JPH1088886A - Lock device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the engagement load of a striker and a latch plate, and to prevent looseness in locking by installing a bumper rubber divided into first and second elastic sections by a steel plate into the notched groove of a lock device body. SOLUTION: A bumper rubber 16 consisting of a uniform material, being formed in an approximately rectangular shape and being divided into a first elastic section 16-1 and a second elastic section 16-2 having a large contact area with a steel plate 17 by the steel plate 17 crossed at right angles with the direction of the penetration of a striker 1 is mounted into the notched groove 12A of a lock device body 10. The striker 1 penetrated from the direction of the arrow c1 pushes the first elastic section 16-1, and a latch plate 13 is rotated up to the place of engagement with a locking plate 14 by comparatively small reaction. When the latch plate 13 crosses over the place of engagement and over-travels, the second elastic section 16-2 having a large pressure- receiving area is pushed and deformed through the steel plate 17 as the first elastic section 16-1 is left as it is compressed, reaction against the striker 1 is increased, and looseness at the time of locking is prevented surely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lock device suitable as, for example, an automobile door lock or hood lock device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of lock device, for example, a lock device described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 60-40666 is known.

[0003] In such a locking device, a latch plate (an "engaging claw" in the same publication) that rotates by engaging with a striker is formed on a base in which a striker entrance groove (an "opening" in the same publication) is formed. And a locking plate capable of preventing the rotation of the latch plate (in the publication, “operating claw”).
Are rotatably supported, and furthermore, when the striker enters the entrance groove, the buffer (in the publication, “buffer”) is deformed by pressure. The shock-absorbing body is deformed by pressurization, thereby suppressing an impact when the striker enters or suppressing rattling when the striker is locked.

[0004]

By the way, in order for the locking plate to be mechanically engaged with the latch plate in order to prevent the rotation of the latch plate, the locking plate must be temporarily engaged with the latch plate (hereinafter simply referred to as the engagement position). (Also called "engagement position")
Needs to be further rotated to a position slightly beyond the above. In other words, the latch plate is further rotated by the striker to a position slightly beyond the engagement position with the locking plate, whereby the locking plate is engaged with the latch plate, and thereafter, the latch plate is engaged. Returning to the mating position, the engaged state is maintained. Thus, the extra rotation of the latch plates beyond their engagement position due to engagement with the locking plates is defined as "overtravel".

[0005] In the case of the above-mentioned conventional lock device, the shock absorber is
In accordance with the penetration amount of the striker in the penetration groove, that is, the rotation amount of the latch plate pivoted by the striker, the striker is simply pressed and deformed.
A reaction force corresponding to the amount of pressing deformation of the shock absorber is applied to the striker regardless of the rotation of the latch plate to the engagement position with the locking plate and the overtravel of the latch plate.

However, in such a lock device,
For example, in order to reliably prevent backlash when the striker is locked, if the amount of pressing deformation of the shock absorber is increased and the reaction force from the shock absorber is set to be large, the engagement of the latch plate with the locking plate is prevented. The rotation resistance up to the engagement position, that is, the engagement load between the latch plate and the striker increases. On the other hand, when the amount of pressing deformation of the buffer is reduced to reduce the meshing load and the reaction force from the buffer is set to be small, rattling at the time of locking the striker cannot be prevented. Problems arise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock device capable of reducing the engagement load between a latch plate and a striker and reliably preventing backlash when the striker is locked.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A lock device according to the present invention comprises:
An apparatus main body in which an entrance groove through which a striker can enter is formed, a latch plate rotatably supported by the apparatus main body and engaged with the striker entering the entrance groove to rotate; A locking plate rotatably supported by the apparatus main body and capable of engaging with the latch plate to prevent rotation of the latch plate; and a locking plate disposed on the apparatus main body, wherein the latch plate engages with the locking plate. A shock absorber which is elastically deformed when rotating to provide a reaction force, wherein the shock absorber is relatively movable when the latch plate turns to an engagement position with the locking plate. A first elastic portion that is elastically deformed so as to apply a small reaction force; and a first elastic portion that is relatively large when the latch plate overtravels for engagement with the locking plate. And having a second elastic portion is elastically deformed so as to have imparted a reaction force.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 7 are views for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a base plate, 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a cover plate, and a device body 10 of the lock device is formed by combining these. Base plate 1
1 has an entry groove 11A that allows the striker 1 to enter from the direction of arrow C1. Plate 11, 1
2, a latch plate 13 is rotatably supported by the shaft 2 so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows A1 and A2. The latch plate 13 has first and second legs 13A, 1A.
3B and a locking portion 13C for locking one end of the return spring 3 are formed. Further, the first leg 1
An engagement portion 13D that can be engaged with a locking plate 14 described later is formed inside 3A.

A locking plate 14 is rotatably supported by the shaft 4 between the base plate 11 and the cover plate 12 so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows B1 and B2. The locking plate 14 has an engagement portion 14A that can be engaged with the engagement portion 13D of the latch plate 13 described above.
And a connection hole 14B that fits with the substantially L-shaped tip 15A of the operation rod 15 is formed. The base end 15B of the operation rod 15 is connected to an operation mechanism (not shown). The other end of the return spring 3 is locked to the distal end 15A of the operation rod 15, and the tension of the return spring urges the latch plate 13 in the direction of arrow A1 and the locking plate 14 in the direction of arrow B1. It is urged to.

Further, a notch groove 12A is formed in the cover plate 12 at a position facing the entrance groove 11A. In addition, a protrusion 12B that protrudes downward in FIG.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a bumper rubber as a buffer, which is formed of a uniform material into a substantially rectangular shape fitted into the notch groove 12A. This bumper rubber 1
6, a contact portion 16A capable of contacting the striker 1, a fitting hole 16B capable of fitting with the protruding portion 12B of the cover plate 12, as shown in FIGS. An insertion hole 16C into which the steel plate 17 is inserted is formed, and the fitting hole 16B is held in the notch groove 12A as shown in FIG. 1 by fitting the fitting hole 16B with the protrusion 12B of the cover plate 12. . The steel plate 17 is mounted at a fixed position in the insertion hole 16C by fitting the cutouts 17A on both sides thereof with the projections 16D in the insertion hole 16C.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steel plate 17 is provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the approach direction C1 of the striker 1, and the bumper rubber 16 is formed by the steel plate 17 as shown in FIG. The first of the range S1 on the contact portion 16A side
The elastic portion 16-1 and the second elastic portion 16- in the range S2 on the fitting hole 16B side, that is, on the protruding portion 12B side of the cover plate 12.
It is divided into two. The contact area between the second elastic portion 16-2 and the steel plate 17 is set larger than the contact area between the first elastic portion 16-1 and the striker 1.

Next, the operation will be described.

First, when the striker 1 enters the entrance groove 11A from the direction of arrow C1, as shown in FIG. 5A, the striker 1 is moved to the first leg 13 of the latch plate 13.
A against the force of the spring 3 and the arrow A2
Rotate in the direction. Then, the second leg 13 </ b> B is
1A, the latch plate 13 engages with the striker 1 to prevent the striker 1 from separating in the direction of arrow C2. The locking plate 14 is a latch plate 13
5A, once rotated in the direction of arrow B2 as shown in FIG. 5A, and then engaged at the rotational position in the direction of arrow B1 as shown in FIG. The portion 14A engages with the engaging portion 13D of the latch plate 13 to prevent the latch plate 13 from rotating in the direction of arrow A1. Thus, the striker 1 is locked. Thereafter, the locking plate 14 is rotated in the direction of arrow B2 against the force of the spring 3, so that the engagement with the latch plate 13 is released, and the latch plate 13 rotates and returns in the direction of arrow A1. Then, the striker 1 is released.

Incidentally, the latch plate 14 is shown in FIG.
After turning in the direction of arrow A2 as shown in FIG.
The locked state of the striker 1 as shown in (b), that is, the engagement portion 13D of the latch plate 13 and the locking plate 1
In order for the latch plate 13 to be engaged with the engagement portion 14A, the latch plate 13 is moved to a position slightly beyond the engagement position (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the "engagement position").
Extra rotation in two directions is required. That is, FIG.
As shown in (c), when the latch plate 13 slightly turns slightly in the direction of the arrow A2 from the engagement position with the locking plate 14, the latch plate 13 separates from the locking plate 14, and the locking plate 14 is moved. From the rotational position in the direction of arrow B2 as shown in FIG.
It rotates to the engagement position as shown in FIG. The extra rotation of the latch plate 13 necessary for the engagement between the latch plate 13 and the locking plate 14 corresponds to the above-mentioned overtravel.

The bumper rubber 16 exhibits a two-stage bending characteristic according to the position of the striker 1 in the entrance groove 11A.

That is, first, the striker 1 is indicated by an arrow C1.
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, while the latch plate 13 is rotated from the direction to the contact surface 16A of the bumper rubber 16 and the latch plate 13 is rotated to the engagement position with the locking plate 14, as shown in FIGS. Sixteenth first elastic portion 16-1
(See FIG. 2) is greatly pressed and deformed by the striker 1. Thereafter, while the latch plate 13 is overtravelling, the second elastic portion 16-2 is mainly pressed and deformed via the steel plate 17 while the first elastic portion 16-1 is strongly compressed by the striker 1.

In the former first-stage pressing deformation, since the pressure receiving area of the first elastic portion 16-1 with respect to the striker 1 is relatively small, the first elastic portion 16-1 is easily elastically deformed. The reaction force applied to the striker 1 is also relatively small, and the rotation resistance of the latch plate 13 to the engagement position with the locking plate 14, that is, the striker 1
And the latching load of the latch plate 13 is reduced. This is advantageous in facilitating the use of the locking device. On the other hand, in the latter second stage pressing deformation, the steel plate 17 mainly presses and deforms the second elastic portion 16-2 with a relatively large contact area, so that the second elastic portion 16-2 is hardly elastically deformed. Accordingly, the reaction force applied to the striker 1 becomes relatively large. This is advantageous in preventing rattling when the striker 1 is locked.

Also, as in this embodiment, the first and second elastic portions 1
Providing the bumper rubber 16 so that the 6-1 and 16-2 are located along the approach direction of the striker 1 allows the bumper rubber 16 to be efficiently disposed at a position behind the approach groove 11A, and the lock device itself can be reduced in size. It is also advantageous in aiming.

FIG. 6 shows the engagement load F and the bumper rubber 16.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the relationship between the deflection amount and the deflection amount of P1, P2, P3, and P4 on the curve A in FIG.
(A), corresponding to the operation time points in FIGS. 5 (b) and 5 (c),
The range from P1 to P3 corresponds to the above-described first-stage pressing deformation, and the range from P3 to P4 corresponds to the above-described second-stage pressing deformation. A curve B in the figure is a comparative example, and represents a characteristic when a conventional bumper rubber that is simply formed integrally with a uniform material and does not include the steel plate 17 is used. Since the amount of deflection of the bumper rubber changes with a substantially constant relationship with the meshing load F regardless of the overtravel, a two-stage bending characteristic similar to that of the above-described bumper rubber 16 cannot be obtained. .

The lock device of this embodiment can be used, for example, as a lock device for a vehicle seat S as shown in FIG. In the case of FIG. 7, the apparatus main body 10 is mounted on the seat back side, the striker 1 is fixed on the wall W side of the vehicle body, and a meshing load F is applied from the direction of the arrow in the figure where the seat back is folded down. .

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a view for explaining another example of the configuration of the bumper rubber 16. The bumper rubber 16 of this example is formed of a first material formed of a relatively soft material. It has a superposed structure of the elastic portion 16-1 and the second elastic portion 16-2 formed of a relatively hard material.

The first and second elastic portions 16-1 and 16-2 are located along the approach direction C1 of the striker 1, and the second elastic portion 16-2 is a cover plate conceptually shown in FIG. 1
2 is located on the side of the protrusion 12B. Therefore, when the striker 1 comes into contact with the bumper rubber 16 from the approach direction of the arrow C1, first, the first elastic portion 16-1 is mainly pressed and deformed, and after the first elastic portion 16-1 is sufficiently deformed, the second elastic portion 16-1 is mainly deformed. 2 will be pressed and deformed. As a result, a two-stage bending characteristic similar to that of the bumper rubber 16 in the first embodiment described above is obtained.

Also, as in this embodiment, the first and second elastic portions 1
Forming 6-1 and 16-2 from different materials is advantageous in design because it is easy to set an optimum bending characteristic according to the material, shape, and the like.

(Other Embodiments) The bumper rubber 16 is
In addition to being provided at the position where it comes into contact with the striker 1 as in the above-described embodiment, it may be provided at a position where it comes into contact with the latch plate 13. The mounting structure of the bumper rubber 16 is as follows.
In addition to the fitting structure with the protrusion 12B of the cover plate 12,
Various structures can be adopted.

In the first embodiment, the method of joining the steel plate 17 and the bumper rubber 16 is arbitrary, and the steel plate 17 may be integrated into the bumper rubber 16 by molding. Also, the second
In the embodiment, the first and second elastic portions 16-1 and 16-1
The method of bonding -2 is also arbitrary, and a method such as adhesion or welding can be employed.

Further, the first and second elastic portions 16-1 and 16-2 in the first and second embodiments are configured separately, and they are separated from each other so that they are pressed and deformed at different timings. May be deployed. For example, the elastic part 16-1
And the elastic portion 16-2 may be provided separately at a contact position with the striker 1 and at a contact position with the latch plate 13.

[0031]

As described above, in the lock device of the present invention, the latch plate is engaged with the locking plate as a buffer which is elastically deformed when the latch plate is rotated to engage with the locking plate. A first elastic portion that is elastically deformed to apply a relatively small reaction force when pivoting to the position, and applies a relatively large reaction force when the latch plate overtravels for engagement with the locking plate. By providing a buffer having a second elastic portion that is elastically deformed, the buffer has a two-stage bending characteristic to reduce the meshing load between the latch plate and the striker, and to lock the striker at the time of locking. Rattling can be reliably prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a bumper rubber according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a bumper rubber according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a two-stage bending characteristic of the bumper rubber according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of use of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a bumper rubber according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Striker 10 Device main body 11 Base plate 11A Entry groove 12 Cover plate 12A Notch groove 12B Projection part 13 Latch plate 14 Locking plate 16 Bumper rubber (buffer) 16-1 1st elastic part 16-2 2nd elastic part 16A Contact Part 16B Fitting hole 16C Insertion hole 17 Steel plate (regulation plate)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus main body having an entrance groove through which a striker can enter, and a pivotally supported by the apparatus main body, and meshing with the striker entering the entrance groove to rotate. A latch plate, a locking plate rotatably supported by the device main body and capable of engaging with the latch plate to prevent rotation of the latch plate; and a locking plate disposed on the device main body, wherein the latch plate is A shock absorber that is elastically deformed and applies a reaction force when pivoted to engage with the locking plate, wherein the shock absorber rotates the latch plate to an engagement position with the locking plate. A first elastic portion which is elastically deformed to apply a relatively small reaction force when moving, and wherein the latch plate is overtraveled for engagement with the locking plate; Locking device characterized in that it comprises a second elastic portion is elastically deformed to impart a relatively large reaction force at the time that. 2. The buffer body has a superposed structure in which a restricting body is interposed between the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion, and is provided at a contact position with the striker entering the entrance groove. , The first elastic portion along the approach direction of the striker,
Disposing the buffer so that the restricting body and the second elastic portion are sequentially positioned, wherein the restricting member has a larger area than a contact area of the striker with the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the locking device contacts. 3. The shock absorber has an overlapped structure in which the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion are overlapped, and the striker enters the striker at a contact position with the striker entering the entrance groove. The buffer is provided so that the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion are sequentially located along the first elastic portion, and the first elastic portion is formed of an elastic material harder than the second elastic portion. The lock device according to claim 1, wherein