JP4184625B2 - Front panel device for in-vehicle electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a front panel device in a multifunctional in-vehicle electronic device having a navigation function, an audio function, and the like, and more particularly, an in-vehicle device in which a front part on the device body side can be opened and closed by a movable nose having a display screen. The present invention relates to a front panel device for electronic equipment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a movable nose type front panel device that can open and close a front part on the main unit side having a media insertion / extraction port with a movable nose having a display screen such as a liquid crystal monitor in a multifunctional in-vehicle electronic device Is spreading. In such a front panel device, normally, the movable nose is held in a closed position in a standing posture so that the display screen on which map information or the like is displayed is easy to see. Tilt forward to expose the media insertion / extraction port. Such a movable nose type front panel device has the advantage that it is not necessary to incorporate a display screen in a limited space on the front side of the device body side, and a large display screen compatible with a navigation system or the like can be easily adopted. In addition, there is an advantage that various operation keys can be easily arranged in the front portion on the apparatus main body side and the empty space of the movable nose.
[0003]
In such a movable nose type front panel device, since the movable nose having a liquid crystal monitor or the like is relatively heavy, when a motor driving method is adopted in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the gear to open and close the movable nose. Therefore, an expensive drive motor with high output is required, and the cost of the front panel device is inevitably increased. Therefore, conventionally, the movable nose is always elastically biased in the opening direction by the spring member, and when the movable nose is unlocked in the closed position, the movable nose is moved to the open position by the elastic force of the spring member. A front panel device has been proposed in which a movable nose is pushed in manually when returning to a closed position. Employing such a manual method eliminates the need for an expensive drive motor and simplifies the configuration, thereby significantly reducing the cost of the front panel device.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional front panel device in which the movable nose is manually opened and closed, the movable nose is rotated between a closed position that covers the front portion on the apparatus body side and an open position that exposes the front portion. Although it was possible, the movable nose could not be automatically stopped between the closed position and the open position. However, when using the front side of the device body while looking at the display screen of the movable nose, it is necessary to keep the movable nose tilted a little, so considering various usage conditions, It is desired that the movable nose can be held not only in the closed position and the open position but also in the middle thereof. For example, when rewriting the map information of the navigation system based on the signal information captured by the mobile phone, the mobile phone connector is inserted into the connector mounting portion provided on the front side of the device body side, and the movable nose in this state It is assumed that the map information is rewritten while looking at the display screen.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and its purpose is to set the movable nose to the closed position in spite of an inexpensive configuration that does not require a drive motor for opening and closing the movable nose. It is an object of the present invention to provide a front panel device for an in-vehicle electronic device that can be automatically stopped in the middle of an open position and has good usability.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, a rotating body is connected to a movable nose via a link member, and the rotating operation of the rotating body and the opening / closing operation of the moving nose are linked and elastically biased in a direction to return the rotating body to a predetermined rotation position. A tension spring is provided, and when the tension spring holds the rotating body at a predetermined rotational position, the movable nose is held at a predetermined tilted position via the rotating body. As a result, when the movable nose in the closed position is unlocked, the tension spring pulls the rotating body to a predetermined rotational position, so that the movable nose automatically moves to a slightly tilted position and stops. Further, if the movable nose is manually tilted by a certain amount, the rotational force due to the weight of the movable nose can be made larger than the pulling force of the tension spring, so that the movable nose can be moved to the open position.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the front panel device of the in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention, there are a device main body having a media insertion / exhaust port on the front surface portion, a closed position having a display screen and covering the front surface portion, and an open position exposing the front surface portion. A movable nose rotatable between the movable nose, a lock means for holding the movable nose in the closed position, a rotating body connected to the movable nose via a link member, and one end hooked on the rotating body. And a tension spring that elastically biases the rotating body in a direction to return the rotating body to a predetermined rotational position, and the rotary body that is pulled by the tension spring and held at the predetermined rotational position holds the movable nose. A predetermined tilt position between the closed position and the open position is held.
[0008]
In the front panel device configured as described above, the tension spring pulls the rotating body back to the original rotating position regardless of whether the rotating body rotates forward or backward from a predetermined rotational position. When the movable nose is unlocked or the movable nose is not tilted so much that the rotational force due to its own weight is smaller than the pulling force of the tension spring, the tension spring will The movable nose is moved to a predetermined tilting position and stopped as it is moved to a predetermined rotational position and held. Therefore, the movable nose can be automatically stopped halfway between the closed position and the open position without using a drive motor for opening and closing the movable nose, and usability can be improved. In addition, if the movable nose is tilted by a certain amount manually against the pulling force of the tension spring so that the rotational force due to the weight of the movable nose exceeds the pulling force of the tension spring, the movable nose moves to the open position by its own weight. As a result, media such as CDs and MDs can be taken in and out of the media insertion / extraction opening exposed on the front side of the device main body without any trouble.
[0009]
Further, in the above configuration, it is preferable that the rotating body has a tooth portion, and the tooth portion is meshed with the gear with the damper, and in this way, the rotational speed of the rotating body is suppressed by the gear with the damper. The movable nose can be smoothly stopped at a predetermined tilt position.
[0010]
【Example】
The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the front panel device holds the movable nose in the closed position, and FIG. 2 is a diagram in which the front panel device holds the movable nose in the predetermined tilted position. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the front panel device holds the movable nose in the open position.
[0011]
The front panel device according to the present embodiment is a device installed at the front of a multifunctional in-vehicle electronic device having both a navigation function, an audio function, and the like. As shown in FIGS. A front side 1 on the apparatus body side having 1a, an MD insertion / discharge port 1b, a connector mounting portion 1c, and the like; a movable nose 2 having a display screen 2a such as a liquid crystal monitor and rotatable about a support shaft 2b; A lock means (not shown) for holding the movable nose 2 in a closed position covering the front surface portion 1, a semicircular drive gear 4 connected to the movable nose 2 via a link member 3, and the drive gear 4 A damper-equipped gear 5 that meshes with the tooth portion 4a, and a tension spring 6 that has one end hooked to the protrusion 4b of the drive gear 4 and the other end hooked to a part of the chassis 7 on the apparatus body side. It is mainly composed by. Both the drive gear 4 and the gear 5 with damper are pivotally supported by the chassis 7, and the protrusion 4 b of the drive gear 4 is guided along an arcuate guide hole 7 a provided in the chassis 7. ing. The tension spring 6 has a minimum spring length when the drive gear 4 is in the rotational position shown in FIG. 2, that is, when both ends of the tension spring 6 and the rotation center P of the drive gear 4 are aligned in a straight line. It is attached to become. The gear 5 with a damper is a gear to which a damper function such as an oil damper is added, and functions to suppress the rotational speed of the drive gear 4.
[0012]
The movable nose 2 is rotatable between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. 3, and is provided on the front surface portion 1 by tilting the movable nose 2 to the open position shown in FIG. Since the CD insertion / discharge port 1a and the MD insertion / discharge port 1b can be exposed, the operator can easily insert and remove the CD and MD in this state. Further, when the movable nose 2 is locked at the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the display screen 2a is held in an upright posture that is most easily seen from the operator side. Various image information such as information can be displayed on the display screen 2a for use.
[0013]
The opening / closing operation of the movable nose 2 is accompanied by the rotation operation of the drive gear 4. That is, as the movable nose 2 rotates from the closed position to the open position, the drive gear 4 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIGS. However, since the spring length of the tension spring 6 is minimized when the drive gear 4 is at the rotational position shown in FIG. 2, when the drive gear 4 is not at the rotational position and is rotating in either the forward or reverse direction. The tension spring 6 elastically biases the drive gear 4 in a direction to return it to the rotational position. Accordingly, when the movable nose 2 in the closed position shown in FIG. 1 is unlocked, the drive gear 4 is pulled by the tension spring 6 and automatically rotates to the rotational position shown in FIG. Pushes the movable nose 2, so that the movable nose 2 rotates to a predetermined tilt position shown in FIG. 2 and stops. At this time, since the drive gear 4 rotates while receiving the resistance of the gear 5 with the damper, the damping vibration of the tension spring 6 hardly occurs, and the movable nose 2 smoothly stops at a predetermined tilt position. Further, when the operator manually further tilts the movable nose 2 in the tilted position, the driving gear 4 is pulled by the link member 3 and rotates, so that the pulling force of the tension spring 6 increases. Since the movable nose 2 having a monitor or the like is relatively heavy, if the rotational force due to the weight of the movable nose 2 is manually tilted to an angle exceeding the traction force of the tension spring 6, the movable nose 2 is tilted to the open position shown in FIG. Can be stopped.
[0014]
Thus, although the front panel device according to the present embodiment has an inexpensive configuration that does not require a drive motor for opening and closing the movable nose 2, the movable nose 2 is closed and opened as shown in FIG. Can be set to a state in which the connector mounting portion 1c provided near the upper end of the front surface portion 1 is exposed and the display screen 2a of the movable nose 2 can be easily seen. Therefore, in this state, if a connector of a mobile phone (not shown) is inserted and connected to the connector mounting portion 1c, the navigation system can be operated based on the signal information captured by the mobile phone while viewing the display screen 2a of the movable nose 2. Map information etc. can be rewritten. In addition, if the movable nose 2 can be held at a predetermined tilted position in this way, it is possible to use a portion other than the connector mounting portion 1c of the front surface portion 1 while looking at the display screen 2a of the movable nose 2. It becomes possible, and usability is greatly improved. In addition, in this embodiment, the gear 5 with the damper is engaged with the tooth portion 4a of the drive gear 4, so that the rotational speed of the drive gear 4 that is pulled and rotated by the tension spring 6 does not increase undesirably. As the pulling force of the tension spring 6 is weakened, the rotational speed of the drive gear 4 is also reduced, and the movable nose 2 can be smoothly and automatically stopped at the predetermined tilt position shown in FIG.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.
[0016]
A rotating spring is connected to the movable nose via a link member to link the rotating operation of the rotating body and the opening / closing operation of the movable nose, and a tension spring that elastically biases the rotating body in a direction to return the rotating body to a predetermined rotational position. A front panel device in which the movable nose is held in a predetermined tilted position via the rotary body when the tension spring holds the rotary body in a predetermined rotational position. Even if a drive motor is not used for the opening / closing operation, the movable nose can be automatically stopped halfway between the closed position and the open position, so that the usability can be improved with an inexpensive configuration. In addition, if the movable nose held at the predetermined tilt position is tilted by a certain amount manually, the rotational force due to its own weight can be made larger than the pulling force of the tension spring, so the movable nose can be opened. Can be moved to.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a front panel device of a vehicle-mounted electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention holds a movable nose in a closed position.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the front panel device holds a movable nose at a predetermined tilt position.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the front panel device holds a movable nose in an open position.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front part 1a CD insertion discharge port 1b MD insertion discharge port 1c Connector mounting part 2 Movable nose 2a Display screen 3 Link member 4 Drive gear 4a Tooth part 4b Projection part 5 Damper gear 6 Tension spring 7 Chassis 7a Guide hole

Claims (2)

A device main body having a media insertion / exhaust port on the front surface, a movable nose having a display screen and rotatable between a closed position covering the front surface and an open position exposing the front surface, and the movable nose And a rotating body connected to the movable nose via a link member, and one end of the rotating body is hooked on the rotating body to return the rotating body to a predetermined rotational position. A tension spring that elastically biases in a direction, and the rotating body that is pulled by the tension spring and held at the predetermined rotation position moves the movable nose between a predetermined position between the closed position and the open position. A front panel device for an in-vehicle electronic device, characterized in that it is configured to be held in a tilted position. 2. The front panel device for an in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body has a tooth portion, and the tooth portion is engaged with a gear with a damper.

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