JP2020115810A - Case component and case - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a case component capable of enhancing safety property in handling a case and the degree of freedom of a case design.SOLUTION: A case component 3 comprises: a housing 10 formed with an insertion hole 12 through which a cigarette cartridge can be inserted along a Z-direction; a guide plane 10B extending in the Z-direction; and a movable part 40 moving in an internal space S of the housing 10 along an X-direction. The movable part 40 comprises: a pedestal part 41 having an inclination plane 58B inclined to the X-direction; and a slide member 42 capable of sliding on the inclination plane 58B of the pedestal part 41. The slide member 42 has a cover part 43 which can fit to the insertion hole 12 of the housing 10. The movable part 40 includes a coil spring 44 for energizing the slide member 42 so as to press the slide member 42 against the guide plane 10B when the cover part 43 of the slide member 42 is fitted to the insertion hole 12 of the housing 10. The case component 3 includes a motor 90 and a slider 98 for moving the pedestal part 41 of the movable part 40 along the X-direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a case component and a case, and more particularly to a case having an insertion opening into which a rod-shaped body can be inserted in the 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 port for inserting the cigarette cartridge, but in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the case through the insertion port when not in use, the insertion port is Often, a cover that can be opened and closed is 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 becomes 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 applies not only to the case of a new cigarette, but also to any case having a cover for opening and closing the insertion opening.

International Publication No. 2017/194766

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior 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 includes a housing having an insertion opening formed therein for inserting the rod-shaped body along the axial direction, a guide surface extending in the axial direction, and an internal space of the housing. And a movable part configured to move along a moving direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The movable portion includes a pedestal portion having an inclined surface inclined with respect to the moving direction, and a sliding member capable of sliding on the inclined surface of the pedestal portion. The sliding member has a cover portion that can be fitted into the insertion opening of the housing. The movable portion biases the sliding member so as to press the sliding member against the guide surface when the cover portion of the sliding member is fitted in the insertion opening of the housing. Further includes a member. The case component further includes a movement mechanism that moves the pedestal portion of the movable portion along the movement direction.

According to this structure, the movable portion including 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 is provided outside the case component. No need. Therefore, when the user handles the case, it is possible to prevent the case from being caught by the mechanism outside the case parts and dropping or damaging the case. Further, since the movable portion including the cover portion that opens and closes the insertion port is housed in the internal space of the housing, the mechanism that moves the cover portion 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, when the pedestal is moved by the moving mechanism while the cover of the movable part is fitted in the insertion opening of the housing, the pedestal tilts when the sliding member is pressed against the guide surface by the biasing member. Since it slides on the surface, it becomes possible to move the sliding member in the axial direction while moving the pedestal portion in the moving direction. Therefore, even when the cover part of the movable part has a shape adapted to the shape of the insertion opening of the housing and the outer surface of the housing, the cover part can be retracted from the insertion opening of the housing without being caught on the edge of the insertion opening of the housing. This allows the design of the case to be extremely flexible.

It is preferable that the movable portion further includes a movement restricting portion that restricts movement of the sliding member by the biasing member. By restricting the movement of the sliding member by such a movement restricting portion, it becomes possible to move the sliding member in the moving direction integrally with the pedestal after moving the sliding member in the axial direction.

The pedestal portion may have a guide protrusion extending perpendicularly to the moving direction. In this case, the moving mechanism may include a slider that moves in the moving direction while holding the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion, and a motor that moves the slider.

The case component includes a rotary cylinder in which an insertion space communicating with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction is formed inside, a rotary cylinder that rotates the rotary cylinder around the axis, and the rotary cylinder moves in the axial direction. It may further be provided with a rotation driving mechanism. With such a configuration, since the rotary cylinder can be rotated about the axis and moved in the axial direction by the rotation drive mechanism, the movable portion is moved to retract the cover portion from the insertion opening as described above. The tubular body of the rotary barrel can be brought close to the insertion port. This makes it possible to reduce the gap formed below the insertion opening of the housing, and to prevent the components inside the housing from being visible to the outside and the entry of foreign matter into the housing through this gap. You can

The rotation drive mechanism may include a lever member rotatable around a support shaft and a ring member rotating together with the rotary cylinder. In this case, the lever member may have a first gear portion, and the ring member may have a second gear portion that meshes with the first gear portion of the lever.

The case component includes a rotary cylinder in which an insertion space communicating with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction is formed inside, a rotary cylinder that rotates the rotary cylinder around the axis, and the rotary cylinder moves in the axial direction. It may further be provided with a rotation driving mechanism. The pedestal portion may have a guide protrusion extending perpendicularly to the moving direction. The moving mechanism may include a slider that moves in the moving direction while holding the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion, and a motor that moves the slider. The rotation drive mechanism may include a lever member rotatable around a support shaft and a ring member rotating together with the rotary cylinder. In this case, the lever has a first gear portion and an actuating portion that is moved by the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion, and the ring member is attached to the first gear portion of the lever. You may have the 2nd gear part which meshes. With such a configuration, the movement of the movable portion and the rotation and movement of the rotary cylinder can be realized by a single motor, so that the case component can be made compact.

The rotary drive mechanism may include a cam projection that projects radially outward from the rotary cylinder, and a cylindrical wall that is arranged between the rotary cylinder and the ring member. The cylindrical wall may be formed with a first guide groove extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction. A second guide groove extending in the axial direction may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring member. The cam projection may be engaged with the second guide groove of the ring member through the first guide groove of the tubular wall. With such a configuration, the moving mechanism and the rotation driving mechanism can be made compact.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided 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 part including the cover part for opening and closing the insertion opening formed in the housing can be moved in the internal space of the housing, it is necessary to provide the mechanism for opening and closing the insertion opening outside the case component. Absent. Therefore, when the user handles the case, it is possible to prevent the case from being caught by the mechanism outside the case parts and dropping or damaging the case. Further, since the movable portion including the cover portion that opens and closes the insertion port is housed in the internal space of the housing, the mechanism that moves the cover portion 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, when the pedestal is moved by the moving mechanism while the cover of the movable part is fitted in the insertion opening of the housing, the pedestal tilts when the sliding member is pressed against the guide surface by the biasing member. Since it slides on the surface, it becomes possible to move the sliding member in the axial direction while moving the pedestal portion in the moving direction. Therefore, the cover portion can be retracted from the insertion opening of the housing without being caught on the edge of the insertion opening of the housing. As described above, according to the present invention, since the cover portion of the movable portion can be formed into a shape that matches the insertion opening and the outer shape of the housing, the degree of freedom in designing the case becomes extremely high.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway 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 part 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 a perspective view showing the housing of the case component of FIG. 1 as seen through. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the case component of FIG. FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of a movable part in the case component of FIG. 2. FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of the movable part of the case part of FIG. 2 when viewed from another angle. FIG. 7A is a front view of the pedestal part of the movable part shown in FIG. 6A. 7B is a right side view of the pedestal shown in FIG. 7A. FIG. 8A is a front view of the sliding member of the movable part shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 8B is a right side view of the sliding member shown in FIG. 8A. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a rotary cylinder of the case component of FIG. 1. FIG. 10A is a front view for explaining the operation of the case component shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 10B is a front view for explaining the operation of the case component shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 10C is a front view for explaining the operation of the case component shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 10D is a front view for explaining the operation of the case component shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11A is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the components in the state shown in FIG. 10C. FIG. 11B is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the components in the state shown in FIG. 10D.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a case according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11B. 1 to 11B, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted. Further, in FIGS. 1 to 11B, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated or some components may be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway 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 FIG. 1, the case body 2 is cut in half to show some of the components housed inside the case body 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a heater 4 for heating a cigarette cartridge (not shown) is housed inside the case body 2, and a movable part 40 of a case part 3 described later is provided on a side portion of the case body 2. A switch 5 for driving the is provided. 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 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the case part 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case component 3 is arranged between the housing 10 attached to the upper part of the case body 2, the base 20 attached to the lower surface of the housing 10, and the housing 10 and the base 20. The intermediate member 30 and the movable portion 40 that is movable in the X direction above the intermediate member 30 are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 has an outer shape that is continuous with the outer shape of the case body 2 in the Z direction. The upper surface 10A of the housing 10 is formed of a curved surface, and the upper surface 10A is provided with an insertion opening 12 into which a rod-shaped cigarette cartridge (not shown) can be inserted along the -Z direction (axial direction). ..

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the case component 3 showing the housing 10 as seen through, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the case component 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the movable portion 40 is housed in an internal space S formed between the intermediate member 30 and the housing 10, and the pedestal is movable in the internal space S along the X direction. It has a portion 41 and a sliding member 42 slidably attached to the pedestal portion 41. The sliding member 42 has a cover portion 43 having a shape that can be fitted into the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10. The cover portion 43 can close the insertion opening 12 by fitting into the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10. 1 and 5 show the state at this time, and the position of the movable portion 40 in this state is referred to as the closed position. In the following, the operation from the state where the movable portion 40 is in the closed position will be mainly described, but when the movable portion 40 returns to the closed position, the operations described below are performed in the reverse order. ..

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a motor unit 90 is arranged on the −Y direction side of the intermediate member 30. This motor unit 90 includes a bracket 92 attached to the housing 10 via screws 91 (see FIG. 4 ), a stepping motor 94 attached to the bracket 92, a lead screw 96 connected to the output shaft of the stepping motor 94, and a lead screw. And a slider 98 attached to 96. An opening 93 extending in the X direction is formed in the bracket 92 so that the slider 98 can move in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 4, a terminal to which a power source (not shown) for driving the stepping motor 94 is connected is provided above the stepping motor 94.

6A and 6B are exploded perspective views of the movable portion 40. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the movable portion 40 includes a coil spring 44 that connects the pedestal portion 41 and the sliding member 42. The pedestal portion 41 and the sliding member 42 are connected to each other by a coil spring 44 in a pulled state, and the pedestal portion 41 and the sliding member 42 are urged toward each other.

7A is a front view of the pedestal portion 41, and FIG. 7B is a right side view. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the pedestal portion 41 includes a flat plate-shaped plate portion 51 and two rails 52 that extend on the plate portion 51 and are inclined with respect to the X direction. Each rail 52 has a base portion 56 extending in the Z direction in the YZ cross section, and an engagement piece 58 extending in the Y direction from the +Z direction side end of the base portion 56 in the YZ cross section. The engaging piece 58 extends so as to be inclined with respect to the X direction, and the upper surface 58A of the engaging piece 58 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the X direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 6B, 7A, and 7B, a guide protrusion 55 extending in the −Z direction is formed on the plate portion 51 of the pedestal portion 41.

8A is a front view of the sliding member 42, and FIG. 8B is a right side view. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the sliding member 42 includes the above-described cover portion 43, and a holding piece 45 that engages with the engagement piece 58 of the rail 52 of the pedestal portion 41 and holds the engagement piece 58. Is included. A rail space R for receiving the engagement piece 58 of the rail 52 is formed between the holding piece 45 and the cover portion 43. The holding piece 45 extends while inclining at the same angle as the engaging piece 58 of the pedestal portion 41 with respect to the X direction. With such a configuration, the sliding member 42 slides on the rail 52 (the upper surface 58A of the engaging piece 58) of the pedestal portion 41 while the holding piece 45 holds the engaging piece 58 of the rail 52 of the pedestal portion 41. It is designed to move.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7B, a spring accommodating space 53 that accommodates the coil spring 44 is formed between the rails 52 of the pedestal portion 41. A locking portion 54 (see FIG. 6B) for locking one end 44A of the coil spring 44 is formed at the end of the spring accommodating space 53. Further, a locking portion 46 (see FIG. 6B) for locking the other end 44B of the coil spring 44 is formed at the edge of the sliding member 42. The coil spring 44 is bridged between the locking portion 54 of the pedestal portion 41 and the locking portion 46 of the sliding member 42.

In the state shown in FIG. 5, the sliding member 42 is biased in the −X direction by the coil spring 44. A guide surface 10B extending in the axial direction is formed below the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10, and the tip end portion 42A of the sliding member 42 biased by the coil spring 44 contacts the guide surface 10B of the housing 10. There is.

The sliding member 42 biased by the coil spring 44 relatively moves (slides) on the rail 52 of the pedestal portion 41 while holding the engagement piece 58 of the rail 52 of the pedestal portion 41 by the holding piece 45. .. Here, the plate portion 51 of the pedestal portion 41 has a stopper portion 59 having a surface 59A extending substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the rail 52 extends. On the other hand, an engaging piece 47 protruding downward is formed on the edge of the sliding member 42. The engagement piece 47 of the sliding member 42 engages with the stopper portion 59 of the pedestal portion 41, so that the movement of the sliding member 42 urged by the coil spring 44 is restricted. As described above, in the present embodiment, the engagement piece 47 of the sliding member 42 and the stopper portion 59 of the pedestal portion 41 constitute a movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the sliding member 42 by the coil spring 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the intermediate member 30 includes a plate portion 32 and a cylindrical tubular wall 34 extending in the Z direction at the end of the plate portion 32. A groove 36 extending in the X direction is formed in the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30. The guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 of the movable portion 40 extends below the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30 through the groove 36. A plurality of guide grooves 38 (first guide grooves) extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction (Z direction) are formed on the cylindrical wall 34. These guide grooves 38 have the same shape. Further, a support shaft 31 extending in the −Z direction is formed on the lower surface of the plate portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slider 98 of the motor unit 90 has a nut portion 98A that is screwed onto the lead screw 96 and a U-shaped holding portion 98B that holds the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41. With such a configuration, when the stepping motor 94 is driven, the lead screw 96 rotates, so that the slider 98 moves in the X direction via the nut portion 98A screwed to the lead screw 96. Along with this, the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 held by the holding portion 98B of the slider 98 is moved in the X direction, and the pedestal portion 41 is moved in the X direction. As described above, in the present embodiment, the slider 98 of the motor unit 90 and the stepping motor 94 configure a moving mechanism that moves the pedestal portion 41 of the movable portion 40 along the X direction (moving direction).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, between the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30 and the base portion 20, a lever member 60 and a coil spring 61 that biases the lever member 60 are swingably arranged. .. A shaft hole 62 through which the support shaft 31 of the intermediate member 30 is inserted is formed in the lever member 60. By inserting the support shaft 31 of the intermediate member 30 into the shaft hole 62 of the lever member 60, the lever member 60 is inserted. The reference numeral 60 swings around the support shaft 31 within a predetermined range.

A locking portion 33 (see FIG. 3) for locking one end 61A of the coil spring 61 is formed on the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30. A locking portion 63 (see FIG. 2) for locking the other end 61B of the coil spring 61 is formed on the upper surface of the lever member 60. The coil spring 61 is bridged between the locking portion 33 of the intermediate member 30 and the locking portion 63 of the lever member 60, and is configured to bias the lever member 60 in the +Y direction in this embodiment. There is.

Further, the lever member 60 includes a gear portion 64 (first gear portion) having a plurality of teeth at the tip on the −X direction side, and an operating portion (operating portion) 66 extending from the vicinity of the shaft hole 62 in the approximately −Y direction. And have. The operating portion 66 is arranged so as to overlap with a part of the groove 36 of the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30 in the Z direction, and is a guide protrusion of the pedestal portion 41 that moves in the groove 36 of the plate portion 32 of the intermediate member 30. 55 is adapted to hit the operating portion 66. As described above, the operating portion 66 of the lever member 60 is pushed by the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 as the pedestal portion 41 moves, so that the lever member 60 rotates about the support shaft 31. ..

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a rotary cylinder 70 is housed inside the cylindrical wall 34 of the intermediate member 30 in the radial direction so as to be rotatable about its axis. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the rotary cylinder 70. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotary cylinder 70 includes a cylindrical cylinder body 71 and a plurality of cam projections 72 that protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder body 71. An insertion space T that communicates with the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 in the axial direction (Z direction) is formed inside the cylindrical body 71. The cigarette cartridge described above is inserted into the insertion space T from the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 5, when the movable portion 40 is in the closed position, the upper end portion 71A of the tubular body 71 is inclined so that the +X direction side is located higher than the −X direction side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cam protrusions 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 are housed in the corresponding guide grooves 38 of the cylindrical wall 34 of the intermediate member 30, respectively. The circumferential width and the axial width of the guide groove 38 are slightly larger than the circumferential width and the axial width of the cam projection 72 of the rotary cylinder 70. Therefore, the cam projection 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 can move in the guide groove 38 of the cylindrical wall 34. Further, the length of the cam projection 72 is larger than the thickness of the tubular wall 34 of the intermediate member 30, and the cam projection 72 passes through the guide groove 38 and projects outward from the tubular wall 34.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, a ring member 80 is arranged radially outside the tubular wall 34 of the intermediate member 30. The ring member 80 has a cylindrical ring body 81 and a gear portion 83 (second gear portion) that projects radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the ring body 81. The gear portion 83 has a plurality of teeth arranged side by side along the circumferential direction of the ring body 81. The gear portion 83 meshes with the gear portion 64 of the lever member 60. A guide groove 82 (second guide groove) extending along the axial direction (Z direction) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 81. The cam groove 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 that projects outward through the guide groove 38 of the cylindrical wall 34 of the intermediate member 30 is received in the guide groove 82. The circumferential width of the guide groove 82 is slightly larger than the circumferential width of the cam projection 72 of the rotary cylinder 70. Therefore, the cam protrusion 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 can move in the Z direction within the guide groove 82 of the ring member 80.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base portion 20 includes a rectangular plate-shaped plate portion 21, a cylindrical portion 22 located outside the ring member 80, and a ring support portion extending inward in the radial direction from the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 22. And 23. The base 20 is fixed to the lower surface of the housing 10 by screws 25 (see FIG. 4). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the ring member 80 is held between the tubular wall 34 of the intermediate member 30 and the cylindrical portion 22 of the base portion 20. A shaft hole 24 into which the support shaft 31 of the intermediate member 30 is inserted is formed in the plate portion 21 of the base portion 20.

Next, the operation of the case part 3 having such a configuration will be described. When the stepping motor 94 is driven when the movable portion 40 is in the closed state shown in FIG. 5, the lead screw 96 rotates, and the slider 98 moves in the +X direction via the nut portion 98A as the lead screw 96 rotates. As a result, the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 held by the holding portion 98B of the slider 98 also moves in the +X direction. As a result, the pedestal portion 41 moves in the +X direction, but since the sliding member 42 on the pedestal portion 41 is biased by the coil spring 44, the tip end portion 42A of the sliding member 42 is brought into contact with the guide surface 10B of the housing 10. Only the pedestal portion 41 moves in the +X direction while being pressed. At this time, the sliding member 42 relatively moves (slides) on the rails 52 of the pedestal portion 41, but the upper surface 58A of the rails 52 of the pedestal portion 41 is inclined with respect to the X direction. As shown in 10A, the sliding member 42 moves downward (in the −Z direction).

When the stepping motor 94 is further driven, the pedestal portion 41 moves in the +X direction and the sliding member 42 moves in the −Z direction, and eventually, as shown in FIG. 10B, the engaging piece 47 of the sliding member 42. Engages with the stopper portion 59 of the pedestal portion 41. If the stepping motor 94 is continuously driven in this state, as shown in FIG. 10C, the pedestal portion 41 and the sliding member 42 move integrally in the +X direction. As a result, the cover portion 43 of the sliding member 42 retracts from the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10, and the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 is opened. As described above, in the present embodiment, the movement of the sliding member 42 by the coil spring 44 is restricted by the engaging piece 47 of the sliding member 42 as the movement restricting portion and the stopper portion 59 of the pedestal portion 41. After moving the moving member 42 in the −Z direction, the sliding member 42 can be moved in the +X direction integrally with the pedestal portion 41.

Further, in the state shown in FIG. 10C, the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 comes into contact with the operating portion 66 of the lever member 60. When the stepping motor 94 is further driven in this state, as shown in FIG. 10D, the movable portion 40 (the pedestal portion 41 and the sliding member 42) moves in the +X direction, and the rotary cylinder 70 rotates as described below. While moving upward (+Z direction). 10A to 10D, in order to facilitate understanding, the housing 10 and the intermediate member 30 are shown in cross section, and some components are not shown.

11A and 11B are views for explaining the relationship between the constituent elements of the case part 3. FIG. 11A shows the state shown in FIG. 10C, and FIG. 11B shows the state shown in FIG. 10D. Both of FIGS. 11A and 11B are shown in a simplified manner, but the upper part shows a front view of the movable part 40, the intermediate member 30, and the rotary cylinder 70, the middle part shows a front view of the ring member 80, and the lower part shows The bottom view of the components of the case part 3 other than the housing 10 and the base 20 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 11A, in the state shown in FIG. 10C, the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 contacts the operating portion 66 of the lever member 60. If the stepping motor 94 is continuously driven in this state, the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 moves further in the +X direction, and the guide protrusion 55 of the pedestal portion 41 pushes the operating portion 66 of the lever member 60 in the +X direction. As a result, the lever member 60 rotates about the support shaft 31 (counterclockwise in the lower diagram of FIG. 11A). Since the gear portion 64 of the lever member 60 and the gear portion 83 of the ring member 80 mesh with each other, when the lever member 60 rotates about the support shaft 31, the ring member 80 moves as the gear portion 64 moves ( Rotation is clockwise in the lower diagram of FIG. 11A.

At this time, since the cam projection 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 is located inside the guide groove 82 of the ring member 80 and engaged with the guide groove 82, the rotary cylinder 70 moves together with the ring member 80 as the ring member 80 rotates. Rotate. Further, since the cam projection 72 of the rotary cylinder 70 is located inside the guide groove 38 formed in the cylindrical wall 34 of the intermediate member 30 and engages with the guide groove 38, when the rotary cylinder 70 rotates, the rotary cylinder 70 rotates. The cam projection 72 of 70 also moves upward (+Z direction) by the guide groove 38 extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction. As a result, the rotary cylinder 70 rotates around the axis and moves upward as shown in FIG. 11B. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10D, the insertion port 12 of the housing 10 and the insertion space T of the rotary cylinder 70 (see FIG. 9) are in communication with each other. As described above, in this embodiment, the lever member 60 having the gear portion 64 and the operating portion 66, the ring member 80 having the gear portion 83, the cam projection 72 of the rotating barrel 70, and the tubular wall of the intermediate member 30. 34 and 34 constitute a rotary drive mechanism that rotates the rotary cylinder 70 around the axis and moves the rotary cylinder 70 in the Z direction. When the movable portion 40 is in the closed position, the upper end portion 71A of the tubular body 71 of the rotary barrel 70 is positioned so as to avoid the cover portion 43 of the movable portion 40, and when the rotary barrel 70 finishes rotating and rising, it rotates. It is preferable that the upper end portion 71A of the cylinder body 71 of the cylinder 70 be as close as possible to the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the movable portion 40 including the cover portion 43 that opens and closes the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 can be moved in the internal space S of the housing 10, the insertion opening 12 is opened and closed. It is not necessary to provide the mechanism outside the case component 3. Therefore, when the user handles the cigarette case 1, it is possible to prevent the mechanism from being caught on the outside of the case component 3 and dropping or damaging the cigarette case 1. Further, since the movable portion 40 including the cover portion 43 that opens and closes the insertion port 12 is housed in the internal space S in the housing 10, the mechanism for moving the movable portion 40 is unlikely to be a constraint on the outer shape of the housing 10. 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.

Here, if the movable section 40 is moved in the internal space S of the housing 10, the cover section 43 is retracted from the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 in the +X direction when the cover section 43 of the movable section 40 is retracted in the +X direction. It is necessary to lower the cover portion 43 once downward (−Z direction) so that the cover portion 43 is not caught on the edge. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by configuring the sliding member 42 so that it can slide on the inclined surface 58A of the rail 52 of the pedestal portion 41, the sliding member 42 (while moving the pedestal portion 41 in the +X direction). The cover portion 43) can be moved in the -Z direction. With such a configuration, the movable portion 40 can be flexibly moved in the internal space S of the narrow housing 10. Therefore, even when the cover portion 43 of the movable portion 40 has a shape adapted to the shape of the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 and the outer surface of the housing 10, the cover portion 43 does not catch on the edge of the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10. It can be retracted from the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10, and the degree of freedom in designing the case 1 becomes extremely high.

In addition, since the movable portion 40 is once lowered when retracting the cover portion 43 of the movable portion 40 in the +X direction from the insertion opening 12 of the housing 10 in this manner, the cover portion 43 of the movable portion 40 is It is necessary to prevent the downward movement and the upper end portion 71A of the rotary cylinder 70 from interfering with each other. From this point of view, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper end portion 71A of the rotary cylinder 70 of the present embodiment is inclined so as to avoid the cover portion 43 of the movable portion 40 in the closed position. With such a configuration, the movable portion 40 and the rotary cylinder 70 can be efficiently arranged in the limited internal space S of the housing 10.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the rotary cylinder 70 can be rotated around the axis and moved in the Z direction by the above-described rotation drive mechanism, the movable portion 40 is moved in the +X direction and the cover portion 43 is moved to the housing. It is possible to move the tubular body 71 of the rotary barrel 70 in the +Z direction and bring it closer to the insertion opening 12 at the same time as it is retracted from the insertion opening 12 of 10. As a result, the gap formed below the insertion port 12 of the housing 10 can be made small, and the components inside the housing 10 can be seen outside and the foreign matter can be prevented from being mixed into the housing 10 through this gap. can do.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the movement of the movable portion 40 and the rotation and elevation of the rotary cylinder 70 described above can be realized by the single stepping motor 94, the movement of the movable portion 40 and the rotation and rotation of the rotary cylinder 70 can be performed. The space required for rising can be reduced, and the case component 3 can be made compact.

In the case component 3 described above, the movable portion 40, the intermediate member 30, the motor unit 90, the lever member 60, and the ring member 80 are fitted into the housing 10, and finally the base portion 20 is screwed (see FIG. 4). It can be easily assembled by fixing it to the housing 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the guide surface 10B against which the sliding member 42 of the movable portion 40 is pressed by the coil spring 44 is formed in the housing 10 has been described, but the guide surface 10B may be formed in another member. Good. Needless to say, the configurations of the moving mechanism and the rotation driving mechanism described above are not limited to the illustrated structures and can be realized by other structures. However, according to the illustrated structure, the moving mechanism and the rotation driving mechanism can be made compact.

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.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, it is needless to say 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 Body 3 Case Parts 4 Heater 5 Switch 10 Housing 10A Upper Surface 10B Guide Surface 12 Insertion Port 20 Base 30 Intermediate Member 31 Support Shaft 34 Cylindrical Wall 38 (First) Guide Groove 40 Movable Part 41 Pedestal 42 Sliding member 43 Cover portion 44 Coil spring 47 Engaging piece 52 Rail 53 Spring accommodation space 55 Guide protrusion 58A Sloping surface 59 Stopper portion 60 Lever member 61 Coil spring 64 (First) gear portion 66 Actuating portion 70 Rotating cylinder 71 Cylindrical body 72 Cam protrusion 80 Ring member 81 Ring body 82 (Second) guide groove 83 (Second) gear portion 90 Motor unit 94 Stepping motor 96 Lead screw 98 Slider S Internal space T Insertion space

Claims (8)

Case parts that can be attached to the case body,
A housing in which an insertion opening is formed in which the rod-shaped body can be inserted along the axial direction,
A guide surface extending in the axial direction,
A movable part configured to move in an inner space of the housing along a moving direction perpendicular to the axial direction,
A pedestal portion having an inclined surface inclined with respect to the moving direction,
A sliding member that is slidable on the inclined surface of the pedestal part, the sliding member having a cover part that can be fitted into the insertion opening of the housing,
A urging member for urging the sliding member so as to press the sliding member against the guide surface when the cover portion of the sliding member is fitted in the insertion opening of the housing. Department,
A case part, comprising: a moving mechanism that moves the pedestal part of the movable part along the moving direction. The case component according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion further includes a movement restricting portion that restricts movement of the sliding member by the biasing member. The pedestal portion has a guide protrusion extending perpendicularly to the moving direction,
The moving mechanism is
A slider that moves in the movement direction while holding the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion;
The case component according to claim 1, further comprising a motor for moving the slider. A rotary cylinder in which an insertion space communicating with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction is formed inside,
The case component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the rotary cylinder around the axis and moves the rotary cylinder in the axial direction. The rotation drive mechanism,
A lever member rotatable about a support shaft, the lever member having a first gear portion;
The case component according to claim 4, further comprising: a ring member that rotates together with the rotary cylinder, the ring member having a second gear portion that meshes with the first gear portion of the lever member. A rotary cylinder in which an insertion space communicating with the insertion opening of the housing in the axial direction is formed inside,
A rotary drive mechanism for rotating the rotary cylinder around the axis and moving the rotary cylinder in the axial direction,
The pedestal portion has a guide protrusion extending perpendicularly to the moving direction,
The moving mechanism is
A slider that moves in the movement direction while holding the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion;
A motor for moving the slider,
The rotation drive mechanism,
A lever member rotatable around a support shaft, the lever member having a first gear portion and an operating portion moved by the guide protrusion of the pedestal portion;
The case component according to claim 1, further comprising: a ring member that rotates together with the rotary cylinder, the ring member including a second gear portion that meshes with the first gear portion of the lever member. The rotation drive mechanism,
A cam projection protruding outward in the radial direction from the rotary cylinder;
A tubular wall formed between the rotary cylinder and the ring member, in which a first guide groove extending obliquely with respect to the axial direction is formed;
A second guide groove extending in the axial direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring member,
The cam projection engages with the second guide groove of the ring member through the first guide groove of the tubular wall,
The case part according to claim 5 or 6. A case component according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A case body, to which the case component is attached.

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