FISHING REEL

A level winding device for a fishing reel comprises a tubular body that rotates in conjunction with ON/OFF operation of a clutch mechanism, a worm shaft that is accommodated in the tubular body and rotationally driven by a rotational operation of a handle, a holding body that comprises an engagement pin engaged with a spiral groove of a worm shaft and holds a fishing line insertion portion through which a fishing line is inserted, and two circumferential detent portions (a rib and a recessed portion) provided in the holding body and the tubular body such that two bodies rotate integrally. The two circumferential detent portions are provided on the tubular body at an interval of approximately 180°, and an axial detent portion that suppresses rattling of the holding body in an axial direction of the tubular body is provided at an intermediate position between the two circumferential detent portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-197745 filed on Dec. 12, 2022 in the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of each hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fishing reel comprising a fishing line guide body that winds and guides a fishing line around a spool between side plates in front of the spool.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the related art, in a double-bearing type fishing reel, a level winding device is disposed to evenly wind a fishing line around a spool rotatably supported between left and right side plates. The level winding device includes a fishing line guide body that reciprocates left and right in front of the spool in conjunction with a winding operation of a handle rotatably arranged on one side plate side, and the fishing line can be evenly wound around the spool by inserting the fishing line into the fishing line guide body.

A configuration is known in which the above-described fishing line guide body includes an opening in which an opening region is formed wide so as to reduce resistance at the time of releasing the fishing line and a narrow portion that guides the fishing line at the time of winding the fishing line, and the fishing line guide body is turned in conjunction with a switching operation of a clutch (see, for example, JP 2014-000045 A). In such a configuration, since the opening is located in front of the spool when the clutch is turned OFF, the fishing line wound around the spool during a casting operation does not receive a large resistance from the inner surface of the opening of the fishing line guide body, and stable casting can be performed while suppressing a decrease in a flying distance of a tackle. In addition, when the clutch is returned to ON, the narrow guide portion is located in front of the spool, so that the fishing line can be evenly wound around the spool.

The fishing line guide body described above is attached to a holding body that is movable in an axial direction (left-right direction) and integrally turns together with a tubular body with respect to the tubular body that turns in conjunction with the clutch operation. The holding body is provided with an engagement pin that engages with a spiral groove of a worm shaft disposed in the tubular body, and when the worm shaft is rotationally driven together with a rotational operation of the handle, the fishing line guide body is movable in the axial direction by an engagement relationship between the spiral groove and the engagement pin.

Further, the tubular body and the holding body are configured to be integrally rotatable. In the configuration disclosed in JP 2014-000045 A, ribs extending in the axial direction are formed at intervals of approximately 180° on the outer surface of the tubular body, and the ribs are fitted into recessed portions formed in the holding body along the axial direction to integrally rotate. That is, when the tubular body is rotationally driven by the clutch operation, the holding body (the fishing line guide body) is configured to be integrally rotationally movable together with the tubular body by the fitting relationship described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the double-bearing reel described above, the tubular body and the holding body (the fishing line guide body) can be integrally rotated by the fitting relationship between the two ribs and the recessed portions. The rotation of the holding body is performed when the fishing line is not wound around the spool, that is, when the clutch mechanism is turned ON and OFF, and the fishing line guide body is stopped in the axial direction. The holding body slides in the axial direction with respect to the tubular body by winding a handle in a state where the clutch mechanism is turned on.

The holding body of the related art has a problem that the holding body tends to rattle in the axial direction (a rattling that swings as indicated by arrows D2and D3inFIG.6) when reciprocally driven in the axial direction (left-right direction). Then, when the holding body rattles in this manner, the fishing line cannot be neatly wound around the spool at the time of winding operation of the fishing line, and resistance is generated at the time of releasing the next fishing line. In addition, since the holding body rattles, an abnormal noise occurs at the time of winding operation, particularly at the time of winding operation at a high speed, and a sense of precision is lost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fishing reel having a configuration in which a fishing line guide body is swung, in which rattling of the fishing line guide body in an axial direction is suppressed during a winding operation of a fishing line.

In order to achieve the above object, a fishing reel according to the present invention comprises: a spool rotatably supported between left and right side plates of a reel main body; a clutch mechanism that switches the spool between a fishing line winding state and a fishing line releasing state; and a level winding device that evenly winds a fishing line around the spool when the clutch mechanism rotates a handle in an ON state, in which the level winding device comprises a tubular body rotatably supported between left and right side plates of a reel main body and configured to rotate in conjunction with ON and OFF operation of the clutch mechanism, a worm shaft accommodated in the tubular body and rotationally driven by a rotational operation of the handle, a holding body comprising an engagement pin engaged with a spiral groove of the worm shaft and configured to hold a fishing line insertion portion through which a fishing line is inserted, and two circumferential detent portions provided in the holding body and the tubular body so that the holding body and the tubular body integrally rotate, the two circumferential detents are provided on the tubular body at an interval of approximately 180°, and an axial detent portion that prevents the holding body from rattling in the axial direction of the tubular body is provided at an intermediate position between the two circumferential detents.

According to the fishing reel having the above-described configuration, the tubular body constituting the level winding device and the holding body holding the fishing line insertion portion integrally rotate together with the clutch operation by the two circumferential detent portions. The two circumferential detent portions are provided on the tubular body at an interval of approximately 180°, and an axial detent portion that suppresses rattling of the holding body in the axial direction of the tubular body is provided at an intermediate position thereof. Therefore, when the fishing line is wound around the spool, the holding body is prevented from rattling along the axial direction even if the holding body holding the fishing line insertion portion is reciprocally driven between the left and right side plates. As described above, since the holding body does not rattle along the axial direction, the fishing line is accurately wound around the spool, and generation of the abnormal noise due to rattling is suppressed.

According to the present invention, in a fishing reel having a configuration in which a fishing line guide body is swung, it is possible to obtain a fishing reel in which rattling of the fishing line guide body in an axial direction is suppressed during a winding operation of a fishing line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fishing reel according to the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS.1to5B.

Note that in the following description, a front-rear direction (front side, rear side), a left-right direction, an up-down direction (upper side, lower side) are defined as directions illustrated inFIG.1.

As illustrated inFIG.1, the fishing reel according to the present embodiment comprises a reel main body1having left and right side plates1A and1B in which left and right frames2aand2bare covered with left and right covers3aand3b, respectively. In the reel main body1, reel legs located between the left and right side plates and attached to a fishing rod100are integrally formed. A spool shaft is rotatably supported between the left and right frames2aand2bvia a bearing, and a spool3, around which a fishing line is wound, is integrally fixed to the spool shaft.

In the present embodiment, a handle5that rotationally drives the spool3is installed on the left side plate1A side, and a known power transmission mechanism that transmits a rotational driving force of the handle5to the spool shaft is disposed in a space between the left frame2aand the left cover3a. A known clutch mechanism that switches the spool shaft between the power transmission state and the power interruption state is disposed on one of the side plates, and the clutch mechanism switches from the clutch-ON state (power transmission state) to the clutch-OFF state (power interruption state) by pushing down a clutch lever8disposed between the left and right side plates on the rear side of the spool3. The return from the clutch-OFF state to the clutch-ON state can be performed by rotationally operating the handle5by a known automatic return mechanism.

A level winding device10is disposed on the front side of the spool3between the left and right side plates1A and1B. The level winding device10comprises a fishing line guide body20through which the fishing line wound around the spool3is inserted, a worm shaft (screw shaft)11rotationally driven through the driving force transmission mechanism, and a tubular body (cylindrical body)12that accommodates the worm shaft11, and is configured to be reciprocally driven to the left and right when an engagement pin provided on the fishing line guide body20is engaged with the worm shaft11.

The worm shaft11is accommodated in the tubular body12rotatably held between the left and right side plates, and a long hole12aextending in the axial direction is formed in an outer surface of the tubular body12. A spiral groove11ais formed on the surface of the worm shaft11, and the spiral groove11ais exposed through the long hole12a. In addition, the fishing line guide body20comprises a holding body (main body)21integrally formed of resin or the like, and a fishing line insertion portion22integrally fixed to an upper portion of the holding body21and through which the fishing line is actually inserted. A through hole21ais formed in the holding body21along the left-right direction, and is disposed and formed so as to surround the tubular body12. That is, the tubular body12is inserted through the through hole21aof the holding body21.

The tubular body12is rotatably driven by a predetermined angle in accordance with the operation of the clutch lever8of the clutch mechanism. Specifically, when the clutch lever8is pushed down from the clutch-ON state illustrated inFIG.1to the clutch-OFF state, the tubular body12is rotatably driven to the front side (a direction of arrow D1inFIG.1). Note that the power transmission mechanism that rotates and drives the tubular body12when the clutch lever8is pushed down can be performed by, for example, a power transmission mechanism similar to the configuration disclosed in JP 2014-000045 A described above. That is, when the clutch lever8is pushed down, the clutch plate (not shown) is rotationally driven, and the tubular body12is rotationally driven via the engagement protrusion (not illustrated) of the clutch plate engaged with the long hole12B of the rotation plate12A non-rotationally fixed to the tubular body12.

The holding body21and the tubular body12are connected so as to be integrally rotatable by a circumferential detent portion. As illustrated inFIG.3, the circumferential detent portion of the present embodiment is configured by forming two ribs12bprotruding in a radial direction in the tubular body12, and forming two corresponding recessed portions21bsuch that the ribs12bare fitted to the holding body21. The rib12band the recessed portion21bare formed at an interval of about 180° (including about 180°±20°), so that the holding body21is integrally rotationally driven together with the tubular body12. Due to the fitting relationship between the rib12band the recessed portion21b, the holding body21is guided to reciprocate in the left-right direction with respect to the tubular body12during the fishing line winding operation.

The holding body21comprises a cylindrical portion (configured in a cylindrical shape in the present embodiment)21A that protrudes toward the front side and configures a front end portion of the level winding device10, and an engagement pin23that engages with a spiral groove11aformed in a surface of the worm shaft11is accommodated in the holding body through a long hole12aformed in the tubular body12.

The engagement pin23comprises an engagement portion23athat engages with the spiral groove11aand a main body23bthat is press-fitted into the cylindrical portion21A. The engagement pin23is configured to be retained in a state of being press-fitted into the cylindrical portion21A. As illustrated inFIG.2, this retaining structure is configured by forming a through-hole21din a diameter direction of the cylindrical portion21A, press-fitting the main body23bof the engagement pin23into the cylindrical portion21A, and press-fitting a retaining pin25in a state where the engagement portion23ais engaged with the spiral groove11a. In the present embodiment, the weight of the engagement pin23is reduced by forming a cavity portion23cin the main body23b, but the main body23bmay be configured in a solid state.

Furthermore, an O-ring30is attached to the cylindrical portion21A in correspondence with a press-fitting position of the retaining pin25so that the retaining pin25does not come out in the radial direction. A fixing groove21B is formed in the cylindrical portion21A along the circumferential direction, and the retaining pin25is prevented from being detached from the cylindrical portion21A by fitting the O-ring30into the fixing groove21B.

The fishing line insertion portion22is fixed to the upper surface side of the holding body21by a fixing screw28or the like. Similarly to JP 2014-000045 A described above, the fishing line insertion portion22comprises an opening22A in which an opening region is formed wide so as to reduce resistance at the time of releasing the fishing line, and a narrow portion22B that guides the fishing line at the time of winding the fishing line, and is formed of a material having low fishing line resistance such as, for example, SUS or titanium. When the clutch is set to the OFF state, the holding body21is turned together with the tubular body12, and the opening22A is located in front of the spool3(fishing line releasing state), and when the clutch is set to the ON state, the holding body21is turned in the opposite direction together with the tubular body12, and the narrow portion22B is located in front of the spool3(fishing line guiding state).

According to the level winding device10having the configuration described above, when the clutch mechanism is turned OFF at the time of the casting operation, the opening22A in which an opening region is formed wide is located in front of the spool, and thus the released fishing line does not receive a large resistance from the inner surface of the opening22A, and stable casting can be performed while suppressing a decrease in the flying distance of the tackle. When the clutch mechanism is returned to ON, the narrow portion22B is located in front of the spool (seeFIG.1). When the handle5is wound in this state, the fishing line guide body20(the fishing line insertion portion22) is reciprocally driven in the left-right direction by the engagement pin23engaged with the spiral groove11aof the rotatably driven worm shaft11, so that the fishing line is evenly wound around the spool3.

The rib40provided on the fishing line guide body20is integrally provided at the center of the holding body21so as to protrude forward. By forming such a rib40, the fishing line is prevented from entering the gap or the stepped portion in the upper region of the cylindrical portion21A to cause line entanglement.

The rib40is formed in a shape in which the fishing line that has caused the line trouble or the like easily comes off when coming into contact with the cylindrical portion21A and the vicinity thereof (a shape in which the fishing line slides in a direction in which the fishing line comes off). That is, as illustrated inFIGS.2and3, the front end edge40ais inclined so as to approach the central portion of the holding body21as it transitions from the cylindrical portion21A side to the upper side (the fishing line insertion portion22side), whereby the fishing line can be easily pulled out upward.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the O-ring30is attached to the cylindrical portion21A in correspondence with the press-fitting position of the retaining pin25so that the retaining pin25does not come off in the radial direction. The fishing line may enter a gap between the O-ring30and the lower surface40bof the rib40to cause line entanglement. Therefore, the O-ring30is preferably disposed so as to fill a gap between the lower surface40bof the rib40of the cylindrical portion21A and an opposing portion21efacing each other in relation to the rib40.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the fixing groove21B for press-fitting and fixing the O-ring30is formed in the cylindrical portion21A along the circumferential direction, so that the O-ring30is less likely to detach from the cylindrical portion21A. The fixing groove21B is not formed over the entire circumference of the cylindrical portion21A, but is preferably formed excluding a region (opposing portion21c) that becomes the opposing portion of the rib40. As described above, since the groove is not formed in one part thereof, the fixing operation of the O-ring30can be easily performed, and the fishing line will not be caught since the fixing groove does not exist at a portion where the fishing line easily enters.

As described above, the holding body21and the tubular body12are formed with the circumferential detent portion (two ribs12bformed in tubular body12and two recessed portions21bformed in holding body21) at an interval of approximately 180°, whereby both members are configured to be integrally rotatable. That is, by forming two circumferential detent portions at an interval of approximately 180° on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body12and the inner peripheral surface of the holding body21, when the tubular body12is rotated by operating the clutch mechanism, the holding body21(the fishing line insertion portion22) can be rotated integrally with the tubular body12.

In the present invention, the axial detent portion50is provided at an intermediate position between the two circumferential detent portions so as to prevent the holding body21from rattling in the axial direction of the tubular body12. The axial detent portion50prevents rattling along the axial direction when the holding body21reciprocates in the horizontal direction via the worm shaft11and the engagement pin23through the winding operation of the handle. That is, in the configuration of the related art, as illustrated inFIGS.6A and6B, since only the circumferential detent portions are provided at intervals of approximately 180º, rattling (a rattling that swings around the holding body21) occurs along the axial direction. This rattling occurs mainly when the tension of the fishing line acts on side surfaces22B1and22B2of the narrow portion22B of the fishing line insertion portion22during the winding operation of the fishing line.

Specifically, when the tension of the fishing line acts on the side surface22B1of the narrow portion22B along with the movement of the holding body21in the left-right direction, a force in the D2direction acts on one end side of the holding body21, which causes rattling. In addition, when the tension of the fishing line acts on the side surface22B2of the narrow portion22B, a force in the D3direction acts on the other end side of the holding body21, which causes rattling. In this case, if a gap G is generated between the inner peripheral surface of the holding body21and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body12due to dimensional tolerance, the rattling becomes large.

Therefore, by providing the axial detent portion50that prevents the holding body21from rattling along the axial direction at the intermediate position between the two circumferential detent portions so as to suppress the rattling described above, it is possible to suppress the holding body21from rattling in the axial direction of the tubular body12. In the present embodiment, as illustrated inFIGS.4to6B, the axial detent portion50is configured by a convex portion12gformed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body12and a concave groove21gformed on the inner peripheral surface of the holding body21.

By providing such an axial detent portion50, the movement of the holding body21in the D2and D3directions is restricted by an upper surface12g′ of the convex portion12gand a bottom surface21g′ of the concave groove21gabutting on the rattling acting on the holding body21at the time of the fishing line winding operation as described above, and the rattling due to the movement in the D2and D3directions as illustrated inFIGS.6A and6Bcan be suppressed. That is, when the fishing line is wound around the spool, rattling along the axial direction is suppressed even if the holding body21holding the fishing line insertion portion22is reciprocally driven between the left and right side plates. Therefore, the fishing line can be accurately wound around the spool, and generation of the abnormal noise due to the rattling is also suppressed, so that the fishing reel can be improved in a sense of precision. Furthermore, by providing the axial detent portion50, the turning operation of the fishing line guide body can be more stably performed.

The above-described position where the axial detent portion50is provided may be an intermediate position between the two circumferential detent portions, but the axial detent portion is preferably provided within a range R separated by 45° or more in the circumferential direction from each circumferential detent portion (the position where the rib12bis formed) (secFIG.4). By providing the axial detent portion50within such a range R, rattling can be stably suppressed. In particular, the axial detent portion50is preferably provided in a range facing the engagement pin23engaged with the spiral groove of the worm shaft11. That is, when the engagement pin23is engaged with the spiral groove11aof the worm shaft11through the long hole12aof the tubular body12, a large force is generated along the axial direction at this engagement portion. Therefore, as illustrated inFIG.4, by providing the axial detent portion50(the convex portion12g) on the line Y connecting the center of the engagement pin and the axis C of the tubular body12, rattling can be more effectively suppressed.

In fact, when a comparative test was conducted on the occurrence of rattling under the same conditions for the configuration in which the axial detent portion50was not provided (FIGS.6A and6B) and the configuration in which the axial detent portion50was provided (FIGS.5A and5B), it was confirmed that the rattling was reduced by 10% at the minimum and 35.9% at the maximum in the configuration in which the axial detent portion50was provided.

FIG.7is a schematic view illustrating another configuration of the tubular body12. As shown in this embodiment, it is preferable that the convex portion12gconstituting the axial detent portion50has a height H lower than each rib12bof the two circumferential detent portions, and a width W thereof is formed wider.

As described above, by forming the convex portion12gof the axial detent portion50to have a small height and a large width, the concave groove can be made shallow to prevent a decrease in strength, and the contact area between the upper surface12g′ of the convex portion12gand the bottom surface of the concave groove21gis increased, so that rattling can be more effectively suppressed.

The embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and may be modified in various ways.

The present invention has features in the portion of the fishing line guide body20(the holding body21) and the tubular body12of the level winding device10, and other configurations, for example, the size and shape of the reel main body, other functional members, and the like are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the configuration of the fishing line insertion portion22, the holding structure of the engagement pin engaged with the screw shaft, and the like can also be appropriately modified.

In addition, two or more axial detent portions50may be provided as long as the axial detent portions are disposed at intermediate positions between the two circumferential detent portions. Further, when the axial detent portion50is formed in the fitting relationship between the convex portion12gand the concave groove21g, the axial detent portion can be appropriately deformed in terms of its height, width, groove depth, and the like.