JPH0225896Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a door key device equipped with a heater device for defrosting.

In cold regions, the key cylinder, key rotor, or tumbler of a door key device often freezes, making it impossible to turn the key rotor even when the key is inserted. For this reason, various door key devices have been proposed in the past in which a heater device of some kind is attached to the key device and the door key device is defrosted by energizing the heater device. However, conventional door key devices of this type have problems in that the heater device provided on the outer periphery of the key cylinder is large and difficult to assemble, resulting in a large number of man-hours on the assembly line and poor heat transfer efficiency.

The present invention was developed with the aim of solving the drawbacks of conventional devices and creating a door key device with a heater device that is small, has good thermal efficiency, and is easy to assemble. It consists of a planar heating element in which a pattern or a planar heating element layer is embedded in a heat-resistant insulating layer, and a switch for energizing the planar heating element is linked to an outside handle for opening and closing the door. It is characterized by being turned on.

The invention will now be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments. A key device 12 provided on a door 11 of a car is a door 1
The key cylinder 13 is fixed to the key cylinder 1, and the key rotor 14 is rotatably fitted into the key cylinder 13. When a key (not shown) is properly inserted into the key insertion hole 15 of the key rotor 14, the tumbler 16 inside the key rotor 14 moves to a position where it does not interfere with the rotation of the key rotor 14, allowing the key rotor 14 to rotate. locks or unlocks the door. The present invention does not care about the specific structure of this key device. If the key rotor 14 cannot rotate due to freezing, the key rotor 14 may freeze to the key cylinder 13 as described above, or the tumbler 16 may become stuck to the key rotor 14.
Or it may be caused by the key cylinder 13 freezing.

A planar heating element 20 is fixed to the outer periphery of the key cylinder 13 along the profile of the key cylinder 13. This planar heating element 20 is made by embedding a heating element that generates heat when electricity is applied in a flexible heat-resistant synthetic resin layer or an insulating layer, and is thin with a thickness of about 1 mm, light, and highly flexible, and is also suitable for key cylinders. 13, it is characterized by a good heat transfer coefficient.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of the structure. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a fine heating element pattern 21 made of metal foil such as nickel alloy formed by photo-etching is embedded in a heat-resistant insulating layer 22 such as silicone rubber or heat-resistant resin film. The lead wire 23 is connected to the heating element pattern 21 via a terminal 24. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a special resistor is coated on a heat-resistant resin substrate 25 to form a heat generating layer 26, and this heat generating layer 26 is covered with an insulating layer 27.
8 is connected to the heat generating layer 26 via a terminal 29. These planar heating elements 20 are collectively referred to as thermistor-controlled heaters, and both have lead wires 2
When electricity is applied to the heating element pattern 21 or the heating element layer 26 through the heat generating element 3 or 28, these heating elements generate heat, and the heat is transmitted to the surfaces of the insulating layer 22, the heat-resistant resin substrate 25, and the insulating layer 27.

The means for fixing the planar heating element 20 to the outer periphery of the key cylinder 13 include an insulating layer 22, a heat-resistant resin substrate 2
In addition to using an appropriate adhesive suitable for the material of the insulating layer 27 or the material of the insulating layer 27, rubber-based materials can be bonded by vulcanization, and mechanical fixing means such as bands are used to attach the key cylinder. It may be fixed to 13. In short, any fixing means may be used as long as the planar heating element 20 is effectively brought into contact with the outer peripheral shape of the key cylinder 13.

The outside handle 17 of the other door 11 is
It is provided integrally with a handle support bracket 17b that is rotatable around a shaft 17a, and when this is pulled like a chain line, a door lock device (not shown) is unlocked via an interlocking bar 17c. . An interlocking knob 17d is integrally formed on the inner end of the bracket 17b of the handle 17, and the interlocking knob 17d connects the battery 18 to the heating element pattern 21 or the heating element layer 26 via the lead wires 23 and
It is linked with the energization switch 19 connected to the energizing switch 19. In other words, when the outside handle 17 is pulled as shown by the chain line, the interlocking knob 17d switches the energization switch 1.
9 to turn it on, power from the battery 18 is supplied to the heating element pattern 21 or the heating element layer 26.

Therefore, in the door key device of the present invention, when the outside handle 17 is pulled, the heating element pattern 21 or the heating element layer 26 of the sheet heating element 20 is energized, so the sheet heating element 20 generates heat, and this heat is The key cylinder 13 can be heated by this. Therefore, if the door key device 12 is frozen, the frozen state of the key cylinder 13 and key rotor 14 can be thawed by keeping the outside handle 17 pulled for a short time. Even in normal door opening/closing operations, current momentarily flows through the heating element pattern 21 or the heating element layer 26, but this current does not adversely affect the door key device 12 or the like. Further, a main switch such as a temperature-sensitive switch may be provided to prevent current from flowing through the planar heating element 20 except in winter.

According to the present invention, the above decompression function can be increased by 1 mm.
This can be achieved by the front and rear thin sheet heating elements 20, and the sheet heating elements 20 can be fixed to the outer periphery of the key cylinder 13 before the door key device 12 is assembled to the door 11. It can be assembled to the door 11 by almost the same procedure as the procedure for assembling a door key device that does not have such a heater device. Furthermore, since the planar heating element 20 is fixed along the outer periphery of the key cylinder 13, the efficiency of heat transfer to the key cylinder 13 is good, and therefore the heater capacity can be reduced to reduce the load on the installed battery. Can be done.

As described above, in the door key device of the present invention, the heating element fixed to the outer periphery of the key cylinder is made of a heating element pattern made of metal foil or a sheet heating element formed by embedding a sheet heating element layer in a heat-resistant insulating layer. Although it is a door key device that has a heater device, it can be made almost the same as a door key device that does not have a heater device. I'm never invited. Furthermore, since the planar heating element is in direct contact with the key cylinder, heat transfer efficiency is good, and therefore the burden on the battery can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a side view showing an example of the arrangement of the door key device and outside handle of an automobile door;
The figure is a sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 1 showing an embodiment of the door key device of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 2.
4 and 5 are perspective views showing structural examples of the planar heating element. 11...door, 12...door key device, 13...
...Key cylinder, 14...Key rotor, 17...
Outside handle, 18...Battery, 19
... Energization switch, 20 ... Planar heating element, 21 ...
...Heating element pattern (heating element), 26...Heating element layer (heating element).

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] In a door key device for an automobile, which is provided with a heating element that generates heat when energized on the outer periphery of a key cylinder in which a key rotor is rotatably fitted, the heating element is arranged in a heating element pattern made of metal foil or It consists of a sheet heating element with a sheet heating element layer embedded in a heat-resistant insulating layer, and the power switch to the sheet heating element is turned on in conjunction with the outside handle for opening and closing the door. An automobile door key device characterized by: