JP5302622B2 - Lid lock device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A lid lock apparatus for a vehicle includes a housing (2) including a first body (21) and a second body (22), a drive motor (3), a drive force transmitting mechanism (4, 5), a shaft member (6), one end of the shaft member being engageable with a lid member (91), and a connector holding portion (12) holding an external connector (M). The connector holding portion (12) includes an engagement portion (218a, 218b, 218c), a recess portion (219), and a cover portion (224). The engagement portion (218a, 218b, 218c) includes a bottom wall portion (218c), a first lateral wall portion (218a), and a second lateral wall portion (218b) integrally formed at the first body (21). The recess portion (219) is formed at one of the first lateral wall portion (218a) and the second lateral wall portion (218b). The cover member (224) is integrally formed at the second body (22).

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle lid lock device that locks a lid body provided in a vehicle body in a closed state.

  As a prior art, there has been a vehicle lid lock device that projects a shaft member from a housing by a spring force, engages with a lid body provided on a vehicle body, and locks the lid body in a closed state (see Patent Document 1). . This is because the shaft member is moved against the spring force by operating the electric motor in the housing and rotating the worm wheel, and the lid body can be released by releasing the engagement with the lid body. Yes.

In the prior art described above, a connector fitting portion is formed in the housing, and a connector terminal connected to the electric motor is provided in the connector fitting portion. The connector terminal is attached to a terminal mounting portion in the connector fitting portion. An external connector is connected to the connector fitting portion, and power is supplied to the electric motor through the external connector.
Japanese Patent No. 3079611

  By the way, normally, the housing of the lid lock device for a vehicle is formed by fitting two members, and the connector fitting portion described above is formed on any one of the housing members. Therefore, when the connector terminal is mounted in the connector fitting portion, the four sides of the terminal mounting portion are surrounded by the wall of the connector fitting portion, and the assembly of the connector terminal must be performed avoiding the wall. Cannot be assembled in the direction. Furthermore, the visibility of the terminal mounting portion is poor, and the operator's finger is difficult to enter the connector fitting portion, so that the connector terminal mounting workability is poor.

  On the other hand, it has been considered that the connector fitting portion is divided and formed by two housing members, and the terminal mounting portion is provided on one housing member. Thereby, after mounting a connector terminal to a terminal attachment part, both housing members can be fitted, and the circumference | surroundings of a terminal attachment part are not obstruct | occluded completely in the step which attaches a connector terminal to a terminal attachment part. Therefore, it is possible to improve the mounting workability of the connector terminal.

However, when the connector fitting portion is divided by the two housing members, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the connector fitting portion are determined by the dimensions of the parts forming the connector fitting portion in both housing members. In other words, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the connector fitting part accumulate dimensional errors at the corresponding parts of both housing members, so that the dimensional accuracy of the connector fitting part is likely to deteriorate, leading to poor fitting of the mating external connector. It was easy. In particular, since the housing is manufactured by molding a synthetic resin material, the size is likely to vary due to a dimensional error of the mold or thermal shrinkage after molding.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a lid lock device for a vehicle that improves the reliability of fitting with an external connector.

  In the lid lock device for a vehicle according to the present invention, a housing formed by fitting the first body and the second body, a drive motor housed in the housing and held by the first body, and the housing A drive force transmission mechanism that is accommodated and operates when a drive force of a drive motor is input, and a lid body that is supported in the housing so as to be movable in the axial direction and has one end protruding from the housing and provided on the vehicle body. And a shaft member that moves in the axial direction by the operation of the driving force transmission mechanism at the other end, and a connector holding portion that is formed in the housing and holds an external connector for supplying power to the driving motor. In the vehicle lid lock device, the connector holding portion is integrally formed from the bottom wall portion integrally formed with the first body and from both ends of the bottom wall portion. Formed by the first side wall and the second side wall, and is formed on at least one of the fitting part for fitting and holding the external connector and the first side wall and the second side wall. A recessed portion that engages with a locking claw of the fitted external connector, and a lid portion that is integrally formed with the second body and covers the external connector fitted to the fitting portion.

Thereby, since the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the fitting portion are determined by the bottom wall portion, the first side wall portion, and the second speed wall portion, which are the three walls formed in the first body, the first body and the second body The dimensional accuracy of the fitting part can be improved without accumulating the dimensional errors of both bodies. Furthermore, since the dimensions of the recesses with which the locking claws of the external connector engage are also determined by the first body, the dimensional errors of both the first body and the second body do not accumulate, and the dimensional accuracy of the recesses is increased. Can be improved. Therefore, the reliability of fitting of the external connector can be improved.
In addition, since at least one wall around the first body is opened at the stage of attaching the connector terminal in the fitting portion, the connector terminal can be mounted from the opened portion. Therefore, the mounting workability of the connector terminal can be improved.

In the lid lock device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the driving force transmission mechanism has an output gear that is pivotally supported in the housing and can be rotated by the operation of the driving motor, and the housing rotates the output gear. Fastening means for fastening the first body and the second body is provided between the center and the connector holding portion.
As a result, the fastening center of the output gear and the first body and the second body at the connector holding portion are simultaneously fastened by one fastening means, resulting from the load generated in the axial direction at the turning center of the output gear. The opening between the first body and the second body can be suppressed, and the connector holding portion can be firmly fitted to improve the dimensional accuracy.
In the lid lock device for a vehicle according to the present invention, the fastening means fastens the first body and the second body with screws.
Thereby, a 1st body and a 2nd body can be fastened easily, without using a special installation.

A lid lock device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The vertical direction in FIG. 4 corresponds to the thickness direction of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the lid lock device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an actuator housing 2 (corresponding to a first body of the present invention) and a cover 22 (corresponding to a second body of the present invention). Corresponding to the housing of the present invention, hereinafter referred to as the housing) is formed, the electric motor 3 (corresponding to the driving motor of the present invention), the worm 4 (corresponding to the driving force transmission mechanism of the present invention) in the housing 2 The worm wheel 5 (corresponding to the driving force transmission mechanism and output gear of the present invention), the lock shaft 6 (corresponding to the shaft member of the present invention), and the wheel stopper 7 are accommodated.
Both the body 21 and the cover 22 are formed of a synthetic resin material. After the above-described internal components are accommodated, the body 21 and the cover 22 are fitted to each other, and the locking piece 211 of the body 21 is locked to the locking protrusion 221 of the cover 22. To be integrated with each other.

  An output shaft 31 (shown in FIG. 2) of the electric motor 3 is press-fitted into the worm 4, and the worm 4 can be rotated by the electric motor 3. The worm 4 is formed of a metal or a synthetic resin material, and a tooth portion (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface 41. The electric motor 3 and the worm 4 are inserted into the motor housing portion 212 and the worm housing portion 213 of the body 21 after the output shaft 31 of the electric motor 3 is press-fitted into the worm 4 (the electric motor 3 and the worm 4 are integrated). Each is arranged. A pair of motor terminals 32 for supplying power are fixed to the terminal holding portion 214 of the body 21, and the motor terminals 32 are electrically connected to the electric motor 3.

  The worm wheel 5 is made of a synthetic resin material and has an outer peripheral surface 51 formed in a substantially circular arc shape, and a pivotal support hole 52 passes through the front and back. Further, the worm wheel 5 has an engaging column 53 protruding downward in FIG. 1, and in the vicinity of the engaging column 53, as shown in FIG. 54 is formed. On the other hand, a second stopper wall 55 extending in the same direction as the first stopper wall 54 is formed in the vicinity of the pivot support hole 52, and further, between the first stopper wall 54 and the second stopper wall 55. An arc-shaped slit 56 penetrating the front and back is formed concentrically with the pivot support hole 52.

  The worm wheel 5 is attached to the body 21 so as to be rotatable about the wheel shaft 215 by fitting the pivot hole 52 to the wheel shaft 215 protruding from the floor surface of the body 21. A tooth portion (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface 51 of the worm wheel 5 and meshes with the tooth portion of the worm 4 described above.

  The lock shaft 6 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material in a long shape, and a lid 91 (the present invention) covers a fuel filler opening provided in the vehicle body 9 at the tip (right end in FIG. 2) as described later. A lock portion 61 that engages with the lid body 61 is formed. The lock portion 61 is formed in a columnar shape, and a tapered portion 61a is provided at the tip portion. The support portion 62 adjacent to the lock portion 61 has a columnar shape having a larger diameter than the lock portion 61, and the support portion 62 has a ring groove 63 in which a seal ring 69 formed of a synthetic rubber material is mounted. Is provided.

  The lock portion 61 and the support portion 62 of the lock shaft 6 are inserted into the shaft holding portion 216 of the body 21 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The shaft holding portion 216 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a stepped portion. The lock portion 61 passes through the small diameter portion 216a that is the inner peripheral surface of the shaft holding portion 216, and the support portion 62 is passed through the seal ring 69 by the large diameter portion 216b. In this way, the tilt of the lock shaft 6 is prevented and the sealing performance with the housing 2 is improved (shown in FIG. 4).

  An approximately avoiding portion 64 is formed at a substantially central portion of the lock shaft 6 over a predetermined distance. As shown in FIG. 4, the avoiding portion 64 has a cross-section such that the upper half in FIG. Has a semicircular shape (shown in FIG. 5). The avoidance portion 64 is formed to be approximately half the width dimension in the vertical direction of FIG. 4 compared to the support portion 62 (the vertical width dimension of the avoidance portion 64 in FIG. 4 is the outer diameter of the seal ring 69 and the lock portion 61. The center of gravity (center axis) is offset with respect to the guide center P of the support portion 62. With the above-described configuration, the height of the lid lock device 1 (the vertical direction in FIG. 4 and corresponding to the thickness direction) is reduced, and the size of the lid lock device 1 is reduced.

  An interlocking hole 65 is formed at the rear end of the avoiding portion 64 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction of the lock shaft 6. In the interlocking hole 65, the engaging column 53 formed on the worm wheel 5 described above is inserted in parallel with the wheel shaft 215 that is the rotation shaft of the worm wheel 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the interlocking hole 65 has a long hole shape so that it can be engaged with the engaging column 53 according to the rotation of the worm wheel 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, on the inner peripheral surface of the interlocking hole 65, the engaging column 53 and the interlocking hole 65 engage in the vicinity of the guide center P passing through the center in the radial direction of the support portion 62 described above. As described above, a small-diameter portion 65a that protrudes inward in the radial direction is formed. The small-diameter portion 65a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the interlocking hole 65 is, at a minimum, a straight portion L (shown in FIG. 2) with which the engaging column 53 abuts, of the inner peripheral surface of the elliptical interlocking hole 65. It only has to be formed. In the present embodiment, since the height of the avoiding portion 64 is low with respect to the position of the guide center P, a small diameter portion 65a is formed after providing a build-up 65b around the upper opening of the interlocking hole 65. doing.

  A flat plate portion 66 is formed behind the interlocking hole 65 of the lock shaft 6 (left side in FIG. 2), and a pair of ribs 67 are provided on both front and back surfaces. The ribs 67 formed on both surfaces of the flat plate portion 66 are sandwiched between the body 21 and the cover 22, and the lock shaft 6 is also guided by the housing 2 in the flat plate portion 66. Further, a handle 68 for manual operation in an emergency is formed at the rear end (left end in FIG. 2) of the lock shaft 6. With the configuration described above, the lock shaft 6 is accommodated in the housing 2 so as to be movable in the axial direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2) while engaging with the worm wheel 5.

  A stopper holding portion 217 that protrudes toward the worm wheel 5 is formed at a portion facing the worm wheel 5 of the body 21, and the wheel stopper 7 is attached to the stopper holding portion 217. The wheel stopper 7 is formed of a synthetic rubber material which is an elastic member having excellent heat resistance and weather resistance, such as EP or EPDM. As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel stopper 7 has a ring shape with a generally fan-shaped outer shape, and a stopper holding portion 217 is inserted into the inner peripheral portion 71 so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the stopper holding portion 217. It is attached spontaneously.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the worm wheel 5 is rotated while attached to the body 21, the slit 56 of the worm wheel 5 is located at a portion facing the wheel stopper 7. A stopper presser 222 protrudes at a position where the slit 56 is inserted.
The stopper presser 222 protrudes from the inner surface of the cover 22, is inserted through the slit 56, and then extends to the upper end surface (end surface on the side away from the body 21) of the wheel stopper 7 in FIG. 6. When the wheel stopper 7 is lifted (disengaged) from the stopper holding portion 217 due to the contact of the worm wheel 5 with the rotation, the stopper presser 222 comes into contact with the upper end surface of the wheel stopper 7 and the stopper holding portion 217. Prevents falling off.

  In the present embodiment, the stopper presser 222 has a slight gap between it and the wheel stopper 7, but the upper end surface of the wheel stopper 7 may be always pressed by the stopper presser 222. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the stopper presser 222 faces the side closer to the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 (the wheel shaft 215) than the stopper holding portion 217 in the wheel stopper 7.

  After each component constituting the lid lock device 1 is accommodated in the body 21, the cover 22 is fitted to the body 21, and the locking piece 211 of the body 21 is engaged with the locking protrusion 221 of the cover 22. Combine and integrate (as described above). Next, the tapping screw 8 (corresponding to the fastening means and screw of the present invention) is attached to the cover 22 positioned between the wheel shaft 215 that is the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 and the female connector portion 12 described later. The screw hole 223 is inserted (shown in FIG. 9).

  Thereafter, the body 21 and the cover 22 are fastened to the body 21 by tightening the tapping screw 8 while screwing, thereby completing the lid lock device 1. As a result, the electric motor 3, the worm 4, the worm wheel 5, and the lock shaft 6 can be held by the body 21 and the cover 22 without rattling. The lid lock device 1 is mounted on the vehicle body 9 after the waterproof ring 11 formed of a synthetic rubber material is attached to the seal groove 216 c formed in the shaft holding portion 216 of the body 21.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a female-side connector portion 12 (corresponding to the connector holding portion of the present invention) is formed on the side surface of the housing 2 of the completed lid lock device 1. The female connector portion 12 is for connecting an external connector M (male connector) to supply electric power to the electric motor 3. The female connector portion 12 is formed integrally with the body 21 and is opposite to the connector lateral wall 218a (corresponding to the first side wall portion of the present invention) and 218b (corresponding to the second side wall portion of the present invention). The above-described motor is formed by the connector vertical wall 218c (corresponding to the bottom wall portion of the present invention) and 224 (corresponding to the lid portion of the present invention) formed integrally with the body 21 and the cover 22, respectively, and facing each other. The terminal 32 is formed so as to surround it (in FIG. 8, the wall formed of the body 21 in the female connector 12 is indicated by hatching).

  As shown in FIG. 9, the connector horizontal walls 218a and 218b are erected on both ends of the connector vertical wall 218c. The connector horizontal walls 218a and 218b and the connector vertical wall 218c form the fitting portion of the present invention. ing. The connector vertical wall 224 has a function of covering the external connector M fitted to the connector horizontal walls 218a and 218b and the connector vertical wall 218c.

  That is, in the female-side connector portion 12, the dividing method of the body 21 and the cover 22 forming the housing 2 is adjusted, and the connector lateral walls 218a, 218b out of the two pairs of walls 218a, 218b, 218c, 224 that face each other vertically and horizontally. The connector vertical wall 218 c is formed only on the body 21 side, and the connector vertical wall 224 is formed on the cover 22. Thus, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the female connector portion 12 into which the external connector is inserted can be determined only by the lengths of the walls 218a, 218b, and 218c formed on the body 21 side. In FIG. 8, the locking piece 225 of the cover 22 engaged with the connector lateral wall 218a has a guide function for the connector lateral wall 218a and does not affect the dimensions of the female connector portion 12. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the connector side wall 218b of the female connector portion 12 has an engagement port 219 (in which a locking claw of the external connector is fitted when the external connector is fitted to the female connector portion 12). (Corresponding to the recess of the present invention) is formed. The engagement port 219 is a rectangular opening penetrating the connector lateral wall 218b, and is formed only on the body 21 (presents a shape surrounded only by the body 21).

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the lid lock device 1 in which the lock portion 61 is in a non-engagement state (non-lock position) with the lid 91, the electric motor 3 is operated for a predetermined time, and the worm wheel 5 is interposed via the worm 4. Is rotated clockwise in FIG. 10 about the wheel shaft 215. As a result, the lock shaft 6 engaged with the engagement column 53 of the worm wheel 5 in the interlocking hole 65 moves in the axial direction (leftward in FIG. 10) with respect to the housing 2, and the lock portion 61 protrudes from the housing 2. (FIGS. 2 and 3 are shown). The protruding lock portion 61 engages with a lid 91 provided on the vehicle body 9 to hold the lid 91 in a closed state (shown in FIG. 4). The rotation of the worm wheel 5 rotated by the worm 4 is stopped when the first stopper wall 54 contacts the wheel stopper 7.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the lid lock device 1 in which the lock portion 61 is engaged with the lid 91 (lock position), the electric motor 3 is operated for a predetermined time, so that the worm wheel 5 is described above. Rotate in the opposite direction (clockwise in FIG. 2). Accordingly, the lock shaft 6 is moved in the axial direction (leftward in FIG. 2) with respect to the housing 2, and the lock portion 61 is stored in the housing 2 (shown in FIG. 10). The retracted lock portion 61 is disengaged from the lid 91 so that the lid 91 can be opened. The rotation of the worm wheel 5 reversely rotated by the worm 4 is stopped when the second stopper wall 55 contacts the wheel stopper 7.

According to the present embodiment, three of the two pairs of walls 218 a, 218 b, 218 c, and 224 that are opposed to each other in the vertical and horizontal directions of the female connector portion 12 are formed on the body 21. Therefore, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the female connector portion 12 are determined only by the lengths of the three walls 218a, 218b, and 218c formed on the body 21, and the dimensional errors of both the body 21 and the cover 22 may accumulate. Therefore, the dimensional accuracy of the female connector 12 can be improved, and the external connector can be easily fitted.
In addition, at the stage of attaching the connector terminal in the female connector portion 12, at least one wall 224 around the periphery is opened, so that the mounting workability of the motor terminal 32 can be improved.

In addition, the housing 2 is formed with an engagement port 219 that engages with a locking claw of the external connector when the external connector is fitted to the female connector portion 12, and the engagement port 219 is formed only on the body 21. Yes.
As a result, the size of the engagement port 219 with which the locking claw of the external connector engages is also determined only by the body 21, so that dimensional errors in both the body 21 and the cover 22 do not accumulate, and the engagement port 219 The dimensional accuracy can be improved, and the locking claw of the external connector can be easily engaged.

The housing 2 is provided with a tapping screw 8 for fastening the body 21 and the cover 22 between the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 and the female connector portion 12.
Thereby, the body 21 and the cover 22 can be simultaneously fastened by the single tapping screw 8 at the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 and the female connector portion 12. In the lid lock device 1, a load is generated in the axial direction (direction in which the body 21 and the cover 22 are separated) at the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 by being rotated by the worm 4. Further, as described above, the female connector 12 needs to tighten the body 21 and the cover 22 in order to smoothly fit the external connector.

On the other hand, between the body 21 and the cover 22 at the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 by tightening between the rotation center of the worm wheel 5 of the housing 2 and the female connector portion 12 by the tapping screw 8. Can be suppressed, and the dimensional accuracy of the female connector portion 12 can be improved.
Further, by tightening the body 21 and the cover 22 with the tapping screw 8, the body 21 and the cover 22 can be easily fastened without using special equipment.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified or expanded as follows.
Three walls that form the female connector portion 12 may be provided on the cover 22 side, and one wall remaining on the body 21 side may be formed.
The three walls forming the female connector portion 12 do not necessarily have to be on one side of the body 21 and the cover 22 in a strict sense, and are not affected by dimensional errors of the molding die or heat shrinkage after molding, As long as it has the effect of improving the dimensional accuracy of the female-side connector portion 12, a part of the three walls may be on the other side for reasons such as dividing the molding die of the housing 2.

The configuration for transmitting the rotational force of the electric motor 3 to the lock shaft 6 is not limited to the worm 4 and the worm wheel 5, and various gear mechanisms or link mechanisms can be applied.
A male connector may be formed in the housing 2, and an external connector, which is a female connector, may be fitted thereto.
The means for fastening the body 21 and the cover 22 is not limited to the screw member, and may be heat welding or the like.
The lid lock device according to the present invention may be applied not only to the lid covering the fuel filler opening but also to locking the trunk lid of the vehicle in the closed state.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a lid lock device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front view which looked at the inside from the cover side at the time of being in the lock position of the lid lock apparatus for vehicles shown in FIG. The front view at the time of seeing the inside from the body side of the lid lock apparatus for vehicles shown in FIG. AA sectional view of FIG. BB sectional view of FIG. CC sectional view of FIG. Bottom view of worm wheel Left side view of the lid lock device shown in FIG. The perspective view of the lid lock apparatus shown in FIG. The front view which looked at the inside from the body side in the case of being in the non-locking position of the lid lock device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a lid lock device (vehicle lid lock device), 2 is an actuator housing (housing), 21 is a body (first body), 22 is a cover (second body), and 3 is an electric motor (drive motor). ), 4 is a worm (driving force transmission mechanism), 5 is a worm wheel (driving force transmission mechanism, output gear), 6 is a lock shaft (shaft member), 8 is a tapping screw (fastening means, screw), and 9 is a vehicle body. , 12 is a female connector part (connector holding part), 91 is a lid (lid body), 218a is a connector side wall (first side wall part, fitting part), and 218b is a connector side wall (second side wall part, fitting part). 218c is a connector vertical wall (bottom wall portion, fitting portion), 224 is a connector vertical wall (lid portion), and 219 is an engagement port (concave portion).

Claims (3)

A housing formed by fitting the first body and the second body;
A drive motor housed in the housing and held by the first body;
A driving force transmission mechanism that is accommodated in the housing and that operates when a driving force of the driving motor is input;
It is supported in the housing so as to be movable in the axial direction, one end protrudes from the housing and can be engaged with a lid body provided on the vehicle body, and the other end moves in the axial direction by operation of the driving force transmission mechanism. A shaft member,
A connector holding portion that is formed in the housing and holds an external connector for supplying power to the drive motor;
In a vehicle lid lock device comprising:
The connector holding part is
A bottom wall part integrally formed on the first body, a first side wall part and a second side wall part integrally provided upright from both ends of the bottom wall part, and a fitting for fitting and holding the external connector And
A recess formed in at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall and engaged with a locking claw of the external connector fitted in the fitting part;
A lid portion that is integrally formed with the second body and covers the external connector fitted into the fitting portion;
A lid lock device for a vehicle, comprising: The driving force transmission mechanism is
An output gear pivotally supported in the housing and rotatable by operation of the drive motor;
The housing includes
2. The vehicle lid lock according to claim 1, further comprising a fastening means for fastening the first body and the second body between a rotation center of the output gear and the connector holding portion. apparatus. The fastening means includes
The lid lock device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the first body and the second body are tightened with a screw.

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