JPH0490940A - Glove box - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct opening/closing of a glove box automatically and also smoothly regardless of superimposing, by method wherein a motor is driven by means of a switch operation at an operation seat, and a box main body is protruded through an opening by actuating pinion gears and racks. CONSTITUTION:When a switch is operated at an operation seat, a motor 24 is rotated, and a gear 25 is rotated. This rotation is transmitted to racks 34 through pinion gears 23, and a box 3 is guided by means of guide rollers 13, 14, and simultaneously moved forward surely by the upward energizing force of a coil spring 4 against pinion gears 23. And when it moves by a predetermined distance, a limit switch is actuated and the motor 24 is stopped. A box portion 31 is housed by rotating reversely the motor 24 by means of a switch operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a glove box for an automobile, and more particularly to a glove box that can be opened and closed automatically.

[Prior Art] A glove box has traditionally been provided in the instrument panel of a car, and has been useful as a document holder. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-21890 discloses a storage box in which the box can be moved in and out in the front and rear directions by the force of the rocking motion of the lid.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Glove boxes have conventionally been provided in front of the passenger seat. Therefore, in order to open and close the glove box from the driver's seat, one had to twist one's body or lift one's hips off the seat, making it difficult to operate.

The present invention was made in view of these circumstances, and
In addition to having a glove box that can be opened and closed automatically,
To provide a glove box that can be smoothly opened and closed regardless of the weight of the contents.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The glove box of the present invention includes a holding panel fixed to an upper part of an opening provided in an instrument panel;
One end is pivotally supported by a holding panel and the other end is rotatably engaged with a mount member held by the holding panel via a spring, a pinion gear held by the mount member, a motor that rotationally drives the pinion gear, and the pinion gear. It consists of a box body which has a rack and is held by a holding panel so as to be able to come in and out through an opening, and the pinion gear is biased by a spring in a direction closer to the rack.

The holding panel is fixed to the upper part of the opening of the instrument panel, and holds the mounting member and the box body.

One end of the mount member is pivotally supported by the holding panel, and the other end is swingable. The other end is connected to the holding panel via a spring.

The mount member holds a pinion gear and a motor,
The pinion gear is rotatably driven in forward and reverse directions by the motor, either directly or indirectly through another gear.

The box body forms the base of the glove box and has a rack that engages with the pinion gear. The box body is engaged with the rack or pinion gear and is held by the holding panel so that it can be moved in and out of the opening.

Here, the mount member is held by the holding panel via a spring, and the peony gear is urged in a direction closer to the rack by the urging force of the spring. Therefore, the rack and pinion gear are always reliably engaged, and the box body can be opened and closed smoothly.

[Operation] In the glove box of the present invention, the motor is rotationally driven in one direction, and the pinion gear is rotated, by operating a switch provided at a predetermined position of the driver's seat, for example. Then, due to the engagement between the pinion gear and the rack, the box body moves in the direction of exiting from the opening, and the glove box is opened. Furthermore, by operating the switch to drive the motor in the opposite direction, the box body can be accommodated within the opening and the glove box can be closed.

As the box body moves, the center of gravity may shift, and the force of engagement between the rack and pinion gear may fluctuate. Furthermore, the degree of this will vary depending on the weight of the contents of the box body, and there is a possibility that engagement may become difficult. However, in the glove box of the present invention, since the pinion gear is biased by the spring in a direction closer to the rack, the pinion gear and the rack can be reliably engaged, and the glove box can be opened and closed smoothly.

[Effects of the Invention] Therefore, according to the glove box of the present invention, it is possible to open and close the box by operating a switch without having to twist the body or lift the waist off the seat, so it is extremely easy to operate.

Furthermore, regardless of the weight of the contents, the pinion gear and the rack can be reliably engaged, allowing smooth opening and closing.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the glove box of this embodiment. The glove box of this embodiment includes a holding panel 1, a mounting member 2, and a box body 3.

The holding panel 1 has a U-shaped cross section formed by bending a sheet metal, and is composed of a plate-shaped base 10 and a pair of flange parts 11 formed by bending at right angles from both sides of the base 10. ing. The base portion 10 is fixed to the upper part of the opening of the instrument panel so that the flange portion 11 extends downward. Pivot holes 12 are formed at the front ends of the flange portions 11, and a pair of kite rollers 13.1 are provided at the front and rear as shown in FIGS.
Has 4.

The mount member 2 also has a U-shaped cross section formed by bending a sheet metal, and has a pair of flange portions 2. A pinion shaft 22 is rotatably supported so as to connect the pair of flange parts 2], and pinion gears 23 are fixed to both ends of the pinion shaft 22 so as to protrude from the flange parts 21, respectively. In addition, the mount member 2 has seven holes 24.
is fixed, and a gear 25 is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor 24. This gear 25 engages with the pinion gear 23,
The pair of pinion gears 23 are configured to be rotated simultaneously by the rotation of the motor 24.

The mount member 2 has pivot pins 26 that project outward at the front end of the flange portion 2, respectively. This pivot pin 26
is the pivot hole 1 provided in the flange portion 11 of the holding panel 1.
2, the front end of the mount member 2 is held by the holding panel 1, and the rear end can swing up and down. On the other hand, the rear end of the mount member 2 is held at the rear end of the base 10 of the holding panel 1 via the coil spring 4, and is lifted upward by the spring force of the coil spring 4.

The box body 3 consists of a front part 30 forming a part of the instrument panel, a container-shaped box part 31, and a rear end part 32 extending rearward from the box part 31.
It has a pair of guide rails 33 that protrude on both left and right sides and extend in an arc shape in the front and back direction.

A rack 34 is formed on the lower surface of this guide rail 33. The kite roller 13 on the front side contacts the upper surface of the kite rail 33, the idle roller 14 on the rear side contacts the lower surface of the guide rail 33, and the rack 34 engages with the pinion gear 23, so that the box main body 3 is maintained.

In this state, the rear end of the mount member 2 is lifted by the spring 4, so the pinion gear 2
3 is biased toward the rank 34 and securely engages with the rack 34. Therefore, the box main body 3 is supported by the holding panel 1 at the three points in contact with the two guide rollers 13, 14 and the pinion gear 23, respectively, on both the left and right sides. and pinion gear 2
3, the box body 3 can be moved in and out of the holding panel 1. Note that a groove 35 is formed in the rear end portion 32 to avoid interference with the coil spring 4.

In the glove box of this embodiment configured as described above, when stored, the front section 30 is
constitutes a part of the instrument panel 5. Then, the motor 24 is driven by the operation of a switch (not shown) provided on the driver's seat, etc., and the pinion gear 23 is rotated by the rotation of the gear 25, and the box body 3 is moved forward by the engagement between the pinion gear 23 and the rack 34. Move to.

At this time, the box body 3 is guided by the guide rollers 13 and 14, and the pinion gear 23 is urged upward by the urging force of the coil spring 4, so that it is reliably engaged with the rack 34 and the box body 3 is smoothly moved. Advance.

Then, when the box body 3 has moved a predetermined distance, a limit switch (not shown) is activated and the drive of the motor 24 is stopped, and the box part 31 is moved in front of the instrument panel 5 as shown in FIG. It stands out and becomes usable.

Next, when storing the motor 24, press the switch.
The pinion gear 23 rotates in the opposite direction, and the box body 3 is housed in the holding panel 1. Then, the limit switch is activated in the storage position to stop the motor 24, and the motor 24 is stopped in the storage state shown in FIG.

That is, according to the glove box of this embodiment, the box body can be moved in and out simply by operating a switch provided on the driver's seat, etc., and is extremely easy to operate.

Further, as the box body 3 moves, the position of the center of gravity may change, and the engagement between the rack 34 and the pinion gear 23 may become unstable. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 4, when the amount of contents in the box section 31 is large, the rear end section 32 is lifted upward and the rack 3
4 and the pinion gear 23 tends to become unstable.

However, in this embodiment, the pinion gear 2-3 is biased toward the rack 34 by the coil spring 4, so that the pinion gear 2-3 is reliably engaged with the rack 34 even in such a case. Therefore, regardless of the weight of the contents of the box main body 3, they can be smoothly taken in and out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings relate to a glove box according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing its configuration, FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of its storage state, and FIG. 4 is an illustration of its use state. It is an explanatory diagram. 1... Holding panel 2... Mounting member 3.
...Box body 4...Spring 5...Instrument panel 13.14...Guide roller 23...Pinion gear 24...Motor 33...
・Guide rail 34...Rack patent applicant Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A holding panel fixed to the upper part of an opening provided in the instrument panel, and a mount whose one end is pivotally supported by the holding panel and is swingable, and whose other end is held by the holding panel via a spring. a box body having a pinion gear held by the mount member, a motor for rotationally driving the pinion gear, and a rack threadedly engaged with the pinion gear, and held by the holding panel so as to be movable in and out from the opening; The glove box, wherein the pinion gear is biased by the spring in a direction closer to the rack.