JP2014145150A - Crewman protection mechanism of key - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a key occupant protection mechanism capable of achieving both protection of an occupant when an excessive load is applied and ensuring the strength of a key plate during normal use.
A jack knife key has a key plate 3 rotatably attached to a key housing 2 via a clevis 4. The base end 8 of the key plate 3 is fixedly inserted into the key plate insertion hole 9 of the clevis 4. The base end portion 8 is provided with a thin portion 13 whose thickness is set to be thinner than that of the key plate main body 10 so that the key plate 3 can be easily detached from the clevis 4. A pair of grooves 16 that facilitate bending of the key plate 3 are formed on the front and back surfaces near the base of the key plate body 10. When the jack knife key is inserted into the key cylinder and the occupant collides with the jack knife key and an excessive load is applied, the key plate 3 is first bent along the groove 16 and then deformed by the thin portion 13. The key plate 3 is detached from the key housing 2.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a key occupant protection mechanism that protects an occupant from a key even when the occupant collides with a key inserted into a key cylinder, for example.

  Conventionally, a vehicle key includes a jack knife key that can be stored by folding a key plate into a key housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By the way, the jack knife key has a relatively large key casing because the key plate is housed in the key casing, that is, the key size increases. For this reason, for example, it is necessary to consider what to do when the jackknife key comes into strong contact with the driver's knee or the like during operation in which the jackknife key is inserted into the key cylinder of the driver's seat. As an example of this countermeasure, for example, a structure is known in which a groove is formed on the front and back surfaces of a key plate of a jack knife key and the key plate is broken at the groove portion to release the load.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-80971

  However, in the case of a countermeasure for forming a groove in the key plate as described above, there is a problem that the strength of the key plate is inevitably lowered due to the provision of a groove for promoting breakage in the key plate. Therefore, as the product needs of the key, it is possible to release the load applied to the occupant from the key when the occupant collides with the key inserted in the key cylinder, and the key plate has sufficient strength during normal use There was a need for new structures that could be secured. This need is not limited to jackknife keys, but is also applicable to other types of keys.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a key occupant protection mechanism capable of achieving both protection of an occupant when an excessive load is applied and ensuring the strength of a key plate during normal use.

  A key occupant protection mechanism that solves the above problems includes a key plate having a key groove and a key body portion to which the key plate is attached and fixed, and is inserted into a key cylinder provided in a driver's seat of the vehicle. In the configuration in which the key plate body is operated, the base end portion fixed to the key body portion in the key plate is provided with a detachment mechanism that is formed at least partially thinner than the key plate body.

  According to this configuration, when the key is inserted into the key cylinder, for example, when an occupant collides with the key and an excessive load is applied to the key, the release mechanism works and the key plate is detached from the key body. As a result, only the key plate remains in the key cylinder. For this reason, it is not necessary to press the key main body strongly against the occupant, so that the occupant can be protected from the key. In this configuration, the key plate and the key body can be detached without providing a groove or the like in the key plate, so that the strength of the key plate during normal use is ensured. As described above, it is possible to achieve both protection of the occupant when the occupant collides with the key and ensuring the strength of the key plate during normal use.

  In the key occupant protection mechanism, it is preferable that the detachment mechanism is a thin portion formed thinly in a thickness direction at a base end portion of the key plate. According to this configuration, it is possible to achieve both protection of the occupant and securing the strength of the key plate with a simple shape in which the base end portion of the key plate is thinned in the thickness direction.

  In the key occupant protection mechanism, it is preferable that a groove for promoting bending of the key plate is formed at a position near the base end portion in the key plate body. According to this configuration, when the key is inserted into the key cylinder, for example, when an occupant collides with the key and an excessive load is applied to the key, the key plate is first bent by the groove, and the key plate is bent. Later, the key plate is detached from the key body. For this reason, the key plate remaining in the state of being inserted into the key cylinder is bent in the groove, so that the amount of protrusion from the key cylinder can be reduced. Therefore, the key plate remaining in the key cylinder after separation from the key body portion is unlikely to get in the way.

  In the key occupant protection mechanism, the base end portion of the key plate is formed with a locking protrusion serving as a locking portion to the key body, and the locked portion formed on the key body is It is preferable that the fixing between the key plate and the key main body is ensured by the locking protrusions being locked. According to this configuration, the locking protrusion provided at the base end portion of the key plate is locked to the locked portion provided at the key main body, so that the effect of securing the mounting strength of the key plate is enhanced.

  In the key occupant protection mechanism, when the load is applied, the key plate maintains the state where the locked portion is directly attached to the key main body portion, and the locking projection is deformed, It is preferable to detach from the key body. According to this configuration, when an excessive load is applied to the key, only the key plate is deformed and detached from the key body, so that the key plate can be smoothly separated from the key body.

  In the key occupant protection mechanism, the key plate is attached and fixed to a rotation shaft portion provided in the key main body portion, and the shaft of the rotation shaft portion is stored in the housed state inside the key main body portion. It is preferable that it is a jack knife type which can be operated in a protruding state by rotating around. According to this configuration, the jack knife key has a large key size because the key plate is stored in the key body. For this reason, the possibility that the occupant's (driver's) knee comes into contact with the key during driving increases. Therefore, if this configuration is adopted for the jack knife key, it is possible to protect the occupant with a key that easily contacts a part of the occupant's body during driving.

  According to the present invention, in a key inserted and operated in a key cylinder of a driver's seat of a vehicle, it is possible to achieve both protection of an occupant when an excessive load is applied and ensuring the strength of a key plate during normal use. it can.

It is a top view of a jack knife key, (a) is a figure when a key plate is in the accommodation state, (b) is a figure when the key plate is in a protruding state. Side view of jackknife key. The plane sectional view in the base end part vicinity of a key plate. II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (A)-(c) is a state transition diagram until a key plate and a key housing | casing isolate | separate when a load is applied to the jack knife key inserted in the key cylinder. The elements on larger scale which show the deformation | transformation state of the base end part of the key plate which removed from the key housing | casing.

An embodiment of a key occupant protection mechanism will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a jack knife key (folding key) 1 is provided with a key housing 2 that serves as a grip portion of the jack knife key 1. A plate-like key plate 3 in which a key groove is formed is attached to the key housing 2 via a clevis 4 that is a substantially U-shaped joint so as to be rotatable. The key plate 3 rotates approximately 180 degrees along the axis of the clevis 4 in the clockwise direction on the paper (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1A). The key housing 2 is provided with an operation button 5 that is operated when the stored key plate 3 is rotated to the protruding state. The jack knife key 1 is an example of a key, and the key housing 2 and the clevis 4 are examples of a key body.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a slit-like key plate storage portion 6 is provided at the side of the key housing 2 and serves as a storage location for the key plate 3 when the key plate 3 is in the storage state. When the operation button 5 is operated when the key plate 3 is in the retracted state, the key plate 3 moves along the axis of the clevis 4 together with the clevis 4 by the biasing force of a biasing mechanism such as a spring in the key housing 2. Around 180 degrees, it becomes a protruding state. The key plate 3 in the protruding state is returned to the original storage state by being turned in the reverse direction by manual operation and folded.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the jack knife key 1 is inserted into a key cylinder 7 (see FIG. 1B, etc.) in the driver's seat, for example, when the occupant is a jack knife key. An occupant protection structure is provided for protecting the occupant from the jack knife key 1 when the key 1 is violently contacted. The occupant protection structure of the present example allows the key casing 2 to be detached from the key plate 3 when the occupant violently collides with the jack knife key 1, and the protrusion K of the key plate 3 remaining on the key cylinder 7 (FIG. 5 ( c)) is suppressed to a specified amount or less. The key cylinder 7 is a so-called ignition cylinder installed at the driver's seat in the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the clevis 4 is provided with a key plate insertion hole 9 for inserting and fixing the base end portion 8 of the key plate 3. The base end portion 8 of the key plate 3 is formed narrower in the width direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3) than the key plate body 10 in which the key groove is formed. In the clevis 4, a fixing pin 11 for fixing the key plate 3 inserted into the key plate insertion hole 9 to the clevis 4 is installed so as to extend in the thickness direction of the clevis 4 (Z-axis direction in FIG. 3). Yes. The fixing pin 11 is an example of the locked portion.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the base end portion 8 of the key plate 3 is formed with a seat portion 12 assembled to the key plate insertion hole 9 without a gap and a thickness Wb thinner than the seat portion 12 (key plate body 10). And the thinned portion 13. The thickness Wa of the seat 12 is formed to be the same as that of the key plate main body 10 because it needs to be firmly assembled in the key plate insertion hole 9. The reason why the thin portion 13 is provided at the base end of the key plate 3 is to make it easy to remove the key plate 3 from the clevis 4. The thin portion 13 is disposed on the same axis as the key plate body 10 (seat portion 12). The thin portion 13 is an example of a detachment mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the thin-walled portion 13 is formed with a substantially claw-like locking protrusion 14 that is locked to the fixing pin 11. The locking protrusion 14 is formed as a claw-shaped protrusion by forming a substantially arc-shaped cutout 15 at the base. The key plate 3 is attached and fixed to the clevis 4 at the base end 8 by taking the state that the seat 12 is assembled to the key plate insertion hole 9 without any gap and the locking projection 14 is caught by the fixing pin 11. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the key plate 3, near the base of the key plate body 10, a pair of grooves 16 that promote bending of the key plate 3 are formed on both the front surface and the back surface. The depth Wc of the groove 16 does not need to be deep enough to break the key plate 3 and may be any depth that can ensure the bending of the key plate 3.

Next, the effect | action of the passenger | crew protection structure of this example is demonstrated using FIG.5 and FIG.6.
As shown in FIG. 5A, it is assumed that a predetermined load is applied to the key housing 2 from above in a state where the jack knife key 1 is inserted into the key cylinder 7. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, first, the key plate body 10 is bent by the pair of grooves 16 at the base. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, after the key plate body 10 is bent, the key plate 3 cannot maintain the locking with the fixing pin 11 due to the deformation of the thin portion 13 (the locking protrusion 14). Detach from the key housing 2.

  By the way, for the purpose of protecting the driver, for example, ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) has a requirement of “internal protrusion regulation”. This is because, for example, when the jack knife key 1 is inserted into the key cylinder 7 of the driver's seat, the key plate 3 is broken and remains in the key cylinder 7 when a predetermined load is applied to the jack knife key 1. This is a requirement to keep the protrusion amount K of the key plate 3 below a specified value. In this example, the key plate 3 is bent along the groove 16 when an excessive load is applied to the key housing 2, so that the key plate 3 remaining in the key cylinder 7 after being detached from the key housing 2. The amount of protrusion K of this will be below a specified amount.

  FIG. 6 shows a deformed shape of the thin portion 13 (locking protrusion 14) of the key plate 3 after being detached from the clevis 4. As shown in the figure, the key plate 3 is unlocked from the fixing pin 11 when the locking projection 14 at the tip of the thin portion 13 is deformed by a load. As a result, the key plate 3 is detached from the clevis 4 and the jack knife key 1 is prevented from coming into strong contact with the occupant.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The base plate 8 of the key plate 3 fixed to the key plate insertion hole 9 of the clevis 4 is provided with a thin portion 13 having a thickness set smaller than that of the key plate main body 10, and the key plate 3 is attached to the clevis. It was easy to detach from 4. For this reason, during operation in which the jack knife key 1 is inserted into the key cylinder 7, for example, if an occupant collides with the jack knife key 1 and an excessive load is applied, the thin portion 13 (the locking projection 14) is deformed. When the locking state with the fixing pin 11 is released, the key plate 3 is detached from the clevis 4 and only the key plate 3 remains in the key cylinder 7. Therefore, even if the occupant collides with the jack knife key 1, the key housing 2 does not need to be pressed strongly against the occupant, so that the occupant can be protected from the jack knife key 1. Further, in this configuration, when the key casing 2 and the key plate 3 are separated, it is not necessary to form a deep groove for breaking in the key plate 3, so that the strength of the key plate 3 during normal use is ensured. can do. As described above, if the configuration of this example is employed, it is possible to achieve both protection of the passenger and securing of the strength of the key plate 3.

  (2) By forming the thin-walled portion 13 in the thickness direction at the base end portion 8 of the key plate 3, the ease with which the key plate 3 is detached from the clevis 4 is secured. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both protection of the occupant and securing the strength of the key plate 3 with a simple shape in which the base end portion 8 of the key plate 3 is thinned in the thickness direction.

  (3) When the jack knife key 1 is inserted into the key cylinder 7 and an occupant collides with the jack knife key 1 and an excessive load is applied, the key plate 3 first bends along the groove 16 and the key After the plate 3 is bent, the key plate 3 is detached from the key housing 2 due to the deformation of the thin portion 13. For this reason, since the key plate 3 remaining in the key cylinder 7 is bent in the groove 16, the protrusion amount K from the key cylinder 7 is suppressed to a small value. Therefore, the key plate 3 remaining in the key cylinder 7 after separation from the key housing 2 is unlikely to get in the way. In addition, the requirement (ECE) that the protrusion amount K of the key plate 3 remaining in the key cylinder 7 is equal to or less than a specified value can be satisfied.

  (4) A substantially claw-like locking projection 14 is provided on the base end portion 8 (thin wall portion 13) of the key plate 3, and the locking projection 14 is locked to the fixing pin 11 of the clevis 4 so that the key The locked state of the plate 3 and the clevis 4 is maintained. Therefore, the effect of securing the attachment strength between the key plate 3 and the clevis 4 is enhanced.

  (5) When an excessive load is applied to the jack knife key 1 inserted into the key cylinder 7, the fixing pin 11 is maintained as it is, and only the thin portion 13 (locking projection 14) of the key plate 3 is maintained. The key plate 3 is detached from the clevis 4. Therefore, the key plate 3 can be smoothly separated from the clevis 4.

  (6) The jack knife key 1 has a large key size because the key plate 3 is housed in the key housing 2. For this reason, the possibility that an occupant's (driver's) knee or the like abuts the jack knife key 1 during driving increases. Therefore, if the occupant protection structure of this example is adopted for the jackknife key 1, the occupant can be protected with a key that easily contacts a part of the occupant's body during driving.

Note that the embodiment is not limited to the configuration described so far, and may be modified as follows.
In the key plate insertion hole 9, the space is not limited between the inner surface of the key plate insertion hole 9 and the thin portion 13. For example, by providing a thick portion in the clevis 4, the space May be buried.

The groove 16 may be formed only on one side. Further, the groove 16 may be omitted.
The locking protrusion 14 is not limited to the shape illustrated in the embodiment, and can be changed to various shapes as long as it can be locked to the fixing pin 11.

-The to-be-latched part is not limited to the fixing pin 11, What is necessary is just the protrusion which the latching protrusion 14 can latch.
-The thin part 13 may be formed in the whole region of the base end part 8, for example.

The fixing structure for locking the locking protrusion 14 of the key plate 3 to the fixing pin 11 of the clevis 4 can be omitted.
The separation mechanism may be a portion whose thickness is reduced in the width direction at the base end portion 8 of the key plate 3.

The rotation shaft portion can be changed to various joints other than the clevis 4.
The jack knife key 1 may be operated manually for both the operation of storing → projecting and the operation of projecting → storage.

  The key is not limited to a type (jackknife key 1) that takes each position of protrusion / storage as the key plate 3 rotates with respect to the key housing 2. For example, the key which takes each position of protrusion / storage with respect to the key housing | casing 2 by the key plate 3 slidingly reciprocating may be used.

  -The key is not limited to the type in which the key plate 3 protrudes / stores with respect to the key housing 2, but the key plate 3 is fixed to the key housing 2 in advance, such as a wireless key. It may be a key.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Jack knife key as a key, 2 ... Key housing which comprises key main-body part, 3 ... Key plate, 4 ... Clevis which comprises key main-body part and rotation shaft part, 7 ... Key cylinder, 8 ... Base end , 10... Key plate body, 11... Fixing pin as locked portion, 13... Thin wall portion as detachment mechanism, 14.

Claims (6)

In a key occupant protection mechanism that includes a key plate having a key groove formed therein and a key body portion to which the key plate is attached and fixed, and is operated by being inserted into a key cylinder provided in a driver's seat of the vehicle.
A key occupant protection mechanism comprising a detachment mechanism formed by forming a base end portion fixed to the key body portion in the key plate at least partially thinner than the key plate body. . 2. The key occupant protection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the release mechanism is a thin portion formed thinly in a thickness direction at a base end portion of the key plate. The key occupant protection mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a groove for promoting bending of the key plate is formed at a position near the base end in the key plate body. At the base end portion of the key plate, a locking projection is formed as a locking location to the key body, and the locking projection is locked to the locked portion formed on the key body. The key occupant protection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein fixing between the key plate and the key main body is ensured. The key plate is detached from the key body portion when the locking projection is deformed while maintaining the state where the locked portion is directly attached to the key body portion when a load is applied. The occupant protection mechanism for a key according to claim 4. The key plate is attached and fixed to a rotation shaft portion provided in the key body portion, and is rotated around an axis of the rotation shaft portion from a stored state stored in the key body portion. 6. The key occupant protection mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the key occupant protection mechanism is of a jackknife type operable in a protruding state.