface of the elastic piece when the stopping projection is locked to the elastic piece can be increased, and the holding force can be improved.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the lock structure according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and in a single product state that is a state before assembly of the first member to the second member, The upper end surface of the locking projection is spread in the horizontal direction.

  According to the lock structure according to this aspect, for example, the vertical dimension of the locking projection can be kept small compared to the case where the upper end surface of the locking projection is inclined outward as the upper end surface is outward. The insertion dimension required when the locking projection gets over the elastic piece can be kept small, and the backlash after assembling the first member and the second member can be avoided.

  In the present invention, while adopting a lock structure with a low insertion force, in the lock structure, the locking frame provided on the outer surface of the second member is in a portion where the thickness dimension is reduced on the peripheral wall of the second member. Since it is provided, an increase in the size of the second member can be avoided. Furthermore, since the inclined surface is provided on the outer surface of the second member, when the first member and the second member are assembled, the elastic locking arm of the first member is deformed so as to be pushed outward. As a result, the holding force can be improved.

The perspective view which shows the whole protector for wire harnesses of a motor vehicle provided with the lock structure as one Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the lock structure in the protector for wire harnesses shown by FIG. III-III sectional drawing in FIG. The disassembled perspective view of the protector for wire harnesses shown by FIG. The front view which shows the elastic locking arm in the 1st member which comprises the protector for wire harnesses shown by FIG. VI-VI sectional drawing in FIG. The front view which shows the latching frame in the 2nd member which comprises the protector for wire harnesses shown by FIG. VIII-VIII sectional drawing in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIGS. 1 to 3 show a protector 12 for an automobile wire harness provided with a lock structure 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the wire harness protector 12 includes a lid body 14 as a first member and a protector body 16 as a second member. Then, the wire harness is inserted into the protector body 16 and the lid body 14 is assembled via the lock structure 10, whereby the wire harness is protected by the protector 12. In the following description, the vertical direction refers to the vertical direction in FIG. Further, the vertical direction does not have to coincide with the vertical direction in the mounting state on the vehicle.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the lid body 14 has a substantially rectangular plate shape as a whole and includes a top plate portion 18 that extends in the horizontal direction (left and right direction in FIGS. 5 and 6). I have. Then, elastic locking arms 20, 20, 20, 20 projecting downward with a predetermined dimension are provided from both ends in the width direction on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the top plate 18.

  Each of these elastic locking arms 20 has the same shape. In this embodiment, the elastic locking arms 20 have a substantially rectangular shape, and the front end portion (lower end portion) in the protruding direction is narrower than the base end portion (upper end portion). It is said that. The elastic locking arm 20 has a substantially constant plate thickness over substantially the entire length. The plate thickness of the elastic locking arm 20 is made sufficiently small and easily elastic in the plate thickness direction. It can be deformed.

  Further, a locking projection 22 is provided at the lower end portion of each elastic locking arm 20. Each of these locking projections 22 protrudes outward in the width direction of the lid body 14 from the elastic locking arm 20. And the lower end surface of the latching protrusion 22 is made into the inclined surface 24 from which the protrusion dimension from the elastic latching arm 20 becomes small gradually. On the other hand, in the single product state of the lid body 14 before being assembled to the protector main body 16, the upper end surface 26 of the locking projection 22 extends in the horizontal direction.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the protector main body 16 is a member extending longitudinally with a substantially U-shaped cross section having an opening 27 on the upper side. That is, a pair of side wall portions 30 and 30 protrude upward from both ends in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 8) of the bottom wall portion 28 extending in the left and right direction in FIG. The bottom wall portion 28 and the pair of side wall portions 30, 30 constitute a peripheral wall 32 of the protector body 16.

  Further, on both sides in the length direction of the side wall portions 30, 30, locking frame bodies 34, 34, 34, which protrude outward in the width direction of the protector body 16 are formed on the outer surfaces at positions corresponding to the respective elastic locking arms 20. 34 is formed. Each of the locking frames 34 includes an outer wall portion 36 extending in parallel with the side wall portion 30, and the outer wall portion 36 is connected to the connecting wall portions 38, 38 at both ends in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7). It is connected to the side wall 30 by. Thus, gaps 40 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed by the regions surrounded by the side wall portion 30, the outer wall portion 36, and the connecting wall portions 38, 38. Further, the width direction dimension of the gap 40, that is, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the connecting wall portions 38, 38 is substantially the same as or slightly larger than the maximum width dimension of the elastic locking arm 20.

  Here, an elastic piece 42 protruding downward is provided at the lower end of each outer wall portion 36. These elastic pieces 42 have a width dimension smaller than that of the outer wall portion 36, that is, both end portions in the width direction of the elastic pieces 42 are not connected to the connecting wall portions 38, 38. Elastic deformation is possible in the thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the elastic piece 42 protrudes so as to incline toward the outer surface of the side wall 30, that is, inward in the width direction of the protector body 16 as it goes downward. Moreover, in the protector main body 16 of the single item before the cover body 14 is assembled | attached, the lower end surface 43 of the elastic piece 42 is extended in the horizontal direction.

  Here, a concave groove 44 that opens toward the outer wall portion 36 is formed in a portion facing the outer wall portion 36 on the outer surface of the side wall portion 30. The concave groove 44 has a substantially rectangular cross section and extends in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion opens to the outside through the upper end surface of the side wall portion 30. On the other hand, the lower end is located below the elastic piece 42 in the locking frame 34. Accordingly, the groove bottom surface 45 of the concave groove 44 and the lower end portion of the elastic piece 42 are opposed to each other in the width direction of the protector body 16, and the opposing distance is the maximum in the locking projection 22 of the elastic locking arm 20. It is made smaller than the plate thickness dimension. Further, the groove width dimension (the dimension in the left-right direction in FIG. 7) of the recessed groove 44 is substantially equal to the distance between the opposing surfaces of the connecting wall portions 38, 38, and is substantially the same as the maximum width dimension of the elastic locking arm 20. Or slightly larger.

  Thus, by providing the concave groove 44 on the outer surface of the side wall part 30, the plate thickness dimension of the side wall part 30 changes in the vertical direction. In short, at the formation position of the concave groove 44 in the side wall portion 30, the plate thickness dimension is reduced, and the thin wall portion 46 is formed by the groove bottom wall of the concave groove 44. On the other hand, in the side wall portion 30, the position outside the concave groove 44 is a thick portion 48 having a plate thickness dimension larger than that of the thin portion 46. Therefore, the outer surface 45 (groove bottom surface of the recessed groove 44) 45 of the thin portion 46 is located inward in the width direction of the protector body 16 relative to the outer surface 50 of the thick portion 48.

  The groove bottom surface 45 of the concave groove 44 extends straight in the vertical direction, while the lower end surface of the concave groove 44 is an inclined surface 52 that gradually protrudes outward as it goes downward. That is, the outer surface 45 (groove bottom surface of the recessed groove 44) 45 of the thin portion 46 and the outer surface 50 of the thick portion 48 are connected to each other by the inclined surface 52.

  The lid 14 is assembled to the protector main body 16 by inserting the wire harness from the upper opening 27 in the protector main body 16 having the above structure and then covering the opening 27 with the lid 14. Thereby, the protector 12 for wire harnesses is comprised and the wire harness is protected by the protector 12 concerned.

  Here, when the lid body 14 is assembled to the protector body 16, the elastic locking arm 20 of the lid body 14 is inserted into the gap 40 in the locking frame body 34 of the protector body 16 from above. That is, the inner surface of the elastic locking arm 20 abuts against the groove bottom surface (the outer surface of the thin portion 46) 45 of the concave groove 44 and is inserted downward while being guided by the groove bottom surface 45. Then, when the locking projection 22 of the elastic locking arm 20 reaches the lower end of the concave groove 44, the next is guided to the inclined surface 52. Due to the guiding action of the inclined surface 52, the elastic locking arm 20 is elastically deformed outward in the width direction of the protector body 16, as shown in FIG.

  At that time, since the separation distance between the groove bottom surface 45 of the concave groove 44 and the lower end portion of the elastic piece 42 is made smaller than the maximum plate thickness dimension of the locking protrusion 22, the locking protrusion 22 has the gap 40. The elastic piece 42 is elastically deformed outward by the locking projection 22 when passing through the lower end portion (the portion where the elastic piece 42 is formed). When the elastic piece 42 gets over the locking projection 22, the elastic piece 42 is restored and deformed, and the locking projection 22 is locked to the elastic piece 42.

  In the assembled state of the lid body 14 and the protector main body 16, the elastic locking arm 20 is locked in a state where the elastic locking arm 20 is inclined outward in the width direction of the protector main body 16 with respect to the vertical direction. The upper end surface 26 of the protrusion 22 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Specifically, the protector body 16 is inclined in the upward direction as it goes outward in the width direction.

  In the present embodiment, in the assembled state of the lid body 14 and the protector main body 16, the elastic piece 42 is restored to the same position as in the single product state before the lid body 14 and the protector main body 16 shown in FIG. 8 are assembled. The elastic piece 42 is not deformed, and the lower end on the inner side of the elastic piece 42 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the elastic locking arm 20, whereby the deformation of the elastic piece 42 is limited. That is, in the assembled state of the lid body 14 and the protector body 16, the elastic piece 42 is pressed outward by the elastic locking arm 20, and the restoring force of the elastic piece 42 is always applied to the outer surface of the elastic locking arm 20. Has been hit.

  Further, in the assembled state of the lid body 14 and the protector body 16, the elastic piece 42 is pressed outward in the width direction of the protector body 16 by the elastic locking arm 20 as compared with the single product state as described above. Therefore, the lower end surface 43 of the elastic piece 42 is inclined in the upward direction as it goes outward in the width direction with respect to the horizontal direction. In particular, in the present embodiment, in the assembled state of the lid body 14 and the protector main body 16, the upper end surface 26 of the locking projection 22 and the lower end surface 43 of the elastic piece 42 are made substantially parallel to each other. ing.

  In the protector 12 having the above-described structure, the elastic piece 42 is provided at the lower end of the locking frame 34, and the elastic piece 42 is elastically outward as the elastic locking arm 20 is inserted into the gap 40. Since it is deformed, the required insertion force can be kept small.

  The locking frame 34 constituting the lock structure 10 is provided on the thinned portion (thin wall portion 46) of the peripheral wall 32 of the protector body 16 while adopting the lock structure 10 having such a low insertion force. Therefore, compared to the case where the peripheral wall of the protector body has a substantially constant thickness dimension and the locking frame body is provided on the outer surface of the peripheral wall, the outer surface of the peripheral wall (thick part 48) of the locking frame body 34 is provided. The projecting dimension from the outer surface 50) is reduced. Thereby, the enlargement of the protector main body 16 is avoided, and the enlargement of the lid body 14 is also avoided.

  In addition, an inclined surface 52 is provided at the lower end of the concave groove 44 into which the elastic locking arm 20 is inserted, and when the locking projection 22 is locked to the elastic piece 42, the elastic locking arm 20. Is elastically deformed so as to be pushed outward along the inclined surface 52. Thus, in a state where the elastic locking arm 20 is pushed outward, the locking protrusion 22 of the elastic locking arm 20 is locked to the elastic piece 42 positioned outside the elastic locking arm 20. Therefore, the locked state between the locking projection 22 and the elastic piece 42 is stably maintained.

  At this time, in the present embodiment, the elastic piece 42 is not restored to the initial state, and is engaged with the locking protrusion 22 in a state of being in contact with the outer surface of the elastic locking arm 20. As a result, the elastic piece 42 is given an urging force in the initial state, that is, inward in the width direction of the protector body 16. In the engaged state of the elastic piece 42 and the locking protrusion 22, the elastic piece 42 is applied. Will be positioned so that its lower end bites into the outer surface of the elastic locking arm 20. Therefore, the engagement state between the elastic piece 42 and the locking projection 22 can be maintained more stably.

  In particular, since the elastic piece 42 is provided to be inclined toward the outer surface of the protector body 16, that is, inward in the width direction of the protector body 16, the elastic locking arm of the elastic piece 42 as described above is provided. The biting action on 20 is more effectively exhibited, and the engagement state between the elastic piece 42 and the locking projection 22 can be maintained more stably. In addition, since the elastic piece 42 is inclined inward, even when the elastic piece 42 is elastically deformed outward, the amount of outward protrusion from the locking frame 34 is kept small. The size of the protector body 16 during the elastic deformation of the elastic piece 42 and / or after the elastic deformation can be avoided.

  In addition, since the lower end surface 43 of the elastic piece 42 and the upper end surface 26 of the locking projection 22 are parallel to each other in the engaged state between the elastic piece 42 and the locking projection 22, these both surfaces 43, The contact area 26 is sufficiently secured, and the locking projection 22 is locked to the elastic piece 42 with a larger locking force. In particular, since both the surfaces 43 and 26 are inclined in the upward direction as they become outward, the engagement state between the locking projection 22 and the elastic piece 42 may be unexpectedly released. Reduced.

  In addition, since the upper end surface 26 of the locking projection 22 spreads in the horizontal direction when the lid 14 is in a single product state, for example, the upper end surface of the locking projection is inclined upward as the upper end surface is outward. Compared with the case where it does, the vertical dimension of the latching protrusion 22 is restrained small, and the insertion amount of the cover body 14 required when the elastic piece 42 gets over the latching protrusion 22 is restrained small. Thereby, rattling in the assembled state of the lid 14 and the protector main body 16 can be suppressed to a small value.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the thin portion 46 is formed by the groove bottom wall of the concave groove 44, the protector body 16 does not have too many portions that are thin, and the strength of the protector body 16 is increased. It can be secured sufficiently.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this is an illustration to the last, Comprising: This invention is not limited at all by the specific description in this embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the outer surface (groove bottom surface of the recessed groove 44) 45 of the thin portion 46 extends straight in the vertical direction, but is not limited to this mode. That is, the outer surface of the thin portion may be formed of an inclined surface that inclines in a direction in which the plate thickness direction of the thin portion increases as it goes downward over substantially the entire length in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the present invention, an inclined surface that connects the outer surface of the thin portion and the outer surface of the thick portion may be provided below the elastic piece, such as the inclination angle of the inclined surface and the vertical dimension. Is not limited in any way.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the thin part 46 was comprised by the groove bottom wall of the ditch | groove 44, it is not limited to this aspect. That is, in the said embodiment, although the thin part 46 was provided only in the position corresponding to the locking frame 34 and the elastic locking arm 20, for example, a thin part covers the full length direction full length of a protector main body. It may be provided.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the elastic piece 42 is provided so as to be inclined inward with respect to the locking frame body 34. However, for example, the elastic piece 42 may extend straight downward from the locking frame body. Thus, in the present invention, the shape, size, inclination angle, etc. of the elastic piece are not limited at all.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, each locking frame 34 is provided at the upper end portion of the side walls 30, 30. However, these locking frames are provided on the outer surface of the side wall, for example, at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction. Also good. On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, each locking projection 22 is provided at the lower end portion of the elastic locking arm 20, but the locking projection may also be provided at, for example, the middle portion of the elastic locking arm. Good.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the lock structure 10 employ | adopted as the protector 12 for automotive wire harnesses was shown as a lock structure which concerns on this invention, this lock structure may be applied besides a protector for wire harnesses.

10: lock structure, 12: protector for wire harness, 14: lid (first member), 16: protector body (second member), 20: elastic locking arm, 22: locking protrusion, 26: upper end surface , 32: peripheral wall, 34: locking frame, 42: elastic piece, 43: lower end surface, 44: recessed groove, 45: groove bottom surface (outer surface of thin portion), 46: thin portion, 48: thick portion, 50 : Outer surface of thick part, 52: Inclined surface

Claims (6)

An elastic locking arm provided with a locking protrusion extends downward from the first member, while an outer surface of the peripheral wall of the second member is provided with an elastic piece that can be elastically deformed in the thickness direction. In the lock structure in which a stop frame is provided and the first member is assembled above the second member by locking the locking protrusion to the elastic piece,
The second member is formed with a thin portion with a reduced thickness of the peripheral wall at a position corresponding to the locking frame, and the outer surface of the thin portion is below the thin portion. A lock structure characterized in that an outer surface of a thick portion positioned and thick is connected by an inclined surface that gradually protrudes outward as it goes downward, below the elastic piece.   The lock structure according to claim 1, wherein the engagement protrusion is engaged with the elastic piece in a state where the elastic piece is pressed outward by the elastic engagement arm.   The lock structure according to claim 1, wherein the thin portion is configured by a groove bottom wall of a concave groove that extends in the vertical direction and opens outward.   The lock structure according to claim 1, wherein the elastic piece is provided to be inclined toward the outer surface of the second member.   In the assembled state of the first member and the second member, the upper end surface of the locking projection is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction and is substantially parallel to the lower end surface of the elastic piece. The lock structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The single-piece | unit state which is a state before the assembly | attachment to the said 2nd member of the said 1st member WHEREIN: The upper end surface of the said latching protrusion part is spreading in a horizontal direction. Lock structure.

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