JP4396788B2 - Drive cord guide mechanism for automobile corner poles - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automobile corner pole that is attached to the body of an automobile so that the corner position of the front part of the automobile body can be confirmed from the driver's seat, and in particular, for guiding a drive cord that expands and contracts the corner pole for the automobile. It relates to a guide mechanism.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Some corner poles for automobiles can be expanded and contracted by operation from the driver's seat, and are extended from the vehicle body only during use and stored in the vehicle body when not in use.
[0003]
FIG. 5 is an external view showing a conventional configuration of the telescopic automobile corner pole as described above.
In FIG. 5, the corner pole 1 is composed of a connecting pipe 2 that is stored in a state in which an upper end portion thereof passes through the vehicle body S, and a plurality of pipes having different diameters that are swingably connected to each other. The telescopic pole 3 accommodated in a freely projecting manner from the upper end thereof, and inserted into the connecting pipe 2 and the telescopic pole 3 so as to be sent and retracted in the axial direction, thereby causing the telescopic pole 3 to project from the connecting pipe 2. And a drive cord 4 that is stored in the connecting pipe 2 and a drive unit 5 that is attached to the lower end of the connecting pipe 2 and sends out the drive cord 4 and drives it in the pull-back direction. A display lamp 3A is attached to the upper end of the.
[0004]
The drive unit 5 has a role of sending and retracting the drive cord 4 and has a limitation in installation space that the drive unit 5 is disposed in a narrow space such as the inside of the bumper. It has a role of curving in a short section to change the direction of travel from horizontal to vertical and vice versa.
[0005]
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6 showing the internal structure of the drive unit 5, the drive unit 5 is connected to the casing 5A of the drive unit 5 by curving the drive cord 4 extending in the horizontal direction almost vertically upward. By guiding the drive gear 5B to the rack 4A formed over the entire length of the drive cord 4 as shown in FIG. The drive cord 4 is advanced and retracted by the rotation of the drive gear 5B.
[0006]
The drive unit 5 is attached with a guide 6 that urges the drive cord 4 in the direction of the drive gear 5A in the curved portion of the drive cord 4 to ensure the meshing state of the rack 4A and the drive unit 5. ing.
[0007]
The guide 6 is formed at a ring-shaped main body portion 6A fixed in the connecting pipe 2, an arm portion 6B extending downwardly from the lower portion of the main body portion 6A, and an end portion of the arm portion 6B. The main body portion 6A of the guide 6 supports the drive cord 4 inserted in the main body portion 6A in a vertical direction, and the pressing portion 6C is a casing of the drive cord 4 and the drive portion 5. The drive cord 4 is supported between the rack 4A and the drive gear 5B.
[0008]
The corner pole 1 is assembled to the vehicle body after the connecting pipe 2 and the drive unit 5 are first attached to the inside of the vehicle body, and then the drive cord 4 connected to the telescopic pole 3 is connected to the connecting pipe 2 and the drive from the outside of the vehicle body. This is done by being inserted into the section 5.
[0009]
At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the drive cord 4 is embedded in the drive cord 4 by being connected to a power source at the end opposite to the connection side with the telescopic pole 3 as a cord stopper. A terminal 4C for conducting current is attached to the display lamp 3A at the tip of the telescopic pole 3 via the conductive wire 4B. Since the diameter of the terminal 4C is larger than the diameter of the drive cord 4, the drive cord 4 The end of the side on which the terminal 4C is attached is first inserted into the drive unit 5, and after the terminal 4C has passed through the meshing position with the drive gear 5B, the guide 6 is inserted from the connecting tube 2 side. Fixed.
[0010]
As described above, the guide 6 is configured separately from the casing 5 </ b> A of the drive unit 5 for reasons of assembly of the corner pole 1.
[0011]
However, in this conventional guide 6, since the pressing portion 6C of the guide 6 supports only the meshing portion of the curved portion of the drive cord 4 with the drive gear 5B, the drive cord shown in FIG. 4 when the retracting pole 4 is retracted (when the telescopic pole 3 is driven downward) by the compressive force acting on the portion below the engagement position with the drive gear 5B of the drive cord 4 and the tensile force acting on the upper portion. Further, when the drive cord 4 shown in FIG. 9 is delivered (when the telescopic pole 3 is lifted), the tensile force acting on the portion below the engagement position with the drive gear 5B of the drive cord 4 and the upward direction Due to the compressive force acting on the side portion, the diameter of the curved portion of the drive cord 4 changes locally, and the load on the drive cord 4 concentrates on that portion, and the drive cord 4 Damage or caused a problem such smooth raising and lowering operation of the telescopic pole 3 is prevented there is a risk to occur.
Such a phenomenon becomes particularly prominent at the end of the lowering and raising of the telescopic pole 3.
[0012]
Further, in this conventional guide 6, when the drive cord 4 is pulled back (when the telescopic pole 3 is driven downward), the tensile force acting on the portion above the engagement position with the drive gear 5B of the drive cord 4 As shown in FIG. 8, the upper part of the drive cord 4 moves inward of the drive unit 5, and the side on which the rack 4 </ b> A is formed is related to the inner peripheral wall corner p of the main body 6 </ b> A of the guide 6. For this reason, the drive cord 4 is pulled back and a rattling noise is generated, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of noise prevention.
[0013]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the drive cord guide mechanism of the conventional automobile corner pole.
[0014]
That is, a first object of the present invention is to provide a drive cord guide mechanism capable of smoothly expanding and contracting an expansion / contraction pole by curving the drive cord with a certain curvature in a driving portion of an automobile corner pole. And
[0015]
Furthermore, the present invention provides a drive cord guide mechanism capable of preventing the generation of noise accompanying the movement of the drive cord when the drive portion is driven in the drive portion of the automobile corner pole. Second purpose.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the first object, the drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole according to the first aspect of the invention is curved when the drive cord for expanding and contracting the corner pole passes through the drive section and is directed in a substantially perpendicular direction. In an automobile corner pole that is converted and is driven and retracted by engaging a drive gear inside the curved portion of the drive cord, outside the curved portion in the drive portion of the drive cord A guide surface of a required guide length formed by a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the guide, and the guide surface extends along the curve of the curved portion outside the curved portion of the drive cord and guides Sliding contact with the center of the surface positioned at the position facing the engagement position of the drive cord and drive gear It is characterized in that it comprises a by the guide member.
[0017]
The drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole according to the first aspect of the present invention is such that after the drive cord connected to the corner pole is inserted into the drive portion attached to the inside of the vehicle body, the guide member is inserted into the drive portion. The guide surface is slidably brought into contact with the curved portion of the drive cord, and is attached to the drive portion with the drive cord sandwiched between the drive gear.
[0018]
At this time, the guide member is attached in a state in which the guide surface extends along the curved portion of the drive cord and the center portion of the guide surface is positioned at a position facing the engagement position between the drive gear and the drive cord. .
[0019]
This keeps the curved portion of the drive cord in engagement with the drive gear, and the radius of curvature of the curved portion of the drive cord when the drive cord is sent out or pulled back due to the expansion and contraction of the corner pole. Since the drive cord is guided by the guide surface having substantially the same radius of curvature, the curvature of the curved portion of the drive cord is kept constant.
[0020]
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the curved portion of the drive cord that is curved when being passed through the drive portion and turned in a substantially right-angle direction is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the curved portion of the drive cord. Since the guide surface of the guide member having the same radius of curvature is guided over a required section before and after the position where it engages with the drive gear, when the drive cord is sent out or pulled back for the expansion and contraction of the corner pole Further, the curvature of the curved portion of the drive cord is prevented from changing locally, and the corner pole can be smoothly expanded and contracted.
[0021]
In order to achieve the first object, a drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole according to a second invention is provided on both sides of the guide surface of the guide member in addition to the structure of the first invention. Protruding pieces that hold both side portions of the drive cord that are in sliding contact with each other along the guide direction are formed.
[0022]
According to the drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole according to the second invention, the guide surface of the guide member is formed on both sides of the guide surface when the guide surface of the guide member is brought into sliding contact with the outside of the curved portion of the drive cord. Since the drive cord is positioned between the protruding pieces and holds both sides of the curved portion of the drive cord along the guide direction, when the drive cord is sent out or pulled back for expansion and contraction of the corner pole The drive cord is prevented from coming off from the guide surface of the guide member, whereby the corner cord can be smoothly expanded and contracted by reliably guiding the drive cord by the guide member.
[0023]
In order to achieve the second object, a drive cord guide mechanism for a car corner pole according to a third aspect of the invention is bent when the drive cord for extending and retracting the pole passes through the inside of the drive section and changes its direction in a substantially right angle direction. At the same time, the support member is slidably brought into contact with the portion of the drive cord that begins to bend, and this portion is supported, and the drive gear is engaged with the rack formed inside the portion of the drive cord that is curved. In a corner pole for an automobile in which drive code is sent out and pulled back, a portion where a rack inside the curved drive cord is formed at a position continuous with a portion of the support member that is in sliding contact with the drive cord And a projecting member having a convexly curved guide surface that is slidably contacted.
[0024]
In the drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole according to the third aspect of the present invention, a projecting member is disposed inside a portion where the drive cord is supported by a support member to start turning and begins to bend. The formed convexly curved guide surface is slidably contacted with a rack positioned inside the drive cord that has started to bend.
[0025]
As a result, when the drive cord is sent out or pulled back due to the expansion and contraction of the corner pole, the rack located inside the curved portion of the drive cord slides along the guide surface of the protruding member.
[0026]
Therefore, according to the third aspect of the invention, when the drive cord passes through the support position by the support member and starts to bend, the rack formed on the drive cord is protruded from the protruding member that is continuous with the support portion by the support member. Since the guide surface is curved and curved, the drive cord rack is prevented from hitting the corner of the support member to generate a rattling impact sound.
[0027]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments that are considered to be most suitable for the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
[0028]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a section of an example of an embodiment of a guide constituting a drive cord guide mechanism of an automobile corner pole according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the guide of the example from below. It is a figure.
[0029]
1 and 2, a guide 10 includes a ring-shaped main body portion 10A, an arm portion 10B formed downward from the lower surface of the main body portion 10A, and a guide portion formed at a lower end portion of the arm portion 10B. 10C, a guide plate 10D formed on the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C, and a guide protrusion 10E formed at a position facing the arm portion 10B on the lower surface of the main body portion 10A. It is made of resin.
[0030]
The main body portion 10A is formed with a guide hole 10A1 penetrating through the main body portion 10A in the vertical direction. The diameter of the guide hole 10A1 is, as will be described later, a drive cord inserted into the guide hole 10A1. It is set to be larger than the outer diameter.
[0031]
The arm portion 10B is integrally formed so as to extend downward from one side of the lower outer edge portion of the main body portion 10A, and has a plate shape whose width direction extends in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the main body portion 10A. In addition, it has flexibility toward the inside with respect to the main body 10A.
[0032]
Then, as will be described later, the arm portion 10B is set to a length that positions the substantially central portion of the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C at a position facing the drive gear when the guide 10 is attached to the drive portion. Has been.
[0033]
The guide portion 10C is formed integrally with the lower end portion of the arm portion 10B and thicker than the arm portion 10B, and the inner guide surface 10C1 has an arc shape that is concavely curved with a required radius of curvature. Furthermore, the outer surface 10C2 at the lower end is formed in an arc shape that curves in a convex shape.
[0034]
Then, the arc of the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C has substantially the same size as the radius of curvature outside the curved portion when the drive cord is curved to change the direction in the drive portion, as will be described later. The guide has a radius of curvature, and the guide length is set so as to extend from the central portion to both sides by a required length.
[0035]
The guide plates 10D are projecting pieces integrally formed so as to extend inwardly on both sides of the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C, respectively, and guides located on both sides of the guide surface 10C1 as shown in FIG. The width between the plates 10 </ b> D is arranged to be slightly larger than the width of the drive cord 4.
[0036]
In this example, two guide plates 10D are formed on one side of the guide surface 10C1 and one on the other side, and are arranged so as to be staggered along the longitudinal direction of the guide surface 10C1. ing.
[0037]
The guide protrusion 10E is integrally formed so as to protrude downward from a position facing the arm portion 10B on the outer edge of the lower surface of the main body portion 10A and the guide hole 10A1, and the lower end portion is the upper end portion of the guide portion 10C. The length is set so as to be located slightly above.
[0038]
The guide surface 10E1 on the inner side of the guide projection 10E is formed so as to be continuous with the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 10A1 of the main body 10A, and the curvature on the inner side of the curved portion of the drive cord in the drive unit described later. With a radius of curvature approximately the same as the radius, it is formed in an arc shape so as to curve outward as it goes to the lower end side.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 4, the guide 10 is assembled to the drive unit 5 in the same manner as the conventional case of FIG.
[0040]
In FIG. 4, the same parts as those of the conventional one in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
That is, first, the connecting tube 2 and the drive unit 5 are attached to the inside of the vehicle body, and the drive cord 4 connected to the telescopic pole 3 is inserted into the connecting tube 2 and the drive unit 5 from the outside of the vehicle body, and then connected to the connecting tube 2. The guide 10 is inserted from the side with the drive cord 4 inserted into the guide hole 10 </ b> A <b> 1 and the main body 10 </ b> A is fixed to the connecting pipe 2.
[0041]
At the time of this assembly, the arm portion 10B and the guide portion 10C of the guide 10 are inserted into the casing 5A of the drive portion 5 through the opening formed at the bottom portion of the connecting pipe 2, and the curved portion of the drive cord 4 is driven. The outer surface 10C2 of the lower end portion formed in the arc shape of the guide portion 10C slides along the curve of the inner wall surface of the casing 5A to enter the inner surface of the casing 5A. By being biased in the direction, the arm portion 10B is bent inward.
[0042]
At this time, the drive cord 4 is sandwiched between guide protrusions 10E formed on both sides of the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C and is held so as not to be detached from the guide surface 10C1.
[0043]
In this way, the guide portion 10C is interposed between the curved portion of the drive cord 4 and the inner wall surface of the casing 5A of the drive portion 5, so that the guide portion 10C is substantially at the center of the guide surface 10C1. The drive cord 4 is held at a position where the rack 4A meshes with the drive gear 5B, and the guide surface 10C1 is in sliding contact with the curved portion of the drive cord 4 in a required section before and after the meshing position. The curved portion is supported so that its curvature is kept constant.
[0044]
Further, the guide projection 10E of the guide 10 inserted into the drive unit 5 together with the guide unit 10C has its guide surface 10E1 in sliding contact with the inside of the curved portion of the drive cord 4, that is, the blade edge of the rack 4A.
[0045]
The corner pole with which the guide 10 is assembled has the drive cord 4 securely held at the meshed position with the drive gear 5B at the curved portion by the guide portion 10C and the guide plate 10D of the guide 10, and the telescopic pole Even when the drive cord 4 is extended and retracted during expansion and contraction, the curved portion of the drive cord 4 is driven by the guide surface 10C1 of the guide portion 10C having a curvature radius substantially the same as the curvature radius of the curved portion of the drive cord 4. Since a required section before and after the meshing position with the gear 5B is supported, the curvature of the curved portion of the drive cord 4 changes locally as in the conventional case, and the load on that portion increases. There is no risk of it occurring.
[0046]
Further, the guide surface 10E1 of the guide projection 10E continuous with the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole 10A1 is slidably contacted inside the curved drive cord 4 at the opening on the lower surface side of the guide hole 10A1 of the main body 10A. Since the blade edge of the rack 4A is guided along the curved surface of the guide surface 10E1, the rack 4A does not hit the corner of the opening of the guide hole as in the conventional case, and no rattling noise is generated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of an example of a guide according to the best embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view of the guide as viewed from below in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a guide portion of the guide.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the guide is assembled to the drive unit.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a general configuration of a corner pole.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a conventional example of a drive code guide mechanism.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a configuration of a drive cord.
8 is a side sectional view showing a state when a drive code is sent out in the conventional example of FIG.
9 is a side sectional view showing a state when the drive cord is pulled back in the conventional example of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 ... connecting pipe 3 ... telescopic pole 4 ... drive cord 4A ... rack 5 ... drive unit 5B ... drive gear 10 ... guide (guide member)
10A ... Main body (supporting member)
10A1 ... guide hole 10B ... arm portion 10C ... guide portion 10C1 ... guide surface 10D ... guide plate (projection piece)
10E ... Guide protrusion (protrusion member)
10E1 ... Guide surface

Claims (3)

When the drive cord for extending / contracting the corner pole passes through the drive section, the drive cord is bent and turned in a substantially right angle direction, and the drive gear is engaged inside the curved portion of the drive cord so that the drive code is sent out. In the corner pole for automobiles that are pulled and pulled back,
A guide surface having a required guide length formed by a concave curved surface having substantially the same radius of curvature as the outer radius of curvature of the curved portion in the drive portion of the drive cord, the guide surface being outside the curved portion of the drive cord; And a guide member that is slidably contacted in a state where the substantially central portion of the guide surface is positioned at a position facing the engagement position between the drive cord and the drive gear. Drive cord guide mechanism for automobile corner poles. 2. The corner pole for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein protrusions are formed on both sides of the guide surface of the guide member to hold both side portions of the drive cord slidably contacted with the guide surface along the guide direction. Drive code guide mechanism. When the drive cord for expanding and contracting the pole passes through the drive unit and is bent and turned in a substantially right angle direction, the support member is slidably contacted with the portion where the drive cord starts to bend, and this portion is supported. In an automobile corner pole in which drive code is fed and retracted by engaging a drive gear with a rack formed inside a curved portion of the drive cord,
A projecting member having a convexly curved guide surface that is slidably contacted with a portion where a rack on the inner side of the curved drive cord is formed at a position continuous with a portion that is slidably contacted with the drive cord of the support member A drive cord guide mechanism for an automobile corner pole, comprising:

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