JP4351975B2 - Panel opening / closing mechanism and in-vehicle apparatus using the panel opening / closing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a panel opening / closing mechanism and an in-vehicle device using the panel opening / closing mechanism.

  Among in-vehicle devices such as car audio or navigation devices, there are types that include a retractable operation panel. An example of the configuration of this type of in-vehicle device is shown in FIG.

  As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 1 is disposed inside a panel 5 such as a dashboard of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 1 includes an outer case 2, a sub panel 3, and an operation panel 4 as main components. Here, the outer case 2 has an electronic circuit board and the like inside. The sub panel 3 is provided on the front surface of the outer case 2 and has a structure for storing the operation panel 4 in a closed state. The operation panel 4 includes various adjustment buttons, a display unit, and the like. By operating the buttons, for example, various information can be reproduced and navigation can be executed.

  A guide shaft 4 a and a drive shaft 4 b are provided on the side surface of the operation panel 4. The guide shaft 4a is inserted into a guide groove 3a provided on the side surface of the sub-panel 3, and when the operation panel 4 opens in the X direction, the guide shaft 4a performs an opening / closing operation along a path along the guide groove 3a.

  The drive shaft 4b is inserted into a drive hole 2b provided in the arm member 2a, and when the arm member 2a is protruded in the X direction in FIG. 5 by an actuator (for example, a drive motor) built in the outer case 2. A biasing force is applied in the direction in which the operation panel 4 opens.

  In addition, as an example of the structure which the operation panel 4 falls down like the vehicle-mounted apparatus 1, there exists what is described in patent documents 1-5.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-16654 (see paragraph number 0025, FIG. 4) JP 2002-87176 A (see paragraph number 0028, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7) JP 2003-168874 A (see paragraph number 0022, FIG. 5 and FIG. 9) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-40882 (see paragraph number 0020, FIG. 1 and FIG. 4) JP 2000-76838 A (see paragraph number 0016, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3)

  The above-described in-vehicle device 1 has the following problems. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, when the operation panel 4 changes from a closed state to an open state, when the drive shaft 4a is driven in the X direction by the arm member 2a, the operation panel 4 is moved to the guide shaft 4a. Rotating around the center. At this time, when the distance between the end 5a of the panel 5 and the upper surface 4c of the operation panel 4 is not sufficiently separated, they come into contact with each other, and there is a problem in that the operation panel 4 cannot be opened and closed smoothly. is there.

  Such a problem also occurs in the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Moreover, in the structure currently disclosed by patent document 4, although it becomes the structure rotated after an operation panel is extruded one end forward, depending on the shape of the panel by the side of a car, when an operation panel rotates There is a problem that it may interfere with the panel. Furthermore, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 5 has a problem that the upper part of the operation panel interferes with the panel because the operation panel falls forward with the lower part as a fulcrum.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a panel opening / closing mechanism capable of smoothly opening and closing an operation panel regardless of the shape of the panel on the automobile side, and the panel opening / closing mechanism. The in-vehicle device used is to be provided.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a panel opening / closing mechanism capable of opening / closing the operation panel with respect to the main body by rotating the operation panel, and a sub-panel stored with the operation panel closed. A guide shaft provided on the side surface of the operation panel, a guide groove provided on the side surface of the sub-panel for sliding the operation panel up and down when the guide shaft is inserted to open and close the operation panel, and the operation panel And a support mechanism that forms a fulcrum when the operation panel rotates when the operation panel is closed, and the guide groove has an upper end portion. When the control panel is bent forward and the operation panel changes from a closed state to an open state, the support mechanism is the fulcrum and the guide shaft is bent in the guide groove By moving along, in which the upper end portion of the operation panel is moved from the front direction to the back direction.

  In addition to the above-described invention, in another aspect of the invention, the support mechanism includes a first protrusion provided on the back surface of the operation panel and a second protrusion provided at a corresponding position on the sub-panel. When the operation panel changes from a closed state to an open state, the first projection and the second projection are engaged to form a fulcrum when the operation panel rotates. It is.

  According to another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the push-out mechanism includes an arm member for engaging a part of the operation panel and transmitting a driving force for opening and closing the operation panel, and the arm member. And an actuator for driving.

  According to another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, a spring for applying an urging force when the operation panel is rotated is provided between the arm member and the operation panel.

  In another aspect of the invention, each of the inventions related to the panel mechanism described above is applied to an in-vehicle device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly open and close the operation panel regardless of the shape of the panel on the automobile side.

  Hereinafter, a panel mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention and an in-vehicle apparatus using the panel mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration example of an in-vehicle device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the in-vehicle device 10 includes an outer case 20, a sub panel 30, and an operation panel 40 as main components.

  Here, the outer case 20 is a member that covers each component inside the in-vehicle device 10. A mother board (not shown) as a circuit board having a control circuit is attached inside the outer case. The control circuit receives signals from the operation buttons 41, 43 to 44 of the operation panel 40 and transmits a drive signal to the disk reproducing mechanism, or gives a predetermined character to the display 42 provided on the operation panel 40. / A display signal for displaying an image or the like is transmitted. Further, the control circuit can transmit a control signal for controlling the driving of the driving source for carrying in / out the recording medium to the driving source.

  The control circuit provided in the outer case 20 may not display predetermined characters / images. For example, the control circuit is provided in the sub panel 30 or the operation panel 40, and the sub panel 30 or the operation panel 40 is provided. The display of predetermined characters / images may be controlled by the internal control circuit. Similarly, a control circuit for carrying in / out a recording medium may be provided outside the outer case 20.

  A sub-panel 30 is disposed close to the front side of the outer case 20. Note that the near side refers to the side where the operation panel 40 in the closed state opens (the side away from the external case 20), and the back side refers to the opposite side to be closed. The vertical direction (vertical direction) refers to the normal direction of the top surface of the outer case 20, and the horizontal direction refers to the longitudinal direction of the operation panel 30 in the closed state.

  The sub-panel 30 has a U-shaped cross section, and is attached to the outer case 20 so as to be substantially perpendicular so as to close the opening on the front side of the outer case 20. The left side surface 30a and the right side surface 30b of the sub-panel 30 are respectively provided with a guide groove 30d and a guide groove 30e for moving the guide shaft 40e and the guide shaft 40f provided on the operation panel 40 along predetermined tracks. The guide shafts 40e and 40f are moved along the guide grooves 30d and 30e when the operation panel 40 is opened and closed.

  On the left side of the back surface 30 c of the sub-panel 30, a control circuit built in the external case 20 is electrically connected to the operation buttons 41, 43 to 44 and the display 42 built in the operation panel 40. A cable hole 30f through which a flexible cable (not shown) is inserted is provided. Further, an arm hole (not shown) through which an arm member 20a (a part of the pushing mechanism) for applying a biasing force when the operation panel 40 is opened and closed is provided on the right side of the back surface 30c. A disk playback mechanism (not shown) for playing back music data recorded on a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and an MD (Mini Disk) inside the outer case 20. And an insertion slot for inserting a disc in the back surface 30c may be provided so that these recording media can be reproduced. In that case, the disc reproducing mechanism is elastically supported with respect to the outer case 20 by a floating mechanism (not shown).

  The operation panel 40 has operation buttons 41, 43 to 44 and a display 42 on the surface 40 a, generates information corresponding to the operation of the operation buttons 41, 43 to 44, and is built in the external case 20. The information corresponding to the signal supplied from the control circuit is displayed on the display 42. On the left side surface 40b of the operation panel 40, a guide shaft 40e (not shown) is formed which is fitted in the guide groove 30d provided on the left side surface 30a of the sub panel 30 described above. Further, a guide shaft 40f that is fitted into a guide groove 30e provided on the right side surface 30b of the sub panel 30 is formed on the right side surface 40c of the operation panel 40.

  Below the right side surface 40c of the operation panel 40, there is provided a drive shaft 40g (a part of an extrusion mechanism) that is inserted into a drive hole 20b provided in the arm member 20a to obtain a drive force. Since the drive shaft 40g is formed to have a shorter axial length than the guide shaft 40f, the drive shaft 40g contacts the right side surface 30b of the sub panel 30 even when the operation panel 40 opens and closes. And can move smoothly. A coil spring 50 (spring) is fitted to the drive shaft 40g, and one end of the coil spring 50 is locked and fixed to a locking portion 40h provided on the right side surface 40c of the operation panel 40. The other end of the coil spring 50 is locked and fixed to a locking portion 20c (described later) provided on the arm member 20a. Since the coil spring 50 is adjusted so as to be in a neutral state (a state where the restoring force does not work) in a state where the operation panel 40 is opened by a predetermined angle (for example, a state where the operation panel 40 is half opened relative to the full open state), When the operation panel 40 is opened from the neutral position, a force acts in the closing direction, and when the operation panel 40 is closed, a force acts in the opening direction.

  The guide shafts 40e and 40f and the drive shaft 40g may be formed integrally with the operation panel 40, or may be formed by separate members and attached to the operation panel 40.

  A protrusion 40 i (first protrusion, part of the support mechanism) is provided at the center of the right end of the back surface 40 d of the operation panel 40. When the operation panel 40 is closed or opened, the protrusion 40 i is provided at a position corresponding to the rear surface 30 c of the sub-panel 30 (second protrusion, part of the support mechanism (FIG. 2). See)) to form a fulcrum. The operation panel 40 rotates around the fulcrum. The operation of turning around the fulcrum will be described later.

  On the front surface portion 40a of the operation panel 40, an open / close button 41 that is operated when the operation panel 40 is opened / closed is provided. The open / close button 41 is an electrical switch, and when the open / close button 41 is operated, the circuit is closed. It detects and drives the actuator connected to the arm member 20a.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view when viewed from the Y direction with the operation panel 40 of the in-vehicle device 10 shown in FIG. 1 closed. As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the operation panel 40 is closed, the guide shaft 40f is located at a bent tip portion of the guide groove 30e. Further, the protrusion 40 i provided on the back surface 40 d of the operation panel 40 is engaged with the protrusion 30 g provided on the back surface 30 c of the sub-panel 30. In this example, the protrusion 40i has a triangular shape in which the back surface 40d of the operation panel 40 is raised by a predetermined width (for example, about 5 mm) in the longitudinal direction and the apex is flat. Further, the protrusion 30g is fitted with, for example, a screw-shaped member (one tip is hemispherical and the other is a rod-shaped member) formed of a highly wear-resistant member on the back surface 30c of the sub-panel 30. Has been formed.

  The protrusion 40i can be configured by raising a part of the member on the back surface 40d of the operation panel 40 by press working or by attaching another member. Moreover, as the projection part 30g, it can comprise by another member as mentioned above, or the back surface 30c of the subpanel 30 can be raised ahead by press work, and can be comprised. In addition, the shape of the protrusion part 40i and the protrusion part 30g is an example, Comprising: Shapes other than this may be sufficient. For example, a protrusion having the same shape as the protrusion 40 i may be formed on the back surface 30 c of the sub-panel 30, and a protrusion having the same shape as the protrusion 30 g may be formed on the back surface 40 d of the operation panel 40.

  A coil spring 50 is wound around the drive shaft 40g, and one end of the coil spring 50 is fixed to a locking portion 40h provided on the operation panel 40. The other end of the coil spring 50 is fixed to a locking portion 20c provided on the operation panel 40 side surface of the arm member 20a. Since the coil spring 50 is set to be in a neutral state when the operation panel 40 is half open as described above, in the state shown in FIG. A force (restoring force) is generated in a direction in which 40h and the locking portion 20c approach each other.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  When the open / close button 41 is operated while the operation panel 40 shown in FIG. 2 is completely closed, a control circuit (not shown) built in the external case 20 detects that the open / close button 41 has been operated. Then, it is determined that the user has given an instruction to open the operation panel 40. Then, the control circuit instructs an actuator (not shown) to push the arm member 20a forward. As a result, the arm member 20a starts to project in the forward direction.

  When the arm member 20a is driven in the forward direction, the driving force is transmitted to the operation panel 40 by the drive shaft 40g. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 40 i provided on the back surface 40 d of the operation panel 40 and the protrusion 30 g provided on the back surface 30 c of the sub-panel 30 are in positions where they are engaged with each other. 2 is applied to the operation panel 40 with the protrusion 40i as a fulcrum.

  When a clockwise rotating force is applied to the operation panel 40, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide shaft 40f moves the bent portion at the upper end of the guide groove 30e toward the left side of FIG. Since the bent portion of the guide groove 30e is formed to be substantially parallel to the upper surface of the sub panel 30, the upper end of the operation panel 40 faces the upper surface of the sub panel 30 toward the inner surface 30c of the sub panel 30. Move approximately parallel to the distance d.

  Here, in the conventional vehicle-mounted device 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper end of the operation panel 4 moves along a locus p with a radius r about the guide shaft 4a. For this reason, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5, the upper end of the operation panel 4 may come into contact with the tip portion of the panel 5. However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the upper end of the operation panel 40 moves along the bent portion at the tip of the guide groove 30e by a distance d substantially parallel to the upper surface of the sub-panel 30. It can prevent that the upper end of the panel 40 and the front-end | tip of the panel 50 contact. Further, in the present embodiment, since the operation panel 40 rotates around the projection 40i, the upper end of the operation panel 40 is a locus with a radius r about the projection 40i as shown in FIG. Move by drawing p. As a result, since the upward movement of the operation panel 40 can be reduced as compared with the case of FIG. 5, the upper end of the operation panel 40 is positioned on the panel 60 even when there is some play in the guide groove 30 e. Can be reliably prevented from coming into contact with the tip of the.

  When the arm member 20a further protrudes forward, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide shaft 40f starts to move in the downward direction in the drawing along the guide groove 30e. Then, since the protrusion 40i and the protrusion 30g are separated from each other, the rotational movement with these as a fulcrum ends, and the guide shaft 40f of the operation panel 40 moves along the guide groove 30e. Depending on the position of the shaft 40f in the guide groove 30e, the shaft 40f rotates clockwise and the lower portion of the operation panel 40 protrudes toward the front. When the guide shaft 40f reaches the lower end of the guide groove 30e, the control circuit detects this and stops the movement of the actuator that drives the arm member 20a. As a result, the operation panel 40 stops in a fully opened state.

  When the open / close button 41 is operated again in a state where the operation panel 40 is completely opened, the control circuit determines that the user has instructed to close the operation panel 40 and drives the actuator to retract the arm member 20a. Move in the direction. At this time, since the coil spring 50 exhibits a restoring force in a direction in which the locking portion 40h and the locking portion 20c are separated from each other, the closing operation can be smoothly performed even when the operation panel 40 has some weight. Can do.

  When the arm member 20a starts moving in the retracting direction, the guide shaft 40f starts moving upward along the guide groove 30e. As a result, the operation panel 40 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, and the lower part of the operation panel 40 moves in the direction stored in the sub panel 30.

  When the guide shaft 40f reaches near the upper end of the guide groove 30e, the projection 40i formed on the back surface 40d of the operation panel 40 and the projection 30g formed on the back surface 30c of the sub panel 30 are engaged. It becomes. Then, the operation panel 40 rotates in the counterclockwise direction with these protrusions 40i and 30g as fulcrums, so that the guide shaft 40f moves substantially in parallel along the bent portion of the upper end of the guide groove 30e. As a result, even when the operation panel 40 is closed, the upper end of the operation panel 40 can be prevented from coming into contact with the tip of the panel 60. When the movement is completed, the state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained, and the operation panel 40 is completely closed.

  In the above description, the operation has been described focusing on the guide shaft 40f and the guide groove 30e. However, since the guide shaft 40e and the guide groove 30d are the same as those described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove 30d and the upper end portion of the guide groove 30e are bent forward, and the back surface 40d of the operation panel 40 and the sub-panel are formed. Since the projection 40i and the projection 30g are provided on the back surface 30c of the 30 and are engaged with each other to form a fulcrum, the upper end of the operation panel 40 is connected to the panel 60 when the operation panel 40 opens and closes. Contact with the tip can be prevented.

  In the in-vehicle device 10 according to the present embodiment, the coil spring 50 is wound around the drive shaft 40g, one end thereof is fixed to the locking portion 40h of the operation panel 40, and the other end is locked to the locking portion of the arm member 20a. While being fixed to 20c, the neutral position of the operation panel 40 was made half open. As a result, when the operation panel 40 is opened from a completely closed state, the rotation of the operation panel 40 can be assisted. Further, when closing from the fully opened state, the operation panel 40 can be smoothly rotated even when the operation panel 40 has a weight. For this reason, even if the operation panel 40 has a certain amount of weight, the opening / closing operation can be performed smoothly.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be variously modified in addition to this. This will be described below.

  That is, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, one of the side surfaces of the operation panel 40 is driven by the arm member 20a, but the side surfaces on both sides of the operation panel 40 are driven by the two arm members. May be. In that case, you may make it provide a coil spring with respect to each arm member.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 40i and the protrusion 30g are provided only at one end of the operation panel 40, but may be provided at both ends. Moreover, you may provide in the center of the operation panel instead of one end. Alternatively, a protrusion having the same shape as the protrusion 40i may be provided on the sub panel 30 side, and a protrusion having the same shape as the protrusion 30g may be provided on the operation panel 40 side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coil spring 50 is simply fitted to the locking portion 40h and the locking portion 20c. For example, the tip of the coil spring 50 is bent, and the bent portion is provided on the operation panel 40. Alternatively, the holes may be inserted into and fixed to the holes provided in the arm member 20a.

  In the above-described embodiment, the audio device is described as an example of the in-vehicle device 10. However, for example, a video reproducing device, a DVD reproducing device, a car navigation device, a personal computer that reproduces video or video and music, and the like. There are communication devices such as computers and telephones / faxes, which can be applied to various electric devices. In the case of a car navigation device or a video playback device, the operation panel 40 is, for example, a liquid crystal screen.

  The vehicle-mounted device and the panel mechanism of the present invention can be used in the field related to a vehicle-mounted device. The panel opening / closing mechanism can be used in the field of various electric devices.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the panel opening / closing mechanism of the vehicle-mounted apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which an operation panel is closed in the in-vehicle device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the other end side of the operation panel is pushed forward and the operation panel starts rotating in the in-vehicle device of FIG. 1. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the other end side of the operation panel is pushed out to the near side and the operation panel is rotated to some extent in the in-vehicle device of FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the panel opening / closing mechanism of the conventional vehicle-mounted apparatus, and is a figure which shows the state in which the operation panel is closed. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which an operation panel is rotating in the in-vehicle device of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... In-vehicle apparatus 20 ... Outer case 20a ... Arm member (a part of extrusion mechanism)
30 ... Subpanel 30d, 30e ... Guide groove 30g ... Projection (second projection, part of the support mechanism)
40 ... Operation panel 40e, 40f ... Guide shaft 40g ... Drive shaft (part of extrusion mechanism)
40i... Projection (first projection, part of the support mechanism)
50 ... Coil spring (spring)

Claims (5)

In a panel opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing the operation panel with respect to the main body by rotating the operation panel,
A sub-panel stored with the operation panel closed;
A guide shaft provided on a side surface of the operation panel;
A guide groove provided on a side surface of the sub-panel for sliding the operation panel up and down when the guide shaft is inserted to open and close the operation panel;
An extrusion mechanism for providing a driving force for opening and closing the operation panel;
A support mechanism that constitutes a fulcrum when the operation panel rotates in a state in which the operation panel is closed,
The upper end of the guide groove is bent forward, and when the operation panel changes from a closed state to an open state, the support mechanism is used as a fulcrum, and the guide shaft is connected to the guide groove. A panel opening / closing mechanism, wherein the upper end portion of the operation panel moves from the near side to the far side by moving along the bent portion.   The support mechanism is configured by a first protrusion provided on the back surface of the operation panel and a second protrusion provided at a corresponding position of the sub panel, and the operation panel is opened from a closed state. 2. The fulcrum when the operation panel rotates is formed by engaging the first protrusion and the second protrusion when the state changes. Panel opening / closing mechanism as described.   The push-out mechanism includes an arm member that engages with a part of the operation panel and transmits a driving force for opening and closing the operation panel, and an actuator for driving the arm member. The panel opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1.   The panel opening / closing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein a spring for applying a biasing force when the operation panel is rotated is provided between the arm member and the operation panel.   An in-vehicle device using the panel opening / closing mechanism, comprising the panel opening / closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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