CN114508272A - Holding device for vehicle door - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a holding device for a vehicle door. The holding device (10) for the vehicle door comprises: a rotating cylinder (20); a lock unit (40) that is set to either a locked state or an unlocked state; a trigger mechanism unit (50) for driving the lock unit (40). The trigger mechanism unit (50) permits only the closing operation of the vehicle door (6) when the lock unit (40) is in the locked state, and permits the opening and closing operation of the vehicle door (6) when the lock unit (40) is in the unlocked state. The trigger mechanism (50) is configured to adjust the position of the second guide claw portion in the axial direction relative to the first guide claw portion to either a lowered position or a raised position.

Description

Holding device for vehicle door

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a door holding device for holding a door.

Background

In a vehicle such as a small van, there is a possibility that a sufficient space for fully opening a back door cannot be secured behind the vehicle, or a situation in which a user cannot easily reach the back door in a fully open position with his or her hands. Therefore, in order to cope with such a situation, a technique is desired in which a user can hold the back door at an arbitrary intermediate position between the fully open position and the fully closed position.

A holding device associated with such a technique is disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication 2011-one 46280 described below. The holding device is provided with: a rotating cylinder for winding the rope; a cable having one end portion thereof locked to the rotary cylinder and the other end portion thereof locked to the back door; a spiral spring for applying force to the rotation cylinder in the cable winding direction; and a rotation control mechanism for controlling the rotation of the rotation cylinder.

According to this holding device, the rotation control mechanism is set to the one-way rotation state by slightly closing the back door at an arbitrary intermediate position between the fully open position and the fully closed position. Thus, since the rotation of the cable unwinding direction of the rotating cylinder is restricted, the user can hold the back door at the intermediate position. Further, the rotation control mechanism is switched from the unidirectional rotation state to the restraint released state by closing the back door from the intermediate position to the fully closed position. Thereby, the user can perform the opening operation of the back door from the fully closed position.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the above-described holding device, the back door held at an arbitrary intermediate position is allowed to perform only the operation in the closing direction from the intermediate position. However, depending on the use of the user, there may be a case where the back door is intended to be moved only in the closing direction from the intermediate position, or a case where the back door is intended to be moved also in the opening direction from the intermediate position. Therefore, in designing such a holding device, a technique is desired which takes into consideration the intention of the user with respect to the operation after the door is held at the intermediate position.

The present invention can select an operation after holding a door at an arbitrary intermediate position in a door holding device according to the user's intention.

The invention provides a holding device for a vehicle door. The holding device for the vehicle door holds the vehicle door at an intermediate position between a fully closed position and a fully open position. The holding device for the vehicle door comprises: a rotating cylinder which is rotatably provided on either one of a vehicle body and the door and is coupled to either one of the vehicle body and the door via a cable member that can be wound and unwound; a lock unit configured to be set to any one of a locked state in which rotation of the rotation cylinder is locked and an unlocked state in which rotation of the rotation cylinder is allowed; a trigger mechanism section for driving the lock section. The trigger mechanism portion includes: a first guide member which is cylindrical and has a cam groove and a first guide claw portion on an inner surface; a second guide member having a second guide claw portion attached between the cam groove of the first guide member and the first guide claw portion; a lock rotor having an engaging piece portion that is fitted into the cam groove or rides over the second guide claw portion to be moved up to the guide surface of the first guide claw portion in accordance with the rotation in the circumferential direction; and a movable member that moves in the axial direction of the lock rotor in conjunction with the rotation cylinder when the door is opened and closed. The trigger mechanism portion is configured to stop rotation of the lock rotor when the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor is fitted into the cam groove of the first guide member, and set the lock portion to the locked state. The trigger mechanism portion is configured to allow rotation of the lock rotor when the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor gets over the guide surface of the first guide claw portion of the first guide member, thereby bringing the lock portion into the unlocked state. The trigger mechanism portion is configured to alternately switch the lock portion between the locked state and the unlocked state each time the door is operated to cause the movable member to repeat movement in one direction in the axial direction during a closing operation at the intermediate position of the door. The trigger mechanism unit is configured to allow only a closing operation of the door when the lock unit is in the locked state, and configured to allow an opening and closing operation of the door when the lock unit is in the unlocked state. The trigger mechanism portion is configured to adjust a position of the second guide claw portion of the second guide member in the axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion of the first guide member so that the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor can move over either a lowered position of the second guide claw portion or a raised position of the second guide claw portion.

According to the above configuration, when the user wants to hold the door at an arbitrary intermediate position between the fully closed position and the fully open position, the user operates the door to close the door from the intermediate position, thereby performing the closing operation. At this time, when the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor is fitted into the cam groove of the first guide member, the trigger mechanism portion prevents the lock rotor from rotating, and sets the lock portion to a locked state in which the lock portion prevents the rotation of the rotation cylinder. The trigger mechanism allows rotation of the lock rotor when the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor moves up to the guide surface of the first guide claw portion of the first guide member, and sets the lock portion to an unlocked state in which rotation of the rotation cylinder is allowed. In addition, in the closing operation at the intermediate position of the door, the lock portion can be alternately switched between the locked state and the unlocked state each time the movable member repeatedly moves in one of the axial directions.

Therefore, if necessary, the door can be held at an arbitrary intermediate position by setting the lock portion to the locked state and preventing the rotation of the rotation cylinder, or the door can be released by setting the lock portion to the unlocked state and allowing the rotation of the rotation cylinder. The door at the intermediate position is allowed to perform only the closing operation in the locked state and is allowed to perform the opening and closing operation in the unlocked state.

Here, the trigger mechanism portion is configured to be capable of adjusting a position of the second guide claw portion of the second guide member in an axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion of the first guide member such that the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor is capable of passing over either a lowered position of the second guide claw portion or a raised position of the second guide claw portion.

When the second guide claw portion is adjusted to the lowered position, the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor can ride over the second guide claw portion and ride over the guide surface of the first guide claw portion during the closing operation at the intermediate position of the door, and therefore the lock portion can be switched to the unlocked state by the movement of the movable member. At this time, the door is set to be capable of opening and closing at the intermediate position.

In contrast, when the second guide claw portion is adjusted to the raised position, the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor cannot pass over the second guide claw portion during the closing operation at the intermediate position of the door, and therefore the lock portion cannot be switched to the unlocked state by the movement of the movable member, and the locked state is maintained. At this time, the door is set to be capable of performing only the closing operation at the intermediate position.

In this way, by adjusting the position of the second guide claw portion in the axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion to any one of the lowered position and the raised position in advance, the user can appropriately select the operation after the door is held at any intermediate position according to his or her own intention.

As described above, according to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a door holding device capable of selecting an operation after holding a door at an arbitrary intermediate position according to the user's intention.

Drawings

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols represent like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 is a side view of a rear portion of a vehicle body as viewed from a side, and is a diagram illustrating a state in which a back door according to embodiment 1 is at an arbitrary intermediate position.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an initial state of the door holding device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a latch rotor, a first guide member, and a second guide member constituting a trigger mechanism portion of the door holding device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of the lock rotor, the first guide member, and the second guide member of fig. 3 before being disassembled.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an operation of the second guide claw portion of the second guide member in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a door opening operation state of the door holding device of fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a door closing operation state of the door holding device of fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a door holding state of the door holding device of fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a view schematically showing a state in which the second guide pawl portion of the second guide member is in a lowered position in the trigger mechanism portion of the door holding device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 schematically shows a state in which the second guide claw portion of the second guide member is at the raised position in fig. 9.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the above-described mode will be described below.

In the door holding device, it is preferable that either one of the first guide member and the second guide member is provided with an operating portion for manually adjusting a position of the second guide claw portion in the axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion to either one of the lowered position and the raised position.

According to this holding device, the user can directly hold the operating portion, thereby simply manually adjusting the position of the second guiding claw portion with respect to the first guiding claw portion to the lowered position or the raised position.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a specific embodiment of a door holding device mounted between a vehicle body and a back door at the rear of a vehicle, with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings for describing this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the vehicle front is indicated by an arrow FR and the vehicle upper is indicated by an arrow UP. Note that the left-right direction corresponding to the vehicle width direction is indicated by an arrow X, the front-rear direction corresponding to the vehicle longitudinal direction is indicated by an arrow Y, and the up-down direction corresponding to the vehicle height direction is indicated by an arrow Z.

As shown in fig. 1, a rear door 6 as a door and a door holding device (hereinafter, simply referred to as "holding device") 10 according to embodiment 1 are provided at a rear portion 2 of a vehicle body 1.

The back door 6 is a flip-up type door that can be rotated via the rotation shaft 7 from a fully closed position P1 through an intermediate position (also referred to as a "half open position") P3 to a fully open position P2. The luggage compartment 4 behind the rearmost seat 3 can be opened and closed by the pivotal movement of the back door 6. The rear of the luggage room 4 is partitioned by a back door 6, and both sides thereof are partitioned by left and right pillar garnishes 5.

The right and left end portions of the back door 6 are connected to the rear portion 2 of the vehicle body 1 by known hydraulic cushion stays 8. Therefore, the opening and closing operation of the back door 6 by the user is assisted by the cushion stay 8. For example, when the user takes his or her hand away from the back door 6 at the intermediate position P3, the cushion stay 8 can prevent the back door 6 from moving toward the fully closed position P1 due to its own weight. Further, according to the cushion stay 8, the force required for the user to flip up the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 toward the fully open position P2 can be reduced.

The holding device 10 has a function of holding the back door 6 via the cable member 25 at an arbitrary intermediate position P3 between the fully closed position P1 and the fully open position P2. The cable member 25 is configured as a wire rope in which a plurality of metal wires are combined. The wire rope can also be changed to a member such as a belt or a tape measure as necessary.

As shown in fig. 2, the holding device 10 is provided on the vehicle body 1. The holding device 10 includes a housing 10a fixed to the vehicle body 1, and a plurality of components including a rotating cylinder 20, a torque transmission portion 30, a lock portion 40, and a trigger mechanism portion 50 are housed in the housing 10 a.

The rotating cylinder 20 is a rotatable body having a shaft portion 20a provided in the housing 10a so as to extend in the left-right direction X as a center. The rotary cylinder 20 is coupled to the rear tailgate 6 via a cable member 25 that can be wound and unwound. The rotating cylinder 20 includes a reel unit 21, a first gear unit 22, and a second gear unit 23, which are coaxially and integrally provided.

The reel portion 21 has a winding surface for winding the cable member 25 on the outer periphery in the rotation direction D, and is a portion where the winding and unwinding of the cable member 25 can be performed by rotating the rotary cylinder 20 around the shaft portion 20 a. In the reel portion 21, the first rotational direction D1 is the unwinding direction of the cable member 25, and the second rotational direction D2 is the winding direction of the cable member 25. The reel unit 21 is always elastically biased in the second rotation direction D2 by the spring member 24.

The first gear portion 22 is a gear for ratchet provided corresponding to the ratchet member 41 of the lock portion 40, and a plurality of engaging teeth 22a are provided on the first gear portion 22 over the entire circumference in the rotation direction D thereof. The plurality of engaging teeth 22a extend in a direction inclined with respect to a virtual line in the diameter direction. In fig. 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the engaging teeth 22a is omitted.

The second gear unit 23 is provided with a plurality of engaging teeth 23a over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction D. In fig. 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the engaging teeth 23a is omitted. In the present embodiment, a case where the second gear unit 23 has a smaller diameter than the first gear unit 22 is exemplified.

The torque transmission unit 30 includes an idler gear (idler gear)31, a drive gear 32, and a torque limiter 35, and has a function of transmitting torque generated when the rotation cylinder 20 rotates to the trigger mechanism unit 50 via the torque limiter 35.

The idler gear 31 is an intermediate gear interposed between the rotating cylinder 20 and the drive gear 32. The idler gear 31 is a rotary body rotatable about a shaft portion 31a provided in the housing 10a so as to extend parallel to the shaft portion 20a of the rotary cylinder 20. The idler gear 31 is provided with a plurality of engaging teeth 31b over the entire circumference in the rotational direction D. In fig. 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the engaging teeth 31b is omitted. The idler gear 31 meshes with a plurality of engaging teeth 23a of the second gear unit 23 of the rotating cylinder 20 at a plurality of engaging teeth 31 b. Therefore, the idler gear 31 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotating cylinder 20 when the rotating cylinder 20 rotates.

The drive gear 32 is a gear that drives a movable member 51 described later by rotating in conjunction with the rotating cylinder 20 and the idler gear 31. The drive gear 32 is a rotary body rotatable about a shaft portion 32a provided in the housing 10a so as to extend parallel to the shaft portion 31a of the idler gear 31. The drive gear 32 has a first gear part 33 and a second gear part 34, both coaxial.

The first gear portion 33 is provided with a plurality of engaging teeth 33a over the entire circumference in the rotational direction D. In fig. 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the engaging teeth 33a is omitted.

The second gear unit 34 is provided with a plurality of engaging teeth 34a over the entire circumference in the rotational direction D. The second gear portion 34 meshes with the plurality of engaging teeth 31b of the idler gear 31 at the plurality of engaging teeth 34 a. Therefore, the drive gear 32 is configured to rotate in conjunction with the idler gear 31 when the idler gear 31 rotates. In the present embodiment, a case where the second gear unit 34 has a smaller diameter than the first gear unit 33 is exemplified.

The torque limiter 35 is provided between the first gear part 33 and the second gear part 34 of the drive gear 32. The torque limiter 35 has a function of blocking the transmitted torque at the time of overload. Therefore, in the drive gear 32, when the torque acting in the rotation direction D is lower than the reference value, the first gear part 33 and the second gear part 34 rotate integrally in the rotation direction D, and on the other hand, when the torque acting in the rotation direction D exceeds the reference value, the first gear part 33 and the second gear part 34 are relatively rotatable in accordance with the function of the torque limiter 35.

Although the structure of the torque limiter 35 is not particularly limited, as an example, a rotary oil damper having a known structure including a rotor as a rotating body and a stator rotatably housed in the rotor by oil can be used. As for a specific structure of the oil damper, for example, refer to the structure of a rotary oil damper disclosed in japanese patent laid-open No. 2001-234962.

As an alternative configuration to the above-described rotary oil damper, a configuration may be used in which a ball member interposed between the first gear unit 33 and the second gear unit 34 is disengaged during overload, or a configuration in which the first gear unit 33 and the second gear unit 34 are disconnected during overload by control of an electromagnetic clutch.

The lock unit 40 is set to any one of a locked state in which the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20 is locked and an unlocked state in which the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20 is allowed. The lock portion 40 includes a ratchet member 41 and a support arm 43 connected to the ratchet member 41.

The ratchet member 41 has a locking claw 42, and is configured to be rotatable between a locked position to an unlocked position with respect to the rotating cylinder 20 around a shaft portion 41a provided in the housing 10a so as to extend in the left-right direction X.

The support arm 43 is coupled to the ratchet 41 by engaging a coupling pin 43a provided at one end with an elongated hole 41b provided in the ratchet member 41. At this time, the connecting pin 43a is configured to be slidable in the longitudinal direction in the elongated hole 41b of the ratchet member 41.

The support arm 43 is coupled to a lock rotor 54 constituting the trigger mechanism 50. The support arm 43 is always elastically biased by the spring member 44 so that the ratchet member 41 is operated toward the unlock position with respect to the rotating cylinder 20.

Therefore, when the elastic urging force of the ratchet member 41 from the spring member 44 exceeds the load received from the trigger mechanism portion 50, the ratchet member 41 becomes the unlocked state. On the other hand, when the load applied to the ratchet member 41 from the trigger mechanism portion 50 exceeds the elastic biasing force applied from the spring member 44, the ratchet member 41 rotates about the shaft portion 41a toward the rotary cylinder 20, and the locking pawl 42 is locked when it is engaged with the engaging teeth 22a of the rotary cylinder 20.

The trigger mechanism 50 is a member for driving the locking unit 40. The trigger mechanism 50 includes a movable member 51, a lock rotor 54, a first guide member 55, a second guide member 56, a stopper 58, and two stoppers 59 and 59 a.

The movable member 51 has a rack portion 52 and an engagement portion 53 extending in the vertical direction Z, and is configured to be slidable between a first position Q1 (see fig. 6) and a second position Q2 (see fig. 2). The rack portion 52 is provided with a plurality of rack teeth 52a along the vertical direction Z as the sliding direction so as to mesh with a plurality of engaging teeth 33a provided on the first gear portion 33 of the drive gear 32. Thereby, the rotation of the drive gear 32 is converted into the vertical movement Z of the movable member 51. At this time, the movable member 51 is configured to move between the first position Q1 and the second position Q2 in conjunction with the rotation cylinder 20 by the torque transmitted from the torque transmission unit 30 when the back door 6 is opened and closed. The engaging portion 53 is provided with a holding claw 53a capable of holding an engaging piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 from below.

The two stoppers 59, 59a have a function of stopping the movable member 51 at each of the first position Q1 and the second position Q2. Therefore, the movement of the movable member 51 in the vertical direction Z is prevented by the two stoppers 59 and 59a disposed on both sides of the rack portion 52 in the vertical direction Z.

Specifically, when the movable member 51 slides in the second sliding direction Z2, the movable member is stopped at the first position Q1 where the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59 and the engaging portion 53 abuts against the stopper 59a, and further sliding in the second sliding direction Z2 is prevented. Further, when the movable member 51 slides in the first sliding direction Z1, the movable member comes to a stop at the second position Q2 where the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59a, and further sliding in the first sliding direction Z1 is prevented.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the lock rotor 54 has a plurality of (three in fig. 4) engagement piece portions 54a on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion, and is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction E. The plurality of engagement pieces 54a are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction E. Each of the engagement piece portions 54a is formed by a plate-shaped portion extending in the vertical direction Z as the axial direction of the lock rotor 54.

The first guide member 55 is a cylindrical member, and is provided with a plurality of cam grooves 55a and first guide claw portions 55b on an inner surface thereof. The cam grooves 55a and the first guide claw portions 55b are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction E. Each cam groove 55a is a groove in which the vertical direction Z is the depth direction. Each of the first guide claw portions 55b has a guide surface 55c extending in the circumferential direction E. The first guide member 55 is provided with a long hole 55d that penetrates the cylinder wall and extends in the vertical direction Z.

The second guide member 56 has a plurality of (three in fig. 4) second guide claw portions 56a extending in the vertical direction Z. Each second guide claw portion 56a is inserted into the cylinder of the first guide member 55 through the elongated hole 55d, and is interposed between the cam groove 55a and the first guide claw portion 55 b. The second guide member 56 is provided with an operation portion 57 that can be directly gripped by a user and operated to slide. By manually operating the operation unit 57, the second guide member 56 can be slid in the vertical direction Z with respect to the first guide member 55.

As the lock rotor 54 rotates in the circumferential direction E, the engagement piece 54a of the lock rotor 54 is configured to fit into the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55 or to move over the second guide claw 56a and to move up the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw 55 b.

In addition, the trigger mechanism portion 50 is structured similarly to a knock-type ball-point pen. In the knock-type ball-point pen structure, each time the knock lever repeatedly performs a one-touch operation in one direction, the refill is alternately switched between the locked state and the unlocked state via a cam mechanism interposed between the knock lever and the refill. In contrast to this structure, the movable member 51 corresponds to a knocking lever, the lock portion 40 corresponds to a refill, and the lock rotor and the first guide member 55 correspond to a cam mechanism.

As shown in fig. 5, the trigger mechanism 50 is configured such that the position of the second guide pawl 56a in the vertical direction Z with respect to the first guide pawl 55b can be adjusted between a lowered position R1 (shown by a solid line) and a raised position R2 (shown by a two-dot chain line) by sliding the second guide member 56 in the vertical direction Z. In the case of this configuration, the direction in which the second guide member 56 and the operation portion 57 operate coincides with the direction in which the second guide claw portion 56a operates. Therefore, the structure for adjusting the position of the second guide pawl portion 56a can be simplified by utilizing the sliding structure of the second guide member 56. Further, the operation performed by the user is simplified by the configuration in which the operation unit 57 is slid.

The lowered position R1 is a position where the upper surface 56b of the second guide claw portion 56a follows the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b and where the engagement piece portion 54a can be moved over the second guide claw portion 56a and over the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b by the rotation of the lock rotor 54.

The raised position R2 is a position where the upper surface 56b of the second guide claw portion 56a projects upward from the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b, and where the engagement piece portion 54a cannot be caused to pass over the second guide claw portion 56a by the rotation of the lock rotor 54.

As shown in fig. 2, the engagement piece 54a of the lock rotor 54 can be engaged with any one of the holding claw 53a of the engagement portion 53 of the movable member 51, the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55, and the first guide claw portion 55 b. That is, as the latch rotor 54 rotates, the engagement piece 54a thereof can be engaged so as to be supported by the holding claw 53a of the engagement portion 53 of the movable member 51, engaged so as to be fitted into the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55, or engaged so as to be guided by the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b of the first guide member 55. On the other hand, such engagement of the engagement piece portion 54a is prevented by the eliminator 58 as necessary.

In the trigger mechanism unit 50, at the time of closing operation at the intermediate position P3 (see fig. 1) of the back door 6, the movable member 51 can alternately switch the lock unit 40 to the locked state and the unlocked state each time the back door 6 is operated so as to repeatedly move in one direction (the first sliding direction Z1 in fig. 2) between the first position Q1 and the second position Q2. That is, the lock unit 40 can be alternately switched between the locked state and the unlocked state by repeating the operation of the movable member 51 corresponding to the one-key operation.

When the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 is fitted into the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55, the trigger mechanism portion 50 prevents the lock rotor 54 from rotating in the circumferential direction E, and brings the lock portion 40 into the locked state. Further, when the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 moves up the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b of the first guide member 55, the trigger mechanism portion 50 allows the lock rotor 54 to rotate in the circumferential direction E, thereby bringing the lock portion 40 into the unlocked state. The trigger mechanism unit 50 is configured to allow only the closing operation of the back door 6 when the lock unit 40 is in the locked state, and to allow the opening and closing operation of the back door 6 when the lock unit 40 is in the unlocked state.

The torque transmission unit 30 is configured to release the interlocking between the movable member 51 and the rotating cylinder 20 by blocking the transmitted torque by the torque limiter 35 in the stopped state of the movable member 51 of the trigger mechanism unit 50.

Next, the operation of the holding device 10 will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 6 to 10.

(initial state) the holding fixture 10 of fig. 2 shows an initial state when the back door 6 is at the fully closed position P1 (refer to fig. 1). At this time, in the trigger mechanism portion 50, the movable member 51 is at the second position Q2 where the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59 a. At this time, the lock portion 40 is set to the unlocked state by the canceller 58.

As an example of the canceller 48, a movable body that operates to interlock with the idler gear 31 or a movable body that operates by an actuator when the back door 6 reaches the fully closed position P1 may be configured to be biased so that the lock portion 40 is in the unlocked state. Thus, when the opening operation is performed from the fully closed position P1 after the user performs the closing operation of the back door 6 up to the fully closed position P1, the situation in which the opening operation is blocked can be prevented by the eliminator.

(door opening operation state) the holding device 10 of fig. 6 shows a door opening operation state as to when the user performs an opening operation of the back door 6 from the fully closed position P1 up to the intermediate position P3 (refer to fig. 1). At this time, the rotary cylinder 20 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 about the shaft portion 20a while unwinding the cable member 25 in conjunction with the opening operation of the back door 6. In conjunction with this, the drive gear 32 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 about the shaft portion 32 a.

In the trigger mechanism 50, the movable member 51 is lowered in the second sliding direction Z2 toward the first position Q1 in accordance with the rotation of the drive gear 32, and at the first position Q1, the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59 and the engaging portion 53 abuts against the stopper 59 a. The engagement piece 54a of the lock rotor 54 is located above the guide surface 55c of the first guide member 55. Therefore, the movable member 51 is in the stopped state in which the sliding movement in the second sliding direction Z2 is prevented, and the lock portion 40 is in the unlocked state.

At this time, when the user further opens the back door 6, the drive gear 32 attempts to rotate in the first rotation direction D1 with respect to the stationary movable member 51 to become an overload state, and therefore, the transmission of the torque from the drive gear 32 to the movable member 51 is blocked by the torque limiter 35. Thus, the movable member 51 and the rotary cylinder 20 are released from the interlocking operation, and therefore, the back door 6 can be opened to an arbitrary intermediate position P3.

(door closing operation state) the holding device 10 of fig. 7 shows a door closing operation state with respect to a temporary closing operation of the back door 6 by the user from an arbitrary intermediate position P3. At this time, the rotary cylinder 20 rotates in the second rotation direction D2 about the shaft portion 20a while winding up the cable member 25 in conjunction with the closing operation of the back door 6. In conjunction with this, the drive gear 32 rotates in the second rotation direction D2 about the shaft portion 32 a.

In the trigger mechanism 50, the movable member 51 is raised in the first sliding direction Z1 toward the second position Q2 in accordance with the rotation of the drive gear 32, and the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59a at the second position Q2. The engagement piece 54a of the lock rotor 54 is supported from below by the holding claw 53a of the engagement portion 53. Thereby, the movable member 51 is in a stopped state in which the stopper 59a prevents the sliding movement in the first sliding direction Z1, and the lock portion 40 is in an unlocked state.

At this time, when the user further closes the back door 6, the drive gear 32 attempts to rotate in the second rotation direction D2 with respect to the stopped movable member 51 to become an overload state, and therefore, the transmission of the torque from the drive gear 32 to the movable member 51 is blocked by the torque limiter 35. Thus, the movable member 51 and the rotary cylinder 20 are released from the interlocking operation, and therefore, the closing operation of the back door 6 can be allowed.

(door holding state) the holding device 10 of fig. 8 shows a door holding state in which the user stops the temporary closing operation of the back door 6, thereby locking the opening and closing operation of the back door 6. At this time, the back door 6 is moved in the opening direction by the assisting force of the cushion stay 8, and the rotation cylinder 20 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 around the shaft portion 20a while unwinding the cable member 25. In conjunction with this, the drive gear 32 rotates in the first rotation direction D1 about the shaft portion 32 a.

In the trigger mechanism 50, the movable member 51 is lowered in the second sliding direction Z2 toward the first position Q1 in accordance with the rotation of the drive gear 32, and at the first position Q1, the rack portion 52 abuts against the stopper 59 and the engaging portion 53 abuts against the stopper 59 a. The engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 is released from the support by the holding claw 53a of the engagement portion 53, and is rotated in the circumferential direction E by the lock rotor 54, and is fitted into the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55. Thereby, the lock rotor 54 descends. Therefore, the lock portion 40 is brought into the locked state by the ratchet member 41 being turned toward the rotary cylinder 20 about the shaft portion 41a as the lock rotor 54 descends, and the locking claws 42 being engaged with the engagement teeth 22a of the rotary cylinder 20. As a result, the back door 6 can be held at an arbitrary intermediate position P3.

In the door holding state of fig. 8, the closing operation from an arbitrary intermediate position P3 of the back door 6 toward the fully closed position P1 is permitted. During this closing operation, in the trigger mechanism portion 50, the movable member 51 moves upward in the first sliding direction Z1 toward the second position Q2, and the locking claw 42 of the ratchet member 41 of the lock portion 40 is switched to the unlocked state in which the engagement with the engagement teeth 22a of the rotation cylinder 20 is released. When the user closes the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 to the fully closed position P1, the holding device 10 returns to the initial state of fig. 2.

In contrast, when the user stops the closing operation until the back door 6 reaches the fully closed position P1, the holding device 10 is in the same state as the door opening operation state of fig. 6, and the unlocked state of the lock portion 40 is maintained. In this manner, the holding device 10 alternately switches between the door holding state of fig. 8 and the door opening operation state of fig. 6 each time the movable member 51 of the trigger mechanism 50 repeatedly moves in the first sliding direction Z1. As a result, the lock unit 40 is alternately switched between the locked state and the unlocked state.

As shown in fig. 9, when the second guide claw portion 56a is adjusted to the lowered position R1 by the manual operation of the operating portion 57, the trigger mechanism portion 50 is configured such that the upper end of the second guide claw portion 56a is located below the lower end of the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 and the upper surface 56b of the second guide claw portion 56a is arranged at a position following the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55 b. Therefore, if the second guide claw portion 56a is adjusted to the lowered position R1 in advance, the lock rotor 54 can be rotated in the circumferential direction E1 to move the engagement piece portion 54a over the second guide claw portion 56a and over the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b as the back door 6 in the door holding state of fig. 8 at the intermediate position P3 is moved in the closing direction. As a result, the lock unit 40 can be set to the unlocked state.

As shown in fig. 10, when the second guide claw portion 56a is adjusted to the raised position R1 by the manual operation of the operating portion 57, the trigger mechanism portion 50 is configured such that the upper end of the second guide claw portion 56a is located above the lower end of the engagement piece portion 54a of the latch rotor 54. Therefore, if the second guide claw 56a is adjusted to the raised position R2 in advance, the engagement piece 54a cannot pass over the second guide claw 56a even when the lock rotor 54 attempts to rotate in the circumferential direction E1 as the back door 6 in the door holding state of fig. 8 at the intermediate position P3 moves in the closing direction. As a result, the lock portion 40 cannot be set to the unlocked state.

According to embodiment 1 described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

According to the holding device 10 described above, when the user wants to hold the back door 6 at the intermediate position P3 between the fully closed position P1 and the fully open position P2, the user operates to close the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 to perform the closing operation. At this time, when the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 is fitted into the cam groove 55a of the first guide member 55, the trigger mechanism portion 50 prevents the lock rotor 54 from rotating, and sets the lock portion 40 in a locked state in which the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20 is prevented. Further, the trigger mechanism portion 50 allows the rotation of the lock rotor 54 when the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 moves up the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b of the first guide member 55, and sets the lock portion 40 to the unlock state allowing the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20. In the closing operation at the intermediate position P3 of the back door 6, the lock portion 40 can be alternately switched between the locked state and the unlocked state each time the movable member 51 repeatedly moves in one of the vertical directions Z.

Therefore, if necessary, the back door 6 can be held at an arbitrary intermediate position P3 by setting the lock portion 40 to the locked state and preventing the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20, or the holding of the back door 6 can be released by setting the lock portion 40 to the unlocked state and allowing the rotation of the rotation cylinder 20. The back door 6 at the intermediate position P3 allows only the closing operation in the locked state and allows the opening and closing operation in the unlocked state.

Here, the trigger mechanism 50 is configured to be able to adjust the position of the second guide claw portion 56a of the second guide member 56 with respect to the vertical direction Z of the first guide claw portion 55b of the first guide member 55 between a lowered position R1 where the engagement piece portion 54a of the latch rotor 54 can pass over the second guide claw portion 56a and a raised position R2 where the engagement piece portion cannot pass over the second guide claw portion 56 a.

When the second guide claw portion 56a is adjusted to the lowered position R1, the engagement piece portion 54a of the lock rotor 54 can ride over the second guide claw portion 56a and go up the guide surface 55c of the first guide claw portion 55b during the closing operation at the intermediate position P3 of the back door 6, and therefore the lock portion 40 can be switched to the unlocked state by the movement of the movable member 51. At this time, the back door 6 is set to be openable and closable at the intermediate position P3.

In contrast, when the second guide claw 56a is adjusted to the raised position R2, the engagement piece 54a of the latch rotor 54 cannot pass over the second guide claw 56a during the closing operation at the intermediate position P3 of the back door 6, and therefore the movement of the movable member 51 cannot switch the latch portion 40 to the unlocked state, and the latched state is maintained. At this time, the back door 6 is set to be capable of only the closing operation (operation in the one-way direction) at the intermediate position P3. As a result, the user can be prevented from erroneously opening the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3.

In this way, by adjusting the position of the second guide claw portion 56a in the vertical direction Z with respect to the first guide claw portion 55b to any one of the lowered position R1 and the raised position R2 in advance, the user can select the operation after holding the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3 as desired.

Therefore, according to embodiment 1 described above, it is possible to provide the holding device 10 that can select the operation of holding the back door 6 at an arbitrary intermediate position P3 at the will of the user.

According to the above-described holding apparatus 10, the user can directly grip the operating portion 57 provided on the second guide member 56, thereby simply manually adjusting the position of the second guide claw portion 56a with respect to the first guide claw portion 55b to the lowered position R1 or the raised position R2. As a result, customization by the user is facilitated.

Further, the holding device 10 described above is effective for a case where the loading and unloading of the cargo are performed by stopping the back door 6 at an arbitrary intermediate position P3 in a narrow place where the back door 6 cannot be fully opened. The back door 6 can be stopped at an arbitrary intermediate position P3 by a simple operation such as a one-handed operation, regardless of the physique of the user, even for a small user.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various applications and modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments to which the above embodiments are applied can be implemented.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the user directly manually operates the operation portion 57 of the second guide member 56 to slide the second guide member 56 with respect to the first guide member 55 and further adjust the position of the second guide claw portion 56a between the lowered position R1 and the raised position R2 has been described, but instead, the second guide member 56 may be operated via a mechanical interlocking mechanism, an actuator, or the like in accordance with the operation of another operation portion (for example, a button, a switch, or the like) performed by the user. In this case, the position of the second guide pawl portion 56a may be adjusted to at least one of the lowered position R1 and the raised position R2.

Although the above-described embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the operation portion 57 is provided on the second guide member 56, an element corresponding to the operation portion 57 may be provided on the first guide member 55 instead.

In the above-described embodiment, the holding device 10 is attached to the vehicle body 1 and the one end portion 11a of the cable member 25 is locked to the back door 6, but instead, a structure may be adopted in which the holding device 10 is attached to the back door 6 and the one end portion 11a of the cable member 25 is locked to the vehicle body 1.

Although the holding device 10 for the rear-end door is exemplified in the above-described embodiment, the structure of the holding device 10 described above can be applied to other doors for a vehicle, for example, a door such as a glass hatch attached to the rear-end door in an openable and closable manner, a sunroof attached to a roof panel of the vehicle body 1 in an openable and closable manner, or a hood attached to a front portion of the vehicle body 1 in an openable and closable manner.

Claims (2)

1. A retaining device (10) for a vehicle door, which retains a vehicle door (6) at an intermediate position between a fully closed position and a fully open position, characterized by comprising:

a rotating cylinder (20) which is rotatably provided on either one of a vehicle body (1) and the door (6) and is coupled to either one of the vehicle body (1) and the door (6) via a cable member that can be wound and unwound;

a lock unit (40) that is set to either a locked state in which rotation of the rotating cylinder (20) is locked or an unlocked state in which rotation of the rotating cylinder (20) is allowed,

a trigger mechanism section (50) for driving the lock section (40),

in the door holding device (10),

the trigger mechanism section (50) includes: a first guide member (55) which is cylindrical and has a cam groove and a first guide claw portion on an inner surface; a second guide member (56) having a second guide claw portion attached between the cam groove of the first guide member (55) and the first guide claw portion; a lock rotor (54) having an engaging piece portion that fits into the cam groove or rides over the second guide claw portion to move up the guide surface of the first guide claw portion in accordance with the rotation in the circumferential direction; a movable member (51) that moves in the axial direction of the lock rotor (54) in an interlocking manner with the rotating cylinder (20) when the door (6) is opened and closed,

the trigger mechanism section (50) is configured to stop rotation of the lock rotor (54) when the engagement piece section of the lock rotor (54) is fitted into the cam groove of the first guide member, thereby bringing the lock section (40) into the locked state,

the trigger mechanism portion (50) is configured to allow rotation of the lock rotor (54) when the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor (54) comes above the guide surface of the first guide claw portion of the first guide member (55), thereby bringing the lock portion (40) into the unlocked state,

the trigger mechanism unit (50) is configured to alternately switch the lock unit (40) between the locked state and the unlocked state each time the door (6) is operated and the movable member (51) is repeatedly moved in one of the axial directions during a closing operation at the intermediate position of the door (6),

the trigger mechanism unit (50) is configured to allow only a closing operation of the door (6) when the lock unit (40) is in the locked state, and configured to allow an opening/closing operation of the door (6) when the lock unit (40) is in the unlocked state,

the trigger mechanism (50) is configured to adjust the position of the second guide claw portion of the second guide member (56) in the axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion of the first guide member (55) such that the engagement piece portion of the lock rotor (54) can move over either a lowered position of the second guide claw portion or a raised position of the second guide claw portion.

2. The door holding device (10) according to claim 1,

an operating portion (57) is provided on either one of the first guide member (55) and the second guide member (56), and the operating portion (57) is used to manually adjust the position of the second guide claw portion in the axial direction with respect to the first guide claw portion to either one of the lowered position and the raised position.

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