JPS6129899Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to an improvement in key cylinders for automobiles, and in particular to the shutter thereof.

Conventionally, there is a key cylinder for automobiles having a structure shown in FIG. 1, for example. As is clear from the figure, this key cylinder has a cylindrical outer casing 1 that is formed by die casting and has a drain hole 2 that communicates the inside and outside of the key cylinder.
, a key cylinder main body 3 inserted into this outer casing 1, and a cap 4 fitted to the key plate insertion side end of the key cylinder main body 3.
and a cover 5, etc. In particular, as shown in FIG. It is attached so that it can be opened and closed through. When operating the keys for locking and unlocking the key cylinder, the shutter 7 is pushed open by inserting the key plate 9 through the window 4a (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 110257/1983).

However, since such a conventional key cylinder has only one shutter, when water is sprayed from a hose H during a car wash, etc., the water pressure causes the shutter 7 to open as shown in Fig. 3. opens and water enters the key cylinder body 3, which not only becomes the main cause of rust, but also
In winter, ice forms inside the key cylinder body, and in either case there is a problem in that the keys cannot be operated due to water intrusion.

In view of the above points, this invention was made with the aim of reliably preventing the intrusion of water, which is the main cause of key cylinder failure.
Two shutters are arranged in series, and the centers of rotation of the shutters are shifted 180 degrees from each other, creating a so-called staggered relationship.

Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of this invention, and the same parts as in FIG. .

The cap 10 consists of an inner cap 11 and an outer cap 12 that is longer than the inner cap 11 and has a slightly larger diameter. It is fitted into the outer cap 12 with a constant gap S, and its axial position is determined by a protrusion 13 formed by protruding a part of the outer cap 12 inward. And outer cap 1
2 is formed with a drain hole 14 that penetrates the inside and outside of the gap S at approximately the center thereof.

In addition, rectangular windows 15a and 15b for inserting a key plate are formed in the inner cap 11 and outer cap 12, respectively, and return springs 16a and 16b are provided to close these windows 15a and 15b. Inner and outer shutters 17 and 18, which are always biased in the closing direction, are arranged separately for each of the window portions 15a and 15b. These two shutters 17, 18 have their shafts 17a, 18a fixed to the inner bottoms of the inner cap 11 and outer cap 12, respectively, so that
The shafts 17a and 18a are rotatable to open and close the shutters 17a and 15b, respectively.The shafts 17a and 18a, that is, the shafts 17 and 18 have their respective rotation centers located at the key plate as shown in FIG. 9 (or the axis of the key cylinder body 3), they are parallel to each other, but their respective positions are shifted by 180 degrees from each other. In other words, the two inner and outer shutters 17, 18 are arranged in series in the axial direction of the key cylinder body 3, and the rotation centers of these shutters 17, 18 are clear from FIG. The settings are made so that they are staggered. As will be described later, when the shutters 17 and 18 open, the outer shutter 1 opens before the inner shutter 17 opens.
8 will open first, but when the outer shutter 18 opens, the free end of the outer shutter 18 will be in contact with the center of rotation of the inner shutter 17 as close as possible. The sizes of the shutters 17 and 18 are set. Although the cover is not shown in this embodiment, it goes without saying that it is provided in the same arrangement as in FIG.

However, in the above configuration, when the key plate 9 is inserted through the window 15b of the outer cap 12 as shown in FIG. 4 when operating the key for locking or unlocking, the pushing force first causes the shutter 18 on the outer side to move. The outer shutter 18 is pushed open with the shaft 18a as the center of rotation, and the free end of the outer shutter 18 is connected to the inner shutter 1.
7, the inner shutter 17 is also pushed open using the rotation center of the shaft 17a.

As a result, insertion of the key plate 9 into the key cylinder main body 3 is permitted, allowing desired key operations.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when water is sprayed onto the key cylinder with a hose H or the like when washing a car, depending on the magnitude of the water pressure, the outer shutter 18 may be pushed open and connected to the inner cap 11. Although water will enter the gap S between the keys, this water will be discharged from the drain hole 14 to the outside of the key cylinder.

Further, as the water pressure further increases, the degree of opening of the outer shutter 18 gradually increases, and the outer shutter 18 gradually increases.
The free end of the shutter 17 presses against the inner shutter 17, and the water pressure is applied to the outer shutter 1.
8, it also acts as a force to push open the inner shutter 17. Here, when the free end of the outer shutter 18 presses against the inner shutter 17, the size of the shutter is adjusted so that the position of the contact is as close as possible to the center of rotation of the inner shutter 17. is set in advance, an extremely large rotational moment is required for the outer shutter 18 to push open the inner shutter 17. Therefore, under normal water discharging conditions, the outer shutter 18 stops while being pressed against the inner shutter 17, and the inner shutter 17 is not pushed open. As a result, the intrusion of water into the key cylinder due to water discharge is blocked before the inner cap 11, and this water is drained through the water drain hole 1 as described above.
4, water is prevented from entering deeper than the inner cap, that is, into the key cylinder body 3.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to this invention, it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering the key cylinder body due to water spray, etc., without increasing the size of the key cylinder. It is possible to eliminate malfunction of the key cylinder due to icing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional key cylinder, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the cap in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the state of water intrusion into the key cylinder shown in Figure 1. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the key cylinder of this invention, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing details of the cap of the key cylinder, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the key cylinder. FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view for explaining the state of water intrusion in the case. 3... Key cylinder body, 9... Key plate, 11... Inner cap, 12... Outer cap, 17, 18... Shutter, 17
a, 18a...axis.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a key cylinder in which a rotatable shutter for opening and closing the insertion portion is provided at the end of the key cylinder body on the key plate insertion side, at least two shutters are arranged at a certain interval in the axial direction of the key cylinder body. A key cylinder characterized in that the shutters are arranged in series with the shutters separated from each other, and the centers of rotation of these shutters are staggered.