GB2090318A

GB2090318A - Vehicle Door Lock Sill Button

Info

Publication number: GB2090318A
Application number: GB8134127A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Nissan Motor Co Ltd; Kato Hatsujo Inc
Current assignee: Piolax Inc; Nissan Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 1980-11-19
Filing date: 1981-11-12
Publication date: 1982-07-07
Also published as: JPS5788854U; FR2495210A1; JPS6019244Y2; DE3145421A1

Abstract

A plastics sill button assembly comprises a knob 27 temporarily located in an escutcheon 21 having claws 24 securing it into an aperture in the door panel. The button has a bore 29 containing a gripper 33 having ratchet claws which hold the operating rod 4 of the lock mechanism when the button is put into its operating position by forcing it down thus breaking the temporary locating webs 32. The button then moves up and down in the usual way. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An Operating Device for Operating an Inside Door Lock Assembly The present invention relates to a device for operating an inside door lock assembly for use in a vehicle door.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a device for operating an inside door lock assembly for use in a vehicle door including a panel member formed with an aperture, the panel member having a peripheral edge portion around the aperture, comprising: an escutcheon member mounted on the peripheral edge portion of the panel member for engagement therewith and formed with an opening in registry with the aperture of the panel member, an inside door lock knob in part axially movably received in the opening, a coupling member interconnecting the escutcheon member and the inside door lock knob and breakable to permit the inside door lock knob to release from the escutcheon member and axially move in the aperture when a striking force is applied to the inside door lock knob toward the inside door lock assembly, and a clamping member fixedly received in the inside door lock knob and fixedly engageable with the inside door lock assembly when the inside door lock knob is released from the escutcheon member and moved to the inside door lock assembly.

Drawbacks of a prior-art operating device and detailed features and advantages of an operating device according to the present invention will be understood clearly from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate similar or corresponding members and portions and in which:: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle door equipped with an inside door lock assembly; Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing parts of a prior-art operating device for operating the inside door lock assembly; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of an preferred embodiment of an operating device according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line IV--IV of Fig. 3 and showing a coupling member forming partof the operating device illustrated in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 4 but showing another embodiment of a coupling member forming part of the operating device illustrated in Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is a front view showing, to an enlarged scale, a clamping member forming part of the operating device illustrated in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a side view of the clamping member illustrated in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the operating device similar to Fig. 3 but showing the clamping member held in engagement with the end portion of a push rod forming part of the inside door lock assembly.

In order to prevent vehicle doors of an automotive vehicle from accidentally opening due to carelessness of a passenger while the vehicle is moving, it has been proposed and put into practice to use a vehicle door equipped with an inside door lock assembly and an operating device for operating the inside-door lock assembly.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a representative example of the vehicle door is shown comprising an inner panel member 1 and an outer panel member 2 spaced from the inner panel member 1 for forming a hollow space therebetween. The inner panel member 1 is formed at the rear upper end portion thereof with an aperture 3 which is open at the inner and outer surfaces of the inner panel member 1, respectively. In the hollow space formed by the inner and outer panel members 1 and 2 is received an inside door lock assembly which largely comprises an inside door lock mechanism (not shown) and a push rod 4.The push rod 4 has an upper end portion 5 formed with a screw thread at a predetermined pitch and is movable downwardly or upwardly with respect to the vehicle door in the axial direction thereof for shifting the inside door lock mechanism from its locking position to its unlocking position and vice versa. A prior-art operating device for operating the inside door lock assembly is herein shown comprising an escutcheon member 6 having an escutcheon body portion 7 formed with an opening 8 having a center axis. The escutcheon member 6 further has a pair of hook portions 9 projecting from the lower end of the escutcheon body portion 7 in spaced and parallel relationship to each other and arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to a plane passing through the center axis of the opening 8.The hook portions 9 are shaped for engagement with the peripheral edge portion of the inner panel member 1 through the aperture 3.

The prior-art operating device further comprises an inside door lock knob 10 having a head portion 11 and a stem portion 12 integral with and projecting from the lower end of the head portion 1 The stem portion 12 is formed with a cylindrical recess open at the lower end thereof and is internally threaded with a predetermined pitch substantially equal to the pitch of the screw thread of the upper end portion 5 of the push rod 4. The stem portion 12 of the inside door lock knob 10 is threadedly engageable with the upper end portion 5 of the push rod 4 through the opening 8 when the escutcheon member 6 is mounted on and held in engagement with the inner panel member 1 by the hook portions 9.

In order to assemble the operating device to the vehicle door equipped with the inside door lock assembly, it is necessary that the escutcheon member 6 be firstly mounted on and held in engagement with the inner panel mamber 1 by the hook portions 9 and the stem portion 12 of the inside door lock knob 10 be secondly brought into meshing engagement with the end portion 5 of the push rod 4 forming part of the inside door lock assembly. This is disadvantageous in that two steps are required for assembling the operating device to the vehicle door, thereby resulting in time consuming and accordingly an increase in production costs.

The present invention contemplates provision of an improved operating device which overcomes the drawbacks of a conventional operating device described above.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, an operating device embodying the present invention is shown comprising an escutcheon member 21 which is assumed, by way of example, as including an escutcheon body portion 22 formed with a cylindrical opening 23 having a center axis. The escutcheon member 21 further includes a pair of arcuate hook portions 24 downwardly projecting from the escutcheon body portion 22 in spaced and parallel relationship to each other and arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to a plane passing through the center axis of the opening 23. The escutcheon body portion 22 has at its lower end a contact surface portion 22a to be in contact with the peripheral edge portion 1 a of the inner panel member 1 around the aperture 3.Each of the arcuate hook portions 24 has a ledge surface portion 24a formed at the intermediate portion thereof and spaced apart and substantially parallel to the contact surface portion 22a of the escutcheon body portion 22 for forming therebetween a groove 25 to be in mating engagement with the peripheral edge portion 1 a of the inner panel member 1, and a wedge surface portion 24b formed at the free end thereof so as to allow each of the hook portions 24 to resiliently deform when each of the hook portions 24 is forced into the aperture 3. The operating device further comprises an inside door lock knob 26 having a head portion 27 and a stem portion 28 integral with and projecting from the lower end of the head portion 27. The stem portion 28 is in part received in the opening 23 with an annular gap therebetween so as to be axially movable in the opening 23.Further, the stem portion 28 is formed with a recess 29 open at the lower end thereof facing the push rod 4 and having a cross section of a rectangular or square configuration. The stem portion 28 has an inner wall portion 28a and a bottom wall portion 28b defining in combination the recess 29.

As best seen from Fig. 4 of the drawings, the operating device embodying the present invention is shown further comprising thin annular strip 30 which has inner and outer peripheral ends respectively integrally connected to the escutcheon body portion 22 of the escutcheon member 21 and the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26. The escutcheon member 21, the inside door lock knob 26 and the annular strip 30 are constructed of a suitable synthetic resin.

The annular strip 30 is required to have a thickness to the extent that the strip 30 is breakable for releasing the inside door lock knob 26 from the escutcheon member 21 when a striking force is applied to the head portion 27 of the inside door lock knob 26 toward the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly. In lieu of the annular strip 30 just mentioned, a plurality of thin elongated strips 31 may be formed between the escutcheon body portion 22 of the escutcheon member 21 and the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 in such a manner that each of the elongated strips 31 has inner and outer ends respectively integrally connected to the escutcheon body portion 22 and the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 as clearly seen from Fig. 5 of the drawings.In this instance, the elongated strips 31 as well as the escutcheon member 21 and the inside door lock knob 26 are also constructed of a suitable synthetic resin.

Further, each of the elongated strips 31 is also required to have a thickness to the extent that the elongated strips 31 are concurrently breakable for releasing the inside door lock knob 26 from the escutcheon member 21 when the striking force is applied to the head portion 27 of the inside door lock knob 26 toward the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly. The previously mentioned annular and elongated strips 30 and 31 constitute a coupling member 32 interconnecting the escutcheon member 21 and the inside door lock knob 26 and breakable to permit the inside door lock knob 26 to release from the escutcheon member 21 and axially move in the aperture 3 when the striking force is applied to the inside door lock knob 26 toward the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly.

The operating device according to the present invention is best shown in Figs. 6 and 7 as further comprising a clamping member 33 made of a suitable metal and having a pair of side wall portions 33a spaced apart from and parallel to each other and a bottom wall portion 33b to be in contact with the bottom wall portion 28b of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26.

The clamping member 33 further has a plurality of outer protuberances 33c projecting outwardly from each of the side wall portions 33a for engagement with the inner wall portion 28a of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 and a plurality of inner protuberances 33d projecting inwardly from each of the side wall portions 33a for engagement with the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly when the push rod 4 is received in the clamping member 33.

Each of the outer protuberances 33c is inclined away from the bottom wall portion 33b of the clamping member 33 and each of the inner protuberances 33d is inclined toward the bottom wall portion 33b of the clamping member 33. In addition, each of the outer protuberances 33c is tapered toward the free end thereof and each of the inner protuberances 33d has a flat end face.

The push rod 4, which is axially aligned with the inside door lock knob 26 as will be seen from Fig.

3, has an end portion 5 formed with a screw thread of predetermined pitch, and the inner protuberances 33d are arranged at a predetermined interval substantially equal to one or more pitches of the screw thread. From the foregoing description, it is thus to be understood that the clamping member 33 is fixedly received in the recess 29 of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 in such a way that the tapered outer protuberances 33c are engaged with the inner wall portion 28a of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26, and that the push rod 4 is fixedly engaged with the clamping member 33 in such a way that the inner protuberances 33d are engaged with the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly.

The operating device thus constructed in accordance with the present invention is assembled to the vehicle door equipped with the inside door lock assembly. For this purpose, the clamping member 33 is firstly forced into the recess 29 of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 until the bottom wall portion 33b of the clamping member 33 comes in contact with the bottom wall portion 28b of the stem portion 28 in the recess 29. At this time, the tapered outer protuberances 33c are deformingly engaged with the inner wall portion 28a of the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26.

This means that the clamping member 33 is fixedly received in the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26. The hook portions 24 of the escutcheon member 21 are secondly forced into the aperture 3 while being resiliently deformed by the peripheral edge portion 1 a of the inner panel member 1 until the peripheral edge portion 1 a of the inner panel member 1 is brought into mating engagement with the groove 25. The escutcheon member 21 is thus mounted on the inner panel member 1 with the contacting surface portion 22a being held in contact with the peripheral edge portion 1 a of the inner panel member 1 and with the opening 23 being in registry with the aperture 3. At this time, the inside door lock knob 26 is supported on the inner panel member 1 through the coupling member 32 and the escutcheon member 21.Further, the inside door lock knob 26 is axially aligned with the push rod 4 of the inside door lock assembly and thus the clamping member 33 is maintained in face-to-face relationship with the push rod 4.

After the escutcheon member 21 and the inside door lock knob 26 are mounted and supported on the inner panel member 1, a striking force is applied to the head portion 27 of the inside door lock knob 26 toward the push rod 4 by, for example, a hammer or the like until the coupling member 32 is broken to allow the clamping member 33 to move to the threaded end portion 5 of the push rod 4. The push rod 4 is thus reliably fixedly engaged with the clamping member 33 with the inner protuberances 33d being engaged with the screw thread of the push rod 4 as will be seen in Fig. 8 since the pitch of the screw thread of the push rod 4 is substantially equal to the interval of the inner protuberances 33d. It is therefore not required to screw the stem portion 28 of the inside door lock knob 26 to the threaded end portion 5 of the push rod 4 as has been required in the prior-art operating device.

This results in the operating device being readily and rapidly assembled to the inner panel member 1 and the inside door lock assembly without time consuming operations and accordingly in reducing production costs.

As in a usual manner, the inside door lock knob 26 can be readily brought out of engagement with the threaded end portion 5 of the push rod 4 by turning the inside door lock knob 26 in a predetermined direction about the center axis thereof.

While it has been described in the foregoing description about the aperture 3 formed in the inner panel member 1, the aperture may, of course, be formed in the outer panel member 2 according to the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for operating an inside door lock assembly for use in a vehicle door including d panel member formed with an aperture, the panel member having a peripheral edge portion around the aperture, comprising: an escutcheon member mounted on the peripheral edge portion of said panel member for engagement therewith and formed with an opening in registry with said aperture of said panel member, an inside door lock knob in part axially movably received in said opening, a coupling member interconnecting said escutcheon member and said inside door lock knob and breakable to permit the inside door lock knob to release from the escutcheon member and axially move in said aperture when a striking force is applied to the inside door lock knob toward said inside door lock assembly, and a clamping member fixedly received in said inside door lock knob and fixedly engageable with said inside door lock assembly when the inside door lock knob is released from said escutcheon member and moved to the inside door lock assembly.

2. An operating device as set forth in claim 1, in which said escutcheon member, said inside door lock knob and said coupling member are constructed of a synthetic resin.

3. An operating device as set forth in claim 2, in which said coupling member comprises a thin annular strip having inner and outer peripheral ends respectively integrally connected to said escutcheon member and said inside door lock knob, said annular strip being breakable for releasing the inside door lock knob from the escutcheon member when the striking force is applied to the inside door lock knob toward said inside door lock assembly.

4. An operating device as set forth in claim 2, in which said coupling member comprises a plurality of thin strips each having inner and outer ends respectively integrally connected to said escutcheon member and said inside door lock knob, said inner and outer strips being breakable for releasing the inside door lock knob from the escutcheon member when the striking force is applied to the inside door lock knob toward said inside door lock assembly.

5. An operating device as set forth in claim 1, in which said escutcheon member includes an escutcheon body portion in contact with the peripheral edge portion of said panel member with said opening being in registry with said aperture, and at least one pair of hook portions projecting from the escutcheon body portion in spaced and parallel relationship to each other for engagement with the peripheral edge portion of said panel member throughout said aperture.

6. An operating device as set forth in claim 5, in which said escutcheon body portion of said escutcheon member has a contact surface portion in contact with said peripheral edge portion of said panel member, and in which each of said hook portions has a ledge surface portion formed at the intermediate portion thereof and spaced apart from and parallel to said contact surface portion for forming therebetween a groove in mating engagement with the peripheral edge portion of said panel member, and a wedge surface portion formed at the free end portion thereof so as to allow the hook portion to resiliently deform inwardly when the hook portion is forced into said aperture.

7. An operating device as set forth in claim 1, in which said inside door lock knob has a recess formed therein and open at the lower end thereof facing said inside door lock assembly, said inside door lock knob having an inner wall portion and a bottom wall portion in the recess, and in which said clamping member has a pair of side wall portions spaced apart from and parallel to each other and a bottom wall portion in contact with the bottom wall portion of said inside door lock knob, said clamping member having a plurality of outer protuberances projecting outwardly from each of the side wall portions for engagement with the inner wall portion of the inside door lock knob and a plurality of inner protuberances projecting inwardly from each of the side wall portions for engagement with said inside door lock assembly when the inside door lock assembly is fixedly engaged with said clamping member.

8. An operating device as set forth in claim 7, in which each of said outer protuberances is inclined away from the bottom wall portion of said clamping member and each of said inner protuberances is inclined toward the bottom wall portion of said clamping member.

9. An operating device as set forth in claim 7, in which said inside door lock assembly includes a push rod axially aligned with said inside door lock knob and having an end portion formed with a screw thread at a predetermined pitch, and in which said inner protuberances are arranged at a predetermined interval substantially equal to one or more pitches of said screw thread.

10. An operating device as set forth in claim 8, in which each of said outer protuberances is tapered toward the free end thereof.

11. An operating device as set forth in claim 9, in which each of said inner protuberances has a flat end face.

12. A device for operating an inside door lock assembly substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figs. 3, 4 and 6 to 8 or Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.