JP2019143343A - Vehicle door latch device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a generation of contact noise due to flapping of a Bowden cable inside a door in a vehicle door latch device.SOLUTION: A vehicle door latch device includes: a Bowden cable C whose flexible inner cable C2 is inserted into a flexible outer cable C1; an outside lever 9 connected to an outside handle OH provided on the outside of a door via the inner cable C2; a key lever 10 connected to a key cylinder K provided on the outside of the door via a key rod K1; a housing 3 having an insertion hole 3a into which the key rod K1 can be inserted in order to accommodate at least the key lever 10 and to connect the key rod K1 to the key lever 10; and a key rod guide member 12 fixed to the housing 3 and having a shape surrounding the insertion hole 3a in the housing 3. The key rod guide member 12 has a holding piece 12e capable of holding the outer cable C1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a door latch device for an automobile in which a Bowden cable having flexibility for transmitting an operation of an outside handle is connected.

  The door latch device is arranged in the door and enables the door to be opened by releasing the engagement with the striker on the vehicle body side based on the door opening operation of the outside handle provided on the outside of the door. As a means for transmitting the door opening operation of the outside handle to the door latch device, a Bowden cable having flexibility is adopted.

  As described in Patent Document 1, a Bowden cable has a flexible outer cable and a flexible inner cable inserted into the outer cable, and one end of the inner cable is outside. The other end is connected to the outside lever of the door latch device. As a result, when the outside handle is operated to open the door, the inner cable is pulled to transmit the door opening operation of the outside handle to the outside lever, and the outside lever is operated to Allows opening.

JP 2017-193911 A

  However, when the Bowden cable is curved and routed in the door as in the door latch device described in Patent Document 1, one end of the outer cable is on the outside handle side, and the other end is the door latch. Although fixed to the device side, the Bowden cable itself is flexible, so there is a risk that it will flutter in the door when the door is opened and closed or during travel, and contact noise will be generated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automobile door latch device that prevents the generation of contact noise due to flapping of a Bowden cable in a door.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the technical means in the present invention includes a Bowden cable in which a flexible inner cable is inserted into a flexible outer cable, and a door opening operation provided on the outside of the door. An outside lever connected to the outside handle of the door via the inner cable, a key lever connected to a key cylinder for locking / unlocking operation provided on the outside of the door via a key rod, and at least the key lever is accommodated In order to connect the key rod to the key lever, a housing having an insertion hole into which the key rod can be inserted, and a key rod fixed to the housing and having a shape surrounding the insertion hole in the housing A guide member is provided, and the key rod guide member can hold the outer cable. Characterized in that it has a holding piece.

  Preferably, the outer cable extends upward from the outside handle side, curves and extends downward so as to make a U-turn above the key rod guide member, and extends downward from an end extending downward. An end portion of the inner cable protruding toward is connected to the outside lever.

  Preferably, the holding piece has a tongue-like shape that is open on the vehicle interior side and elastically deformable in the front-rear direction.

  Preferably, the holding piece is provided at a position overlapping the front and rear with respect to the glass sash provided in the door.

  According to the present invention, the holding piece is provided on the key rod guide member fixed to the housing, and the outer cable of the Bowden cable is clamped by the holding piece, thereby suppressing the flapping of the Bowden cable when the door is opened and closed or while the vehicle is running. Generation of contact noise can be prevented.

It is a side view of the principal part of the door to which the door latch device for cars concerning the present invention is applied. It is a side view for demonstrating the door latch apparatus arrange | positioned in a door, abbreviate | omitting the outer panel of a door. It is a perspective view of a door latch device. It is the perspective view which decomposed | disassembled a part of door latch apparatus. It is a front view of a door latch device. It is a side view of a door latch device. It is the VII-VII line expanded sectional view in FIG. It is the VIII-VIII line expanded sectional view in FIG. It is a perspective view of a key rod guide member. It is a side view of a key rod guide member. It is the top view seen from arrow XI in FIG.

  1, the front end of the vehicle door D is supported so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to the vehicle body, and an outer panel D1 that forms an outer surface and an inner panel D2 that forms an inner surface (see FIG. 1). 5), the outer panel D1 is operated to lock and unlock the door D using an outside handle OH operated when the door D is opened and a user-owned key plate. A key cylinder K that is operated at the time is provided. In the door D, there are a door latch device 1, a glass sash G that extends in the vertical direction that guides the window glass W that can be moved up and down, and a Bowden cable C for transmitting the door opening operation of the outside handle OH to the door latch device 1. Be placed.

  As shown in FIG. 2-6, the door latch device 1 is a part of the inner panel D2, a box-shaped body 2 fixed to the inner surface of the rear panel D3 that forms the rear surface by bolts (not shown), And a synthetic resin housing 3 attached to the body 2 so as to cover the back side of the body 2 (the front side when the door latch device 1 is attached in the door D). The housing 3 is composed of a first housing 3A that is fixed to the back side of the body 2 and that has a surface facing the inside of the vehicle, and a second housing 3B that closes the opening of the first housing 3A. The upper side of the housing 3 covers a joint surface between the upper side of the first housing 3A and the upper side of the second housing 3B from above, so that a water proof cover made of synthetic resin for preventing rainwater from entering the housing 3 is provided. 4 is fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the body 2 is pivotally supported by a striker S that is pivotally supported by a latch shaft 5 in the front-rear direction and fixed to the vehicle body side, and a ratchet shaft 7 that is detachable from the front-rear direction. A ratchet 8 engageable with the latch 6 is accommodated. The ratchet shaft 7 is formed integrally with the ratchet 8. The ratchet 8 holds the door D in the closed state by engaging with the latch 6 engaged with the striker S when the door D is closed, and is provided inside the outside handle OH and the door D. The release operation (rotation in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5) is performed based on the opening operation of the inside handle IH (see FIG. 1), so that the door D can be opened by being released from the latch 6. On the back surface of the body 2, an outside lever 9 connected to the outside handle OH via a Bowden cable C is rotatably arranged.

  The Bowden cable C includes an outer cable C1 having flexibility and an inner cable C2 having flexibility that is inserted into the outer cable C1, and is housed in the door D. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the U-turn extends along the inner surface of the door D, extending upward from the outside handle OH side and higher than a key rod guide member 12 described later fixed to the housing 3 in the door latch device 1. The inner cable C <b> 2 is coupled to the outside lever 9 of the door latch device 1 by being curved and extending downward. In the outer periphery of the outer cable C2 that extends from the curved portion toward the door latch device 1, the outer cable C2 flutters while the door D is running and contacts the inner surface of the door D. A cylindrical cushioning material C3 for suppressing the generation of abnormal noise is fitted.

  The outer cable C1 has a cylindrical handle-side end cap C1a provided at one end fixed to a handle base OH1 (see FIG. 5) for movably supporting the outside handle OH, and a cylindrical shape provided at the other end. The latch-side end cap C1b is fixed to the cable holding portion 2a formed on the body 2. One end C2a of the inner cable C2 extending downward from the handle-side end cap C1a is connected to a handle lever OH2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) pivotally supported on the handle base OH1 of the outside handle OH by the shaft OH3. Connected from above. The other end C2b of the inner cable C2 extending downward from the latch side end cap C1b is connected to the outside lever 9 from above.

  The handle lever OH2 rotates by a predetermined angle in the direction of the arrow about the axis OH3 in FIG. 4 when the outside handle OH is opened, and pulls one end C2a of the inner cable C2 downward by the rotation. This pulls up the other end C2b.

  The outside lever 9 is pivotally supported on the back surface of the body 2 by a shaft 91 in the front-rear direction, and in addition to the inner cable C2 in the Bowden cable C at a portion protruding from the first housing 3A toward the outside of the vehicle. When the end portion C2b is connected, a door opening operation of the outside handle OH is input to perform a release operation (in FIG. 5, an operation of rotating a predetermined angle clockwise about the shaft 91). When the outside lever 9 is released, if the later-described locking / unlocking mechanism is unlocked, the ratchet 8 can be released to open the door D, and the locking / unlocking mechanism can be unlocked. The ratchet cannot be released and the door D cannot be opened.

  As shown in FIGS. 6-8, in the housing 3 (the space between the first housing 3A and the second housing 3B), the key lever 10 connected to the key cylinder K via the key rod K1, and the key lever 10 And a lock lever 11 that is part of the locking / unlocking mechanism. A circular insertion hole 3a through which the key rod K1 can be inserted from the outside of the vehicle is provided in the upper portion of the first housing 3A (the rotation center portion of the key lever 10). A synthetic resin key rod guide member 12 having a shape surrounding the periphery of the insertion hole 3a is attached to the insertion hole 3a.

  The key rod K1 is rotatable based on the locking / unlocking operation of the key cylinder K, and is connected to the key lever 10 by being inserted into the insertion hole 3a. The key lever 10 transmits the rotation of the key lever 10 to the lock lever 11 in conjunction with the rotation of the key rod K1. The lock lever 11 is switched to either the unlocked state or the locked state based on the rotation of the key lever 10. The door opening operation of the outside handle OH and the inside handle IH provided inside the door D is effective when the lock lever 11 is unlocked (the door D can be opened), and is in a locked state. In this case, it is invalid (the door D cannot be opened). The door opening operation of the inside handle IH is transmitted to the inside lever 15 arranged in the housing 3 of the door latch device 1 via another Bowden cable 14 routed in the door D.

  The outside handle OH is supported on the handle base OH1 so as to be able to swing outward about a vertical axis. A handle lever OH2 that is interlocked with the door opening operation of the outside handle OH is pivotally supported on the handle base OH1 by a longitudinal axis OH3 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. One end C2a of the inner cable C2 is connected to the rotating end of the handle lever OH2. Thereby, the door opening operation of the outside handle OH is transmitted to the outside lever 9 of the door latch device 1 via the handle lever OH2 and the inner cable C2.

  As shown in FIGS. 7-11, the key rod guide member 12 is engaged with the surrounding wall 12a surrounding the insertion hole 3a provided in the upper part of the first housing 3A, and the inner part of the insertion hole 3a. A claw portion 12b, a mounting piece 12d having a mounting hole 12c into which a bolt 13 for fixing the key rod guide member 12 to the first housing 3A is inserted, and a holding for sandwiching the outer cable C1 of the Bowden cable C And the claw portion 12b engages with the upper and rear portion of the insertion hole 3a, and the mounting piece 12d is fastened to the first housing 3A by the bolt 13 so that the surrounding wall 12a becomes the first housing. It is fixed to the first housing 3A so as to surround the periphery of the 3A insertion hole 3a.

  When the key rod guide member 12 is fixed to the first housing 3A, the surrounding wall 12a has a trumpet shape in which the opening width gradually increases from the vehicle inner side toward the vehicle outer side, and the key rod K1 is inserted into the insertion hole 3a. When performing the insertion operation, the key rod K1 has a function of guiding it to the insertion hole 3a. Further, the surrounding wall 12a surrounds the insertion hole 3a and a part of the key rod K1 inserted into the insertion hole 3a, thereby preventing the unauthorized tool from entering the insertion hole 3a and illegally operating the key lever. It also has a function to prevent 10 from being operated.

  The holding piece 12e is provided on the outer surface of the rear wall 124a among the upper wall 121a, the lower wall 122a, the front wall 123a, and the rear wall 124a of the surrounding wall 12a, and the tongue is open to the vehicle interior and elastically deformable in the front-rear direction. It is formed in a piece. Further, the holding piece 12e is provided at a position overlapping the glass sash G in the front-rear direction as can be understood from FIG. 7 when the mounting surface of the door latch device 1 shown in FIG.

  A part of the outer cable C1 of the Bowden cable C is sandwiched between the rear wall 124a of the surrounding wall 12a and the holding piece 12e in the key rod guide member 12. As a part of the outer cable C1 clamped by the holding piece 12e, it is preferable to use a part higher than the latch-side end cap C1b and lower than the U-turn part.

  As described above, the automotive door latch device according to the present embodiment has the following operational effects.

  A tongue-shaped holding piece 12e is provided on the key rod guide member 12 fixed to the housing 3, and a part of the outer cable C1 in the Bowden cable C is sandwiched by the holding piece 12e, whereby the outer cable C1 in the Bowden cable C is sandwiched. Fluttering is suppressed to prevent the generation of contact noise when the door D is opened and closed or during traveling.

  By forming the key rod guide member 12 separately from the housing 3, the housing 3 can be changed by changing only the key rod guide member 12 even between different vehicle types having different routing paths and lengths of the Bowden cable C. Can be shared.

  By making the holding piece 12e into an elastic tongue piece shape, the outer cable C1 in the Bowden cable C can be easily and reliably clamped to the key rod guide portion 12.

  The Bowden cable C extends upward from the outside handle OH side, is curved so as to be U-turned along the inner surface of the door D above the key rod guide member 12 in the door latch device 1, and is extended downward. Since one end and the other end of the outer cable C1 are directed downward by being connected to the device 1, rainwater that has entered the door D enters the outer cable C1 from one end and the other end of the outer cable C1. There is no. Thereby, rust generation | occurrence | production, freezing, etc. of the inner cable C2 in the outer cable C1 can be prevented.

  By providing the holding piece 12e at a position overlapping the front and rear with respect to the glass sash G when the mounting surface of the door latch device 1 is directly viewed, for example, an unauthorized tool can enter the door D from the gap between the window glass W and the door D. In order to make it difficult for the unauthorized tool to reach the holding piece 12e even if it is inserted into the cable, it is possible to prevent illegal acts such as removing the Bowden cable C from the holding piece and to have excellent antitheft performance. it can.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following various modifications and changes can be made to the present embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention.

(A) The positions of the insertion hole 3a of the housing 3 and the key rod guide member 12 are appropriately changed.

(B) The routing route of the Bowden cable C is other than the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door latch apparatus 2 Body 2a Cable holding part 3 Housing 3a Insertion hole 3A 1st housing 3B 2nd housing 4 Water proof cover 5 Latch shaft 6 Latch 7 Ratchet shaft 8 Ratchet 9 Outside lever 91 Shaft 10 Key lever 11 Lock lever 12 Key Rod guide member 12a Surrounding wall 121a Upper wall 122a Lower wall 123a Front wall 124a Rear wall 12b Claw portion 12c Mounting hole 12d Mounting piece 12e Holding piece 13 Bolt 14 Other Bowden cable 15 Inside lever C Bowden cable C1 Outer cable C1a Handle side end Cap C1b Latch side end cap C2 Inner cable C2a One end C2b Other end C3 Buffer material D Door D1 Outer panel D2 Inner panel G Glass sash IH Inside $ K key cylinder K1 key rod OH outside handle OH1 handle base OH2 handle lever OH3 axis S striker W window glass

Claims (4)

A Bowden cable in which a flexible inner cable is inserted into a flexible outer cable;
An outside lever connected to the outside handle for door opening operation provided on the outside of the door via the inner cable;
A key lever connected via a key rod to a key cylinder for locking and unlocking operation provided on the vehicle exterior side of the door;
A housing having an insertion hole into which the key rod can be inserted in order to accommodate at least the key lever and connect the key rod to the key lever;
A key rod guide member that is fixed to the housing and has a shape surrounding the insertion hole in the housing;
The key latch guide member has a holding piece capable of sandwiching the outer cable.   The outer cable extends upward from the outside handle side, curves and extends downward so as to make a U-turn above the key rod guide member, and extends downward from an end extending downward. 2. The door latch device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the projecting inner cable is connected to the outside lever.   3. The door latch device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the holding piece is formed in a tongue piece shape that is open on the vehicle interior side and elastically deformable in the front-rear direction.   The automobile door latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the holding piece is provided at a position overlapping the front and rear with respect to a glass sash provided in the door.

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