JP2009243101A - Outer handle structure of door of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easily mountable outer handle structure of a door of a vehicle, which can surely regulate the opening of the door by an inertial force. <P>SOLUTION: This outer handle structure 1 of the door of the vehicle includes a handle base member 4, an outer handle 2, and a linkage mechanism 8 which transfers the swing motion of the outer handle 2 to a door latch mechanism 6. The outer handle structure is also equipped with an inertial stopper member 54 which is actuated in the action of the inertial force at the collision of the vehicle, so as to regulate the movement of the linkage mechanism 8 in a door opening direction. The linkage mechanism 8 is provided with a connecting rod 34 for connecting an inertial mass member 40 and a door latch mechanism 6 together, and a connecting clip 90 for turnably connecting an end 35 of the connecting rod 34 to the inertial mass member 40. An engaging portion 56 capable of engaging with the inertial stopper member 54 is integrally formed on the connecting clip 90. Constitutionally, the inertial stopper member 54 can be engaged with the engaging portion 56 when moving onto the movement locus of the engaging portion 56 by the action of the inertial force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a door outer handle structure for a vehicle, and more particularly, a handle base member fixed to a door, an outer handle swingably provided on the handle base member, and a door latch mechanism that swings the outer handle. And a door outer handle structure for a vehicle including a linkage mechanism.

  In a door outer handle structure of a vehicle, a door that uses inertial force at the time of collision in order to prevent the inertial force from acting on the door handle parts at the time of vehicle collision and the like, and opening the door when it is not intended. One having an opening prevention mechanism is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional door outer handle structure described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the door outer handle structure 200 of Patent Document 1 includes a handle arm 204 that can rotate around a hinge 202, and a locking member 206 built in a housing 205. The locking member 206 is swingably supported by the pin 208 and has a groove 210 through which the end 207 of the handle arm 204 can pass. When the vehicle collides, the locking member 206 swings around the pin 208 by inertial force. At this time, since the position of the groove 210 deviates from the locus of the end 207 of the handle arm 204, the end 207 of the handle arm 204 cannot pass through the groove 210 and abuts against the shoulder 212 of the locking member 206. And stop. This prevents further movement of the handle arm 204 and prevents the door from being opened.

Special table 2003-503612 gazette

  In the door opening prevention mechanism having such a structure, in order to reliably operate the mechanism in the event of a vehicle collision, it is necessary to position the end 207 of the handle arm 204 and the locking member 206 with high precision, Becomes complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door outer handle structure that can be easily attached and that can reliably restrict the opening of a door due to an inertial force.

  In order to achieve the above object, a door outer handle structure for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a handle base member fixed to a door, an outer handle provided swingably on the handle base member, and a swing of the outer handle. A door outer handle structure for a vehicle having a linkage mechanism that transmits a dynamic motion to a door latch mechanism, and operates when an inertial force at the time of a vehicle collision is applied to restrict movement of the linkage mechanism in a door opening direction. An inertia stopper member, and the linkage mechanism includes an inertia mass member that generates an inertia force that opposes the inertia force of the outer handle at the time of a collision, a connection rod that connects the inertia mass member and the door latch mechanism, and an end portion of the connection rod And a coupling clip for pivotally coupling the inertia mass member to the inertia mass member. The coupling clip is integrally formed with an engagement portion that can be engaged with the inertia stopper member. Is, inertia stopper member, when moved on a moving path of the engaging portion by the action of the inertial force, engagable configured with the engaging portion, it is characterized in that.

In the present invention configured as described above, when an inertial force is applied to the inertia stopper member at the time of a vehicle collision, the inertia stopper member moves on the movement locus of the engaging portion formed integrally with the coupling clip. When the connecting rod of the linkage mechanism tries to move in the direction to open the door due to inertial force, the engagement portion engages with the inertia stopper member, thereby restricting movement of the linkage mechanism including the connecting rod in the door opening direction. Is done. This prevents the door from being opened.
In the present invention, since the engaging portion is integrally formed with the connecting clip that connects the inertia mass member and the connecting rod, the engaging portion can be accurately positioned with respect to the connecting rod. Therefore, since the inertia stopper member can be reliably engaged with the engaging portion, the movement of the connecting rod in the opening direction of the connecting rod can be reliably prevented at the time of a vehicle collision. In addition, since the engaging portion is integrally formed by using the coupling clip originally provided to couple the inertia mass member and the connecting rod, the cost of the door outer handle structure can be reduced. Furthermore, since the engaging portion is integrally formed with the coupling clip, the engaging portion can be attached at the same time as the coupling clip is attached to connect the connecting rod to the inertia mass member. Therefore, the attaching operation of the engaging portion can be easily performed.

  In the present invention, preferably, the coupling clip has a load transmitting portion for transmitting a load acting on the engaging portion by engagement of the inertia stopper member to the connecting rod.

  In the present invention configured as described above, since the coupling clip has the load transmitting portion, the load acting on the engaging portion can be transmitted to the connecting rod when the inertia stopper member is engaged with the engaging portion. . Therefore, the deformation of the engaging portion when the inertia stopper member is engaged with the engaging portion can be suppressed, and the movement of the connecting rod can be reliably restricted by the engagement of the inertia stopper member.

  In the present invention, preferably, the engaging portion protrudes from the connecting rod along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle.

  In the present invention configured as described above, since the engaging portion protrudes from the connecting rod along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle, it is possible to suppress an increase in the dimension of the door outer handle structure in the vehicle width direction. The handle structure can be formed more compactly.

  In the present invention, preferably, the inertia mass member is arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction of the outer handle with respect to the connecting rod, and the inertia stopper member is arranged on the other side in the longitudinal direction.

  In the present invention configured as described above, the inertia mass member is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the outer handle with respect to the connection rod and the inertia stopper member is disposed on the other side with respect to the connection rod. Without effectively interfering with the inertia mass member, the space around the connecting rod can be effectively utilized and efficiently arranged.

  In the present invention, preferably, the connecting rod is made of metal, and the coupling clip is made of resin.

  In the present invention configured as described above, since the connecting rod is made of metal, the strength of the connecting rod can be ensured, so that the operation of the linkage mechanism can be reliably transmitted to the door latch mechanism. Further, since the coupling clip is made of resin, the engaging portion can be easily formed integrally and can be easily manufactured.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a door outer handle structure 1 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention from the outside. As shown in FIG. 1, the door outer handle structure 1 is attached to a door 300 on the rear side of the vehicle. The door outer handle structure 1 includes an outer handle 2 attached to the outside of the outer panel 302 of the door 300, a handle base member 4 that is disposed inside the outer panel 302 and holds the outer handle 2, and a door latch that can open the door 300. A mechanism 6 and a linkage mechanism 8 that transmits the operation of the outer handle 2 to the door latch mechanism 6 are provided.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the door outer handle structure 1 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention from the inside. In FIG. 2, illustration of the outer panel 302 is omitted for easy understanding of the door outer handle structure 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle door outer handle structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the outer handle 2 is disposed substantially horizontally so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the front end 10 passes through the outer panel 302. The handle base member 4 is swingably attached. A handle holding portion 14 that passes through the outer panel 302 and is fixed to the handle base member 4 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the outer handle 2, and an end portion 12 on the rear side of the outer handle 2 is provided on the handle holding portion 14. Is held movable. With such an attachment structure, the outer handle 2 can swing around an axis in the vehicle vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the end 10.

  An operating portion 18 for transmitting the swinging motion of the outer handle 2 to the linkage mechanism 8 is formed at the rear end portion 12 of the outer handle 2. The operating portion 18 extends from the inner surface of the outer handle 2 to the inner side of the vehicle through the outer panel 302 and the handle base member 4, and a distal end portion projects toward the front side of the vehicle. The distal end portion of the operating portion 18 is formed in a block shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle 2, and the surface facing the outer handle 2 is an engagement surface 20 that engages with the linkage mechanism 8.

  The handle base member 4 is disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the outer handle 2 along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The handle base member 4 has end portions 24 and 26 and an intermediate portion 28 connecting the end portions 24 and 26, and the end portions 24 and 26 are connected to the end portion 10 of the outer handle 2 and the handle holding portion. 14 is held. In the intermediate portion 28, a recess 30 that is recessed toward the outer handle 2 so as not to interfere with the linkage mechanism 8 is formed at a position close to the rear end portion 26.

The linkage mechanism 8 includes a lever arm 32 that rotates according to the swinging motion of the outer handle 2, and a connecting rod 34 that connects the lever arm 32 and the door latch mechanism 6.
As shown in FIG. 3, the lever arm 32 is attached to the handle base member 4 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 36. The lever arm 32 extends downward from the rotation shaft 36 and is disposed above the rotation shaft 36 and the operation lever portion 38 that engages with the operation portion 18 of the outer handle 2. An inertia mass member 40 that generates an inertia force that opposes the movement of the outer handle 2 and a spring member 42 (FIG. 2) for holding the lever arm 32 in a predetermined initial position are provided.

  The actuating lever portion 38 extends downward from the rotation shaft 36 toward the inside of the vehicle, and the tip 38 </ b> A can come into contact with the engaging surface 20 of the actuating portion 18 of the outer handle 2. In the initial position of the lever arm 32, the lever arm 32 is held at a position where the tip 38 </ b> A of the operating lever portion 38 abuts on the engagement surface 20 by the biasing force of the spring member 42.

  The inertia mass member 40 has a weight sufficient to prevent the operation lever portion 38 from rotating when the outer handle 2 moves outward with respect to the handle base member 4 due to inertia force at the time of a vehicle collision. . However, if the weight is excessively increased, the normal operation of the outer handle 2 becomes heavy. Therefore, the weight of the inertia mass member 40 and the arrangement with respect to the rotation shaft 36 are set in consideration of the operability of the outer handle 2. .

  The connecting rod 34 is a metal rod-like member arranged along the top and bottom of the vehicle, and is arranged in the recess 30 of the handle base member 4. An upper end portion 35 (FIG. 3) of the connecting rod 34 is bent in an L shape at a right angle and is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle 2. The end portion 35 is inserted into a cylindrical rod holding portion 44 provided on the lever arm 32 above the rotation shaft 36 and inside the vehicle, and is attached to the lever arm 32 so as to be rotatable. A lower end (not shown) of the connecting rod 34 is connected to the door latch mechanism 6.

The intermediate portion 28 of the handle base member 4 is provided with a door opening prevention mechanism 50 for preventing the door from opening due to an inertial force at the time of a vehicle collision.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the door opening prevention mechanism 50 of the vehicle door outer handle structure 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The door opening prevention mechanism 50 includes a bracket 52 attached to the handle base member 4, an inertia stopper member 54 that operates by an inertial force at the time of a vehicle collision, and prevents the connection mechanism 8 from moving in the door opening direction. And an engaging portion 56 attached to the rod 34.

  The bracket 52 is provided separately from the handle base member 4 and the outer handle 2, and is configured to be attachable to the handle base member 4 later. The bracket 52 includes a mounting surface 58 attached to the vehicle inner side surface 4A of the handle base member 4, rotation restriction flanges 60 and 62 that prevent the bracket 52 from rotating, and a stopper support portion 64 that supports the inertia stopper member 54. Prepare.

  The attachment surface 58 is a plate-like member that is disposed in the vertical direction along the vehicle inner surface 4A of the handle base member 4, and an attachment hole 66 for the handle base member 4 is formed substantially at the center. The attachment surface 58 is attached to the handle base member 4 by being fixed with bolts 68 and nuts 69 through the attachment holes 66. The upper portion of the attachment surface 58 is formed in a substantially inverted trapezoidal shape in which the dimension along the longitudinal direction of the handle base member 4 gradually increases so as to be continuous with the rotation restriction flange 60. Moreover, the lower part of the attachment surface 58 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The bracket 52 is provided closer to the connecting rod 34 on the vehicle front side than the recess 30 of the handle base member 4. Therefore, the bracket 52 is disposed on the opposite side of the lever arm 32 in the longitudinal direction of the handle base member 4 with the connecting rod 34 interposed therebetween.

  Here, the handle base member 4 is formed with an attachment hole (not shown) into which the bolt 68 is screwed at a position corresponding to the attachment hole 66. The mounting hole of the handle base member 4 is originally an mounting hole for mounting a cover member that covers a key cylinder of a vehicle door from above. That is, a key cylinder for locking the door is attached to the door of the vehicle, particularly the front side door, and in order to prevent the vehicle from being stolen, the key cylinder cannot be accessed from the gap of the window or the like. The upper part of the key cylinder may be covered with a cover member. For this reason, a mounting hole for the cover member is formed in advance in the handle base member. However, since the key cylinder is not provided in the rear door 300, this mounting hole remains unused. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the bracket 52 is attached to the handle base member 4 by using the attachment holes to screw the bolts 68 into the internal threads of the attachment holes.

The rotation restricting flanges 60 and 62 are formed above and below the attachment surface 58, respectively. The rotation restricting flanges 60 and 62 are disposed to face the upper surface 4B and the lower surface 4C of the handle base member 4, respectively. The rotation restricting flange 62 engaged with the lower surface 4C has a dimension larger than the dimension along the longitudinal direction of the handle base member 4 at the lower part of the mounting surface 58 so that the rotation of the bracket 52 can be more reliably prevented. have.
The stopper support part 64 protrudes from the lower part of the attachment surface 58 to the vehicle inner side, and is formed in a C-shaped section. A shaft 72 serving as a center of swinging of the inertia stopper member 54 is attached to the stopper support portion 64.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the inertia stopper member 54 and the engaging portion 56 of the door outer handle structure 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The inertia stopper member 54 has a base end 74 attached to the shaft 72 so as to be swingable, and a distal end 76 protrudes from the stopper support portion 64 and extends to the connecting rod 34 side. A contact portion 80 is formed at the base end 74 of the inertia stopper member 54 so as to be able to contact the protrusion 78 formed on the stopper support portion 64. The inertia stopper member 54 is urged by a spring (not shown) so that the tip 76 is directed toward the inside of the vehicle, and is positioned at an initial position where the contact portion 80 is in contact with the protruding portion 78. The biasing force of the spring is set to such an extent that the inertia stopper member 54 can swing to the outside of the vehicle by the inertia force generated at the time of a side collision of the vehicle. As shown by a dotted line 82 in FIG. 5, the inertia stopper member 54 is moved to a swing position in a state where the vehicle outer side surface 54 </ b> A of the inertia stopper member 54 is in contact with a locking portion 84 formed on the stopper support portion 64. It can swing.

  The inertia stopper member 54 is formed with a recess 86 that opens upwardly between the base end 74 and the tip 76. The recess 86 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the side on the vehicle outer side is longer than the side on the vehicle inner side as viewed in plan, that is, from the direction along the axis 72. The tip 76 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the side on the vehicle outer side is shorter than the side on the vehicle inner side in plan view.

The engaging portion 56 is integrally formed with a coupling clip 90 that couples the rod holding portion 44 of the lever arm 32 and the connecting rod 34.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a coupling portion between the rod holding portion 44 and the connecting rod 34 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the lever arm 32 including the rod holding portion 44 is not shown. A connecting clip 90 that prevents the end portion 35 of the connecting rod 34 from falling off the rod holding portion 44 is provided at the connecting portion between the rod holding portion 44 and the end portion 35 of the connecting rod 34.

  The coupling clip 90 is made of resin, and includes a base portion 92 disposed along the connecting rod 34 extending vertically, an insertion portion 94 extending vertically from the base portion 92 and inserted into the rod holding portion 44, and a base portion. 92 has a clip portion 96 formed on the opposite side of the insertion portion 94 and holding a portion extending up and down of the connecting rod 34, and an engagement portion 56 formed below the clip portion 96. The base portion 92, the insertion portion 94, the clip portion 96, and the engaging portion 56 are integrally formed by injection molding or the like.

The base portion 92 is disposed along the side surface of the connecting rod 34 that extends vertically on the lever arm 32 side, and an arcuate concave portion 98 that receives the side surface of the connecting rod 34 is formed on the surface facing the side surface of the connecting rod 34. Is formed in the direction.
The insertion portion 94 projects from the upper end of the base portion 92 toward the lever arm 32 and is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is inserted into the rod holding portion 44. Further, the end portion 35 of the connecting rod 34 is inserted into the insertion portion 94. An engagement portion 100 that engages with the inner surface of the rod holding portion 44 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 94. The engaging portion 100 prevents the insertion portion 94 from moving in the axial direction within the rod holding portion 44, but engages with the inner surface of the rod holding portion 44 so as to allow movement in the rotational direction. Therefore, the coupling clip 90 is rotatably attached to the rod holding portion 44.

  The clip portion 96 is formed on the side away from the lever arm 32 at the lower end of the base portion 92 and extends along the periphery of the connecting rod 34 so as to surround the side surface of the connecting rod 34. A tip clip 104 that engages with a locking portion 102 formed on the base portion 92 is formed at the tip of the clip portion 96. When the tip clip 104 is engaged with the locking portion 102, the portion extending in the vertical direction of the connecting rod 34 is surrounded and held by the clip portion 96 and the base portion 92.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the clip portion 96 is formed with an extension portion 106 that extends downward along the connecting rod 34 from the lower surface of the base portion 92. The base end 108 of the engaging portion 56 is connected to the lower end of the extension portion 106. The engaging portion 56 extends from the connecting rod 34 so as to protrude in the radial direction, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle 2. As shown in FIG. 5, a distal end clip 109 having the same structure as that provided in the clip portion 96 is formed at the proximal end 108 of the engaging portion 56, and the distal end clip engages with the locking portion 111. Thus, the base end 108 of the engaging portion 56 is attached around the connecting rod 34.

  On the upper surface of the engaging portion 56, a reinforcing member 110 having a right triangle shape for reinforcing the engaging portion 56 in the direction along the connecting rod 34 is formed. One side of the reinforcing member 110 in a triangular shape sandwiching a right angle is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 56. The other side is arranged along the connecting rod 34, and the upper end thereof is coupled to the clip portion 96. The reinforcing member 110 functions as a load transmitting portion that transmits the upward load received by the engaging portion 56 from the inertia stopper member 54 to the connecting rod 34 and the clip portion 96.

  The engaging portion 56 is positioned above the inertia stopper member 54 when the connecting rod 34 is not pushed down. When the connecting rod 34 is pushed down, the lower surface of the engaging portion 56 is positioned below the upper surface of the inertia stopper member 54. Further, at a position where the lower surface of the engaging portion 56 is at the height of the upper surface of the inertia stopper member 54, the tip end portion of the engaging portion 56 is at the swing position of the dotted line 82 as indicated by a dotted line 112 in FIG. The inertia stopper member 56 is disposed at a position overlapping the tip 76 of the inertia stopper member 56 in plan view.

The door outer handle structure 1 having such a structure operates as follows.
In a normal state, when the occupant pulls the end portion 12 of the outer handle 2 to swing the outer handle 2, the operating portion 18 moves to the outside of the vehicle, and the engagement surface 20 moves the operating lever portion 38 of the lever arm 32. Push outside the vehicle. The lever arm 32 rotates about the rotation shaft 36 against the urging force of the spring member 42 and the weight of the inertia mass member 40. As the lever arm 32 rotates, the rod holding portion 44 rotates around the rotation shaft 36 and pushes the connecting rod 34 downward to move it. Accordingly, in the linkage mechanism 8, both the lever arm 32 and the connecting rod 34 including the operating lever portion 38, the inertia mass member 40, and the rod holding portion 44 are movable portions that move by the swinging operation of the outer handle 2.

When the connecting rod 34 is moved downward, the engaging portion 56 is also moved downward. At this time, the inertia stopper member 54 is located at an initial position where the contact portion 80 is brought into contact with the protruding portion 78. ing. Accordingly, the engaging portion 56 moves downward without contacting the inertia stopper member 54. When the connecting rod 34 moves downward, the lower end of the connecting rod 34 unlocks the door latch mechanism 6 and opens the door 300.
When the occupant releases his hand from the outer handle 2, the outer handle 2 returns to the original position, and the operating portion 18 returns to the original position inside the vehicle. Then, the lever arm 32 is rotated by the biasing force of the spring member 42 to return to the original position.

  Next, when the vehicle collides, particularly when a side collision occurs, the entire vehicle moves greatly in the left-right direction. At this time, a large inertial force acts on the vehicle. That is, when the door 300 receives an impact inward from the outside of the vehicle, the outer handle 2 tends to remain in place due to the inertial force, and therefore moves relative to the door 300 toward the outside of the vehicle. Become. At this time, if the inertial force acting on the outer handle 2 is large, the actuating portion 18 of the outer handle 2 overcomes the biasing force of the spring member 42 and the weight of the inertial mass member 40 to push the actuating lever portion 38 outward of the vehicle. It may end up. Thereby, the lever arm 32 rotates and the connecting rod 34 tries to move downward.

On the other hand, the inertia stopper member 54 moves to the outside of the vehicle relative to the bracket 52 in order to stay in place due to the inertial force at the time of a side collision. That is, the inertia stopper member 54 swings outwardly of the vehicle about the shaft 72 against the biasing force of the spring, and swings in which the side surface 54A of the inertia stopper member 54 is in contact with the locking portion 84. Move to position.
In a state where the inertia stopper member 54 is moved to the swing position, the inertia stopper member 54 is positioned on the movement locus of the engaging portion 56. Therefore, when the engaging portion 56 moves downward as the connecting rod 34 moves downward, the lower surface of the engaging portion 56 comes into contact with the upper surface of the tip 76 of the inertia stopper member 54, and further engagement is performed. The downward movement of the portion 56 is prevented. Thereby, the downward movement of the connecting rod 34 is blocked, the door latch mechanism 6 is prevented from being unlocked, and the door 300 is prevented from being opened.

When the lower surface of the engaging portion 56 comes into contact with the upper surface of the inertia stopper member 54, the engaging portion 56 tends to move downward, so that an upward load is applied to the engaging portion 56. Since this load is transmitted to the connecting rod 34 and the clip part 96 by the reinforcing member 110, the deformation of the engaging part 56 is prevented.
After the side collision, the connecting rod 34 and the lever arm 32 return to their original positions, and the inertia stopper member 54 returns to the initial position where the abutting portion 80 abuts against the protruding portion 78 by the biasing force of the spring.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the following excellent effects can be obtained.
The inertia stopper member 54 of the door opening prevention mechanism 50 moves to the outside of the vehicle by the inertia force at the time of a side collision of the vehicle and is positioned on the movement locus of the engaging portion 56. Therefore, when the connecting rod 34 moves downward, the inertia The stopper member 54 engages with the engaging portion 56 and prevents the connecting rod 34 from moving. Thereby, the linkage mechanism 8 is operated by the inertial force at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, and the door 300 can be prevented from being opened.

  Here, since the engaging portion 56 is formed integrally with the coupling clip 90, it is easier to attach the engaging portion 56 than when the engaging portion separate from the connecting rod 34 is connected to the connecting rod 34. Can be done. Further, since the engaging portion 56 is formed integrally with the coupling clip 90, the engaging portion 56 can be positioned by coupling the coupling clip 90 to the connecting rod 34 and the rod holding portion 44. Therefore, the engaging portion 56 can be positioned with high accuracy with respect to the connecting rod 34, and the engagement with the inertia stopper member 54 can be more reliably performed.

  Since the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 56 is arranged so as to protrude from the connecting rod 34 along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle 2, the engaging portion 56 does not protrude in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, an increase in the dimension of the door outer handle structure 1 in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed, and the door outer handle structure 1 can be formed more compactly.

  Since the reinforcing member 110 is connected to the engaging portion 56 as a load transmitting portion, the upward force received when the engaging portion 56 contacts the inertia stopper member 54 is received by the reinforcing member 110, and the connecting rod 34 and the clip portion 96 are received. Can be communicated to. Therefore, the deformation of the engaging portion 56 can be prevented, and the door opening prevention mechanism 50 can be exhibited more reliably.

  Since the connecting rod 34 is made of metal, the connecting rod 34 has sufficient strength, and the rotation of the lever arm 32 can be reliably transmitted to the door latch mechanism 6. Further, since the coupling clip 90 including the engaging portion 56 is made of resin, the engaging portion 56 can be easily formed by injection molding or the like.

  Since the inertia stopper member 54 abuts on the engaging portion 56 to prevent the connecting rod 34 from moving, the inertia stopper member 54 can be disposed at a relatively large space in the door outer handle structure 1. That is, although the operating lever portion 38 and the inertia mass member 40 of the lever arm 32 of the linkage mechanism 8 are movable portions, the arrangement is close to each other, so the inertia stopper member 54 is disposed in the vicinity of these movable portions. Space is difficult to secure. On the other hand, since the linkage mechanism 8 is not disposed around the connecting rod 34, particularly on the vehicle front side of the connecting rod 34, there is a relatively large space. Therefore, by arranging the inertia stopper member 54 so as to prevent the movement of the connecting rod 34, the space of the door handle structure 1 can be used effectively.

  The inertia mass member 40 and the actuating lever portion 38 are arranged on the longitudinal direction one side (vehicle rear side) of the outer handle 2 with respect to the connecting rod 34, and the inertia stopper member 54 is arranged on the other side (vehicle front side). Therefore, the components of the door handle structure 1 can be distributed and arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction with the connecting rod 34 interposed therebetween. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently arrange the space around the connecting rod 34 without causing the inertia stopper member 54 to interfere with the inertia mass member 40 and the operating lever portion 38.

  The inertia stopper member 54 is provided on a bracket 52 that is separate from the handle base member 4, and the bracket 52 is attached to the handle base member 4 with bolts 68 and nuts 69, so that the door opening prevention mechanism 50 is connected to the existing door outer. It can be easily attached to the handle structure. Further, since the door opening prevention mechanism 50 can be additionally attached to the door outer handle structure 1, the door outer handle structure is designed separately for each of the vehicle types that need the door opening prevention mechanism 50 and unnecessary vehicles. This eliminates the need for a common door outer handle structure.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the load transmitting portion that transmits the load applied to the engaging portion to the connecting rod by the engagement of the inertia stopper member has sufficient strength. If it has, it does not necessarily need to be formed.
The engaging portion is not limited to be disposed so as to protrude from the connecting rod along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle. For example, if there is a space in the width direction of the vehicle, the engaging portion is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outer handle. It may be arranged along. In short, the engaging portion can be arranged in an arbitrary direction so that the engaging portion can be reliably engaged with the inertia stopper member.

The inertia mass member and the inertia stopper member are not limited to being arranged on the opposite sides of the outer handle in the longitudinal direction across the connecting rod, and may be arranged on the same side with respect to the connecting rod. That is, the arrangement of the components such as the inertia mass member, the inertia stopper member, and the engaging portion can be arbitrarily set in consideration of the space in the door outer handle structure, the shape and size of each component, and the like.
Moreover, the material of a connection rod, a connection clip, and other members can be set arbitrarily.

The outer handle is not limited to the one provided on the rear door, and may be provided on any vehicle door such as a front door.
The door outer handle structure is not limited to a side collision from the side of the vehicle, and can be operated against a collision in any direction in which an inertial force is applied in a direction in which the inertia stopper member is swung.
The outer handle is not limited to a structure that rotates about an axis in the vertical direction, and may be a pull-up type outer handle that rotates about an axis along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, for example.

It is the figure which showed the door outer handle | steering-wheel structure of the vehicle by one Embodiment of this invention from the outer side. 1 is a perspective view showing a door outer handle structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention from the inside. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle door outer handle structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which expanded the part of the door opening prevention mechanism of the door outer handle structure of the vehicle by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which fractured | ruptured a part which shows the inertia stopper member of the door outer handle structure by one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the coupling | bond part of the rod holding | maintenance part and connecting rod by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the conventional door outer handle structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door handle structure 2 Outer handle 4 Handle base member 6 Door latch mechanism 8 Coupling mechanism 32 Lever arm 34 Connecting rod 40 Inertial mass member 50 Door opening prevention mechanism 52 Bracket 54 Inertial stopper member 56 Engagement part 60, 62 Rotation restriction flange 90 Connection Clip 110 Reinforcing member

Claims (5)

A vehicle door outer comprising: a handle base member fixed to the door; an outer handle swingably provided on the handle base member; and a linkage mechanism that transmits a swing operation of the outer handle to a door latch mechanism. In the handle structure,
An inertia stopper member that operates when an inertial force at the time of a vehicle collision is applied and restricts movement of the linkage mechanism in the door opening direction;
The linkage mechanism includes an inertial mass member that generates an inertial force that opposes the inertial force of the outer handle at the time of a collision, a connection rod that connects the inertial mass member and the door latch mechanism, and an end portion of the connection rod. A coupling clip for pivotally coupling to the inertia mass member;
The coupling clip is integrally formed with an engagement portion that can be engaged with the inertia stopper member, and the inertia stopper member moves on the movement locus of the engagement portion by the action of inertia force. Configured to be engageable with the engaging portion,
A vehicle door outer handle structure characterized by the above. The coupling clip has a load transmitting portion for transmitting a load acting on the engaging portion by the engagement of the inertia stopper member to the connecting rod.
The door outer handle structure for a vehicle according to claim 1. The engaging portion protrudes from the connecting rod along the longitudinal direction of the outer handle.
The door outer handle structure for a vehicle according to claim 2. The inertia mass member is disposed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the outer handle with respect to the connecting rod, and the inertia stopper member is disposed on the other side in the longitudinal direction.
The door outer handle structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The connecting rod is made of metal, and the coupling clip is made of resin.
The door outer handle structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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