JPH0346136Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a door lock device provided on an automobile door.

(Prior art) Conventionally, a latch provided on the lock body engages with a striker on the vehicle body when the door is closed, and has a locking function that prevents it from opening due to vibrations or shocks while the vehicle is running, and when the door is opened, it engages with the striker on the vehicle body. In order to forcibly open the striker, it is normally always urged by a return spring to rotate toward the door opening side.

Such a conventional door lock device is known, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-34740.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The door lock device having the above-mentioned structure has problems in that the structure around the latch is complicated, the manufacturing cost is high, and it is difficult to make the door lock device small and lightweight.

Furthermore, if the return spring should be damaged, the latch may malfunction.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has two positions: an open position where the latch can be freely engaged with and disengaged from the striker, and a full latch position where the latch is completely engaged with the striker. The latch is pivotally connected to the lock body with a horizontal axis of rotation, and the latch is prevented from rotating from the fully latched position to the open position by a pole pivotally connected to the lock body. In this automobile door lock device, the center of gravity of the latch is offset with respect to the rotation axis so that the latch generates a rotational moment that rotates from the fully latched position toward the open position due to its own weight. .

(Operation) When the door is closed and the striker on the car body side is fully engaged with the latch inside the lock body, when the open lever is operated to release the pole from the latch, the pole is pressed by the striker. The striker is pushed out of the latch groove by the restoring force of the wedge bumper, weather strip, and seal member pressed around the door.

Thereafter, the latch rotates by itself and returns to the open position due to the rotational moment generated due to the fact that the center of gravity is offset from the rotation axis.

When closing the door, since the latch is always in the open position, the striker smoothly enters the groove of the latch and locks the door.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

Reference numeral 1 designates the lock body, which includes a thin box-shaped resin body 2 made of hard synthetic resin with an open front, and large and small sides facing rearward that are fixed to the front surface of the resin body 2 and bent on both sides. It consists of a metal cover plate 3 that covers both sides of the resin body 2 by pieces 3a and 3b, and metal reinforcing plates 4 and 5 fixed to the upper and lower parts of the rear surface of the resin body 2,
The cover plate 3 is installed inside the door with the front surface of the cover plate 3 in close contact with the inner surface of the rear end wall (not shown) of the inner panel of the door.

A horizontal guide groove 7 is provided in the middle part of the cover plate 3 at the middle part of the front face of the resin body 2 into which a striker 6 fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) and having a U-shaped planar shape enters. , 8 are formed in the resin body 2 below the guide grooves 7, 8.
A plate-shaped latch 10 is formed with a substantially radially U-shaped groove 9 for engaging the striker 6.
It is pivotally mounted with a rotation axis 11 in the front-rear direction.

On the peripheral edge of the latch 10 opposite to the groove 9,
Three sawtooth-shaped engaging portions 12, 13, and 14 are formed, and between the engaging portions 12 and 13, and between the engaging portions 14, a rotating shaft is formed. Cam surfaces 13a and 14a are formed with gentle spiral curves centered at 11.

This latch 10 has a groove 9 as shown in FIG.
The openings of the guide grooves 7, 8 pass through an open position facing the inlet side and a half-latched position midway, and are completely connected to the striker 6 that has entered the guide grooves 7, 8, as shown by broken lines in FIG. striker 6
It is possible to rotate around the rotating shaft 11 between a fully latched position in which the guide grooves 7 and 8 are held deep inside the guide grooves 7 and 8.

The center of gravity G of the latch 10 is determined to be located above and to the right of the rotating shaft 11 in FIG. 1 when the latch 10 is in the fully latched position shown by the broken line in FIG. When all of the locks 10 are released, the latch 10 is able to return from the fully latched position to the open position under its own weight.

Below the latch 10 in the resin body 2, a shaft 15 facing in the front-rear direction is rotatably supported.
6 is integrally formed.

An open lever 1 is provided on the outside of the rear end of the shaft 15.
7 is attached, and a coiled spring is attached to the outer peripheral surface near this end, with one locking piece 18a being locked to the open lever 17, and the other locking piece 18b being locked to the resin body 2. 18 is fitted, and due to the biasing force of this coiled spring 18,
The pole 16 is always biased counterclockwise in FIG.

The pawl 16 is connected to the engaging portion 12, the engaging portion 13, and the engaging portion 1 of the latch 10 when the latch 10 is in the open position, the half-latched position, and the full-latched position.
4, respectively, and serve to prevent the latch 10 from rotating clockwise in FIG. 1, that is, from returning to the open position.

Further, the pawl 16 is rotated from the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 in the release direction, which is the clockwise direction in FIG.
2, 13, 14, and the above-mentioned restraint of the latch 10 can be released.

Further, the pole 16 is configured to prevent the striker 6 that has entered the guide grooves 7 and 8 during the door closing operation.
When the latch 10 is engaged with the latch 10 and the latch 10 is rotated from the open position to the fully latched position, it comes into sliding contact with the cam surfaces 13a and 14a and is rotated in the releasing direction.

Conversely, when the latch 10 does not fully return to the open position after the pawl 16 is rotated in the release direction to release the restraint of the latch 10 during a door opening operation, etc. (the state shown in the second figure), the pawl When the tip of the pawl 16 is brought into contact with the cam surface 13a and the urging force of the coiled spring 18 presses the pawl 16 in the engagement direction,
The cam action of the cam surface 13a forcibly rotates the latch 10 toward the open position, thereby also assisting the return of the latch 10 to the open position due to its own weight.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide groove 7 of the lock body 1
A shaft 19 is installed on the ceiling side in the deep part of the shaft 19 facing in the direction in which the striker 6 enters.
A wedge bumper 20 having a substantially trapezoidal shape with a shaft hole 20a is slidably inserted into the shaft hole 20a.

The wedge bumper 20 has an enlarged diameter hole 21 concentrically with the shaft hole 20a on the inner side end surface (left side in FIG. 2).
is provided, and the bottom surface of this enlarged diameter hole 21 and the guide groove 7
A compression coil spring 22 is compressed around the shaft 19 when it is fitted into the inner end surface of the shaft 19 .

The wedge bumper 20 is made of hard synthetic resin, and has the function of preventing vertical play between the striker 6 and the lock body 1 by its wedge action when the striker 6 approaches.

Note that various door lock operating mechanisms are installed on the rear side of the lock body 1, but their configurations and functions are not directly related to the present invention.
A detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When the automobile door is in the open state shown in Fig. 3,
When closed, the striker 6, shown in phantom lines, slides into the guide grooves 7, 8 of the lock body 1, as shown in FIG.
and rotates the latch 10 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. resists the biasing force of the pole 16 and rotates while pushing it clockwise in FIG.

Further, when the striker 6 advances to a position where the wedge bumper 20 at the back of the groove 7 is pushed slightly inward against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 22, the pawl 16 pushes the engagement portion 13 and the cam surface 14a. It crosses over and engages the engaging portion 14, resulting in the fully latched position shown in FIG. 1, and the striker 6 is restrained within the lock body 1.

To open the door, in the fully latch position shown in FIG.
When the pawl 16 and the engaging portion 14 of the latch 10 are rotated clockwise in FIG.

The striker 6 uses the restoring force of the wedge bumper 20 due to the biasing force of the compression coil spring 22, and the restoring force of the weather strip or seal member made of an elastic material provided on the contact surface between the vehicle body and the door (not shown). The force forces the latch 10 out of the groove 9 and releases the lock, as shown in FIG.

After the striker 6 leaves the groove 9, the latch 10 in a free state moves clockwise in FIG. At the same time, the pawl 16 which has been returned to its original position comes into contact with the cam surface 13a, and the biasing force of the coiled spring 18 applies a rotational moment that also rotates the latch 10 clockwise in FIG. 2. As a result, the engaging portion 12 engages with the pawl 16, and the rotation of the latch 10 is stopped.
It quickly returns to the open position (see Figure 3).

(Modification) In the above-described embodiment, the center of gravity G of the latch is set to be located above the latch axis and on the striker side in the fully latched state, but when the latch is released, it is rotated to the open position. It suffices if the position is such that a rotational moment capable of movement is generated.

Further, a peg made of lead or other metal having a high specific gravity may be buried in a desired location on the striker side of the latch to adjust the center of gravity of the latch.

(Effects of the invention) As explained in detail above, in the door lock device according to the invention, the center of gravity of the latch is offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the latch, and when there is no load, it always shifts from the fully latched position to the open position. Since it is rotatable, the return spring of conventional latches can be omitted.

Therefore, the number of parts is reduced, making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the door lock device.

Furthermore, since the structure around the latch is simplified, the door lock device can be made smaller and lighter.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention in a fully latched state, and Fig. 2 shows a state in which the cover plate has been removed from the lock body in Fig. 1 and the latch has been slightly rotated toward the open position. The front view shown in Figure 3 is
A front view showing the latch in FIG. 2 rotated to the open position, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the latch in FIG.
FIG. 1 Lock body, 2 Resin body, 3 Cover plate, 4, 5 Reinforcement plate, 6 Striker, 7, 8 Guide groove, 9 Groove, 10 Latch, 11 Rotating shaft, 12, 1
3, 14 engaging portion, 13a, 14a cam surface, 15
shaft, 16 poles, 19 shafts, 20 wedge bumpers,
22 compression coil spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of claim for utility model registration] An open position where the latch can be freely engaged and detached from the striker,
It has a horizontal axis of rotation and is pivotally connected to the lock body so that it can freely rotate from the fully engaged position to the fully engaged position of the striker. In an automobile door lock device that can prevent rotation, the center of gravity of the latch is aligned with the rotation axis so that the latch generates a rotational moment that causes the latch to rotate from the fully latched position toward the open position due to its own weight. A door lock device for an automobile, characterized in that the door lock device is biased against the outside.