KR20240010814A - Electric powered latch apparatus for locking door - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosed electric door latch device includes an electric motor having a rotating motor shaft; Sector gears rotating in one direction and in the opposite direction according to the rotation direction of the motor shaft; a catch that is elastically biased to rotate in the direction in which the door is unlocked, and rotates in the direction in which the door is locked when the sector gear rotates in one direction; and a pawl that is elastically biased to rotate in a direction that blocks the catch when the catch is rotated in the direction in which the door is locked, and rotates in a direction that does not block the catch when the sector gear rotates in the opposite direction.

Description

Electric door latch device {ELECTRIC POWERED LATCH APPARATUS FOR LOCKING DOOR}

The present invention relates to an electric door latch device in which a cinching operation to lock a door and a release operation to unlock the door are performed by the power of an electric motor.

The vehicle is equipped with a door latch for locking the door. Generally, a door latch includes a catch that restrains a striker provided on the vehicle body, a pawl that restrains the catch, and a release cable that is pulled when the door handle is rotated. , when the release cable is pulled, it is provided with a release lever that rotates the pole so that the restraint of the catch by the pole is released.

When the door is closed with this configuration, the striker is inserted into the groove of the catch, causing the catch to rotate in one direction, and the pawl blocks the catch from rotating in the opposite direction, locking the door. When the handle rotates while the door is closed, the restraint of the catch by the pawl is released as described above, and the door is unlocked. That is, the door is released.

Recently, to increase convenience, electric door latch devices with so-called power cinching and power release functions have been developed to lock and unlock the door by rotating the catch and pawl with the power of an electric motor. It is applied to vehicles. However, the conventional electric door latch device includes a cinching actuator having an electric motor for performing a power cinching function, and a release actuator having an electric motor for performing a power release function. Therefore, the electric door latch device is heavy, requires a large installation space, and increases manufacturing costs.

The background technology for the present invention is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-0736977 (registered on July 2, 2007, title of invention: Power Latch System).

The present invention was created to improve the above problems, and provides an electric door latch device that performs a power cinching function and a power release function by the power of a single electric motor.

The present invention includes an electric motor having a rotating motor shaft; a sector gear rotating in one direction and in an opposite direction according to the rotation direction of the motor shaft; a catch that is elastically biased to rotate in the direction in which the door is unlocked, and rotates in the direction in which the door is locked when the sector gear rotates in the one direction; and a pawl that is elastically biased to rotate in a direction that blocks the catch when the catch is rotated in the direction in which the door is locked, and rotates in a direction that does not block the catch when the sector gear rotates in the opposite direction. Provides an electric door latch device including a.

The electric door latch device of the present invention includes a cinching pawl coupled to the sector gear; and a catch trigger that is pushed by the cinching pawl and rotates the catch in the direction in which the door is locked when the sector gear rotates in the one direction.

The catch trigger may rotate coaxially with the catch.

The electric door latch device of the present invention may further include a power release lever that rotates the pawl in a direction that does not block the catch when the sector gear rotates in the opposite direction.

The power release lever may be pushed and rotated by the rotating sector gear and may push the pawl to rotate.

The sector gear returns to the origin angle after rotating in the one direction and the opposite direction, and the origin angle is the angle between the maximum angle at which the sector gear can rotate in the one direction and the maximum angle at which the sector gear can rotate in the opposite direction. You can. \

The electric door latch device of the present invention includes a worm gear that rotates coaxially with the motor shaft; a wheel gear meshed with the worm gear; It may further include a pinion gear that rotates coaxially with the wheel gear and is meshed with the sector gear.

The electric door latch device of the present invention includes a base panel where the sector gear, the catch, the pawl, and the pinion gear are accommodated; a cover panel on which the electric motor is mounted; And interposed between the base panel and the cover panel to separate a space where the sector gear, the catch, the pawl, and the pinion gear are placed, and a space where the electric motor, the worm gear, and the wheel gear are placed. It may further include a separation panel.

The electric door latch device of the present invention performs a power cinching function and a power release function by the power of a single electric motor. In other words, since it has only one electric motor, it is easy to make the electric door latch device lighter and more compact, it is easy to install even in a narrow installation space, and manufacturing costs are reduced.

1 is a perspective view of an electric door latch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the electric door latch device of Figure 1, where Figure 2 is a view from above and Figure 3 is a view from below.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the base panel of FIG. 2 and members supported thereon, where FIG. 4 is a view viewed from above and FIG. 5 is a view viewed from below.
FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the base panel of FIG. 2 and members supported thereon.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of Figure 4 with the base panel removed.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the base panel in FIG. 5 removed and the catch spaced apart from the sector gear shaft.

Hereinafter, an electric door latch device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The terminology used in this specification is a term used to appropriately express preferred embodiments of the present invention, and may vary depending on the intention of the user or operator or the customs of the field to which the present invention belongs. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electric door latch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 2 and 3 are exploded perspective views of the electric door latch device of Figure 1, where Figure 2 is a view seen from above and Figure 3 is a view seen from below. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the base panel of FIG. 2 and members supported thereon, where FIG. 4 is a view seen from above, FIG. 5 is a view seen from below, and FIG. 6 is a view of the base panel of FIG. 2. and a bottom view showing the members supported thereon, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the base panel in FIG. 4 removed, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view shown in FIG. 5 with the base panel removed and the catch arranged to be spaced apart from the support shaft. It is a perspective view.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8 together, the electric door latch device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a power cinching function for locking the door with the power of one electric motor 50 and a door locking function ( It is a device that performs a power release function to release locking. The electric door latch device 10 can be installed inside the door of a vehicle or in the trunk, especially inside the sliding door of a PBV (Purpose Built Vehicle) such as a multi-passenger van. It can be.

The electric door latch device 10 includes a housing 11, an electric motor 50, a worm gear 52, a wheel gear 53, and a pinion gear 58. ), sector gear (60), catch (75), pawl (80), cinching pawl (67), catch trigger (71), power release It includes a power release lever (90), and a printed circuit board (PCB) (110). The housing 11 includes a base panel 12, a cover panel 30, and a separation panel 20.

The base panel 12 has a pinion gear 58, a sector gear 60, a catch 75, a pawl 80, a cinching pawl 67, a catch trigger 71, and a power release lever 90 inside. It is provided with an outer wall portion 13 that surrounds them so as to accommodate them, and a flange portion 16 extending radially from the top of the outer wall portion 13. Hereinafter, the space inside the outer wall portion 13 is referred to as the machine parts space. The mechanical component space inside the outer wall portion 13 is divided into an upper groove portion 14 exposed upward and a lower groove portion 15 exposed downward. The pinion gear 58 and the sector gear 60 can be accommodated in the upper groove portion 14, and the catch 75 and the pawl 80 can be accommodated in the lower groove portion 15.

An electric motor 50 is mounted on the cover panel 30. The cover panel 30 protrudes downward from the outer peripheral edge, that is, toward the base panel 12, and has a skirt portion 31 extending in a closed curve to surround the electric motor 50 and the wheel gear 53. is provided.

The separation panel 20 is interposed between the base panel 12 and the cover panel 30, and includes a pinion gear 58, a sector gear 60, a catch 75, a pawl 80, a shin pawl 67, A space where the catch trigger 71 and the power release lever 90 are disposed, that is, a mechanical part space, and an electric motor 50, a worm gear 52, a wheel gear 53, and a PCB 110 are disposed. Separate the space, that is, the electronic component space. The separation panel 20 has a flat plate portion 25 supporting the PCB 110, protrudes from the outer edge of the flat plate portion 25 toward the upper side, that is, toward the cover panel 30, and has a closed curve to surround the PCB 110. It is provided with an extended outer wall portion (21).

The separation panel 20 and the cover panel 30 may be coupled by fastening screws, and the separation panel 20 and the base panel 12 may be coupled by other fastening screws. Specifically, the flange portion 16 of the base panel 12 and the lower portion of the separation panel 20 may be coupled. Alternatively, the base panel 12, the separation panel 20, and the cover panel 30 may be coupled by long fastening screws crossing the separation panel 20. The electronic component space is defined by the flat portion 25, the outer wall portion 21, and the cover panel 30 of the separation panel 20, and can be sealed to prevent moisture from penetrating from the outside.

The electric motor 50 has a motor shaft that rotates by power supply. The worm gear 52 is fixedly coupled to the motor shaft and rotates coaxially when the motor shaft rotates. The wheel gear 53 is a circular gear with gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface and is meshed with the worm gear 52. The wheel gear 53 rotates around a vertical rotation axis orthogonal to the rotation axis of the motor shaft.

The pinion gear 58 is a circular gear with gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface and a smaller diameter than the wheel gear 53, and rotates coaxially with the rotation axis of the wheel gear 53. The wheel gear 53 and the pinion gear 58 rotate the wheel gear 53 so that the pinion gear 58 disposed in the mechanical component space rotates coaxially with the wheel gear 53 disposed in the electronic component space. They are connected by a through shaft extending along the axis. The through shaft has an upper end connected to the wheel gear 53 and a lower end connected to the pinion gear 58, and penetrates the flat portion 25 of the separation panel 20. A shaft through hole 26 through which the through shaft passes is formed in the flat portion 25.

Specifically, the through shaft includes a male coupler 56 extending upward from the pinion gear 58 along the rotation axis of the wheel gear 53, and a male coupler 56 extending upward from the pinion gear 58 along the rotation axis of the wheel gear 53. It is provided with a female coupler (55) that extends downward along and has an insertion hole (hole) open downward to fit the male coupler (56). The cross-sectional shape of the male coupler 56 is, for example, an angular shape such as a hexagon, and the cross-sectional shape of the insertion hole of the female coupler 55 is also angular, corresponding to the angular shape of the male coupler 56. Accordingly, when the wheel gear 53 rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the pinion gear 58 through the female coupler 55 and the male coupler 56. The pinion gear shaft 59 protruding and extending downward from the pinion gear 58 becomes the rotation center of the pinion gear 58.

The sector gear 60 rotates in one direction and in the opposite direction depending on the rotation direction of the motor shaft. The sector gear 60 is a fan-shaped gear, and the gear teeth formed on the outer surface mesh with the gear teeth of the pinion gear 58. The sector gear 60 is spaced apart from the pinion gear shaft 59 and is coupled to the sector gear shaft 65 extending parallel to the pinion gear shaft 59 in the vertical direction and rotates with the sector gear shaft 65 as the rotation center. do. Based on FIG. 7, when the sector gear 60 rotates clockwise, it is said that the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction, and when the sector gear 60 rotates counterclockwise, the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction. It is said to rotate in one direction. When the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction, the vehicle doors are locked, and when it rotates in the opposite direction, the vehicle doors are unlocked. In other words, when the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction, the cinching function is performed, and when it rotates in the opposite direction, the release function is performed.

The sector gear 60 returns to the origin angle after rotating in one direction, and also returns to the origin angle after rotating in the opposite direction. The origin angle is the angle between the maximum angle at which the sector gear 60 can rotate in one direction and the maximum angle at which the sector gear 60 can rotate in the opposite direction. To elaborate, when the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction from the origin angle by the power of the electric motor 50, the door of the vehicle is locked, and after the door of the vehicle is locked, the sector gear (60) is rotated by the power of the electric motor 50. 60) returns to the origin angle. In addition, when the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction from the origin angle by the power of the electric motor 50, the door of the vehicle is unlocked, and after the door is unlocked, the sector gear 60 is rotated in the opposite direction from the origin angle by the power of the electric motor 50. The sector gear 60 returns to the origin angle.

The catch 75 is coupled to the sector gear shaft 65 to rotate with the sector gear shaft 65 as the center of rotation. A shaft through hole 76 through which the sector gear shaft 65 passes is formed in the catch 75. The catch 75 includes a striker interference portion 77 having an open groove on one side, and a stepped pawl interference portion 78 around the striker interference portion 77.

As shown in FIG. 6, the door is locked when the groove of the striker interference portion 77 is opened in the direction toward the pawl 80, and the groove of the striker interference portion 77 is opened in the direction shown in FIG. 6. When the door is facing downward, the door is unlocked. In a state where the door is unlocked, the moving direction of a striker (not shown) that enters and retreats as the door is opened and closed coincides with the opening direction of the groove of the striker interference portion 77. Therefore, when force is applied in the direction in which the door is opened, the striker is separated from the striker interference portion 77 of the catch 75 and the electric door latch device 10, and the door is opened.

Meanwhile, when the door is locked, the movement direction of the striker and the open direction of the groove of the striker interference portion 77 intersect. Therefore, even if force is applied in the direction in which the door is opened, the striker is blocked by the catch 75 and cannot be separated from the striker interference portion 77, and the door cannot be opened.

When the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction, the catch 75 rotates around the sector gear shaft 65 in the direction in which the door is locked, as shown in FIG. 6. Meanwhile, the catch 75 is elastically biased to rotate in the direction in which the door is unlocked by the catch spring 73 wound around the sector gear shaft 65. 6, the counterclockwise rotation of the catch 75 is rotation in the door locking direction, and the clockwise rotation of the catch 75 is rotation in the door unlocking direction.

The pole 80 is parallel to the pinion gear shaft 59 and the sector gear shaft 65 and is coupled to the pole shaft 85 to rotate around the pole shaft 85 spaced apart from these shafts 59 and 65. do. The pole 80 is a member whose planar shape is approximately comma-shaped, and has a catch latching portion 81 protruding to block the pawl interference portion 78 of the catch 75, and an upper side of the catch latching portion 81. It is provided with a release lever interference portion (82).

The pole 80 is elastically biased to rotate in a direction blocking the catch 75 by the pole spring 89 wound around the pole shaft 85. To elaborate, in a state in which the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction and the catch 75 is rotated in the door locking direction, the catch latching portion 81 of the pawl 80 catches the catch 75 as shown in FIG. ) blocks the pole interference section (78). Accordingly, the catch 75 cannot rotate in the direction in which the door is unlocked despite the elastic restoring force of the catch spring 73, so the door remains locked.

When the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction, the pawl 80 rotates in a direction so that the catch stopping portion 81 does not block the pawl interference portion 78 of the catch 75. Accordingly, the catch 75 rotates in the direction in which the door is unlocked by the elastic restoring force of the catch spring 73. Referring to FIG. 6 , the counterclockwise rotation of the pawl 80 is rotation in a direction that blocks the catch 75, and the clockwise rotation of the pawl 80 is rotation in a direction that does not block the catch 75.

The new pawl 67 is coupled to one side 61 of the sector gear 60 and protrudes out of one edge of the sector gear 60. A stepped interference groove 68 is formed at the end of the new pole 67. The catch trigger 71, like the catch 75, is fixed to the sector gear shaft 65 and rotates coaxially with the catch 75. The catch trigger 71 has an interference protrusion 72 at its end that protrudes to fit into the interference groove 68 of the shin pawl 67.

When the sector gear 60 rotates in one direction, the cinching pawl 67 coupled to the sector gear 60 approaches the catch trigger 71 side, and the catch trigger 71 is located in the interference groove 68 of the cinching pawl 67. ) of the interfering protrusions 72 are fitted and meshed with each other. In this state, when the sector gear 60 rotates further in one direction, the cinching pawl 67 pushes the catch trigger 71 so that the door moves around the catch trigger 71, the catch 75, and the sector gear shaft 65. Rotates in the direction of locking.

The power release lever 90 is parallel to the pinion gear shaft 59, the sector gear shaft 65, and the pawl shaft 85 and has a power release lever shaft 95 spaced apart from these shafts 59, 65, and 85. It is coupled to the power release lever shaft 95 to rotate around the center. The power release lever 90 interferes with the release lever of the pawl 80 and a sector gear receiver 91 formed close to the other side 63 of the sector gear 60 so that it is pushed by the other side 63. It is provided with a pawl pusher (pusher) 92 formed close to the release lever interference portion 82 to push the portion 82.

When the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction, the other side 63 of the sector gear 60 collides with and pushes the sector gear receiver 91, and the power release lever 90 is pushed by the sector gear 60 and rotates. do. When the power release lever (90) rotates, the pawl pusher (92) collides with and pushes the release lever interference portion (82), which causes the pawl (80) to not block the rotation of the catch (75) in the door unlocking direction. rotate in the direction In summary, the power release lever 90 rotates the pawl 80 in a direction that does not block the catch 75 when the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction.

The power release lever 90 is elastically biased to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction in which the pawl 80 is pushed by the power release lever spring 96 wound around the power release lever shaft 95. Therefore, after the sector gear 60 rotates in the opposite direction so that the pawl 80 does not block the catch 75 and the catch 75 rotates in the door unlocking direction, the sector gear 60 ) returns to the origin angle and rotates, the power release lever 90 also returns to its original position and rotates away from the pole 80.

The electric door latch device 10 includes first and second release cables 101 and 104 that pull the pawl 80 so that the catch 75, which is rotated in the door locking direction, can return and rotate in the unlocking direction. ) further includes. One of the first and second release cables 101 and 104 is connected to an external door handle (not shown) exposed to the outside of the door, and the other is connected to an internal door handle (not shown) exposed to the inside of the door. ) can be connected to. Therefore, when the occupant of the vehicle holds and pulls one of the outer door handle and the inner door handle, the pawl 80 rotates in a direction that does not block the catch 75, and the catch 75 is held by the elasticity of the catch spring 73. The door is unlocked by rotating to the unlocked position.

The electric door latch device 10 includes a first shaft support plate 40 and a second shaft support plate 45 that rotatably support the sector gear shaft 65, the pawl shaft 85, and the power release lever shaft 95. It further includes. The first shaft support plate 40 is fixedly coupled to the lower end of the base panel 12. The first shaft support plate 40 also supports the first and second release cables 101 and 104. The second shaft support plate 45 is fixedly coupled to the flat plate portion 25 of the separation panel 20. The pinion gear shaft 59 is rotatably supported on the first shaft support plate 40. A shaft through hole 46 through which a through shaft extending coaxially along the axis of the pinion gear shaft 59 penetrates is formed in the second shaft support plate 45.

A control circuit that controls the operation of the electric motor 50 is formed on the PCB 110. Although not shown, the electric door latch device 10 includes, for example, a power connector that is electrically connected to the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to supply power to the PCB 110 and the electric motor 50. Includes more. The power connector includes an internal connection terminal located inside the outer wall portion 21 of the separation panel 20 and electrically connected to the PCB 110, an external connection terminal located outside the outer wall portion 21, and an internal connection terminal. It may be provided with a connector body that connects the external connection terminal and the external connection terminal in a conductive manner.

An external connector 115 that is not included in the electric door latch device 10 may be electrically connected to the external connection terminal. The external connector 115 is electrically connected to the vehicle's ECU through a harness. When the vehicle's door is closed and an input means, such as a door locking button, is pressed once provided at a location accessible to the vehicle's occupants, the motor shaft of the electric motor 50 rotates in one direction to rotate the sector gear. (60) rotates in one direction and catch (75) rotates in the door locking direction. That is, the electric door latch device 10 locks the door. As described above, in a state where the door is locked, the sector gear 60 rotates and returns to the origin angle.

Meanwhile, when the occupant of the vehicle presses an input means such as the door locking button once again while the door is locked, the motor shaft of the electric motor 50 rotates in the opposite direction, causing the sector gear 60 to rotate in the opposite direction and the catch ( 75) rotates in the direction of unlocking the door. That is, the electric door latch device 10 unlocks the door. As described above, when the door is unlocked, the sector gear 60 rotates back to the origin angle.

The electric door latch device 10 described above performs a power cinching function and a power release function by the power of one electric motor 50. In other words, since only one electric motor 50 is provided, the electric door latch device 10 can be easily reduced in weight and size, easy to install even in a narrow installation space, and manufacturing costs are reduced.

The present invention has been described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings, but this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. You will understand. Therefore, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be determined only by the appended claims.

10: Electric door latch device 11: Housing
12: Base panel 20: Separation panel
30: Cover panel 50: Electric motor
52: worm gear 53: wheel gear
58: pinion gear 60: sector gear
67: New pole 71: Catch trigger
80: Pole 90: Power release lever

Claims (8)

an electric motor having a rotating motor shaft;
a sector gear rotating in one direction and in an opposite direction according to the rotation direction of the motor shaft;
a catch that is elastically biased to rotate in the direction in which the door is unlocked, and rotates in the direction in which the door is locked when the sector gear rotates in the one direction; and
a pawl that is elastically biased to rotate in a direction that blocks the catch when the catch is rotated in the direction in which the door is locked, and rotates in a direction that does not block the catch when the sector gear rotates in the opposite direction; An electric door latch device comprising:
According to claim 1,
A cinching pawl coupled to the sector gear; and
When the sector gear rotates in the one direction, a catch trigger is pushed by the cinching pawl to rotate the catch in the direction in which the door is locked.
According to clause 2,
An electric door latch device, wherein the catch trigger rotates coaxially with the catch.
According to claim 1,
An electric door latch device further comprising a power release lever that rotates the pawl in a direction that does not block the catch when the sector gear rotates in the opposite direction.
According to clause 4,
The power release lever is pushed by the rotating sector gear to rotate and pushes the pawl to rotate.
According to claim 1,
The sector gear returns to the origin angle after rotating in the one direction and the opposite direction,
The origin angle is an angle between the maximum angle at which the sector gear can rotate in one direction and the maximum angle at which the sector gear can rotate in the opposite direction.
According to claim 1,
a worm gear rotating coaxially with the motor shaft;
a wheel gear meshed with the worm gear;
An electric door latch device further comprising a pinion gear that rotates coaxially with the wheel gear and is meshed with the sector gear.
According to clause 7,
a base panel on which the sector gear, the catch, the pawl, and the pinion gear are accommodated;
a cover panel on which the electric motor is mounted; and
Interposed between the base panel and the cover panel to separate a space where the sector gear, the catch, the pawl, and the pinion gear are disposed, and a space where the electric motor, the worm gear, and the wheel gear are disposed. An electric door latch device further comprising a separation panel.

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