FR2797504A1 - Axial support device of rotary lever in door lock panel - Google Patents

Abstract

An elastic tongue (11f) is provided on the periphery of an axial support (11). The elastic tongue acts as a stopper of axial support when it is inserted into a rotary lever (7). The back side (11b) of the axial support is expanded to prevent axial movement.

Description

The present invention generally relates to pivoting lever structures for pivotally connecting a lever to a stationary member, and more particularly to a lever pivot structure of the type which pivotally connects an actuating lever. to an inner panel of a car door.

To clearly expose the object of the present invention, a known lever pivot structure will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 13 of the accompanying drawings, which has been used to transmit a functional movement of a control knob installed on a door car to a door lock installed on the door.

In Fig. 11, the pivoting lever structure is designated by the reference "LPS". In this drawing, the reference "D" denotes a side door which is pivotally connected to a box of a motor vehicle to open and close a door opening defined in the box. A known door lock 1, such as that described in US Pat. No. 4,850,625, is mounted on a free end of side door "D" which has a lock / unlock lever 2 for selectively locking and unlocking a locking lever of the door lock 1. A first transmission rod 3 extends from the locking / unlocking lever 2 to one end of a pivoting lever 7 of the lever pivot structure "LPS" mounted on an inner panel 4 of the door < B> "D1". </ B> From the other end of the pivoting lever 7 extends a second transmission rod 6 to a control button 5 which is mounted in a movable manner on the inner panel 4 to a position away from the door lock 1. Thus, when the control button 5 is pulled in an unlocking direction, that is to say to the left, for example, the locking / unlocking lever 2 is pivoted in a co direction corresponding to unlock the lock lever of the door lock 1. As a result, the door "D" is ready for opening.

The detail of the lever pivot structure "LPS" is shown in Figs. 12 and 13, particularly in Fig. 12, which is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of Fig. 11.

In FIG. 12, the reference numeral 8 designates a circular opening formed in the inner panel 4, and the reference numeral 10 designates an eyelet made of elastic plastic, which is fitted into the circular opening 8. The eyelet 10 comprises a portion tubular 10a, a flange portion lob formed on a rear end of the tubular portion 10a and a conical portion 10c formed at a front end of the tubular portion 10a.

As can be seen in FIG. 13, the conical portion 10c has several axial slots 10e for making a plurality of latching pawls (no numerical references). The eyelet 10 has an annular groove (no numerical reference) which is defined around the tubular portion 10a between the rim portion 10b and the conical portion 10c. As can be seen in FIG. 12, when the eyelet 10 is inserted correctly into the circular opening 8, the annular groove of the eyelet 10 receives a peripheral portion of the opening 8 thus closely holding the eyelet 10 in the opening 8. The eyelet 10 has an axial bore 10d through which passes a rod member 11 extending from a pivoting lever 7. The pivoting lever 7 has at its median part a circular opening 9 through which passes l rod member 11. The pivoting lever 7 has respective openings (no numerals) at both ends in which the curved ends of the first and second transmission rods 3 and 6 are pivotally engaged. As best seen in FIG. 13, the stem member 11 includes a body portion 11a, an enlarged rim portion 11b formed on a rear end of the body portion 11a, a tapered head portion 11c formed at a front end of the body portion 11a and a neck portion ild formed between the head portion 11c and the body portion 11a.

To install the pivoting lever structure "LPS" on the inner panel 4, the following joining method is employed.

Firstly, as seen in FIG. 13, the eyelet 10 is pushed to the conical portion 10c against a periphery of the circular opening 8 of the inner panel 4. Thus, the eyelet 10 is placed tightly in the circular opening 8 having the peripheral portion of the opening 8 received in its annular groove 10a. Then, the fitter uses a hand to bring and press the pivoting lever 7 against the widened rim portion 10b of the eyelet 10 while providing an aligned arrangement between the axial bore 10d of the eyelet 10 and the circular opening 9 of the pivoting lever 7. Then, keeping the pivoting lever 7 resting against the enlarged rim portion 10b of the eyelet 10 with the same hand, the rod element 11 is placed in the opening 9 of the lever 7 and then in the axial bore 10d of the eyelet 10, using the other hand. Finally, the rod member 11 is pushed strongly into the axial bore lod of the eyelet 10 so that its tapered head portion 11c slides into the axial bore 10d and protrudes (to the left in FIG. 10c tapered conical portion of the eyelet 10. By these steps, the pivoting lever structure "LPS" is correctly assembled on the inner panel 4 of the "D" door, as shown in FIG.

However, it will be readily appreciated upon reading the above description, the pivoting lever structure "LPS" requires a laborious and time consuming assembly process. In addition, the manual work to insert the rod member 11 in the opening 9 of the lever 7 and the axial bore 10d of the eyelet 10 while keeping the alignment between them is very difficult and thus requires a technician clever, resulting in an increase in the cost of the "D" door.

The present invention therefore relates to the production of a pivoting lever structure that can be mounted easily on a panel element.

This object is achieved according to the present invention by a pivoting lever structure mounted on a panel member which includes a first circular opening in the panel member; a stem member including a body portion, an enlarged rim portion formed on a rear end of the body portion and a stopper portion formed at a front end of the body portion, the leading portion of stopping establishing a locking engagement between the stopping portion portion and the first circular opening when the stopping portion portion is located in the first circular opening; a pivoting lever having a second circular opening through which the body portion of the rod member passes, the pivoting lever having a first surface to which the enlarged rim portion is oriented and a second surface to which the leading portion of the stem member stop is oriented; and at least one elastic stop tab integrally formed on the body portion of the stem member, the resilient stop tab extending toward the enlarged rim portion while progressively separating from an axis of the rod member, a free end of the resilient stop tab abutting against the second surface of the pivoting lever upon engagement between the stem member and the pivoting lever. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pivoting lever structure mounted on a panel member, which includes a first circular opening in the panel member; an elastic eyelet placed in the first circular opening to effect a locking engagement therebetween, the eyelet having an axial bore formed therethrough a stem member including a body portion, an enlarged rim portion formed on a rear end of the body portion and a stopper portion formed on a front end of the body portion, the stopper portion providing a locked engagement between the stopper portion and the eyelet when the stopper portion is placed in the axial bore of the eyelet; a pivoting lever having a second circular opening through which the body portion of the rod member passes, the pivoting lever having a first surface to which the enlarged rim portion is oriented and a second surface to which the leading portion of the stem member stop is oriented; and resilient locking tabs integrally formed on the body portion of the shank member and extending toward the enlarged rim portion while progressively separating from an axis of the shank member, the free ends of the shank members; resilient locking tabs abutting against the second surface of the pivoting lever upon engagement between the stem member and the pivoting lever.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the following explanatory description made with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating modes. embodiment of the invention and in which - Figure 1 is a sectional view of a pivoting lever structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in the unassembled state; - Figure 2 is a sectional view of the pivoting lever structure according to the first embodiment, in the assembled state; - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the details of an essential portion of the pivoting lever structure; - Figure 4 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of the essential portion; FIG. 5 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2; Fig. 6 is a front view of a door lock / unlock system installed in an automobile side door, to which a lever pivot structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention is practically applied; FIG. 7 is a front view, on a larger scale, of the pivoting lever structure according to the second embodiment; Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7; FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the second embodiment; Fig. 10 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of a rod member employed in the second embodiment; - Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing a door locking / unlocking system to which a known lever pivot structure is practically applied; - Figure 12 is a sectional view of the known lever pivot structure in the assembled state; and - Figure 13 is a sectional view of the known lever pivot structure in the unassembled state. Referring now to Figures 1-5, there is shown a pivoting lever structure 100 which constitutes a first embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, parts and structures similar to those of the known lever pivot structure mentioned above of Figures 11 to 13 will be designated by the same reference numerals.

A rod member 11 used in this first embodiment 100 is made of a resilient plastic. In a manner similar to the rod member 11 used in the known lever pivot structure mentioned above, the stem member 11 generally comprises a body portion 11a, an enlarged rim portion 11b formed at a rear end. of the body portion 11a, a conical head portion 11c formed on a front end of the body portion 11a and a neck portion 11d formed between the head portion 11c and the body portion 11a.

In this first embodiment 100, the stem member 11 further comprises two flat-bottomed recesses 11a and 11c which are provided at diametrically opposed sections of the body portion 11a, and a pair of elastic stop tabs 11f. and 11f extending from the front ends of the recesses 11e and 11c towards the enlarged rim portion 11d while progressively separating from an axis of the shaft member 11 as shown. It should be noted that the tongues 11f and 11f are integral with the body portion 11a. In the unconstrained state, the free end of each tongue 11f extends radially outwardly beyond the outer surface of the body portion 11a.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the distance "G" between the free end of each tongue 11f and the enlarged rim portion 11b is slightly greater than the thickness "T" of the pivoting lever 7.

As will become apparent from the following, in this first embodiment 100, the rod member 11 can be temporarily adapted to the pivoting lever 7 before the pivoting lever 7 is fitted to the inner panel 4.

That is, to mount the lever pivot structure 100 on the inner panel 4, the following method of assembly is employed.

Firstly, as can be seen in FIG. 1, the eyelet 10 is placed correctly in the circular opening 8 of the inner panel 4.

Then, with the fitter using both hands, the rod member 11 is pushed into the opening 9 of the pivoting lever 7 from the conical head portion 11c and pulled into a deeper position where the enlarged rim portion 11b of the rod member 11 abuts the pivoting lever 7. During the axial displacement of the rod member 11 in the opening 9, the tongues 11f and 11f are held in the depressed state by the periphery of the opening 9. that when the rod member 11 reaches the deeper position, the two tabs 11f and 11f emerge from the periphery of the opening 9 and extend radially outward due to a stored expansion force of these so that the free ends of the tongues 11f and 11f abut against a rear surface of the pivoting lever 7, as shown in FIG. 1. In this state, the rod member 11 is locked to the pivoting lever 7, it that is, a temporary unit is formed comprising the pivoting lever 7 and the rod member 11 which the fitter can manipulate with one hand.

Then, the temporary unit is brought to the eyelet 10 of the inner panel 4 whose conical head portion 11c of the rod member 11 is placed against the axial bore 10d of the eyelet 10 and then the rod 11 is pushed strongly into the axial bore 10d of the eyelet 10 so that its head portion 11c slides in the axial bore 10d and protrudes outwards (to the left in FIG. 2) from the split conical portion 10c of the eyelet 10. By these steps, the pivoting lever structure 100 is correctly assembled on the inner panel 4 of the door, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. It should be noted that the adaptation of the Temporary unit to the eyelet 10 can be made using one hand.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the pivoting lever structure 5 is correctly assembled with the inner panel 4, the resilient tongues 11f and 11f are elastically urged at their free ends against the inner wall of the axial bore 10d of the 10. Thus, an undesired play of the rod member 11 relative to the eyelet 10 is removed.

It should be noted that the adaptation of the first and second transmission rods 3 and 6 to the pivoting lever 7 can be made before or after the temporary unit is mounted on the inner panel 4.

Referring to Figures 6 to 10, there is shown a pivoting lever structure 200 which constitutes a second embodiment of the present invention.

As seen in FIG. 6, the pivoting lever structure 200 of this embodiment is made to have an additional function, i.e. rod guiding means 23. As will become clear when the description Advantageously, in the second embodiment 200, a rod member 11 has a retaining portion 11g through which a third transmission rod 22 is held axially movable.

As shown in FIG. 6, the third transmission rod 22 extends from an inner handle 21 operatively mounted on the "D" door near the control knob 5 to an open lever 20 of the door lock 1 mounted on the door "D". That is, when the inner handle 21 is manipulated, the third transmission rod 22 is moved to move the open lever 20 to cause an unlocked state of the door lock 1.

As seen in Figures 7-10, particularly in Figure 10, the rod member 11 used in this second embodiment 200 is made of elastic plastic. In a manner similar to the rod member 11 used in the first embodiment mentioned above 100, the stem member 11 generally comprises a body portion 11a, an enlarged rim portion 11b, a head portion conical 11c, a neck portion 11d, a pair of flat bottom recesses 11e and 11e and two resilient stop tabs 11f and 11f.

In the second embodiment 200, the stem member 11 further comprises a retaining portion 11g which is integrally formed on a rear surface of the flange portion ilb and a pair of resilient flanges 11h and 11b which are integrally formed. on a front surface of the rim portion 11b. The retaining portion 11g is constructed to have a generally C-shaped cross section, and the resilient wings 11h and 11b are configured to tilt forward as shown. That is, in the unconstrained state, the elastic fins 11h and 11h are inclined forwardly.

As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, an eyelet 10 used in the second embodiment 200 further includes a disk-shaped pressure rim 10e formed integrally around the rim portion 10b. In the unconstrained state, the pressure flange 10e is inclined forward, that is to say towards the conical portion 10c. In a similar manner to the first embodiment 100, in the second embodiment 200, the rod member 11 can be temporarily adapted to the pivoting lever 7 before the pivoting lever 7 is mounted to the inner panel 4. In addition in the second embodiment 200, the third transmission rod 200 may be held by the rod member 11 (i.e., the retaining portion 11g).

That is, to mount the lever pivot structure 200 on the inner panel 4, the following joining method is employed.

Firstly, as seen in FIG. 9, the eyelet 10 is placed in the circular opening 8 of the inner panel 4. Thus, the disk-shaped pressure flange 10e is pushed elastically against the inner panel 4 so that the eyelet 10 is tightly fitted to the inner panel 4.

Then, using both hands, the rod member 11 is pushed into the opening 9 of the pivoting lever 7 from the tapered head portion 11c and pulled into a deeper position where the free ends of the two resilient fins 11h and 11h abut elastically against a rear surface of the pivoting lever 7 and the free ends of the two tongues 11f and 11f abut against a front surface of the pivoting lever 7, as seen in Figure 9. Due to the production of two elastic fins 11h and 11h, a very tight connection is obtained between the rod member 11 and the pivoting lever 7. A temporary unit including the pivoting lever 7 t the rod member is realized.

Then the temporary unit is connected to the eyelet 10 as described in the part of the first embodiment 100. By these steps, the pivoting lever structure 200 is mounted on the inner panel 4 of the door <B> " Dl ', </ b> as seen in Figure 8. It should be noted that in a similar manner to the first embodiment 100, the adaptation of the temporary unit to the eyelet 10 can be made using one hand.

It should be noted that the adjustment of the first, second and third transmission rods 3, 6 and 22 to the pivoting lever 7 and to the retaining portion 11g of the rod member 11 can be done before or after the temporary unit. is mounted on the inner panel 4.

If desired, the following modifications may be used in the present invention. The rod element 11 can be connected directly to the circular opening 8 of the inner panel 4 without using an eyelet 10. Preferably, in this case, the tapered head portion 11c of the rod member 11 has a plurality of ratchets engagement to achieve a tight engagement between the rod member 11 and the inner panel 4.

If desired, a single tab 11f or more than two tabs 11f can be used to obtain the stable connection between the rod member 11 and the pivoting lever 7.

Claims (11)

A pivoting lever structure mounted on a panel member, characterized by comprising a first circular opening (8) in said panel member; a stem member (11) including a body portion (11a), an enlarged rim portion (11b) formed on a rear end of the body portion (11a) and a stopper portion (11c) formed on a front end of said body portion (11a), said stopper portion (11c) establishing a locking engagement between said stopper portion (11c) and said first circular opening (8) when the portion of stopping head (11c) is placed in the first circular opening; a pivoting lever (7) having a second circular opening (9) through which said body portion (11a) of said rod member (11) passes, said pivoting lever (7) having a first surface towards which said enlarged rim portion (11b) is oriented and a second surface toward which said stopper portion (11c) is oriented; and at least one resilient stop tab (11e) integrally formed on the body portion of said stem member (11), said resilient stop tab (11f) extending toward said enlarged rim portion (11b) while progressively separating from an axis of said rod member (11), a free end of said resilient stop tab (11f) abutting against said second surface of said pivoting lever (7) upon engagement between said rod member ( 11) and said pivoting lever (7). A pivoting lever structure according to claim 1, characterized in that said resilient locking tongue (11f) is resiliently urged against a peripheral edge of said first circular opening (8) of said panel member upon locking engagement between said stopper portion (11c) and said first circular opening (8). A pivoting lever structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the body portion (11a) of said rod member (11) has a recess (11e) in which said resilient tongue (11f) is received entirely at the locking engagement between said stopper portion (11c) and said first circular opening (8). Lever pivoting structure according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises a resilient eyelet (10) placed in said first circular opening, said eyelet having an axial bore in which said stem member (11) is received coaxially. Lever pivoting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that said rod member (11) has at one end face of said enlarged rim portion (11b) an inclined elastic fin (11h), said inclined elastic fin (11h). ) resiliently abutting against said first surface of said pivoting lever upon locking engagement between the stem member (11) and said pivoting lever (7). The pivoting lever structure according to claim 1, characterized in that said rod member (11) has at a rear side of said enlarged rim portion (11b) a retaining portion (11g) which is configured to have a section cross-section generally C-shaped. 7. Lever pivot structure mounted on a panel member, characterized in that it comprises a first circular opening (8) formed in said panel member; an elastic eyelet (10) disposed in said first circular aperture to provide a locking engagement therebetween, said eyelet (10) having an axial bore formed therethrough; a stem member (11) including a body portion (11a), an enlarged flange portion (11b) formed on a rear end of said body portion (11a), and a stopper portion formed on a front end of said body portion (11a), said stopper portion (11c) establishing a locking engagement between said stopper portion and said eyelet (10) when the stopper portion (11c) is placed in the axial bore of said eyelet (10); a pivoting lever (7) having a second circular opening (9) through which said body portion (11a) of said rod member (11) passes, said pivoting lever (7) having a first surface towards which said enlarged rim portion is oriented and a second surface towards which said stop head portion is oriented; and resilient locking tabs (11f, 11f) integrally formed on the body portion of said rod member and extending toward said enlarged rim portion (11b) while progressively separating from an axis of said stem member ( 11), the free ends of said resilient locking tabs (11f), 11f) abutting said second surface of said pivoting lever upon engagement between said stem member and said pivoting lever. Swivel lever structure according to claim 7, characterized in that said resilient locking tongues (11f, 11f) are provided at diametrically opposite portions of said body portion (11a) of said rod member (11), and said resilient locking tabs are resiliently pushed against diametrically opposed surfaces of said axial bore of said eyelet (10) upon locking engagement between said stopper portion and said eyelet (10). A pivoting lever structure according to claim 8, characterized in that the body portion of said rod member has diametrically opposed portions of respective recesses (11e, 11e) in which said resilient tongues are fully received upon engagement. locking between said stopper portion (11c) and said eyelet (10). 10. pivoting lever structure according to claim 7, characterized in that said rod member (11) has a front side of said widened rim portion (11b) two resilient wings (11h) which abut elastically against said first surface of said pivoting lever (7) when engaging between the rod member and said pivoting lever. Lever pivoting structure according to claim 7, characterized in that said elastic eyelet (10) has a disk-shaped pressure flange (10e) which resiliently pushes said panel member upon locking engagement between said eyelet (10) and said first circular opening (8).