JP5029918B2 - Storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage container such as a cup holder of an automobile.

  Various storage containers such as a console box, a cup holder device, and an accessory case are mounted on the automobile. This storage container is often composed of a container-shaped main body and a lid body that opens and closes the opening. The lid body covers the opening to enhance the design of the interior of the vehicle except when the stored items are taken in and out. ing.

  Many of the lids are swingably held by the container body, and those having a so-called turnover mechanism using a turnover spring (hereinafter simply referred to as a spring) are known (for example, see Patent Document 1). ). In a storage container having such a turnover mechanism, when the lid is swung from the closed position to the open position, or from the open position to the closed position, the lid is intermediate between the closed position and the open position. When swinging to the position, the biasing force of the spring is switched from the closing direction to the opening direction or from the opening direction to the closing direction with the intermediate position as a boundary. That is, when the operator opens / closes the lid to the intermediate position, the lid naturally swings to the open position or the closed position, so that the opening / closing operability of the lid is improved and the usability is good.

However, during the opening and closing of the lid, the spring is compressed and stress is generated, the spring falls in a direction away from the side wall of the container body, and there is a possibility that an abnormal noise is generated by hitting an adjacent counterpart member. For this reason, there has been a problem in that an unnecessarily large gap must be provided between the member installed outside the storage container and the installation location of the storage container is restricted.
JP 2003-24039 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a turnover mechanism with a stable spring posture in which a spring does not fall outward even if the spring is compressed when the lid is opened and closed. It is an object to provide a storage container provided.

The storage container of the present invention includes a container main body, a lid that is swingably held by the container main body and opens and closes the opening of the container main body, and an opening / closing mechanism that is provided on a side wall of the container main body and opens and closes the lid The lid body has a support portion, and the opening / closing mechanism has one end pivotally supported by the container body and the other end engaged with the support portion to connect the container body and the lid body. A connecting member to be connected; a spring head and a pair of spring legs extending from the spring head; one of the spring legs is locked to the container body and the other spring leg is A turnover spring locked to the connecting member, and the other end of the spring leg passes through a locking hole provided at one end of the connecting member on the back side of the connecting member. A storage container extending in parallel with the back surface, wherein the connecting member swings in conjunction with the swing of the lid. In Rutoki, characterized in that the locking end of the other spring leg projecting from the sliding contact rib along the rotational path of the locking end portion on the outer surface of the support portion.

  In the storage container of the present invention, the spring penetrates the locking hole and extends parallel to the back surface of the connecting member and is locked to the connecting member. When the connecting member swings in conjunction with the swinging of the lid, the end of this spring can be slidably contacted with a rib formed on the support portion of the lid. Therefore, even if the spring is compressed and falls down when the lid is opened and closed, the rotation of the end portion of the spring toward the support portion side is restricted by this rib, and the spring can be prevented from falling down. Therefore, there is no possibility of causing an abnormal noise by interfering with the counterpart member, and it is not necessary to provide an unnecessarily large gap with the member installed outside the storage container. Therefore, the problem that the installation location of the storage container is restricted can be solved.

  In the storage container of the present invention, it is preferable that the rib has an inclined portion inclined toward the surface of the support portion on one end side of the rib. By providing such an inclined portion, the locking operation for locking the spring to the connecting member is facilitated, and the workability is improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to embodiments.

  The storage container of this embodiment is shown in FIGS. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a cup holder arranged in a console box of an automobile. The cup holder I is mainly composed of a box-shaped container body 1, a lid 2, and an opening / closing mechanism 3 that opens and closes the lid 2.

  The resin container main body 1 is formed with bosses 10 protruding outward on the left and right side surfaces. In addition, an arcuate tooth row 12 having meshing teeth is provided at the central portion of the side wall 1a, and a damper boss portion 14 to which a damper 50 is mounted is provided below the tooth row 12 so as to protrude outward. Yes.

  The lid 2 is formed in a substantially plate shape from a resin, and is formed in a size that can cover the opening of the container body 1. The lid 2 is pivotally supported by the boss portion 10 of the container main body 1 via a connecting member 30 and a spring 40 which will be described later.

  A substantially fan-shaped support portion 20 hangs down from one end side of the lid body 2 via a base portion 22 protruding outward from the side surface of the lid body. On the outer surface of the support portion 20, an engagement hole 24 connected to the connection member 30 is formed, and an arc-shaped rib centering on the engagement hole 24 on the base portion 22 side of the engagement hole 24. 26 protrudes. The lower end portion of the rib 26 is an inclined portion 26a where the protruding height gradually decreases. Further, gear-shaped meshing teeth 28 are formed in a predetermined range at the arc end of the substantially fan-shaped support portion 20. Then, the lid body 2 is disposed with respect to the container body 1 so that the meshing teeth 28 mesh with the arcuate tooth row 12 provided on the side surface of the container body 1.

  The opening / closing mechanism 3 for opening and closing the lid 2 includes a connecting member 30 that is pivotally supported by the container body 1 and swings while supporting the lid 2, and a spring 40 that biases the connecting member 30 in the swinging direction. Consists of.

  The connecting member 30 includes a substantially rectangular plate-shaped arm portion 34 having a pivotal support hole 32 pivotally supported by the boss portion 10 of the container body 1 on one end side, and the arm portion 34 other than the pivotal support hole 32. It comprises a fan-shaped portion 36 formed integrally with the arm portion 34 so as to expand in the end direction, and a connecting head portion 38 fixed to the other end of the arm portion 34.

  The arm portion 34 is formed with a step so as to be outside the sector portion 36, and the connecting head portion 38 is formed with a step so as to be outside the other end side of the arm portion 34.

  A gear-like meshing tooth 36 a is formed at the arc end of the sector 36 and is arranged so as to mesh with the tooth of the damper 50.

  The connecting head 38 is a substantially oval member in plan view, and a locking hole 38b for locking the spring 40 is provided through the tip of the connecting head 38.

  The spring 40 includes a spring head portion 42 around which a spring wire is wound and two spring leg portions 44 extending from the spring head portion 42 in a tangential direction. A bent portion (locking end portion) 43 is formed at the end portion of the leg portion 44 to be inserted into the locking hole 38b of the connecting head portion 38 and locked. The bent portion 43 is bent at a right angle with respect to the spring leg portion 44, and is bent at a right angle with respect to the first bent portion 42a and parallel to the leg portion 44, continuously to the first bent portion 44a. And the second bent portion 42b.

  FIG. 2 is a side view of the cup holder I according to the present embodiment in which the lid 2 and the opening / closing mechanism 3 are assembled to the container body 1 in the closed position. The lid 2 covers the opening of the container body 1 and is arranged so that the meshing teeth 28 of the support portion 20 mesh with the arcuate tooth row 12 provided on the side surface of the container body 1.

  One end side of the connecting member 30 is pivotally supported by the boss portion 10 of the container body 1 through a pivotal support hole 32, and has an engagement shaft 34b on the other end side. By being engaged with the engagement hole 24 of the support portion 20, the support portion 20 of the lid body 2 is rotatably connected. The engaging teeth 36a of the fan-shaped portion 36 of the connecting member 30 are arranged so as to engage with the teeth of the damper 50, and the bent portion 43 of the leg portion 44 on one side of the spring 40 is locked to the connecting head portion 38. Has been. The bent portion 43 of the leg portion 44 on the other side of the spring 40 is locked to a locking projection 16 provided to protrude from the rear side wall of the container body 1.

  The direction in which the line L (see FIGS. 2 and 3) connecting the ends of both leg portions 44 of the spring 40 extends is the biasing direction of the spring 40. The lid 2 is urged by the spring 40 in the closing direction and the opening direction, respectively, with an intermediate position between the closing position and the opening position as a boundary. That is, when the lid 2 swings to the intermediate position, the spring 40 is arranged so that the line L in the biasing direction passes through the axial center 38a of the connecting head portion 38 of the connecting member 30 that swings in conjunction with the cover 40. It is arranged.

  In the cup holder I of the present embodiment configured as described above, the lid body 2 with the spring 40 urging the connecting member 30 in the clockwise direction (the direction opposite to the arrow A in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. Closes the opening of the container body 1. Since the lid body 2 is pressed against the container body 1 by the urging force of the spring 40, rattling of the lid body 2 does not occur.

  When the cup holder I is used from this closed state, the support 2 of the lid 2 swings so that the tip 2a at the other end is lifted diagonally backward against the urging force of the spring 40. . Since the support portion 20 is formed integrally with the lid body 2 and the meshing teeth 28 are arranged so as to mesh with the tooth row 12, the support portion 20 descends while rotating along the arc of the tooth row 12. To do. Then, the connecting member 30 rotates in the arrow A direction with the boss portion 10 as an axis.

  The spring leg 44 on one side of the spring 40 is locked to the connecting head 38 of the connecting member 30 by the bent portion 43, and the spring leg 44 on the other side is locked to the locking protrusion 16. Therefore, the spring 40 rotates in the direction in which the bent portion 43 on one side descends while maintaining the shape with the locking projection 16 as the center as the connecting member 30 rotates. Therefore, the stress F in the lateral direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) is not generated in the spring 40 until near the intermediate position between the closed position and the opened position of the lid 2.

  When the lid body 2 is further swung to reach the vicinity of an intermediate position between the closed position and the open position, the bent portion 43 of the spring 40 is compressed so as to approach the locking projection 16. As a result, a lateral stress F is generated in the spring 40.

  When the lid 2 is further swung, the extension line L connecting the locking projection 16 and the bent portion 43 passes through the shaft center 38a of the connecting head 38, so that the connecting member 30 is attached clockwise until then. The spring 40 that has been biased biases the connecting member 30 counterclockwise. That is, when the intermediate position is passed, the connecting member 30 is swung counterclockwise (downward in FIG. 2) by the urging force of the spring 40, so that the lid body 2 is swung naturally toward the open position, and the container body 1 is stored in the storage space 4 located behind 1. FIG. 3 shows an open state of the cup holder I in which the lid 2 is stored in the storage space 4 of the container body 1.

  A damper 50 is attached to the container body 1, and the teeth of the damper 50 are arranged so as to mesh with the meshing teeth 36 a of the fan-shaped part 36 of the connecting member 30. Therefore, even if the biasing direction of the spring 40 is counterclockwise, the swing speed of the connecting member 30 is suppressed. Therefore, even if the operator releases the hand from the lid end 2a when the lid 2 is swung and exceeds the intermediate position, the lid 2 is slowly swung to the open position. In this open position, the support portion 20 of the lid body 2 is pressed against the tooth row 12 of the container body 1 by the urging force of the spring 40, so that the lid body 2 does not rattle.

  When the lid 2 is in the open position as shown in FIG. 3 and is in the closed position in FIG. 2, the front end 2 a of the lid 2 is pushed forward against the urging force of the spring 40. Good. The lid body 2 is swung to the closed position side following the reverse of the opening operation, and when it exceeds the intermediate position, the lid body 2 is automatically and slowly swung to the closed position to cover the opening of the container main body 1 and close in FIG. It becomes a state.

  As described above, the lid 2 of the cup holder I of this embodiment has the arc-shaped ribs 26 formed on the support portion 20 thereof. The rib 26 is formed along the locus of the second bent portion 44 b of the bent portion 43 of the spring 40 that is locked to the connecting head portion 38 of the connecting member 30 during rotation.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a partial cross section taken along line BB (FIG. 3) for explaining the relationship between the bent portion 43 of the spring 40, the connecting head portion 38 of the connecting member 30, and the rib 26. As shown in FIG. The spring 40 is locked to the coupling head 38 by inserting the bent portion 43 from the outside of the coupling head 38 into the locking hole 38b. That is, the first bent portion 44a passes through the locking hole 38b, and the second bent portion 44b extends in parallel along the back surface 38d of the connecting head portion 38, and the tip end portion 44c projects to the support portion 20. It can be slidably contacted with the formed rib 26.

  The hole diameter d1 of the locking hole 38b is formed to be larger than the wire diameter d2 of the spring 40 in consideration of workability when the bent portion 43 is inserted and locked into the locking hole 38b. Therefore, when the bent portion 43 is locked in the locking hole 38b, the first bent portion 44a is inserted into the locking hole 38b with a margin.

  As described above, since the stress F in the lateral direction is not generated in the spring 40 up to an intermediate position between the closing position and the opening position of the lid body 2, the bent portion is formed even if the rib 26 is not formed as in the prior art. 43 can be rotated while substantially maintaining this posture. However, when the bending portion 43 is compressed so as to approach the locking projection 16 and a lateral stress F is generated in the spring 40, the bending portion 43 is not formed on the support portion 20 when the rib 26 is formed. The spring head 42 may hit the adjacent member in an inclined posture indicated by a broken line 43 'in FIG. This is because there is a gap (d1-d2) between the first bent portion 44a and the locking hole 38b.

  In the present embodiment, the tip end portion 44c of the second bent portion 44b rotates so as to be slidable to the rib 26. Therefore, even if a lateral stress F occurs in the spring 40, the tip end portion 44c is not tilted by the rib 26. It is suppressed. Accordingly, the bent portion 43 can maintain its posture, and the spring head portion 42 of the spring 40 does not hit the adjacent member.

  Since the lower end portion of the rib 26 is formed with an inclined portion 26a that gradually decreases, when the spring 40 is mounted in the closed state shown in FIG. 2, the bent portion 43 can be easily inserted into the locking hole 38b. Can be inserted. Therefore, the workability of locking the spring 40 to the coupling head 38 is improved.

  The present invention can be suitably used for a storage container such as a cup holder of an automobile.

It is a perspective view which shows the components structure of the storage container of one Example of this invention. It is a side view in the closed state of the storage container of one Example of this invention. It is a side view in the open state of the storage container of one Example of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows typically the relationship between the bending part of a spring, the connection head, and a rib in the storage container of one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Container body 2: Lid 3: Connection mechanism 10: Boss portion 12: Teeth row 16: Locking protrusion 20: Support portion 26 Rib 26a: Inclined portion 30: Connection member 32: Arm portion 36: Fan-shaped portion 38: Connection Head 38a: Axis 38b: Locking hole 40: Turnover spring 42: Spring head 43: Bending part 44: Spring leg 44a: First folding part 44b: Second folding part 44c: Tip part 50: Damper

Claims (2)

A container body, a lid that is swingably held by the container body and opens and closes the opening of the container body, and an opening and closing mechanism that is provided on a side wall of the container body and opens and closes the lid.
The lid body has a support portion, and the opening / closing mechanism has a connecting member for connecting the container body and the lid body with one end pivotally supported by the container body and the other end engaged with the support portion. And a pair of spring legs extending from the spring head, one of the spring legs is locked to the container body, and the other spring leg is connected to the connecting member. It consists of a locked turnover spring,
The other end of the spring leg is a storage container that extends through a locking hole provided at one end of the connecting member and extends in parallel to the back surface of the connecting member.
When the connecting member swings in conjunction with the swing of the lid body, the locking end of the other spring leg can be slidably contacted along the rotation trajectory of the locking end And a storage container, wherein the storage container protrudes from the outer surface of the support portion.   The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the rib has an inclined portion inclined toward the surface of the support portion on one end side of the rib.

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