JPH0226752Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an opening/closing mechanism for an ashtray installed in the passenger compartment of an automobile.

[Background of the idea]

In conventional automobile ashtray mechanisms of this type, the ashtray can be opened and closed by manual operation, and the user of the ashtray is overwhelmingly the driver of the vehicle himself. Therefore, the driver often opens and closes the ashtray by groping with one hand, which causes inconvenience when handling the ashtray.

In addition, ashtrays used when smoking while driving are often used by fumbling, and as a result, not only the inner surface of the ashtray, but also the outer surface and the area around the ashtray storage compartment are covered with ash and ``garnish''. It gets dirty. Therefore, when opening and closing the ashtray using the conventional manual opening/closing mechanism, it is unavoidable that the user has to grope around the ashtray, which is widely soiled, to open and close the ashtray, which inevitably results in dirty hands. In addition, dirty hands while driving are not only visually undesirable, but also cause problems such as the dirt spreading around the driver's seat through the hands since the driver must immediately touch the driving control equipment. For this reason, some clean-minded people even make it a habit not to smoke while driving. The problem with this was that the very existence of the ashtray became meaningless.

[Purpose of invention]

The present invention was developed with a focus on these conventional problems, and the above-mentioned problems can be solved by using an electric opening/closing mechanism that allows the ashtray to be opened and closed using a hand switch. The object of the present invention is to provide an opening/closing device for an automobile ashtray.

[Example of idea]

Embodiment An embodiment of the configuration of this invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the figure, a ball 3 is provided which is engaged with both the guide groove 11 provided on both sides of the frame 1 and the groove 21 provided on both sides of the ashtray body 2 and supported by a retainer 30. The ashtray body 2 is supported by the guide of the balls 3 in a light and smooth slidable manner within the frame 1. A feed screw 5, which is rotationally driven by a motor 4 via gears 41 and 42, is supported on the frame 1 by bearings 22' and 23' attached to the frame. A transfer nut 6 is provided screwed onto the feed screw 5, so that the transfer nut 6 is moved from side to side along the longitudinal direction of the feed screw 5. The transfer nut 6 is guided by slidingly fitting into a guide groove 24 provided in the frame 1 in parallel with the feed screw 5. Furthermore, switches 71 and 72 are provided at both ends of the required movement length l of the transfer nut 6 to electrically detect the arrival of the transfer nut 6 and to connect the switches 71 and 72 to the direction changeover switch 8. The lever 81 is engaged with and moved, thereby switching the direction changeover switch 8.

The above switches 71, 72, 8 and the disposal lever 8
1 and wiring of an electric circuit to be described later are preferably performed using a mounting board 0 made of a printed circuit board or the like.

On the lower surface of the transfer nut 6, there is an integrally configured spring section 61, which has a V parallel to the transfer direction.
A groove 62 (see FIG. 4) and a central protrusion 64 are provided and engage with the ridge 22 of the ashtray body 2. This engagement is based on friction, and various shapes and combinations are possible.However, since a complicated shape would impair the usability of the ashtray body 2, which is the main user, an example of a simple shape is shown. It is. In this example, the V-groove 63 is for ensuring the introduction of the ridge 22, and the central protrusion 64 is for engaging with the recess 23 provided in the ridge 22.

Hole 6 near central protrusion 64 of spring member 61
6 and 66 are connected to switches 73 and 74 attached to the upper part of the transfer nut 6 via connecting rods 67 and 68, and the above-mentioned state of engagement between the central protrusion 64 and the recess 23, that is, "riding". It is configured to detect the three states of fitting and falling off by the combination of contacts 730 and 740 of switches 73 and 74 (see FIG. 5). , 72, 8 and the discard lever 81 are as follows. First, the limit switches 71 and 72 come into contact with slopes 65 and 65 provided on the sides of the transfer nut 6, and the arrival of the transfer nut 6 is detected by opening and closing the limit switches. Further, the direction changeover switch 8 is engaged with the end face of the transfer nut via a drop lever 81 to switch the direction. The basic electric circuits related to these switches 71, 72, 8, hand switch 9, and motor 4 are shown in relation to the mechanism in FIG. Other embodiments of this electrical circuit are also possible, as described below.

[Effect of the embodiment]

The operation of the configuration of the above embodiment is as follows.

First, the operation will be described in a state where the ashtray body 2 is properly housed in the frame 1, that is, the central protrusion 64 of the transfer nut 6 and the recess 23 on the ridge of the ashtray body are fitted. Now, assuming that the transfer nut 6 has come to the position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 (the ashtray body is in the fully open position), the switch 71 is operated and its contact 710 is turned OFF, thereby blocking the motor windings. At the same time as the energization is stopped, the dumping lever 81 is moved by the inertia of the motor rotation, the direction changeover switch 8 is switched, and the circuit is connected so that the rotation direction of the motor 4 drives the transfer nut 6 to the right (in the figure). (It is assumed that the motor type is the most popular permanent magnet shunt DC motor.) Now, if you turn on the hand switch 9,
The off state of switch 710 is ignored and motor 4
begins to rotate and the transfer nut 6 begins to return.
Then, the switch 71 returns and its contact 710 turns on, and even if the hand switch 9 is released and turned off, the motor circuit continues to be energized and the motor continues to rotate. Incidentally, since the discard lever 81 is discarded in the same position, the motor rotation direction remains in the direction in which the transfer nut 6 is returned (to the right in the figure, the direction in which the ashtray body is housed).

When the transfer nut 6 eventually reaches the right end position 6' shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the limit switch 72 is activated and its contact 720 is turned off, ending the supply of electricity to the motor. The disposal lever 81 is now driven to the right and switches the direction changeover switch 8. If the hand switch 9 is turned on again, the same repeated operation will be performed. However, each time the hand switch 9 is pressed, the ashtray body 2 is repeatedly released and stored.

Next, when the ashtray body 2 is taken out for reasons such as cleaning the ashtray, the engagement between the transfer nut 6 and the ashtray body 2 is a drop-in engagement between the central protrusion 64 and the recess 23 as described above. Therefore, it is possible to pull it out by hand, and after cleaning or other use, simply push the ashtray body 2 and the ridge 22 of the ashtray body 2 will be guided into the V-groove 63 of the transfer nut 6. Then, the central protrusion 64 and the recess 23 are engaged with each other to complete the locking. The completion of this locking is detected by the combination of contacts 730 and 740 of the switches 73 and 74, and connected to this, the hand switch 9
For example, an alarm member 75 having display numbers R, G, and Y in three colors of red, green, and yellow is provided inside or adjacent to the alarm member 75.
Represented by 0. To explain this using the example shown in Figure 5, when ``the ashtray body 2 is inserted but the locking is not completed'' (left side of the figure), a yellow display is displayed to implicitly prompt the next operation. Yes, and it is displayed in green when “locking is completed” (in the same figure), and “Ashtray body 2
When is missing (as shown on the right in the figure), it is displayed in red to indicate that the next operation is invalid.

If the ashtray body 2 is pushed in carelessly, the display will turn yellow and the display will be automatically completed as shown below. That is, when the motor is energized, the motor begins to rotate, and the transfer nut 6 moves while sliding on the ridge 22 which is frictionally engaged with the lower center projection 64, searches for the recess 23, and eventually reaches the center projection 64. 64 falls into the recess 23, and the ashtray body 2 is transferred, and the locking is completed. Here, assuming that the motor torque is premised on the motor, the amount of restraining torque is usually several times the normal torque, and on the other hand, the frictional force between the transfer nut 6 and the ridge 22 is determined by the elasticity setting of the spring 61. By designing the torque to be slightly smaller than the above-mentioned restraining torque, the search for the recess 23 by the central protrusion 64 can be accomplished at a low speed.

The combination configuration of this locking completion detection display function, automatic locking completion function, and manual ashtray body removal function is as follows.
This is an important function not only for the purpose of cleaning the ashtray mentioned above, but also in the following cases. The first is that when you turn off the external switch (assuming a car's ignition switch) or remove the battery, the power line is lost, so even in this case, manual opening/closing is required. This allows the ashtray to be used, and when the power line is turned on again, the locking is automatically completed and the ashtray returns to its normal state. The second case is in the unlikely event that the power supply fails, and in this case as well, the above-mentioned effect is exerted.

Embodiment FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the spring portion 61 provided in the transfer nut 6 of the above configuration. In this embodiment, a relay D is used in place of the direction changeover switch 8 and the drop lever 81 in the configuration described above. Further, the transfer nut 6 screwed onto the feed screw 5 is made of a polymer material and has a metal spring 611 attached to its lower surface. The ashtray body 1 is provided with a ridge 22 having a semicircular cross section, and the metal spring 611 is engaged with the recess 23 of the ridge 22 . Metal wires 75 and 76 are inserted into the curved space of the metal spring 611 (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in the figure) and are electrically insulated and supported by the transfer nut 6 made of the polymer material. The positions of the metal wires 75 and 76 are such that they do not come into contact when the metal spring 611 and the recess 23 are properly engaged, but they do come into contact when they "ride up" as shown on the right in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is an electrical circuit diagram of this embodiment, in which the aforementioned motor 4, hand switch 9, and switches 71, 72 are connected as shown, and a direction changeover relay D is used in place of the direction changeover switch 8. Direction switching is performed using contacts d1 and d2. metal spring 6
A switch consisting of 11 and metal wires 75 and 76 drives a search relay S, and S1 and S2 are its contacts. Note that F is a feed relay and f is its contact point.

The operation of this embodiment is as follows.

Assuming that the metal spring 611 is now fully engaged with the recess 23 of the ridge 22, the metal wires 75 and 76 are in non-contact and are not energized, and therefore the search relay S is inactive and its contact S1 , S2 are also turned off. Furthermore, if the transfer nut 6 is now in the position where the ashtray body is fully opened, the switch 71
is operated, its contact turns on, drives the direction switching relay D, switches both its contacts d1 and d2, and switches the direction of the voltage applied to the motor 4.
By switching the contact d1, the direction change relay D is energized via the switch 72 and the diode, so
No matter how the switch 71 operates from now on, the direction change relay D continues to be driven. Here, when the hand switch 9 is turned on with a single touch, the feed relay F is driven and its contact f turns on, latching the feed relay F itself and connecting the motor 4 to the contact d.
The ashtray body 2 is stored by energizing in the direction determined by the directions 1 and d2 and setting the motor rotation direction at this time to the storage direction of the ashtray body 2. Eventually, when the ashtray body reaches the storage end, the switch 72 is actuated by the feed screw 6 and turned off, and the direction switching relay D is deactivated and its contacts d1 and d2 are switched (the direction of rotation of the motor is set to send out the ashtray body). Similarly to the above, a negative potential is applied to the circuit from the contact d1 through the switch 72 and the diode. However, if this circuit is negative, the switching relay D will not be driven regardless of the state of the switch 72, so this state is stable. Next, when the hand switch 9 is pressed, the motor 4 begins to rotate in the same manner as described above, but since the direction of rotation is opposite to that described above, the ashtray body is sent out in the opening direction. Eventually, when the ashtray body is fully opened, it will return to the initial state with the instruction sheet out.

Next, if the ashtray body is forcibly pulled out manually or pushed in again to disengage the metal spring 611 from the concave portion 23, the metal spring 611 will further lower or rise, and the metal wires 75, 76 will Since contact pressure is applied to short-circuit these and electricity is applied, the search relay S is driven and its contacts S1 and S2 are turned on. Contact S1
In any case, the direction switching relay D is driven to switch the contacts d1 and d2 to the direction in which the ashtray should be stored, and the contact S2 is active as long as the switch 72 is on (that is, unless the feed nut 6 is at the storage end). Through the operation of the feed relay F, the motor 4 is energized, resulting in the movement of the feed nut 6 to the storage end. During this movement, if there is a recess 23 of the ashtray that has been pushed in, the metal spring 611 is completely locked into this and the ashtray is stored. Of course, when the locking is completed, the short-circuit on of metal wires 75 and 76 is released, but relays D and F have their respective contacts f.
and 72, the motor is driven to the storage end.

As a result, when manually pushing the ashtray body, the above-mentioned spring 6
11 and the recess 23 will be completed, or the motor will automatically start and move, and the locking will be completed soon. This provides a sense of security during operation.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the ashtray is opened and closed in response to an instantaneous on operation by the hand switch. Furthermore, the embodiment has means for detecting the locking state of the spring portion 61 or the metal spring 611 and the recess 23, so that the result of manual forced operation of the ashtray body 2 is displayed or the locking is automatically performed. Since it is prepared for completion, it is convenient for manual operation of the ashtray body 2, which is always required.

[Summary of the idea]

As explained above, the motor 4 installed on the frame 1 side, the feed screw 5 rotationally driven by the motor 4, the transfer nut 6 which is screwed onto the feed screw 5 and moves back and forth, and the transfer nut 6. A dumping lever 81 that is driven at the end of the travel stroke and left in the driven position and a direction changeover switch 8 that is switched via the dumping lever 81 are connected and can be stored in the frame 1. The ashtray body 2 is accommodated in the ashtray body 2 and frictionally engaged with the transfer nut 6, thereby making the ashtray body 2 removable and detecting whether or not the engagement between the transfer nut 6 and the ashtray body is appropriate and emitting a signal. An electric ashtray is provided with detecting members 73, 74 and an alarm member 750 that issues an alarm upon receiving signals from the detecting members 73, 74, and is activated by a hand switch 9 to open and close electrically. It is an opening and closing mechanism.

[Effect of idea]

Therefore, this electric opening/closing mechanism of the ashtray has the following effects.

a) By placing the hand switch for opening and closing the ashtray close to the steering wheel, the ashtray can be operated without taking the driver's line of sight, and the ashtray automatically determines whether it should be opened or closed. This contributes to safe driving.

b. Since the opening and closing of the ashtray body can be performed by operating the hand switch, there is no need to hold the ashtray body directly to open and close it, and therefore, the feeling of uncleanliness caused by transferring dirt from the ashtray to the hands can be eliminated.

c Since the structure is such that the driving force of the motor is transmitted through the feed screw, the reduction ratio of the DC motor drive can be easily increased by simply selecting the pitch of this feed screw, and the appropriate moving speed of the ashtray body can be adjusted. In addition to being economical, the reduction mechanism can be made simple and compact, and its reliability can be improved.

d Since the drive mechanism such as the motor and feed screw that reciprocates the ashtray body is attached to the frame, the removal and attachment of the ashtray body to the frame will not cause damage or dirt to be transmitted to the drive mechanism. Removal and installation of the ashtray body can be performed extremely safely, cleanly, and easily.

e. A dumping lever that is driven at the end of the transfer nut's travel stroke and a direction switching switch that is switched via this dumping lever are provided, and the operation of this direction switching switch changes the rotational direction of the motor started by the hand switch. Since the transfer nut is switched over, overshooting of the transfer nut is effectively prevented, and erroneous operation of the entire drive mechanism can be reliably eliminated.

f. Since the engaging portion provided on the transfer nut frictionally engages with the ashtray body, the ashtray body can be easily and reliably switched between automatic opening and closing and manual opening and closing at appropriate times.

g. In addition, the electrical circuit has a rational configuration in terms of circuit function, is simple, and has the effect that the entire device can be provided at low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main figure of this invention, Figure 2,
FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view, a vertical sectional view, and a horizontal sectional view, respectively, of the screw feeding part, which is the main part of this invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the switch operation, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams showing other embodiments of the drive circuit. 1... Ashtray body, 2... Frame, 3... Ball, 4
... Motor, 5 ... Feed screw, 6 ... Transfer nut, 7 ... Switch, 8 ... Direction changeover switch,
0...Mounting board, 9...Hand switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A motor 4, a feed screw 5 rotationally driven by the motor 4, and a feed screw 5 installed on the frame 1 side.
A transfer nut 6 that is screwed together and moves back and forth, a dumping lever 81 that is driven at the end of the moving stroke of the transferring nut 6 and left in the driven position, and a direction changeover switch 8 that is switched via the dumping lever 81. The ashtray body 2 is removably accommodated in the frame 1 and frictionally engaged with the transfer nut 6, so that the ashtray body 2 is configured to be detachable. Detection members 73 and 74 detect whether or not the engagement with the ashtray body is appropriate and issue a signal, and an alarm member 750 receives the signals from the detection members 73 and 74 and issues an alarm, and is activated by a hand switch 9. An electric opening/closing mechanism for an ashtray, characterized in that it can be hung and opened/closed electrically.