JP2020080775A - Case component and case - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a case component capable of enhancing the safety in handling a case and the degree of freedom in the design of the case.SOLUTION: A case component 3 comprises: a base part 10; a housing 20 attached to the base part 10; a movable member 30 configured to move in interior space S formed between the base part 10 and the housing 20; and a rotary cylinder 80. An insertion port 22 into which a cigarette cartridge can be inserted is formed in the housing 20. The movable member 30 has a cover part 31 that can block the insertion port 22 of the housing 20. The rotary cylinder 80 has a cylindrical body 81 and a guide piece 82 that is spirally formed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body 81. The case component 3 comprises: a contact part 91 that comes into contact with the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80; and a motor 50 for rotating the movable member 30 and the rotary cylinder 80. The rotary cylinder 80 is so configured as to move in the Z direction as a result of the contact part 91 sliding into contact with the guide piece 82 due to rotation of the rotary cylinder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a case component and a case, and more particularly to a case formed with an insertion port into which a rod-shaped body can be inserted along an axial direction.

In recent years, heated cigarettes and electronic cigarettes have become popular because of less harmful substances and less smoke than conventional cigarettes. In such a new type cigarette, it is common to insert the cigarette cartridge into a dedicated case to heat or charge the cigarette cartridge. The case of such a new type cigarette has an insertion opening for inserting the cigarette cartridge, but in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the case from the insertion opening when not in use, the insertion opening is A cover that can be opened and closed is often attached.

Such a cover is attached so as to slide outside the case main body, or is provided so as to open from the case main body to the outside by a hinge mechanism because of a limited internal space of the case. (For example, see Patent Document 1). However, if the cover is provided outside the case body or is configured to open toward the outside of the case body in this way, the user may get caught in the cover and drop the case when handling the case. It may be lost or damaged. Further, when the outer surface of the case is formed of a curved surface, it is difficult to design a mechanism for sliding the cover outside the case body, and thus the cover becomes a constraint on the design of the case. Such a problem is not limited to the case of the new cigarette, and is applicable to all cases including a cover that opens and closes the insertion opening.

International Publication No. 2017/194766

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the conventional art, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a case component capable of enhancing the safety in handling the case and the degree of freedom in designing the case. And

A second object of the present invention is to provide a case having high safety in handling and a high degree of freedom in design.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a case component capable of enhancing the safety in handling the case and the degree of freedom in designing the case. The case component is attached to the case body, and is a movable member configured to move in a base portion, a housing attached to the base portion, and an internal space formed between the base portion and the housing. And a rotary cylinder. The housing is formed with an insertion opening into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted along the axial direction. The movable member has a cover portion capable of closing the insertion port of the housing. The rotary cylinder is formed such that a cylindrical body in which an insertion space communicating with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction is formed inside, and a position in the axial direction changes along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. And a guide piece. The case component further includes an abutting portion that abuts the guide piece of the rotary cylinder in the axial direction, and a drive source for moving the movable member and rotating the rotary cylinder. The rotary cylinder is configured to move in the axial direction by a sliding contact between the guide piece and the abutting portion due to the rotation thereof.

With such a configuration, the movable member having the cover portion for opening and closing the insertion opening formed in the housing can be moved in the internal space of the housing, so that the mechanism for opening and closing the insertion opening can be provided outside the case component. No need to provide. Therefore, when the user handles the case, it is possible to prevent the case from being caught by the mechanism on the outside of the case component and dropping or damaging the case. Further, since the movable member having the cover portion that opens and closes the insertion port is housed in the internal space of the housing, the mechanism for moving the movable member is unlikely to be a constraint on the outer shape of the housing. Therefore, it is possible to form the outer surface of the case component with a curved surface, and the degree of freedom in designing the case increases.

Further, since the rotary cylinder is configured to move in the axial direction by the sliding contact between the guide piece and the contact portion accompanying the rotation, the movable member is moved to retract the cover portion from the insertion opening and at the same time. The cylinder body of the rotary cylinder can be brought close to the insertion port. This makes it possible to reduce the gap formed between the insertion opening and the base of the housing, and to prevent the components in the housing from being visible to the outside and the entry of foreign matter into the housing through this gap. You can

The guide piece of the rotary cylinder may be spirally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.

The abutting portion may have a contact portion that comes into contact with the guide piece of the rotary cylinder on a curved surface. In this way, since the contact portion comes into contact with the guide piece of the rotary cylinder on the curved surface, the resistance when the guide piece slides on the contact portion can be reduced, and the smooth rotation and movement of the rotary cylinder can be achieved. Can be realized.

The case component may further include a pressing portion that presses the guide piece of the rotary cylinder toward the contact portion. By pressing the guide piece of the rotary cylinder toward the contact portion with such a pressing portion, the guide piece can be more surely brought into sliding contact with the contact portion, so that the axial movement of the rotary cylinder is stabilized. Can be made

The case component may further include a tubular wall extending from the base portion in the axial direction. The cylindrical wall may further include a rotation restricting surface that restricts rotation of the guide piece of the rotary cylinder. With such a rotation restricting surface, the rotation of the guide piece guided by the abutting portion can be restricted, and the end point of the rotation of the rotating cylinder can be specified.

The cylindrical wall may have a first movement restricting surface that is perpendicular to the axis and that is connected to the base side of the rotation restricting surface. Further, the case component further has a second movement restricting surface which is a second movement restricting surface perpendicular to the axis and which is connected to the opposite side of the rotation restricting surface from the base portion. Good. When such a first movement restricting surface and a second movement restricting surface are provided, a force along the axial direction acts on the rotating cylinder while the rotation of the guide piece is restricted by the rotation restricting surface. However, since the guide piece comes into contact with the first movement restricting surface or the second movement restricting surface of the cylindrical wall, it is possible to restrict unintended movement and unintended rotation of the guide piece and the rotary cylinder in the axial direction. it can.

It is preferable that the movable member is configured to move in the internal space at least along a retracting direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

It is preferable that an end portion of the cylindrical body of the rotary cylinder be inclined so as to avoid the cover portion of the movable member that closes the insertion opening. By inclining the end of the tubular body of the rotary barrel in this manner, the movable member and the rotary barrel can be efficiently arranged within the limited internal space of the housing.

The drive source is preferably composed of a single motor. In this case, since the movement of the movable member and the rotation of the rotary cylinder can be realized by a single motor, the case parts can be made compact.

The rotary cylinder may further have a plurality of teeth formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body, and these teeth are a part of a gear mechanism that transmits the power of the drive source to the rotary cylinder. May be configured. In this case, the plurality of teeth of the rotary cylinder may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the guide piece. By thus forming a plurality of teeth on the outer circumference of the guide piece, the guide piece can be used as a part of the gear mechanism, and the number of parts can be reduced and the case parts can be made compact.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a case having high safety in handling and a high degree of freedom in design. This case includes the above-mentioned case component and a case body to which the case component is attached.

According to the present invention, since the movable member can be moved in the internal space inside the housing, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for opening and closing the insertion port outside the case component. Therefore, when the user handles the case, it is possible to prevent the case from being caught by the mechanism on the outside of the case component and dropping or damaging the case. Moreover, since the movable member is housed in the internal space of the housing, the mechanism for moving the movable member is unlikely to be a constraint on the outer shape of the housing. Therefore, it is possible to form the outer surface of the case component with a curved surface, and the degree of freedom in designing the case increases.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heating type cigarette case as an example of a case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a case component of the heating type cigarette case of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the case component of FIG. 2 when viewed from another angle. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the case component of FIG. 2 seen from another angle. FIG. 5 is a front view of the case component of FIG. FIG. 6A is a front view showing the base and the tubular wall of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6B is a rear view showing the base and the tubular wall of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing a rotary cylinder of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7B is a rear view showing the rotary cylinder of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 7C is a front view showing the rotary cylinder of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the case component of FIG. 1 related to the rotary cylinder. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a contact portion and a pressing portion provided on the auxiliary plate of the case component of FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the contact portion and the pressing portion shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an operation of the case component shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11B is a diagram showing an operation of the case component shown in FIG. FIG. 11C is a diagram showing the operation of the case part shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a rear view showing the cylindrical wall and the rotary cylinder in the state shown in FIG. 11C. 13 is a bottom view showing the movable member of the case part shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a guide follower of the movable member shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the guide portion of the movable member shown in FIG. 13, the guide surface of the housing, and the guide surface of the pressing member. FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing the two-step gear and the pinion member of the case part shown in FIG. FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the two-step gear and pinion member shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the two-step gear and pinion member shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 17C is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the two-step gear and the pinion member shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the guide portion and the guide pin at the closed position of the movable member of the case part shown in FIG. 5. 18B is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the guide portion and the guide pin at the open position of the movable member of the case part shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a case according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18B. 1 to 18B, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. 1 to 18B, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated or some components may be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a heating type cigarette case 1 as an example of a case according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the cigarette case 1 has a case body 2 that houses a heater, a power supply, a charger, and the like, and a case component 3 attached to the case body 2. In the present embodiment, for convenience, the +Z direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as “upper” or “upper”, and the −Z direction is referred to as “lower” or “lower”.

2 to 4 are exploded perspective views of the case part 3, and FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part of the case part 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the case component 3 includes a base portion 10 made of a substantially oval plate material, a housing 20 attached to the base portion 10, and an internal space formed between the base portion 10 and the housing 20. The movable member 30 accommodated in S and the auxiliary plate 90 attached to the lower surface of the base 10 are provided. Note that, in FIG. 5, the housing 20 is shown in a cross section for ease of understanding, and a motor 50 and a worm 51 to be described later are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 20 has an outer shape that is continuous with the outer shape of the case body 2 in the Z direction. The upper surface 21 of the housing 20 is inclined downward from the center in the X direction toward the −X direction, and a rod-shaped cigarette cartridge (not shown) is attached to the inclined surface 21A along the −Z direction (axial direction). An insertion port 22 that can be inserted is formed.

The movable member 30 includes a cover portion 31 having a shape that can be fitted into the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20. The cover portion 31 can close the insertion opening 22 by fitting into the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20. 1 and 5 show the state at this time, and the position of the movable member 30 in this state is referred to as the closed position. In the following, the operation from the state where the movable member 30 is in the closed position will be mainly described, but when the movable member 30 returns to the closed position, the operations described below are performed in the reverse order. ..

As shown in FIG. 5, below the insertion port 22 of the housing 20, a tubular wall 70 formed of a part of a cylinder extending in the Z direction is formed so as to penetrate the base portion 10. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a rotary cylinder 80 is housed inside the cylindrical wall 70 so as to be rotatable around its axis.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a motor 50 is fixed on the base 10, and a worm 51 is attached to the motor shaft of the motor 50. The motor 50 functions as a first drive source mainly for moving the movable member 30 in the X direction, and also as a second drive source mainly for rotating the rotary cylinder 80 around the axis. is there. As shown in FIG. 4, a terminal 50A of the motor 50 extends from the lower surface of the auxiliary plate 90, and a power source (not shown) for driving the motor 50 is connected to the terminal 50A.

A two-stage gear 54 having a worm wheel 52 meshing with the worm 51 and a spur gear 53 is rotatably mounted on the base portion 10 about a gear shaft 55. A pinion member 60 that rotates together with the worm wheel 52 under predetermined conditions is attached to the upper portion of the two-stage gear 54. Further, a spur gear 56 that meshes with the spur gear 53 of the two-stage gear 54 is rotatably mounted on the base 10 about a gear shaft 57.

Next, a mechanism for rotating the rotary cylinder 80 mainly around the axis will be described. 6A and 6B are a front view and a rear view showing the base portion 10 and the tubular wall 70, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the tubular wall 70 includes an upper inclined surface 71 that spirally rises from the base portion 10 around the axis, and a first inclined surface that extends from the uppermost portion of the upper inclined surface 71 in parallel with the XY plane. A movement restricting surface 74, a rotation restricting surface 73 extending in the Z direction from the first movement restricting surface 74, and an upper edge of the rotation restricting surface 73 extending in parallel with the XY plane so as to face the first movement restricting surface 74. It includes a second movement restriction surface 75 and a lower inclined surface 72 that spirally descends around the axis from above the base 10 to below. The upper inclined surface 71 and the lower inclined surface 72 are inclined at respective predetermined angles with respect to the XY plane.

7A is a perspective view showing the rotary cylinder 80, FIG. 7B is a rear view, and FIG. 7C is a front view. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the rotary cylinder 80 includes a cylindrical cylinder 81, a guide piece 82 protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 81, and a cylinder on the outer peripheral surface of the guide piece 82. It has a plurality of teeth 83 formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the body 81. Inside the cylindrical body 81, an insertion space T that communicates with the insertion port 22 of the housing 20 in the axial direction (Z direction) is formed. The cigarette cartridge described above is inserted into the insertion space T from the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20. The guide piece 82 spirally extends on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 81, and the above-described tooth 83 is formed on the outer periphery thereof. The teeth 83 of the guide piece 82 mesh with the spur gear 56 described above. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper end portion 81A of the tubular body 81 is inclined so that the +X direction side is located below the −X direction side when the movable member 30 is in the closed position.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion related to the rotary cylinder 80. As shown in FIG. 8, the rotary cylinder 80 is housed inside a cylindrical wall 70 that extends axially from the base 10. The auxiliary plate 90 attached to the lower surface of the base portion 10 is provided with a contact portion 91 that contacts the lower surface 82A (see FIGS. 7A to 7C) of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80. Further, above the contact portion 91, a pressing portion 92 that presses the upper surface 82B (see FIGS. 7A to 7C) of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 downward is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 is held between the pressing portion 92 and the contact portion 91 while being pressed against the contact portion 91 by the pressing portion 92.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92 attached to the auxiliary plate 90. As shown in FIG. 9, the auxiliary plate 90 has a plate portion 93 extending in parallel with the base portion 10 and a mounting piece 94 extending in the Z direction to which the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92 are attached. A mounting hole 941 for mounting the contact portion 91 and a mounting hole 942 for mounting the pressing portion 92 are formed in the mounting piece 94.

The contact portion 91 includes a contact roller 911 that contacts the lower surface 82A of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80, and a fixing pin 912 that fixes the contact roller 911. The fixing pin 912 has a tip portion 912A, a cylindrical portion 912B having an outer diameter larger than that of the tip portion 912A, and a head portion 912C that expands radially outward at the end portion of the cylindrical portion 912B. The contact roller 911 is formed with a through hole 911A into which the cylindrical portion 912B of the fixing pin 912 is inserted and a recess 911B in which the head 912C of the fixing pin 912 is accommodated. The contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91 has a role of guiding the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80.

The pressing portion 92 includes a pressing roller 921 that comes into contact with the upper surface 82B of the guide piece 82 of the rotating cylinder 80, a mounting pin 922 for mounting the pressing roller 921 to the mounting piece 94 of the auxiliary plate 90, and the pressing roller 921. And a coil spring 923 that biases the guide piece 82 toward the guide piece 82. The mounting pin 922 has a tip portion 922A, a cylindrical portion 922B having an outer diameter larger than that of the tip portion 922A, and a head portion 922C that expands radially outward at the end portion of the cylindrical portion 922B. The pressing roller 921 is formed with a through hole 921A into which the cylindrical portion 922B of the mounting pin 922 is inserted and a recess 921B in which the head 922C of the mounting pin 922 is accommodated. The ends 923A and 923B of the coil spring 923 are arranged so as to engage with the engaging portions 95A and 95B of the attachment piece 94 of the auxiliary plate 90.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view schematically showing the configurations of the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92. As shown in FIG. 10, in the contact portion 91 of the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the through hole 911A of the contact roller 911 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 912B of the fixing pin 912. When the tip portion 912A of the fixing pin 912 is fitted into the mounting hole 941 of the auxiliary plate 90, the head portion 912C of the fixing pin 912 is fitted into the recess 911B of the contact roller 911, and the contact roller 911 is fixed to the auxiliary plate 90. It As described above, in the present embodiment, since the inner diameter of the through hole 911A of the contact roller 911 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 912B of the fixed pin 912, the contact roller 911 does not rotate with respect to the fixed pin 912. ing. The contact roller 911 may be configured to rotate with respect to the fixing pin 912 by making the inner diameter of the through hole 911A of the contact roller 911 larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 912B of the fixing pin 912.

In the pressing portion 92, the inner diameter of the through hole 921A of the pressing roller 921 is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 922B of the mounting pin 922. Further, the recess 921B of the pressing roller 921 also has a larger outer diameter than the head 922C of the mounting pin 922. Therefore, when the tip portion 922A of the mounting pin 922 is fitted into the mounting hole 942 of the auxiliary plate 90, the head 922C of the mounting pin 922 is housed in the recess 921B of the pressing roller 921, and the pressing roller 921 moves to the mounting pin 922. Although it does not move in the fitting direction, it can move in the radial direction of the mounting pin 922. Here, the coil spring 923 is arranged so as to be biased in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 10.

When the motor 50 is driven, the worm 51 rotates to rotate the worm wheel 52 meshing with the worm 51 and rotate the two-stage gear 54. As a result, the spur gear 56 meshing with the spur gear 53 of the two-stage gear 54 rotates. As described above, since the teeth 83 of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 mesh with the spur gear 56, the rotary cylinder 80 rotates around the axis as the spur gear 56 rotates.

At this time, the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 is pressed against the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91 via the pressing roller 921 of the pressing portion 92 by the bias of the coil spring 923. Therefore, the rotary cylinder 80 rotates while the lower surface 82A of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 slides on the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91. As described above, since the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 is formed in a spiral shape, when the motor 50 is driven in the closed state shown in FIG. 5, the guide of the rotary cylinder 80 is shown as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. Due to the sliding contact between the lower surface 82A of the piece 82 and the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91, the entire rotary cylinder 80 moves in the +Z direction following the shape of the guide piece 82 as the rotary cylinder 80 rotates.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 can be pressed against the contact roller 911 of the abutting section 91 by the pressing roller 921 of the pressing section 92, so that the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 can be pushed further. The contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91 can be surely brought into sliding contact. Therefore, the axial movement of the rotary cylinder 80 follows the shape of the guide piece 82 more faithfully, and the axial movement of the rotary cylinder 80 can be stabilized. If the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 can be brought into sliding contact with the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91, the pressing portion 92 described above can be omitted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 91 is configured to contact the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 on the outer peripheral surface of the contact roller 911, that is, on the curved surface. In other words, the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91 functions as a contact portion that comes into contact with the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 on a curved surface. In this way, the contact portion 91 comes into contact with the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 on the curved surface, whereby the resistance when the guide piece 82 slides on the contact portion 91 can be reduced, and the rotary cylinder 80. It is possible to realize smooth rotation and movement of the.

When the rotary cylinder 80 further rotates from the state shown in FIG. 11B, the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 contacts the rotation restricting surface 73 of the cylindrical wall 70, and the rotation of the rotary cylinder 80 around the axis is restricted. (State shown in FIG. 11C). FIG. 12 is a rear view showing the cylindrical wall 70 and the rotary cylinder 80 in the state shown in FIG. 11C. As shown in FIG. 12, the rotation restricting surface 73 of the cylindrical wall 70 has a role of restricting the rotation of the guide piece 82 of the rotating cylinder 80 and defining the end point of the rotation of the rotating cylinder 80.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, when the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 comes into contact with the rotation restricting surface 73 of the tubular wall 70, the lower surface of the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 becomes the tubular wall 70. The first movement restriction surface 74 is opposed to the first movement restriction surface 74. In this state, as will be described later, the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20 and the insertion space T of the rotary cylinder 80 are in communication with each other. For example, when the cigarette cartridge is inserted into the insertion space T from the insertion port 22, it is conceivable that the cigarette cartridge hits the rotary cylinder 80 and a force in the −Z direction acts on the rotary cylinder 80. According to the present embodiment, In such a case, since the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 comes into contact with the first movement restricting surface 74 of the tubular wall 70 and does not move in the Z direction, the guide piece 82 and the rotary cylinder 80 are not intended in the −Z direction. Movement and unintentional rotation can be restricted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the upper surface of the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 faces the second movement restricting surface 75 of the tubular wall 70. Therefore, for example, when pulling out the cigarette cartridge inserted into the insertion space T, it is conceivable that the cigarette cartridge hits the rotary barrel 80 and a force in the +Z direction acts on the rotary barrel 80. In this case, since the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 comes into contact with the second movement restricting surface 75 of the tubular wall 70 and does not move in the Z direction, the guide piece 82 and the rotary cylinder 80 are unintentionally moved in the +Z direction. Unintentional rotation can be restricted. In the present embodiment, the example in which the second movement restricting surface 75 is formed on the cylindrical wall 70 has been described, but the member on which the second movement restricting surface 75 is formed is not limited to the cylindrical wall 70. Not a thing. For example, the second movement restricting surface 75 may be formed on the inner lower surface of the housing 20 facing the first movement restricting surface 74.

Next, a mechanism for moving the movable member 30 mainly in the X direction will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the movable member 30 includes a rack portion 32 extending from the cover portion 31 in the +X direction, a guide plate 33 attached above the rack portion 32, and a −Y direction from the rack portion 32. The guide portions 34A and 34B projecting from the rack portion 32 and the guide portion 35 projecting from the rack portion 32 in the +Y direction are provided. Note that the guide portions 34A, 34B, and 35 in the present embodiment are configured as rollers that can rotate around the axis, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be cylindrical pins.

As shown in FIG. 4, guide surfaces 24A and 24B for guiding the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 are formed on the inner bottom surface of the housing 20, respectively. The guide surfaces 24A and 24B extend in the X direction while changing their positions in the Z direction. A contact surface (not shown) that contacts the guide portion 35 of the movable member 30 is formed on the inner lower surface of the housing 20.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing the movable member 30. As shown in FIG. 13, the rack portion 32 of the movable member 30 has a rack gear 36 in which a large number of teeth are formed side by side in the X direction. A guide groove 37 extending in the X direction is formed in the guide plate 33. A guide follower 38 movable in the X direction is slidably attached to the guide groove 37.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the guide follower 38. As shown in FIG. 14, the guide follower 38 includes a cylindrical portion 381, an upper annular portion 382 attached to the upper side of the cylindrical portion 381, and a lower annular portion 383 attached to the lower side of the cylindrical portion 381. have. A through hole 384 is formed in the center of the guide follower 38 so as to pass through the upper annular portion 382, the cylindrical portion 381, and the lower annular portion 383.

The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 381 is smaller than the width W (see FIG. 13) of the guide groove 37 in the Y direction, and the outer diameters of the upper annular portion 382 and the lower annular portion 383 are in the Y direction of the guide groove 37. It is larger than the width W. The distance between the upper annular portion 382 and the lower annular portion 383 is slightly larger than the thickness of the guide plate 33. With such a configuration, the guide follower 38 substantially moves in the Z direction with respect to the guide plate 33 with the guide plate 33 positioned between the upper annular portion 382 and the lower annular portion 383. The guide groove 37 can be moved in the X direction without doing so.

As shown in FIG. 13, a round hole 39 having a diameter larger than the outer diameters of the upper annular portion 382 and the lower annular portion 383 is formed at the end of the guide groove 37 on the +X direction side. .. When assembling the movable member 30, the guide follower 38 can be inserted through the round hole 39 and the guide follower 38 can be introduced into the guide groove 37.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guide pin 40 is inserted into the through hole 384 of the guide follower 38. As shown in FIG. 4, a pin fixing hole 23 is formed in the inner lower surface of the housing 20, and the upper end of the guide pin 40 inserted into the through hole 384 of the guide follower 38 is inserted into the pin fixing hole 23 and fixed. To be done.

In addition, the guide pin 40 has a spring support portion 41 that spreads radially outward at the lower end. A coil spring 42 is arranged in a compressed state between the spring support portion 41 and the lower annular portion 383 of the guide follower 38. As a result, the guide follower 38 is biased upward, and the guide plate 33 sandwiched between the upper annular portion 382 and the lower annular portion 383 of the guide follower 38 is also upwardly biased. It will be in a state of being. That is, the entire movable member 30 is in a state of being biased upward by the coil spring 42.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a pressing member 12 extending in the X direction is arranged on the upper surface of the base 10. The pressing member 12 is supported on the base 10 while being biased upward by the coil spring 18. The pressing member 12 has guide surfaces 14A and 14B for guiding the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30, respectively. These guide surfaces 14A and 14B extend in the X direction while changing their positions in the Z direction, like the guide surfaces 24A and 24B on the inner lower surface of the housing 20.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30, the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20, and the guide surfaces 14A and 14B of the pressing member 12. As shown in FIG. 15, the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 are urged upward by the coil spring 18 toward the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20 via the pressing member 12. Further, as described above, the guide follower 38 of the movable member 30 is also biased upward by the coil spring 42. Therefore, the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 are in a state of being pressed against the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20, respectively.

As described above, since the guide follower 38 can move in the X direction within the guide groove 37 without substantially moving in the Z direction with respect to the guide plate 33, the guide portion of the movable member 30. When a force in the X direction acts on the movable member 30 with the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20 pressed against the guide surfaces 24A and 24B, the movable member 30 follows the shape of the guide surfaces 24A and 24B in the Z direction. While moving to, it will move in the X direction. That is, the guide pin 40 fixed to the housing 20 allows the guide plate 33 of the movable member 30 to be guided in the X direction while allowing the movable member 30 to move in the Z direction.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing the two-step gear 54 and the pinion member 60. As shown in FIG. 16, the two-stage gear 54 has a shaft portion 542 having a through hole 541 through which the gear shaft 55 is inserted. A recess 544 is formed around the shaft 542. A coil spring 543 is housed in the recess 544, and one end 543A of the coil spring 543 is locked in a spring locking groove 545 formed in the two-step gear 54.

The pinion member 60 has an engagement piece 61 that is inserted into the recess 544 of the two-step gear 54, and a pinion gear 62 that meshes with the rack gear 36 of the movable member 30. At the center of the pinion member 60, a through hole 63 through which the gear shaft 55 is inserted is formed.

FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the worm 51, the two-stage gear 54, and the pinion member 60 when the movable member 30 is in the closed position. As shown in FIG. 17A, the other end 543B of the coil spring 543 is engaged with the engagement piece 61 of the pinion member 60, whereby the engagement piece 61 of the pinion member 60 is formed in the recess 544 of the two-step gear 54. It is urged clockwise in FIG. 17A (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a forward direction) toward the inner wall 544A. As shown in FIG. 17A, when the movable member 30 is in the closed position, the engagement piece 61 of the pinion member 60 is pressed against the inner wall 544A of the recess 544.

When the motor 50 is driven, the worm 51 rotates, whereby the worm wheel 52 meshing with the worm 51 rotates and the two-stage gear 54 rotates in the forward direction. Since the pinion member 60 is biased toward the inner wall 544A of the recess 544 of the two-step gear 54 by the coil spring 543, as shown in FIG. 17B, the pinion member 60 also moves forward as the two-step gear 54 rotates. Rotate to. Since the pinion member 60 thus rotates in the forward direction, a force in the +X direction acts on the movable member 30 via the rack gear 36 that meshes with the pinion gear 62 of the pinion member 60.

As described above, since the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 are pressed against the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20, respectively, when a force in the +X direction acts on the movable member 30 in this way, The movable member 30 moves in the +X direction while moving in the Z direction following the shapes of the guide surfaces 24A and 24B shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the movable member 30 in the closed position moves slightly downward (−Z direction) in the +X direction (state of FIG. 11A), and then moves slightly upward (+Z direction) in the +X direction. , And then move in the +X direction without moving up and down and retract from the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20. Finally, the guide follower 38 of the movable member 30 hits the end portion 37A (see FIG. 13) of the guide groove 37 on the −X direction side, and the movable member 30 cannot move further in the +X direction. FIG. 11B shows the state at this time, and in this state, the insertion port 22 of the housing 20 is open. Hereinafter, the position of the movable member 30 in this state will be referred to as an open position.

Even if the two-step gear 54 further rotates in the forward direction in this state, the movable member 30 cannot move further in the +X direction, so that the pinion gear 62 of the pinion member 60 meshing with the rack gear 36 of the movable member 30 is also moved. Can't rotate. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17C, the engagement piece 61 of the pinion member 60 does not change its position, and only the two-step gear 54 rotates in the forward direction. As a result, the above-described rotation of the rotary cylinder 80 is continued while the movable member 30 remains stationary. That is, the rotary cylinder 80 is rotated until the tip end portion 84 of the guide piece 82 contacts the rotation restricting surface 73 of the cylindrical wall 70 via the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 meshing with the spur gear 56 of the two-stage gear 54. Rotate around.

As described above, in this embodiment, the engagement piece 61 formed on the pinion member 60 and the coil spring 543 that biases the engagement piece 61 in the forward direction (clockwise in FIGS. 17A to 17C) are movable. The pinion gear 62 is allowed to rotate in the forward direction together with the two-step gear 54 (gear member) from the closed position to the open position of the member 30, and after the movable member 30 reaches the open position, the pinion gear 62 moves. A transmission adjusting mechanism for preventing the forward rotation together with the two-stage gear 54 is configured. With such a transmission adjusting mechanism, the movable member 30 can be kept stationary after being moved in the X direction by the necessary minimum distance. Therefore, the length of the case component 3 in the X direction can be shortened to be compact. Can be planned. In particular, when the movement of the movable member 30 and the rotation of the rotary cylinder 80 are realized by the single motor 50 as in the present embodiment, deceleration is performed between the movement of the movable member 30 and the rotation of the rotary cylinder 80. Since it is not necessary to strictly adjust the ratio, the single motor 50 facilitates the movement of the movable member 30 and the rotation of the rotary cylinder 80 at the same time, and the design of the case part 3 is facilitated.

In the embodiment described above, the movement of the movable member 30 in the X direction is restricted by the guide follower 38 of the movable member 30 hitting the end portion 37A of the guide groove 37 on the −X direction side. It goes without saying that the movement in the X direction may be restricted by other means.

As described above, the driving force of the motor 50 causes the rotational force of the motor 50 to move in the X direction via the worm 51, the worm wheel 52 of the two-stage gear 54, the pinion gear 62 of the pinion member 60, and the rack gear 36 of the movable member 30. The force is transmitted to the movable member 30. As described above, the worm 51, the worm wheel 52 of the two-stage gear 54, the pinion gear 62 of the pinion member 60, and the rack gear 36 of the movable member 30 in the present embodiment transmit the power of the motor 50 to the movable member 30. Has a role as a gear mechanism.

The power of the motor 50 is transmitted to the movable member 30 by the first gear mechanism, so that the movable member 30 moves in the Z direction between the closed position and the open position in the internal space S in the housing 20. Mainly moves along the X direction (retraction direction). In this way, since the movable member 30 having the cover portion 31 that opens and closes the insertion port 22 of the housing 20 can be moved in the internal space S inside the housing 20, the mechanism that opens and closes the insertion port 22 is provided outside the case component 3. There is no need to provide it. Therefore, when the user handles the cigarette case 1, it is possible to prevent the cigarette case 1 from being caught by the mechanism on the outside of the case component 3 and being dropped or damaged. Further, since the movable member 30 having the cover portion 31 that opens and closes the insertion port 22 is housed in the internal space S in the housing 20, the mechanism for moving the movable member 30 is unlikely to be a constraint on the outer shape of the housing 20. Therefore, it is possible to form the outer surface of the case part 3 with a curved surface, and the flexibility of the design of the cigarette case 1 is increased.

Further, since the movable member 30 is moved in the internal space S in the housing 20, when the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30 is retracted from the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20 in the +X direction, the cover portion 31 is inserted. It is necessary to lower the movable member 30 once so that it does not get caught on the edge of the movable member 22. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the shape of the guide surfaces 24A, 24B formed on the inner lower surface of the housing 20 is changed in the Z direction so that the guide portions 34A, 34B of the movable member 30 follow the guide surfaces 24A, 24B. As a result, the cover portion 31 moves slightly downward from the closed position.

In this way, by making the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 follow the guide surfaces 24A and 24B extending in the X direction while changing the position in the Z direction, the movable member 30 can be moved in the Z direction in the Z direction. It can also be moved in the (axial direction), and the movable member 30 can be flexibly moved in the internal space S of the narrow housing 20. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the guide portions 34A and 34B of the movable member 30 are pressed against the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20 by the coil springs 42 attached to the guide pins 40, so that the guide portions 34A and 34B can be more reliably. It can be moved in the Z direction by following the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20. Further, in the present embodiment, the coil spring 18 biases the pressing member 12 in the +Z direction to press the guide portions 34A and 34B against the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20, so that the guide portions 34A and 34B can be more reliably. It can be moved in the Z direction by following the guide surfaces 24A and 24B of the housing 20.

Further, since the movable member 30 of the present embodiment uses the two guide portions 34A and 34B as the guide portions that follow the guide surfaces 24A and 24B, the movable member 30 of the movable member 30 can be compared to the case where only one guide portion is used. Support is stable. Here, FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the guide portions 34A, 34B and the guide pin 40 at the closed position of the movable member 30, and FIG. 18B is a guide portion 34A, 34B and guides at the opened position of the movable member 30. It is a schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship with the pin 40. As shown in FIG. 18A, in the closed position of the movable member 30, the distance D _A1 between the guide portion 34A and the guide pin 40 is longer than the distance D _B1 between the guide portion 34B and the guide pin 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 18B, in the open position of the movable member 30, the distance D _A2 between the guide portion 34A and the guide pin 40 is shorter than the distance D _B2 between the guide portion 34B and the guide pin 40. In this way, the two guide portions 34A and 34B are positioned at different distances from the guide pin 40, so that the movable member 30 is stably supported at the closed position and the open position.

Further, as described above, when the cover member 31 of the movable member 30 is retracted from the insertion port 22 of the housing 20 in the +X direction, the movable member 30 is once lowered, so that the cover member 31 of the movable member 30. It is necessary to prevent the downward movement of and the upper end portion 81A of the cylindrical body 81 from interfering with each other. From this point of view, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper end portion 81A of the tubular body 81 of the present embodiment is inclined so as to avoid the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30 in the closed position. With such a configuration, the movable member 30 and the rotary cylinder 80 can be efficiently arranged in the limited internal space S of the housing 20.

Further, when the motor 50 is driven, the rotational force of the motor 50 is rotated as a force around the axis through the worm 51, the worm wheel 52 and the spur gear 56 of the two-step gear 54, and the teeth 83 of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80. It is transmitted to the cylinder 80. As described above, the worm 51, the worm wheel 52 and the spur gear 56 of the two-stage gear 54, and the teeth 83 of the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 in the present embodiment transmit the power of the motor 50 to the rotary cylinder 80. Has a role as a gear mechanism.

The power of the motor 50 is transmitted to the rotary cylinder 80 by the second gear mechanism, so that the rotary cylinder 80 rotates about the axis while contacting the lower surface 82A of the guide piece 82 and the contact roller 911 of the contact portion 91. It also moves in the axial direction by sliding contact with. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to rotate the rotary cylinder 80 by driving the motor 50 and move the rotary cylinder 80 also in the Z direction. Therefore, as described above, the movable member 30 is moved in the +X direction to retract the cover portion 31 from the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20, and at the same time, the tubular body 81 of the rotary cylinder 80 is moved in the +Z direction to insert the insertion opening 22. Can be approached to. As a result, the gap formed between the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20 and the base portion 10 can be reduced, and the components inside the housing 20 can be seen outside or foreign matter can be mixed into the housing 20 through this gap. It will be suppressed.

Thus, when the movable member 30 is in the closed position, the upper end portion 81A of the tubular body 81 of the rotary cylinder 80 is inclined so as to avoid the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30, and when the rotary cylinder 80 finishes rotating, it rotates. It is preferable that the upper end portion 81A of the cylinder body 81 of the cylinder 80 be as close as possible to the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 extends spirally on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 81 has been described, but the guide piece 82 of the rotary cylinder 80 does not necessarily have to be spirally formed. The position of the guide piece 82 in the Z direction may be changed as necessary. That is, by changing the position of the guide piece 82 in the Z direction, the moving speed of the rotary cylinder 80 in the Z direction can be changed in accordance with the rotation angle of the rotary cylinder 80. Therefore, the position of the guide piece 82 in the Z direction can be changed. By appropriately changing it, it becomes possible to flexibly control the movement of the rotary cylinder 80 in the housing 20 in the Z direction. Therefore, each component can be efficiently arranged in the housing 20, and the case component 3 can be made more compact.

For example, immediately after the rotary cylinder 80 starts to rotate from the state shown in FIG. 5, since the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30 is located in the vicinity of the insertion port 22 of the housing 20, the rising speed of the rotary cylinder 80 is increased. The space for moving the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30 may be secured above the rotary cylinder 80 by making it relatively slow. Further, when the cover portion 31 of the movable member 30 moves away from the insertion opening 22 of the housing 20, the rising speed of the rotary cylinder 80 is relatively increased so that the cylinder 81 of the rotary cylinder 80 can be inserted into the housing 20 earlier. It may be brought close to the mouth 22.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the movement of the movable member 30 and the rotation and movement of the rotary cylinder 80 described above can be driven by the single motor 50, the movement of the movable member 30 and the rotation and movement of the rotary cylinder 80. The space required for this can be reduced, and the case component 3 can be made compact.

In the present embodiment, by forming a large number of teeth 83 on the outer periphery of the guide piece 82, not only the guide piece 82 serves as a guide for the movement of the rotary cylinder 80 in the Z direction, but also a part of the second gear mechanism described above. Is also used as. Therefore, the number of parts of the case part 3 can be reduced, and the case part 3 can be made compact.

In the above-described embodiment, the teeth 83 of the rotary cylinder 80 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the guide piece 82. However, the teeth 83 forming a part of the second gear mechanism and the guide piece 82 are separately formed. May be. For example, a plurality of teeth that mesh with the spur gear 56 may be formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the tubular body 81, separately from the guide piece protruding from the tubular body 81. In this case, it is not always necessary to arrange the plurality of teeth in a spiral shape.

In the embodiment described above, the tubular wall 70 is integrated with the base portion 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the tubular wall 70 may be provided separately from the base portion 10. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92 are attached to the auxiliary plate 90 that is separate from the base portion 10, but the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92 may be provided on the base portion 10 itself. .. Further, the configurations of the contact portion 91 and the pressing portion 92 are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

In the above-described embodiment, the heating type cigarette case 1 is given as an example of the case according to the present invention, but the present invention can be applied not only to the electronic cigarette case but also to the insertion opening into which the rod-shaped body can be inserted in the axial direction. It is applicable to any formed case.

It should be noted that the terms “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “upper”, “lower”, and other terms used in the present specification, indicating other positional relationships, are used in the illustrated embodiment. It is used in connection with the form, and changes depending on the relative positional relationship of the devices.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of the technical idea thereof.

1 Cigarette Case 2 Case Main Body 3 Case Parts 10 Base 12 Pressing Member 14A, 14B Guide Surface 18 Coil Spring 20 Housing 22 Insertion Port 23 Pin Fixing Hole 24A, 24B Guide Surface 30 Movable Member 31 Cover Part 32 Rack Part 33 Guide Plate 34A, 34B , 35 guide portion 36 rack gear 37 guide groove 38 guide follower 40 guide pin 41 spring support portion 42 coil spring 50 motor 51 worm 52 worm wheel 53 spur gear 54 two-stage gear 55, 57 gear shaft 56 spur gear 60 pinion member 61 engaging piece 62 pinion gear 63 through hole 70 cylindrical wall 71 upper inclined surface 72 lower inclined surface 73 rotation restriction surface 74 first movement restriction surface 75 second movement restriction surface 80 rotating cylinder 81 cylinder 81A upper end 82 guide piece 83 Tooth 90 Auxiliary plate 91 Abutting part 92 Pressing part 93 Plate part 94 Mounting piece 381 Cylindrical part 382 Upper annular part 383 Lower annular part 542 Shaft part 543 Coil spring 544 Recess 544A Inner wall 545 Spring locking groove 911 Contact roller (contact) Part)
912 fixing pin 921 pressing roller 922 mounting pin 923 coil spring S internal space T insertion space

Claims (13)

A case part that can be attached to the case body,
The base,
A housing attached to the base, wherein the housing has an insertion opening into which a rod-shaped body can be inserted in the axial direction,
A movable member configured to move in an internal space formed between the base portion and the housing, the movable member having a cover portion capable of closing the insertion opening of the housing,
A cylindrical body having an insertion space formed therein, which communicates with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction, and a guide piece formed so that the axial position changes along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body. A rotary cylinder having
An abutting portion that abuts the guide piece of the rotary cylinder in the axial direction,
A drive source for moving the movable member and rotating the rotary cylinder,
The rotary cylinder is configured to move in the axial direction by a sliding contact between the guide piece and the abutting portion due to the rotation thereof.
Case parts. The case component according to claim 1, wherein the guide piece of the rotary cylinder is spirally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The case part according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the abutting part has a contact part that comes into contact with the guide piece of the rotary cylinder on a curved surface. The case component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pressing portion that presses the guide piece of the rotary cylinder toward the contact portion. Further comprising a tubular wall extending from the base in the axial direction,
The cylindrical wall further has a rotation restricting surface that restricts rotation of the guide piece of the rotating cylinder,
The case part according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The said cylindrical wall is a 1st movement control surface perpendicular|vertical to the said axis|shaft, and further has a 1st movement control surface connected to the said base side of the said rotation control surface. Case parts. The case component according to claim 6, further comprising a second movement restricting surface that is perpendicular to the axis and that is connected to an opposite side of the rotation restricting surface to the base portion. The case component according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the movable member is configured to move in the internal space at least along a retracting direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The case component according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the tubular body of the rotary barrel is inclined so as to avoid the cover portion of the movable member that closes the insertion port. The case component according to claim 1, wherein the drive source is constituted by a single motor. The rotary cylinder further includes a plurality of teeth formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical body, the plurality of teeth forming a part of a gear mechanism that transmits the power of the drive source to the rotary cylinder. The case component according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The case component according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of teeth of the rotary cylinder are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the guide piece. A case component according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A case body, to which the case component is attached.

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