JP4036316B2 - Connecting structure of outer handle and latch open lever of automobile door - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coupling structure between an outer handle of an automobile door and a latch open lever. In particular, the door lock is prevented from being inadvertently released when the door panel is deformed due to an impact from the side of the door due to a collision or the like. Therefore, the present invention relates to a coupling structure configured such that the door is not unintentionally opened.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As an outer handle of an automobile door, there are known a pull-up type that is supported so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction and a grip type that is supported so as to be pivotable in the horizontal direction.
[0003]
The grip type door handle is formed into a grippable rod shape, one end is pivotally supported by a handle escutcheon fixed to the door outer panel, and the other end is connected to a latch open lever of the door lock device as an action point side. .
[0004]
In general, in the grip type door handle, the outer handle and the latch open lever are coupled to each other at one end of a lever portion (not shown) integrally formed on the operating point side of the door handle 1 as shown in FIG. A handle lever 3 that is connected and pivoted in the opening direction (clockwise in the figure) around a shaft (= pin) 2 that is supported by a bearing portion 1 a formed in the handle escutcheon 9, and the handle lever 3 One end of the connecting rod 4 is pivotally supported (3a) so as to be rotatable. The other end of the connecting rod 4 is engaged with a latch open lever 6 that rotates with the shaft 5 as a fulcrum. The latch open lever 6 is engaged with a detent lever (not shown) of the door lock device 7 and is actuated by the connecting rod 4 when releasing the door lock, and acts on the detent lever to latch the door lock device ( (Not shown) is allowed to pivot to the door opening allowance position. That is, the latch provided in the door lock device 7 on the door side can be detached from the striker provided on the vehicle body side.
[0005]
A torsion coil spring (not shown) acts on the shaft 2, and this torsion coil spring biases the handle 1 toward the normal position.
[0006]
When the door handle 1 is pulled by pulling the door handle 1 in the direction of the imaginary line 1 ′ against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring to open the door, the handle lever arm 3 b connected to the door handle 1 is moved. As a result, the handle lever 3 rotates with the shaft 2 as a fulcrum in the door opening direction (clockwise in the figure). As the handle lever 3 rotates, the connecting rod 4 whose one end is pivotally supported by the other end of the handle lever is pushed down to a position 4 'indicated by the phantom line. Is moved to the position 6 'to bring the door lock device 7 into a state in which the door can be opened.
[0007]
A coupling structure between the outer handle of the automobile door and the latch open lever as described above is shown in, for example, Utility Model Registration No. 2554582.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the conventional coupling structure as described above, when the automobile collides with the side, the automobile door is deformed by the impact force F as shown in FIG. 6, and the door handle 1 and the door lock device 7 are brought close to each other. In some cases, the connecting rod 4 pushes down the latch open lever 6, and the door lock device 7 is allowed to open, so that the door may open unintentionally.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a coupling structure between an outer handle of a door and a latch open lever so that the door lock device does not inadvertently enter a door opening allowable state even if the door is deformed due to a collision or the like. Is.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1, which solves the above-mentioned problem, is connected to an outer handle of an automobile door and is rotatable with respect to a vehicle body with a shaft portion as a fulcrum, and an upper end of the handle lever is rotatable. And a connecting lever that extends along the door outer panel with a lower end engaged with a latch open lever of the door lock device, and the handle lever with the shaft portion as a fulcrum by opening the outer handle. An automobile door that pivots in an opening direction, and the connecting lever is pushed in accordance with the pivoting of the handle lever, and the latch of the door lock device is brought into a door opening permitted state by pivoting the latch open lever. In the coupling structure of the outer handle and the latch open lever, the door outer panel is disposed between the door outer panel and the connecting lever. Is pushed along with the shape, the coupling lever arranged bracing member exerts a force bending the, with protruding from the coupling lever to the door outer panel direction, the coupling lever by the strut member starts to bending deformation In this case, the connecting lever is provided with a locking portion that is hooked to a part of the door outer panel or a member fixed to the door outer panel and prevents the connecting lever from moving in the latch open lever operating direction. And
[0011]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the door outer panel is bent and deformed in the vehicle interior due to a side collision or the like, the tension member is pushed by the deformation to apply a force to bend the lever to the connecting lever, and the connection is made by the bending force. The lever or the handle lever that receives a bending moment from the connecting lever is broken, the connection between the connecting lever and the latch open lever is cut off, and the latch open lever is prevented from rotating in the latch opening direction. Therefore, the unexpected opening of the automobile door at the time of a collision is prevented.
Furthermore, even when the connecting lever is not broken, the latching portion is caught on the door outer panel in the middle of the bending of the connecting lever, and the operation of the latch open lever by the connecting lever can be avoided.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the connecting lever has a fragile portion that is easier to bend than the general portion with respect to the bending force.
[0013]
According to the invention of claim 2, the connecting lever is broken at the weakened portion, and the reliability of the action is increased.
[0014]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the engagement position between the connection lever and the latch open lever is offset from the position of the rotation shaft of the latch open lever toward the upper end side of the connection lever. It is characterized by.
[0015]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, such an offset can reliably avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the latch open lever is rotated in the latch operation direction when the connecting lever is bent.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the projecting member is a projecting portion projecting from the connecting lever toward the door outer panel, and the weakened portion is provided at a base portion of the projecting portion.
[0017]
According to the invention of claim 4, since the connecting lever can be formed as an integral member having the protruding portion, the number of parts can be reduced, and by providing a weak portion at the base portion of the protruding portion, Since the deformation of the door outer panel acts directly on the fragile portion from the protrusion, the fragile portion is effectively bent and broken.
[0020]
The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the door outer panel side tip of the projection of the connecting lever and the latch open lever side end of the connecting lever are connected by a bridging piece.
[0021]
According to the invention of claim 5 , when the connecting lever connected to the handle lever at the time of fitting is inserted into the inside of the door outer panel from the handle mounting hole provided in the door outer panel, the bridging piece is placed on the lower edge of the handle mounting hole. It can be used as a guide member to be slid and can easily perform the outfitting work.
[0022]
The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that the connecting lever is made of resin.
[0023]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the connecting lever can be easily manufactured by molding, and the certainty of bending breakage of the connecting lever can be increased.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of the coupling structure of the outer handle of the automobile door and the latch open lever according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0025]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an essential part of the coupling structure, in which an arrow “front” indicates a door front direction and “out” indicates a door outer direction. 2 is a schematic side view of the coupling structure before the door opening operation is seen from the rear side to the front side of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view similar to FIG. Yes.
[0026]
In the figure, 10 is a connecting lever, 11 is a handle lever (die casting lever), and 12 is a latch open lever. 2 and 3 further show a door outer handle 13 and a bearing portion 15c provided integrally with the door outer panel 15. FIG. As in the conventional coupling structure shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bearing portion 15c supports the shaft portion 11c of the handle lever. The handle lever 11 is provided with an arm 11b. The arm 11b is connected to the door outer handle 13, and is pulled outward when the door outer handle is opened. Therefore, when the door outer handle 13 is operated to open the door, the arm 11b is pulled, and the handle lever 11 rotates about the shaft portion 11c. For example, a torsion coil spring (not shown) acts on the shaft portion 11c so as to bias the door outer handle 13 and the handle lever 11 toward the normal position before the door outer handle is operated.
[0027]
The latch open lever 12 is attached to the door lock device 16 so as to rotate about the shaft 12a in order to operate the door lock device 16 similar to the conventional one described with reference to FIGS. . The latch open lever 12 has a roller 12b at an end on the side where the latch open lever 12 is engaged. The roller opens the end of the latch open lever 12 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a of the connection lever 10. The bent support 12c is attached to the tip of the support 12c so as to protrude laterally from the support 12c. In this case, the rotary shaft 11a and the roller 12b are arranged so that their axes are parallel. By providing the roller 12b on the support portion 12c formed as described above, the position of the roller is offset from the position of the rotating shaft 12a of the latch open lever 12 in the direction of the rotating shaft 11a of the connecting lever 10 ( (See S in FIG. 3).
[0028]
The connecting lever 10 is a flat member except for a part, and the upper end is pivotally supported by the handle lever 11 as described above, and the lower end is engaged with the latch open lever 12. The lower end is formed in a bifurcated shape, and a slit 10c having a width slightly larger than the diameter of the roller 12b is provided between the two leg portions 10a and 10b in the bifurcated portion. 12b is inserted.
[0029]
Between the connecting lever 10 and the door outer panel 15, when the door outer panel 15 is deformed by receiving an impact from the outside, it is pushed along with the deformation of the door outer panel 15, and the connecting lever 10 is connected to the connecting lever 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the tension member protrudes from the central portion of the connecting lever 10 toward the door outer panel 15 and reaches a position close to the door outer panel 15. It is configured as a protruding portion 10d. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the protruding portion 10 d is formed as a thicker portion than the other portions of the connecting lever 10, and this thickened portion extends to the inner side edge of the connecting lever 10. It is bent in the direction.
[0030]
Further, the connecting lever 10 is provided with a narrow fragile portion 10e on the side of the bifurcated portion at the base of the protruding portion 10d, and the protruding portion 10d is connected to the leg portion 10a as shown in FIG. Slightly leaning towards. Therefore, when the projection 10d receives an impact from the door outer panel 15 and is pushed inward, the projection 10d tends to turn toward the leg 10a. As a result, the bending force concentrates on the fragile portion 10e. Breaking at the part is promoted. This tendency is further intensified by the bending of the thick portion connected to the protrusion 10d toward the handle lever 11.
[0031]
When the connecting lever 10 is made of resin, for example, glass-filled nylon, in addition to a function sufficient for operating the latch open lever 12 inherent to the connecting lever, the above-described bending fracture can be effectively brought about. In addition, since it can be molded, it is easy to manufacture.
[0032]
The connecting lever 10 is further provided with a projecting portion 10f tapered toward the door outer panel 15 on the handle lever 11 side adjacent to the projecting portion 10d, and a hook-like engagement is provided at the tip of the projecting portion 10f. A stop 10g is formed. The locking portion 10g moves downward along with the bending deformation of the connecting lever 10 received in the event of a collision, but the movement locus thereof is upward of the plate edge portion 15a at the lower edge of the handle mounting hole 15b in the deformed door outer panel 15. Accordingly, the locking portion 10g engages with the plate edge portion 15a while the connecting lever 10 is bent, thereby preventing the connecting lever 10 from moving toward the roller 12b of the latch open lever 12. Instead of engaging the locking portion 10g with the plate edge portion 15a, the other portion of the door outer panel 15 or the portion fixed to the door outer panel 15 may be engaged.
[0033]
Between the protruding portion 10f and the protruding portion 10d, a bridging piece 10h that connects the vicinity of the hook-shaped locking portion 10g of the protruding portion 10f and the upper end of the protruding portion 10d is formed. The hook-shaped locking part 10g is reinforced.
[0034]
On the other hand, a bridging piece 10 i is also provided between the lower end of the protrusion 10 d and the tip of the leg 10 a, and this bridging piece 10 i is advantageously used when fitting the connecting lever 10. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the connecting lever 10 connected to the handle lever 11 is inserted into the door outer panel 15 from the handle mounting hole 15b of the door outer panel 15, the bridging piece 10i is placed on the plate edge 15a. By placing and sliding on it, the connecting lever 10 is guided in the desired direction and brought into position to engage the latch open lever 12. As a result, the outfitting work is facilitated.
[0035]
Next, the effect | action of the said coupling structure is demonstrated with reference to FIG.2 and FIG.3. When the door opening operation is performed, as shown in FIG. 2, when the door outer handle 13 is pulled in the direction of arrow P to the position (13 ') indicated by the two-dot chain line, the arm 11b is pulled accordingly, so the handle lever 11 is rotated around the shaft portion 11c, and as a result, the connecting lever 10 pivotally supported by the handle lever 11 is pushed down to the position 10 'of the two-dot chain line. The depressed connecting lever 10 pushes down the roller 12b in the slit 10c. As a result, the latch open lever 12 is rotated, and the door lock device 16 is allowed to open. When the door outer handle 13 is returned to the normal position by the action of the torsion coil spring after the door is opened, the handle lever 11 and the connecting lever 10 are also returned to the solid line position in FIG. 2, and the door is closed. The latch open lever 12 is returned to the solid line position in FIG.
[0036]
When the door receives an impact F from the side due to a side collision when the door is closed and the door outer panel 15 is deformed as shown in FIG. 3, the projection 10d is pushed by the door outer panel 15 according to the deformation, and the connecting lever 10 is weak. Bending starts at the portion 10e, and finally the fracture occurs at the fragile portion 10e as shown in FIG. When the connecting lever 10 receives the bending force from the protrusion 10d, the rotating shaft 11a and the roller 12b serve as fulcrums, and the protrusion 10d pushes the connecting lever from the opposite side at the center between the fulcrums. 10 is bent at the weakened portion 10e at the base of the protrusion, and at this time, the roller 12b is offset (S) toward the rotating shaft 11a of the connecting lever 10 with respect to the rotating shaft 12a of the latch open lever 12 as described above. Therefore, no force is exerted on the roller 12b in such a direction as to rotate the latch open lever 12.
[0037]
When the connecting lever 10 receives a bending force, the bending force acts as a bending moment on the handle lever 11, and as a result, the handle lever 11 is intended to break as shown in FIG. Can be reached.
[0038]
In the process in which the door outer panel 15 is deformed and the connecting lever 10 is bent, the plate edge portion 15a provided on the door outer panel 15 enters the front of the movement locus of the hook-shaped locking portion 10g, and the hook-shaped locking portion 10g At the point of engagement with the plate edge portion 15a, the movement of the connecting lever 10 in the direction of rotating the latch open lever 12 is blocked, and this also unintentionally brings the door lock device 16 into the door open permitting state. That is blocked.
[0039]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was illustrated, various modification thru | or change are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the case where the present invention is applied to a door on the side of an automobile has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a hatchback type back door. Further, in the above embodiment, the tension member is formed as a protrusion integrally formed with the connecting lever, but instead, it extends between the door outer panel and the connecting lever, and is a columnar body separated from the connecting lever. Alternatively, it may be composed of a rod-like or plate-like member.
[0040]
The coupling structure of the present invention can also be applied to an automobile door having a pull-up type outer handle.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the coupling structure of the outer handle of the automobile door and the latch open lever of the present invention, the door outer panel is deformed by receiving a large external impact between the door outer panel and the connecting lever. At this time, since the connecting lever is bent and broken along with the deformation of the door outer panel, the latch open lever is not operated in the opening direction, and the door can be prevented from being opened.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an essential part of an embodiment of a coupling structure of an outer handle of an automobile door and a latch open lever according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the coupling structure of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a state of the coupling structure when the automobile door receives a collision load from the side.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a mode in which parts of a coupling structure according to the present invention are mounted on an automobile door.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a conventional coupling structure.
6 is a view showing a normal state when the coupling structure of FIG. 5 receives a side impact. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 ... Connecting lever 10d ... Projection (stretching member)
10e ... weak part 10g ... hook-like locking part 11 ... handle lever 11a ... rotating shaft 11b ... shaft part 11c ... arm 12 ... latch open lever 12a ... rotating shaft 12b ... roller 13 ... door outer handle 14 ... shaft 15 ... door outer panel 15a ... Edge of plate 16 ... Door lock device

Claims (6)

A handle lever that is connected to the outer handle of an automobile door and is rotatable with respect to the vehicle body with the shaft portion as a fulcrum. The handle lever is pivotally supported with its upper end rotatably and its lower end is a latch open lever of the door lock device. And a connecting lever extending along the door outer panel, and the handle lever is rotated in the opening direction with the shaft portion as a fulcrum by opening the outer handle, and the handle lever is rotated. With the connection structure of the outer handle of the automobile door and the latch open lever, the connecting lever is pushed and the latch open lever is turned to bring the door lock device latch into a door open permitting state.
Between the door outer panel and the connecting lever, a tension member that is pushed along with the deformation of the door outer panel and exerts a force to bend the connecting lever is disposed .
When the connecting lever protrudes from the connecting lever toward the door outer panel and the connecting lever starts to bend and deform by the tension member, it is caught by a part of the door outer panel or a member fixed to the door outer panel, and the latch open lever A coupling structure for an outer handle of an automobile door and a latch open lever, wherein the coupling lever is provided with a locking portion for preventing the movement of the coupling lever in the operating direction .   2. The coupling structure of an outer handle of an automobile door and a latch open lever according to claim 1, wherein the connecting lever has a fragile portion that is easier to bend than the general portion with respect to the bending force. The engagement position between the connection lever and the latch open lever is offset from the position of the rotation shaft of the latch open lever toward the upper end side of the connection lever, and is positioned. Item 2. A structure for coupling an outer handle of an automobile door and a latch open lever according to Item 1. The protruding member is a protrusion protruding from the connecting lever toward the door outer panel;
3. The coupling structure for an outer handle and a latch open lever of an automobile door according to claim 2, wherein the weakened portion is provided at a base portion of the protruding portion.   5. The outer handle of an automobile door according to claim 4, wherein a door outer panel side tip of the projection of the connection lever and a latch open lever side end of the connection lever are connected by a bridging piece. Connection structure with latch open lever. Coupling structure that the outer handle and the latch opening lever of a motor vehicle door according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in said coupling lever is made of resin.

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