JPH0134886Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Technical field) The present invention relates to a slide type operating lever device, and in particular, an improved parallel sliding type operating lever device that can prevent rattling of the operating lever and effectively improve the operating feeling. It is related to the structure.

(Technical field and its problems) Conventionally, as a type of operating lever device for automobile air conditioning control equipment, etc., a predetermined control lever is used to slide the operating lever parallel to an operation display panel such as an instrument panel. 2. Description of the Related Art A so-called parallel slide type operating lever device for controlling the operation of equipment is known.

However, conventionally, in the case of such an operating lever device, due to its structure and processing accuracy, it has not been possible to effectively prevent rattling caused by the gap between the operating lever member and the guide member that guides the operating lever member. Therefore, the problem was that the operation feeling was poor.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application first proposed the
Japanese Patent No. 66612 discloses an operating lever device that prevents such rattling by the urging force of a leaf spring means.

That is, according to this invention, a plate spring means is provided between the operating lever member and the guide member that guides the operating lever member in its movement direction, and the plate spring means biases the operating lever member in a direction to separate them from each other. By holding the spring means within the operating lever member, the leaf spring means is structured to be moved together with the operating lever member while slidingly contacting the guide member. This means that the wobbling of the operating lever member due to the gap between the operating lever member and the guide member can be effectively eliminated by the elastic force of the leaf spring means interposed between them. .

By the way, the leaf spring means in such a device is constituted by, for example, a leaf spring having an outwardly protruding portion at its center and having both side legs bent in a substantially dogleg shape, Within the box portion formed on the member, the outwardly protruding portion thereof protrudes toward the guide member through the window portion formed in the box portion, and is accommodated in a state in which it abuts against the guide member.

However, a leaf spring having such a shape is housed in a state where it is in contact with the inner surface of the box portion of the operating lever member only at the ends of both legs and near the outward protrusion. Therefore, especially when the outwardly protruding part is pushed inward by the guide member and a gap is created between it and the wall surface of the box part, the operating force applied during the sliding operation This tends to cause wobbling in the box portion of the leaf spring, which causes wobbling of the operating lever, and in extreme cases, unbalanced elastic deformation is caused to the leaf spring. When the outwardly protruding part is moved in the sliding direction within the box part, there is a risk that it will be locked to the inner surface of the box part and will not be able to return to the state of protruding from the window part.

(Solution Means) Here, the present invention was made against the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its features include an operating lever member equipped with a box portion that is fitted into a groove, A part of the leaf spring accommodated in the box part protrudes from a window provided in the box part and contacts the wall surface of the groove with a predetermined biasing force, thereby achieving a predetermined sliding contact resistance. In the slide-type operation lever device, which can be moved along the groove while causing a By bending it into a substantially right-angled shape so as to come into contact with the opening end surface and the inner surface of the box portion in the vicinity thereof, it protrudes outward at a predetermined height, and when the box portion is displaced inwardly, the opening end surface of the window portion is bent. In addition to forming a guided fitting part, a protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the fitting part to protrude from the window part to the outside of the box part and come into contact with the wall surface of the groove. The end side portions are bent into opposed substantially dogleg shapes, and locking protrusions are provided on the inner surface of the box portion facing the window portion to which both ends of the leaf spring are locked. .

(Effect of the invention) Therefore, in the operating lever device having the structure according to the invention, the leaf spring housed in the box part of the operating lever member fits into the window part of the box part at the central fitting part. and are brought into contact with the left and right opening end faces of the window and the inner surface of the box part in the vicinity thereof, and are locked with locking protrusions formed in the box part at the ends of both legs. He will be housed in the condition. and,
Even when such a leaf spring comes into contact with the wall surface of the groove and is pushed into the box part, both the contact with the window opening end face at the fitting part and the locking with the locking protrusions at both ends are effective. Since the leaf spring can be maintained in a locked state within the box part, its wobbling and unbalanced elastic deformation can be effectively controlled, and thus the wobbling of the leaf spring can be effectively controlled. This prevents the operating lever from wobbling and provides a stable and extremely good operating feel.

(Example) In order to clarify the present invention more specifically, an example of an operating lever device structured according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an operating lever device for controlling the air conditioning of an automobile constructed according to the present invention. In this figure, 10 is an instrument panel, on the front of which is a long name plate 12 that displays the operating status of the air conditioner, with its longitudinal direction being horizontal (perpendicular to the plane of the paper). It is provided. Further, below the name plate 12, there is a slit 14.
is formed parallel to the name plate 12. An operating lever 16 for controlling the air conditioning condition is movably disposed along the slit 14.

The operating lever 16 is arranged such that a portion of a flat lever body 18 penetrates the slit 14 and projects to the front of the instrument panel 10. Further, on the back surface of the instrument panel 10, guide protrusions 20 and 22 extending horizontally in parallel with the slit 14 are formed at a predetermined height over the entire length of the slit 14 at positions vertically sandwiching the slit 14, respectively. On the other hand, abutment protrusions 24 and 26 are formed on both edges of the lever body 18 in the axial direction (movement direction), and extend toward the guide protrusions 20 and 22.
The operating lever 16 can be held horizontally by abutting the end surfaces of the guide protrusions 20 and 22, respectively, on opposing surfaces of the guide protrusions 20 and 22.

An operating knob 28 is attached to the protruding end of the lever body 18 that protrudes from the slit 14, while a pin 30 is protruded from the rear end of the lever body 18. 30 is connected to the drive lever 32 by being inserted into a long hole 34 formed at the tip thereof. This drive lever 32 is the operating lever 16
The rear end is rotatably locked by a shaft 36 provided at the rear of the control knob 28 , and an operation control cable 38 of the air conditioner is locked at the center of the shaft 36 . The linear reciprocating movement of the operating lever 16 performed through the converter is converted into a reciprocating rotational movement about the shaft 36 of the drive lever 32, and is connected to a cable 38 that is locked to the drive lever 32. The operating state of the air conditioner is now controlled by switching.

By the way, regarding such a control lever device,
A parallel slide mechanism 40 is provided between the operating levers 16 so that the operating levers 16 are moved parallel to the instrument panel 10 when the operating levers 16 are moved.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 on an enlarged scale, this parallel slide mechanism 40 includes a substantially U-shaped guide formed by a guide member 42 fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel 10. Groove 44
, a box portion 46 that is housed in the guide groove 44 and integrally formed with the lever body 18 of the operating lever 16, and a leaf spring 48 that is housed within the box portion 46.

More specifically, the guide groove 44 is provided at the rear of the slit 14 formed in the instrument panel 10 in a state that opens upward and is parallel to the slit 14 over substantially the entire length thereof. The opening width between the front wall 50 and the rear wall 52 is
It is formed to be constant. Note that an appropriate number of moderation grooves 54 are formed on the inner surface of this rear wall 52 at a predetermined distance apart, and when the operating lever 16 is moved to a predetermined operating position, By being engaged by the action of the leaf spring 48, an appropriate sense of moderation is provided to the operator.

The box portion 46 is formed on the lower surface of the lever main body 18 to have a substantially rectangular frame shape that opens downward, and in the assembled state, the outer surfaces of the front wall portion 56 and the rear wall portion 58 are , are accommodated in the guide groove 44 so as to face each other in parallel with the opposing inner surfaces of the guide groove 44. Furthermore, a window 60 having a predetermined width is formed in the center of the rear wall 58 of the box 46, and a window 60 is formed on the inner surface of the front wall 56 (the inner surface facing the window 60). Two locking protrusions 62, 62 protruding inward are formed at positions separated by a predetermined distance in the central portion.

Further, the leaf spring 48 housed in the box portion 46 is formed by bending a thin leaf spring, and as shown in the assembled perspective view of FIG. The side portions are bent into a substantially dogleg shape to form leg portions 64, 64, and the overall shape is substantially C-shaped. In addition, an outward convex portion 66 is formed at its central portion by being bent at a substantially right angle to follow the opening end surface of the window portion 60 of the box portion 46 and the inner surface of the rear wall portion 58 in the vicinity thereof. and an outer convex portion 66 as a fitting portion that protrudes outward at a predetermined height.
Approximately at the central part of the outer projection 6 having a spherical outer surface.
8 is formed.

The leaf spring 48 is placed inside the box portion 46 of the operating lever 16 so that both legs 6 of the leaf spring 48 are
4 and 64 are locked by the locking protrusions 62 and 62, while the outer convex portion 66 is fitted into the window 60 and the opening end surface of the window 60 and the rear wall in the vicinity thereof. It is accommodated in a state where it is in contact with the inner surface of the portion 58. In addition, in such a housed state, the outer protrusion 68 of the leaf spring 48
It will be made to protrude outward at a predetermined height from zero. As shown in FIG. 4, each corner 65 at the end of the leg 64 of the leaf spring 48 is bent outward, so that the corner 65 is bent outward. , which can be locked more firmly.

Therefore, when the operating lever 16 is in the assembled state as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tip of the outer protrusion 68 of the leaf spring 48 housed in the box portion 46 is in the guide groove. 44 is brought into contact with the rear wall 52 of the box portion 46, and an inward pushing force is applied to the leaf spring 48, so that the leaf spring 48 is always set against the front wall portion 56 of the box portion 46. As a result, a forward urging force is applied due to the elastic force applied to the front wall portion 56 of the box portion 46.
However, with a predetermined biasing force, the front wall 5 of the guide groove 44
0, it is possible to effectively prevent the box portion 46 of the operating lever 16 from wobbling within the guide groove 44.

As is clear from the figure, sliding contact projections 70 of a predetermined width are provided on the outer surface of the front wall portion 56 of the box portion 46 at both ends in the width direction. By making contact with the guide groove 44 at the distal end surface of the sliding protrusion 70, it is possible to reduce the sliding resistance when the operating lever 16 is moved. Further, the lever body 18 is provided with protrusions 72, 72 at positions facing the front wall 56 of the box portion 46 with the front wall 50 of the guide groove 44 in between and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the width direction. At the same time, a sliding contact protrusion 74 is provided on the surface of each protrusion 72 facing the front wall 50 of the guide groove 44 at its widthwise end. and,
These sliding contact protrusions 74, 74 and the box portion 46
The front wall portion 56 of the guide groove 44 is held between the sliding protrusions 70, 70 formed on the front wall portion 56 of the guide groove 44 with a slight gap, thereby preventing the operating lever 16 from wobbling. can now be prevented more effectively.

In addition, under such conditions, the leaf spring 48
is brought into contact with the opening end surface of the window portion 60 of the box portion 46 at its outward convex portion 66, and furthermore, the ends of both side leg portions 64 are locked to the locking protrusions 62, so that the box The wobbling of the leaf spring 48 within the portion 46 can be effectively prevented, and the wobble of the operating lever 16 will not be caused by the wobbling of the leaf spring 48.

Then, from this state, the operating lever 16
When an operating force is applied to the operating knob 28 and the operating lever 16 is moved in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. When the guide groove 44 is removed from the moderation groove 54, the plate spring 48 is pushed inward and elastically deformed. Even when the leaf spring 48 is guided by the opening end surface of the window 60 and is pushed in, the outward convex portion 66 of the leaf spring 48 contacts the opening end surface of the window portion 60, and the ends of the leg portions 64 on both sides thereof. Since the locked state with respect to the locking protrusion 62 can be maintained, the plate spring 4 generated by the sliding resistance exerted by the outward convex portion 68 of the plate spring 48
Accordingly, wobbling and unbalanced elastic deformation within the box portion 46 of No. 8 can be effectively prevented.
As a result, a good operating feeling of the operating lever 16 can be obtained in an extremely stable manner.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment constructed according to the present invention. In addition, in this example, for the same members as in the previous example,
By assigning the same reference numerals as in the previous embodiment, detailed explanation will be omitted.

That is, in the operating lever device of this embodiment, the locking protrusion 76 provided within the box portion 46 is formed with a height that reaches the vicinity of the window portion 60, as shown in the drawing. Further, these locking protrusions 76 lock the leaf spring 48 when the leaf spring 48 housed in the box portion 46 is pushed inward.
The inner facing surface of the outer convex portion 66 is formed at a portion that can be guided by the outer surface of the tip end of the locking projection 76.

Therefore, in this operating lever device, when the leaf spring 48 is pushed inward during the movement operation, the opposing inner surfaces of the outer convex portion 66 of the leaf spring 48 touch the locking protrusions 76, 76. By coming into contact with the outer side surface of the tip, it is possible to effectively prevent the plate spring 48 from wobbling within the box portion 46 and furthermore from unbalanced elastic deformation thereof, and thereby to prevent the operation lever from being unbalanced. The same effects as mentioned above, such as prevention of rattling in the structure 16, can be effectively achieved.

Furthermore, FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment as well, members similar to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

That is, in the operating lever device of this embodiment, with respect to the box portion 46 of the operating lever 16 in the operating lever device of the first embodiment,
Displacement regulating protrusions 78, 78 protruding inward at a predetermined height are attached near both ends of the front wall portion 56.

This displacement regulating protrusion 78 comes into contact with the outer surface of the leg portion 64 of the leaf spring 48 when the leaf spring 48 is elastically deformed when the operating lever 16 is moved, thereby preventing the leaf spring from moving. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent wobbling and unbalanced elastic deformation of 48.

Several operating lever devices structured according to the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but these are literal examples, and the present invention is limited only to such specific examples. It is not to be interpreted.

For example, in the operating lever devices of the embodiments described above, a window portion 60 is provided in the rear wall portion 58 of the box portion 46, and the leaf spring 48 protrudes outward from the window portion 60. 68 was configured to be biased forward by coming into contact with the rear wall 52 of the guide groove 44, but the box portion 4
A window portion is provided on the front wall portion 56 of 6, and the box portion 46 is provided with a window portion.
It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the operating lever 16 is biased rearward.

Further, the guide groove 44 of the operating lever device in the embodiment was configured with a U-shaped groove formed by the front wall 50 and the rear wall 52 of the guide member 42, but the instrument panel 10 is It is also possible to configure the guide groove as a guide groove.

In the above embodiment, an example of a so-called parallel sliding type operating lever device in which the operating lever 16 is slid linearly is shown to which the present invention is preferably applied. For example, the present invention can be applied to a lever device in which a guide groove in which a box portion of an operating lever is accommodated is formed in a curved shape, and the operating lever is slid in a curved manner.

In addition, although not listed in detail, the present invention can be implemented with various changes, modifications, improvements, etc. based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such embodiments may be different from the present invention. It goes without saying that any of these are included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an operating lever device for controlling the air conditioning of an automobile, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the device shown in FIG. 1. , FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken from FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the assembly of a leaf spring to the operating lever used in such a device, and FIG. 5 is an illustration of a movement operation of such an operating lever device. FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing the state. Further, FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views corresponding to FIG. 3, respectively, showing another embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an operating lever device for controlling the air conditioning of an automobile. 14...Slit, 16...Operation lever, 18
... Lever body, 28 ... Operation knob, 40 ... Parallel slide mechanism, 42 ... Guide member, 44 ...
Guide groove, 46... Box part, 48... Leaf spring, 50... Front wall, 52... Rear wall, 54... Moderation groove, 56... Front wall part, 58... Rear wall part, 60...
Window portion, 62, 76...Locking protrusion, 64...Leg portion,
66...External convex portion, 68...External protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) An operating lever member having a box portion fitted into a groove, and a window portion provided in the box portion, in which a portion of the leaf spring accommodated in the box portion is provided. In a slide type operation lever device that can be moved along the groove while causing a predetermined sliding resistance by protruding from the groove and abutting against the wall surface of the groove with a predetermined biasing force. , by bending the leaf spring into a substantially right-angled shape so as to fit the leaf spring into the window portion of the box portion at its center portion, and to abut the left and right opening end surfaces of the window portion and the inner surface of the box portion in the vicinity thereof; , forming a fitting part which protrudes outward at a predetermined height and is guided by the opening end surface of the window part when the box part is displaced inwardly, and has a fitting part on the outer surface of the fitting part. A protrusion is provided that protrudes from the box part and comes into contact with the wall surface of the groove, while each end side portion of the leaf spring is bent into a generally dogleg shape facing each other, and the A sliding operating lever device characterized in that a locking protrusion is provided on the inner surface facing the window portion, to which both ends of the leaf spring are locked. (2) A locking protrusion within the box portion is formed to have a predetermined height extending toward the inside of the window portion, and the engagement projection of the leaf spring is configured to prevent displacement of the fitting portion inward of the box portion.
The operating lever device according to claim 1, wherein the operating lever device is guided by the opening end surface of the window portion and the side surface of the distal end portion of the locking projection. (3) A predetermined moderation groove is provided on the wall surface of the groove against which the protrusion of the central portion of the leaf spring comes into contact, as claimed in claim 1 or 2 of the utility model registration.
The operating lever device described in section.