JP7091045B2 - Rock ball holder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lock ball holder.

Conventionally, a sphere called a lock ball is provided on an object to be engaged, such as a shift operation mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 below and a shift detent device of a transmission disclosed in Patent Document 2. By engaging with the engaged portion, it is possible to hold the engaged object with a sense of moderation.

In the speed change operation mechanism of Patent Document 1, a lock ball and a spring for detent are incorporated in the convex portion provided on the shift select lever. The shift operation mechanism of Patent Document 1 is configured to be able to hold the shift select lever by engaging the lock ball with the detent groove formed on the outer surface of the shift shaft.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3 of the same document, the detent device of Patent Document 2 is provided with a lock ball that can be engaged with the engaged portion of the shift rod to be engaged. Further, the lock ball is held by a lock ball holder provided in the housing. The lock ball is urged toward the engaged portion of the shift rod by a spring provided behind the lock ball holder.

In the detent device of Patent Document 2, a bearing (sub-ball) is arranged in the engaged portion for holding the lock ball provided in the lock ball holder. By providing such a bearing (sub ball), the rolling resistance of the rock ball is suppressed.

Utility Model Registration No. 2555472 Gazette Japanese Patent No. 5063305

However, like the one adopted in the speed change operation mechanism of Patent Document 1, the spring is accommodated in a hollow formed space (corresponding to the convex portion in Patent Document 1), and a lock ball is provided at the tip thereof. In the case of only the configuration, there is a problem that it is difficult to assemble the object to be assembled. Specifically, while holding the lock ball at the tip of the spring housed in the hollow space, these members are assembled to the object to be assembled in a state where the spring is compressed by applying a pressing force. There is a need. Therefore, in the case of the configuration as in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that considerable labor and skill are required for the assembly work.

Further, when the lock ball holder for holding the lock ball is provided as in the detent device of Patent Document 2, the assembling work becomes easier than that of Patent Document 1. .. On the other hand, if the rolling resistance of the lock ball is reduced by providing a bearing (sub ball) in the engaged portion for holding the lock ball, there is a problem that the device configuration is complicated by that amount. Further, when the lock ball holder as disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided, the inside of the housing is affected by the influence of gas or liquid such as air or oil in the space formed behind the lock ball holder in the housing. There is a problem that the lock ball holder cannot slide smoothly.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lock ball holder capable of easily assembling the lock ball, sliding the holder body smoothly, and minimizing the rolling resistance of the lock ball. And said.

The lock ball holder of the present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problems has a bottomed tubular shape while holding a lock ball that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to an engaged portion provided on an engagement target. It has a holder body that is slidable in the axial direction in the formed accommodating portion and is slidable in the accommodating portion. A ball housing into which a ball is fitted, a claw for holding the ball in the ball housing, and a groove formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder body are provided, and the groove is on the base end side of the holder body. It is characterized in that it is formed so as to reach the ball housing.

The lock ball holder of the present invention is provided with a ball housing into which a lock ball can be fitted on the tip end side of the holder body, and the lock ball can be held by a claw. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder of the present invention, the rock ball can be easily assembled by fitting the lock ball into the ball housing in advance and holding it with a claw.

In the lock ball holder of the present invention, a groove provided on the outer peripheral portion of the holder body is formed so as to reach from the base end to the tip end. Therefore, in the lock ball holder of the present invention, even if a gas or liquid that hinders sliding in the accommodating portion such as air or oil is present, the above-mentioned is described through the groove as the holder body slides. The gas or liquid can be discharged from the housing. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lock ball holder capable of smoothly sliding the holder body without being affected by the gas or liquid in the accommodating portion.

It is desirable that the lock ball holder of the present invention described above is formed at a position where the groove is displaced from the claw in the circumferential direction of the holder body.

With the above configuration, the oil guided through the groove can be reliably reached to the rock ball. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder of the present invention, the rolling resistance of the rock ball can be minimized without providing a bearing or the like for assisting the rolling of the rock ball as in the prior art.

The above-mentioned lock ball holder of the present invention is fitted on the tip end side of the claw so as to narrow the opening area of the ball housing from the front side to the back side in the fitting direction of the lock ball with respect to the ball housing. It may be provided with a built-in guide portion.

According to such a configuration, when the lock ball is fitted into the ball housing, the lock ball is guided by the fitting guide portion and smoothly fits in the ball housing. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned configuration, the work of fitting the lock ball into the ball housing can be easily and efficiently performed.

It is desirable that the lock ball holder of the present invention described above has a plurality of claws provided in the circumferential direction of the holder body.

According to such a configuration, the lock ball fitted in the ball housing can be firmly held by the claw.

Further, in the above-mentioned lock ball holder of the present invention, it is desirable that the odd-numbered claws are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

According to such a configuration, the lock ball can be held evenly by the portion by the claw. This makes it possible to suppress problems such as rattling of the rock ball during use.

In the lock ball holder of the present invention described above, it is desirable that the groove has a slope portion inclined toward the ball housing on the tip end side of the holder body.

According to such a configuration, oil or the like accumulated in the space formed behind the rock ball holder can be supplied to the ball housing, which can contribute to the reduction of the rotational resistance of the rock ball.

The lock ball holder of the present invention described above may have a gap communicating with the groove formed between the ball housing and the lock ball.

According to such a configuration, the oil or the like guided by the groove can be smoothly introduced into the ball housing, which can further contribute to the reduction of the rotational resistance of the rock ball.

In the above-mentioned lock ball holder of the present invention, the end portion of the groove is disengaged from the position corresponding to the center of the rock ball housed in the ball housing or the position corresponding to the center toward the base end side of the holder body. It is desirable to reach the above position.

According to such a configuration, the rock ball can be held more stably.

According to the present invention, in addition to being able to easily assemble the lock ball, it is possible to provide a lock ball holder capable of smoothly sliding the holder body and minimizing the rolling resistance of the lock ball. ..

It is a schematic diagram which shows the detent mechanism which adopted the lock ball holder which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which showed the state which showed the rock ball holder shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the rock ball side. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the rock ball holder which concerns on the modification.

Hereinafter, the lock ball holder 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The lock ball holder 10 can be suitably used as a member constituting the detent mechanism. Therefore, in the following description, an example of the detent mechanism will be briefly described, and then the lock ball holder 10 will be described in detail.

≪About detent mechanism 1≫
The detent mechanism 1 is used in, for example, a transmission mechanism such as a manual transmission. As shown in FIG. 1, the detent mechanism 1 has a lock ball holder 10, a lock ball 50, and an urging member 60. The lock ball holder 10 is a holder for holding the lock ball 50 so that it can freely roll, as will be described in detail later.

The lock ball 50 is a ball (sphere) that can be engaged and disengaged from the engaged portion 5 provided on the engaging object 3. The urging member 60 urges the lock ball holder 10 in the axial direction, and is composed of a spring or the like.

The lock ball holder 10 described above is inserted into a bottomed and cylindrically formed accommodating portion 7 provided in the vicinity of the engagement target 3 so as to be freely slidable in the axial direction. The lock ball holder 10 is arranged so that the lock ball 50 is exposed to the outside of the accommodating portion 7 on the tip end side. Further, an urging member 60 is arranged between the base end portion of the lock ball holder 10 and the bottom portion of the accommodating portion 7. Therefore, the lock ball holder 10 is urged in the axial direction by the urging member 60.

The lock ball holder 10 is arranged at a position adjacent to the engaging object 3 for engaging the lock ball 50. For example, in a manual transmission, a shift rod or the like that shift strokes with a shift shift operation is set as an engagement target object 3, and a lock ball holder 10 is arranged in the vicinity thereof.

The detent mechanism 1 is arranged so that the lock ball 50 urged by the urging member 60 can be engaged and disengaged from the engaged portion 5. The detent mechanism 1 can hold the engaging object 3 while generating a sense of moderation by engaging and disengaging the lock ball 50 with respect to the engaged portion 5. For example, in a manual transmission, a lock ball 50 urged toward a detent groove (engaged portion 5) formed in a shift rod which is an engaging object 3 is placed in a rod groove (engaged portion 5). ), The detent mechanism 1 is formed by arranging the detent mechanism 1 so as to be able to engage and disengage. By providing such a detent mechanism 1 in the manual transmission, the shift stroke of the shift rod is given a sense of moderation generated by engaging and disengaging the lock ball 50 with respect to the detent groove (engaged portion 5). The position (shift position) can be changed.

≪About Rock Ball Holder 10≫
Subsequently, the lock ball holder 10 will be described in detail. The lock ball holder 10 is slidable in the axial direction in the accommodating portion 7 while holding the lock ball 50 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lock ball holder 10 has a holder main body 12, and the holder main body 12 is provided with an urging member accommodating portion 14, a ball housing 16, a claw 18, a groove 20, and the like. It is said that.

The holder body 12 is a member that is slidable in the accommodating portion. The holder body 12 may be made of any material such as resin or metal, but in the present embodiment, it is made of resin from the viewpoint of ease of manufacture, weight, and the like. Further, since the holder body 12 slides in the accommodating portion 7 as described above, it is desirable that the holder body 12 is made of a material having low sliding resistance.

The holder body 12 has a substantially columnar appearance shape. An urging member accommodating portion 14 is provided on the axial direction base end side of the holder main body 12, and a ball housing 16 is provided on the tip end side. The holder body 12 is arranged so that the base end side (the urging member accommodating portion 14 side) faces the inside of the accommodating portion 7 (bottom 7a side) and the tip end side (ball housing 16 side) faces the outside of the accommodating portion 7. Has been done.

The urging member accommodating portion 14 is a space formed so as to open at the base end side of the holder main body 12 and reach the intermediate portion in the axial direction. The urging member accommodating portion 14 is provided at the axial center position of the holder main body 12. Further, one end side of the urging member 60 is accommodated in the urging member accommodating portion 14. Therefore, by accommodating the urging member 60 in the urging member accommodating portion 14, the urging force can be applied to the holder main body 12 substantially straight in the axial direction.

The ball housing 16 is provided at the tip of the holder body 12. The ball housing 16 is a space in which the lock ball 50 is fitted. The ball housing 16 is curved in a dome shape along the outer shape of the lock ball 50. Therefore, by fitting the lock ball 50 into the ball housing 16, the lock ball 50 can be accommodated without any gap.

The claw 18 is for holding the lock ball 50 fitted in the ball housing 16. A plurality of claws 18 are provided in the circumferential direction of the holder main body 12. The number of claws 18 is not particularly limited, but is preferably an odd number from the viewpoint of stably holding the rock ball 50. Further, the arrangement of the claws 18 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that the claws 18 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction from the viewpoint of stably holding the lock balls 50. In this embodiment, three claws 18 are provided at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The claw 18 is formed so as to extend toward the opening region side of the ball housing 16 with the outer peripheral side of the holder main body 12 as the base end portion. The claw 18 is a piece-shaped claw whose base end side is fixed to the holder main body 12 and whose tip end side is a free end. A fitting guide portion 18a is provided at the tip end portion of the claw 18.

The fitting guide portion 18a is a portion that functions as a guide when fitting the lock ball 50 into the ball housing 16. The fitting guide portion 18a is inclined toward the radial center side from the front side to the back side in the fitting direction of the lock ball 50 with respect to the ball housing 16. Therefore, when the lock ball 50 is pressed against the fitting guide portion 18a, the lock ball 50 is guided along the inclination of the fitting guide portion 18a and smoothly fits in the ball housing 16.

The groove 20 is formed so as to reach from the base end to the tip end in the outer peripheral portion of the holder main body 12. The groove 20 creates a space formed behind the lock ball holder 10 in a state where the lock ball holder 10 (holder body 12) is fitted in the accommodating portion 7 with respect to the external space of the ball housing 16 and the accommodating portion 7. It is for communication. The shape of the groove 20 may be any shape such as curved or bent in the middle, but in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the groove 20 extends substantially straight in the axial direction.

The groove 20 is provided at a position separated from the claw 18 in the circumferential direction of the holder main body 12. That is, the groove 20 is provided between the claws 18 and 18 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Further, the groove 20 is formed so as to reach the ball housing 16.

The groove 20 has a gradient portion 20a on the tip end side of the holder main body 12. The groove 20 is formed so as to be inclined toward the ball housing 16 at the inclined portion 20a. The groove 20 may have any shape or the like as long as it reaches the tip of the holder main body 12, but it is preferable that the groove 20 can contribute to improving the stability of the lock ball 50 housed in the ball housing 16. Based on this viewpoint, the groove 20 of the present embodiment is located on the base end side of the holder body 12 with respect to the position where the end portion corresponds to the center C of the lock ball 50 housed in the ball housing 16 or the position corresponding to the center C. It is formed to reach a position off the ground.

As described above, the lock ball holder 10 can hold the lock ball 50 fitted in the ball housing 16 provided on the tip end side of the holder body 12 by the claw 18. Therefore, if the lock ball 50 is fitted into the ball housing 16 in advance, the lock ball holder 10 can be assembled while the lock ball 50 is held by the claws 18. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder 10, the work of assembling the lock ball 50 can be easily performed.

Further, in the above-mentioned lock ball holder 10, the groove 20 is formed so as to reach the ball housing 16 at a position deviated from the claw 18 for holding the lock ball 50 in the circumferential direction of the holder main body 12. .. Therefore, the oil guided through the groove 20 surely reaches the rock ball 50 without being hindered by the claw 18. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder 10, the oil supplied through the groove 20 can be utilized to reduce the rolling resistance of the lock ball 50.

As described above, the lock ball holder 10 is provided with a fitting guide portion 18a on the tip end side of the claw 18. Therefore, the lock ball holder 10 can easily and smoothly fit the lock ball 50 into the ball housing 16. In the present embodiment, an example in which the fitting guide portion 18a is provided as described above is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration in which the fitting guide portion 18a is not provided or fitting is not limited to this. A configuration different from that of the guide portion 18a may be used to assist the fitting of the lock ball 50.

As described above, the lock ball holder 10 is provided with a plurality of claws 18 in the circumferential direction of the holder main body 12. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder 10, the lock ball 50 fitted in the ball housing 16 can be firmly held by the claw 18. In order to hold the lock ball 50 reliably and without rattling, it is desirable to provide a plurality of claws 18, but if these problems can be solved by other methods, or if these problems are solved. If it does not matter, the number of claws 18 may be one.

As described above, in the lock ball holder 10, odd-numbered (three in this embodiment) claws 18 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Therefore, according to the lock ball holder 10, the lock ball 50 can be held evenly by the claws 18 depending on the portion, and problems such as rattling of the lock ball 50 during use can be suppressed. In the present embodiment, an example in which the number of claws 18 is an odd number is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of claws 18 may be an even number or the arrangement of the claws 18 may be uneven. You may.

As described above, the lock ball holder 10 is provided with a gradient portion 20a on the tip end side of the groove 20. Therefore, the oil or the like accumulated in the space formed behind the lock ball holder 10 can be smoothly supplied to the ball housing 16 and contribute to the reduction of the rotational resistance of the lock ball 50. In the present embodiment, an example in which the slope portion 20a is provided in the groove 20 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration is such that the slope portion 20a is not provided or instead of the slope portion 20a. It may be replaced with another configuration.

The above-mentioned lock ball holder 10 exemplifies a configuration in which the lock ball 50 fits in the ball housing 16 without a gap, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a gap 22 communicating with the groove 20 may be formed between the ball housing 16 and the lock ball 50. According to such a configuration, the oil or the like guided by the groove 20 can be smoothly introduced into the ball housing 16 through the gap 22, and the rotation resistance of the lock ball 50 can be further reduced.

In the above-mentioned lock ball holder 10, the end portion of the groove 20 is located closer to the base end side of the holder body 12 than the position corresponding to the center C of the lock ball 50 housed in the ball housing 16 or the position corresponding to the center C. It is formed to reach an off position. Therefore, the lock ball 50 can be held more stably. The present embodiment is not limited to this, and is formed so that the end portion of the groove 20 reaches a position deviating from the position corresponding to the center C of the lock ball 50 toward the tip end side of the holder main body 12. You may be.

The lock ball holder of the present invention can be suitably used in various places such as a speed change mechanism such as a manual transmission.

3: Engagement target 5: Engaged part 7: Accommodating part 7a: Bottom 10: Lock ball holder 12: Holder body 14: Bouncer accommodating part 16: Ball housing 18: Claw 18a: Fitting guide part 20: Groove 20a: Gradient part 22: Gap 50: Rock ball 60: Biasing member C: Center

Claims (1)

A lock ball holder that is slidable in the axial direction in a bottomed tubular accommodating portion while holding a lock ball that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the engaged portion provided on the engagement target. And
It has a holder body that is slidable in the accommodating portion.
On the holder body
A ball housing into which the lock ball is fitted on the tip end side of the holder body,
With a claw for holding the ball in the ball housing,
A groove formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder body is provided.
The groove is formed so as to reach the ball housing from the base end side of the holder body, and is formed at a position deviated from the claw in the circumferential direction of the holder body.
A rock ball holder characterized in that a plurality of the claws are arranged in an odd number in the circumferential direction of the holder body.

Images