JP2009167729A - Door latch device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely transfer operation force of an outside handle to an outside lever. <P>SOLUTION: A second outside lever 19 is provided which is separated from a support 73 on the in-car side to the outside of a vehicle, and which is pivoted to a support 74 of the outside of a vehicle so that it can swing about a shaft 24 nearly orthogonal to the outer panel. The support 74 of the outside of the vehicle is in the proximity of and in parallel with an outer panel of a door. The second outside lever 19 is connected to the outside handle, which is provided to the outer panel, through the medium of an operation-force transfer member. With the swinging of the second outside lever 19 in the release direction, the second outside lever 19 is brought into contact with the end 201 of the outside of the vehicle of the first outside lever 20. Thus, the first outside lever 20 swings in the release direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle door latch device mounted in a vehicle door.

  The vehicle door latch device includes an engagement portion that is attached to the door and that can be engaged with and disengaged from the striker on the vehicle body side, and an operation portion that can operate the engagement portion. The operating portion is connected to an outside lever (open lever) connected to an outside handle provided on the outer panel of the door via an operating force transmission member (outside handle connecting means) such as a rod, and the outside lever. And a switching lever (link lever) that can be moved to a locked position and an unlocked position by the power of a motor or the like. When the switching lever is in the unlocked position, the outside lever is operated by operating the outside handle. When the release operation is performed, the ratchet lever of the meshing portion is operated by the switching lever so that the door can be opened (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-290741

  In the conventional vehicle door latch device as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the outside lever B of the door latch device A is in the vehicle front-rear direction, that is, around the axis C substantially parallel to the outer panel D1 of the rear door D. If the outside handle H is shifted to the front of the vehicle with respect to the mounting position of the door latch device A, the operating force transmission member E based on the operation of the outside handle H is supported. The operating force W is input to the input portion B1 of the outside lever B from an oblique direction. As a result, the operation transmission member E may be bent and the outside lever B may not be smoothly rotated.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a vehicle door latch device that can reliably transmit the operating force of the outside handle to the outside lever without being affected by the layout of the outside handle. It is an object.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the vehicle door latch device according to the present invention includes a meshing portion that is disposed in the door and that can be engaged with and disengaged from the striker on the vehicle body side, and an operation unit that can operate the meshing portion. In the vehicle door latch device, the operation portion is close to the inner panel of the door and parallel to the vehicle inner side support portion, and is spaced apart from the vehicle inner side support portion to the vehicle outer side and close to the outer panel of the door. And a parallel vehicle outer side support portion, an intermediate support portion that is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle inner side support portion and the vehicle outer side support portion, and the intermediate support portion that is substantially orthogonal to the vehicle interior and exterior direction. A first outside lever pivotally supported about an axis; and a first outside lever disposed on the inside support portion of the vehicle and connected to an inside edge of the first outside lever. A switching lever capable of releasing engagement with the striker in the meshing portion by swinging in the release direction, and pivotally supported by the vehicle outer support portion so as to be swingable about an axis substantially orthogonal to the outer panel, And a second outside lever coupled to an outside handle provided on the outer panel via an operating force transmission member and swingable in a releasing direction based on an operation of the outside handle. As the side lever swings in the release direction, the first outside lever swings in the release direction by the second outside lever coming into contact with the vehicle outer end of the first outside lever. Like that. With this configuration, even if the outside handle is laid out in the front-rear direction with respect to the mounting position of the door latch device, the connecting portion of the second outside lever connected to the operating force transmission member is Since it can move along the transmission direction, it is possible to eliminate the twisting of the operation force transmission member as in the prior art, and the operation force of the outside handle is transferred to the second outside lever via the operation force transmission member. It can be transmitted reliably. Thereby, based on rotation of the 2nd outside lever, a 1st outside lever and a change lever can be operated, and smooth door opening operation can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle door latch device according to the present invention, the operation portion further includes a housing that covers a part of the meshing portion, and the vehicle inner side support portion, the intermediate support portion, and the vehicle outer side support portion include the housing. Are integrally formed. With this configuration, the switching lever and the first and second outside levers can be arranged together in the housing.

  Furthermore, in the vehicle door latch device according to the present invention, the second outside lever moves in the release direction between the rotation center portion of the second outside lever and the connecting portion to which the operation force transmission member is connected. A contacted portion is formed that can contact the vehicle outer end portion of the first outside lever when swinging. With this configuration, the swing in the release direction of the second outside lever can be reliably transmitted to the first outside lever.

  The vehicle door latch device of the present invention can reliably transmit the operating force of the outside handle to the second outside lever via the operating force transmission member without being affected by the layout of the outside handle. Thereby, a 1st outside lever and a switching lever can be operated smoothly.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a side view of a rear door in a vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the door latch device. In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 and the lower right side in FIG. 3 are “front”, the left side in FIG. 1 and the upper left side in FIG. 3 are “rear”, the left side in FIG. 3 is defined as “vehicle inside”, and the right side in FIG. 2 and the diagonally left lower side in FIG. 3 are defined as “vehicle outside”.

  The door latch device 1 is attached to the rear end inside a rear door (hereinafter referred to as a door) D composed of an outer panel D1 and an inner panel D2 of the vehicle, and a meshing portion 2 for restraining the door D to a closed state, And an operation unit 3 for operating the meshing unit 2.

  The meshing part 2 closes the rear part of the body 4 and a body 4 made of a synthetic resin fixed to a rear end surface of the inner panel D2 of the door D facing the inside / outside direction (vehicle width direction) of the door D by a plurality of bolts (not shown). A striker S that is pivotally attached to the body 4 by a pivot 51 that faces in the front-rear direction, and a metal reinforcement plate 42 that is fixed to the front portion of the body 4. And a ratchet 6 that is pivotally attached to the body 4 by a pivot 61 that faces in the front-rear direction and that can be engaged with and disengaged from the latch 5.

  When the door D is closed, as shown in FIG. 2, the striker S enters the striker entry grooves 4 a and 41 a provided in the body 4 and the cover plate 41 and engages with the latch 5, and the ratchet 6 enters the latch 5. On the other hand, the door D is constrained in the closed state by engaging with its opening direction (clockwise in FIG. 2) so as to prevent rotation. Further, when the outside handle H provided on the outer panel D1 or the inside handle (not shown) provided on the inner panel D2 is operated, the ratchet 6 rotates in the release direction (clockwise in FIG. 2) to latch 5 By disengaging from the latch, the engagement between the latch 5 and the striker S is released, and the door D can be opened.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the door latch device 1 as seen from an obliquely front side of the vehicle exterior showing the internal structure of the operation unit 3, FIG. 6 is a front view of the operation unit 3 viewed from the vehicle interior side, and FIG. FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are perspective views of the main parts of the operation unit 3.

  The operation unit 3 is attached in the housing 7, a synthetic resin housing 7 that is attached so as to cover the front portion of the body 4, a synthetic resin cover 71 that closes a side surface of the housing 7 facing the vehicle inside, It is configured to include a portable remote operation switch, a motor 8 that can be rotated forward and backward by an operation switch such as a switch (not shown) provided on the door D, and various components attached to the housing 7.

  The various components include a worm wheel 9 that meshes with a worm 81 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 8, a sector gear 10 that follows the worm wheel 9, and first and second switching levers 11 that follow the rotation of the sector gear 10. 12, a lock lever 13 connected to a lock knob (not shown) for locking / unlocking operation provided on the inner side of the door D via an operation force transmission member 30 such as a Bowden cable, A connecting lever 14 that moves, a first inside lever 15 that is connected to an inside handle via an operating force transmission member 31 such as a Bowden cable, and a second inside lever 16 that is pivotally supported coaxially with the first inside lever 15. And a child lock operation lever 17 that can be operated using the keys, and a child lock operation lever 17 to follow the first lock. A switching link 18 capable of intermittently connecting the side lever 15 and the second inside lever 16, a first outside lever 20 connected to the first and second switching levers 11 and 12, and a metal rod attached to the outside handle H And a second outside lever 19 connected through an operation force transmission member 32 such as a second operation lever. In FIG. 6, the cover 71 is omitted to clearly show the components in the housing 7.

  The housing 7 is substantially L-shaped in a plan view, and a meshing cover portion 72 that covers the front portion of the body 4 in the meshing portion 2 and the inner side of the door D that is close to and parallel to the inner panel D2 of the door D. The support part 73 is formed integrally. A vehicle outer side support portion 74 that is spaced apart from the vehicle inner side support portion 73 by a predetermined amount from the vehicle inner side support portion 73 and close to the outer panel D1 and parallel to the vehicle outer side portion of the meshing cover portion 72 in the housing 7 is formed. Yes. Further, an intermediate support portion 75 that is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle inner side support portion 73 and the vehicle outer side support portion 74 is formed below the meshing cover portion 72 in the housing 7.

  All of the above-described various components except for the first and second outside levers 19 and 20 are arranged on the inside support portion 73 of the housing 7. A side surface of the vehicle inner side support portion 73 facing the vehicle inner side is closed by a cover 71.

  The worm wheel 9 is pivotally supported by an upper portion in the housing 7 by a support shaft 21 facing inward and outward of the vehicle, and meshes with a worm 81 of the motor 8. A small gear 91 that meshes with the tooth portion 101 of the sector gear 10 is integrally provided on a side surface of the worm wheel 9 facing the vehicle interior. A neutral return spring 22 that biases the worm wheel 9 to a neutral position (see, for example, FIG. 6) is provided between the side surface of the worm wheel 9 facing the vehicle exterior and the vehicle interior support portion 73 of the housing 7.

  When the motor 8 is rotated forward or reverse, the worm wheel 9 moves from the neutral position to the unlocking direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6) or the locking direction (clockwise in FIG. 6) against the urging force of the neutral return spring 22. ), The sector gear 10 is moved to the unlocked position (see FIG. 6) or the locked position (see FIG. 7), and when the motor 8 stops, it is returned to the neutral position again by the neutral return spring 22.

  The sector gear 10 is pivotally supported in the housing 7 by a shaft portion 102 facing inward and outward of the vehicle. The oblique upper end portion of the sector gear 10 is provided with a projection 103 in which a long hole 111 provided in the first switching lever 11 is slidably engaged in the vertical direction. A connecting protrusion 104 is provided that is connected to a notch 141 provided at the end of the connecting protrusion 104.

  The sector gear 10 is supported in the housing 7 by rotating to an unlock position (see FIG. 6) and a lock position (see FIG. 7) based on an electric operation by driving the motor 8 or a manual operation by a lock knob. Elasticity is held at each position by a biasing force of a spring 23 described later.

  Note that the tooth portion 101 of the sector gear 10 and the small gear 91 of the worm wheel 9 are engaged with the tooth portion 101 only when the worm wheel 9 rotates in the unlocking direction (or the locking direction) from the neutral position. It is configured to be able to.

  The connecting lever 14 is pivotally supported in the housing 7 by a shaft 142 facing inward and outward of the vehicle, and the notch 141 at the upper end is connected to the connecting protrusion 104 of the sector gear 10, thereby 10 is rotated to the unlock position (see FIG. 6) and the lock position (see FIG. 7), and is elastically held at each position by the urging force of the spring 23 supported by the housing 7.

  The lock lever 13 is outside the housing 7 and is fixed to the shaft portion 142 of the connection lever 14 so as to swing integrally with the connection lever 14. The end of the operating force transmission member 30 is connected to the connecting portion 131 provided at the lower end of the lock lever 13.

  The first outside lever 20 is pivotally supported by an intermediate support portion 75 in the housing 7 by a support shaft 25 that faces in the front-rear direction, and a second outside lever 19 is disposed at an end portion that faces the outside of the vehicle in a release direction to be described later. Only when it is turned to the vehicle outside end 201, which can be contacted with a later-described contacted portion 191 provided on the second outside lever 19, is also provided at the end facing the vehicle inside, Only when the second inside lever 16 is rotated in the release direction to be described later, it is connected to the contact portion 202 and the first and second switching levers 11 and 12 with which the contacted portion 162 of the second inside lever 16 can contact. An inboard end portion 203 is provided.

  The second outside lever 19 is pivotally supported on the vehicle outer side support portion 74 of the housing 7 by a support shaft 24 that faces in the vehicle interior / exit direction, that is, in the direction substantially orthogonal to the outer panel D1, and is provided at the rotation end portion. When the connecting portion 192 is connected to the lower end portion of the operating force transmission member 32, it is released from the standby position (for example, see FIGS. 5 to 8) around the support shaft 24 based on the operation of the outside handle H. It rotates in the direction (arrow direction shown in FIGS. 5 and 8) and moves to the release position shown in FIG. Only when the second outside lever 19 swings in the release direction between the rotation center portion (the hole into which the support shaft 24 is inserted) and the connecting portion 192 in the second outside lever 19, the first out A contacted portion 191 that can be in contact with the vehicle outer side end portion 201 of the side lever 20 is provided.

  When the second outside lever 19 rotates in the release direction based on the operation of the outside handle H, the contacted portion 191 of the second outside lever 19 contacts the vehicle outer side end 201 of the first outside lever 20. By making contact, the first outside lever 20 resists the urging force of the spring 26 wound around the support shaft 25 from the standby position (see, for example, FIGS. 5 and 8) in the release direction (shown in FIGS. 5 and 8). Rotate in the direction of the arrow).

  The lower portion of the first switching lever 11 is connected to the vehicle inner side end portion 203 of the first outside lever 20 in the front-rear direction, that is, swingable along the vehicle inner side support portion 73, and in the vertical direction provided on the upper portion. The long hole 111 is slidably engaged with the protrusion 103 of the sector gear 10, and is moved to the unlock position (for example, see FIG. 6) and the lock position (for example, see FIG. 7) following the sector gear 10.

  The second switching lever 12 swings in the front-rear direction, that is, along the vehicle inner side support portion 73, at the vehicle inner end portion 203 of the first outside lever 20 so as to be able to rotate independently of the first switching lever 11. At the upper end portion, a release portion 121 that can be engaged with an engagement pin 62 provided at the rotation end portion of the ratchet 6 is provided.

  Between the 1st switching lever 11 and the 2nd switching lever 12, the spring 28 which provides the urging | biasing force to a clockwise direction with respect to the 2nd switching lever 12 in FIG. The second switching lever 12 normally contacts the first switching lever 11 in the clockwise direction and operates integrally with the first switching lever 11 within the range of the urging force of the spring 28.

  In the present embodiment, the first switching lever 11 and the second switching lever 12 are formed separately, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first switching lever 11 and the second switching lever are not limited thereto. 12 may be integrally formed.

  Based on the opening operation of the outside handle H (or the inside handle), when the second outside lever 19 rotates in the release direction from the standby position, the first outside lever 20 is moved from the standby position in the release direction. And the inner end 203 of the first outside lever 20 moves upward, and accordingly, the first and second switching levers 11 and 12 move upward along the inner support 73. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, when the sector gear 10 and the first and second switching levers 11 and 12 are in the unlock position, the release portion 121 of the second switching lever 12 is brought into engagement with the engaging pin 62 of the ratchet 6. The ratchet 6 is rotated in the release direction by engaging, and the engagement with the latch 5 is released. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when in the locked position, the release portion 121 of the second switching lever 12 swings with respect to the engagement pin 62 of the ratchet 6 to rotate the ratchet 6 in the release direction. It is not possible.

  The first and second inside levers 15 and 16 are pivotally supported by a support shaft 27 facing inward and outward of the vehicle inside support portion 73 in the housing 7. The first inside lever 15 has a connecting portion 153 provided at the lower end thereof connected to the inside handle via the operating force transmission member 31, and from the standby position (see, for example, FIGS. 6 and 7) based on the operation of the inside handle. It rotates a predetermined amount in the release direction (clockwise in FIGS. 6 and 7). The first inside lever 15 has a circular hole 151 centered on the support shaft 27 and a radial hole 152 extending radially from the end of the circular hole 151.

  The second inside lever 16 comes into contact with the contact portion 202 of the first outside lever 20 only when the second inside lever 16 rotates together with the first inside lever 15 in the release direction. Then, the first outside lever 20 is rotated in the release direction. The second inside lever 16 has a long hole 161 in the radial direction that overlaps with the holes 151 and 152 of the first inside lever 15.

  The child lock operating lever 17 is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 171 facing inward and outward in the vehicle inner side support portion 73 in the housing 7, and the end surface facing the vehicle inner side is in a state where the door D is opened. A key insertion hole 172 exposed from a small diameter opening (not shown) provided in the inner panel D2 through the cover 71 is provided. With the door opened, the child lock operation lever 17 is unlocked (for example, see FIG. 6) or locked (for example, FIG. 6) by inserting the key into the key insertion hole 172 and rotating it in a predetermined direction. , See FIGS.

  The switching link 18 has an engaging projection 181 provided at the lower end thereof slidably engaged with the holes 151, 152, 161 of the first and second inside levers 15 and 16, and an upper end at a child lock operation. By being pivotally attached to the rotating end portion of the lever 17, the unlocking position (for example, the figure) in which the engagement protrusion 181 is positioned in the radiation hole 152 of the first inside lever 15 following the child lock operation lever 17. 6) or the engaging protrusion 181 moves to a lock position (see, for example, FIGS. 7 and 8) located in the arc hole 151.

  When the child lock operation lever 17 and the switching link 18 are in the unlocked position, the rotation of the first inside lever 15 in the releasing direction based on the operation of the inside handle is transmitted to the second inside lever 16 and the first The outside lever 20 can be released. Further, when the child lock operation lever 17 and the switching link 18 are in the locked position, the rotation of the first inside lever 15 in the releasing direction is not transmitted to the second inside lever 16, and the first and second switching levers 11. The door D cannot be opened regardless of the position of 12.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation force transmission member 32 for transmitting the operation force of the outside handle H is disposed on the outer panel D1 on the vehicle outer side support portion 73 that is close to and parallel to the outer panel D1. Even when the outside handle H is displaced in the front-rear direction with respect to the mounting position of the door latch device 1 by being connected to the second outside lever 19 that can swing about the support shaft 24 that is substantially orthogonal to the operation shaft 24, the operation can be performed. Since the connecting portion 192 of the second outside lever 19 connected to the force transmission member 32 is movable along the operation force transmission direction of the operation force transmission member 32, the operation force transmission member 32 as in the conventional technique is used. And the operation force of the outside handle H can be reliably transmitted to the second outside lever 19 via the operation force transmission member 32. Kill. Thereby, based on rotation of the 2nd outside lever 19, the 1st outside lever 20 and the switching levers 11 and 12 can be operated, and smooth door opening operation can be obtained.

1 is a side view of a rear door in a vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the II-II line enlarged vertical sectional view in FIG. It is the external appearance perspective view of the door latch apparatus seen from the vehicle outer side diagonally forward. It is a disassembled perspective view of a door latch device. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view of the door latch apparatus seen from the vehicle outer side diagonal front which shows the internal structure of an operation part. It is a front view of the operation part seen from the vehicle inside. It is a front view of the principal part of an operation part when it exists in a locked state. It is the perspective view of the principal part seen from the vehicle inner side. It is the perspective view of the principal part seen from diagonally downward. It is the perspective view of the principal part seen from the vehicle outer side. It is the schematic of the outside handle and door latch apparatus for demonstrating the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door latch apparatus 2 Engagement part 3 Operation part 4 Body 4a Striker entrance groove 5 Latch 6 Ratchet 7 Housing 8 Motor 9 Worm wheel 10 Sector gear 11 1st switching lever 12 2nd switching lever 13 Lock lever 14 Connection lever 15 1st inside lever 16 Second inside lever 17 Child lock operation lever 18 Switching link 19 Second outside lever 20 First outside lever 21 Support shaft 22 Neutral return spring 23 Spring 24 Support shaft 25 Support shaft 26 Spring 27 Support shaft 28 Spring 30 Operating force Transmission member 31 Operation force transmission member 32 Operation force transmission member 41 Cover plate 41a Striker entry groove 42 Reinforcement plate 51 Axis 61 Axis 62 Engagement pin 71 Cover 72 Engagement cover part 73 Car interior support part 74 Car outer support part 75 Intermediate support part 81 Warm DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Small gear 101 Tooth part 102 Shaft part 103 Projection part 104 Connection protrusion part 111 Long hole 121 Release part 131 Connection part 141 Notch part 142 Shaft part 151 Arc hole 152 Radiation hole 153 Connection part 161 Long hole 162 Contacted part 171 Shaft 172 Key insertion hole 181 Engagement protrusion 191 Contacted part 192 Connection part 193 Rotation center part 201 Car outer end part 202 Contact part 203 Car inner end part D Rear door D1 Outer panel D2 Inner panel H Outside handle S striker

Claims (3)

In the vehicle door latch device, which is disposed in the door and includes a meshing part that can be engaged with and disengaged from the striker on the vehicle body side, and an operation part that can operate the meshing part.
The operation portion is close to and parallel to the inner panel of the door, and is spaced from the inner support portion to the outer side of the vehicle, and is close to the outer panel of the door and parallel to the outer side of the door. A support part, an intermediate support part substantially perpendicular to the vehicle inner support part and the vehicle outer support part, and swingable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the inside / outside direction of the door to the intermediate support part A first outside lever that is pivotally supported, and is disposed on the inside support portion of the vehicle and connected to an inside end of the first outside lever, and swings in a releasing direction of the first outside lever. And a switching lever capable of releasing engagement with the striker at the meshing portion, and pivotally supported by the vehicle outer side support portion so as to be swingable about an axis substantially orthogonal to the outer panel, and provided on the outer panel. Is connected via an operating force transmitting member to the out side handle, and a second outside lever rockable the release direction based on the operation of the outside handle,
As the second outside lever swings in the release direction, the second outside lever comes into contact with the vehicle outer end of the first outside lever, so that the first outside lever is in the release direction. A vehicle door latch device characterized by swinging to the right. The operation part further includes a housing that covers a part of the meshing part,
2. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle interior support portion, the intermediate support portion, and the vehicle exterior support portion are formed integrally with the housing.   When the second outside lever swings in the release direction between the rotation center portion of the second outside lever and the connecting portion to which the operating force transmission member is connected, the first outside lever The vehicular door latch device according to claim 1, wherein a contacted portion capable of contacting the vehicle outer end portion is formed.

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