JP6471992B1 - Snap joint ball joint - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a ball joint that can easily release a coupling between a receiving part and a ball head by snap coupling and can sufficiently hold a rotation position of the ball head. A ball head 143 and a “receiving portion” are configured to be snap-coupled, and an elastic member 120 disposed in a fixed portion 102 is always elastically directly on the surface of the ball head 143 when coupled. And presses along the surface of the ball head 143. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of ball joints, and more particularly to a snap-coupled ball joint that can be easily attached and detached by pushing and pulling a ball head.

  Conventionally, in various fields, a ball joint has been used as a structure for positioning and fixing a certain member at a desired angle within a predetermined range.

  The ball joint includes a ball head and a receiving portion that supports the ball head, and the ball head rotates with respect to the receiving portion (rotation in which the top position of the ball head does not move with respect to the receiving portion). It is possible to position and fix a specific member at a desired angle within a predetermined range by rotating (rotating so that the vertex position of the ball head moves with respect to the receiving portion).

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the receiving edge 14 (the code in the paragraph uses the code shown in Cited Document 1 as it is) and the pressing piece 20 in which the spherical recess 21 is formed, An attachment mechanism for a endoscope including a ball joint having a structure for supporting a spherical support portion 41 is disclosed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No.57-3045

  However, the ball joint described in Patent Document 1 is configured so that the support arm is passed from the inside of the receiving edge and the spherical support portion is hooked on the receiving edge, and can be attached and detached by so-called snap coupling. It was not a configuration and could not be easily attached and detached.

  In addition, since the spherical support portion is supported by the receiving edge and the pressing piece formed of a thin metal, repeated positioning may prevent sufficient positioning due to wear of the spherical support portion. On the other hand, if this is disliked and tightening with the holding piece is strengthened, there have been problems such as difficulty in smooth position adjustment and difficulty in performing fine position adjustment.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve these problems, and it is possible to easily release the coupling between the receiving portion and the ball head by snap coupling, as well as smooth position adjustment and ball head. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball joint that can sufficiently maintain the rotational position of the portion.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises a movable part having a spherical head and a fixed part having a receiving part for holding the spherical head, and the spherical head and the receiving part are The ball head is coupled by pushing the ball head against the receiving portion, and can be released by pulling the ball head from the receiving portion. The elastic member disposed in the fixed portion always positions the ball head by elastically pressing directly and along the surface of the ball head.

  In this way, not only the structure is simply changed to snap coupling, but also an elastic member that presses the surface of the ball head directly and along the spherical surface is provided on the fixed part side when coupled, and this elastic member always presses By doing so, the positioning of the ball head is made smooth and reliable.

  The elastic member includes a concave portion that is concave in a spherical shape, and the radius of the spherical surface that forms the concave portion is configured to be smaller than the radius of the spherical surface that forms the spherical head.

  By configuring in this way, the elastic head itself is deformed by its elastic force only by abutting the concave portion of the elastic member, and is in close contact with the surface of the spherical head without any gap. As a result, the positioning of the spherical head can be ensured. In addition, even if an event such as scraping of the surface of the elastic member (or the ball head) occurs due to repeated use due to the elastic force of the elastic member itself, the ability to immediately position and fix the ball head is reduced. Absent.

  The fixing portion includes a base portion and a cover portion attached to the base portion, and the elastic member is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the base portion and the cover portion. It is arrange | positioned in the part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  With this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced, and the elastic member can be easily replaced afterwards. Moreover, since it can also replace | exchange for the elastic member from which a raw material, a size, and also elastic force differ, it is also easy to change the positioning fixing force of a spherical head according to the objective.

  Further, the receiving portion is formed integrally with the cover portion.

  With this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, the receiving portion is configured to prevent the ball head coupled with the receiving portion from falling off, and to prevent the ball head from excessively entering the receiving portion side. The restriction claw is integrally formed.

  With this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced, the ball head can be easily held by the restriction claw and the drop-off preventing protrusion, and the ball head and the elastic member are excessively disposed. It is possible to control so that it does not adhere.

  Further, the restriction claw has a spherical concave surface corresponding to the surface of the spherical head, and the radius of the spherical surface forming the concave surface is the same as the radius of the spherical surface forming the spherical head. It is characterized by that.

  By being configured in this way, in addition to being able to reliably regulate the ball head, it does not excessively inhibit the rotation of the ball head, so the ball head can be smoothly rotated and rotated. be able to.

  In addition, the elastic member may be in surface contact in the same direction in any direction of 360 ° with reference to the apex of the spherical head.

  With such a configuration, even when the ball head is rotated in any direction, it is possible to exert a uniform ball head positioning fixing force.

  In addition, the elastic member is configured so that the contact area is increased in a specific direction, not in the same surface contact in any direction of 360 ° with respect to the apex of the spherical head. It is characterized by being.

  By configuring in this way, a strong positioning and fixing force is exhibited when the ball head is rotated in a specific direction, and a weak positioning and fixing force is exhibited when rotating in a direction other than the specific direction. Can be made. That is, when the ball head is moved, the positioning fixing force can be changed depending on the moving direction.

  By applying the present invention, the coupling between the receiving portion and the ball head can be easily released by snap coupling, and the rotational position of the ball head can be sufficiently retained.

It is the exploded view seen from the fixed part side of the ball joint which is an example of the embodiment of the present invention. It is the exploded view seen from the movable part side of the ball joint which is an example of the embodiment of the present invention. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the ball joint from the movable part side, (B) is the perspective view which looked at the ball joint from the fixed part side. It is a front view of a ball joint. It is a side view of a ball joint. It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow VI-VI line in FIG. 3 (A). It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow VII-VII line in FIG. 3 (A). It is sectional drawing which follows the arrow VIII-VIII line in FIG. 3 (A). It is a top view of a fixed part single-piece | unit. It is the figure which showed an example of the procedure which snap-joins a movable part with respect to a fixed part. It is the figure which showed the state which the movable part moved. It is the figure which looked at the spherical head from the vertex side, Comprising: It is the figure which showed typically the area | region where the elastic member is contacting the spherical head.

  Hereinafter, a ball joint 100 as an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For easy understanding of the drawings, it should be noted that there are portions where the size and dimensions of each portion are exaggerated and there are portions that do not necessarily match the actual product. In addition, each drawing is viewed in the direction of the reference sign, and is expressed as upper, lower, left, right, near, and back based on the direction.

<Configuration of snap joint ball joint>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball joint 100 shown as an example of the embodiment of the present invention includes a fixed portion 102 and a movable portion 140. Furthermore, the fixing part 102 is composed of three parts, a base part 110, an elastic member 120 and a cover part 130.

  The movable part 140 includes a movable part plate 141 formed in a substantially rectangular shape, a spherical head support bar 142 erected from the center of the movable part plate 141, and a spherical head formed at the tip of the spherical head support bar 142. Part 143. In the present embodiment, these are all integrally formed of resin. Note that reference numeral 143 a is the apex of the ball head 143.

  The fixing part 102 is composed of three parts, a base part 110, an elastic member 120, and a cover part 130. The elastic member 120 is held and fixed so as to be sandwiched from above and below by the base part 110 and the cover part 130. The

  The base part 110 is formed in a shape like a round tray, with the peripheral part of the substantially circular base bottom part 111 protruding to form a base wall part 112. Cutout portions 113 for assembling and fixing a cover portion 130 to be described later are formed at two locations on the base wall portion 112. In addition, a fixed protrusion 114 formed in a substantially cross shape is formed on the surface of the base bottom 111 on the side where the base wall 112 is raised.

  The elastic member 120 is made of a material that is elastically denatured, and is configured as a “+”-type columnar shape when seen in a plan view and a bottom view. Further, a concave portion 122 that is recessed in a spherical shape is formed on one end face of the elastic member 120. The concave portion 122 is a surface with which the spherical head 143 of the movable portion 140 is in direct contact, and is configured to be smaller than the spherical head 143 in a free state. That is, when the radius of the spherical surface of the spherical head portion 143 is r1, the radius r2 of the concave portion 122 that is recessed in the spherical shape is configured to satisfy r1> r2. Further, the end surface of the elastic member 120 where the concave portion 122 is not formed is assembled so as to be fitted inside the fixing protrusion 114 formed on the base portion 110.

  The cover part 130 is configured in a substantially dome shape having a circular shape in plan view that is slightly smaller than the base part 110, and an opening 133 is formed at the center. The cover wall part 131 of the cover part 130 is just sized to fit inside the base wall part 112. In addition, locking claws 132 are formed at two locations on the cover wall 131, and the base 110 and the cover 130 are assembled by engaging with the notch 121 provided on the base 110. It is possible to fix.

  Two drop-off preventing projections 135 are integrally formed on the outside (upper side) of the cover portion 130. As is clear from the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the upper part of the drop-off prevention protrusion 135 is configured to protrude inward from the opening 133, so that the ball head 143 is inserted beyond the drop-off prevention protrusion 135. If it does, it will not fall out unless it is pulled out with a certain force. Further, four regulating claws 134 are integrally formed on the inner side (lower side) of the cover portion 130. Each of the four restricting claws 134 is formed with a spherical concave surface 134a (see FIG. 8), and the spherical head 143 can be supported by the concave surface 134a. These four concave surfaces 134a are surfaces on which the spherical head 143a of the movable portion abuts, and are configured as a spherical surface having a radius equal to or slightly larger than the radius r1 of the spherical surface of the spherical head 143. The opening 133, the drop-off prevention projection 135, and the restriction claw 134 function as a “receiving portion” that supports the ball head as a whole.

  The elastic member 120 is fixed to the base part 110 and the cover part 130 so as to be sandwiched from above and below. The lower end (the side where the concave portion 122 is not formed) of the elastic member 120 is assembled so as to fit into the fixing protrusion 114 formed on the base portion 110, and the other end side (the side where the concave portion 122 is formed) is The cover part 130 is assembled so as to enter between the four locking claws 134 formed on the cover part 130. Therefore, the vertical direction is sandwiched between the base part 110 and the cover part 130 and at the same time the rotational direction (the rotational direction around the axis when the vertical direction is the axis) is fixed by the fixing protrusion 114 and the locking claw 134. Be regulated.

<Operation and function of snap joint ball joint>
In the snap joint type ball joint 100, basically, after the fixing portion 102 is first assembled, the ball head 143 provided in the movable portion 140 is replaced with a “receiving portion” (opening portion 133, drop-off preventing projection 135 and It is completed by being pushed into the restricting claw 134) (see FIG. 10). Of course, it is possible to complete the base portion 110 by assembling the spherical head 143 into the cover portion 130 before assembling the fixing portion 102 and then sandwiching the elastic member 120 therebetween.

  As is clear from the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 to 8, the surface of the spherical head 143 and the recess 122 of the elastic member 120 are in close contact with each other. With this close contact, the position of the ball head 143 is appropriately positioned and fixed. In these cross-sectional views, since the spherical head 143 is already in close contact with the concave portion 122 of the elastic member 120, “the radius of the spherical surface forming the spherical head 143” and “the radius of the spherical surface forming the concave portion” are drawn the same. However, in a free state where no force is applied to the elastic member 120, the radius of the spherical surface forming the concave portion 122 is configured to be smaller than the radius of the spherical surface forming the spherical head 143. The concave portion 122 of the elastic member 120 is expanded by the pressing force of the spherical head 143 by pushing the spherical head 143 into the “receiving portion” (the opening 133, the drop-off preventing projection 135 and the restricting claw 134) and coupling them together. Thus, the state shown in the sectional view is obtained.

  In the above description, the expression “fixed part” and “movable part” are used. However, this is only a relative positional relationship between the two, and the fixed part 102 is always fixed. It does not indicate. For example, the movable unit 140 side may be fixed to some member and the fixed unit 102 may be moved relative to the movable unit 140.

  As described in the above configuration, the snap-coupled ball joint 100 shown as an example of the embodiment of the present invention includes a movable part 140 having a spherical head 143 and a “receiving part” that holds the spherical head 143 ( A fixed portion 102 provided with an opening 133, a drop-off prevention projection 135 and a restriction claw 134), and the ball head 143 and the "receiving portion" (opening 133, drop-off prevention protrusion 135 and restriction claw 134) The "receiving part" (opening 133, drop-off prevention protrusion 135 and restriction claw 134) is coupled by pushing the ball head 143 against the "receiving part" (opening 133, drop-off prevention protrusion 135 and restriction claw 134). The ball head 143 is pulled out of the ball head 143 so that the coupling between the two can be released (so-called snap coupling). The spherical member 143 is positioned by the elastic member 120 (the concave portion 122 thereof) disposed in 02 being always elastically pressed directly and along the surface of the spherical head 143, and the positioning of the spherical head 143 is smooth. And it is certain.

  The elastic member 120 includes a concave portion 122 that is recessed in a spherical shape, and the radius of the spherical surface that forms the concave portion 122 is configured to be smaller than the radius of the spherical surface that forms the spherical head 143. To do.

  By configuring in this way, the elastic member 120 itself is deformed by its elastic force only by the ball head 143 coming into contact with the recess 122 of the elastic member 120, and closely contacts the surface of the ball head 143 without any gaps. The ball head 143 can be efficiently pressed, and as a result, the positioning of the ball head 143 can be ensured. Further, even if an event such as the surface of the elastic member 120 (or the ball head 143) being scraped by repeated use due to the elastic force of the elastic member 120 itself, the ability to immediately fix the positioning of the ball head 143 is provided. There is no decline.

  The fixing unit 102 includes a base part 110 and a cover part 130 attached to the base part 110, and the elastic member 120 is sandwiched between the base part 110 and the cover part 130. It was arranged in the fixed part 102. Further, the “receiving portion” (the opening portion 133, the drop-off prevention protrusion 135, and the regulation claw 134) is formed integrally with the cover portion 130.

  With this configuration, the number of parts can be reduced, and the elastic member 120 can be easily replaced afterwards. Moreover, since it can replace | exchange for the elastic member 120 from which a raw material, size, and also elastic force differ, it is also easy to change the positioning fixing force of the ball head 143 according to the objective. Further, the presence of the restricting claw 134 makes it possible to control the spherical head 143 and the elastic member 120 so as not to be in close contact with each other.

  The restricting claw 134 includes a spherical concave surface 134a corresponding to the surface of the spherical head 143. The radius of the spherical surface forming the concave surface 134a is the same as or slightly the radius of the spherical surface forming the spherical head 143. (See FIG. 8).

  With this configuration, the ball head 143 can be reliably regulated (the ball head 143 is not excessively pushed into the fixed portion 102 side). Further, since the rotation of the ball head 143 is not excessively hindered, the ball head 143 can be smoothly rotated and rotated.

  In the above-described configuration, the elastic member 120 is not in surface contact with the same direction in any direction of 360 ° with respect to the apex of the spherical head 143, but has a large contact area in a specific direction. It was configured to be. Specifically, since the elastic member 120 has a “+” shape when viewed in plan, when the spherical head 143 is viewed from the apex 143a side, the hatched portion shown in FIG. 12A is elastic with the spherical head 143. This is the contact area α with the member 120.

  With this configuration, when the ball head 143 is rotated in a specific direction (vertical and horizontal directions in FIG. 12A), a strong positioning and fixing force is exerted. When rotating in the direction (in FIG. 12A, diagonally upward left, diagonally downward left, diagonally upward right and diagonally downward right), a weak positioning fixing force can be exerted. That is, when the ball head 143 is moved, the positioning fixing force (force necessary for moving) can be changed depending on the moving direction. Of course, as shown in FIG. 12C, the elastic member can be configured in a “−” shape in plan view in order to exert a strong positioning and fixing force only in the left-right direction (or the up-down direction).

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12B, the elastic member 120 may be configured so as to be in surface contact with the same direction in any direction of 360 ° with the apex of the ball head 143 as a reference.

  With this configuration, even when the ball head is rotated in any direction, a uniform positioning fixing force of the ball head 143 can be exhibited.

<Other configuration examples>
In the above description, the snap-coupled ball joint is described as an example. However, it is possible to use a “flexible arm” by continuously connecting a plurality of such ball joints.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Ball joint 102 ... Fixing part 110 ... Base part 111 ... Base bottom part 112 ... Base wall part 113 ... Locking claw hole 114 ... Fixing protrusion 120 ... Elastic body 121 ... Notch part 122 ... Recess (spherical recess)
130 ... Cover part 131 ... Cover wall part 132 ... Locking claw 133 ... Opening part 134 ... Restriction claw 134a ... Restriction claw concave surface 135 ... Drop-off prevention protrusion 140 ... Movable part 141 ... Movable part plate 142 ... Ball head support rod 143 ... Ball head 143a ... Ball head apex

Claims (7)

A movable part with a ball head;
A fixing portion having a receiving portion for holding the ball head,
The ball head and the receiving portion are configured to be coupled by pushing the ball head against the receiving portion, and to be uncoupled by pulling the ball head from the receiving portion,
At the time of coupling, the ball head is positioned by pressing the surface of the ball head directly and along the surface of the ball head elastically arranged in the fixed portion at all times,
Furthermore, the elastic member includes a concave portion that is recessed in a spherical shape, and the radius of the spherical surface that forms the concave portion is configured to be smaller than the radius of the spherical surface that forms the spherical head. Combined ball joint. Oite to claim 1,
The fixed part has a base part and a cover part attached to the base part,
The snap coupling ball joint, wherein the elastic member is disposed in the fixed portion so as to be sandwiched between the base portion and the cover portion. In claim 2 ,
The snap joint type ball joint, wherein the receiving portion is formed integrally with the cover portion. In claim 3 ,
In the receiving portion, a drop-out preventing protrusion for preventing the ball head coupled to the receiving portion from falling off,
A snap coupling ball joint, wherein a restriction claw for restricting the ball head from excessively entering the receiving portion side is integrally formed. In claim 4 ,
The restricting claw has a spherical concave surface corresponding to the surface of the spherical head, and the radius of the spherical surface forming the concave surface is the same as the radius of the spherical surface forming the spherical head. Features a snap-jointed ball joint. In any one of Claims 1-5 ,
The snap joint ball joint according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is in surface contact in the same direction in any direction of 360 ° with reference to the top of the ball head. In any one of Claims 1-5 ,
The elastic member is configured not to make the same surface contact in any direction of 360 ° with respect to the top of the spherical head, but to have a larger contact area in a specific direction. Snap-jointed ball joint characterized by

Images