JP7783012B2 - Electric storage unit for vehicle peripheral visibility device, vehicle peripheral visibility device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an electrically operated storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device. This invention also relates to a vehicle peripheral visibility device equipped with an electrically operated storage unit.

An example of an electrically retractable vehicle peripheral visibility device, and a vehicle peripheral visibility device equipped with an electrically retractable unit, is shown in Patent Document 1. The electrically retractable vehicle visibility device in Patent Document 1 will be described below.

The electrically retractable vehicle visibility device (door mirror) disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a mirror base, a mirror rotation unit, and an electrically retractable unit. The electrically retractable unit has a shaft, a rotating body, a motor, and a power transmission mechanism. The rotating body has a motor holding member that holds the motor. The motor holding member has a tubular portion and a claw engagement piece. The tubular portion houses the motor. The claw engagement piece engages with the rear end surface of the motor (the upper part of the motor) to prevent the motor from moving. In this way, the motor is held by the motor holding member.

The electrically retractable vehicle visibility device (door mirror) disclosed in Patent Document 1 prevents deformation of the claw engagement piece when assembling the motor to the tubular portion, thereby improving the motor retention performance of the claw engagement piece.

JP 2016-190549 A

In such electric storage units for vehicle peripheral visibility devices, and in vehicle peripheral visibility devices equipped with electric storage units, it is important to improve the motor retention performance of the retention members.

The problem this invention aims to solve is to provide an electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral vision device and a vehicle peripheral vision device that can improve the motor retention performance of the retention member.

The electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention is an electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device that is mounted on the outside of a vehicle and includes: a shaft fixed to the vehicle body via a fixing member; a rotating member attached to the shaft so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft; a motor; a holding member that holds the motor and is disposed within the rotating member together with the motor; and a rotational force transmission mechanism that is disposed within the rotating member and transmits the rotational force of the motor to the rotating member, causing it to rotate around the axis of the shaft. The holding member has a cylindrical side wall that is open at one end and closed at the other end, and includes a storage section in which the motor is stored; multiple fitting and holding protrusions provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the storage section that fit and hold the motor; and a deformation averaging section provided on the other end of the storage section that averages out the deformation of multiple portions of the storage section that include the fitting and holding protrusions.

In the electric storage unit for the vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention, it is preferable that the deformation amount averaging portion has through holes provided corresponding to each of the multiple fitting and retaining protrusions.

In the electrically operated storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention, the cylindrical shape of the side wall is preferably polygonal, and the fitting and retaining protrusions are preferably provided on each side of the side wall, with multiple fitting and retaining protrusions provided on at least one side of the side wall.

In the electric storage unit for the vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention, it is preferable that the multiple fitting and retaining protrusions are arranged linearly on the inner surface of the side wall, at least partway from the other end to the one end, along the direction in which the motor is stored in the storage section.

The vehicle peripheral visibility device of the present invention comprises a fixed member fixed to the vehicle body and a visibility assembly mounted on the vehicle body via the fixed member, the visibility assembly comprising a visibility unit and an electric storage unit for the vehicle peripheral visibility device of the present invention disposed within the visibility unit, and the electric storage unit rotates the visibility unit around the axis of the shaft of the electric storage unit.

The electric storage unit for the vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention and the vehicle peripheral visibility device can improve the motor retention performance of the retention member.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device according to the present invention, and is an explanatory plan view of the mirror assembly in the use position, rearward storage position, and forward storage position (forward tilted position). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the electric storage unit. FIG. 3 is a side view (view taken along the arrow III in FIG. 2) showing the electric storage unit. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the components of the electric storage unit. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the holding member. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the holding member (viewed in the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 5). FIG. 7 is a bottom view (view taken along arrow VII in FIG. 5) showing the holding member. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams (sectional explanatory diagrams taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5) showing the deformation of the storage section when the motor is stored in the storage section. Fig. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing the deformation of the storage section when the present invention is not implemented. Fig. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing the deformation of the storage section when the present invention is implemented. 9A and 9B are explanatory diagrams showing enlarged simulated deformation of the storage section when a motor is stored in the storage section. Fig. 9A is an explanatory diagram showing the deformation of the storage section when the present invention is not implemented (an enlarged explanatory diagram of part A in Fig. 8A). Fig. 9B is an explanatory diagram showing the deformation of the storage section when the present invention is implemented (an enlarged explanatory diagram of part B in Fig. 8B). 10A and 10B are computer-simulated explanatory diagrams showing the distribution of deformation of a storage section when a motor is stored in the storage section. Fig. 10A shows the distribution of deformation of a storage section not embodying the present invention. Fig. 10B shows the distribution of deformation of a storage section embodying the present invention. 11A and 11B are computer-simulated diagrams similar to those shown in FIG. 10, each showing the distribution of deformation of a housing section when a motor is housed in the housing section. Fig. 11A shows the distribution of deformation of a housing section not embodying the present invention, and Fig. 11B shows the distribution of deformation of a housing section embodying the present invention. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram based on the explanatory diagrams of deformation distribution of the storage section in Figures 10 and 11, and shows an outline of the distribution of deformation on the four side walls of the storage section when a motor is stored in the storage section. Figures 12(A1), (A2), (A3), and (A4) are explanatory diagrams showing an outline of the distribution of deformation on the four side walls of a storage section not embodying the present invention. Figures 12(B1), (B2), (B3), and (B4) are explanatory diagrams showing an outline of the distribution of deformation on the four side walls of a storage section embodying the present invention. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the relative relationship between the motor press-fit force (the force applied when the motor is inserted into the housing) and the deformation amount of the housing, and shows the difference between the motor press-fit force in a housing not incorporating the present invention and the motor press-fit force in a housing incorporating the present invention. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the relative relationship between the motor press-fit force (the force applied when the motor is inserted into the housing) and the deformation of the housing, and also shows the difference between the allowable range of variation in dimensional tolerances between a housing unit and a motor that does not embody this invention and the allowable range of variation in dimensional tolerances between a housing unit and a motor that embody this invention. FIG. 15 is a plan view of a holding member showing an example of a modified shape of the deformation amount averaging section. FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 15) showing an example of a modified shape of the deformation amount averaging section. FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a holding member (a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 16) showing an example of a modified shape of the fitting and holding protrusion.

Below, an example of an embodiment (example) of the electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device and a vehicle peripheral visibility device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this specification, the terms front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right refer to the front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right when the vehicle peripheral visibility device of this invention is installed on the vehicle.

Note that the drawings are schematic diagrams showing the electric storage unit of the vehicle peripheral visibility device and the vehicle peripheral visibility device according to the present invention, and therefore detailed portions of the electric storage unit of the vehicle peripheral visibility device and the vehicle peripheral visibility device according to the present invention are omitted from the drawings. Also, Figures 10 and 11 are illustrated in grayscale.

(Description of the configuration of the embodiment)
The electric storage unit of the vehicle periphery visual recognition device according to this embodiment and the configuration of the vehicle periphery visual recognition device according to this embodiment will be described below.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle peripheral visibility device according to this embodiment, in this example, a vehicle outside mirror device (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-24387; hereinafter simply referred to as "door mirror device 1"). Also, in the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes an electric storage unit for the vehicle peripheral visibility device according to this embodiment (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-20151 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-111445; hereinafter simply referred to as "electric storage unit 6").

(Description of Door Mirror Device 1)
The door mirror device 1 is mounted on each of the left and right doors D (vehicle body) of a vehicle (automobile) (not shown). The door mirror device 1 in this example is mounted on the right door of the vehicle.

The right-side door mirror device 1 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The left-side door mirror device is a mirror image of the right-side door mirror device 1, so a detailed description will be omitted. In the right-side door mirror device 1, the outside of the vehicle is the right side, and the inside of the vehicle is the left side.

As shown in Figure 1, the door mirror device 1 includes a base 2 as a fixed member and a mirror assembly 3 as a viewing assembly. The base 2 is fixed to the vehicle body (right door D). The mirror assembly 3 is mounted on the outside of the vehicle body (right door D) via the base 2.

(Explanation of Mirror Assembly 3)
As shown in FIG. 1, the mirror assembly 3 includes a mirror unit 3U as a viewing unit and an electric retractable unit 6.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mirror assembly 3 is rotatable relative to the base 2 around a storage axis V0, which will be described later. That is, by operating the electric storage unit 6, the mirror assembly 3 rotates around the storage axis V0 between a use position P1 (set position, shown by a solid line) and a rear storage position P2 (shown by a dashed line), as well as between the use position P1 and a front storage position P3 (forward tilted position, shown by a dashed line), as shown in FIG. 1.

(Explanation of the electric storage unit 6)
2 to 4, the electric storage unit 6 includes a shaft 20, a casing 60 as a rotating member, a motor 6M, a holding member (plate) 6H, and a rotational force transmission mechanism. The rotational force transmission mechanism includes a clutch mechanism 6C, a gear mechanism 6G, and other mechanisms 6E and 6S.

The movable part of the electric storage unit 6 is attached to the shaft 20 of the fixed part of the electric storage unit 6 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft 20, i.e., the storage axis V0. The movable part of the electric storage unit 6, excluding the shaft 20 of the fixed part of the electric storage unit 6, is composed of the casing 60, motor 6M, holding member 6H, and rotational force transmission mechanism (clutch mechanism 6C, gear mechanism 6G, and other mechanisms 6E and 6S).

The electric storage unit 6 rotates the mirror unit 3U around the axis of the shaft 20, i.e., the storage axis V0.

First stoppers 204, 603, second stoppers 205, 604, and third stoppers 206, 605 are provided on the fixed portion 200 of the shaft 20, the casing 60, and the stopper members 6S of other mechanisms. The first stoppers 204, 603 stop the mirror unit 3U, i.e., the mirror assembly 3 (the mirror assembly 3 excluding the shaft 20), at the use position (set position; position shown by the solid line in Figure 1) P1. The second stoppers 205, 604 stop the mirror unit 3U at the rear storage position (position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1) P2. The third stoppers 206, 605 stop the mirror unit 3U at the forward storage position (forward tilted position; position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1) P3.

As a result, the electric retractable unit 6 can rotate the mirror unit 3U, i.e., the mirror assembly 3 (mirror assembly 3 excluding shaft 20), between the use position P1 (set position, shown by solid lines) and the rear retracted position P2 (position shown by dashed lines), as shown in Figure 1, and between the use position P1 and the front retracted position P3 (forward tilted position, shown by dashed lines).

(Explanation of the shaft 20)
2 to 4, the shaft 20 has a flange-shaped fixed portion (shaft holder) 200 and a cylindrical shank 201. In this example, the fixed portion 200 and the shank 201 are configured separately, with the lower surface of the shank 201 being integrally fixed to the upper surface of the fixed portion 200. Note that the shaft 20 may also have the fixed portion 200 and the shank 201 configured integrally.

The fixed portion 200 has a boss portion 203. The boss portion 203 has a screw hole. The fixed portion 200 and the shaft portion 201 have a harness insertion hole 202. The centers of the fixed portion 200, the shaft portion 201, and the harness insertion hole 202 are aligned. An electrical harness 55 is inserted through the harness insertion hole 202. The fixed portion 200 is fixed to the base 2. As a result, the shaft 20 is fixed to the door (vehicle body) via the base 2.

(Explanation of the casing 60)
6 to 9, the shaft portion 201 of the shaft 20, the motor 6M, the holding member 6H, and the rotational force transmission mechanism are housed within the casing 60. The rotational force transmission mechanism is interposed between the casing 60 and the shaft portion 201 of the shaft 20. As a result, the casing 60 is attached via the rotational force transmission mechanism so as to be rotatable around the shaft portion 201 of the shaft 20, i.e., the storage axis V0.

The casing 60 is composed of a gear case 60G and a cover 60C. In this example, the gear case 60G is made of a highly rigid resin (PA resin containing glass fibers). The gear case 60G is provided with a first fixing portion 601 and a second fixing portion 602.

The cover 60C has a cylindrical portion 606. The shaft portion 201 of the shaft 20 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 606. The electrical harness 55 is wired into the electric storage unit 6 via the shaft 20.

The cover 60C is provided with a socket portion 607. The electrical connector 550 is detachably and electrically connected to the socket portion 607. The socket portion 607 is provided with a circuit board 608. The circuit board 608 is electrically connected to the motor 6M. A switch circuit that controls the driving and stopping of the motor 6M is mounted on the circuit board 608.
The switch circuit may be disposed on the vehicle side instead of on the electric storage unit 6 side.

(Description of motor 6M)
As shown in Figures 4 and 8, the motor 6M has a main body 60M, a drive shaft 61M, and an end cap 62M. The main body 60M is substantially rectangular prism-shaped and is held by a holding member 6H. The motor 6M is housed within the casing 60 via the holding member 6H. The motor 6M is electrically connected to a power source (battery) via a circuit board 608, a socket 607, an electrical connector 550, and an electrical harness 55.

(Description of rotational force transmission mechanism)
The rotational force transmission mechanism (clutch mechanism 6C, gear mechanism 6G, and other mechanisms 6E and 6S) is housed and disposed inside casing 60. The rotational force transmission mechanism is interposed between shaft portion 201 of shaft 20 and drive shaft 61M of motor 6M.

That is, the clutch mechanism 6C and the stopper member 6S of the other mechanisms are fitted onto the shaft portion 201 of the shaft 20. The gear mechanism 6G is rotatably held within the gear case 60G. The clutch gear of the clutch mechanism 6C and the second worm gear of the gear mechanism 6G are meshed with each other. The joint 6E of the other mechanisms is connected to the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M and the first worm gear (first-stage gear) of the gear mechanism 6G. As a result, the rotational force transmission mechanism transmits the rotational force of the motor 6M to the casing 60 via the shaft 20, causing the casing 60 to rotate around the axis of the shaft 20 (storage axis V0).

(Description of holding member 6H)
The holding member 6H is made of a material that is more flexible than the gear case 60G, in this example, POM resin. As shown in Figures 4 to 11, the holding member 6H holds the motor 6M and is disposed inside the casing 60 together with the motor 6M.

The holding member 6H has a storage section 60H, multiple (in this example, five) fitting and holding protrusions 61H, a deformation amount averaging section 62H, and a gear holding section 63H. The holding member 6H is attached to the gear case 60G with screws 609.

The storage section 60H has a cylindrical side wall 64H that is open at one end (top end) and closed at the other end (bottom end). One end of the side wall 64H forms an opening 640H. The other closed end of the storage section 60H is a bottom wall 65H.

The motor 6M is stored in the storage section 60H from one end to the other. The storage section 60H has a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape to match the roughly rectangular prism shape of the main body 60M of the motor 6M. As a result, in this example, the storage section 60H has four side walls 64H. In addition, the four corners of the storage section 60H are chamfered, so chamfered walls are provided between the four side walls 64H.

A circular through-hole 650H is provided in the center of the bottom wall 65H. The drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M is inserted through the through-hole 650H.

The fitting and holding protrusion 61H is provided on the inner surface of the side wall 64H of the storage section 60H and fits into and abuts against the main body 60M of the motor 6M, fitting and holding the motor 6M. That is, when the motor 6M is press-fit into the storage section 60H, the fitting and holding protrusion 61H and the main body 60M of the motor 6M form an lap fit. As a result, the fitting and holding protrusion 61H elastically deforms, fitting and holding the motor 6M with zero clearance. At this time, the fitting and holding protrusion 61H fits and holds the motor 6M with an appropriate fitting and holding force (holding load). This maintains product quality. The fitting and holding force is proportional to the motor press-fit force when press-fitting the motor 6M into the storage section 60H.

In this example, the fitting and holding protrusion 61H is composed of a bead. The bead fitting and holding protrusion 61H is linearly and integrally provided on the inner surface of the side wall 64H, at least partway (in this example, the middle) from the other end to one end, along the direction in which the motor 6M is stored in the storage section 60H (the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 13; the direction of the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M). The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the bead fitting and holding protrusion 61H is triangular, semicircular, semi-oval, or semi-elliptical.

At least one fitting and holding protrusion 61H is provided on each side of the substantially square side wall 64H, and in this example, two are provided on one side of the substantially square side wall 64H. The side of the substantially square side wall 64H on which the two fitting and holding protrusions 61H are provided faces, parallel or nearly parallel, one side of the substantially square side wall 64H on which the gear holding portion 63H is provided.

The deformation amount averaging portion 62H is provided in the storage portion 60H and averages the amount of deformation in multiple portions of the storage portion 60H, including the fitting and holding protrusions 61H. The deformation amount averaging portion 62H has through holes 66H provided at five locations on the other end of each of the five fitting and holding protrusions 61H of the storage portion 60H. The through holes 66H of the deformation amount averaging portion 62H are provided at the corners between the side wall 64H and bottom wall 65H of the storage portion 60H, i.e., on both the side wall 64H and the bottom wall 65H.

As a result, the lower ends of the five fitting and holding protrusions 61H and the bottom wall 65H of the storage section 60H are separated from each other by the through holes 66H of the deformation amount averaging section 62H, and are free to deform without being restricted by each other.

(Explanation of the operation of the embodiment)
The electric retractable unit 6 and the door mirror device 1 according to this embodiment are configured as described above, and their operation will be described below.

(Explanation of storing and returning the mirror assembly 3)
The retraction and restoration of the mirror assembly 3 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. The motor 6M of the electric storage unit 6 is driven, for example, in the forward direction. The torque of the motor 6M is then transmitted to the shaft 20 via the torque transmission mechanism, causing the movable parts of the electric storage unit 6, including the casing 60, to rotate around the storage axis V0 relative to the shaft 20 of the fixed part of the electric storage unit 6. Accordingly, the mirror assembly 3, which is located at the use position P1, rotates clockwise around the storage axis V0 relative to the base 2 as viewed from above, and stops at the rear storage position P2. This retracts the mirror assembly 3.

The motor 6M of the electric storage unit 6 is also driven in the opposite direction to the forward rotation direction. As a result, the casing 60 rotates around the storage axis V0 relative to the shaft 20, as described above. Accordingly, the mirror assembly 3, which is located at the rear storage position P2, rotates counterclockwise around the storage axis V0 relative to the base 2 as viewed from above, and stops at the use position P1. This causes the mirror assembly 3 to return to its original position.

Furthermore, by applying a manual force greater than the clutch force of the clutch mechanism 6C of the electric storage unit 6, the mirror assembly 3, which is located in the use position P1, is rotated counterclockwise relative to the base 2 around the storage axis V0 as viewed from above. This disengages the clutch mechanism 6C of the electric storage unit 6, and the mirror assembly 3 rotates and is stored at the forward storage position P3.

Furthermore, the mirror assembly 3, which is located in the forward storage position P3, is manually rotated clockwise relative to the base 2 around the storage axis V0 as viewed from above. The mirror assembly 3 then rotates and returns to its use position P1. At this time, the clutch mechanism 6C, which was previously in the disengaged state, becomes engaged.

Furthermore, when an external force greater than the clutch force of the clutch mechanism 6C of the electric storage unit 6 is applied to the mirror assembly 3 positioned in the use position P1, the mirror assembly 3 rotates from the use position P1 to the rear storage position P2 around the storage axis V0 due to the buffering effect.

When the mirror assembly 3 is in the use position P1, the first stoppers 204, 603 come into contact, stopping the rotation of the mirror assembly 3 and positioning it at the use position P1. Furthermore, when the mirror assembly 3 is in the rear storage position P2, the second stoppers 205, 604 come into contact, stopping the rotation of the mirror assembly 3 and positioning it at the rear storage position P2. Furthermore, when the mirror assembly 3 is in the front storage position P3, the third stoppers 206, 605 come into contact, stopping the rotation of the mirror assembly 3 and positioning it at the front storage position P3.

In the electric retraction unit 6, the motor 6M is securely held by the holding member 6H, so the rotational force of the motor 6M is securely transmitted to the shaft 20 via the rotational force transmission mechanism. As a result, the mirror assembly 3 can smoothly rotate around the retraction axis V0. This maintains the product quality of the electric retraction unit 6 and the door mirror device 1 according to this embodiment.

(Explanation of Effects of the Embodiment)
The electric retractable unit 6 and the door mirror device 1 according to this embodiment have the above-described configuration and function, and the effects thereof will be described below.

The electric storage unit 6 in this embodiment includes a holding member 6H that holds the motor 6M. This holding member 6H has a cylindrical side wall 64H that is open at one end and closed at the other. It includes a storage section 60H that houses the motor 6M, multiple (five in this example) fitting and holding protrusions 61H that are provided on the inner surface of the side wall 64H of the storage section 60H and that fit and hold the motor 6M, and a deformation amount averaging section 62H that is provided on the other end of the storage section 60H and that averages out the deformation of multiple portions of the storage section 60H (four side walls 64H in this example) that include the fitting and holding protrusions 61H.

As a result, in the electric storage unit 6 of this embodiment, when the motor 6M is stored in the storage section 60H and held by the fitting holding protrusions 61H, the deformation amount averaging section 62H equalizes the deformation amount of the four side walls 64H, so that the four side walls 64H deform almost uniformly.

As a result, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment can hold the motor 6M in the storage section 60H in a substantially normal state, thereby improving the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H. The normal state is when the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M and the central axis of the through-hole 650H of the holding member 6H are aligned.

(Explanation of the difference between the deformation of the storage section 60HA of the holding member 6HA not embodying the present invention and the deformation of the storage section 60H of the holding member 6H embodying the present invention)
Below, the differences between the deformation of the storage section 60HA of the holding member 6HA that does not embody this invention and the deformation of the storage section 60H of the holding member 6H that embody this invention will be explained with reference to Figures 8 to 12.

In Figures 8 to 11, the reference numerals for the components of the holding member 6HA that do not embody this invention are denoted by the reference numerals for the components of the holding member 6H that embody this invention, with the letter "A" added. Also, in Figures 10 to 12, the reference numerals (A1) and (B1) designate the first side walls of the four side walls 64HA, 64H, which are opposite the second side walls (A2), (B2) on which the gear holding portion 63H is provided. Furthermore, in Figures 10 to 12, the reference numerals (A3), (B3) and (A4), (B4) designate the third and fourth side walls between the first side walls (A1), (B1) and the second side walls (A2), (B2). Furthermore, the curves in Figure 12 are iso-deformation lines drawn roughly based on the explanatory diagrams in Figures 10 and 11 showing the distribution of deformation in the storage section through computer simulation, and the quantities "0.09", "0.08", "0.07", "0.06", "0.05", "0.04", "0.03", "0.02", and "0.01" on these iso-deformation lines indicate the amount of deformation.

(Description of Modification of Storage Section 60HA of Holding Member 6HA Not Embedding the Invention)
The storage section 60HA of the holding member 6HA not embodying the present invention does not have the deformation amount averaging section 62H of the present invention, as shown in Figures 8(A) and 9(A). On the other hand, the storage section 60H of the holding member 6H embodying the present invention has the deformation amount averaging section 62H, as described above, as shown in Figures 8(B) and 9(B).

The motor 6M is press-fitted into the storage section 60HA of a holding member 6HA that does not embody this invention in the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 8(A). This causes the side wall 64HA of the storage section 60HA to deform from the state shown by the solid line in Figure 14(A) to the state shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 9(A). As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 9(A), the deformation of this side wall 64HA increases from the bottom wall 65HA to the opening 640HA. This deformation is most noticeable in the first side wall (A1).

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10(A), 11(A), and 12(A), the deformation of the four side walls 64HA (A1), (A2), (A3), and (A4) that do not embody this invention lacks uniformity. As a result, it is difficult for a storage section 60HA that does not embody this invention to hold the motor 6M in a substantially normal state, with the motor 6M tilting toward the opening 640HA of the first side wall (A1), and the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M tilting relative to the central axis of the through-hole 650HA of the holding member 6HA. This makes it difficult to improve the holding performance of the motor 6M using a holding member 6HA that does not embody this invention.

This is because the corner between the other end (lower end) of the side wall 64HA and the bottom wall 65HA has high rigidity, resulting in a large force (motor press-fit force) pressing the motor 6M into the storage section 60HA. As mentioned above, the motor press-fit force is proportional to the force (fit-fit holding force) with which the fitting-holding protrusion 61HA fits and holds the motor 6M.

(Description of Modifications of Storage Section 60H of Holding Member 6H Implementing the Invention)
In contrast, the deformation of the side walls 64H of the storage section 60H of the holding member 6H embodying the present invention increases from the bottom wall 65H to the upper end of the fitting-and-holding protrusion 61H, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 8(B), and decreases from the upper end of the fitting-and-holding protrusion 61H to the opening 640H. This deformation appears in almost the same way in the four side walls 64H (B1), (B2), (B3), and (B4).

Furthermore, the deformation of the four side walls 64H (B1), (B2), (B3), and (B4) embodying this invention is substantially uniform, as shown in Figures 10(B), 11(B), and 12(B). As a result, the storage section 60H embodying this invention can hold the motor 6M in a substantially normal state, with the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M and the central axis of the through-hole 650H of the holding member 6H coinciding. This improves the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H embodying this invention.

This is because the deformation averaging portion 62H provided at the other end (lower end) of the storage portion 60H reduces the rigidity of the corner between the other end (lower end) of the side wall 64H and the bottom wall 65H compared to the rigidity of a storage portion 60HA that does not implement this invention, thereby reducing the force (motor press-in force) that presses the motor 6M into the storage portion 60H.

(Explanation of the relative relationship between the motor press-fit force and the deformation amount of the storage portions 60HA and 60H)
The relative relationship between the motor press-fit force and the amount of deformation of the storage unit 60HA not embodying the present invention and the amount of deformation of the storage unit 60H embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 13 and 14. The dashed lines in Figures 13 and 14 represent the storage unit 60HA not embodying the present invention. On the other hand, the solid lines in Figures 13 and 14 represent the storage unit 60H embodying the present invention. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the relative relationship between the motor press-fit force and the amount of deformation of the storage units 60HA, 60H is proportional.

As described above, the motor press-fit force of storage section 60H embodying this invention is smaller than the motor press-fit force of storage section 60HA not embodying this invention. As a result, as shown in Figure 13, for storage section deformation amounts "D1" and "D2," the motor press-fit forces "N11" and "N21" of storage section 60H embodying this invention are smaller than the motor press-fit forces "N12" and "N22" of storage section 60HA not embodying this invention by the difference between "N12" and "N11" and the difference between "N22" and "N21," respectively.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, within the range of storage section deformation "D1" to "D2," the range of motor pressure input "N11" to "N21" for storage section 60H embodying this invention can be reduced by the difference ("N22" - "N12") - ("N21" - "N11") (see the white arrow in FIG. 13) relative to the range of motor pressure input "N12" to "N22" for storage section 60HA not embodying this invention.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, in order to maintain product quality, the mating and holding protrusions 61HA, 61H of the storage sections 60HA, 60H must fit and hold the motor 6M with an appropriate mating and holding force (holding load).

As shown in Figure 14, the appropriate fitting retention force, i.e., the appropriate range of motor press-fit force, is defined as the range "N1" to "N2." The range of storage section deformation when this invention is not implemented is then the range "D12" to "D22." On the other hand, the range of storage section deformation when this invention is implemented is the range "D11" to "D21." The range of storage section deformation when this invention is implemented, "D11" to "D21," is greater than the range of storage section deformation when this invention is not implemented, "D12" to "D22."

This is because the storage unit 60H embodying this invention has a smaller motor pressure input force than the storage unit 60HA not embodying this invention, and therefore can reduce the range of motor pressure input force within the storage unit deformation range "D1" to "D2." As a result, the storage unit 60H embodying this invention can increase the range of storage unit deformation force within the appropriate set motor pressure input range "N1" to "N2" compared to the storage unit 60HA not embodying this invention.

Furthermore, when the range of storage section deformation is large, the range of allowable variation in the dimensional tolerance between the storage sections 60HA, 60H and the motor 6M becomes larger. As a result, the storage section 60H embodying this invention can reliably hold the motor 6M, even if there is variation in the dimensional tolerance between the motor 6M and the storage section 60HA that does not embody this invention. As a result, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment can improve the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H.

(Revised explanation of the effects of the embodiment)
In the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment, the deformation amount averaging portion 62H has through holes 66H provided corresponding to the five fitting and holding protrusions 61H, and the through holes 66H of the deformation amount averaging portion 62H are provided at the corners of the side walls 64H and the bottom wall 65H of the storage portion 60H. As a result, in the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment, the lower ends of the five fitting and holding protrusions 61H at the bottom ends of the side walls 64H and the bottom wall 65H of the storage portion 60H are separated from each other and are capable of deformation without being restricted by each other.

As a result, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment can improve the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H, as described above.

In the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment, the cylindrical shape of the side wall 64H is approximately rectangular, and at least one fitting retaining protrusion 61H is provided on each side of the approximately rectangular side wall 64H, with two provided on one side of the approximately rectangular side wall 64H, i.e., on the first side wall (B1) of the four side walls 64H.

As a result, in this embodiment, the electric storage unit 6 fits and holds the motor 6M stored in the storage section 60H of the approximately rectangular side wall 64H using five fitting and holding protrusions 61H, and also fits and holds the motor 6M using two fitting and holding protrusions 61H on one side of the approximately rectangular side wall 64H.

As a result, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment can prevent the motor 6M from rotating around the drive shaft 61M of the motor 6M within the storage section 60H, thereby enabling the motor 6M to be securely held in the storage section 60H, improving the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H, as described above.

In the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment, the five fitting and holding protrusions 61H are arranged linearly on the inner surface of the side wall 64H, at least partway (approximately to the center) from the other end to one end, along the direction in which the motor 6M is stored in the storage section 60H (the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 13 (B)).

As a result, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment has a simple structure for the fitting and holding protrusions 61H, which simplifies the structure of the mold for forming the holding member 6H having the fitting and holding protrusions 61H, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, the electric storage unit 6 according to this embodiment can securely hold the motor 6M in the storage section 60H using the simple structure of the fitting and holding protrusion 61H, thereby improving the holding performance of the motor 6M by the holding member 6H, as described above.

The door mirror device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with the electric retraction unit 6 according to this embodiment, and therefore can achieve the same effects as those of the electric retraction unit 6 according to this embodiment.

(Explanation of Shape Modification Examples of the Deformation Amount Averaging Unit 62H)
15 and 16 show examples of modifications to the shape of the deformation amount averaging section 62H. In the figures, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 to 14 denote the same components.

The deformation amount averaging portion 62H in the above embodiment has a through hole 66H. The deformation amount averaging portion 62H in this modified shape example is composed of a thin portion 67H. The thin portion 67H of the deformation amount averaging portion 62H in this modified shape example can achieve the same effect as the through hole 66H of the deformation amount averaging portion 62H in the above embodiment.

(Explanation of modified shapes of the fitting holding protrusion 68H)
17 shows an example of a modified shape of the fitting and holding protrusion 61H. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 16 denote the same parts.

In the previous embodiment, the fitting and holding protrusion 61H is composed of a linear bead. In this modified example, the fitting and holding protrusion 68H is composed of multiple protrusions. The multiple protrusions of the fitting and holding protrusion 68H in this modified example can achieve the same effects as the linear bead of the fitting and holding protrusion 61H in the previous embodiment.

(Description of Examples Other Than the Embodiments and Shape Modification Examples)
In the above-described embodiments and shape modification examples, a door mirror device 1 (a vehicle outside mirror device; see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-24387) is described as a vehicle peripheral visibility device. However, the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle peripheral visibility device other than the door mirror device 1, such as an electrically retractable vehicle peripheral visibility device (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-107214), or other vehicle peripheral visibility devices. In other words, the present invention can be applied to any vehicle peripheral visibility device that includes an electrically retractable unit 6.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and shape modification examples, a mirror assembly 3 is described as the viewing assembly. However, this invention can also be applied to viewing assemblies other than the mirror assembly 3, such as the viewing assembly of an electrically retractable vehicle peripheral visibility device (see JP 2021-107214 A), or other viewing assemblies. In other words, this invention can be applied to any viewing assembly that includes an electrically retractable unit 6.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified shape examples, the through hole 66H and thin portion 67H serving as the deformation amount averaging portion 62H are provided at the corner between the side wall 64H and the bottom wall 65H of the storage portion 60H. However, in this invention, the through hole 66H and thin portion 67H serving as the deformation amount averaging portion 62H may be provided in either the side wall 64H or the bottom wall 65H. In other words, this invention requires that the through hole 66H and thin portion 67H serving as the deformation amount averaging portion 62H be provided in a location of the storage portion 60H on the bottom wall 65H side relative to the fitting/retaining protrusion 61H, i.e., on the other end (lower side) of the fitting/retaining protrusion 61H. Moreover, both the through hole 66H and thin portion 67H may be provided as the deformation amount averaging portion 62H.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified shape examples, through holes 66H and thin-walled portions 67H are provided at multiple locations on the storage section 60H as the deformation amount averaging portions 62H. However, in this invention, in addition to through holes 66H and thin-walled portions 67H, hollowed-out portions (through holes), thin-walled portions, or thick-walled portions (built-up portions) may also be provided at multiple locations on the storage section 60H as the deformation amount averaging portions 62H. In other words, anything that can suppress distortion of the deformation amount at multiple locations on the storage section 60H is applicable. Moreover, the deformation amount averaging portions 62H may be provided at multiple locations on the storage section 60H in combination with through holes 66H and thin-walled portions 67H, hollowed-out portions (through holes), thin-walled portions, or thick-walled portions (built-up portions).

Note that this invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

1. Door mirror device (vehicle outside mirror device, vehicle peripheral visibility device)
2 Base (fixing member)
20 Shaft 200 Fixing portion 201 Shaft portion 202 Harness insertion hole 203 Boss portion 204 First stopper 205 Second stopper 206 Third stopper 3 Mirror assembly (visualization assembly)
3U mirror unit (visual unit)
55 Electrical harness 550 Electrical connector 6 Electric storage unit 60 Casing (rotating member)
60C Cover 60G Gear case 601 First fixing portion 602 Second fixing portion 603 First stopper 604 Second stopper 605 Third stopper 606 Cylindrical portion 607 Socket portion 608 Base plate 609 Screw 6C Clutch mechanism (rotational force transmission mechanism)
6E Joints of other mechanisms (rotational force transmission mechanisms)
6G gear mechanism (rotational force transmission mechanism)
6H: Holding member 6S: Stopper member of other mechanism (rotational force transmission mechanism)
60H Storage section 61H Fitting and holding convex section (linear bead)
62H Deformation amount averaging portion 63H Gear holding portion 64H Side wall (B1) First side wall (B2) Second side wall (B3) Third side wall (B4) Fourth side wall 640H Opening 65H Bottom wall 650H Through hole 66H Through hole 67H Thin portion 68H Fitting and holding convex portion (plurality of protrusions)
6HA Holding member 60HA Storage section 61HA Fitting holding protrusion 64HA Side wall (A1) First side wall (A2) Second side wall (A3) Third side wall (A4) Fourth side wall 640HA Opening 65HA Bottom wall 650HA Through hole 6M Motor 60M Main body 61M Drive shaft 62M End cap D Door (vehicle body)
D1 Storage section deformation amount D2 Storage section deformation amount D11 Storage section deformation amount D12 Storage section deformation amount D21 Storage section deformation amount D22 Storage section deformation amount N1 Motor pressure input N2 Motor pressure input N11 Motor pressure input N12 Motor pressure input N21 Motor pressure input N22 Motor pressure input P1 Use position P2 Rear storage position P3 Front storage position V0 Storage shaft

Claims (4)

An electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device that is mounted on the exterior of a vehicle,
a shaft fixed to a vehicle body via a fixing member;
a rotating member attached to the shaft so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft;
A motor;
a holding member that holds the motor and is disposed within the rotating member together with the motor;
a rotational force transmission mechanism disposed within the rotating member, which transmits a rotational force of the motor to the rotating member and rotates the rotating member in a direction around the axis of the shaft;
Equipped with
The holding member is
a storage section having a cylindrical side wall with one end open and the other end closed, in which the motor is stored;
a plurality of fitting and holding protrusions provided on an inner surface of the side wall of the storage portion, the fitting and holding protrusions fitting and holding the motor;
a deformation leveling portion provided on the other end side of the storage portion and leveling the deformation of a plurality of portions of the storage portion including the fitting and holding protrusion;
and
the deformation amount averaging portion has through holes or thin portions provided corresponding to the plurality of fitting and holding protrusions, respectively ;
An electrically operated storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device. The cylindrical shape of the side wall is polygonal,
The fitting and holding protrusions are provided on each side of the side wall, and a plurality of the fitting and holding protrusions are provided on at least one side of the side wall.
2. The electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device according to claim 1 . The plurality of fitting and holding protrusions are linearly provided on the inner surface of the side wall at least partway from the other end toward the one end along a direction in which the motor is accommodated in the accommodation section.
3. The electric storage unit for a vehicle peripheral visibility device according to claim 1 or 2 . a fixing member fixed to a vehicle body;
a visual assembly mounted to the vehicle body via the fixed member;
Equipped with
The viewing assembly includes:
A visual unit;
The electric storage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which is disposed within the viewing unit;
Equipped with
The electric storage unit rotates the visual confirmation unit in a direction around the axis of the shaft of the electric storage unit.
A vehicle peripheral visibility device.