JP6182774B2 - Vehicle door latch device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle door latch device that can prevent unauthorized unlocking by mechanically protecting a lock mechanism.

In the vehicle door latch device, various measures are taken in order to prevent a closed door from being unlocked by an unauthorized means that has entered the door.
For example, as in a door lock device described in Patent Document 1, a lock lever that constitutes a part of a lock mechanism is disposed so that the rotation center thereof coincides with the rotation axis of the key cylinder, and the key cylinder In the case where the rotation lever is directly connected to the lock lever and the lock lever is provided on the casing disposed close to the inner panel side, the outer cover panel and the door glass of the door are covered by covering the lock lever with a protective cover. It is possible to effectively prevent unauthorized unlocking of the lock lever against unauthorized means such as a wire that has entered through a gap between the two.

  On the other hand, in the case where the door latch device is disposed below the key cylinder due to the design of the automobile, as described in Patent Document 2, for example, a rotation lever that is rotated by the key cylinder and the door latch device The key lever of the lock mechanism is connected to the inside of the door by a connecting member facing in the vertical direction. In addition, when such a door latch device is applied to, for example, a hard-top type automobile in which the center pillar is not provided on the door, a sash for guiding the door glass is provided between the door latch device and the outer panel in the door. Since it is necessary to secure a space for the arrangement, the shaft portion of the key lever is projected from the casing of the door latch device toward the outer panel side of the door (toward the vehicle), and is connected to the lever portion of the projecting end portion of the shaft portion. The lower end of each is connected.

Japanese Patent No. 3775523 Japanese Patent No. 5205679

  As in the door latch device described in Patent Document 2, in the case where the shaft portion and lever portion of the key lever protrude from the casing of the door latch device toward the outer panel side of the door, the lever portion of the key lever includes the outer panel and the door glass. It is easy to come into contact with unauthorized means that have entered through the gap between them, and if a large input load is applied to the lever part by the unauthorized means, the lever part will be deformed or damaged, causing the key lever to rotate in the unlocking direction. There is a risk of being. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to increase the rigidity of the key lever by changing the material of the key lever or increasing its dimensions. However, this increases the cost and increases the door latch device. The size is increased and the degree of freedom of design is impaired.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door latch device that is excellent in anti-theft property and prevents the key lever from being turned in the unlocking direction by an unauthorized means.

According to the present invention, the above problems are solved by the following inventions.
1st invention, in the door, the casing provided in the inner panel near side of the door, and the locking / unlocking mechanism housed in the casing and capable of switching the door to an unlocked state and a locked state, The shaft is linked to the locking / unlocking mechanism, and is connected to the casing and rotatably supported by the casing so as to protrude toward the outer panel of the door, and the protruding end of the shaft. The lever portion is connected to a key cylinder provided on the outer panel of the door via a connecting member, thereby unlocking the locking / unlocking mechanism in conjunction with the operation of the key cylinder. An unlocking position to be in the state and a key lever that can be rotated to the locking position to be in the locked state, and covering the key lever, thereby preventing unauthorized unlocking by unauthorized means entering the door. A protector for performing the operation, and when the load due to the contact of the unauthorized means is received, the protector is applied with a force capable of rotating the key lever in the unlocking direction by abutting on the rotation axis of the key lever. It is characterized in that a non-contact portion is provided.

  In the door, the second invention is a casing provided near the inner panel of the door, and a locking / unlocking mechanism housed in the casing and capable of switching the door to an unlocked state and a locked state, The shaft is linked to the locking / unlocking mechanism, and is connected to the casing and rotatably supported by the casing so as to protrude toward the outer panel of the door, and the protruding end of the shaft. The lever portion is connected to a key cylinder provided on the outer panel of the door via a connecting member, thereby unlocking the locking / unlocking mechanism in conjunction with the operation of the key cylinder. An unlocking position to be in the state and a key lever that can be rotated to the locking position to be in the locked state, and covering the key lever, thereby preventing unauthorized unlocking by unauthorized means entering the door. And a sash arrangement space for guiding the raising and lowering of the door glass is formed between a portion covering the lever portion on the side closer to the outer panel of the protector and the casing on the side closer to the inner panel. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the upper surface of the protector is an inclined surface inclined obliquely downward toward the inner panel direction and / or the outer panel direction. Yes.

  In a fourth aspect based on any one of the first to third aspects, when the protector receives the load, the casing allows the protector to move downward, but moves laterally. It is characterized by having guide means capable of supporting the protector.

  In a fifth aspect based on the fourth aspect, the guide means is a convex shape that fits slidably only in the vertical direction in a vertical concave or convex protector-side guide portion provided in the protector. Or it is characterized by including a concave casing side guide part.

  A sixth invention is the connection according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the protector is provided below the lever portion of the key lever and on a surface close to the outer panel, and the connecting member is connected. The key lever is covered so that it can open the side of a part and the part which the said connection member passes.

  According to a seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, the connecting portion of the key lever moves downward from a lower end of the protector when the key lever is in the unlocked position.

According to the first invention, when the load due to the contact of the unauthorized means is applied to the protector that covers the key lever, the protector is moved downward by the unauthorized means by providing the contact portion that contacts the rotation axis of the key lever. Even if the key lever is moved, it is possible to prevent the key lever from being moved in the unlocking direction. Therefore, there is no possibility that the key lever is rotated in the unlocking direction and the door is opened, and a door latch device having excellent anti-theft performance can be provided.
According to the second invention, even if the key lever is covered by the protector, a sash arrangement space for guiding the raising and lowering of the door glass is formed between the portion of the protector covering the lever portion and the casing near the inner panel. Therefore, it is possible to improve the anti-theft property without increasing the size of the door latch device and considering the layout of the vehicle.

It is a perspective view before the protector attachment in the door latch device for vehicles concerning the present invention. Similarly, it is a perspective view after a protector is attached. It is the rear view which looked at the door latch device from the back of a car. Similarly, it is the front view which looked at the door latch device from the front of a car. Similarly, it is the side view which looked at the door latch device from the outer panel side of the door. Similarly, it is a top view which shows the state which provided the door latch apparatus in the door. It is the VII-VII line enlarged vertical side view of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 5. It is the side view which looked at the door latch device before auxiliary cover attachment from the inner panel side of the door. It is the side view which looked at the door latch device after auxiliary cover attachment from the inner panel side of the door. It is an expansion perspective view of an auxiliary cover and the auxiliary cover attaching part in a casing. It is the rear view which looked at the lower part of the door latch apparatus containing an auxiliary cover attaching part from diagonally forward upper direction.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a door latch device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiments, the upper left in FIG. 1, the left in FIG. 3 and the upper in FIG. 6 are “inside the vehicle”, the lower right in FIG. 1, the right in FIG. 3 and the lower in FIG. 1 that is the front side of the automobile, the right side of FIGS. 5 and 6 is “front”, and the lower left side of FIG. 1 that is the rear side of the automobile, and FIGS. 5 and 6. The left side is described as “rear”. An example in which the door latch device 1 is attached to a right front side door (hereinafter abbreviated as a door) 2 in an automobile as shown in FIG. 6 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 6, the door latch device 1 is provided in a rear end portion of a hollow door 2 composed of an inner panel 2a and an outer panel 2b so as to contact the inner panel 2a.

  The door latch device 1 includes a box-shaped body 3 made of a synthetic resin which forms a base member attached to the rear end surface of the inner panel 2 a in the door 2, and an opening on the rear surface of the body 3 to close the inner panel 2 a together with the body 3. A metal cover plate 4 to be fixed, a casing 5 made of a synthetic resin having a substantially L-shape in plan view and attached to the front side (back side) of the body 3 via a back plate (not shown), and an opening on the vehicle interior side of the casing 5 And a cover 6 for closing.

  Inside the body 3 and the cover plate 4 is engaged with a striker (not shown) on the vehicle body side, thereby latching the door 2 in a closed state and a ratchet (not shown) that engages and disengages the latch 7. A meshing mechanism 8 is assembled. Further, inside the portion of the casing 5 that is close to the inner panel 2a, an unlocking / unlocking mechanism 9 (including various lever groups, motors (not shown) and the like that can switch the door 2 between an unlocked state and a locked state. 9) is assembled. When the unlocking mechanism 9 is in the unlocked state, the engagement mechanism is operated by opening the outside handle provided on the outer panel 2b of the door 2 and the inside handle (both not shown) provided on the inner panel 2a. 8, the engagement between the latch 7 and the striker is released so that the door 2 can be opened. When the door 2 is in the locked state, the door 2 can be opened even if the outside handle and the inside handle are opened. It has a configuration that can be disabled. In addition, since the meshing mechanism 8 and the locking / unlocking mechanism 9 are publicly known, illustration and detailed description of members not directly related to the present invention are omitted.

  An outside lever 10 is pivotally supported at the lower part of the casing 5 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction around a longitudinal axis. The outer end of the outside lever 10 is connected to an outside handle (not shown) attached to the outer panel 2b via an operating force transmission member such as a rod (not shown) extending vertically. The end of the outside lever 10 on the vehicle inner side is linked to an unillustrated open link for transmitting the rotation of the outside lever 10 to the meshing mechanism 8.

  Further, at the lower end portion of the casing 5, the end portion on the inner side of the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11 made of synthetic resin having an L shape in a plan view and facing the inside / outside direction of the casing 5 from the side surface of the casing 5 on the outer side of the vehicle It is supported so as to be rotatable so as to protrude in the direction. A lever portion 112 facing forward is integrally connected to an end portion of the shaft portion 111 on the vehicle outer side so as to be perpendicular to the shaft portion 111. As shown in FIG. 6, by projecting the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11 in the direction of the outer panel 2b, the door glass G is formed between the casing 5 close to the inner panel 2a and the lever portion 112 close to the outer panel 2. A space K for arranging the sash S for guiding the raising and lowering is formed.

  A connecting hole 12 (see FIG. 5) penetrating in the vehicle interior / exterior direction formed at the distal end portion of the lever portion 112 is a lower connecting portion bent in a crank shape at a lower end portion of a vertical rod 13 serving as a connecting member. The part 131 is connected from the vehicle outer side. The upper connecting portion 132 bent at the upper end of the rod 13 is connected to a lever 141 that rotates together with a rotor (not shown) in the key cylinder 14 attached to the outer panel 2b (see FIG. 6). As a result, when the key cylinder 14 is locked, the key lever 11 rotates by a predetermined angle from the neutral position (the state in FIG. 1 and the solid line position in FIG. 5) to the locking direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 1 and 5). When it is moved to the locking position (the two-dot chain line position on the upper side in FIG. 5) and is also unlocked, it is rotated by a predetermined angle from the neutral position to the unlocking direction (clockwise in FIGS. 1 and 5). Move to the lock position (the lower two-dot chain line position in FIG. 5). In addition, when the key lever 11 rotates clockwise and moves to the unlocking position, the connecting portion with the rod 13 including the connecting hole 12 of the key lever 11 protrudes below the lower end of the protector 15 described later.

  An inner key lever (not shown) that forms a part of the locking / unlocking mechanism 9 is connected to the end of the shaft 111 of the key lever 11 so as to be able to rotate in the locking direction and the unlocking direction together with the key lever 11. Has been.

A portion of the key lever 11 protruding from the casing 5 is covered from above with a protector 15 made of synthetic resin for preventing unauthorized unlocking by unauthorized means entering the door 2.
The protector 15 has a shaft portion covering portion 151 that covers the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11 and a lever covering portion 152 that covers the lever portion 112, and is substantially L-shaped in plan view. As shown, the lower surfaces of the shaft cover 151 and the lever cover 152 are open. Thereby, the protector 15 can cover the shaft part 111 and the lever part 112 of the key lever 11 from above in the work process before connecting the lower connecting part 131 of the rod 13 to the connecting hole 12 of the key lever 11. As described above, the vertical dimension of the lever cover 152 is such that when the key lever 11 is rotated to the unlocking position, the connecting portion with the rod 13 including the connecting hole 12 of the key lever 11 is the lever as shown in FIG. The length of the protector 15 is smaller than the lower end of the cover 152, and the protector 15 is downsized.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the key lever 11 is covered with the protector 15, the door latch device 1 is formed in a substantially U shape in a plan view, and a lever cover 152 adjacent to the outer panel 2b in the protector 15 and an inner panel Since a space K in which the sash S for guiding the raising and lowering of the door glass G is disposed is formed between the casing 2 and the adjacent casing 5, the size of the door latch device is not increased and the layout of the vehicle is taken into consideration. It becomes possible to increase the anti-theft property.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8, a fixing portion 153 that protrudes in the direction of the casing 5 is integrally formed on the rear upper portion of the shaft portion covering portion 151. A bolt 17 facing the inside of the vehicle is inserted into a bolt insertion hole 16 of a fixing piece 153 a facing the casing 5 formed at the tip of the fixing portion 153, and the bolt 17 is slightly connected to a support portion of the key lever 11 in the casing 5. The protector 15 is fixed to the casing 5 by being screwed into an internal thread 18 formed on the upper side and on the outer surface facing the outer panel 2b.

  In the upper part of the shaft cover 151 in the protector 15, a concave guide having a U-shape in a plan view opened on the front side of the fixed portion 153 and directly above the shaft 111 of the key lever 11 and facing the casing 5. A portion 154 is formed. The front surface of the fixed portion 153 and the rear surface of the concave guide portion 154 form a common surface. The concave guide portion 154 is formed in the vertical direction at a position above the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11.

  A convex guide portion 51 that fits the concave guide portion 154 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction is provided at a portion facing the concave guide portion 154 in the casing 5. By fitting the convex guide portion 51 to the concave guide portion 154, the protector 15 can move only in the vertical direction in a state where movement in the front-rear direction (lateral direction) is restricted with respect to the casing 5. Supported.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 8, the outer side of the lever cover 152 that covers the vicinity of the connecting portion between the lever portion 112 of the key lever 11 and the lower connecting portion 131 of the rod 13 is opposed to the outer panel 2 b. An opening 155 that opens in the direction of the outer panel 2b and an opening 156 that opens upward are respectively formed on a part of this surface and a part of the upper surface on the outer panel 2b side. As a result, the protector 15 is located below the shaft portion 111 and the lever portion 112 in the key lever 11, on the surface close to the outer panel 2 b, on the side of the connecting hole 12 to which the vertical rod 13 is connected, and to the rod 13. It has the structure which covers the key lever 11 so that the part which passes can be opened.
Further, by providing the protector 15 with the openings 155 and 156, the lower connecting portion 131 of the rod 13 is connected to the connecting hole 12 of the key lever 11 through the openings 155 and 156 even after the protector 15 is fixed to the casing 5. It becomes possible to connect. In addition, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5, when the key lever 11 is rotated to the unlocked position, the connecting portion between the connecting hole 12 and the rod 13 in the lever portion 112 is connected to the lever covering portion 152 in the protector 15. Since the lower connecting portion 131 of the rod 13 is projected downward from the lower end, the connecting operation of the key lever 11 to the connecting hole 12 of the lever portion 112 can be easily and reliably performed while visually observing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the lever cover 152 in the protector 15 is an inclined surface 157 that is inclined obliquely downward in the vehicle interior direction, that is, toward the inner panel 2 a (see FIG. 6). As described above, since the upper surface of the lever cover portion 152 is the inclined surface 157 that is inclined obliquely downward toward the inner panel 2a, an irregularity such as a wire may be generated from the gap between the outer panel 2b and the door glass G. Even if the means is intruded and a force is applied to the upper surface of the lever cover 152 of the protector 15, the lower part of the unauthorized means slides down along the inclined surface 157 toward the interior of the vehicle, so that a downward load applied to the protector 15 is not applied. It can escape effectively. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the key lever 11 from being rotated in the unlocking direction by damaging the protector 15 due to the load of the unauthorized means or transmitting the load of the unauthorized means to the lever portion 112 via the protector 15. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the lever cover 152 of the protector 15, the lower edge of the downward side wall 158 facing the casing 5 is close to the upper surface of the shaft 111 of the key lever 11, and the shaft covers Inclined upward from the front to the rear so as to be continuous with the inner surface of the portion 151. A lower surface extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft portion 111 at a position immediately above the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the shaft portion 111 in the side wall 158 is a circle that can contact the upper outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 111. An arc-shaped contact portion 159 is provided.

Since the contact portion 159 is provided, even if the protector 15 is moved downward due to a load by an unauthorized means, the contact portion 159 is the upper outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11, that is, the key lever. 11, the lever cover 152 of the protector 15 is prevented from being moved downward or deformed. Therefore, the load by the unauthorized means does not act as a force that can rotate the key lever 11 in the unlocking direction, and it is possible to reliably prevent the key lever 11 from being illegally rotated in the unlocking direction. it can.
In addition, as described above, the protector 15 moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the casing 5 by the concave guide portion 154 and the convex guide portion 51 provided on the opposing surfaces of the shaft portion covering portion 151 and the casing 5 in the protector 15. Since the movement is restricted, the protector 15 can only move downward when a load due to unauthorized means is applied to the protector 15, and the contact portion 159 is surely brought into contact with the upper surface of the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the inside lever 19 and the lock lever 20 in the locking / unlocking mechanism 9 are respectively connected to the inside (not shown) via Bowden cables 21 and 21 each having one end fixed to the inner surface of the casing 5. It is linked to a handle and a lock knob (operation means for manually operating the locking / unlocking mechanism from the indoor side) provided inside the vehicle.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the connection portion between the locking portion of the Bowden cables 21 and 21 to the casing 5 and the lock lever 20 and the lower end portion of the lock lever 20 are attached to the lower portion on the front side of the casing 5. It is covered with an auxiliary cover 22 made of synthetic resin, and rainwater or the like is prevented from entering the mounting portion of the Bowden cable 21 in the casing 5. The auxiliary cover 22 can cover a lower corner portion on the front side of the casing 5, and has a case-like cover body 221 having an opening on the vehicle interior side and a rear surface side, and a resin hinge 222 on the lower edge of the cover body 221. And an opening / closing cover 223 that closes a part of an opening (not shown) inside the vehicle body of the cover main body 221 so as to be openable and closable. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. By opening 222 as a fulcrum, the connecting operation of the Bowden cable 21 to the inside lever 19 and the lock lever 20 can be easily performed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, at the edge of the inclined surface 52 facing the upper part of the cover body 221 in the casing 5 on the inner side of the vehicle, a sandwiching piece 53 that faces the outside of the vehicle and is slightly separated from the inclined surface 52, and The middle elastic pinching piece 54 is integrally connected. An insertion groove 55 that opens obliquely downward with respect to the outside of the vehicle is formed on the surface facing the inclined surface 52, the holding piece 53, and the elastic holding piece 54. Insertion holes 56 that open in the direction are formed.

  An insertion piece 221b that can be inserted into the insertion groove 55 is fitted to the upper end portion of the side plate 221a outside the vehicle in the cover body 221, and the insertion hole 56 is fitted to the lower end portion of the side plate 221a. Possible protrusions 221c are provided so as to protrude in the vehicle interior direction. A plurality of drain holes 221 d are formed on the lower surface of the cover body 221.

  Inserting the insertion piece 221b of the cover body 221 into the insertion groove 55 of the casing 5 while bending the elastic clamping piece 54 forward, and fitting the protrusion 221c into the insertion hole 56 of the casing 5 Thus, the auxiliary cover 22 is attached to the front lower corner portion of the casing 5. After the auxiliary cover 22 is attached, the front surface of the upper end portion of the cover body 221 is pressed by the lower end portion of the waterproof cover 57 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) that covers the upper surface and the front surface of the casing 5. The auxiliary cover 22 is prevented from coming off.

  As described above, in the door latch device 1 of this embodiment, the key lever 11 protruding from the casing 5 in the direction of the outer panel 2b is covered from above with the protector 15 and is provided on the side wall 158 on the vehicle interior side of the protector 15. Since the portion 159 can be brought into contact with the upper outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11, that is, on the rotation axis, the protector 15 is moved downward by a load caused by unauthorized means that has entered the door 2. In addition, since the contact portion 159 contacts the upper outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 111 of the key lever 11, the load by the unauthorized means is transmitted to the lever portion 112 of the key lever 11 as a rotational force, or the lever portion 112 is deformed. There is nothing. Therefore, there is no possibility that the key lever 11 is rotated in the unlocking direction and the door 2 is opened, and the door latch device 1 having excellent antitheft performance can be provided.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be modified or changed as follows within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist thereof.
In the said embodiment, although the protector 15 is attached to the casing 5, it is also possible to attach this to the outer panel 2b.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the upper surface of the lever cover part 152 in the protector 15 is made into the inclined surface 157 which inclines diagonally downward toward the inner panel 2a direction, on the contrary, it faces diagonally downward toward the outer panel 2b direction. Or an inclined surface (mountain-shaped inclined surface) inclined obliquely downward toward both the inner panel 2a and the outer panel 2b.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the concave guide part 154 which controls the movement to the front-back direction of the protector 15 is provided in the protector 15 side, the convex guide part 51 fitted to the concave guide part 154 is provided in the casing 5 side. On the contrary, the concave guide portion 154 may be provided on the casing 5 side, and the convex guide portion 51 may be provided on the protector 15 side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door latch apparatus 2 Door 2a Inner panel 2b Outer panel 3 Body 4 Cover plate 5 Casing 6 Cover 7 Latch 8 Engagement mechanism 9 Locking / unlocking mechanism 10 Outside lever 11 Key lever 12 Connection hole 13 Rod (connection member)
14 Key cylinder 15 Protector 16 Bolt insertion hole 17 Bolt 18 Female thread 19 Inside lever 20 Lock lever 21 Bowden cable 22 Auxiliary cover 51 Convex guide part (casing side guide part)
52 Inclined surface 53 Holding piece 54 Elastic holding piece 55 Insertion groove 56 Insertion hole 57 Waterproof cover 111 Shaft part 112 Lever part 131 Lower connection part 132 Upper connection part 141 Lever 151 Shaft part cover part 152 Lever cover part 153 Fixing part 153a Fixed piece 154 concave guide (protector side guide)
155, 156 Opening portion 157 Inclined surface 158 Side wall 159 Contact portion 221 Cover body 221a Side plate 221b Insertion piece 221c Projection portion 221d Drain hole 222 Resin hinge 223 Opening / closing cover G Door glass K Space S Sash

Claims (7)

In the door, a casing provided on the side closer to the inner panel of the door,
An unlocking mechanism accommodated in the casing and capable of switching the door to an unlocked state and a locked state;
The shaft is linked to the locking / unlocking mechanism, and is connected to the casing and rotatably supported by the casing so as to protrude toward the outer panel of the door, and the protruding end of the shaft. The lever portion is connected to a key cylinder provided on the outer panel of the door via a connecting member, thereby unlocking the locking / unlocking mechanism in conjunction with the operation of the key cylinder. A key lever that is rotatable to an unlocked position to be in a state and a locked position to be in a locked state;
A protector for preventing unauthorized unlocking by unauthorized means entering the door by covering the key lever;
The protector is provided with a contact portion that does not apply a force that allows the key lever to rotate in the unlocking direction by contacting the rotation axis of the key lever when receiving a load due to the contact of the unauthorized means. A door latch device for a vehicle. In the door, a casing provided on the side closer to the inner panel of the door,
An unlocking mechanism accommodated in the casing and capable of switching the door to an unlocked state and a locked state;
The shaft is linked to the locking / unlocking mechanism, and is connected to the casing and rotatably supported by the casing so as to protrude toward the outer panel of the door, and the protruding end of the shaft. The lever portion is connected to a key cylinder provided on the outer panel of the door via a connecting member, thereby unlocking the locking / unlocking mechanism in conjunction with the operation of the key cylinder. A key lever that is rotatable to an unlocked position to be in a state and a locked position to be in a locked state;
A protector for preventing unauthorized unlocking by unauthorized means entering the door by covering the key lever;
A sash arrangement space for guiding the raising and lowering of door glass is formed between a portion covering the lever portion on the side closer to the outer panel in the protector and the casing on the side closer to the inner panel. Door latch device.   3. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the protector is an inclined surface that is inclined obliquely downward toward the inner panel direction and / or the outer panel direction. 4.   The casing includes guide means that can support the protector so that the protector can move downward, although the protector allows the protector to move downward when the protector receives the load. The vehicle door latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The guide means includes a convex or concave casing side guide portion that is slidably fitted only in the vertical direction to a vertical concave or convex protector side guide portion provided in the protector. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 4.   The protector may open a portion below the lever portion of the key lever, a side close to the outer panel, a side of the connecting portion to which the connecting member is connected, and a portion through which the connecting member passes. The vehicle door latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the key lever is covered.   The vehicle door latch device according to claim 6, wherein the connecting portion of the key lever moves downward from a lower end of the protector when the key lever is in an unlocked position.

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