JP6909132B2 - Door latch device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a door latch device.

The door latch device includes a fork that holds the striker detachably, a claw lever that locks the fork that holds the striker, and a motor-driven gear member for releasing the lock of the fork by the claw lever.

In the door latch device of Patent Document 1, the fork, the claw lever, and the gear member are arranged on the same surface. In this door latch device, a rotationally driven gear member directly operates the claw lever.

In the door latch device of Patent Document 2, the fork and the claw lever are held on the first plate, and the gear member is held on the second plate intersecting the first plate. Further, this door latch device includes an open lever that enables manual operation to open the door when the door cannot be opened electrically due to insufficient power of the battery or the like. This open lever is held on the same second plate as the gear member, and a part thereof is arranged between the claw lever and the gear member. The rotationally driven gear member operates the claw lever via the open lever. Further, when the open lever is directly operated from the opening provided in the inner panel inside the vehicle constituting the door, the open lever operates the claw lever.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-94346 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-14929

In the door latch device of Patent Document 1, since the fork, the claw lever, and the gear member are arranged on the same surface, it is necessary to secure a wide arrangement surface. Therefore, this door latch device is large and no consideration is given to miniaturization.

Since the door latch device of Patent Document 2 is three-dimensionally arranged on a plate in which the fork and claw lever and the gear member are different, the size can be reduced as compared with the door latch device of Patent Document 1. However, there is room for further miniaturization of this door latch device.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the door latch device.

One aspect of the present invention is a rotating fork and a locking position where the fork can be locked to the holding position at a holding position for holding the striker in a detachable manner and an open position where the striker can be detached. A claw lever that can rotate around the first rotation axis and the first rotation shaft at a non-locking position where the fork is released from the lock and the fork is allowed to rotate to the open position. The rotating member includes a rotating member having a second rotating shaft that intersects with the other, the rotating member has an operating portion that projects toward the claw lever side, and the claw lever is an operating receiving portion that receives an operation of the operating portion. The rotating member is centered on the second rotating shaft from a first position where the operating portion is separated from the operating receiving portion to a second position where the operating portion abuts on the operating receiving portion. In the operation receiving portion, the operation receiving portion is directed toward the opposite side of the direction in which the claw lever rotates from the locked position to the non-locked position about the first rotation axis. The rotating member includes an inclined portion that is inclined away from the operating portion of the rotating member and is in contact with the operating portion of the rotating member that has been rotated to the second position, and the rotating member exceeds the second position from the first position. Provided is a door latch device in which the operating portion presses the inclined portion of the operation receiving portion to rotate the claw lever to the non-locking position.

According to this aspect, since the claw lever and the rotating member are three-dimensionally arranged on different surfaces, the operating portion of the rotating member comes into contact with the inclined portion of the operating receiving portion in a posture of intersecting with each other. Then, the operating portion presses the inclined portion by the rotation of the rotating member, and the claw lever rotates from the locked position to the non-locked position due to the inclination of the inclined portion.

Since the claw lever and the rotating member are three-dimensionally arranged on different surfaces, the space for arranging the fork and the claw lever can be saved, and the entire device can be miniaturized. Further, since the rotating member directly operates the claw lever, it is not necessary to secure a space for arranging a part of the open lever between the claw lever and the rotating member. Therefore, since these parts can be collectively arranged, the entire device can be miniaturized in this respect as well.

In the door latch device of the present invention, since the claw lever and the rotating member are three-dimensionally arranged on different surfaces and the claw lever is directly operated by the rotating member, each component can be collectively arranged and the entire device can be miniaturized.

The schematic which shows the state which arranged the door latch device which concerns on embodiment of this invention on a back door. Front view of the door latch device. An exploded perspective view of the frame of the door latch device. The perspective view which shows the mechanism of the door latch device. Perspective view of claw lever and sector gear. The front view which shows the relationship between the operation part and the opening operation receiving part. The side view which shows the relationship between the operation part and the opening operation receiving part. The front view which shows the holding state of a striker. FIG. 7A is a plan view showing the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 7A. The front view which shows one process of the opening operation. The plan view which shows the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 8A. The front view which shows the other process of the opening operation. FIG. 9A is a plan view showing the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 9A. The front view which shows the other process of the opening operation. FIG. 10A is a plan view showing the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 10A. The front view which shows the state which the opening operation is completed. FIG. 11A is a plan view showing the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 11A. Front view showing the open state of the striker. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the state of the fork and the claw lever in FIG. 12A.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show a door latch device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the door latch device 10 is arranged in a back door 4 that opens and closes the rear opening of the vehicle body 1, and holds the back door 4 in an openly closed state with respect to the vehicle body 1.

(Overview of door latch device)
As shown in FIG. 2, the door latch device 10 includes a frame 12, a latch mechanism 20, an electric opening / closing mechanism 32, and a manual opening mechanism 52.

The latch mechanism 20 has a latch state in which the U-shaped striker 2 arranged on the vehicle body 1 cannot be detached (see FIGS. 7A and 7B) and an open state in which the striker 2 can be detached (see FIGS. 12A and 12B). Can be switched to.

The electric opening / closing mechanism 32 is electrically connected to the battery of the vehicle and the ECU (Electronic Control Unit). When the open switch (not shown) arranged on the back door 4 is operated, the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 is driven to open by a command of the ECU (control unit) to open the latch mechanism 20 in the open state. When the back door 4 in the open state is closed and the striker 2 enters the latch mechanism 20, the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 is driven to close by a command of the ECU, and the latch mechanism 20 is closed and operated in the latch state.

The manual opening mechanism 52 manually operates the latch mechanism 20 to open the back door 4 when the back door 4 cannot be opened electrically due to insufficient power of the battery or the like.

(Outline of frame)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the frame 12 includes a base plate 13, a fence block 14, a latch base 15, and a latch cover 16. A part of the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 and a manual opening mechanism 52 are arranged on the base plate 13. The latch mechanism 20 and the rest of the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 are arranged on the fence block 14.

The base plate 13 is made of metal and is arranged along the outer panel 5 of the back door 4. The base plate 13 is provided with a pair of brackets 13a and 13a for assembling the latch base 15 and the latch cover 16.

The fence block 14 is made of resin and is arranged on the front panel 6 side of the back door 4. The fence block 14 is assembled to the base plate 13 via the latch base 15 and the latch cover 16 in a sandwiched state. An insertion groove 14a through which the striker 2 can be inserted is provided on the tip panel 6 side of the fence block 14.

The latch base 15 is made of metal and is arranged on the lower surface of the fence block 14 located on the front panel 6 side. A pair of brackets 15a and 15a for assembling to the base plate 13 are provided on the side portion of the latch base 15. The bracket 15a is formed so as to cover the side surface of the fence block 14. A cover portion 15b is provided on the front end side of the latch base 15 located on the tip side in the direction of closing the back door 4, that is, on the inner panel 7 side of the back door 4. The latch base 15 including the cover portion 15b is formed with an opening 15c that exposes the insertion groove 14a.

The latch cover 16 is made of metal and is arranged on the upper surface of the fence block 14 located on the opposite side of the latch base 15. The latch cover 16 is provided with a pair of brackets 16a and 16a for assembling to the base plate 13. A gap is provided between the latch cover 16 and the base plate 13 for arranging a part of the electric opening / closing mechanism 32.

For example, the frame 12 is assembled as follows. First, the latch base 15 is arranged below the base plate 13, and the bracket 15a of the latch base 15 is overlapped with the bracket 13a of the base plate 13. Next, the fence block 14 is placed on the upper part of the latch base 15. After that, the latch cover 16 is arranged on the upper surface of the fence block 14, and the bracket 16a of the latch cover 16 is overlapped on the upper side of the bracket 13a of the base plate 13. Finally, the three stacked brackets 13a, 15a, 16a are bolted.

(Overview of latch mechanism)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the latch mechanism 20 includes a fork 22 that holds the striker 2 detachably, and a claw lever 26 that locks the fork 22 detachably. The fork 22 is arranged on one side (right side in FIG. 2) of the insertion groove 14a of the fence block 14, and the claw lever 26 is arranged on the other side (left side in FIG. 2) of the insertion groove 14a of the fence block 14. ..

In this latch mechanism 20, the fork 22 rotated to the full latch position (holding position) is locked by the claw lever 26, and the fork 22 is held at the full latch position. Further, by releasing the lock between the claw lever 26 and the fork 22, the fork 22 is allowed to rotate to the open position (open position). The configuration of the latch mechanism 20 will be specifically described below.

The fork 22 is pivotally supported by a rotating shaft 23 arranged on the fence block 14. The fork 22 can rotate about the rotation shaft 23 to the full latch position shown in FIG. 7B and the open position shown in FIG. 12B. The fork 22 is urged counterclockwise from the full latch position to the open position by the spring 24.

The fork 22 is formed with a holding groove 22a of the striker 2 from the outer peripheral portion toward the rotating shaft 23. At the full latch position of FIG. 7B, the holding groove 22a is in a posture orthogonal to the insertion groove 14a to hold the striker 2 inseparably. In the open position of FIG. 12B, the holding groove 22a can be detached from the striker 2 by being in a posture extending along the insertion groove 14a so that the tip opening is located on the insertion groove 14a.

The fork 22 is provided with a full latch step portion 22b and a half latch step portion 22c on the outer peripheral portion located on the insertion groove 14a side in the open position. When the fork 22 rotates to the full latch position, the claw lever 26 is locked to the full latch step portion 22b. When the fork 22 rotates to the half-latch position between the full-latch position and the open position, the claw lever 26 is locked to the half-latch step portion 22c.

The claw lever 26 is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft (first rotation shaft) 29 arranged on the fence block 14. The claw lever 26 can rotate about the rotation shaft 29 to the locked position shown in FIG. 7B and the non-locked position shown in FIG. 11B. The claw lever 26 is urged clockwise by the spring 30 from the non-locking position to the locked position.

The claw lever 26 is provided with a locking portion 27a at an end located on the insertion groove 14a side at the locking position. At the locking position of FIG. 7B, the locking portion 27a can be locked to the full latch step portion 22b and the half latch step portion 22c of the fork 22, and locks the fork 22 to the full latch position and the half latch position. At the non-locking position of FIG. 11B, the locking portion 27a cannot be locked to either the full latch step portion 22b or the half latch step portion 22c, and the fork 22 is rotated to the open position by the urging of the spring 24. Tolerate.

(Overview of electric opening / closing mechanism)
Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 includes an actuator 34, a sector gear (rotating member) 41, an opening operation receiving portion 48, and a closing operation receiving portion 50. The actuator 34 and the sector gear 41 are arranged on the base plate 13. The open operation receiving portion 48 is integrally provided with the claw lever 26 arranged in the fence block 14, and the closing operation receiving portion 50 is integrally provided with the fork 22 arranged in the fence block 14.

In the electric opening / closing mechanism 32, when the electric motor 35 is opened and driven by the ECU, the sector gear 41 provided with the operating unit 44 operates the opening operation receiving unit 48, and the claw lever 26 is rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position. Let me. As a result, the fork 22 is rotated to the open position, and the latch mechanism 20 is opened. Further, in the electric opening / closing mechanism 32, when the electric motor 35 is closed and driven by the ECU, the sector gear 41 provided with the operating unit 44 operates the closing operation receiving unit 50 to rotate the fork 22 to the full latch position, and the latch mechanism 20. Is in the latched state. The configuration of the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 will be specifically described below.

The actuator 34 includes an electric motor 35 capable of forward rotation (open drive) and reverse rotation (closed drive), and an output gear 36 mechanically connected to the output shaft of the electric motor 35. The electric motor 35 is fixed to the surface of the base plate 13 on the outer panel 5 side. The output gear 36 is arranged on the inner panel 7 side surface of the base plate 13 through the penetrating portion 13b of the base plate 13.

The electric motor 35 is electrically connected to the ECU and the battery by connecting the connector 38 connected by the electric wire 37 to the connector (not shown) of the back door 4. The switch 21, the fork switch 25 shown in FIG. 2, and the switch 39 shown in FIG. 2 are also electrically connected to the connector 38. The switch 21 detects that the claw lever 26 has rotated to the unlocked position when it is turned on by the claw lever 26. The fork switch 25 is a rotary switch having a detector (not shown), and when the detector comes into contact with a part of the fork 22 and operates in conjunction with the fork 22, the fork 22 is in the open position, the half latch position, and so on. And to detect which of the full latch positions it has moved to. The switch 39 is turned on by the interference member 43 of the sector gear 41 to detect that the sector gear 41 has rotated to the neutral position.

The sector gear 41 is a substantially fan-shaped plate body arranged on the inner panel 7 side of the base plate 13. The sector gear 41 is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft (second rotation shaft) 42 arranged in a through hole 13c (see FIG. 3) of the base plate 13. The rotation shaft 42 is arranged so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 23 of the fork 22 and the rotation shaft 29 of the claw lever 26. A plurality of teeth 41a that mesh with the output gear 36 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the sector gear 41.

An interference member 43 for turning on the switch 39 is arranged on the surface of the sector gear 41 on the inner panel 7 side. Further, on the surface of the sector gear 41 on the inner panel 7 side, an opening operation receiving portion 48 of the claw lever 26 and an operating portion 44 for operating the closing operation receiving portion 50 of the fork 22 are provided. The specific configuration of the operation unit 44 will be described in detail later.

The sector gear 41 starts from the neutral position shown in FIGS. 7A and 12A, and when the electric motor 35 rotates forward, it is rotated counterclockwise (first direction) by the output gear 36, and the electric motor 35 reverses. As a result, the output gear 36 rotates clockwise (second direction). That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the sector gear 41 is rotated so as to draw an arc trajectory A about the rotation axis 42.

As shown in FIG. 7A, in the neutral position (first position), the operating portion 44 is separated from the opening operation receiving portion 48 of the claw lever 26 in the locking position. Due to the open drive, the sector gear 41 is opened by the operation unit 44 as shown in FIG. 10A after passing through the rotation angle position (second position) where the operation unit 44 abuts on the opening operation receiving unit 48 as shown in FIG. 8A. It rotates to the rotation angle position (third position) where the receiving portion 48 is pressed. Due to the closing drive, the sector gear 41 rotates to the rotation angle position where the operating unit 44 presses the closing operation receiving unit 50 through the rotation angle position where the operating unit 44 abuts on the closing operation receiving unit 50.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening operation receiving unit 48 receives an operation by the operating unit 44 and rotates the claw lever 26 in the direction B for releasing the lock between the fork 22 and the claw lever 26. , Is integrally provided on the claw lever 26. The opening operation receiving portion 48 projects toward the operating portion 44 from the gap between the base plate 13 and the latch cover 16. Referring to FIG. 7A, in a state where the claw lever 26 is rotated to the locked position, the opening operation receiving portion 48 is located at the lower part of the operating portion 44 (direction A1 to be moved by the opening operation) and on the left side (of the operating portion 44). It is located on the outside of the arc orbit A). The specific structure of the opening operation receiving unit 48 will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the closing operation receiving unit 50 receives an operation by the operating unit 44 and rotates the fork 22 in a direction of rotating to the full latch position, and is provided integrally with the fork 22. .. The closing operation receiving portion 50 includes a fixed portion 50a formed by bending, and the fixing portion 50a is fixed to the tip of a rotating shaft 23 protruding from the latch cover 16 toward the operating portion 44. The closing operation receiving portion 50 extends along the rotating shaft 23 and is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotating shaft 23. With reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B, in the state where the fork 22 is rotated to the open position, the closing operation receiving unit 50 is located on the right side of the operating unit 44 and is curved toward the operating unit 44.

(Overview of manual opening mechanism)
The manual opening mechanism 52 includes an open lever 54 including an opening operation unit 54c, and the above-mentioned opening operation receiving unit 48. That is, the opening operation receiving unit 48 of the present embodiment is configured to receive both an operation by the operating unit 44 of the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 and an operation by the opening operation unit 54c of the manual opening mechanism 52.

The open lever 54 includes a shaft portion 54a for rotatably mounting in the mounting hole 13d (see FIG. 3) of the base plate 13. Further, the open lever 54 includes a handle portion 54b and an opening operation portion 54c that protrude from the shaft portion 54a. The handle portion 54b projects in the opposite direction to the latch mechanism 20. In order to operate the handle portion 54b from the inside of the vehicle with a tool or the like, an opening (not shown) such as a slit is provided in a portion of the inner panel 7 facing the handle portion 54b. The opening operation receiving portion 54c rotates the claw lever 26 by operating the opening operation receiving portion 48, and projects toward the opening operation receiving portion 48. The open lever 54 is urged by the spring 55 from the operating position where the claw lever 26 is opened by the operation of the opening operation receiving portion 48 to the non-operating position separated from the opening operation receiving portion 48.

(Details of operation unit)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the operation unit 44 includes a substantially square columnar first pin 45 with rounded corners and a columnar second pin 46, and projects toward the claw lever 26 side. .. These rotate so as to draw an arc trajectory A about the rotation shaft 42 by the rotation of the sector gear 41.

When the sector gear 41 is opened and driven by the forward rotation of the electric motor 35, the first pin 45 rotates in the direction A1 in contact with the opening operation receiving portion 48. As a result, the opening operation receiving portion 48 is pressed by the first pin 45, and the claw lever 26 is rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position against the urging force of the spring 30 (direction B). Further, when the sector gear 41 is closed and driven by the reversal of the electric motor 35, the first pin 45 rotates in the direction A2 in contact with the closing operation receiving portion 50. As a result, the closing operation receiving portion 50 is pressed by the first pin 45, and the fork 22 is rotated from the open position side (half latch position) to the full latch position against the urging force of the spring 24.

The second pin 46 is arranged at intervals with respect to the first pin 45 in a direction away from the rotation shaft 42 (outward in the radial direction of the sector gear 41). The sector gear 41 is opened and driven by the forward rotation of the electric motor 35, and the first pin 45 comes into contact with the second pin 46 after operating the opening operation receiving portion 48. That is, the second pin 46 comes into contact with the opening operation receiving portion 48 in a state where the claw lever 26 is rotated by the first pin 45 by a predetermined angle, and the claw lever 26 is directed to the unlocked position following the first pin 45. And rotate. The second pin 46 does not operate the closing operation receiving unit 50.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 are configured to sequentially operate the open operation receiving unit 48 by the open drive of the sector gear 41. Therefore, since the rotation angle (operating stroke) of the claw lever 26 can be sufficiently secured, the shape of the opening operation receiving portion 48 can be reduced.

(Details of open operation receiving part)
As shown in FIG. 5, the claw lever 26 is a claw assembly including a metal lever body 27 and a resin (for example, polyacetal) opening operation receiving portion 48.

The outer peripheral portion of the lever body 27 is covered with a coating material 28 made of resin (for example, Erestoma). The locking portion 27a is formed on the lever body 27 and protrudes from the covering material 28. The lever body 27 is provided with an arm portion 27b that projects toward the operation portion 44 along the rotation shaft 29. The arm portion 27b protrudes from the covering material 28. The arm portion 27b is provided with an inclined portion 27c corresponding to the inclined portion 48c of the opening operation receiving portion 48.

The opening operation receiving portion 48 is provided with a mounting hole 48a to be mounted on the tip of the arm portion 27b. The mounting hole 48a is provided with a locking portion 48b for locking to the locking step portion 27d formed on the arm portion 27b. The open operation receiving portion 48 includes an inclined portion 48c with which the operation portion 44 of the sector gear 41 abuts, and a contact portion 48d with which the open operation portion 54c of the open lever 54 abuts.

Also referring to FIG. 6A, the inclined portion 48c is inclined toward the opposite side of the direction B in which the claw lever 26 rotates at the time of opening operation, and in a direction away from the operating portion 44 of the rotating member 41 in the neutral position. That is, the inclined portion 48c extends in the tangential direction with respect to the circular arc trajectory in the circumferential direction in which the claw lever 26 rotates, and the operating portion 44 is driven to open toward the direction in which the spring 30 urges the claw lever 26. It is inclined downward A1. As a result, the inclined portion 48c is brought into contact with the inclined portion 48c from above in a posture in which the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 intersect. Further, when the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 press the inclined portion 48c downward, the claw lever 26 can be rotated to the unlocked position by the inclination of the inclined portion 48c.

If the inclination angle of the inclined portion 48c (the angle formed by the upper surface of the lever body 27 and the inclined portion 48c) is too loose, the claw lever 26 becomes difficult to rotate, and the opening operation receiving portion 48 becomes large. On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the inclined portion 48c is too steep, the operating stroke of the claw lever 26 becomes short. Therefore, in order to reduce the size of the opening operation receiving portion 48, the inclination angle of the inclined portion 48c is preferably 45 degrees or more, and is set to 45 degrees in this embodiment. Further, the operating rotation angle of the claw lever 26 by electric power is such that the actual release angle of the claw lever 26 (the angle at which the fork 22 and the claw lever 26 are unlocked) is about 20 degrees, and the full stroke (mechanically claws). Since the angle at which the lever 26 can rotate) is about 30 degrees, it is preferably 20 degrees or more and 30 degrees or less, and 25 degrees in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6B, if the width W of the inclined portion 48c from the inside to the outside in the radial direction of the claw lever 26 is too large, it is necessary to increase the gap between the base plate 13 and the latch cover 16. Further, if the width W of the inclined portion 48c is too small, the first pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 or the second pin 45 until the claw lever 26 is rotated to the unlocked position unless the total lengths of the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 are lengthened. The pin 46 cannot be maintained in contact with the inclined portion 48c. On the other hand, the arm portion 27b of the claw lever 26 is obtained by bending a part of the metal lever body 27 at a substantially right angle along the rotation axis direction of the claw lever 26. In the present embodiment, the lever body 27 is bent. Since the plate thickness of the arm portion 27b is set to 5 mm, the width of the arm portion 27b is also set to 5 mm. By covering the arm portion 27b with the opening operation receiving portion 48, the width W of the inclined portion 48c is widened to 8 mm, and a sufficient contact allowance for the first pin 45 or the second pin 46 to abut on the inclined portion 48c. Is secured.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 6B, the inclined portion 48c is formed in a curved surface shape that protrudes toward the pins 45 and 46 along the direction in which the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 extend. That is, the cross-sectional shape of the inclined portion 48c in the direction along the width W is curved upward. As a result, the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 come into point contact with the inclined portion 48c. Therefore, the inclined portions 48c and the pins 45 and 46 enable smooth contact movement within the stroke range, reduce frictional resistance due to a smooth dynamic friction state during operation, and reliably rotate the claw lever 26 by driving the sector gear 41. can. The radius of curvature r of the inclined portion 48c is such that when the claw lever 26 rotates from the locked position to the unlocked position, the sliding trajectory between the operating portion 44 and the inclined portion 48c is one end side in the width direction of the inclined portion 48c. It is preferable to set the moving distance of the sliding point to be 1 / 2W or more with respect to the width W of the inclined portion 48c so as to extend from the other end side, that is, to increase the sliding distance. In the embodiment, it is set to 10 mm. With this configuration, the sliding point becomes a smoother dynamic friction state, the sliding resistance between the operating portion 44 and the inclined portion 48c can be reduced, and the wear of the inclined portion 48c can be reduced.

By providing the opening operation receiving portion 48 at the tip of the arm portion 27b of the claw lever 26 in this way, the opening operation receiving portion 48 can be arranged close to the operating portion 44, so that the degree of freedom in arranging the sector gear 41 can be improved. .. Since the opening operation receiving portion 48 is a resin component, it is possible to reduce the collision noise when the operating portion 44 comes into contact with the operating portion 44 and the operating noise when the operating portion 44 slides into contact with the inclined portion 48c.

Referring to FIG. 7A together with FIG. 6B, the inclined portion 48c is arranged at the same height as the rotation shaft 42 of the sector gear 41 when viewed from the direction facing the sector gear 41. That is, the inclined portion 48c of the opening operation receiving portion 48 and the rotating shaft 42 of the sector gear 41 are located at intervals on the left and right, and are set so that the distances from the latch cover 16 are substantially the same. In other words, the inclined portion 48c and the rotating shaft 42 of the sector gear 41 are arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the rotating shaft 29 of the claw lever 26 extends.

The operating portion 44 of the sector gear 41 comes into contact with the inclined portion 48c in this way from above in the vertical direction. Therefore, even if the rotation angle of the sector gear 41 is smaller than that in the case where the opening operation receiving portion 48 and the rotation shaft 42 of the sector gear 41 are arranged at intervals along the rotation shaft 29 of the claw lever 26, the claw is clawed. The lever 26 can be operated with a long stroke. As a result, the sector gear 41 can be miniaturized, so that the entire device can also be miniaturized.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6B, the contact portion 48d is a plate-shaped portion located away from the fork 22 with respect to the inclined portion 48c. The contact portion 48d is provided at a distance from the inclined portion 48c by the connecting portion 48e so that the opening operation portion 54c is located at the front end in the direction in which the opening operation portion 54c is rotated by the opening drive of the open lever 54. In the state where the claw lever 26 is rotated to the locking position, the contact portion 48d extends along the axis of the shaft portion 54a of the open lever 54.

(Preventing deformation of the base plate)
As described above, the sector gear 41 including the operation unit 44 is arranged on the base plate 13, and the claw lever 26 and the fork 22 are arranged on the fence block 14. Further, the sector gear 41 opens the claw lever 26 and closes the fork 22 by driving the electric motor 35. In particular, when the fork 22 is closed, a large load acts on the rotating shaft 42 of the sector gear 41, so that a large load is applied to the base plate 13. As a result, the base plate 13 on which the rotating shaft 42 is arranged is deformed downward. In order to suppress the deformation of the base plate 13 and maintain the opening / closing function for a long period of time, the frame 12 is provided with a deformation preventing portion 57 for preventing the deformation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the deformation prevention portion 57 is formed at the rear portion of the latch base 15 so as to be located at the end of the latch base 15 on the base plate 13 side. The deformation prevention portion 57 includes a first portion 57a bent toward the base plate 13 and a second portion 57b bent with respect to the first portion 57a. The second portion 57b extends in a direction orthogonal to the base plate 13 and covers the lower end of the plate-shaped base plate 13. The second portion 57b and the lower end of the base plate 13 are arranged as close as possible to each other as long as the assembly of the latch base 15 to the base plate 13 is not hindered.

Next, the operation of the door latch device 10 will be described.

When the back door 4 is closed with respect to the vehicle body 1, the fork 22 rotates to the full latch position and the claw lever 26 rotates to the locking position to lock the fork 22 as shown in FIG. 7B. .. Further, the holding groove 22a of the fork 22 holds the striker 2, and the striker 2 cannot be separated from the insertion groove 14a.

(Open drive by electric opening / closing mechanism)
When the open switch of the back door 4 is operated in the latched state, as shown in FIG. 7A, the electric motor 35 rotates in the forward direction, so that the output gear 36 rotates clockwise and the sector gear 41 rotates counterclockwise. Driven open. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the first pin 45 of the sector gear 41 comes into contact with the inclined portion 48c of the opening operation receiving portion 48. As shown in FIG. 8B, in this state, the claw lever 26 has not yet rotated from the locking position, and the state in which the full latch step portion 22b is locked to the locking portion 27a is maintained.

As the rotation of the sector gear 41 progresses, the first pin 45 presses the inclined portion 48c to rotate the claw lever 26 counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the sector gear 41 rotates to a position where the first pin 45 reaches the lower end of the inclined portion 48c, the second pin 46 comes into contact with the inclined portion 48c. In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, the claw lever 26 is rotating toward the unlocked position, but the locking portion 27a and the fork 22 are not yet unlocked.

As the rotation of the sector gear 41 further progresses, the second pin 46 presses the inclined portion 48c to rotate the claw lever 26 counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the second pin 46 approaches the lower end of the inclined portion 48c due to the rotation of the sector gear 41, the lock of the claw lever 26 and the fork 22 is released as shown in FIG. 10B. As a result, the fork 22 can rotate to the open position by the urging force of the spring 24.

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the sector gear 41 rotates until the second pin 46 is located at the lower end of the inclined portion 48c, the forward rotation of the electric motor 35 is stopped. In this state, as shown in FIG. 11B, the claw lever 26 rotates to the non-locking position against the urging force of the spring 30, and the fork 22 rotates to the open position by the urging force of the spring 24. As a result, the striker 2 is separated from the holding groove 22a of the fork 22.

After that, when the fork switch 25 detects that the fork 22 has moved to the open position, the electric motor 35 is reversed so that the output gear 36 rotates counterclockwise and the sector gear 41 rotates clockwise. As a result, the pressing of the inclined portion 48c by the first pin 45 and the second pin 46 is released, and as shown in FIG. 12B, the claw lever 26 is locked from the non-locking position by the urging force of the spring 30. Rotate to position. As shown in FIG. 12A, when the sector gear 41 rotates to the neutral position, the interference member 43 turns on the switch 39 to stop the reversal of the electric motor 35.

The open drive of the electric motor 35 may be configured to rotate forward from the start of driving until a predetermined time elapses, and reverse after a predetermined time elapses. This predetermined time is preferably set in advance to the length from the neutral position until the second pin 46 reaches the lower end of the inclined portion 48c. Further, the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the electric motor 35 may be switched based on the detection result of the switch 21. Further, the reversal of the electric motor 35 may be controlled by time instead of detecting the neutral position of the sector gear 41 by the switch 39.

As described above, in the door latch device 10, since the claw lever 26 and the sector gear 41 are three-dimensionally arranged on different surfaces, the space for arranging the fork 22 and the claw lever 26 can be saved, and the entire device can be miniaturized. Further, since the operation unit 44 of the sector gear 41 directly operates the opening operation receiving unit 48 of the claw lever 26, the opening operation unit 54c of the open lever 54 is arranged between the opening operation receiving unit 48 and the operating unit 44. There is no need. Therefore, since it is not necessary to secure an extra space between the claw lever 26 and the sector gear 41, the parts can be collectively arranged, and in this respect as well, the entire device can be miniaturized.

(Open drive by manual opening mechanism)
As shown in FIG. 2, when the handle portion 54b of the open lever 54 is rotated clockwise in the latched state, the opening operation portion 54c of the open lever 54 abuts on the abutting portion 48d of the claw lever 26 and abuts. The portion 48d is pressed counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the claw lever 26 rotates from the locked position to the unlocked position, and the fork 22 is released from the locked position. Therefore, the fork 22 is rotated to the open position by the urging force of the spring 24.

When the operation of the door handle is stopped, the urging force of the spring 55 causes the open lever 54 to rotate from the operating position to the non-operating position. Then, since the pressing of the contact portion 48d by the opening operation portion 54c is released, the claw lever 26 is rotated from the non-locking position to the locked position by the urging force of the spring 30.

As described above, in the door latch device 10, the latch mechanism 20 can be opened by directly operating the open lever 54 at the time of an emergency such as a shortage of battery power. Further, since the open lever 54 is used only in an emergency, even if the mechanical strength is lowered, problems such as breakage do not occur. Therefore, since the open lever 54 does not require heat treatment such as baking, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(Closed drive by electric opening / closing mechanism)
As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, when the back door 4 in the open state is closed, the striker 2 relatively enters the holding groove 22a of the fork 22 rotated to the open position. Then, the fork 22 rotates from the open position to the full latch position by pressing the striker 2 by the rotation of the back door 4. When the fork 22 rotates from the open position to the half latch position, the half latch step portion 22c is locked by the locking portion 27a of the claw lever 26. At this time, the fork switch 25 detects that the fork 22 has moved to the half latch position. As a result, the reversal of the electric motor 35 is started.

Due to the reversal of the electric motor 35, the output gear 36 rotates counterclockwise, and the sector gear 41 is closed and driven clockwise. As a result, the first pin 45 of the sector gear 41 comes into contact with the closing operation receiving portion 50 of the fork 22. As the rotation of the sector gear 41 progresses, the first pin 45 presses the closing operation receiving portion 50 to rotate the fork 22 from the half latch position to the full latch position against the urging force of the spring 24.

When the fork 22 rotates to the full latch position, the full latch step portion 22b is locked by the locking portion 27a of the claw lever 26. After that, when the fork switch 25 detects that the fork 22 has moved to the full latch position and the claw lever 26 moves to the locking position and the switch 21 is turned off, the electric motor 35 rotates in the normal direction to output. The gear 36 rotates clockwise and the sector gear 41 rotates counterclockwise. Further, when the sector gear 41 rotates to the neutral position, the interference member 43 turns on the switch 39, and the forward rotation of the electric motor 35 is stopped.

The closed drive of the electric motor 35 may be reversed until a predetermined time elapses from the start of the drive, and may be configured to rotate forward when a predetermined time elapses. It is preferable that the predetermined time is set in advance to the length until the fork 22 rotates from the half latch position to the full latch position by pressing the closing operation receiving portion 50 by the first pin 45. Further, the reverse rotation and the normal rotation of the electric motor 35 may be switched based on the detection result of the switch 21. Further, the forward rotation of the electric motor 35 may be controlled by time instead of detecting the neutral position by the switch 39.

As described above, in the door latch device 10 of the present embodiment, the latch mechanism 20 can be opened and operated by the electric opening / closing mechanism 32 or the manual opening mechanism 52. Further, the latch mechanism 20 can be closed by the electric opening / closing mechanism 32. Since the claw lever 26 and the sector gear 41 are three-dimensionally arranged on different surfaces and the claw lever 26 is directly operated by the sector gear 41, each component can be collectively arranged and the entire device can be reliably miniaturized.

The door latch device 10 of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the inclined portion 48c of the opening operation receiving portion 48 formed on the claw lever 26 may have a flat surface shape having no curved surface. Further, the arm portion 27b of the claw lever 26 does not have to be provided with the inclined portion 27c. Further, the opening operation receiving portion 48 may be integrally molded with the metal lever body 27.

The operation unit 44 of the sector gear 41 is composed of the first pin 45 and the second pin 46, but these may be integrally formed of one member long in the radial direction, or may be composed of three or more pins. It may be configured.

The arrangement of the actuator 34, the sector gear 41 including the operation unit 44, the open operation receiving unit 48, and the closing operation receiving unit 50 can be changed as necessary, and the arrangement of the fork 22 and the claw lever 26 is also necessary. Can be changed. Of course, the parts constituting the frame 12 can also be changed as needed.

1 Body 2 Striker 4 Back door 5 Outer panel 6 Tip panel 7 Inner panel 10 Door latch device 12 Frame 13 Base plate 13a Bracket 13b Penetration part 13c Through hole 13d Mounting hole 14 Fence block 14a Insertion groove 15 Latch base 15a Bracket 15b Cover part 15c 16 Latch cover 16a Bracket 20 Latch mechanism 21 Switch 22 Fork 22a Holding groove 22b Full latch step 22c Half latch step 23 Rotating shaft 24 Spring 25 Fork switch 26 Claw lever 27 Lever body 27a Locking part 27b Arm 27c Inclined part 27d Stop part 28 Covering material 29 Rotating shaft (1st rotating shaft)
30 Spring 32 Electric opening / closing mechanism 34 Actuator 35 Electric motor 36 Output gear 37 Electric wire 38 Connector 39 Switch 41 Sector gear (rotating member)
41a tooth 42 rotation axis (second rotation axis)
43 Interference member 44 Operation unit 45 1st pin 46 2nd pin 48 Open operation receiving unit (operation receiving unit)
48a Mounting hole 48b Locking part 48c Inclined part 48d Contact part 48e Connecting part 50 Closing operation receiving part 50a Fixed part 52 Manual opening mechanism 54 Open lever 54a Shaft part 54b Handle part 54c Opening operation part 55 Spring 57 Deformation prevention part 57a No. 1st part 57b 2nd part

Claims (9)

A rotatable fork and a rotatable fork in a holding position for holding the striker in a detachable position and an open position in which the striker can be detached.
The first rotation shaft is set at a locking position where the fork can be locked to the holding position and a non-locking position where the fork is released from the lock and the fork is allowed to rotate to the open position. With a claw lever that can rotate as the center
A rotating member having a second rotating shaft intersecting with the first rotating shaft is provided.
The rotating member has an operating portion that protrudes toward the claw lever.
The claw lever has an operation receiving portion that receives an operation of the operating portion.
The rotating member can rotate about the second rotation axis from a first position where the operating portion is separated from the operating receiving portion to a second position where the operating portion abuts on the operating receiving portion. ,
The operation receiving portion operates the rotating member at the first position toward the opposite side of the direction in which the claw lever rotates from the locked position to the unlocked position around the first rotating shaft. Includes an inclined portion that is inclined away from the portion and is in contact with the operating portion of the rotating member that has been rotated to the second position.
When the rotating member is rotated from the first position beyond the second position, the operating portion presses the inclined portion of the operation receiving portion and rotates the claw lever to the unlocked position. Let the door latch device. The door latch device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion has a curved surface that projects toward the operating portion along a direction in which the operating portion extends. The door latch device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the claw lever has an arm portion that projects toward the operation portion, and the operation receiving portion is provided at the tip of the arm portion. The claw lever has a metal lever body including the arm portion.
The door latch device according to claim 3, wherein the operation receiving portion is a resin component arranged on the arm portion. The door latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation receiving portion includes a contact portion with which a manually operable open lever abuts. The door latch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operation unit includes a first pin and a second pin provided at a distance from the first pin in a direction away from the second rotation axis. Device. Any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second rotating shaft of the rotating member and the operation receiving portion of the claw lever are arranged at the same height when viewed from the direction facing the rotating member. The door latch device described in the section. A base plate on which the rotating member is rotatably arranged, and
The fork and the claw lever are rotatably arranged and provided with a latch base arranged so as to intersect the base plate.
The door latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a deformation preventing portion for preventing deformation of the base plate at an end of the latch base on the base plate side. The rotating member is rotated in a first direction from the first position to the second position and a second direction from the first position to the side opposite to the second position.
According to claim 1, the fork has an operation receiving portion that abuts the operating portion when the rotating member is rotated in the second direction and rotates the fork from the open position side to the holding position. 8. The door latch device according to any one of 8.

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