JP4272103B2 - Connecting structure of outside handle and door latch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coupling structure of an outside handle and a door latch.

  A door latch that is engaged with a striker provided on a vehicle body (for example, a center pillar) and maintains the door in a closed state is attached inside the door of the automobile in a state along the vertical direction. An outside handle for releasing the engagement state of the door latch is attached in a state along the front-rear direction at a position located above the door latch of the door outer panel. The outside handle has a structure in which a handle and a key cylinder are assembled to a base portion, and the base portion and the door latch are connected by a cable that transmits a handle operating force and a key rod that transmits a key operating force of the key cylinder. Since the cable transmits a handle operation force with a large stroke, the cable member may be a thin and flexible wire member, but the key rod needs to use a rigid rod member in order to reliably transmit a key operation force with a small stroke.

The base part of the outside handle and the door latch are separately attached to the door, and then the work of connecting both with a cable or key rod inside the door is very troublesome. The door latch and the door latch are integrally connected in advance by a bracket, and a cable and a key rod are connected to form a module. And all the attachment work is completed only by putting the module into the inside from the work opening formed in the door and fixing (for example, patent documents 1).
JP-A-5-346075

  However, in such a conventional technology, in order to form a module in which the base portion of the outside handle along the front-rear direction and the door latch along the vertical direction below are integrally coupled by a bracket, the module is Large T-type or L-type. Therefore, it becomes difficult to store and handle the module, and the work opening for inserting the module into the door must be enlarged, which may reduce the strength of the door.

  In view of this, it is conceivable that the outside handle and the door latch can be folded compactly once when they are inserted into the door. However, among the cables and key rods that connect the outside handle and the door latch, the cables can be bent freely so that they can be folded, but there is a problem in the case of a key rod formed by a rigid rod member. That is, when the module is folded, the key rod must be removed at one end, and when it is inserted into the door, it must be able to easily connect the removed part, which is foldable. This is a problem in the case of a structure, and an effective structure has not been proposed yet.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and can be folded into a compact form before being fixed to the door, and the outside handle and the door latch can be easily re-coupled to the key rod. A bond structure is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a base portion of an outside handle attached to the door in a state along the front-rear direction and a door latch attached in a state along the vertical direction inside the door below the base portion are integrated. A key cylinder attached to the base portion and a door latch connected to each other via a key rod extending in the vertical direction. Attach the bracket, attach the module bracket that extends to the base side to the door latch, and connect the sub bracket and the module bracket so that they can rotate freely. It can be folded to the storage state along the line and between the module bracket and the key rod. Characterized in that a posture holding means for holding the posture of the key rod to its initial engagement with the key cylinder.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the posture holding means includes a circular ring body attached to the rod and a guide body attached to the module bracket, and the ring body has at least the weight of the rod relative to the rod. The guide body is movable with a predetermined resistance that can be supported, and the guide body is a guide groove for inserting the key rod in the front-rear direction, and a guide that abuts the lower surface of the ring body to regulate the height of the key rod. And a pair of guide pieces for restricting the position of the key rod in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction by contacting the inner surface with the opposing arc portions of the ring body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the key cylinder has an operation lever that can swing from the neutral position to the ON position and the OFF position, and the tip of the operation lever is an initial engagement corresponding to the neutral position when the key cylinder is mounted. The guide piece is inserted and engaged with the upper end of the key rod held in the combined state, and the guide piece has a vertical dimension shorter than the stroke from the neutral position to the ON position and the OFF position at the tip of the operating lever, and The dimension between the upper end portions is set to be narrower than the outer diameter of the ring body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the sub bracket provided on the base portion and the module bracket provided on the door latch are rotatably coupled, the base portion can be folded with respect to the door latch, The door latch can be made compact. Therefore, it is only necessary to put it into the door in the folded state, return it to the use state inside the door, and fix it to the door. The working opening formed in the door can be small, and the strength of the door can be prevented from being lowered. Moreover, since it can be folded compactly, storage and handling before attaching to a door become easy. Further, in the folded state, the key rod is also held in the initial engagement state with the key cylinder by the posture holding means, so that when the key rod is returned to the use state, the key cylinder is simply inserted into the base portion. The position with the key rod matches, and recombination of both can be easily performed.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the height position of the key rod can be regulated by placing the ring body attached to the key rod on the guide surface of the guide body attached to the module, and the ring body can be regulated to the inner surface of the guide piece. The position of the key rod in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction can be regulated by contacting the key rod. Since the ring body can be moved along the key rod by applying a force greater than a predetermined resistance force, the ring body may be moved to a position that does not interfere with the key cylinder after recombination with the key cylinder.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the guide piece is shorter than the stroke of the operating lever and the dimension between the upper end portions thereof is narrower than the outer diameter of the ring body, the base portion and the door latch in use are attached to the door. After that, while repeatedly swinging the operating lever of the key cylinder, the ring body is automatically pushed and moved to an unobstructed position by engaging with the upper end surface of the guide piece. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the ring body to a position where it does not get in the way.

  Attached to the door in the front-rear direction for the purpose of providing a coupling structure between the outside handle and the door latch that can be folded into a compact form before being fixed to the door and that can be easily reconnected to the key rod. The base part of the outside handle and the door latch attached in the vertical direction inside the door below the base part are integrally coupled, and the key cylinder and door latch attached to the base part are vertically A coupling structure of an outside handle and a door latch connected via a key rod along a direction, wherein a sub bracket extending to the door latch side is attached to the base portion, and a module bracket extending to the base portion side is attached to the door latch, and the sub bracket And base bracket The door latch can be folded from the use state along the front-rear direction to the retracted state along the substantially vertical direction, and the posture of the key rod is maintained in the initial engagement state with the key cylinder between the module bracket and the key rod. Realized by providing means.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 shows an outside handle 1 and a door latch 2 attached to a front right door of an automobile. The outside handle 1 is attached to an outer panel of a door (not shown) in a state along the front-rear direction. The outside handle 1 includes a base portion 3 that is fixed to the door, a handle portion 4 that is assembled to the base portion 3 so as to be pulled out to the outside of the vehicle, and a key cylinder mounting portion 5 that is fixed to the rear end portion of the base portion 3. It is composed of A key cylinder 23 can be attached to the key cylinder attachment portion 5 from the outside of the vehicle, and the attached key cylinder 23 is fixed to the base portion 3. 2 and 3, the handle portion 4 and the key cylinder mounting portion 5 are not shown, and only the base portion 3 is illustrated.

  The door latch 2 is attached below the rear end portion of the base portion 3 in a state along the vertical direction. On the rear surface of the door latch 2, there is provided a lock portion 6 that engages with a striker (not shown) installed on the vehicle body (center pillar).

  The door latch 2 and the base portion 3 are connected by a cable 7 protected by an outer tube, and the operating force of the handle portion 4 is transmitted to the door latch 2 via the cable 7, and the lock portion 6 and a striker (not shown). The engagement with can be released.

  Further, the door latch 2 is provided with a key lever 9 having a lever portion 8 whose tip rotates in an arc, and the lower end 11 a of the key rod 11 is held at the tip of the lever portion 8 via a holder 10. The lower end 11a of the key rod 11 is bent at a right angle toward the vehicle interior side.

  The upper end 11 b of the key rod 11 is bent at a right angle toward the outside of the vehicle, and is inserted into and engaged with a connecting hole 29 of an operating lever 28 provided at the end of the key cylinder 23. In the middle of the key rod 11, a knurled portion 30 is formed in the circumferential direction in which circumferential grooves are continuously formed in the longitudinal direction. A resin ring body 31 is inserted into and engaged with the knurled portion 30. The ring body 31 is locked at a predetermined position in the knurled portion 30 by the engaging force between the inner edge portion 31 a and the circumferential groove of the knurled portion 30. The ring body 31 is movable along the key rod 11 by applying a force equal to or greater than the engagement force with the knurled portion 30 and is locked again at the stopped position. The ring body 31 is engaged with the lowermost end portion of the knurled portion 30 in order to position the key rod 11 in the vertical direction at the initial stage.

  A sub bracket 12 and a module bracket 13 are attached to the base portion 3 and the door latch 2, respectively. The sub bracket 12 has an arc-shaped lower end 12a, a recess 14 is formed at the center, and step portions 15 are formed on both sides. A welding nut 16 having a screw hole that penetrates the sub bracket 12 is provided at the center of the arc shape of the lower end portion 12a. A rectangular engagement hole 17 is formed in the upper end portion 12b of the sub bracket 12 along the front-rear direction. The sub bracket 12 is attached to the base portion 3 by engaging its engagement hole 17 with an engagement claw 18 formed on the lower surface of the rear end portion of the base portion 3, and the module bracket 13 is attached to the base bracket 3. It will be in the state which turned to the side. The engagement hole 17 is longer than the engagement claw 18, and the position of the sub bracket 12 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction with respect to the base portion 3.

  On the other hand, the module bracket 13 has a shape that is long in the vertical direction, and the lower end portion 13a has a U-shaped cross section and covers the lower end portion on the vehicle body side of the door latch 2 from the outside. An engagement hole 19 which is long in the vertical direction is formed in the lower end portion 13a, and an engagement claw 20 formed in the door latch 2 is engaged in the engagement hole 19, and the module bracket 13 is attached to the door latch 2. It becomes a state. In the mounted state, the module bracket 13 is in a state of being directed from the door latch 2 to the base portion 3 side. Also on the module bracket 13 side, the engaging hole 19 is longer than the engaging claw 20, and the position of the module bracket 13 can be adjusted in the vertical direction with respect to the door latch 2.

  A holding hole 21 through which the cable 7 is inserted is formed in the vicinity of the lower end portion 13 a of the module bracket 13. A long hole 22 for avoiding interference with the lower end 11 a of the key rod 11 is formed above the holding hole 21. Further, a shaft hole 24 is formed in the upper end portion 13 b of the module bracket 13, and two pins 25 and 26 having elastic rollers are provided on an arc locus centering on the shaft hole 24. One pin 25 is formed directly under the shaft hole 24, and the other pin 26 is formed right next to the shaft hole 24.

  By aligning the shaft hole 24 of the module bracket 13 with the weld nut 16 of the sub bracket 12 and screwing the bolt 27 inserted from the shaft hole 24 side to the weld nut 16, the sub bracket 12 and the module bracket 13 are rotated. Can be combined freely. When the bolt 27 is tightened weakly, it can be rotated, and when it is strongly tightened, it cannot be rotated.

  A guide body 32 for holding the posture of the key rod 11 in the initial engagement state with the key cylinder 23 is attached above the long hole 22 in the module bracket 13. The guide body 32 and the ring body 31 form the “posture holding means” of this embodiment. The guide body 32 is formed with a guide groove 33 into which the key rod 11 can be inserted from the rear side. The key rod 11 can move slightly along the front-rear direction inside the guide groove 33. A flat guide surface 34 is formed on the upper surface of the guide body 32.

  A pair of guide pieces 35 are formed upward from the guide surface 34 with the guide groove 33 sandwiched in the vehicle width direction. The inner surface 35 a of the base of the guide piece 35 is curved in a partial arc shape that can come into contact with the outer edge of the ring body 31. The upper ends 36 of the guide pieces 35 are close to each other, and the dimension D1 therebetween is set narrower than the outer diameter D2 of the ring body 31.

  In the key cylinder 23, as shown in FIG. 7, the operating lever 28 swings at the same stroke S1 from the neutral position toward the ON position and the OFF position. On the other hand, the guide piece 35 of the guide body 32 is formed with a dimension S2 smaller than the stroke S1 of the operating lever 28 (see FIG. 10).

  By bringing the ring body 31 engaged with the lowermost end portion of the knurled portion 30 into contact with the guide surface 34 of the guide body 32, the upper end 11b of the key rod 11 is just connected to the operating lever 28 of the key cylinder 23 in the vertical direction. The height coincides with the hole 29. The key rod 11 contacts the guide surface 34 by its own weight. Even if the weight of the key rod 11 is applied to the ring body 31 in the abutted state, the engagement force between the ring body 31 and the knurled portion 30 is set to be stronger. It does not shift by the contact.

  Further, in the state where the ring body 31 is in contact with the guide surface 34, the arc portion of the outer edge of the ring body 31 is brought into contact with the inner surface 35 a of the guide piece 35 (see FIG. 9), thereby And position regulation in the vehicle width direction can also be performed. In this way, by restricting all the positions of the key rod 11 in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the vehicle width direction, the upper end 11 b of the key rod 11 is connected to the connection hole 29 of the operating lever 28 at the neutral position of the key cylinder 23. (This state is the initial engagement state).

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the stage before the base portion 3 and the door latch 2 as described above are attached to the door, the door latch 2 and the module bracket 13 are pivoted forward with respect to the bolt 27 as shown in FIG. Set to the folded storage state. Since the sub bracket 12 is attached to the rear end portion of the base portion 3, by rotating the base portion 3 to the front side, the base portion 3 is largely folded and is in a state along the vertical direction. It will be in a lined state. Then, before folding, the large inverted L shape as shown in FIG. 1 becomes a compact state as shown in FIG. 2, and the longitudinal size (vertical size) can be kept small. Therefore, storage and handling are easy.

  In the retracted state, as shown in FIG. 5, the concave portion 14 of the sub bracket 12 is engaged with the pin 26 in the lateral direction of the module bracket 13, and the one step portion 15 is engaged with the pin 25 directly below. The storage state is positioned and held. In addition, the key rod 11 is also held in an upright initial engagement state by the ring body 31 and the guide body 32.

  When being attached to the door, the folded and stored state is put into the door through a work opening (not shown). Since it is in a compact state, the work opening formed in the door can be small, and the strength of the door can be prevented from being lowered. After entering the door, the door latch 2 is fixed to the rear wall of the door. Next, the base portion 3 is rotated so as to cause the bolt 27 to be centered to be in a state along the front-rear direction. By rotating the base portion 3, as shown in FIG. 4, the recess 14 of the sub bracket 12 is engaged with the pin 25 of the module bracket 13, and the other step portion 15 is engaged with the lateral pin 26. As a result, the use bracket is positioned with the sub bracket 12 facing in the front-rear direction. Even if the operator cannot see the hand, the operator can know that the concave portion 14 and the pin 25 are positioned in the use state by the click feeling when the concave portion 14 and the pin 25 are engaged. In the use state, the base portion 3 is along the front-rear direction, and the door latch 2 is returned to the inverted L shape along the vertical direction at the rear end portion.

  Next, the position of the base part 3 is adjusted in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction and fixed to the door. The position adjustment in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is performed by the engagement portions between the engagement holes 17 and 19 formed in the sub bracket 12 and the module bracket 13 and the engagement claws 18 and 20, respectively. Since the sub bracket 12 is adjustable in the front-rear position with respect to the base part 3 and the module bracket 13 is adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the door latch 2, as a result, the base part 3 and the door latch 2 in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction The relative positional relationship can be adjusted, and both can be securely attached to the door.

  A handle portion 4 is assembled to the base portion 3 fixed to the door from the outside of the vehicle, and is combined so that an operating force is transmitted to the end portion of the cable 7. A key cylinder 23 is inserted into the key cylinder mounting portion 5 from the outside of the vehicle. At this time, since the upper end 11b of the key rod 11 has already been positioned in the initial engagement state, the connecting hole 29 of the operating lever 28 in the neutral position can be connected to the key rod only by inserting the key cylinder 23 linearly. 11 is engaged with the upper end 11b. Since the cable 7 bends freely, there is no problem even if the cable 7 is returned to the used state. Further, since the cable 7 passes through the holding hole 21 of the module bracket 13, the cable 7 is prevented from fluttering inside the door.

  When the base portion 3 and the door latch 2 in use are fixed to the door and the connecting hole 29 of the operating lever 28 of the key cylinder 23 and the upper end 11b of the key rod 11 are accurately engaged, the role of the ring body 31 is finish. It is not necessary to remove the ring body 31 whose role has been completed, and while the key cylinder 23 is repeatedly used, it moves to a position where it does not naturally get in the way and is held there.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the key rod 11 is positioned by initially placing the ring body 31 positioned at the lowermost end of the knurled portion 30 on the guide surface 34 of the guide body 32 [FIG. 10 (a)].

  Next, by operating the key cylinder 23, the operating lever 28 is rotated in the OFF direction, and the key rod 11 is lifted together with the ring body 31 by the stroke S1 [FIG. 10 (b)]. Since the vertical dimension S2 of the guide piece 35 is smaller than the stroke S1 of the operating lever 28, the ring body 31 is located above the guide piece 35. Further, since the dimension D1 between the upper end portions 36 of the guide piece 35 is narrower than the outer diameter D2 of the ring body 31, the ring body 31 pushes and spreads the upper end portion 36 of the guide piece 35 and returns to its original state after passing. Absent.

  Therefore, after that, when the key rod 11 returns to the neutral position, the ring body 31 engages with the upper end surface of the guide piece 35, and only the key rod 11 is lowered [FIG. 10 (c)]. The ring body 31 moves relatively to the intermediate position of the knurled portion 30 against resistance.

  Further, when the key rod 11 is lowered to the ON position, the ring body 31 further moves relative to the uppermost end position of the knurled portion 30 [FIG. 10 (d)].

  When the key rod 11 is returned to the neutral position, as a result, the ring body 31 has moved from the lowermost end portion to the uppermost end portion of the knurled portion 30 [FIG. 10 (e)]. The position of the uppermost end of the knurled portion 30 is a position that is no longer engaged with the guide body 32 and is a position that does not interfere with the vertical movement of the key rod 11.

  The key rod 11 in which the ring body 31 has moved to the uppermost end of the knurled portion 30 can also move back and forth while moving up and down within the guide groove 33 of the guide body 32. That is, the key rod 11 slightly moves back and forth with the arc motion of the operating lever 28 and the arc motion of the lever portion 8 of the key lever 9, but the guide groove 33 of the guide body 32 can allow such back and forth movement. It has a structure.

  In the above embodiment, the connection structure of the outside handle 1 and the door latch 2 attached to the front right door is shown. However, the present invention can be applied to those attached to the rear door, and also applicable to the slide door. It is.

The perspective view which shows the outside handle and door latch of the use condition which concern on one Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a retracted state of the base portion and the door latch in FIG. 1. The disassembled perspective view which shows the use condition of the base part and door latch of FIG. The perspective view which shows the use condition of the sub bracket and module bracket of FIG. The perspective view which shows the storage state of the sub bracket of FIG. 4, and a module bracket. The expansion perspective view which shows the key cylinder and key rod upper end part of FIG. The figure which shows the motion of the action | operation lever of FIG. The disassembled perspective view which shows the guide body and ring body of FIG. Sectional drawing after the assembly along the arrow SA-SA line in FIG. (A)-(e) is a side view which shows the relative movement state of the ring body in the key rod of FIG.4 and FIG.5, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outside handle 2 Door latch 3 Base part 7 Cable 12 Sub bracket 13 Module bracket 23 Key cylinder 28 Actuation lever 29 Connection hole 30 Knurling part 31 Ring body (attitude holding means)
32 Guide body (posture holding means)
33 Guide groove 34 Guide surface 35 Guide piece 35a Inner surface of guide piece 36 Upper end of guide piece S1 Stroke of operating lever S2 Vertical dimension of guide piece D1 Dimension between upper end of guide piece D2 Outer diameter of ring body

Claims (3)

A base portion of an outside handle attached to the door in a state along the front-rear direction and a door latch attached in a state along the vertical direction inside the door below the base portion are integrally coupled,
A coupling structure of an outside handle and a door latch in which a key cylinder attached to a base portion and a door latch are connected via a key rod along the vertical direction,
A sub bracket extending to the door latch side is attached to the base portion, a module bracket extending to the base portion side is attached to the door latch,
The base bracket is folded from the use state along the front-rear direction to the retracted state along the substantially vertical direction with respect to the door latch by rotatably coupling the sub bracket and the module bracket,
A structure for coupling an outside handle and a door latch, characterized in that posture holding means for holding the posture of the key rod in an initial engagement state with the key cylinder is provided between the module bracket and the key rod. A coupling structure between the outside handle and the door latch according to claim 1,
The posture holding means is composed of a circular ring body attached to the rod and a guide body attached to the module bracket,
The ring body is movable with a predetermined resistance capable of supporting at least the weight of the rod with respect to the rod,
The guide body includes a guide groove into which the key rod is inserted in the front-rear direction, a guide surface that abuts the lower surface of the ring body to regulate the height of the key rod, and an inner surface that abuts the opposing arcs of the ring body. A coupling structure of an outside handle and a door latch, comprising a pair of guide pieces that regulate positions in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction. A coupling structure of the outside handle and the door latch according to claim 2,
The key cylinder has an operating lever that can swing from a neutral position to an ON position and an OFF position, and the tip of the operating lever is a key rod held in an initial engagement state corresponding to the neutral position when the key cylinder is mounted. Inserted and engaged with the upper end,
The guide piece has a vertical dimension shorter than the stroke from the neutral position to the ON position and the OFF position at the tip of the operating lever, and the dimension between the upper ends is set to be narrower than the outer diameter of the ring body. An outside handle and a door latch combined structure.

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