JP4024241B2 - Locking device for vehicle tailgate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a locking device for a tailgate of a vehicle.

In the lock device for the tailgate, a lock case is embedded and fixed in the front portion of the tailgate, and a pad-type handle is accommodated in the front concave portion of the lock case so as to be flush with the front surface of the lock case. When the pad-type handle is pulled out of the lock case and rotated around the horizontal pivot, the pad-type handle operating arm drives the interlock mechanism, and the pair of left and right lock members are detached from the receiving part on the vehicle body frame side. There is what has been made (see Patent Document 1).

However, in this pad-type handle drive type locking device, it is difficult to set the operation arm of the pad-type handle to be long due to the thickness of the tailgate, so that the drive that can be transmitted to the interlocking mechanism via the operation arm There is a certain limit to force. On the other hand, when the weight of the tailgate is heavy, the frictional resistance acting between the locking member and the metal receiving portion tends to increase, so that the tailgate to which the embedded locking device can be applied is relatively lightweight. It will be limited.

A locking device using a lever handle with a long arm has been proposed as one that can increase the driving force to the interlocking mechanism without being restricted by the thickness of the tailgate (see Patent Document 2).
This lever handle drive type locking device is attached to a tailgate of a vehicle, is fitted with a lock case having a circular recess in the front center and a central shaft hole of the circular recess, and rotates with respect to the lock case. The lock shaft is supported in such a manner that it can move in the front-rear direction and the movement of the lock shaft is converted into a linear motion. Left and right lock members that engage with and disengage from the receiving part on the body frame side of the vehicle, and are pivotally supported by a pivot shaft parallel to the tailgate at the front end portion of the lock shaft protruding into the circular recess. It consists of a lever handle that is urged by a spring member interposed between them to rotate in the lying down direction and undulates against the tailgate.

In the lock case, when the left and right lock members are in a locked position engaged with the metal receiving portion, a locking locking groove into which a base end rear surface portion of the lever handle is fitted is an inner peripheral edge of the circular recess. And when the left and right lock members are in the unlocked position separated from the receiving portion, the unlocking locking groove into which the rear end of the base end of the lever handle fits is formed in the circular recess. A peripheral edge is provided at a position away from the locking groove by a certain angle. By rotating the lever handle upright at an angle around the pivot shaft, the rear end portion of the base end of the lever handle escapes from the locking groove at the time of locking or the locking groove at the time of unlocking. Can rotate around the central shaft hole.

However, in this lever handle drive type locking device, the lever handle is first erected and tilted around the pivot axis at both the unlocking operation and the locking operation, and then the lever handle is Since it is necessary to rotate around the central shaft hole, the operation procedure is complicated as compared with the pad type handle driving type locking device that performs only a single operation of drawing and rotating the pad type handle.
Further, when the lever handle is rotated around the central shaft hole, the lever handle must be held in a tilted and upright posture. Therefore, the joint movement of the hand is rotated while pulling forward. This means that ergonomic movement is forced.

Japanese Patent No. 3143603 Design Registration No. 1044420

An object of the present invention is to provide a tailgate locking device that does not force an ergonomic movement of turning a lever handle while pulling it forward, and that can be easily unlocked and locked.

The main features of the present invention are a lock case that is attached to a tailgate of a vehicle and has a circular recess formed in a front center portion thereof, and is fitted and inserted into a central shaft hole of the circular recess, and is rotatable with respect to the lock case. A lock shaft that is supported so as not to move in a direction and a motion conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the lock shaft into a linear motion are interlocked to the rear end portion of the lock shaft. A pair of left and right lock members that engage with and disengage from the receiving part on the main body frame side, and are pivotally supported by a pivot parallel to the tailgate on the front end of the lock shaft protruding into the circular recess, and between the lock shaft It consists of a lever handle that is urged to rotate in the lying down direction by an intervening handle urging spring and undulates with respect to the tailgate, and is spaced at an angular interval from the inner peripheral edge of the circular recess of the lock case A locking groove for locking and a locking groove for unlocking are provided, and the lever handle is tilted upright and rotated around the pivot shaft to lock the rear end of the base end of the lever handle during locking. In a lock device for a tailgate of a vehicle, which is made to escape from the groove or the locking groove at the time of unlocking, and the lever handle can be rotated around the central shaft hole.
An inner peripheral edge portion of the circular recess between the locking groove and the unlocking locking groove is moved backward by one step toward the back side of the lock case to form a posture holding terrace. A groove hole is formed in the back surface of the base end in the front-rear direction, and a locking plate fitted and supported in the groove hole is slid backward by a locking plate biasing spring, and the lever handle is rotated upright obliquely. The locking plate is released from the locking groove for locking or the locking groove for unlocking, and then the lever handle is rotated around the central shaft hole in the unlocking or locking direction to maintain the posture. That is, the locking plate is placed on the terrace.

In the tailgate locking device according to the present invention, in order to shift from the locked state to the unlocked state, the lever plate is pulled in the hand and is tilted up and rotated around the pivot shaft to thereby lock the locking plate. After detaching from the locking groove, the lever handle is rotated around the central shaft hole by a slight angle in the unlocking direction, and the locking plate is placed on the posture holding terrace of the lock case, The lever handle may be rotated around the central shaft hole by a required angle while the locking plate is in sliding contact with the posture holding terrace.
In order to shift from the unlocked state to the locked state, the locking plate is detached from the locking groove at the time of unlocking by pulling the lever handle forward and tilting up and rotating around the pivot axis. Thereafter, the lever handle is rotated at a slight angle around the central shaft hole in the locking direction to place the locking plate on the posture holding terrace of the lock case, and then the locking plate is used for holding the posture. The lever handle may be rotated around the central shaft hole by a required angle while being in sliding contact with the terrace.

That is, in both the unlocking operation and the locking operation, the lever is mounted on the posture holding terrace provided between the unlocking locking groove and the locking locking groove. Since the pulling operation in front of the handle is finished, and then the lever handle is simply swung along the front of the tailgate, the movement of the joint of the operator's hand is simplified and the movement is ergonomically impossible. It is easy to perform unlocking operation and locking operation.

In the transition period from the unlocked state to the locked state and in the transition period from the locked state to the unlocked state, the locking plate has a certain length due to rotation of the lever handle by the handle biasing spring in the lying down direction. Only when the lever handle reaches the locked position or unlocked position, the locking plate is moved by the action of the locking plate biasing spring or the locking groove or unlocked when the lever handle is moved. Because it protrudes vigorously into the locking groove at the time of locking, the operator can accurately detect that the lever handle has rotated to the required angle due to the impulse sound and vibration tactile at this time, and turn the lever handle at a predetermined position. Can be stopped accurately.

In the transition period from the unlocked state to the locked state and the transition period from the locked state to the unlocked state as described above, when the locking plate is put on the posture holding terrace, the handle biasing The elastic force of the spring is converted into a force in a direction in which the locking plate is pushed into the groove hole, and until the force and the elastic force of the locking plate biasing spring cancel each other out to balance, the locking plate Is pushed into the slot, so that the lever handle is held in an upright posture at an angle that is smaller than the initial standing angle. When pushed in the lying down direction, the locking plate is pushed deeper into the slot until the tip of the locking plate protrudes to the front side of the lever handle. That is, the locking plate urging spring that leaves an elastic deformation margin acts as a buffer spring for the lever handle in the transition period, so that the lever handle and the lock case are distorted and deformed. No damage or damage.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lock case 2 embedded and attached to the tailgate 1 of the vehicle is
A circular recess 3 is formed in the front center portion, and an intermediate portion of the lock shaft 6 is fitted into a center shaft hole 5 formed through the bottom wall portion 4 of the circular recess 3 in the front-rear direction. A collar body 9 is fitted between the central shaft hole 5 and the lock shaft 6. The rotating disk 10 fitted to the lock shaft 6 so as not to rotate relative to the lock shaft 6 is fixed to the lock shaft 6 by bolts 11 through the through holes 8 of the back cover plate 7. The front end collar portion 12 of the collar body 9 is engaged with the step groove 13 of the bottom wall portion 4, and the front surface of the rotary disk 10 is in contact with the rear end of the collar body 9. Thus, the lock shaft 6 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the lock case 2 and not movable in the front-rear direction.

The motion conversion mechanism 16 that converts the rotational motion of the lock shaft 6 into the linear motion of the left and right lock members 14, 14 is connected at one end to the outer peripheral edge of the rotary disc 10 and the rotary disc 10 by a pivot pin portion 15. The link 17 includes a link 17 having the other end connected to the base end of the lock member 14 by a connecting pin 45 and a link guide member 18 fixed to the lock case 2. The connecting pin portion 45 is fitted into the guide groove 44 of the back cover plate 7.
When the lock case 2 is arranged at the center of the tailgate 1, the lengths of the left and right lock members 14, 14 are the same, but when the lock case 2 is deviated to the left and right sides, The lengths of the lock members 14, 14 are not shown, and the vehicle body frame and the metal receiving part provided on the body frame are not shown.

The front end portion 19 of the lock shaft 6 projects into the circular recess 3 of the lock case 2 and is fitted between the left and right proximal end side wall portions 21 and 21 of the lever handle 20. The base end side wall portion 21 of the lever handle 20 is disposed so as to face the front end collar portion 12 of the collar body 9, and the base end rear surface portion 22 on the upper side of the base end side wall portion 21 is provided with the lever handle 20. It is formed to be diagonally deleted so that it can stand up and rotate diagonally. The base end side wall 21 of the lever handle 20 is pivotally attached to the front end 19 of the lock shaft 6 by a pivot 23 parallel to the front panel of the tailgate 1. The handle urging spring 24 composed of a torsion coil spring is accommodated in the split groove portion 25 of the front end portion 19 of the lock shaft 6 by fitting the coil portion 24 a to the pivot shaft 23. One straight end 24 b of the spring 24 is in contact with the base front wall 26 of the lever handle 20, and the other straight end 24 c of the spring 24 is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the split groove 25. In order to take such an arrangement, the lever handle 20 is urged to rotate counterclockwise in FIG.

The lower base end portion 27 on the lower side of the lever handle 20 is reduced in thickness toward the front side in order to load the locking plate 28, and a pair of left and right slots 29, 29 are formed penetrating in the front-rear direction. . The locking plate 28 bent into a U-shape is fitted so that the left and right leg plate portions 30 are slidable in the left and right groove holes 29. Each leg plate portion 30 is formed with a slot 31 in its length direction, and a transverse pin 32 that is driven into and fixed to the rear end portion 27 of the lever handle 20 is inserted into each slot 31. The locking plate 28 is prevented from being pulled out from the slot 29 by the transverse pin 32. One end of the locking plate urging spring 33 constituted by a compression coil spring is housed in a spring receiving groove 34 formed in the proximal end back surface portion 27, and the other end abuts on the central connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28, The locking plate 28 is slidably biased toward the back surface of the lever handle 20.

Locking locking grooves 36 and unlocking locking grooves 37 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the circular recess 3 of the lock case 2 at an angular interval of 90 degrees. The inner peripheral edge of the circular recess 3 located between the locking groove 36 at the time of locking and the locking groove 37 at the time of unlocking recedes by one step toward the back side of the lock case 2. Is formed.
When the left and right lock members 14 are in a locked position where they are engaged with the respective metal receiving portions (not shown) on the main body frame side, they are projected and urged by the locking plate urging springs 33 as shown in FIG. The locking plate 28 is engaged with the locking groove 36 during locking. When the left and right lock members 14 are in the unlocked position separated from the receiving portion, the locking plate 28 that is projected and biased by the locking plate biasing spring 33 as shown in FIG. Engage with the stop groove 37.

In the unlocking operation, when the lever handle 20 is pulled forward and the lever handle 20 is tilted up and rotated around the pivot 23, the locking plate 28 is detached from the locking groove 36 at the time of locking, and the lock shaft for the lock case 2 is locked. 6 is released. When the lever handle 20 is slightly rotated in the unlocking direction around the central shaft hole 5 along the front panel of the tailgate 1 and then the lever handle 20 is stopped pulling, the lever handle 20 is moved to the handle biasing spring 24. Due to the action, the center connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 is placed on the posture holding terrace portion 38 because it rotates in the lying down direction. Since the handle biasing spring 24 is set stronger than the latching plate biasing spring 33, the latching plate 28 is in a state where the central connecting plate 35 is supported by the posture holding terrace 38 and the leg plate 30. Is pushed into the slot 29 for a certain length.

As shown in FIG. 11, in a state where the center connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 is pressed against the posture holding terrace portion 38, the lever handle 20 stands obliquely at an angle reduced from the initial standing angle. Is held in. When the lever handle 20 is further rotated by a required angle in the unlocking direction in this posture, the full width of the central connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 reaches a position facing the locking groove 37 during unlocking. At the moment of reaching this facing position, the locking plate 28 projects and slides toward the back surface of the lever handle 20 by the action of the locking plate biasing spring 33, and the leg plate portion of the locking plate 28 as shown in FIG. 30 and the center connecting plate part 35 engage with the locking groove 37 when unlocked.
Thus, when the lever handle 20 comes to the unlocking position, the lock shaft 6 connected to the lever handle 20 by the pivot 23 is also rotated to the unlocking position, and the motion conversion mechanism 16 is interlocked with the lock shaft 6. The left and right lock members 14 are also in the unlocked position.

In the locking operation, when the lever handle 20 is pulled forward and the lever handle 20 is tilted up and rotated around the pivot shaft 23, the locking plate 28 is detached from the locking groove 37 when unlocked, and the lock shaft for the lock case 2 is locked. 6 is released. When the lever handle 20 is slightly rotated in the locking direction around the central shaft hole 5 along the front panel of the tailgate 1 and then the lever handle 20 is pulled, the lever handle 20 is acted on by the handle biasing spring 24. Therefore, the central connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 is put on the terrace portion 38 for maintaining the posture.
The strength of the handle urging spring 24 and the locking plate urging spring 33 is such that when the central connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 is placed on the posture holding terrace portion 38, the leg plate portion 30 has the groove 29. It is set so that the distal end portion of the leg plate portion 30 does not protrude from the slot 29 to the front side of the lever handle 20 although it is pushed into the inside for a certain length. A certain amount of compression deformation margin remains in the plate urging spring 33.

In a state where the central connecting plate portion 35 of the locking plate 28 is pressed against the posture holding terrace portion 38,
The lever handle 20 is held in an upright posture at an angle reduced from the initial standing angle. When the lever handle 20 is further rotated by a required angle in the locking direction with this posture, the entire width of the central connecting plate 35 of the locking plate 28 reaches a position facing the locking groove 36 during locking. At the moment of reaching this facing position, the locking plate 28 protrudes and slides in the rear direction of the lever handle 20 by the action of the locking plate biasing spring 33, and the leg plate portion of the locking plate 28 as shown in FIG. 30 and the center connecting plate portion 35 engage with the locking groove 36 at the time of locking.
Thus, when the lever handle 20 comes to the locking position, the lock shaft 6 connected to the lever handle 20 by the pivot 23 is also rotated to the locking position, and is interlocked with the lock shaft 6 by the motion conversion mechanism 16. The left and right lock members 14 are also in the locked position.

A lock unit 39 is attached to the lock case 2, and a stopper plate 41 that is engaged with and disengaged from a receiving portion 43 formed on the rotary disk 10 is connected to a rotating inner cylinder 40 of the lock unit 39. By rotating the rotating inner cylinder 40 with the key 42 and engaging the stopper plate 41 with the receiving portion 43, the lock shaft 6 can be locked in the locking position in earnest.
In the transition period from the unlocked state to the locked state or in each transition period from the locked state to the unlocked state, when the lever handle 20 is rotated around the pivot 23 by some cause force, the lever handle 20 The lever handle 20 moves to a position substantially parallel to the front portion of the lock case 2 while receiving the buffering action of the locking plate biasing spring 33 within the range of the compression deformation allowance.

It is a front view of the locking device for tailgates concerning one example of the present invention. It is a rear view of the locking device for tailgates of FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a left view explaining the movement of the lever handle in the locking device for tailgates of FIG. It is a rear view of the base end part of the lever handle of FIG. It is a front view of the lock case in the locking device for tailgates of FIG. 1, and the lock shaft is in a locked state. It is a front view of the lock case in the locking device for tailgates of FIG. 1, and the lock shaft is in a transition state. It is a front view of the lock case in the locking device for tailgates of FIG. 1, and the lock shaft is in an unlocked state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tailgate 2 Lock case 3 Circular recessed part 4 Bottom wall part 5 of circular recessed part 5 Center shaft hole 6 Lock shaft 7 Back cover plate 8 Through-hole 9 Collar body 10 Rotating disk 11 Bolt 12 Front end collar part 13 Collar body part Step groove 14 Lock member 15 Pivot pin 16 Motion conversion mechanism 17 Link 18 Link guide member 19 Front end portion 20 of the lock shaft Lever handle 21 Base end side wall portion 22 of the lever handle Base end rear surface portion 23 on the upper side of the lever handle Pivot 24 Handle biasing spring 25 Lock shaft split groove 26 Lever handle proximal end front wall 27 Lever handle lower end proximal end 28 Locking plate 29 Groove hole 30 Locking plate leg plate 31 Leg plate Slot 32 Crossing pin 33 Locking plate biasing spring 34 Spring receiving groove 35 Locking plate central connecting plate portion 36 Locking locking groove 37 Unlocking locking groove 38 Posture holding terrace 39 Lock unit 40 Rotating inner cylinder 41 Retaining plate 42 Key 43 Receiving portion 44 Guide groove 45 Connecting pin portion

Claims (1)

A lock case that is attached to the tailgate of a vehicle and has a circular recess formed in the center of the front surface, and is fitted into a central shaft hole of the circular recess, and is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the lock case and not movable in the front-rear direction. The lock shaft and the rear end portion of the lock shaft via a motion conversion mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the lock shaft into a linear motion are interlocked and installed in the left and right direction, and a receiving portion on the body frame side of the vehicle Left and right lock members, and a handle biasing spring pivotally supported by a pivot shaft parallel to the tailgate at the front end portion of the lock shaft protruding into the circular recess, and interposed between the lock shaft and the lock shaft It consists of a lever handle with a long arm that is urged to rotate in the direction of lying down and undulates with respect to the tailgate, and is locked when locked at a certain angular interval on the inner peripheral edge of the circular recess of the lock case And a locking groove at the time of unlocking, and by rotating the lever handle upright at an angle around the pivot shaft, the rear end portion of the base end of the lever handle is engaged with the locking groove at the time of locking or the unlocking time. In the tailgate locking device that is allowed to escape from the stop groove so that the lever handle can rotate around the central shaft hole,
An inner peripheral edge portion of the circular recess between the locking groove and the unlocking locking groove is moved backward by one step toward the back side of the lock case to form a posture holding terrace. A groove hole is formed in the back surface of the base end in the front-rear direction, and a locking plate fitted and supported in the groove hole is slid backward by a locking plate biasing spring, and the lever handle is rotated upright obliquely. The locking plate is released from the locking groove for locking or the locking groove for unlocking, and then the lever handle is rotated around the central shaft hole in the unlocking or locking direction to maintain the posture. A locking device for a tailgate, wherein the locking plate is placed on a terrace.

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