GB2517306A

GB2517306A - Vehicle door locking device

Info

Publication number: GB2517306A
Application number: GB1414106.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Makoto Suzumura; Kenji Okada; Takeshi Tada; Eiji Torii; Kosuke Tsukamoto; Yoshiki Odaka; Yasuhiko Sono
Original assignee: Aisin Seiki Co Ltd
Current assignee: Aisin Corp
Priority date: 2013-08-09
Filing date: 2013-08-09
Publication date: 2015-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 2033-08-09
Also published as: GB2517306B; GB201414106D0

Abstract

A vehicle door lock device comprising a housing 110, preferably of two halves of casings 111, 112, which house a latching and locking mechanisms. A protective shroud 120 covers the top of the housing and has a convex shape in cross section which may be two inclined surfaces 124 meeting at an upper apex 124a which may be rounded, alternatively it could consist of a single tapered upper surface (fig. 11). The protective cover 120 may include side portions overlapping sides of the housing. The convex/tapered upper surface prevents tools 150 being forced against housing by deflecting them. The two housings may be clipped together and include reinforcing ribs 116 which may abut against an underside of the cover 120c. The thickness of the cover may vary and the apex of the cover may be offset from the interface line of the casing halves.

Description

VEHICLE DOOR LOCKING DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

(0001] This disclosure relates to a vehicle door rocking device provided in a vehicle.

BACKGROUND DISCUSSION

[0002] This type of vehicle door locking device is disclosed in the following JP 2006-233506A (Reference 1). In this vehicle door locking device, a latching mechanism, a locking mechanism, and the like that are constituent elements of the device are housed in a housing. Additionally, in this vehicle door locking device, a protective cover (cover member) for protecting a joining portion between a first case and a second case that constitute the housing is attached to the housing.

According to this protective cover, an anti-theft member can be prevented from directly acting on the joining portion between the first case and the second case.

(0003] Incidentally, in the above vehicle door locking device described in Reference 1 an outer surface on which the protective cover receives an external load from the anti-theft member becomes flat. Accordingly, when the anti-theft member has acted on the protective cover, the anti-theft member is apt to easily stay at a specific position of the outer surface of the protective cover, and the protective cover is apt to be damaged due to the external load from the anti-theft member. As a result, a problem occurs in that the security of the vehicle door locking device degrades.

SUMMARY

[0004] Thus, a need exists for a technique that is effective in improving the security of a vehicle door locking device.

[00051 A vehicle door locking device according to an aspect of this disclosure includes a latching mechanism, a locking mechanism, a housing, and a protective cover. The latching mechanism is configured so as to be able to retain a vehicle door in a closed state by engagement with a striker attached to a vehicle body. The lacking mechanism performs a function of setting the latching mechanism to an unlocked state where engagement with the striker is releasable or a locked state where the engagement with the striker is unreleasable. The housing is constituted as a housing body that houses at least the latching mechanism and the locking mechanism. The protective cover is a member that performs a function of protecting the housing, and includes an upper surface cover portion that extends along vehicle longitudinal directions and covers a housing upper surface of the housing. The upper surface cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes from a housing upper surface side to a vehicle upper side, in a cross-section specified by vehicle vertical directions and vehicle lateral directions. Accordingly, when the anti-theft member has acted on the upper surface cover portion of the protective cover from a vehicle exterior side, staying of the anti-theft member at a specific position of an outer surface of the upper surface cover portion can be suppressed. As a result, the protective cover is not easily damaged by the anti-theft member, and security is improved.

(0006] In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the convex shape of the upper surface cover portion includes a top portion and an inclined surface that extends in an inclined manner from the top portion, and the thickness of the top portion in the vehicle vertical directions exceeds the thickness of the inclined surface in the vehicle vertical directions. In this case, the anti-theft member is apt to slide along the inclined surface of the upper surface cover portion.

Otherwise, the upper surface cover portion relatively moves to the outside of the vehicle or the inside of the vehicle with respect to the anti-theft member, due to the load that the inclined surface receives from the anti-theft member. Additionally, the rigidity of the top portion of the upper surface cover portion with a high possibility that the anti-theft member first acts can be enhanced, As a result, it is possible to further improve security by suppressing the load that the upper surface cover portion of the protective cover receives from the anti-theft member.

(0007] In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the housing is configured by joining a first case arranged on an inside of a vehicle and a second case arranged closer to an outside of a vehicle than the first case to each other, and the upper surface cover portion of the protective cover includes the top portion further toward the outside of the vehicle than a joining portion of the housing upper surface between the first case and the second case in the vehicle lateral directions. Accordingly, even when the protective cover is damaged by the anti-theft member, the anti-theft member does not easily act on the joining portion between the first case and the second case. As a result, it is possible to further improve the security of the vehicle door locking device.

(0008] In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the protective cover includes a side surface cover portion that extends from the upper surface cover portion toward a vehicle lower side and covers one side surface of the housing in back-and-forth directions of the housing, that is, a housing front surface or a housing rear surface. It is preferable that the side surface cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes from the one side surface side of the housing in housing back-and forth directions toward a vehicle front or a vehicle rear, in a cross-section specified by the vehicle longitudinal directions and the vehicle lateral directions. Accordingly, the housing can be reliably protected by the entire protective cover ranging from the upper surface cover portion to the side surface cover portion. In this case, the one side surface of the housing that is covered with the side surface cover portion is selected according to an arrangement form of the latching mechanism in the vehicle door. That is, in a form in which the latching mechanism is arranged on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle door, the side surface cover portion is configured so as to cover the housing front surface. In this case, the side surface cover portion becomes the "front surface cover portion", and has a convex shape that protrudes from the housing front surface side toward the vehicle front. In contrast, in a form in which the latching mechanism is arranged on the vehicle front side of the vehicle door, the side surface cover portion is configured so as to cover the housing rear surface. In this case, the side surface cover portion becomes the "rear surface cover portion", and has a convex shape that protrudes from the housing rear surface side toward the vehicle rear.

(0009] In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the housing is constituted as a housing body that includes a first case arranged on an inside of a vehicle and a second case arranged on an outside of a vehicle and houses at least the latching mechanism and the locking mechanism, the protective cover has a cover inner surface that covers respective case outer surfaces of the first case and the second case in order to protect the housing, and the vehicle door locking device further includes a coupling mechanism that couples the first case and the second case to each other by the engagement between a first engaging portion extending from the first case to a partition region defined by the case outer surface of the first case and the cover inner surface, and a second engaging portion extending from the second case to the partition region, and an abutment regulating portion that is, when an external load is input to the protective cover, interposed in an abuttable manner between the case outer surface of at least one case of the first case and the second case, and the cover inner surface of the protective cover and regulates abutment of the cover inner surface against the coupling mechanism. With this configuration, even if an external load acts on the protective cover, it is possible to maintain the coupling between the first case and the second case by the coupling mechanism. As a result, the housing is not easily damaged by the anti-theft member, and security is improved.

[00101 In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the abutment regulating portion is constituted by a plurality of ribs that protrude from the case outer surface of at least one case of the first case and the second case to a position closer to the cover inner surface than the coupling mechanism. In this case, the plurality of ribs achieve a second function of supporting the protective cover, which has received the external load, to thereby protect the coupling mechanism in addition to the first function of enhancing the rigidity of the housing. Accordingly, since the structure of the abutment regulating portion can be simplified by using the plurality of ribs, and the plurality of ribs can make the aforementioned first function and second function compatible with each other, the plurality of ribs are rational.

Fool IJ In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that all of the plurality of ribs are provided on the case outer surface of the second case, and include a rib integrated with the second engaging portion. With this configuration, the coupling mechanism can be more reliably protected by the rib arranged in proximity to the coupling mechanism.

(0012] In the vehicle door locking device, it is preferable that the protective cover includes a fixed portion that is fastened and fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case with an attachment bolt. In this case, even if an external load acts on the protective cover, the abutment regulating portion resists the external load as described above. Therefore, the attachment bolt and the fixed portion do not easily receive an excessive load.

[0013] As described above, according to this disclosure, it is possible to increase the security of the vehicle door locking device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with the reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a view when a vehicle door locking device provided at a vehicle door is seen from a front side within a vehicle; FIG. 2 is a view when the vehicle door locking device in FIG. 1 is seen from a vehicle front; FIG. 3 is a view when the vehicle door locking device in FIG. 1 is seen from the vehicle upper side; FIG. 4 is a view when a protective cover in FIG. 1 is seen from the front side within the vehicle; FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional structure taken along line V-V of the vehicle door locking device in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a view when the vehicle door locking device in a state where the protective cover is removed from a housing is seen from the front within the vehicle; FIG. 7 is a view when the vehicle door locking device in a state where the protective cover is removed from the housing is seen from a rear side within the vehicle; FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of an area VIII in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional structure taken along line IX-IX in FIG. B; FIG. lOis a view illustrating a cross-sectional structure of the protective cover; and FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a cross-sectional structure of the protective cover related to a modftication example of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(0015] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed here will be described referring to the drawings.

In addition, in the drawings, a vehicle front and a vehicle rear are indicated by arrow Xl and arrow X2, respectively, an outside of a vehicle (vehicle right) and an inside of a vehicle (vehicle left) are indicated by arrow Yl and arrow Y2, respectively, and a vehicle upper side and a vehicle lower side are indicated by arrow Li and arrow Z2, respectively. These directions can be applied to a vehicle door locking device in the state before being assembled to a vehicle door and the vehicle door locking device in the state after being assembled to the vehicle door.

(0016] As FIGS. 1 to 3 are referred to, a vehicle door locking device 100 of the present embodiment is arranged in a region defined by a door outer panel on the outside of the vehicle and a door inner panel on the inside of the vehicle that constitute a vehicle door 101. As a typical example of the vehicle door 101, a vehicle door on the right side of a backseat is described. The vehicle door locking device 100 includes a housing 110 and a protective cover 120.

(0017] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the housing 110 has a housing space for housing a plurality of constituent elements including a latching mechanism 130 and a locking mechanism 131. That is, the housing 110 is constituted as a housing body that houses at least the latching mechanism 130 and the locking mechanism 131. Typically, a housing space for the latching mechanism 130 is provided on the vehicle rear side so as to face a striker 103 fixed to a vehicle body 102, and a housing space for the locking mechanism 131 is provided nearer to the vehicle front side than the housing space. The housing 110 is constituted by a first case 111 and a second case 112 both of which are made of a resin material, the first case 111 is arranged on the vehicle inside, and the second case 112 is arranged on the vehicle outside. The housing 110 is formed by coupling an end surface of the first case 111 that faces the vehicle inside and an end surface of the second case 112 that faces the vehicle outside, using a coupling mechanism to be described below. In this case, it is preferable that the second case 112 arranged on the vehicle outside is made of a resin material (typically, a resin material with high toughness or brittleness regarding impact fracture) having a higher impact strength than the first case 111 arranged on the inside of the vehicle. By relatively enhancing the impact strength of the second case 112 that is apt to receive impact from the anti-theft member because the second case is arranged on the outside of the vehicle, the housing 110 is not easily damaged by the anti-theft member. The housing 110 is equivalent to a "housing" disclosed here. Additionally, the first case 111 and the second case 112 that constitute the housing 110 are equivalent to a "first case" and "a second case", respectively, disclosed here.

(0018] The latching mechanism 130 is able to retain the vehicle door 101 in a closed state by engagement with the striker 103 attached to the vehicle body 102. The locking mechanism 131 sets the latching mechanism 130 to an unlocked state where the latching mechanism 130 is releasable from the engagement with the striker 103 or a locked state where the latching mechanism 130 is unreleasable from the engagement with the striker 103. The latching mechanism 130 and the locking mechanism 131 are equivalent to a "latching mechanism" and a "locking mechanism", respectively, disclosed here. Vehicle door locking devices disclosed in JP2011-220094A and W02011/102057 are referred to regarding a further specific structure of the latching mechanism 130 and the locking mechanism 131.

[0019] The protective cover 120 is constituted as a protector made of resin that covers an upper surface of the housing and a front surface of the housing, in order to protect the housing 110.

The protective cover 120 is equivalent to a "protective cover" disclosed here. According to the protective cover 120, when the anti-theft member (not illustrated) has entered the vehicle door 101, for example, in the direction of arrow Dl in FIG. I or the direction of arrow D2 (oblique direction), the protective cover can prevent the anti-theft member from acting on the housing 110 or extend the time taken until the anti-theft member acts on the housing 110, to thereby protect the housing itself or the plurality of constituent elements hcused in the housing 110.

(0020] For this purpose, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the protective cover 120 extends in a substantially L-shape between a first end portion 121 and a second end portion 122, and includes an upper surface cover portion 120a and a front surface cover portion 120b. The upper surface cover portion 120a is a portion that extends in an elongated shape along vehicle longitudinal directions Xl and X2, and covers the housing upper surface of the housing 110. The front surface cover portion 120b is a portion that extends from the upper surface cover portion 120a toward the vehicle lower side, extends in an elongated shape along vehicle vertical directions Z1 and Z2, and covers the housing front surface of the housing 110 (one side surface in the housing back-and-forth directions). The upper surface cover portion 120a and the front surface cover portion 120b are equivalent to an "upper surface cover portion' and a "side surface cover portion", respectively, disclosed here. The protective cover 120 has the second end portion 122 rotatably coupled to the housing 110 (specifically, the first case 111 of the housing 110) via a movement regulating mechanism 140, and the upper surface cover portion 120a is fastened and fixed to an upper portion of the housing 110 with a plurality of attachment bolts 141.

[0021] Here, the housing 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 is arranged in an inclined manner so that the housing upper surface descends from the vehicle front toward the vehicle rear in terms of the relationship of arrangement of the latching mechanism 130 in the vehicle door 101 of the backseat.

In such a case, since the housing front surface of the housing 110 inclines to the vehicle rear side, the housing front surface is apt to soon be acted by the anti-theft member. Thus, the front surface cover portion 120b can cover and protect the housing front surface of the housing 110 by providing the protective cover 120 with the front surface cover portion 12Db extending from the upper surface cover portion 120a toward the vehicle lower side. Meanwhile, for example, when the housing 110 is substantially horizontally arranged as in the case of a vehicle door of a front seat, the extending length of the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120 can also be shortened more than in the case illustrated in FIG. 1, and the front surface cover portion 120b itself can also be omitted.

(0022] The movement regulating mechanism 140 performs a function (also referred to as a "retaining function") of retaining the protective cover 120 with respect to the housing 110 to thereby regulate movement of the protective cover 120 along the vehicle vertical directions Zi and Z2. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the movement regulating mechanism 140 is constituted by a columnar engaging shaft 123 that is provided so as to extend in vehicle lateral directions to the second end portion 122 (also referred to as an "extending tip portion 122" of the front surface cover portion 12Db extending from the upper surface cover portion 120a) of the protective cover 120, and an engaging arm 115 that is provided at the first case 111 of the housing 110 and has a substantially C-shaped cross-section.

(0023] The engaging arm 115 extends from a facing portion 113 of the housing 110 that faces the second end portion 122 of the protective cover 120 along the front surface cover portion 120b to the vehicle upper side (along the extending direction of the front surface cover portion 12Db) in the vehicle vertical directions Zi and Z2, and has a covering portion 115a and an engaging recess 115b. The covering portion lisa performs a function of covering a boundary region (gap) 114 between the second end portion 122 of the protective cover 120 and the facing portion 113 of the housing 110 from the vehicle front side. The engaging recess 115b is provided in the inner surface of the covering portion 11 5a that faces the housing front surface of the housing 110, and is configured to allow the engaging shaft 123 of the protective cover 120 to be fitted thereinto.

(0024] The protective cover 120 can be easily rotated around the engaging shaft 123 from an assembly preparation position before the protective cover 120 covers both of the housing upper surface llOa and the housing front surface liOb to an assembly position where the protective cover 120 covers both of the housing upper surface 11 Oa and the housing front surface 11 Ob, in an engaged state where the engaging shaft 123 of the protective cover 120 is fitted into the engaging recess 115b of the engaging arm 115. As a result, the assemblibility of the protective cover 120 can be improved. Additionally, in this engaged state, the protective cover 120 is biased to the vehicle rear by the engaging arm 115 engaged with the engaging shaft 123, and is biased to the vehicle front by a plurality of reinforcing ribs 116 provided on a case front surface lllb of the first case 111 of the housing 110. That is, the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover is pinched from both sides by the housing 110 in the vehicle longitudinal directions Xl and X2.

Additionally, engaging portions between the engaging shaft 123 and the engaging recess 115b are covered with the covering portion liSa of the engaging arm 115 from the vehicle front side so that the engaging portions are not exposed to the outside.

[0025] According to the engaging arm 115 having the above configuration, the covering portion lisa can prevent the anti-theft member from entering a boundary region 114 or the engaging portions between the engaging shaft 123 and the engaging recess 115b from the vehicle upper side or from being hooked on the second end portion 122 (the extending tip portion 122 of the front surface cover portion 120b) of the protective cover 120. Additionally, even when the anti-theft member is hooked on the second end portion 122 of the protective cover 120 in the engaged state where the engaging shaft 123 of the protective cover 120 is fitted into the engaging recess 115b of the engaging arm 115, the protective cover 120 can be retained with respect to the housing to prevent the second end portion 122 of the protective cover 120 from being pulled up to the vehicle upper side by the anti-theft member. Additionally, since the engaging arm 115 extends to the vehicle upper side along the front surface cover portion 120b, the anti-theft member can be prevented from being hooked on the extending tip portion of the engaging arm 115. As a result, the protective cover 120 can be made of resin to achieve weight reduction and improve security.

Moreover, since the second end portion 122 of the protective cover 120 is locked in the engaged state where the engaging shaft 123 of the protective cover 120 is fitted into the engaging recess 115b of the engaging arm 115, a structure in which the front surface cover portion 120b is fixed to the housing 110 with bolts or the like can be omitted, and thereby, cost reduction can be achieved.

(0026] In addition, in the vehicle door locking device 100, the latching mechanism 130 is arranged on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle door 101, and the housing front surface that is one side surface of the housing 110 in the back-and-forth direction of the housing is covered with the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120. Additionally, the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120 has a convex shape that protrudes from the housing front surface side toward the vehicle front. In contrast, in the case of (for example, a so-called "hinged double door type" vehicle door) a vehicle door in which the latching mechanism 130 is arranged on the vehicle rear side, a structure in which a housing rear surface that is one side surface of the housing 110 in the back-and-forth direction of the housing is covered with a rear surface cover portion of the protective cover 120 can be adopted. In this case, the rear surface cover portion of the protective cover 120 can be made to protrude from the housing rear surface side toward the vehicle rear by the same shape as the front surface cover portion 120b.

(0027] As described above, the engaging arm 115 provided at the housing 110 has two functions of both a function of covering the boundary region 114 with the covering portion lIsa, and a function of engaging the engaging shaft 123 of the protective cover 120 with the engaging recess 115b. Meanwhile, a structure in which the housing 110 and the protective cover 120 are made to share these two functions can also be adopted. For example, instead of a form in which the covering portion lisa is provided on the housing 110 side, a portion equivalent to the covering portion liSa may be provided on the protective cover 120 side, and the boundary region 114 may be made to be covered with this portion from the vehicle front side. In this case, the portion equivalent to the covering portion 115a may be configured so as to extend from the protective cover 120 to the vehicle upper side as in the engaging arm 115, or may be configured so as to extend from the protective cover 120 to the vehicle lower side.

[0028] A state where the protective cover 120 is removed from the housing 110 is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In the housing 110, the housing upper surface llOa (a case upper surface lila and the case front surface 111 b that are case outer surfaces of the first case ill, and a case upper surface ii 2a and a case front surface 11 2b that are case outer surfaces of the second case 112) is covered with a cover inner surface of the protective cover 120. Additionally, a plurality of ribs 116 are provided on the case upper surface ii Ia and the case front surface 111 b of the first case 111, respectively, while being separated from each other. The plurality of ribs 116 perform a function of receiving the protective cover 120 that has received an external load. This increases the rigidity of the housing 110. As a result, the thickness of the protective cover 120 can be suppressed, and further weight reduction and cost reduction of the vehicle door locking device 100 can be realized.

[0029] In this case, in an assembled state of the protective cover 120, a gap may be formed between a lower surface of the protective cover 120 and an upper surface of each rib 116, or the lower surface of the protective cover 120 and the upper surface of each rib 116 may abut against each other in advance. Additionally, instead of a form in which the plurality of ribs 116 are provided on the case upper surface lila and the case front surface Ilib of the first case ill or in addition to this, portions equivalent to the ribs can also be provided on the inner surface of the protective cover 120 or on the case upper surface 112a and the case front surface 112b of the second case 112.

[0030] Additionally, the first case 111 and the second case 112 are coupled to each other by a plurality of coupling mechanisms 119 provided on the housing upper surface 11 Oa and the housing front surface hUb, respectively, of the housing 110. The coupling mechanism 119 is equivalent to a coupling mechanism" disclosed here. FIGS. 8 and 9 are referred to regarding a typical example of each coupling mechanism 119. The coupling mechanisms 119 provided on the housing upper surface llOa of the housing 110 are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, and each coupling mechanism 119 is constituted by an engaging claw 117 (first engaging portion) and an engaging arm 118 (second engaging portion) that are engageable with each other.

(0031] The engaging claw 117 extends from the case upper surface lila of the first case 111 to a partition region (a partition region 120d in FIG. 9) defined by the case upper surface lila and a cover inner surface (cover inner surface 120c in FIG. 9). The engaging arm 118 extends from a pair of the ribs 116 and 116 provided on the case upper surface 112a of the second case 112 to the partition region l2Od. As the engaging claw 117 and the engaging arm 118 engage each other, the first case 111 and the second case 112 are coupled to each other. Specifically, as a convex engaging claw 117 is fitted into an opening recess of the engaging arm 118, the engaging claw 117 is retained between a facing surface 118a of the engaging arm 118 and a facing surface hlic of the first case 111 in the vehicle lateral directions. According to the coupling mechanisms 119, the first case 111 and the second case 112 are reliably coupled to each other, and the relative movement between the first case ill and the second case 112 in the vehicle lateral directions is regulated.

[0032] As FIG. 9 is referred to, each coupling mechanism 119 is configured so that the upper surface of the engaging arm 118 is arranged in a place lower than the upper surface of each rib 116 with a height difference \h. In this case, the plurality of ribs 116 protrude from the case upper surface 112a of the second case 112 to positions closer to the cover inner surface 120c than the respective coupling mechanisms 119. Accordingly, when an external load F is input to the protective cover 120 and the protective cover 120 is deformed to the vehicle lower side Z2, the plurality of ribs 116 constitute an abutment regulating portion that is interposed in an abuttable manner between the case upper surface 112a of the second case 112 and the cover inner surface 120c of the protective cover 120 to regulate that the cover inner surface 120c abuts against the coupling mechanisms 119. That is, the plurality of ribs 116 achieve a second function of supporting the protective cover 120, which has received the external load F, thereby protecting the respective coupling mechanisms iiO in addition to the first function of enhancing the rigidity of the housing 110. The plurality of ribs 116 are equivalent to an "abutment regulating portion" and a "plurality of ribs" disclosed here. As a result1 even if an external load acts on the protective cover 120, it is possible to maintain the coupling between the first case 111 and the second case 112 by the coupling mechanisms 119, and the housing 110 is not easily damaged by an anti-theft member 150. Therefore, security is improved. Particularly, since the structure of the abutment regulating portion can be simplified by using the plurality of ribs 116, and the plurality of ribs 116 can make the aforementioned first function and second function compatible with each other, the plurality of ribs are rational. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of ribs 116 include ribs integrated with the engaging arm 118. Accordingly, the coupling mechanisms 119 can be more reliably protected by the ribs 116 arranged in proximity to the coupling mechanisms 119.

(0033] Both of the upper surface cover portion 120a and the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120 have the same cross-sectional shape. Here, particularly the cross-sectional shape of the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 will be described, referring to FIG. 10. The upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 includes a covering portion 124 and extending portions 125 and 125. The covering portion 124 covers the housing upper surface iiOa (the case upper surface lila of the first case 111 and the case upper surface 112a of the second case 112 in FIG. 7) of the housing 110. The extending portions 125 extend from both sides in the vehicle lateral directions of the covering portion 124 to the vehicle lower side, respectively, and one extending portion 125 is fastened and fixed to the first case lii of the housing 110 with an attachment bolt 141. The one extending portion 125 is equivalent to a "fixed portion" disclosed here. In this case, even if an external load acts on the protective cover 120, the plurality of ribs 116 resist the external load as described above.

Therefore, the attachment bolt 141 and one extending portion 125 do not easily receive an excessive load.

(0034] Incidentally, in the vehicle door locking device described in Reference 1, the first case and the second case can be integrally coupled to each other by a coupling mechanism that engages a first engaging portion provided at the first case with a second engaging portion provided at the second case. If the protective cover receives an external load from the anti-theft member when this coupling mechanism is interposed in a region between the housing and the protective cover, it is assumed that this external load acts on the coupling mechanism and it is impossible to maintain the coupling between the first case and the second case. As a result, a problem occurs in that the security of the vehicle door locking device degrades.

[0035] The covering portion 124 has only one convex shape (substantially triangular shape) that protrudes from the housing upper surface iiOa side to the vehicle upper side in a first cross-section specified by the vehicle vertical directions Zi and Z2 and the vehicle lateral directions.

The convex shape of the covering portion 124 includes a top portion (topmost portion) 124a, a first inclined surface 124b that extends in an inclined manner from the top portion 124a to the inside of the vehicle Y2, and a second inclined surface i24c that extends in an inclined manner from the top portion 124a to the outside of the vehicle Yl. The top portion 124a and the inclined surfaces i24b and 124c are equivalent to a "top portion" and "inclined surfaces", respectively, disclosed here.

(0036] In the covering portion 124, it is preferable that the shape of the first cross-section in the top portion 124a is an upwardly convex curved shape. Typically, the top portion 124a is formed by curved surface machining (rounding) with a predetermined curvature radius.

Additionally, it is preferable that the shapes of the first cross-section in the first inclined surface 124b and the second inclined surface 124c are linear shapes or upwardly convex curved shapes.

Accordingly, a recessed portion is not formed in an outer surface in the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120. Accordingly, when the anti-theft member 150 has acted on the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 from the vehicle exterior side, the anti-theft member 150 easily slides along the first inclined surface 124b or the second inclined surface 124c of the covering portion 124, without staying at a specific position of an outer surface of the covering portion 124. Otherwise, the covering portion 124 relatively moves to the outside of the vehicle Vi or the inside of the vehicle Y2 with respect to the anti-theft member 150, due to the load that the first inclined surface 124b or the second inclined surface 124c receives from the anti-theft member 150, As a result, it is possible to suppress the load that the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 receives from the anti-theft member 150, thereby improving security.

[0037] Additionally, infiltration water, such as rainwater, which has infiltrated the vehicle door 101, is diverted to the inside of the vehicle Y2 and the outside of the vehicle Vi with the top portion 124a of the covering portion 124 as a boundary. In this case, it is possible to change the position of the top portion i24a in the vehicle lateral directions to adjust the diversion ratio of the infiltration water. For example, when the top portion i24a is provided on a centerline L that passes through approximately a center in the vehicle lateral directions, the infiltration water that has infiltrated the vehicle door 101 can be approximately equally diverted to the inside of the vehicle (2 and the outside of the vehicle Yi.

(0038] In the covering portion 124, it is preferable that the covering portion 124 is a solid structure and the thickness of the top portion i24a in the vehicle vertical directions 71 and Z2 exceeds the thickness of each of the first inclined surface i24b and the second inclined surface i24c in the vehicle vertical directions 71 and Z2. Accordingly, the rigidity of the top portion i24a of the covering portions 124 with a high possibility that the anti-theft member 150 first acts can be enhanced. In this case, it is preferable that the covering portion 124 particularly includes the top portion 124a further toward the outside of the vehicle than a joining portion D between the first case 111 and the second case 112 in the housing upper surface liQa in the vehicle lateral directions. The joining portion D is equivalent to a "joining portion" disclosed here. Accordingly, even when the protective cover 120 is damaged by the anti-theft member 150, the anti-theft member 150 does not easily act on the joining portion D between the first case lii and the second case 112, and security is improved.

[00391 Additionally, although not particularly illustrated, the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120 is also provided with a covering portion having the same cross-sectional shape as the covering portion 124 of the upper surface cover portion 120a. The covering portion -11 -of the front surface cover portion 120b, as FIG. 4 or the like is referred to, has the convex shape (substantially triangular shape) from the housing front surface (housing front surface IlOb in FIG. 6) side toward the vehicle front in a second cross-section specified by the vehicle longitudinal directions Xl and X2 and the vehicle lateral directions. That is, in the protective cover 120, the covering portion 124 having the convex shape is continuously formed from the upper surface cover portion 120a to the front surface cover portion 120b. As a result, in the protective cover 120, the front surface cover portion 12Db also exhibits the same effects as the upper surface cover portion 120a. For example, when the anti-theft member 150 acts on the front surface cover portion 12Db of the protective cover 120 from the vehicle exterior side, the load that the front surface cover portion 120b receives from the anti-theft member 150 can be suppressed by the convex shape of the covering portion. Accordingly, the housing 110 can be reliably protected by the entire protective cover 120 ranging from the upper surface cover portion 120a to the front surface cover portion 120b, and security is improved.

(0040] Regarding the cross-sectional shape of the upper surface cover portion 120a and the front surface cover portion 120b of the protective cover 120, a cross-sectional shape illustrated in FIG. 11 can also be adopted instead of the cross-sectional shape illustrated in FIG. 10. The protective cover 120 illustrated in FIG. 11 is different from the protective cover 120 illustrated in FIG. in that this protective cover does not include a portion equivalent to the second inclined surface 124c in FIG. 10. In this case, the top portion 124a of the covering portion 124 is arranged at a position shifted further toward the outside of the vehicle than the centerline L that passes along approximately the center in the vehicle lateral directions. According to this configuration, when the anti-theft member 150 has acted on the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 from the vehicle exterior side, the anti-theft member 150 easily slides along the first inclined surface 124b of the covering portion 124, without staying at a specific position of the covering portion 124. Otherwise, the covering portion 124 relatively moves to the outside of the vehicle Yl with respect to the anti-theft member 150, due to the load that the first inclined surface 124b receives from the anti-theft member 150. As a result, it is possible to suppress the load that the upper surface cover portion 120a of the protective cover 120 receives from the anti-theft member 150.

[0041] This disclosure is not limited only to the above typical embodiment, and various applications and modifications are conceivable. For example, it is also possible to carry out the following respective forms obtained by applying the above embodiment.

(0042] In the protective cover 120 of the above embodiment, a case where the top portion 124a of the upper surface cover portion 120a had a rounded shape has been described. In this disclosure, however, an acute shape can also be adopted as the shape of the top portion 124 in addition to the rounded shape. Additionally, the number of convex shapes in the upper surface cover portion 120a or the front surface cover portion 120b can be appropriately selected if necessary. -12-

[0043] In the protective cover 120 of the above embodiment, a case where the thickness of the top portion 124 of the upper surface cover portion 120a in the vehicle vertical directions exceeds the thickness of the inclined surfaces 124b and 124c in the vehicle vertical directions has been described. In this disclosure, however, various kinds of thickness in the vehicle vertical directions can be selected in respective portions of the upper surface cover portion 1 20a.

[0044] Additionally, in the protective cover 120 of the above embodiment, a case where the top portion 124a of the covering portion 124 is arranged at a position shifted further toward the outside of the vehicle than the centerline L has been described. In this disclosure, however, the relative positional relationship between the top portion 124a of the covering portion 124 and the centerline L in the vehicle lateral directions is not limited to this and can be variously changed if necessary.

(0045] In the above embodiment, a case where the plurality of ribs 116 are provided on each of the case upper surface lila and the case front surface lllb of the first case 111 has been described. In this disclosure, however, instead of or in addition to this configuration, the plurality of ribs 116 can be provided on each of the case upper surface 112a and the case front surface 112b of the second case 112. Additionally, the plurality of ribs 116 may be configured to include ribs integrated with the engaging claws 117 or the engaging arms 118 of the coupling mechanisms 119, or all the ribs may be separate from the engaging claws 117 or the engaging arms 118 of the coupling mechanisms 119. Additionally, the abutment regulating portion may be constituted by one portion in which the plurality of ribs 116 are integrated. Meanwhile, portions equivalent to the ribs can be provided on the cover inner surface 120c of the protective cover 120 instead of or in addition to a configuration in which the housing 110 is provided with the plurality of ribs 116 as described above.

[0046] Additionally, in the above embodiment, a case where both of the first case ill and the second case 112 that constitute the housing 110 are made of a resin material has been described.

In this disclosure, the first case 111 and the second case 112 can also be made of a metallic material. In this disclosure, regarding the protective cover 120, the protective cover 120 can also be similarly made of a metallic material instead of the resin material.

[0047] In this disclosure, the essential structure of the vehicle door locking device 100 can be applied to respective vehicle doors of a vehicle. For example, the essential structure of the vehicle door locking device 100 can be applied to left and right doors for vehicle front seats, left and right doors for vehicle backseats, a door (backdoor) of a vehicle rear portion, or the like.

(0048] The principles, preferred embodiment and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention which is intended to be protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, -13-changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby. -14-

Claims

CLAIMS1. A vehicle door locking device (100) comprising: a latching mechanism (130) that is configured to engage a striker (103) attached to a vehicle body (102) and is capable of retaining a vehicle door (101) in a closed state; a locking mechanism (131) that sets the latching mechanism to an unlocked state where engagement with the striker is releasable or a locked state where the engagement with the striker is unreleasable; a housing (110) that houses at least the latching mechanism and the lacking mechanism; and a protective cover (120) that protects the housing, wherein the protective cover includes an upper surface cover portion (120a) that extends along vehicle longitudinal directions and covers a housing upper surface (liDa) of the housing, and wherein the upper surface cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes from a housing upper surface side to a vehicle upper side, in a cross-section specified by vehicle vertical directions and vehicle lateral directions.
2. The vehicle door locking device according to Claim 1, wherein the convex shape of the upper surface cover portion includes a top portion and an inclined surface that extends in an inclined manner from the top portion and the thickness of the top portion in the vehicle vertical directions exceeds the thickness of the inclined surface in the vehicle vertical directions.
3. The vehicle door locking device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing includes a first case (111) that is arranged on an inside of a vehicle, and a second case (112) that is arranged closer to an outside of a vehicle than the first case, and wherein the upper surface of the protective cover includes the top portion further toward the outside of the vehicle than a joining portion between the first case and the second case in the housing upper surface in the vehicle lateral directions.
4. The vehicle door locking device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the protective cover includes a side surface cover portion (12Db) that extends from the upper surface cover portion toward a vehicle lower side and covers one side surface of the housing in back-and-forth directions of the housing and the side surface cover portion has a convex shape that protrudes from the one side surface side of the housing toward a vehicle front or a vehicle rear, in a cross-section specified by the vehicle longitudinal directions and the vehicle lateral directions. -15-
5. The vehicle door locking device according to any one of Claims ito 4, wherein the housing includes the first case arranged on an inside of a vehicle and the second case arranged on an outside of a vehicle, wherein the protective cover has a cover inner surface (120c) that covers respective case outer surfaces of the first case and the second case in order to protect the housing, wherein the vehicle door locking device further includes a coupling mechanism (119) that couples the first case and the second case to each other by the engagement between a first engaging portion extending from the first case to a partition region defined by the case outer surface of the first case and the cover inner surface, and a second engaging portion extending from the second case to the partition region, and an abutment regulating portion that is, when an external load is input to the protective cover, interposed in an abuttable manner between the case outer surface of at least one case of the first case and the second case, and the cover inner surface of the protective cover and regulates abutment of the cover inner surface against the coupling mechanism.
6. The vehicle door locking device according to Claim 5, wherein the abutment regulating portion is constituted by a plurality of ribs (116) that protrude from the case outer surface of at least one case of the first case and the second case to a position closer to the cover inner surface than the coupling mechanism.
7. The vehicle door locking device according to Claim 6, wherein all of the plurality of ribs are provided on the case outer surface of the second case, and include a rib integrated with the second engaging portion.
8. The vehicle door locking device according to any one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the protective cover includes a fixed portion that is fastened and fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case with an attachment bolt (141). -16-