JP6933491B2 - Vehicle lock device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle lock device for holding and releasing an opening / closing body provided in a vehicle.

In a vehicle, a vehicle lock device that holds a door or a trunk lid, which is an opening / closing body that opens / closes with respect to the vehicle body, in a closed state is used. This type of vehicle locking device generally includes a striker on one of the closure and the vehicle body and a latching mechanism on the other that can hold and release the striker. When the opening / closing body is closed, the striker enters the striker holding groove formed in the latch (also called a hook) constituting the latch mechanism, and the pole (also called a ratchet) engages with the latch to maintain the holding state of the striker. .. When the pole is disengaged from the latch, the latch rotates and the striker is disengaged from the striker holding groove, and the opening / closing body can be opened.

The lock device is provided with a detection means for detecting an operating state. Broadly speaking, the open state in which the latch releases the striker and the locked state in which the latch holds the striker are the targets of detection. The former open state is identified as the open state of the opening / closing body, and the latter locked state opens / closes. It is identified as a closed state of the body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As the locked state, a half-locked state between the open state and the full-locked state may be set in addition to the full-locked state in which the striker is completely held, depending on the difference in the rotation position of the latch.

Japanese Patent No. 4944785

The locking device described in Patent Document 1 detects a fully locked state by changing the rotation position of the pole when closing the door, and detects an open state by changing the rotating position of the latch when opening the door. There is. In such a locking device, a fully locked state is detected when the pole disengages from the latch while the latch is not rotating in the open direction. Specifically, it is assumed that the pole is unlocked while pressing the opening / closing body with a hand or the like. However, at this time, the holding of the latch by the pole has already been released, so if the holding on the opening / closing body is released, the opening / closing body is in the open state, and in terms of notifying the user of the vehicle, it is not in the fully locked state and is practically. It may be more appropriate to treat it as open. The locking device of Cited Document 1 cannot meet such needs.

In addition, if dedicated switches are provided for each of the latch and pole, it is disadvantageous in terms of the number of parts, manufacturing cost, device size, and accuracy control, and it is desirable to detect the state of the lock device with the simplest possible configuration. ing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle locking device having excellent detection accuracy of an operating state of an opening / closing body and having a simple configuration.

The vehicle lock device of the present invention is provided on one of a vehicle body and an opening / closing body that is openable / closable to the vehicle body, and is provided on the other of the vehicle body and the opening / closing body, and the striker enters. A possible groove is formed, and a latch that can rotate from an open position where the striker can enter the groove to a full lock position where the striker is positioned in the groove and the open / close body is held in the fully closed state, and rotatable. A pole that is provided and regulates the rotation of the latch in the open position direction by engaging with the latch located in the full lock position, and the opening / closing body is closed when the pole is engaged with the latch in the full lock position. It detects conditions, when the other conditions of the pole and the switch for detecting the open state of the closing member at all times, Ru comprising a.

According to this vehicle locking device, it is possible to obtain excellent detection accuracy that faithfully reflects the engagement and disengagement states of the pole with respect to the latch. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a dedicated switch for detecting the operation of the latch, the configuration can be simplified.

The relay lever that rotates in conjunction with rotation of the port Lumpur provided, Ru changing the state of the switch in response to rotation of the relay lever.

A driving means for rotating the RELAY lever, the relay lever is provided with a pole operating unit capable of transmitting rotation to the pole, rotating the relay lever by the drive means in a state in which the pole to the latch is engaged, Paul and It is preferably configured to disengage the latch. Since the relay lever has both switch operation and pole operation functions in combination, the number of parts can be reduced.

Further, it is preferable that the relay lever has a rotation limiting portion that prevents the pole from rotating more than the pole in the direction in which the pole engages with the latch.

It is preferable to have a switch piece that elastically deforms to change the switch into an on state and an off state, and the relay lever is always rotationally urged in one direction by this switch piece.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a vehicle lock device having excellent detection accuracy of the operating state of the opening / closing body and having a simple configuration.

It is a figure which shows the initial state of the lock device for a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 1 at the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the half-lock state of the lock device for a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 3 at the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state in the process of transitioning from a half-locked state to a full-locked state of a vehicle lock device. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 5 at the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the full lock state of the lock device for a vehicle. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 7 at the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which the latch is rotated to the overstroke position at the time of the lock operation of the vehicle lock device. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 9 at the angle different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state immediately after the lock device for a vehicle starts an unlocking operation, and the 2nd arm of a relay lever comes into contact with a pole. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 11 at a different angle from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which the lock device for a vehicle is unlocked. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 13 at a different angle from FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which the pole rotated to the overstroke position at the time of the unlocking operation of the vehicle lock device. It is a figure which shows the state of FIG. 15 at an angle different from FIG. It is an external perspective view of the lock device for a vehicle. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the portion pointed by the arrow XVIII. It is sectional drawing which follows the XIX-XIX line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the XX-XX line of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention has been applied will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle lock device of the present embodiment locks and unlocks an opening / closing body (door or trunk lid) that is openably and closably supported on the vehicle body. The case where it is applied as a lock device for a back door (rear door) provided in the above will be described.

A striker S is provided on the vehicle body (not shown), and a lock device 10 is attached to a back door (not shown) that can be opened and closed with respect to the vehicle body. The double-headed line T, double-headed line W, and double-headed line H shown in the figure are the thickness direction of the back door to which the lock device 10 is attached (the vehicle front-rear direction with the back door closed) and the width direction (the vehicle front-rear direction with the back door closed), respectively. The vehicle width direction) and the height direction (vehicle vertical direction with the back door closed) are shown. In the height direction H, the upper part of the vehicle with the back door closed is represented by U, and the lower part of the vehicle is represented by D in the figure. Contrary to the present embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a form in which the lock device 10 is provided on the vehicle body and the striker S is provided on the back door (opening / closing body).

The lock device 10 includes a latch unit 10A that holds and releases the striker S, and a drive unit 10B that causes the latch unit 10A to perform a holding and releasing operation of the striker S. It is connected.

The latch unit 10A includes a base plate 11 that is fixedly attached to the back door. The base plate 11 has a bottom plate portion 11a and a flange portion 11b that are non-parallel to each other, and the bottom plate portion 11a and the flange portion 11b are connected by a pair of side wall portions 11c and 11d. That is, there is a storage space surrounded by the bottom plate portion 11a and the pair of side wall portions 11c and 11d, and the flange portion 11b is located on the outer edge of the storage space. A plurality of screw seats 11e are provided on the flange portion 11b, and the base plate 11 is fastened to the back door using a fixing screw (not shown) inserted into each screw seat 11e and a nut (not shown) into which the fixing screw is screwed. Can be fixed. With the back door closed, the flange portion 11b faces approximately horizontally.

The bottom plate portion 11a of the base plate 11 has an inclination that changes the distance from the flange portion 11b as it advances in the thickness direction T of the back door. A striker entry groove 11f through which the striker S can enter is formed at the edge of the bottom plate portion 11a on the side where the distance from the flange portion 11b is large. Two shaft support holes are formed with the striker entry groove 11f interposed therebetween, and the shaft pin 12 is inserted into one shaft support hole and the shaft pin 13 is inserted into the other shaft support hole. The shaft pin 12 is inserted into a shaft hole formed in the latch 14, and the latch 14 is rotatably supported around the shaft pin 12. The shaft pin 13 is inserted into a shaft hole formed in the pole 15, and the pole 15 is rotatably supported around the shaft pin 13.

The latch 14 includes a striker holding groove 14a formed in a substantially radial direction about the shaft pin 12. The striker holding groove 14a has a width corresponding to the diameter of the striker S, and the striker S can enter the striker holding groove 14a. A half-lock holding portion 14b and a full-lock holding portion 14c are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the latch 14 at a position different from that of the striker holding groove 14a in the rotation direction centered on the shaft pin 12. The half-lock holding portion 14b and the full-lock holding portion 14c each have an engaging surface extending substantially in the radius of gyration of the latch 14.

The latch 14 is rotationally urged in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 1 to 6 by a latch urging spring (not shown). The latch 14 is restricted from rotating in the urging direction by abutting on the regulation edge portion 11g provided on the base plate 11, and the position of the latch 14 at this time is set to the open position (FIGS. 1 and 2, 13 to 16). ). The rotation direction of the latch 14 toward the open position is the open direction, and the rotation direction of the latch 14 opposite to the open direction is the pull-in direction. The latch 14 rotates from the open position to the pull-in direction against the urging force of the latch urging spring, so that the latch 14 has a half-lock position (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a full-lock position (FIGS. 7 and 8, 11 and 11). 12), the overstroke position (FIGS. 9 and 10) can be sequentially advanced.

The pole 15 has a latch engaging portion 15a and an open arm 15b at different positions in the rotation direction about the shaft pin 13. The return regulation protrusion 15c protrudes from the open arm 15b. A stopper surface 15d and a stopper convex portion 15e are formed on the side surface of the pole 15.

The pole 15 is rotationally urged in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 1 to 16 by a pole urging spring (not shown). The pole 15 is restricted from rotating in the urging direction when the stopper surface 15d comes into contact with the side wall portion 11c of the base plate 11, and the position of the pole 15 at this time is the full lock holding position (FIGS. 7 to 12). And. The rotation direction of the pole 15 toward the full lock holding position is the lock direction, and the rotation direction of the pole 15 opposite to the lock direction is the unlock direction. The pole 15 can rotate in the unlocking direction from the full lock holding position against the urging force of the pole urging spring, and the stopper convex portion 15e comes into contact with the side wall portion 11c of the base plate 11 overstroke. It can rotate to the position (FIGS. 15 and 16).

At the full lock holding position of the pole 15, the latch engaging portion 15a is located on the movement locus (rotational locus around the shaft pin 12) of the full lock holding portion 14c of the latch 14. In this state, the latch engaging portion 15a comes into contact with the engaging surface (end surface in the rotation direction) of the full lock holding portion 14c, thereby restricting the rotation of the latch 14 in the open direction rather than the full lock position ( 7 and 8).

The pole 15 further has a half lock holding position (FIGS. 3 and 4) and an unlocking position (FIGS. 1, 2, 13 and 14) between the full lock holding position and the overstroke position. In the half-lock holding position, the latch engaging portion 15a is located on the movement locus (rotational locus around the shaft pin 12) of the half-lock holding portion 14b of the latch 14. In this state, the latch engaging portion 15a comes into contact with the engaging surface (end surface in the rotation direction) of the half lock holding portion 14b, thereby restricting the rotation of the latch 14 in the open direction rather than the half lock position. At this time, the pole 15 does not restrict the rotation of the latch 14 from the half-lock position to the pull-in direction (full lock position).

That is, the full lock holding position of the pole 15 is a position where the lock device 10 maintains the full lock state in which the striker S is pulled to the inner part of the striker entry groove 11f, and the half lock holding position of the pole 15 is the lock device 10. Is a position where the striker S is pulled in halfway through the striker entry groove 11f to maintain a half-locked state. At the unlocking position (FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14) which is advanced in the unlocking direction from the half-locking position on the pole 15, the latch engaging portion 15a of the pole 15 is the latch 14 (particularly the half-lock holding portion). It is a position where the pole 15 is completely retracted from the movement locus of the 14b and the full lock holding portion 14c), and when the pole 15 reaches the unlocked position, the latch 14 can rotate to the open position without being restricted by the pole 15.

The drive unit 10B includes a motor 21, a worm wheel 22, a relay lever 23, and a detection switch 24 in the case 20. The case 20 has a support wall portion 20a that extends in the height direction H and the width direction W, and a shaft pin 25 and a shaft pin 26 are erected on the support wall portion 20a. The shaft pin 25 and the shaft pin 26 are in a substantially parallel relationship.

The case 20 has a socket 20b to which an electronic control unit (not shown) can be connected, and the motor 21 and the detection switch 24 are connected to the electronic control unit through terminals in the socket 20b. The electronic control unit controls the drive of the motor 21 and detects the on / off state of the detection switch 24.

The worm wheel 22 is rotatably supported in the case 20 about the shaft pin 25. It has a worm 27 that protrudes from the motor 21 and meshes with the worm wheel 22, and when the worm 27 is rotationally driven by the motor 21, the worm wheel 22 rotates about the shaft pin 25. The worm wheel 22 has an eccentric cam 22a having a shape that changes its position in the radial direction as it advances in the rotational direction.

The relay lever 23 is rotatably supported in the case 20 about the shaft pin 26. The relay lever 23 integrally comprises an open lever that controls the rotation position of the pole 15 according to the drive of the motor 21 and a switch lever that contacts the detection switch 24 to control on / off. The relay lever 23 has a first arm 30, a second arm 31, a third arm (rotation limiting portion) 32, and a fourth arm 33 extending in different directions from a central portion pivotally supported by the shaft pin 26. doing.

The first arm 30 extends substantially upward in the height direction H from the support position by the shaft pin 26, and the vicinity of the tip of the first arm 30 is located on the rotation locus of the eccentric cam 22a provided on the worm wheel 22. Therefore, when the worm wheel 22 rotates, the eccentric cam 22a presses the vicinity of the tip of the first arm 30, and the relay lever 23 rotates (swings) around the shaft pin 26.

The second arm 31 and the third arm 32 extend substantially downward in the height direction H from the support position by the shaft pin 26, and are separated from each other in the lateral width direction W. In the state where the latch unit 10A and the drive unit 10B are combined, the open arm 15b of the pole 15 and the return regulation protrusion 15c are located between the second arm 31 and the third arm 32. The second arm 31 can come into contact with the side portion of the open arm 15b, and the third arm 32 can come into contact with the return restricting projection 15c.

The fourth arm 33 extends substantially in the lateral width direction W from the support position by the shaft pin 26, and the tip of the fourth arm 33 is located at a position where the detection switch 24 can be pressed.

The detection switch 24 is a leaf switch having a pair of leaf springs, a first switch piece 28 and a second switch piece 29. The first switch piece 28 and the second switch piece 29 are each formed of a metal plate, are supported in the case 20 in a cantilever state in which the tip is not fixed, and elastically deform in the plate thickness direction to come into contact with or separate from each other. By the electronic control unit (not shown) connected to the socket 20b, the conduction state in which the first switch piece 28 and the second switch piece 29 are in contact is switched on, and the first switch piece 28 and the second switch piece 29 are separated from each other in a non-conducting state. The condition is detected as a switch off.

As shown in FIG. 18, the tip of the first switch piece 28 is a bent portion 28a that bends in a chevron shape and extends toward the second switch piece 29, and the end of the bent portion 28a is the second switch piece 29. To touch and separate. Inside the case 20, a stopper 20c is provided so that the vicinity of the tip of the second switch piece 29 can come into contact with the case 20. By abutting the stopper 20c, the second switch piece 29 is restricted from moving (deforming) in the direction approaching the first switch piece 28. The first switch piece 28 maintains a state of being separated from the second switch piece 29 (that is, a switch-off state) without applying an external force.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the second switch piece 29 has a pair of contact pieces located apart from each other in the thickness direction T of the back door, and a slit 29a is provided between the pair of contact pieces. Is formed. The tip of the bent portion 28a of the first switch piece 28 has a triangular shape in which the apex enters the slit 29a of the second switch piece 29.

The fourth arm 33 of the relay lever 23 has a switch operation surface 33a that abuts on the bent portion 28a of the first switch piece 28. The switch operation surface 33a is a convex curved surface, and includes a predetermined cam shape different from a simple cylindrical surface centered on the axis of the shaft pin 27. The amount of pressure applied to the first switch piece 28 changes depending on the change in the contact state of the switch operation surface 33a with respect to the bent portion 28a, and the on / off state of the detection switch 24 can be changed.

Further, the force of the first switch piece 28 pressing the switch operation surface 33a based on the state of being separated from the second switch piece 29 causes the relay lever 23 to move in the counterclockwise direction of FIGS. 1 to 16. The urging force acts. The rotation direction of the relay lever 23 due to the urging force of the first switch piece 28 is the switch-off direction, and the rotation direction of the relay lever 23 in the opposite direction (clockwise in FIGS. 1 to 16) is the switch-on direction.

As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the fourth arm 33 of the relay lever 23 has a lid portion 33b at a position adjacent to the switch operation surface 33a. With the switch operating surface 33a in contact with the bent portion 28a, the lid portion 33b partially covers the side of the bent portion 28a, and the first switch piece in the thickness direction T (direction away from the support wall portion 20a). Limit 28 movements. That is, the misalignment of the first switch piece 28 in the switch-on state is suppressed, and erroneous detection by the detection switch 24 is prevented.

The latch unit 10A and the drive unit 10B are coupled after covering the internal structures shown in FIGS. 1 to 16, respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, in the latch unit 10A, the intermediate frame 40 is placed on the base plate 11, and the base plate 11 and the coupling plate 41 are fastened and fixed with the intermediate frame 40 interposed therebetween. In the drive unit 10B, the opening portion of the case 20 is closed by the cover 42. Then, the latch unit 10A and the drive unit 10B are combined by screwing the coupling plate 41 to the case 20 and the cover 42 while bringing the lower end portion of the case 20 into contact with the flange portion 11b of the base plate 11. The device 10 is in a completed state.

When the latch unit 10A and the drive unit 10B are combined, the open arm 15b of the pole 15 and the return regulation protrusion 15c are located between the second arm 31 and the third arm 32 of the relay lever 23, and the relay lever 23 is a pole. It will be in a state of interlocking with 15.

The lock device 10 having the above configuration operates as follows. 1 and 2 show an initial state (unlocked state) in which the locking device 10 does not hold the striker S. The latch 14 is in the open position and does not hold the striker S in the striker holding groove 14a. That is, the back door is not closed. In the pole 15, the side surface of the latch engaging portion 15a abuts on the side surface of the half lock holding portion 14b (the outer peripheral surface of the latch 14), and rotation to the half lock holding position and the full lock holding position is restricted, and the pole 15 is set to the unlocked position. It is being held.

In the initial state, the relay lever 23 is restricted from rotating in the switch-off direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1) urged by the first switch piece 28 when the third arm 32 comes into contact with the return regulation protrusion 15c. The switch operation surface 33a presses the bent portion 28a to put the detection switch 24 into the switch-on state. The first arm 30 of the relay lever 23 is not in contact with the eccentric cam 22a, and the position of the relay lever 23 is determined by the contact between the return restricting projection 15c and the third arm 32. The open arm 15b of the pole 15 and the second arm 31 of the relay lever 23 are separated from each other.

When the back door is closed, the striker S enters the openings of the striker holding groove 14a and the striker entry groove 11f. With the latch 14 in the open position, the inner surface of the striker holding groove 14a intersects the approach direction of the striker S into the striker entry groove 11f (see FIG. 2), and the striker S is inside the striker holding groove 14a. Presses the inner surface of the striker holding groove 14a while entering the striker holding groove 14a. As a result, the latch 14 starts rotating in the pulling direction (clockwise in FIG. 2) from the open position against the urging force of the latch urging spring (not shown).

When the latch 14 rotates by a predetermined amount in the pull-in direction, the half-locked state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is established. In the half-locked state, the pole 15 rotates in the locking direction from the initial state due to the urging force of the pole urging spring (not shown) to reach the half-lock holding position, and the latch engaging portion 15a engages with the half-lock holding portion 14b. Match. By this engagement, the latch 14 is held in the half-locked position and rotation in the open direction is restricted. When the side surface of the latch engaging portion 15a abuts on the side surface of the full lock holding portion 14c, the rotation of the pole 15 in the locking direction is restricted halfway.

When the relay lever 23 is in the half-locked state from the initial state, the relay lever 23 causes the third arm 32 to follow the movement of the return restricting projection 15c due to the rotation of the pole 15 by the pressing force received from the first switch piece 28, and the switch off direction is slightly increased. Rotate to. However, the switch operation is performed because the rotation of the pole 15 in the locking direction is restricted halfway and the switch operation surface 33a has a predetermined cam surface shape for maintaining the pressure on the bent portion 28a. The state in which the surface 33a still presses the bent portion 28a to contact the second switch piece 29 (switch on the detection switch 24) is maintained. At this time, the first arm 30 is not in contact with the eccentric cam 22a, and the position of the relay lever 23 is determined by the contact between the return restricting projection 15c and the third arm 32. That is, the return restricting projection 15c and the third arm 32 limit the amount of rotation so that the rotation of the relay lever 23 in the switch-off direction does not become larger than the rotation of the pole 15 in the locking direction.

5 and 6 show a state in which the latch 14 is further rotated in the pull-in direction from the half-locked state. In the pole 15, the latch engaging portion 15a is pressed against the side surface of the full lock holding portion 14c and pushed in the unlocking direction, and the return restricting protrusion 15c pushes the third arm 32 to rotate the relay lever 23 in the switch-on direction. There is. Therefore, the state in which the switch operation surface 33a presses the bent portion 28a and is in contact with the second switch piece 29 (the detection switch 24 is switched on) is maintained. At this time, the shape of the switch operation surface 33a is set so that an excessive pressing force is not applied to the first switch piece 28. Further, the first arm 30 is not in contact with the eccentric cam 22a.

7 and 8 show a fully locked state in which the latch 14 reaches the full locked position. In the full lock state, due to the spring urging force of the pole urging spring (not shown), the pole 15 rotates in the lock direction further than in the half lock state to reach the full lock holding position, and the latch engaging portion 15a is moved to the full lock holding portion. Engage with 14c. This engagement regulates the rotation of the latch 14 in the open direction. The striker holding groove 14a of the latch 14 is in a state of being substantially orthogonal to the striker entry groove 11f of the base plate 11, and the latch 14 regulates the striker S from being separated from the striker entry groove 11f and the striker holding groove 14a. When the stopper surface 15d abuts on the side wall portion 11c of the base plate 11, the pole 15 is restricted from rotating in the locking direction rather than the full lock holding position.

When the pole 15 rotates to the full lock holding position, the return restricting projection 15c of the pole 15 separates from the third arm 32 of the relay lever 23 (the gap M1 shown in FIG. 8 is formed). Further, the open arm 15b of the pole 15 and the second arm 31 of the relay lever 23 are maintained in a separated state (the gap M2 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is formed). Therefore, the pole 15 is not involved in the position of the relay lever 23.

The relay lever 23 released from being held by the pole 15 releases the state of pressing the first switch piece 28. Then, the first switch piece 28 separates the bent portion 28a from the second switch piece 29 by the restoring force of the spring (the gap M3 shown in FIGS. 7 and 19 is formed), and the detection switch 24 is switched off (the gap M3 shown in FIGS. 7 and 19 is formed). 18 and 19). The relay lever 23 is pressed by the first switch piece 28 and rotates in the switch-off direction, and the vicinity of the tip of the first arm 30 is brought into contact with the eccentric cam 22a to restrict further rotation in the switch-off direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 18, the vicinity of the end portion of the switch operation surface 33a of the relay lever 23 faces the bent portion 28a.

When the detection switch 24 is switched off, the electronic control unit detects that the lock device 10 is in the fully locked state (that is, the back door is closed). The timing at which the detection switch 24 changes from the switch-on state to the switch-off state is the moment when the pole 15 rotates to the full lock holding position and the latch engaging portion 15a engages with the full lock holding portion 14c of the latch 14. That is, the detection of the full lock state (switch off of the detection switch 24) is performed at the timing corresponding to the transition to the actual full lock state in which the latch 14 is held in the full lock position by the pole 15.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the latch 14 can rotate to an overstroke position further advanced in the pull-in direction than the full lock position. By setting the overstroke position on the latch 14, it is possible to absorb errors in parts and assembly in the locking device 10 and realize a reliable locking operation. After rotating to the overstroke position by the force of the striker S, the latch 14 returns to the open direction by the urging force of the latch urging spring (not shown), and the full lock holding portion 14c comes into contact with the latch engaging portion 15a. It is stopped at the full lock position (FIGS. 7 and 8).

When the latch 14 rotates to the overstroke position, the full lock holding portion 14c separates from the latch engaging portion 15a. Since the pole 15 is restricted from rotating in the locking direction from the full lock holding position due to the contact between the stopper surface 15d and the side wall portion 11c, the pole 15 stays on the latch 14 even if the full lock holding portion 14c is separated from the latch engaging portion 15a. Maintains the full lock holding position without following. Therefore, there is no change in the switch-off state of the detection switch 24 (the gap M3 shown in FIGS. 9 and 19 is maintained), and it is still detected that the detection switch 24 is in the full lock state. In this way, by detecting the detection switch 24 with reference to the position of the pole 15, it is stable with high accuracy without being affected by the position change between the full lock position and the overstroke position of the latch 14. It is possible to detect the fully locked state.

11 and 12 show a state immediately after the motor 21 is driven from the fully locked state to start the unlocking operation. The rotation of the worm wheel 22 to which the driving force is transmitted from the worm 27 causes the eccentric cam 22a to press the first arm 30 and the relay lever 23 to rotate slightly in the switch-on direction, so that the eccentric cam 22a exists in a fully locked state. The gap M2 (FIGS. 7 and 8) between the second arm 31 and the open arm 15b disappears, and the rotation is transmitted from the relay lever 23 to the pole 15.

The states of FIGS. 11 and 12 indicate the moment when the second arm 31 abuts on the open arm 15b, and the pole 15 has not started to rotate from the full lock holding position to the unlocking direction. Then, the detection switch 24 maintains the switch-off state following the full lock state, and a detection result reflecting the full lock state in which the latch engaging portion 15a locks the full lock holding portion 14c can be obtained.

The state of the detection switch 24 at this time is shown in FIG. When the relay lever 23 rotates slightly in the switch-on direction, the switch operation surface 33a presses the first switch piece 28, and the bent portion 28a is in the second switch piece 29 rather than in the fully locked state (the state where there is a gap M3). Approach. Here, as shown in FIG. 20, since the apex portion of the tip of the bent portion 28a formed in a triangular shape enters the slit 29a of the second switch piece 29, the two apex of the tip of the bent portion 28a are sandwiched. There is a gap M4 between the side and both edges of the slit 29a of the second switch piece 29. That is, the bent portion 28a does not come into contact with the second switch piece 29, and the switch-off state is maintained. For comparison, FIG. 19 shows a gap M5 between two sides sandwiching the apex of the tip of the bent portion 28a and both edges of the slit 29a of the second switch piece 29 in the fully locked state. The gap M5 is larger than the gap M3 and the gap M4, and the difference between the gap M5 and the gap M3 is a margin for maintaining the switch-off state even when the relay lever 23 rotates from the fully locked state to the switch-on direction.

When the driving (unlocking operation) of the motor 21 is continued from the states of FIGS. 11 and 12, the eccentric cam 22a presses the first arm 30, the relay lever 23 further rotates in the switch-on direction, and the second arm 31 moves. By pressing the open arm 15b, the pole 15 rotates in the unlocking direction against the urging force of the pole urging spring (not shown).

13 and 14 show a state in which the pole 15 is rotated to the unlocked position where the latch engaging portion 15a unlocks the full lock holding portion 14c by driving the motor 21. When the rotation restriction by the pole 15 with respect to the latch 14 is released, the latch 14 rotates from the full lock position to the open position by the urging force of the latch urging spring (not shown), and the striker S is released from the striker holding groove 14a. do.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the relay lever 23 rotates the pole 15 to the unlocked position, the switch operation surface 33a on the fourth arm 33 bends against the load of the first switch piece 28. The 28a is pushed into contact with the second switch piece 29, and the detection switch 24 switches from the switch-off state (FIGS. 11, 12, and 20) to the switch-on state. Upon switching to the switch-on state, the electronic control unit detects that the lock device 10 has released the full lock state (that is, the back door has been opened). Since the timing of this detection substantially coincides with the timing at which the pole 15 releases the lock on the latch 14, the actual mechanical release and the electrical detection (switch on of the detection switch 24) coincide with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the relay lever 23 advances the pole 15 further from the unlocking position (FIGS. 13 and 14) in the unlocking direction in order to ensure the unlocking. Rotate to. When the stopper convex portion 15e provided on the pole 15 comes into contact with the side wall portion 11c of the base plate 11, further rotation of the pole 15 in the unlocking direction is restricted. Even when the pole 15 is rotated to the overstroke position, the switch-on state of the detection switch 24 is continuously maintained. In order to rotate the pole 15 to the overstroke position, the relay lever 23 is further rotated in the switch-on direction than in the unlocked state of FIGS. 13 and 14. At this time, the shape of the switch operation surface 33a is set so that an excessive pressing force is not applied to the first switch piece 28. Specifically, by forming the switch operation surface 33a in this portion into a cylindrical shape centered on the axis of the shaft pin 26, the pressing state on the first switch piece 28 changes even if the relay lever 23 rotates. You can prevent it from happening.

When the eccentric cam 22a passes the position where the eccentric cam 22a presses the first arm 30 while the worm wheel 22 continues to rotate from the state of FIGS. 15 and 16, the pressing of the open arm 15b by the second arm 31 of the relay lever 23 is released. NS. Then, the pole 15 rotates in the locking direction by the urging force of the pole urging spring (not shown). In this state, the latch 14 has already rotated to the open position, and when the pole 15 (latch engaging portion 15a) comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the latch 14 (half lock holding portion 14b), the pole 15 rotates in the locking direction. Is regulated (see FIGS. 1 and 2). When the worm wheel 22 reaches the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the driving of the motor 21 is stopped, and the lock device 10 returns to the initial state (FIGS. 1 and 2).

As described above, in the locking device 10 of the present embodiment, the back door is closed and the back door is opened by detecting only the rotation position of the pole 15 without depending on the position of the latch 14. The open state is detected. More specifically, in the state where the pole 15 is engaged with the latch 14 in the full lock position (the state in which the pole 15 is in the full lock holding position), the switch off of the detection switch 24 is maintained and the back door Detects the closed state, and in other states of the pole 15 (the state where the pole 15 is located in the unlocking direction from the full lock holding position), the detection switch 24 is switched on to constantly detect the open state of the back door. .. Then, by setting only the rotation position of the pole 15 as the detection target, it is possible to realize reliable detection corresponding to the actual operating state of the latch unit 10A without being affected by the rotation position of the latch 14.

For example, if a full lock state is to be detected by the rotation of the latch 14, the latch 14 has a half lock position (FIGS. 3 and 4) in the forward and reverse rotation directions from the full lock position (FIGS. 7 and 8). Since there are overstroke positions (FIGS. 9 and 10), it is difficult to accurately detect the moment when the fully locked state is actually reached. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in the closing operation of the back door, the detection switch 24 is set according to the operation of the pole 15 rotating to the full lock holding position that regulates the rotation of the latch 14 in the open direction from the full lock position. Since it is switched (switched on to off), it is possible to accurately detect the full lock state.

Further, when an irregular operation is performed such that the pole 15 is disengaged from the latch 14 (driving the motor 21) while holding the back door closed, the back door itself is not opened, but the latch 14 is used. The holding by the pole 15 is released. If the back door is detected by the latch 14 in the open state, the latch 14 is not rotated in the open direction by pressing the back door, so that this state is detected as the door closed state. .. However, the lock by the pole 15 has already been released, and when the pressure on the back door is released, the back door opens (the lock device 10 returns to the initial state of FIGS. 1 and 2), so this state is the door closed state. If it is detected, it will not match the actual state of the lock device 10. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the detection switch 24 is switched on in response to the operation of rotating the pole 15 in the disengagement direction from the fully locked state to detect the open state of the back door, so that irregular operation is performed. It is possible to detect according to the actual state when it is resolved.

When it is realized that the closed state and the open state of the back door are detected only by the rotating position of the pole 15 without using the rotating position of the latch 14, the pole 15 comes into direct contact with a switch such as the detection switch 24. It is also envisioned that a configuration will be adopted in which the switch is operated. However, as a restriction on the basic shape of the back door, the size and space are likely to be restricted in the thickness direction T of the door. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the poles 15 are arranged so as to face the longitudinal direction in the thickness direction T. Therefore, as a layout in the lock device 10, the poles 15 are arranged in the thickness direction T in order to directly operate the switch. Difficult to extend to.

Further, as another configuration in which the pole 15 is brought into direct contact with the switch, it is assumed that the first switch piece 28 and the second switch piece 29 constituting the detection switch 24 are extended until they enter the latch unit 10A. However, if the detection switch 24, which is a cantilever leaf spring, is projected from the drive unit 10B, there is a risk that the detection switch 24 may be deformed before the latch unit 10A and the drive unit 10B are combined or during the combination work. be.

Unlike such a configuration, in the present embodiment, the pole 15 is not extended in the thickness direction T, and the length of the detection switch 24 is kept short enough to fit in the case 20 of the drive unit 10B on the drive unit 10B side. The detection switch 24 is turned on and off via the relay lever 23 provided in the above. The relay lever 23 is arranged in the thickness direction T because the first arm 30, the second arm 31, and the second arm 32 extend in the height direction H and the fourth arm 33 extends in the width direction W. The size can be set without being restricted by space.

In particular, in the drive unit 10B, the motor 21 and the worm wheel 22 are arranged in the width direction W, and the relay lever 23 (first arm 30, second arm 31 and second arm) is in the height direction H connecting the worm wheel 22 and the pole 15. Since the layout is such that 32) is extended, a space is obtained below the motor 21 in the case 20. Since the detection switch 24 is arranged in this space and the fourth arm 33 that functions as a switch lever for pressing and operating the detection switch 24 is extended, the detection switch 24 and its operating means (fourth arm 33) are space-efficient. It fits well.

Moreover, since the relay lever 23 is configured by integrating the fourth arm 33 that functions as a switch lever with the first arm 30 and the second arm 31 that function as open levers that unlock the pole 15, the number of parts is increased. It can be suppressed to a simple structure. By integrating the switch lever and the open lever, there is no accuracy error between a plurality of levers, which contributes to highly accurate switch operation.

In the relay lever 23, the second arm 31 and the third arm 32 extend downward in the height direction H from the central portion supported by the shaft pin 26, and the fourth arm 30 extends in the lateral width direction W substantially perpendicular to the second arm 31 and the third arm 32. ing. The first arm 30, which is the longest compared to the other arms 31, 32 and 33, extends substantially downward in the height direction H, but is not aligned with the second arm 31 and the third arm 32 in a straight line. As it moves away from the shaft pin 26 toward the tip end side, it has an inclination in the lateral width direction W in the direction away from the fourth arm 30. Due to the relationship between the extension directions and the lengths of the four arms, the center of gravity of the relay lever 23 is located near the central portion supported by the shaft pin 26, the load when driving is small, and the detection switch. No extra load fluctuation is given to 24.

Further, the relay lever 23, which has less restrictions on the length setting of each arm than the pole 15, which is restricted by the length in the thickness direction T, has a rotational movement amount (pressing the switch) of the fourth arm 33. It is easy to increase the amount of movement of the part to be moved). Specifically, when the lock device 10 performs the operation described above, the tip of the fourth arm 33 of the relay lever 23 is more than the amount of rotational movement of the tip of the open arm 15b and the return regulation protrusion 15c of the pole 15. The amount of rotational movement of the portion (switch operation surface 33a) is larger. As a result, the relay lever 23 can control the on / off of the detection switch 24 with high accuracy.

The first switch piece 28 applies an urging force to the relay lever 23 in the switch-off direction away from the second switch piece 29. The relay lever 23 puts the detection switch 24 in the switch-on state against the urging force from the first switch piece 28 by bringing the third arm 32 into contact with the return regulation protrusion 15c and being restricted by the pole 15. Let me. Further, the relay lever 23 releases the pressing on the first switch piece 28 by the rotation when pressing the pole 15 in the unlocking direction by driving the motor 21, and puts the detection switch 24 in the switch-off state. Therefore, the detection switch 24 can be controlled with a simple configuration having a small number of parts without providing a unique urging means (other than the first switch piece 28) for rotationally urging the relay lever 23.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment and can be improved or modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

As described above, considering the conditions such as the layout of the lock device 10, it is preferable to interpose the relay lever 23 between the pole 15 and the detection switch 24, but the present invention has a configuration in which the pole and the switch are in direct contact with each other. It does not exclude it. As an example, unlike the lock device 10 of the embodiment, when there is a space around the open arm 15b of the pole 15, a detection switch is arranged in the space, and the open arm 15b directly presses the detection switch. It may be configured to do so.

In the embodiment, the first switch piece 28 (bending portion 28a) of the detection switch 24 is constantly in contact with the fourth arm 33 (switch operation surface 33a) of the relay lever 23 to apply urging force. It is also possible to configure the switch operating portion to be separated from the switch when it is turned off.

In the embodiment, the detection switch 24 composed of leaf switches using a pair of leaf springs is used, but other than this, any type of switch such as a micro switch or a tact switch can also be used.

When a leaf switch is used, only one of the pair of leaf springs corresponding to the first switch piece 28 of the embodiment can be elastically deformed, and the other leaf spring corresponding to the second switch piece 29 of the embodiment is fixed. It is also possible to support it. That is, the second switch piece 29 of the embodiment is restricted from moving only in the direction of contact with the stopper 20c of the case 20, but supports the second switch piece 29 so that the movement in the opposite direction is also restricted. You may.

The relay lever 23 of the embodiment is driven by the motor 21 when the lock is released, but is relayed via a wire or the like in addition to the electric drive system by the motor 21 or by omitting the electric drive system by the motor 21. It is also possible to configure the lever 23 so that it can be operated.

Although the lock device 10 of the embodiment is for holding and releasing the back door of the vehicle, the present invention is applied to a lock device for the entire opening / closing body of the vehicle such as a door (side door or the like) other than the back door or a trunk lid. Can be used.

10 Locking device 10A Latch unit 10B Drive unit 11 Base plate 11a Bottom plate 11b Flange 11c Side wall 11d Side wall 11e Screw seat 11f Striker entry groove 11g Restriction edge 12 Axis pin 13 Axis pin 14 Latch 14a Striker holding groove 14b Half lock holding Part 14c Full lock holding part 15 Pole 15a Latch engaging part 15b Open arm 15c Return regulation protrusion 15d Stopper surface 15e Stopper convex part 20 Case 20a Support wall part 20b Socket 20c Stopper 21 Motor 22 Warm wheel 22a Eccentric cam 23 Relay lever 24 Detection Switch 25 Shaft pin 26 Shaft pin 27 Warm 28 1st switch piece 28a Bending part 29 2nd switch piece 29a Slit 30 1st arm 31 2nd arm (pole operation part)
32 Third arm (rotation limit part)
33 4th arm 33a Switch operation surface 33b Lid 40 Intermediate frame 41 Coupling plate 42 Cover S Striker

Claims (4)

A striker provided on one of a vehicle body and an opening / closing body that is openable / closable to the vehicle body.
A groove is formed on the other side of the vehicle body and the opening / closing body so that the striker can enter, and the striker is positioned in the groove from an open position where the striker can enter the groove to open / close the opening / closing. A latch that can rotate to the full lock position that keeps the body fully closed,
A pole that is rotatably provided and that regulates the rotation of the latch in the open position direction by engaging with the latch located at the full lock position.
A switch that detects the closed state of the open / close body when the pole is engaged with the latch in the full lock position, and constantly detects the open state of the open / close body when the pole is in any other state. ,
A relay lever that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the pole,
A driving means for rotating the relay lever and
Equipped with a,
The state of the switch is changed according to the rotation of the relay lever.
The relay lever is provided with a pole operating portion capable of transmitting rotation to the pole, and when the relay lever is rotated by the driving means in a state where the pole is engaged with the latch, the pole and the latch are engaged. vehicle locking device according to claim Rukoto to release the engagement. Said relay lever, when said pawl is rotated in a direction for engaging the latch, vehicle locking device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation limiting portion to prevent rotation than the pole in the direction. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the switch has a switch piece that elastically deforms to change the switch into an on state and an off state, and the relay lever is always urged to rotate in one direction by the switch piece. Lock device. A striker provided on one of a vehicle body and an opening / closing body that is openable / closable to the vehicle body.
A groove is formed on the other side of the vehicle body and the opening / closing body so that the striker can enter, and the striker is positioned in the groove from an open position where the striker can enter the groove to open / close the opening / closing. A latch that can rotate to the full lock position that keeps the body fully closed,
A pole that is rotatably provided and that regulates the rotation of the latch in the open position direction by engaging with the latch located at the full lock position.
A switch that detects the closed state of the open / close body when the pole is engaged with the latch in the full lock position, and constantly detects the open state of the open / close body when the pole is in any other state. ,
A relay lever that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the pole,
With
The state of the switch is changed according to the rotation of the relay lever.
The switch has a switch piece that elastically deforms to change the switch into an on state and an off state, and the relay lever is always urged to rotate in one direction by the switch piece. ..

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