JP4701107B2 - Electric steering lock device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric steering lock device that locks rotation of a steering shaft of an automobile.

  A conventional electric steering lock device of this type is disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the electric steering lock device 100 includes a case 103 including a case main body 101 and a case cover 102 covering the case main body 101. In the case 103, a motor 104, a worm gear 105 that transmits the rotation of the motor 104, a worm wheel 106 that meshes with the worm gear 105, a cam mechanism 107 that changes by the rotation of the worm wheel 106, and the cam mechanism A locking rod 108 that is linearly moved by 107 is accommodated.

  In the case 103, a substrate 110 constituting a motor drive circuit is accommodated. A connector 111 for external connection is fixed to the substrate 110. The mating connector insertion side of the connector 111 is exposed to the outside from the connector opening 112 (see FIG. 8) of the case 103.

  In the above configuration, when the rotation of the motor 104 is transmitted to the cam mechanism 107, the cam mechanism 107 changes. The cam mechanism 107 causes the locking rod 108 to move forward and backward through the hole 101a of the case body 101, and changes between a lock position where a steering shaft (not shown) is locked and a lock release position where the steering shaft is not locked. .

By the way, the electric steering lock device 100 mounted on the vehicle is installed in a place with a lot of dust or the like as its external environment. If dust or the like enters the case 103, the substrate 110 and electronic components mounted on the substrate 110 may be adversely affected. Therefore, a spacer is generally interposed in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the connector 111 and the inner peripheral surface of the connector opening 112 so that external dust or the like does not enter the case 103. Conventionally, the housing components such as the motor 104 and the substrate 110 are assembled to the case main body 101, the case cover 102 is assembled to the case main body 101 after the assembly of the housing components is completed, and then the spacer is assembled. That is, the spacer is assembled in a subsequent process of the case assembling process.
JP 2005-343378 A

  However, when the spacer is performed after the case assembling step, there is a problem that the work efficiency of assembling the components is deteriorated. That is, it is because assembly efficiency is higher when the parts are assembled together in the part assembly process.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the electric steering lock apparatus which can perform a component assembly operation | work efficiently.

  The invention of claim 1, which achieves the above object, has an outer case and an inner case accommodated in the outer case, a motor and a transmission gear are accommodated in the inner case, and in the outer case, In addition, a board constituting a motor drive circuit is housed outside the inner case, a connector for external connection is fixed to the board, and the mating connector insertion port side of the connector is outside the connector opening of the outer case. A spacer that is exposed and interposed between the outer periphery of the connector and the inner peripheral surface of the connector opening is fixed to the substrate.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the electric steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein the outer case is composed of two outer divided case members, and an opening groove is formed on a mating surface of each outer divided case member. When both outer divided case members are formed, the connector opening is constituted by both the opening grooves, and the outer edge portion of the spacer is disposed on the outer surface side of each outer divided case member. It is characterized by that.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the electric steering lock device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the spacer is fastened together with the connector to the substrate with a screw.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, since the spacer can be assembled in the component assembling process to the substrate, a retrofitting process of assembling the spacer after the outer case is assembled is not necessary. As a result, the parts assembling work can be efficiently performed. Further, since the motor and the transmission gear are accommodated in the inner case, it is possible to prevent the grease of the motor and the transmission gear from being scattered on the substrate and the electronic components mounted thereon. Therefore, not only the dust from the outside but also the bad influence by the grease from the inside can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, when the mating connector is fitted to the connector, the connector fitting force acts on the connector. Can be received in the outer case. Therefore, damage to the connector and the board due to the connector fitting force can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, a screw used only for fixing the spacer is not required. Therefore, the number of parts is not increased.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electric steering lock device 1, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electric steering lock device 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the electric steering lock device 1, and FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the electric steering lock device 1 includes an outer case 4 including a case main body 2 and a case cover 3 which are two outer divided case members, and an inner case housed in the outer case 4. And 5.

  The case main body 2 and the case cover 3 are assembled and fixed by a fixing screw 6 in a state where the case main body 2 and the case cover 3 are aligned with each other. Opening grooves 7 a and 7 b are formed on the mating surfaces of the case body 2 and the case cover 3, respectively. When the case main body 2 and the case cover 3 are combined, the connector opening 7 is constituted by the grooves 7a and 7b for both openings.

  Similar to the outer case 4, the inner case 5 is composed of two inner divided case members 8 and 9 that are assembled together. In the inner case 5, there is a motor 10, a worm gear 11 that is a transmission gear fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 10, and a worm gear that meshes with the worm gear 11 and is rotatably supported by the inner case 5. The wheel 12, the first cam portion 13 provided integrally on one surface of the worm wheel 12, the second cam portion 14 provided integrally on the other surface of the worm wheel 12, and a steering shaft (not shown) The upper part of the lock member 15 that can be locked is accommodated.

  A holding lever 16 and a circuit board 17 constituting a motor drive circuit are housed inside the outer case 4 and at a position outside the inner case 5.

  The lock member 15 is supported so as to be able to move up and down (in the direction of arrow a) following the first cam portion 13. A lock position that protrudes outside through the hole 2a of the case body 2 and prevents the rotation of the steering shaft (not shown), and a lock that retracts into the case body 2 and allows the rotation of the steering shaft (not shown). Transition between release positions. The lock member 15 is urged by a compression spring 18 so as to move following the first cam portion 13.

  The holding lever 16 is supported so as to be able to swing (in the direction of arrow b) following the second cam portion 14. Then, the position is shifted between a standby position where the movement of the lock member 15 is allowed and a holding position where the lock member 15 is in the unlocked position and prevents the lock member 15 from moving toward the lock position. The holding lever 16 is urged by a coil spring 19 so as to move following the second cam portion 14.

  The substrate 17 has a large number of electronic components (not shown) mounted on the substrate surface, and a motor drive circuit is configured by the electronic components, printed wiring, and the like. An external connection connector 20 and a spacer 21 are fixed to the substrate 17 by being fastened together with the same screw 22. As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the connector 20 is disposed so that the mating connector insertion port side is exposed to the outside from the connector opening 7 of the outer case 4. The spacer 21 includes a frame-shaped spacer main body 21 a that covers the outer periphery of the connector 20, and a bracket portion 21 b that is provided integrally therewith and is screwed to the substrate 17. The spacer main body 21 a is interposed between the outer periphery of the connector 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the connector opening 7. Further, an outer edge collar portion 21 c (shown in FIG. 5) of the spacer main body 21 a is disposed on the outer surface side of the case main body 2 and the case cover 3.

  Next, the operation of the electric steering lock device 1 will be described. It is assumed that the lock member 15 is positioned at the lock position while parking. When a driver or the like depresses a steering lock / unlock button (not shown) to drive the vehicle in this locked state, the worm wheel 12 is rotated in the unlock direction by driving the motor 10. Then, the lock member 15 follows the first cam portion 13 and moves to the unlock position, and the driving of the motor 10 is stopped. On the other hand, the holding lever 16 is positioned at the standby position when the lock member 15 is locked. Then, when the lock member 15 moves to the unlock position, it is moved to the holding position. Thus, the operation to the unlock position is completed. When the lock member 15 is unlocked, the steering shaft (not shown) can freely rotate. Further, since the lock member 15 is held in position by the holding lever 16, even if a strong impact force is applied to the lock member 15, the lock member 15 does not move to the lock position side. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which a steering shaft (not shown) is locked while the vehicle is running.

  When a driver or the like presses a steering lock / unlock button (not shown) in order to park the vehicle in the unlocked position of the lock member 15, the worm wheel 12 is rotated in the lock direction by driving the motor 10, and the holding lever 16 is moved. Immediately move from the holding position to the standby position. On the other hand, when the worm wheel 12 rotates in the locking direction by driving the motor 10, the lock member 15 moves to the lock position following the first cam portion 32 after the holding lever 16 moves to the standby position. Driving is stopped. Thus, the operation to the lock position is completed. At the lock position of the lock member 15, the rotation of the steering shaft (not shown) is locked. Thereby, the vehicle theft during parking can be prevented.

  Next, a simple assembly procedure of the electric steering lock device 1 will be described. The upper part of the motor 10 with the worm gear 11, the worm wheel 12 and the lock member 15 is arranged at a predetermined position in the inner divided case members 8 and 9, and the inner divided case members 8 and 9 are locked to each other to lock the inner case 5. Assemble. On the other hand, the connector 20 and the spacer 21 are fastened together with screws 22 to the board 17 on which electronic components (not shown) are mounted.

  Next, the substrate 17 is fixed to the inner case 5 with screws 23. The assembly of the inner case 5 and the substrate 17 is temporarily arranged at a predetermined position of the case main body 2. The connector 20 fixed to the substrate 17 has its mating connector insertion side positioned in the connector opening groove 7 a of the case body 2. In addition, housing components such as the holding lever 16 and the substrate 17 are temporarily arranged at predetermined positions of the case body 2.

  Next, the case cover 3 is placed from above the case body 2. Here, the connector opening groove 7 b of the case cover 3 is positioned on the mating connector insertion port side of the connector 20. If the case cover 3 and the case main body 2 combined in this way are fixed with screws 6, the process is completed.

  As described above, since the spacer 21 can be assembled in the component assembling process to the substrate 17, there is no need for a retrofitting process such as assembling the spacer 21 after the outer case 4 is assembled as in the conventional example. As a result, the parts assembling work can be efficiently performed. Further, since the motor 10, the worm gear 11 and the worm wheel 12 are accommodated in the inner case 5, the grease of the motor 10, the worm gear 11 and the worm wheel 12 is scattered on the substrate 17 and electronic components (not shown) mounted thereon. Can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent adverse effects caused not only by dust from the outside but also by grease from the inside.

  In the first embodiment, the outer case 4 includes a case main body 2 and a case cover 3, and opening grooves 7 a and 7 b are formed on the mating surfaces of the case main body 2 and the case cover 3, respectively. When the case cover 3 is combined, the connector opening 7 is constituted by both the opening grooves 7 a and 7 b, and the outer edge collar portion 21 c of the spacer 21 is arranged on the outer surface side of the case main body 2 and the case cover 3. Therefore, when a mating connector (not shown) is fitted to the connector 20, a connector fitting force acts on the connector 20, but a part of this connector fitting force is received by the outer case 4 via the spacer 21. Can do. Therefore, damage to the connector 20 and the board 17 due to the connector fitting force can be reduced.

  In the first embodiment, the spacer 21 is fastened together with the connector 20 together with the connector 20 by the screw 22, so that a screw used only for fixing the spacer 21 is not necessary. Therefore, the number of parts is not increased.

  In this 1st Embodiment, although the transmission gear is comprised from the worm gear 11 and the worm wheel 12 which were fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 10, it is not limited to this. That is, the transmission gear may be any gear that can transmit the rotation of the motor 10 to the cam mechanism (the first cam portion 13 and the second cam portion 14).

Second Embodiment
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the arrangement of the connector 20 and the spacer 21 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment, the spacer 21 is fastened to the substrate 17 together with the connector 20 with a screw 22 as in the first embodiment. The spacer 21 includes a frame-shaped spacer main body 21 a that covers the outer periphery of the connector 20 and a bracket portion 21 b. However, unlike the first embodiment, the connector opening 30 is formed by a single hole formed in the outer case 4.

  The connector 20 provided with the spacer 21 is inserted into the connector opening 30 from the inside of the outer case 4 as shown by an arrow c in FIG. 6, and the outer edge collar portion 21 c is placed on the outer periphery of the connector opening 30 of the outer case 4. Insert until it hits. Accordingly, the outer edge collar portion 21 c of the spacer main body 21 a is disposed on the inner surface side of the outer case 4.

  Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus a duplicate description is avoided.

  According to the second embodiment, the connector 20 can be disposed at a predetermined position simply by inserting the connector 20 with the spacer 21 into the connector opening 30 of the outer case 4. Therefore, unlike the first embodiment, when the case cover 3 is assembled to the case main body 2, there is no need to consider the positional relationship with the connector 20, and there is an advantage that the assemblability of the outer case 4 is good.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an electric steering lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of an electric steering lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of an electric steering lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of an electric steering lock device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention and shows the arrangement | positioning state of a connector and a spacer. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention and shows the arrangement | positioning state of a connector and a spacer. It is a cross-sectional view of a conventional electric steering lock device. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the electric steering lock device of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electric Steering Lock Device 2 Case Body (Outer Split Case Member)
3 Case cover (outer split case member)
4 outer case 5 inner case 7 connector opening 7a, 7b groove for connector opening 10 motor 11 worm gear (transmission gear)
12 Worm wheel (transmission gear)
17 Substrate 20 Connector 21 Spacer 21c Outer edge collar 22 Screw

Claims (3)

An outer case,
An inner case accommodated in the outer case,
A motor and a transmission gear are accommodated in the inner case,
A substrate constituting a motor drive circuit is housed in the outer case and outside the inner case,
Fixing a connector for external connection to the substrate;
Exposing the mating connector insertion port side of the connector to the outside from the connector opening of the outer case,
An electric steering lock device, wherein a spacer interposed between an outer periphery of the connector and an inner peripheral surface of the connector opening is fixed to the substrate. The electric steering lock device according to claim 1,
The outer case is composed of two outer divided case members, and grooves for openings are formed on the mating surfaces of the outer divided case members. When the outer divided case members are combined, both the openings The connector opening is constituted by a groove for use,
An electric steering lock device, wherein an outer edge flange portion of the spacer is disposed on an outer surface side of each outer divided case member. The electric steering lock device according to claim 1 or 2,
The electric steering lock device, wherein the spacer is fastened to the board together with the connector with a screw.

Images