JPH0448658B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to buffer the opening speed of an article storage box and to make the movement of the storage box smooth when opening the box by pivoting the storage box diagonally downward. A glove box is installed on the instrument panel of a car to store the vehicle inspection certificate, etc. Conventionally, the glove box was hinged to the panel at the lower edge and could be opened by pulling the lockable lid toward the front and rotating it. Boxes were opened in the form of a side hole, and goods were taken in and out. However, in recent years, from the viewpoint of space and ease of getting things in and out, the instrument panel 1 has been made to have an upper wall 2, left and right side walls 3, 3, and a back wall 4 that are open at least on the bottom side, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Housing 1'
A storage box 5 with an open top surface is pivotally mounted in the housing 1' by a pivot 5', and the box 5 is normally closed with the open top surface of the box 5 brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the upper wall 2 (see Fig. 2). When the lockable knob 6 provided on the front of the box 5 is operated, the box 5 pivots diagonally downward about the pivot 5' and opens (solid line in Figures 1 and 2), allowing goods to be taken in and out. I've become like that. And axis 5'
are both sides of the box 5 and the left and right side walls 3 of the housing 1',
There is a window hole 7 at the rear upper part of both side walls 3, 3 having an arcuate edge 7' centered around a pivot 5' to restrict the rotation of the box 5. When the box 5 pivots, pins 8 protruding from the rear upper ends of both sides move along the arcuate edge 7' of the window hole 7, and the box 5
When opened, it comes into contact with the front end of the window hole and acts as a stopper to prevent the box 5 from opening any further.

In this case, the box 5 contains a vehicle inspection certificate, a drive map, and other items, so when the knob 6 is operated to open the box 5, the box 5 wobbles due to its own weight and the weight of the items inside. The pin 8 suddenly opens and collides with the front end of the window hole 7, producing a sound.

Therefore, as mentioned above, the present invention provides a buffer mechanism between the wall that constitutes the housing and the storage box to buffer the opening speed when the storage box is opened and to allow the storage box to open quietly and smoothly. The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

A bracket 9 is attached to at least one side of the upper part of the rear wall 4 of the housing 1' and protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall 3, and a buffer is provided between this bracket 9 and the pin 8 on the side surface of the storage box 5 which serves as the aforementioned stopper. Install the device 10.

The shock absorber 10 is a piston-cylinder type air damper provided between a bracket and a pin 8, and the pin 8 is connected to the air damper via an arm rod 12 that is substantially parallel to the air damper 11.

The air damper 11 is a pivot piece 1 to the bracket 9.
3 at one closed end, a piston part 14 that is in sliding contact with the inner periphery of the cylinder 11a with an O-ring 14a, and a piston part 14 extending integrally from the piston part 14 and protruding from the other end of the cylinder 11a to form an arm rod 1.
It is composed of a piston 11b consisting of a rod portion 15 whose tip is pivotally attached to the cylinder 11 as required.
The other open end of a is closed with a cap 16 through which the rod portion 15 passes. A piston 1 is disposed between the piston portion 14 and the closed end of the cylinder 11a.
When pushing the piston 11b into the cylinder 11a, a small spring 17 that is compressed at the end is accommodated, and a small space is placed on the side of one end of the cylinder 11a at a position that will not be blocked from the inside by the piston part 14 even if the piston 11b is pushed in the deepest. One or more holes 18 are opened, and these are closed with a thin rubber tube fitted around the outer periphery of the cylinder 11a to form an exhaust valve 19. A through hole 11c is opened at one closed end of the cylinder 11a and a screw is screwed into the hole 18. , a throttle valve 20 that adjusts the amount of ventilation by increasing or decreasing the screwing depth of the screw. The arm rod 12 is provided with a fitting tube 21 at one end that is pivotally connected to the pin 8, and a connecting portion 22 that is pivotally connected to the tip of the rod portion 15 at the other end.

When the box 5 is closed, the piston 11b is in the third position.
As shown by the solid line in the figure, the spring 17 is pushed into the cylinder 11a the most, and the spring 17 is compressed. When the knob 6 is operated to open the box 5, the box 5 will lose its own weight and
Initially, it opens quickly due to the weight of the items inside and the restoring force of the spring 17, which pulls out the piston 11b a certain length from the other end of the cylinder 11a via the arm rod 12, and creates a negative load inside one end of the cylinder 11a. Create a pressure state. However, after that, only a small amount of air flows into one end of the cylinder 11a between the screw of the throttle valve 20 and the through hole 11c (the exhaust valve 19, which consists of a small hole 18 covered with a rubber tube, is closed). Therefore, the piston 11b of the box 5 can only be pulled out from the cylinder 11a according to the amount of air flowing into the cylinder 11a through the screw of the throttle valve 20, and the box 5 is forced to open due to its own weight and the items inside. The speed of movement is controlled and buffered according to the opening degree of the throttle valve 20, so that it opens slowly, quietly, and smoothly, and the fitting tube 21 of the arm rod 12 that covers the pin 8 comes into contact with the front end of the window hole 7. It will stop when you touch it.

When the box 5 is pivoted upward after loading and unloading the articles, the piston 11b is now pushed into the cylinder 11a via the arm rod 12. At this time, the air compressed inside one end of the cylinder 11a by the piston part 14, in addition to being exhausted through the throttle valve 20, pushes the rubber tube through the small hole 18 of the exhaust valve 19, and pushes the rubber tube and the outer periphery of the cylinder 11a. Escape from between. This function allows the box 5 to be quickly closed.

Figures 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the throttle valve, in which a stepped hole 23 is formed at one closed end of the cylinder 11a, consisting of a cylindrical hole 23a and a conical hole 23b whose large diameter end is smaller than the cylindrical hole 23a. , a rubber plate 24 having a small center hole 24' is fitted into the cylindrical hole 23a.
Fix only the circumferential surface of No. 4 to the stepped surface with adhesive or the like.

In this case as well, the box 5 initially pivots quickly in the opening direction due to the elastic restoring force of the spring 17, the weight of the box 5, and the weight of the product, causing the piston 11b to move slightly toward the cylinder 11.
When the cylinder 11a is pulled from the other end, a negative pressure is generated inside one end of the cylinder 11a. In Wang's embodiment, the central portion of the rubber plate 24 is attracted by this negative pressure and sticks to the conical surface of the conical hole 23b, reducing the diameter of the central hole 24' and allowing air to flow into one end of the cylinder 11a. (Figure 7). Therefore, it is possible to buffer and control the subsequent movement of the box 5 due to its own weight and the weight of the items when attempting to open it.

In any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIGS. 6 and 7, the orientation of the piston cylinder 11 is almost the same whether the box 5 is closed or opened, so that the outer surface of the side wall 3 is It is preferable to attach a support 25 that supports the arm rod 12 from below.

As described above, according to the present invention, the storage box is free from its own weight,
When opening due to the weight of the object inside, the opening speed is controlled by the air resistance of the air damper, allowing it to open slowly and quietly, and conversely, when closing, it closes quickly. Since the throttle valve and exhaust valve for the air damper are provided on one closed end of the cylinder, they are easy to install, and their structure is also extremely simple.In particular, the exhaust valve has a small hole drilled in the side of one end of the cylinder. It is easy to assemble because it consists of a rubber tube that fits into the cylinder and closes the small hole.

Although the present invention has been explained above using as an example a storage box incorporated into an instrument panel of a car, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to storage boxes as furnishings for furniture, ships, yachts, etc. It can be used to create a sophisticated atmosphere. Further, instead of providing the buffer device on the pin on one side of the storage box, it may be provided on the pins on both sides.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a front view of a conventional storage box in an open state.
Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the same as above, Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 5 is a part of the shock absorber used in the same. FIG. 6 is a partially sectional view of another example of the shock absorber, and FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view showing the operating state of the same. In the figure, 1' is a housing, 2 is a The upper wall, 3, 3 are the same side walls, 5 is a storage box,
5' is the axis, 8 is the pin, 9 is the bracket, 1
0 is a shock absorber, 11 is its air damper, 11a
11b is a cylinder, 11b is a piston, 19 is an exhaust valve, and 20 is a throttle valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A housing with at least an open bottom surface formed of an upper wall and two side walls that hang in opposition from the upper wall, a storage box that can be opened and closed within the housing, and a storage box. An article that is equipped with a buffer device that cushions the movement of the storage box from the closed position to the open position, and uses the dead weight of the storage box or the weight of the items inside as an opening biasing force that activates the buffer device to open the storage box. In the storage box opening/closing device, the buffer device is an air damper consisting of a cylindrical cylinder with one end closed and a piston that slides inside the cylinder, and the inside of the cylinder is inserted into the closed end of the cylinder. A throttle valve that communicates with the outside air is provided, and an exhaust valve is provided on the side surface near one end of the cylinder, consisting of a small hole and a thin rubber tube that is fitted onto the outer periphery of the cylinder and closes the small hole from the outside. Opening/closing device for goods storage boxes.