JP2006176969A - Door handle device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a door handle device which can ensure sufficient urging force against inertia force of an inner handle in the case of a collision of a vehicle even if an installation space of a case body thereof is limited, and at the same time brings about an improved operational feeling of the inner handle at the time of opening/closing operation of a door. <P>SOLUTION: The door handle device is formed of the case body 2 mounted on a door trim, the inner handle 3 pivoted on the case body 2, a torsion spring 11 for urging the inner handle 3 from a lock canceling position to a reference position, and an elastic body 7 for urging the inner handle 3 from the lock canceling position to the reference position, separately from the energization by the torsion spring 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a door handle device for unlocking a vehicle door.

  In general, the unlocking of the door of the automobile vehicle is operated by an outer handle on the outdoor side and an inner handle on the indoor side. The indoor door handle device includes a case body installed on the door trim and an inner handle pivotally supported by the case body, and a cable that transmits an operating force to the door lock mechanism is connected to the inner handle (for example, , See Patent Document 1). A pin member is inserted through the inner handle, and the inner handle is biased in a direction approaching the case body by a torsion spring that winds the pin member.

  In this door handle device, the occupant rotates the inner handle operating portion toward the indoor side against the biasing force of the torsion spring, and the door is unlocked when the inner handle reaches the unlocked position. ing. At this time, the operation feeling required for the occupant is better when the operation force required to rotate the inner handle is smaller in change from the reference position to the unlock position.

  Further, if a shocking acceleration occurs in the left-right direction in the vehicle collision, an inertial force acts on the inner handle. At this time, if the inertial force of the inner handle becomes larger than the biasing force of the torsion spring, the inner handle moves to the unlocking position and the door is unlocked. In other words, from the viewpoint of vehicle safety, it is preferable that the biasing force against the inertial force is large.

In order to increase the biasing force, it is necessary to increase the wire diameter of the torsion spring or increase the number of turns. However, this tends to break the torsion spring, which may impair the reliability of the apparatus. Therefore, a method of reducing the biasing force required for the inner handle by installing a counterweight inside the case body that cancels out the moment around the rotating shaft on the operation portion side of the inner handle is adopted.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-118857

  However, in the door handle device, when a sufficient space cannot be secured inside the case body due to the design requirements on the vehicle door side, the counterweight cannot be installed, and the moment around the rotation axis of the inner handle is reduced. I can't. Generally, in a vehicle door, the space in the thickness direction (indoor / outdoor direction) is smaller than in other directions. That is, it is necessary to install the counterweight so as not to interfere with other parts, and even if the performance required for the door handle device is satisfied, the performance of the other device is sacrificed.

  In addition, when the counterweight cannot be installed in this way, it becomes difficult to cope with the torsion spring alone when the weight of the operation portion of the inner handle increases and the required urging force also increases. Will be restricted. Furthermore, if the initial biasing force of the torsion spring is set to be large in order to resist the inertial force at the time of a vehicle collision, the spring constant (elastic constant) tends to increase, and there is a problem that the operation feeling is likely to be impaired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to secure a biasing force that resists the inertial force of the inner handle at the time of a vehicle collision even when the installation space of the case body is limited. However, an object of the present invention is to provide a door handle device that can improve the operation feeling of the inner handle during the door opening / closing operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the door handle device, the shaft support portion pivotally supported by the case body, the reference position close to the case body, and the unlocking separated from the case body. An inner handle that is movable between positions; a torsion spring that urges the inner handle in a direction from the unlocked position toward the reference position; and the torsion spring separately from the inner spring. And an elastic body that biases the handle in a direction from the unlock position to the reference position.

According to the invention described in claim 1, since the biasing force of the torsion spring and the elastic body acts on the inner handle, unless an external force such as an inertia force at the time of a vehicle collision or an operation force by an occupant is applied to the inner handle, The inner handle is in a state where the operation portion is stationary at the reference position. When an external force from the reference position toward the unlocking position is applied to the operation portion of the inner handle from this state, the inner handle rotates against the urging force of the torsion spring and the elastic body.
At this time, since the biasing force of the elastic body acts on the inner handle in addition to the torsion spring, the biasing force necessary for the inner handle is shared between the torsion spring and the elastic body. Thereby, the urging force of the torsion spring can be reduced to reduce the number of turns, the wire diameter, etc., and the internal stress of the torsion spring can be reduced to improve the strength, durability, etc. of the torsion spring.
Also, when the weight of the inner handle is increased or the center of gravity of the operation part is formed away from the pivot center of the shaft support part, the moment around the axis of the inner handle at the time of rotation is increased compared to the conventional structure. It is possible to cope with this without damaging the strength and durability of the torsion spring.

  Here, examples of the external force acting on the inner handle include an inertial force acting on the inner handle when the vehicle collides, an operating force acting on the inner handle when the door is opened and closed, and the like. From the viewpoint of vehicle safety, it is preferable that the biasing force against the inertial force is large, and from the viewpoint of merchantability, it is preferable that the change of the biasing force during operation is small. That is, by increasing the initial biasing force when the inner handle is in the reference position, the inner handle is effectively prevented from moving from the reference position against the inertial force. Further, by reducing the elastic constants of the torsion spring and the elastic body, the amount of change in the biasing force during operation can be reduced.

  Therefore, by sharing the urging force between the torsion spring and the elastic body, the design constraints are alleviated, so that the initial force and the elastic constant can be selected relatively freely. As a result, even if the internal space of the case body is limited, it is possible to reduce the elastic constant while ensuring the initial biasing force, while ensuring the biasing force that resists the inertial force of the inner handle during a vehicle collision. The operation feeling of the inner handle during the door opening / closing operation can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the door handle device according to the first aspect, the elastic body is a tension spring having one end connected to the inner handle.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the action of the first aspect, the torsion spring is wound around the rotating shaft portion of the inner handle, and the tension spring is installed so as to extend substantially forward and backward or substantially vertically. it can. Here, the interior of the vehicle door is limited in design because there is a small space in the left-right direction (inside the room), and there are relatively large spaces in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Less is.
Therefore, by installing the tension spring extending in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction, avoiding interference with other parts in the vehicle door due to the installation of the elastic body, the safety performance at the time of vehicle collision and the door opening / closing operation Productivity can be improved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the door handle device according to the first or second aspect, the torsion spring and the elastic body are configured such that an action point of a biasing force applied to the inner handle is a rotation of the inner handle. They are arranged so as to be substantially equidistant from each other from the center.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the action of the first or second aspect, the torsion spring and the elastic body are arranged so that the point of action of the urging force applied to the inner handle is substantially equidistant from the center of rotation. Since it has been arranged, it is possible to apply a biasing force to the inner handle in a balanced manner.
As a result, a biasing force acting on the inner handle acts, and the sliding portion of the inner handle is biased and worn, or the position of the inner handle relative to the cover of the case body and the door trim is displaced, and the appearance in the vehicle compartment is impaired. Rather, the durability and position accuracy of the inner handle can be ensured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the door handle device according to the third aspect, the torsion spring and the elastic body are configured such that the urging forces applied to the inner handle are substantially equal to each other. It is characterized by that.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the action of claim 3, since the biasing force of the torsion spring and the elastic body is substantially equal, the balance of the biasing force applied to the inner handle is further improved. The durability and position accuracy of the inner handle can be further improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the door handle device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the elastic body is interposed between the operation cable connected to the door lock device and the inner handle. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is not necessary to form two connecting portions of the elastic body and the operation cable on the inner handle, and the inner handle Easy to mold. Further, by interposing the elastic body at the inner handle side end of the operation cable, the elastic body can be easily and easily installed without securing the installation space for the elastic body in the case body.

  As described above, according to the door handle device of the present invention, even when the installation space of the case body is limited, the urging force that resists the inertial force of the inner handle at the time of the vehicle collision is secured and the door opening / closing operation is performed. The operation feeling of the inner handle can be improved.

  1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a left side view of a door handle device, FIG. 2 is a right side view of the door handle device, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the door handle device. 4 is a left side view of the inner handle, and FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the door handle device. FIG. 5 shows a state where the cover is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the door handle device 1 includes a case body 2 that is attached to a door trim of a vehicle door, and an inner handle 3 that is rotatably attached to the case body 2. FIG. 1 shows a door handle device 1 installed in a driver's seat of an automobile vehicle. Although not shown, the door handle device on the passenger side is configured symmetrically. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner handle 3 is an operation that is movable between a shaft support portion 4 that is pivotally supported by the case body 2, a reference position that is close to the case body 2, and a lock release position that is separated from the case body 2. Part 5. As shown in FIG. 1, a cover C that covers almost the entire shaft support 4 and the case body of the inner handle 3 from the indoor side is provided, and the door handle device 1 is attached to the door trim. Only is exposed indoors. In this door handle device 1, when the operation unit 5 is moved from the reference position to the unlock position, the door lock device of the vehicle door is unlocked.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a pin 6 that extends over the case body 2 and extends vertically is inserted into the shaft support 4 of the inner handle 3. In the present embodiment, the shaft support portion 4 has a pair of upper and lower flat plate portions 4a, and an insertion hole 4b through which the pin 6 is inserted is formed on the indoor side of each flat plate portion 4a. A locking hole 8 for locking the front end of the tension spring 7 is formed on the outdoor side of the upper flat plate portion 4a. Moreover, the connection part 10 to which the end of the cable 9 connected to the door lock apparatus is connected is formed in the outdoor side of the lower flat plate part 4a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation portion 5 of the inner handle 3 is exposed indoors and is continuously formed forward from the shaft support portion 4. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 5 is installed on the substantially horizontal upper plate portion 5a and lower plate portion 5b, and on the indoor side front ends of the upper plate portion 5a and lower plate portion 5b. It has a grip portion 5c and a decorative portion 5d that connects the indoor rear portion of the upper plate portion 5a and the lower plate portion 5b and covers the case body 2 side from the indoor side. The grip portion 5c is formed to rise forward and is curved so as to be convex toward the indoor side in the vertical direction. The decorative portion 5d is formed in a plate shape that is convex toward the outdoor side. As described above, the inner handle 3 has the grip portion 5c formed at the front end and the decorative portion 5d, so that the weight is relatively heavy, about 70 g, and the center of gravity is relatively separated from the rotation center by about 45 mm. Yes. The operation unit 5 contacts a rubber stopper (not shown) installed in the case body 2 at the reference position.

  The inner handle 3 is biased in a direction from the unlocked position toward the reference position by a torsion spring 11 that winds the pin 6 and a tension spring 7 as an elastic body provided separately from the torsion spring 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear end of the tension spring 7 and the upper end of the torsion spring 11 are respectively engaged with the case body 2. Here, the case body 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape, and the front indoor side is closed by the plate portion 2a. In addition, a housing portion 2b for housing the tension spring 7 is formed on the upper rear portion of the case body 2 so as to protrude rearward. The rear end of the tension spring 7 is connected to the rear end of the housing portion 2b.

  A closing surface 2c is formed on the indoor side of the housing portion 2b so that the torsion spring 11 is not exposed from the case body 2 to the indoor side. The upper end of the torsion spring 11 is locked to the closing surface 2c. Further, the lower end of the torsion spring 11 is locked to the lower flat plate portion 4a. Specifically, the torsion spring 11 has a locking portion formed continuously with the winding portion at the upper end and the lower end. That is, each locking portion is formed with a wire diameter substantially the same as that of the winding portion. The upper locking portion is formed so as to extend rearward from the upper end of the winding portion around which the pin 6 is wound, and the lower locking portion extends from the lower end of the winding portion along the flat plate portion 4a, and the leading end is the flat plate portion 4a. Is bent downward so as to be engaged with the recess 4c.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the locking portion of the torsion spring 11 in the recess 4c of the lower flat plate portion 4a, and the locking portion of the tension spring 7 in the insertion hole 4b of the upper flat plate portion 4a, Is approximately equidistant from the pin 6. That is, the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 are arranged such that the point of action of the urging force applied to the inner handle 3 is substantially equidistant from the rotation center of the inner handle 3.

  Further, the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 are configured so that the magnitude of the urging force applied to the inner handle 3 is substantially equal to each other. Specifically, when the operation portion 5 of the inner handle 3 is at the reference position, the initial urging force applied to the inner handle 3 from the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 is substantially the same, and the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7. The elastic constant per rotation angle of the inner handle 3 is substantially the same.

  In the door handle device 1 configured as described above, the urging force of the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 acts on the inner handle 3, so that the inertia force at the time of a vehicle collision, the operation force by the occupant, etc. As long as no external force is applied, the inner handle 3 is in a state in which the operation unit 5 is stationary at the reference position. When an external force from the reference position toward the unlocking position is applied to the operation portion 5 of the inner handle 3 from this state, the inner handle 3 rotates against the biasing force of the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7.

  At this time, since the urging force of the tension spring 7 acts on the inner handle 3 in addition to the torsion spring 11, the urging force necessary for the inner handle 3 is shared between the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7. Thereby, the urging force of the torsion spring 11 can be reduced to reduce the number of turns, the wire diameter, etc., and the internal stress of the torsion spring 11 can be reduced to improve the strength, durability, etc. of the torsion spring 11.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the grip portion 5 is formed relatively far from the shaft support portion 4, the weight of the inner handle 3 increases, and the center of gravity of the operation portion 5 is separated from the rotation center of the shaft support portion 4. Even when the moment around the shaft of the inner handle 3 during the rotation is increased as compared with the conventional structure, it is possible to cope with it without impairing the strength and durability of the torsion spring 11.

  By the way, the external force acting on the inner handle 3 includes an inertial force acting on the inner handle 3 at the time of a vehicle collision, an operating force acting on the inner handle 3 at the time of door opening / closing operation, and the like. From the viewpoint of vehicle safety, it is preferable that the biasing force against the inertial force is large, and from the viewpoint of merchantability, it is preferable that the change of the biasing force during operation is small. That is, by increasing the initial biasing force when the inner handle 3 is in the reference position, the inner handle 3 is effectively prevented from moving from the reference position against the inertial force. Further, by reducing the elastic constants of the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7, the amount of change in the urging force during operation can be reduced.

  Therefore, by sharing the urging force between the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7, the design constraints are alleviated, so that the initial force and the elastic constant can be selected relatively freely. As a result, even if the internal space of the case body 2 is limited, it is possible to reduce the elastic constant while securing the initial biasing force, and to ensure the biasing force that resists the inertial force of the inner handle 3 at the time of a vehicle collision. However, the operation feeling of the inner handle 3 during the door opening / closing operation can be improved.

Further, according to the door handle device 1 of the present embodiment, since the elastic body is the tension spring 7, the torsion spring 11 is wound around the pin 6 that forms the rotation axis of the inner handle 3, and the tension spring 7 is substantially omitted. It can be installed to extend back and forth. Here, the interior of the vehicle door is limited in design because there is a small space in the left-right direction (indoor / outdoor direction), and there is a relatively large space in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Less is.
Therefore, by installing the tension spring 7 extending in the front-rear direction, products related to safety performance and door opening / closing operation at the time of vehicle collision while avoiding interference with other parts in the vehicle door due to the installation of the tension spring 7 It is possible to improve the performance.

Further, according to the door handle device 1 of the present embodiment, the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 are arranged so that the point of action of the urging force applied to the inner handle 3 is substantially equidistant from the rotation center. The urging force can be applied to the inner handle 3 in a well-balanced manner.
As a result, a biasing force acting on the inner handle 3 acts, and the sliding portion of the inner handle 3 is biased and worn, or the position of the inner handle 3 with respect to the cover C and the door trim of the case body 2 is displaced, so The appearance is not impaired, and the durability and positional accuracy of the inner handle 3 can be ensured.
In particular, in this embodiment, since the biasing force of the torsion spring 11 and the tension spring 7 is substantially equal, the balance of the biasing force applied to the inner handle 3 is extremely good, and the durability of the inner handle 3 Position accuracy can be improved effectively.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the door handle device 1 of the inner handle 3 installed in the vehicle compartment. However, the present invention is applied to the door handle device of the outer handle outside the vehicle compartment. May be. The vehicle door that is opened and closed may be a side door or a back door.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although what used the tension spring 7 as an elastic body was shown, you may use another spring material and rubber material as an elastic body. In addition to the elastic body, a counterweight that reduces the moment about the rotation axis of the inner handle may be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the tension spring 7 and the cable 9 are separately connected to the inner handle 3. However, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the cable 9 that connects the tension spring 7 to the door lock device. And the inner handle 3 may be interposed. It is not necessary to form the two connecting portions of the tension spring 7 and the cable 9 on the inner handle 3, and the inner handle 3 can be easily molded. Further, by providing the tension spring 7 at the end of the cable 9 on the inner handle 3 side, the tension spring 7 can be installed easily and easily without securing the installation space for the tension spring 7 in the case body 2.

  In the above embodiment, the inner handle 3 having a relatively heavy weight of about 70 g and a center of gravity relatively separated from the rotation center by about 45 mm is shown. However, for example, the weight is about 30 g to 40 g. Yes, even if the center of gravity is about 15 mm to about 30 mm from the center of rotation, the urging force of the torsion spring can be reduced to reduce the number of turns, wire diameter, etc., and the internal stress of the torsion spring can be reduced. In addition, the strength and durability of the torsion spring can be improved. That is, the shape of the operation portion 5 of the inner handle 3 is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment. For example, the grip portion may be formed substantially horizontally, and other specific details such as the detailed structure. Of course, it can be appropriately changed.

It is a left view of the door handle apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a right view of a door handle device. It is a partial exploded perspective view of a door handle device. It is a left view of an inner handle. It is a typical cross-sectional view of a door handle device. It is a typical cross-sectional view of a door handle device showing a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door handle apparatus 2 Case body 3 Inner handle 4 Shaft support part 5 Operation part 7 Tension spring 9 Cable 11 Torsion spring

Claims (5)

A case body to be attached to the door trim;
An inner handle having a shaft support portion that is pivotally supported by the case body, and an operation portion that is movable between a reference position close to the case body and a lock release position spaced apart from the case body;
A torsion spring for urging the inner handle in a direction from the unlock position to the reference position;
A door handle device comprising: an elastic body that urges the inner handle in a direction from the unlocked position toward the reference position separately from the torsion spring.   The door handle device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is a tension spring having one end connected to the inner handle.   3. The torsion spring and the elastic body are arranged such that the point of action of the urging force applied to the inner handle is substantially equidistant from the center of rotation of the inner handle. The door handle device as described.   The door handle device according to claim 3, wherein the torsion spring and the elastic body are configured such that magnitudes of urging forces applied to the inner handle are substantially equal to each other.   5. The door handle device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is interposed between an operation cable connected to a door lock device and the inner handle.

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