JPH08230445A - Locking structure for link plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a locking structure, by which a link plate (engaging piece) installed in a heater case can be easily removed without any damage so as to be reused, for the link plate. CONSTITUTION: A link plate 1 is provided with a rigid body part 5, which is inserted in the inner circumference of a boss part 3 arranged in a heater case 2, and a plurality of engaging pieces 6, which are connected to the rigid body part. 5, and on the inside of the heater case 2, engaging jaws 6d arranged at the tips of the engaging pieces 6 are engaged with an opening circumferential edge part in the boss part, 3 so as to prevent the link plate 1 from coming off from the boss part, 3. In each of the engaging pieces 6, which are provided with the engaging jaws 6d and are joined to the rigid body part 5 via a joint part 6a elastically deformably in the radius direction toward the rigid body part 5, one end side 6b is extended from the joint part 6a to the outside of the heater case 2, while the other end side 6c is extended from the joint part 6a to the inside of the heater case 2, and the engaging jaw 6d is arranged at the tip of the other end side 6c.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a link plate locking structure used, for example, in a damper operation of a vehicle air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional link plate locking structure is shown in FIG.
Shown in This locking structure is used for a case 1 such as a heater unit.
Link plate 200 on the boss 110 provided on
The rigid body portion 210 and the engaging piece 220 extending from are inserted, and the rigid body portion 210 is provided at the tip of the engaging piece 220 in a state of slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion 110 in a rotatable manner. By engaging the engaging surface of the engaging claw 221 with the opening end of the boss 110, the link plate 200 is prevented from coming off from the case 100.

[0003]

However, in the above structure, when it is necessary to remove the link plate 200, the link plate 200 is not exposed from the outside of the case 100.
Since the engaging claw 221 cannot be touched, the link plate 200 is forcibly removed. As a result, the engagement claw 221 or the engagement piece 220 is damaged and the link plate 200 cannot be reused.

However, by disassembling the unit and disengaging the engaging claws 221 from the inside of the case 100, the case 1
Although it is possible to remove the link plate 200 from 00, it is not realistic because it takes a lot of time to disassemble and restore the unit.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is a state in which the link plate can be reused without damaging the link plate when it is necessary to remove the link plate assembled to the case. Another object of the present invention is to provide a link plate locking structure that can be easily removed by using.

[0006]

The present invention has the following features to attain the object mentioned above. In claim 1,
It has a case provided with a cylindrical boss portion, and a rotation fitting portion that is rotatably fitted to the inner circumference of the boss portion, and the rotation fitting portion serves as a center with respect to the case. The rotation fitting portion includes a rigid body portion projecting from the link plate toward the case, and a plurality of engagements integrally provided with the rigid body portion. The rigid body portion has a plurality of projecting portions that respectively project in the radial direction at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the projecting portion is provided in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion. The engaging piece is elastically deformably connected to the peripheral wall surface of the rigid body portion at a connecting portion, one end side of the connecting portion extends to the outside of the case, and the other end side of the connecting portion is the case. The engaging claw provided on the other end side is provided to extend inside the Wherein the inside of the over scan is engaged in the opening peripheral portion of the boss portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the link plate locking structure according to the first aspect, the engagement piece has the other end when the one end side is pushed down radially outward with respect to the rigid body portion. When the side is deformed inward in the radial direction, the engaging claw is disengaged from the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the link plate locking structure according to the first or second aspect, the rotary fitting portion has a cylindrical concave portion that is recessed in a cylindrical shape from the link plate toward the case. The rigid body portion is provided so as to project from the bottom of the cylindrical recess toward the case, and the engaging piece is provided on the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess without the tip of the one end side protruding from the surface of the link plate. It is characterized by being stored.

[0009]

[Operation and effect of the invention]

(Claim 1) The link plate is rotatably held with respect to the case by the rigid body portion (each projecting portion) of the rotation fitting portion, which is the center of rotation, slidingly contacting the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion. The engaging claws of the engaging piece integrally formed with the rigid body portion are engaged with the peripheral edge portion of the opening of the boss portion inside the case, so that the engagement lug is prevented from coming off the boss portion. Here, the engagement piece is provided so as to be elastically deformable with respect to the rigid body portion at the joint portion with the rigid body portion, and one end side of the joint portion extends outside the case and the other end side extends inside the case. It is provided. Therefore, by elastically deforming the one end side extending to the outside of the case with respect to the rigid body portion, the other end side extending to the inside of the case is also elastically deformed with respect to the rigid body portion, without directly touching the engaging claws. It is possible to remove the engaging claw from the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss.

(Claim 2) Specifically, when one end side of the engaging piece is pushed outward in the radial direction, the other end side of the engaging piece is deformed inward in the radial direction with respect to the rigid body portion. The engaging claw is disengaged from the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss. By pulling out the rotary fitting portion from the boss portion in this state, the link plate can be removed from the case without damaging the engaging piece (engaging claw). As a result, the link plate removed from the case can be reused.

(Claim 3) One end of the engaging piece extending to the outside of the case is housed in the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess which is cylindrically recessed from the link plate toward the case, thereby preventing the engaging piece from being damaged. can do. That is, since an excessive force may be applied to the engagement piece (one end side) on the outside of the case, the one end side of the engagement piece is housed in the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess, so that the excessive force is applied to the engagement piece. Can be prevented and damage to the engagement piece can be prevented. However, when the link plate is removed from the case (that is, when the engaging claw is removed from the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss), one end side of the engaging piece does not interfere with the wall surface of the cylindrical recess, and the engaging piece and the cylindrical recess do not interfere with each other. It is necessary to keep a predetermined distance from the wall surface of.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment to which the link plate locking structure of the present invention is applied will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a sectional view showing a locking structure of a link plate (a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2), and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the link plate (FIG. 1).
FIG. The link plate 1 of the present embodiment is used, for example, in a link mechanism for driving an air mix door (not shown) incorporated in the heater case 2 of a vehicle air conditioner.

The heater case 2 is provided with a cylindrical boss portion 3 for assembling the link plate 1. The boss portion 3 is provided so as to project to the outside of the heater case 2, and the inner peripheral surface thereof is provided in a stepped shape. Specifically, the base side of the boss portion 3 is a thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a, and the tip end side is a thin-walled cylindrical portion 3
b, a step surface 3c is formed between the thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a and the thin-walled cylindrical portion 3b. Further, chamfers are provided at the peripheral edges of the openings of the thin-walled cylindrical portion 3b and the thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a, respectively.

The link plate 1 is made of resin and has a boss portion 3
A rotary fitting portion (described below) fitted to the inner periphery of the heater is integrally provided, and is rotatably assembled to the heater case 2 around the rotary fitting portion. The rotary fitting portion is a cylindrical concave portion 4 which is hollowed in a cylindrical shape from the link plate 1 to the heater case 2 side,
It is composed of a rigid body portion 5 protruding from the cylindrical concave portion 4 toward the heater case 2, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) engagement pieces 6 connected to the rigid body portion 5, and the like.

The cylindrical concave portion 4 is a thin cylindrical portion 3b of the boss portion 3.
Is rotatably fitted with respect to. As shown in FIG. 2, arc-shaped die-cutting holes 4a are provided at three locations in the circumferential direction on the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess 4 at equal intervals. This die-cutting hole 4a
Is necessary when the engaging piece 6 is die-cut in resin molding, and is formed along the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical recess 4.

The rigid portion 5 has a cylindrical portion 5a protruding downward (downward in FIG. 1) from the center of the bottom of the cylindrical recess 4 and a plurality of (in the present embodiment, radially projecting from the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 5a. 3) protruding pillars 5b, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the protruding pillars 5b are fitted in a state of sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a of the boss portion 3. The protruding column 5b is provided between the die-cutting holes 4a formed in the lower portion of the cylindrical recess 4 and the die-cutting holes 4a.

The engaging pieces 6 are provided on the inner periphery of each die-cutting hole 4a, and are respectively provided on the upper portion of the rigid portion 5 (bottom portion of the cylindrical recess 4).
Is connected to the outer periphery of the rigid body portion 5 (cylindrical portion 5a) via the connecting portion 6a, and is provided so as to be elastically deformable in the radial direction with respect to the rigid body portion 5 with this connecting portion 6a as a fulcrum. The outer peripheral surface of the engaging piece 6 has a thick cylindrical portion 3 a of the boss portion 3.
It is formed in an arc shape (circular surface) along the inner peripheral surface of and slidably contacts the inner peripheral surface of the thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a.

Each engaging piece 6 has one end side 6b extending from the connecting portion 6a to the outside of the heater case 2 along the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical recess 4, and the other end side 6c from the connecting portion 6a is a rigid body. It extends inside the heater case 2 along the outer peripheral wall surface of the portion 5. However, the one end side 6b of the engagement piece 6 is housed in the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess 4 without the tip protruding outward from the opening end face of the cylindrical recess 4 (that is, the surface of the link plate 1). (See FIG. 1). Further, the other end side 6c of the engagement piece 6 is provided with an engagement claw 6d which engages with the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss portion 3 at the tip thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the engaging claw 6d is formed in a hook shape toward the outside of the engaging piece 6, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is a tapered surface which is inclined toward the tip.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the link plate 1 having the above structure, the rotary fitting portion is inserted into the inner circumference of the boss portion 3. At this time, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical recess 4 is the boss 3
Slidably contacting the inner peripheral surface of the thin-walled cylindrical portion 3b, and each protruding pillar 5b.
The outer peripheral surface of is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the thick-walled cylindrical portion 3a of the boss portion 3 so that the outer peripheral surface is rotatably held with respect to the boss portion 3.

Further, each engaging piece 6 is in a state of being pressed inward when the engaging claw 6d passes through the inner circumference of the thick cylindrical portion 3a, and when the engaging claw 6d passes through the thick cylindrical portion 3a. 6d
Spreads outward and engages with the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss 3. At this time, the bottom surface of the cylindrical concave portion 4 (the step surface between the cylindrical concave portion 4 and the rigid body portion 5) comes into contact with the step surface 3c of the boss portion 3 to perform positioning in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). It is prevented from coming off from the boss portion 3.

(Effect of Embodiment) After that, when it becomes necessary to remove the link plate 1 from the heater case 2 (for example, when servicing in the market, when reworking the heater unit,
When the link mechanism is replaced, etc.), it can be easily removed by pulling out the rotary fitting portion from the boss portion 3 in a state where the one end side 6b of the engaging piece 6 is pushed outward in the radial direction. Specifically, when the one end side 6b of the engagement piece 6 is pushed down to the outside in the radial direction, the other end side 6c of the engagement piece 6 is radiused with the connecting portion 6a as a fulcrum, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. It transforms inward. As a result, the engaging claw 6d provided at the tip of the other end side 6c is disengaged from the peripheral edge portion of the opening of the boss portion 3, and therefore the link plate 1 is pulled away from the heater case 2 while maintaining this state, so that the boss portion The pivotal fitting portion is pulled out from 3, and the link plate 1 can be removed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the link plate 1 can be easily removed from the heater case 2 without disassembling the heater case 2, and the removed link plate 1 has the engaging piece 6 ( Since the engaging claw 6d) is not damaged, it can be reused. In addition,
After removing the link plate 1 from the heater case 2,
Needless to say, by removing the force applied to the engagement piece 6, the engagement piece 6 returns to its original state (state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1) due to the elasticity.

The one end side 6b of the engaging piece 6 extending to the outside of the heater case 2 is housed in the inner circumference of the cylindrical recess 4, and the tip of the one end 6b does not protrude from the cylindrical recess 4 (that is, , Does not jump out from the surface of the link plate 1). Therefore, the one end side 6b of the engaging piece 6 is carelessly
It is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the engaging piece 6
It is possible to prevent damage to the product. In addition, between the one end side 6b of the engagement piece 6 and the cylindrical recessed portion 4, when the link plate 1 is removed from the heater case 2 (that is, when the engagement claw 6d is removed from the opening peripheral edge portion of the boss portion 3), the engagement is performed. Joint piece 6 (one end side 6
It goes without saying that the space is maintained so that b) can be deformed.

Further, since the link plate 1 of this embodiment is provided with the die-cutting hole 4a on the inner periphery of the cylindrical recess 4 so that the engaging piece 6 can be die-molded, the link plate 1 is manufactured by the upper and lower die. Therefore, the mold cost is not increased.

[Modification] In the present embodiment, the locking structure of the link plate 1 is applied to the link mechanism for driving the air mix door, but is applied to the link mechanism for driving the inside / outside air switching door or the outlet switching door. You can also do it.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a locking structure of a link plate (FIG. 2).
2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the link plate (view from B of FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional link plate locking structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Link Plate 2 Heater Case 3 Boss Part 4 Cylindrical Recess (Rotating Fitting Part) 5 Rigid Body Part (Rotating Fitting Part) 6 Engaging Piece (Rotating Fitting Part) 5b Projecting Column (Projecting Part) 6a Connecting Part 6b One end side of the engaging piece 6c The other end side of the engaging piece 6d Engaging claw

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A case provided with a cylindrical boss portion, and a rotation fitting portion rotatably fitted to an inner circumference of the boss portion, the rotation fitting portion being the center. A link plate rotatably assembled to the case, wherein the rotation fitting portion is provided integrally with the rigid body portion projecting from the link plate toward the case. The rigid body portion has a plurality of protruding portions that respectively protrude in the radial direction at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion is the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion. The engagement piece is slidably provided, and the engagement piece is elastically deformably connected to the peripheral wall surface of the rigid body portion at a connecting portion, and one end side of the connecting portion extends to the outside of the case, and The other end side is provided so as to extend inside the case, and is provided at the tip of the other end side. Locking structure of the link plate, characterized in that the engaging claw is engaged with the opening edge of the boss portion inside said case. 2. The link plate locking structure according to claim 1, wherein, when the one end side of the engaging piece is pushed down to the outside in the radial direction with respect to the rigid body portion, the other end side is in the radial direction. The engaging structure of the link plate, wherein the engaging claw is disengaged from the peripheral edge of the opening of the boss by being deformed inward. 3. The locking structure for a link plate according to claim 1, wherein the rotary fitting portion has a cylindrical concave portion that is hollowed in a cylindrical shape from the link plate toward the case. The portion is projected from the bottom of the cylindrical recess toward the case, and the engaging piece is housed in the inner periphery of the cylindrical recess without the tip of the one end protruding from the surface of the link plate. Link plate locking structure characterized by