WO2006011654A1

WO2006011654A1 - Vehicle door operation apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2006011654A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/014238
Authority: WO
Inventors: Katsutoshi Fukunaga; Makoto Suzumura; Akira Muramatsu; Shigeru Tanabe; Takashi Nishio
Original assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date: 2004-07-28
Filing date: 2005-07-27
Publication date: 2006-02-02
Also published as: JP2006037556A

Abstract

A vehicle door operating apparatus comprises: a latch mechanism (3) capable of maintaining a vehicle door (1) in a closed position relative to a vehicle body; an operation lever (52 or 59) operatively linked to both an operation handle (11 or 12) provided to the vehicle door (1) and the latch mechanism (3), the operation lever being rotatable through a predetermined stroke (C) in one direction from a predetermined initial position in response to operation of the operation handle (11 or 12) to cause the latch mechanism (3) to release the vehicle door (1) from the closed position relative to the vehicle body. The operating apparatus is characterized by a restraining member (85) engageable with the operation lever (52 or 59) before the operation lever (52 or 59) reaches an end of the predetermined stroke (C)to restrain the rotation of the operation lever (52 or 59) in said one direction.

Description

DESCRIPTION

VEHICLE DOOR OPERATION APPARATUS

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention generally relates to a vehicle door operation apparatus, which operates a latch mechanism to release a vehicle door from its closed position relative to a vehicle body and more particularly to a vehicle door operation apparatus where an operation of a latch mechanism is assisted by a release actuator.

BACKGROUND ART

This type of conventional vehicle door operating apparatus is disclosed in JP2003-278426A. A vehicle door operating apparatus disclosed therein is provided with a latch mechanism, which maintains a vehicle door to be closed relative to the vehicle body, an operation lever, which is operatively linked to an operation handle, which is attached to the vehicle door, and the latch mechanism, a release actuator, which is operatively linked to the latch mechanism, and a driving switch operated to drive the release actuator. In response to operation of the operation handle, the operation lever is rotated through a predetermined stroke in one direction from a predetermined initial position, and operates the latch mechanism in such a manner as to release the vehicle door from being supported relative to the vehicle body. The release actuator also operates the latch mechanism in such a manner as to release the vehicle door from being supported relative to the vehicle body. The driving switch is engaged with a cam surface of the operation lever while an actual stroke of the operation lever approaches the predetermined stroke, wherein the driving switch is operated. With this type of structure, an amount of force, by which the latch mechanism can be operated, is determined by the manual operating force applied to the operation handle. However, a driving force of the release actuator can assist in operating the latch mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to operate the latch mechanism with a small amount of operating force.

However, in the above-described vehicle door operating apparatus, timing or a period of time, at which the release actuator is actuated while the actual stroke of the operation lever approaches the predetermined stroke, is not clearly defined. Therefore, there is a danger that a user operates the operation handle without realizing that the release actuator is actuated. Moreover, there is a risk that the user may continuously operate the operation handle even after the release actuator stops operating(including an actuator operation stop during a normal procedure, or due to some problems). When the operating force is no longer assisted by the release actuator after it stopped, a greater amount of force is suddenly required to operate the operation handle, which may cause an unpleasant feeling when operating the operation handle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vehicle door operating apparatus according to which a predetermine stroke of an operation lever can be determined in stages.

DISCLOSURE QF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a vehicle door operating apparatus comprises: a latch mechanism capable of maintaining a vehicle door in a closed position relative to a vehicle body; an operation lever operatively linked to both an operation handle provided to the vehicle door and the latch mechanism, the operation lever being rotatable through a predetermined stroke in one direction from a predetermined initial position in response to operation of the operation handle to cause the latch mechanism to release the vehicle door from the closed position relative to the vehicle body. The vehicle door operating apparatus is characterized by a restraining member engageable with the operation lever before the operation lever reaches an end of the predetermined stroke to restrain the rotation of the operation lever in said one direction. It is preferable in an embodiment that the vehicle door operating apparatus further comprises a release actuator linked to the latch mechanism and adapted to operate the latch mechanism to release the vehicle door from the closed position relative to the vehicle body; and a driving switch operable to actuate the release actuator before the restraining member engages with the operation lever.

It is further preferable that the operation lever that is rotatably supported by a housing and is provided with an engagement portion, and that the restraining member is a spring whose one end is fixed to the housing, and whose the other end is arranged on a moving path of the engagement portion defined by the rotation of the operation lever. It is still further preferable that vehicle door operating apparatus further has a lift lever provided between the operation lever and the latch mechanism and capable of operating the latch mechanism; and an actuating lever capable of contacting the lift lever and operating the latch mechanism in response to the rotation of the operation lever, and that the other end of the spring engages with the engagement portion before the actuating lever contacts the lift lever.

It is still further preferable that the restraining member is a coil spring, and a strength of restraining is determined by a number of turns of the coil spring or by a wire diameter of the coil spring. It is still further preferable that a predetermined clearance is provided between the operation lever and the restraining member prior to a contact between the operation lever and the restraining member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the present invention will become more apparentixom Hie following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a vehicle door on which a vehicle door operating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted; Fig. 2 is a front view illustrating the vehicle door operating apparatus; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view illustrating the vehicle door operating apparatus taken along line G-G in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front view illustrating an open lever mechanism of a lever unit of the vehicle door operating apparatus; Fig. 5 is a front view illustrating a locking lever mechanism of the lever unit;

Fig. 6 is a front view illustrating an electric motor of the locking lever mechanism of the lever unit;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line H-H in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along line K-K in Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along line J-J in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining operation of an inside lever of the open lever mechanism of the lever unit.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinbelow in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As is illustrated in Fig. 1, a door lock device 2, which keeps the vehicle side rear door 1 closed, is mounted inside the rear-side door 1, and mainly includes a latch mechanism 3 (illustrated in Fig. 3) engageable and disengageable with a striker 13 (illustrated in Fig. 2) fixed to a vehicle body (not illustrated), and a lever unit 4 (illustrated in Fig. 4) which operates the latch mechanism 3 in response to an operation of an inside door handle 11, and of an outside door handle 12 to open the rear-side door 1. The lever unit 4 mainly includes an open lever mechanism 5 (illustrated in Fig. 4) which operatively links the latch mechanism3 to the inside door handle 11 and to the outside door handle 12, ^"a first lock lever mechanism 6 (illustrated in Fig. 4) which is capable of releasing an operative linkage between the inside door handle 11 and the latch mechanism 3, and a second lock lever mechanism 7 (illustrated in Fig. 5) which is capable of releasing an operative linkage between the outside door handle 12 and the latch mechanism 3. The structure of the latch mechanism 3 is described next.

As is illustrated in Fig. 2, the latch mechanism 3 mainly includes a latch 32, which is freely rotatably supported, via a latch shaft 31, by a base plate 21, and a pole

34, which is freely rotatably supported, via a pole shaft 33 that is arranged in parallel with the latch shaft 31, by the base plate 21. The latch mechanism 3 is, as a unit, housed in a resin body 22 attached to the base plate 21. At a peripheral surface of the latch 32, an insert groove 32a, into which the striker 13 is inserted, and a claw 32b, which is engageable and disengageable with the pole 34, are formed. Fig. 2 illustrates a door latched condition of the latch mechanism 3. In the door latched condition, the striker 13 is inserted into the insert groove 32a of the latch 32, and the claw 32b of the latch 32 is engaged with the pole 34, whereby the latch 32 is not allowed to rotate in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2. The rear-side door 1 is thus maintained in the closed condition relative to the vehicle body. When the pole shaft 33 is then rotated in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2, the pole 33 is disengaged from the claw 32b of the latch 32 so that the latch 32 can be rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2. The latch mechanism 3 hence is moved to the door-unlatched condition, in which the striker 13 can be released from the insert groove 32a of the latch 32. The rear-side door 1 thus can be opened relative to the vehicle body. The latch 32 is biased at all times by a spring 35 in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2, while the pole 34 is biased at all times by a spring 36 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 2.

The structure of the open lever mechanism 5 of the lever unit 4 is described next.

As is illustrated in Figs. 4-9, the open lever mechanism 5 is accommodated in a housing 26, whose inside structure is a double layer type with a case 23, a cover 24, and an intermediate frame 25. The open lever mechanism 5 is mainly has a lift lever 51, an inside lever 52, an open link 53, a first open lift lever 54 (i.e., an actuating lever), a second open lift lever 55 and an open lever 56.

As is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the lift lever 51 is firmly fixed to the pole shaft 33 so as to rotate integrally with the pole 34 via the pole shaft 33. An engagement flange 51a is formed at a tip end of the lift lever 51 and is bent so that it extends perpendicular to the lift lever 51. As is illustrated in Fig. 4, the inside lever 52 is supported by the cover 24 of the housing 25 so as to freely rotate about a pin 52a. This inside lever 52 (i.e., an operation lever) is operatively linked to the inside door handle 11 (i.e., an operation handle) via a cable (not illustrated). The open link 53 is supported, at one end thereof, by the inside lever 52 and freely rotate about a pin 53a. At the other end of the open link 53, there is an elongate hole 53b formed for an operative linkage between the open link 53 and the first lock lever mechanism 6 which is described later. A protruding contact portion 53c is formed in the open link 53. The first open lift lever 54 is of approximately L-shaped and is supported by the cover 24 of the housing 26 so as to freely rotate about a pin 54a. At one end of the first open lift lever 54, a contact flange 54b and an engagement flange 54c are defined. The contact flange 54b can contact the engagement flange 51a of the lift lever 51, and the engagement flange 54c can contact the contact portion 53c of the open link 53. Therefore, the first open lift lever 54 is operatively linked, when in contact, to the open link 53 and the lift lever 51, wherein a driving force transmission path can be established between the open link 53 and the lift lever 51. Irregularly-shaped elongate hole 54d is formed at the other end of the first open lift lever 54.

The second open lift lever 55 is of approximately L-shaped and is supported by the intermediate frame 25 of the housing 26 so as to freely rotate about a pin 55a. A long hole 55b is formed at one end of the second open lift lever 55. A slide pin 57 is freely slidably supported in the long hole 55b for establishing an operative linkage between the second open lift lever 55 and the second lock-type lever mechanism 7 described in detail below. This slide pin 57 is inserted into the irregularly-shaped elongate hole 54d of the first open lift lever 54 so as to be capable of contacting with a "wall portion of the hole 54d. Therefore, the first open lift lever 54 is operatively linked, through this contact between the slide pin 57 and the wall portion of the noncircular long hole 54d, to the second open lift lever. 55, whereby a driving force transmission path can be established between the first open lift lever 54 and the second open lift lever 55. As is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the open lever 56 (i.e., an operation lever), which is of approximately L-shaped, is supported by a sub-base plate 27 which in turn is supported to the resin body 22 housing that houses the latch mechanism 3, and is freely rotatable about a pin 56a supported by the case 23 of the housing 26. This open lever 56 is operatively linked, at one end thereof via a link 58, to the other end of the second open lift lever 55. Moreover, this open lever 56 is operatively linked to the outside door handle 12 (i.e., an operation handle) via a rod (not illustrated) and an outside lever 59 which is freely rotatable about the pin 56a. Driving force transmission between the outside lever 59 and the open lever 56 can be established when an engagement flange 59a (i.e., an engagement portion) of the outside lever 59 is engaged with the open lever 56. A rotating force in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 is thus transmitted from the outside lever 59 to the open lever 56.

The structure of the first lock lever mechanism 6 of the lever unit 4 is described next. As is illustrated in Figs. 4-9, the first lock lever mechanism 6 is mainly includes an active lever 61, an inside locking lever 62, and an electric motor 63.

This active lever 61, which is of approximately fan-shaped, is supported by the case 23 of the housing 26 and is freely rotatable about an output shaft 61a. A toothed portion 61b is formed on a peripheral surface of the active lever 61. A tip end of the output shaft 61a of the active lever 61 extends through the intermediate frame 25. The inside locking lever 62 is hence fixedly secured to the tip end of the output shaft 61a which rotates integrally with the active lever 61. A protruding pin 62a is formed at a tip end of the inside locking lever 62, and is inserted into the long hole 53b of the open link 53. The electric motor 63 is supported by the intermediate frame 25 of the housing 26, and a rotational output shaft 63 a of the electric motor 63 is fixedly provided with a worm gear 64 which is engaged with the toothed portion 61b of the active lever 61. In the above-described structure of the first lock lever mechanism 6, when the inside locking lever 62 rotates in response to activation of the electric motor 63, the open link 53 can rotate about the pin 53a. With an operation of the first lock lever mechanism 6 of the lever unit 4, an inside unlock condition where the open link 53 is allowed to be operatively linked to the first open lift lever 54, and an inside lock condition where the open link 53 is not operatively linked to the first open lift lever 54 are obtained.

The structure of the second lock lever mechanism 7 of the lever unit 4 is described next. As is illustrated in Figs. 4-9, the second lock lever mechanism 7 mainly includes an active lever 71, an outside locking lever 72 and an electric motor 73.

This active lever 71, which is of approximately fan-shaped, is supported by the case 23 of the housing 26 and is freely rotatable about an output shaft 71a. A toothed portion 71b is formed on a peripheral surface of the active lever 71. A tip end of the output shaft 71a extends through the intermediate frame 25. The outside locking lever 72 is hence supported by the tip end of the output shaft 71a in such a manner that the output locking lever 72 can rotate together with the active lever 71. An elongate hole 72a, which is arc-shaped centered about the pin 54a of the first open lift lever 54 and about the pin 55a of the second open lift lever 55, is formed in this outside locking lever 72. The slide pin 57 is inserted into this arc-shaped elongate hole 72a. The electric motor 73 is supported by the intermediate frame 25 of the housing 26, and a rotational output shaft 73 a of the electric motor 73 is fixedly provided with a worm gear 74 which is engaged with the toothed portion 71b of the active lever 71. In the above-described structure of the second lock lever mechanism 7, when the outside locking lever 72 rotates in response to activation of the electric motor 73, the slide pin 57 is slidably moved. With this operation of the second lock lever mechanism 7 of the lever unit 4, an outside unlock condition where the first open lift lever 54 is allowed to be operatively linked to the second open lift lever 55 and an outside lock condition where the first open lift lever 54 is not operatively linked to the second open lift lever 55 are obtained. As is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the resin body 22, which houses, therein, the latch mechanism 3, is assembled to the case 23 of the housing 26 which houses, therein,- the lever unit 4, whereby the door lock device 2 is assembled as a single unit. As such, the housing 26 is perpendicular to the base plate 21 and the sub-base plate 27. The case 23 of the housing 26 covers the sub-base plate 27, the lift lever 51, and the open lever 56. An operation of the door lock device 2 with the above-described structure is described next.

Figs. 4-9 illustrates an inside unlock condition and an outside unlock condition, of the lever unit 4. The first open lift lever 54 is biased in the clockwise direction in Fig. 4 by a spring 54e so as to be in its initial position, while the second open lift lever 55 is biased in the clockwise direction in Fig. 5 by a spring 56b (illustrated in Fig. 2), which biases the open lever 56, so as to be in its initial position. The inside lever 52 is pulled in the clockwise direction in fig. 4 by the inside door handle 11 via a cable so as to be in its initial position. In Fig. 2, which illustrates a latched condition of the door lock device 2, the open lever 56 is being biased in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 2 by the spring 56b so as to be in its initial position. Likewise, the outside lever 59 is being biased in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 2 by a spring 59b so as to be in its initial position.

When the outside door handle 12 is operated, the outside lever 59 is rotated from the initial position (illustrated in Fig. 2) in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2. The engagement flange 59a of the outside lever 59 then comes into contact with the open lever 56, and the open lever 56 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 from the initial position (illustrated in Fig. 2). In response to this rotation of the open lever 56, the link 58 is moved upwards in Fig. 5, and the second open lift lever 55 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 5. When the second open lift lever 55 is rotated, the slide pin 57 abuts against a wall portion of the irregularly-shaped elongate hole 54d of the first open lift lever 54. A rotational force from the second open lift lever 55 is transmitted to the first open lift lever 54, whereby the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4. The contact flange 54b of the first open lift lever 54 then abuts with the engagement flange 51a of the lift lever 51, wherein a rotational force from the first open lift lever 54 is transmitted to the lift lever 51, and the lift lever 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2. As a result, the pole 34 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2, and the latch mechanism 3 is unlatched (an unlatched condition). In addition, when the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4, the engagement flange 54c of the first open lift lever 54 moves away from the contact portion 53c of the open link 53. Therefore, when the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in response to a manual operation of the outside door handle 12, the inside lever 52, thus, the inside door handle 11, will not be operated.

When the inside door handle 11 is operated, the inside lever 52 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 from an initial position illustrated in Fig. 4. When the inside lever 52 is rotated, the open link 53 is moved upwards in Fig. 4, and the contact portion 53 c of the open link 53 abuts with the engagement flange 54c of the first open lift lever 54. Therefore, a force from the open link 53 is transmitted to the first open lift lever 54, whereby the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4. In this case, the contact flange 54b of the first open lift lever 54 abuts with the engagement flange 51a of the lift lever 51. A force from the first open lift lever 54 is transmitted to the lift lever 51, and the lift lever 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2. As a result, the pole 34 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2, whereby the latch mechanism 2 is unlatched. In response to this counterclockwise rotation of the first open lift lever 54, the open lever 56 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 via the slide pin 57, the second open lift lever 55 and the link 58. In this case, however, the open lever 56 moves away from the engagement flange 59a of the outside lever 59. Therefore, there is no possibility that the outside lever 59, thus, the outside door handle 12 is operated in response to rotation of the first open lift lever 54 which occur following the operation of the inside door handle 11.

As is illustrated in Figs. 4-9, the open lever mechanism 5 is further provided with a release lever 81. An engagement.flange 54f is formed at the other end of the first open lift lever 54, and is bent so that it extends perpendicular to the first open lift lever 54. The release lever 81 is supported by the case 24 of the housing 26 such that it is freely rotatable about the pin 81a which is located in the vicinity of the engagement flange 54f of the first open lift lever 54. A contact portion 81b is formed atone end of the release lever 81, while the other end of the release lever 81 is connected to a known conventional release actuator 8 via a cable 82. The release actuator 8 can be of any conventional type, for example, with a wire spool that is rotated by an electric motor. The contact portion 81b of the release lever 81 is positioned on a rotation path of the engagement flange 54f as the first open lift lever 54 rotates, such that the contact portion 81b is capable of abutting against the engagement flange 54f of the first open lift lever 54. When the release lever 81 is rotated in a clockwise direction in Fig. 4, the contact portion 81b of the release lever 81 comes into contact with the engagement flange 54f of the first open lever 54.

As is illustrated in Fig. 2, a micro-switch 83 (i.e., a driving switch), which is switched on and off, is fixed, by means of screw clamping, to the case 23 of the housing 26 in the vicinity of the open lever 56. A driving flange 56c is formed in the open lever 56 and is bent so that it extends perpendicular to the open lever 56. When the open lever 56 is in its initial position (a position illustrated in Fig. 2), this driving flange 56c is in contact with a contact point 83a of the micro-switch 83, wherein the micro-switch 83 is in its ON position. Moreover, this micro-switch 83 is electrically connected to a controller (not illustrated), which controls operation of the release actuator 8 in response to a signal from the micro-switch 83 . With the above-described structure of a vehicle door operating apparatus, in response to operation of the inside door handle 11, or of the outside door handle 12, the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4, and the lift lever 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2, that is, the latch mechanism 3 is unlatched. As the open lever 56 is rotated from the initial position (the position in Fig. 2) in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 in this situation, the driving flange 56c of the open lever 56 moves away from the contact point 83a of the micro-switch 83, which causes the micro-switch 83 to be switched off. The controller receives a signal from the micro-switch 83 that the micro-switch 83 has been switched off, which causes the controller to actuate the release actuator 8. The release actuator 8 rotates the release lever 81 from the initial position (the position illustrated in Fig. 4) in a clockwise direction in Fig. 4, and the contact portion 81b of the release lever 81 comes into contact with the engagement flange 54f of the first open lift lever 54, whereby the first release lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4. As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, while the latch mechanism 2 is being operated in response to operation of the inside door handle 11, or of the outside door handle 12, the release actuator 8 is activated in order to operate the latch mechanism 3. Therefore, a driving force of the release actuator 8 can effectively assist a part of force by which the latch mechanism 3 is operated in response to operation of the inside door handle 11, or of the outside door handle 1, i.e. a manual operation force for operating the inside door handle 11 or the outside door handle 12. As a result, it is possible to operate the latch mechanism 3 with a small amount of force by which the inside door handle 11 or the outside door handle 12 is operated.

As is illustrated in Figs. 4-9, the inside lever 52 is formed with an engagement flange 52b (i.e., an engagement portion) which is bent so that it extends perpendicular to the inside lever 52. A supporting pin 84 is provided upright in the cover 24 of the housing 26 so that it extends parallel to the pin 52a supporting the inside lever 52 and in the vicinity of the inside lever 52. A coil spring 85 is supported by the supporting pin 84. That is, a coil portion 85a of the coil spring 85 is wound around the supporting pin 84. One end 85b of the coil spring 85 faces a flange 84a of the supporting pin 84 at a predetermined clearance therebetween, while the other end 85c of the coil spring 85 faces the cover 24 of the housing 26 at a predetermined clearance. The coil spring 85 is hence prevented from coming out of the supporting pin 84. The one end 85b of the coil spring 85 is restrained, by a projection 24a of the cover 24 of the housing 26, from moving in a direction in which the coil portion 85a is expanded, and is supported by the cover 24 of the housing 26. The one end 85b of the coil spring 85hence serves as a fixed end. The other end 85c of the coil spring 85 is restrained, by a projection 24b of the cover 24 of the housing 26, from moving in a direction in which the coil portion 85a is expanded, and is supported by the cover 24 of the housing 26. The other end 85c of the coil spring 85 is positioned on a rotation path of the engagement flange 52b as the inner lever 52 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4. The other end 85c of the coil spring 85 can abut with the engagement flange 52b, whereby the other end 85c serves as a free end. Therefore, the coil spring 85 is mounted to the case 24 of the housing 26 in such a manner that a reaction force is generated at the other end 85c as the coil portion 85a is wound. The reaction force by the coil spring 85 is extremely strong due to the large diameter of the coil body, and/or to a large number of turns of the coil portion 85a.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the inside lever 52 is in the initial position (the position illustrated in Fig. 4), a predetermined clearance A is provided between the engagement flange 52b of the inside lever 52 and the other end 85c of the coil spring 85. Therefore, there is a large difference between the amount of force required to rotate the inside lever 52 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 up to the engagement flange 52b of the inside lever 52 abuts with the other end 85c of the coil spring 85 and the amount of force required to rotate the inside lever 52 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 after the abutment of the engagement flange 52b against the other end 85c. As described above, the coil spring 85 (i.e., a restraining member) restrains, that is, provides a noticeable counter-force against, the counterclockwise rotation of the inside lever 52 after a predetermined degree of freedom. The other end 85c of the coil spring 85 serves to restrain the counterclockwise rotation of the inside lever 52 after the predetermined clearance A is used up, at which time the engagement flange 52b of the inside lever 52 abuts against the other end 85c of the coil spring 85.

As is illustrated in Fig. 10, the predetermined clearance A determines a predetermined rotational stroke C, which is located at an early stage of a rotational stroke B of the inside lever 52 generated when the first open lift lever 54 rotates the lift lever 51 in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 in response to the counterclockwise rotation of the inside lever 52. This rotational stroke C is longer than a rotational stroke E through which the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 in response to a contact between the contact portion 53c of the open link 53 and the engagement flange 54c of the first open lift lever 54, while this rotational stroke C is shorter than a rotational stroke F through which the lift lever 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 in response to a contact between the contact flange 54b of the first open lift lever 51 and the engagement flange 51 of the lift lever 51. A timing D₅ at which the micro-switch 83 is switched off in response to the clockwise rotation of the open lever 56, is set within the stroke C and preferably toward the end of the predetermined rotational stroke C.

With the above-described structure of the vehicle door operating apparatus, the door inside handle 11 is operated, and the inside door lever 52 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 through the end of the rotational stroke C, at which time the engagement flange 52b abuts against the other end 85c of the coil spring 85, and the counterclockwise rotation of the inside lever 52 is restrained. In response to this rotation of the inside lever 52, the open lever 56 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 via the open link 53, the first open lift lever 54, the second open lift lever 55, and the link 58, whereby the micro-switch 83 is switched off and the release actuator 8 is activated. Therefore, the first open lift lever 54 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 with an assisting driving force of the release actuator 8, and the lift lever 51 is rotated in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2, whereby the latch mechanism 2 is unlatched. As described above, the amount of the manual operation of the inside door handle 11 necessary to unlatch the latch mechanism 3 is less than the amount required to rotate the inside lever 52 by the rotational stroke C. Therefore, it is possible to effectively reduce the amount of force required to manually operate the inside door handle 11, thereby improving the opening operation for the rear side door 1. Moreover, the rotational stroke C is reliably defined by the contact between the other end 85c of the coil spring 85 and the engagement flange 52b of the inside lever 52. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside door handle 11 from being manually operated to the extent that the inside lever 52 is rotated beyond the rotational stroke C.

In case that the latch mechanism 3 is not properly operated due to some factors such as malfunction of the release actuator 8 even when the door inside handle 11 has been operated through an operation corresponding to the rotational stroke C of the inside lever 52, the inside door handle 11 can be operated so as to rotate the inside lever 52 in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 4 to the extent that the coil spring 85 is flexed. Therefore, the latch mechanism 2 can be operated via the open link 53, the first open lift lever 54 and the lift lever 51. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the coil spring 85 is provided in association with the inside lever 52. Alternatively, the coil spring 85 can be provided in association with the outside lever 59.

The principles, the preferred embodiment and mode of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention, which is intended to be protected, is not to be construed as limited to the particular embodiment disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents employed, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such variations, changes and equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be embraced thereby.

Claims

1. A vehicle door operating apparatus comprising: a latch mechanism (3) capable of maintaining a vehicle door (1) in a closed position relative to a vehicle body; an operation lever (52 or 59) operatively linked to both an operation handle (11 or 12) provided to the vehicle door (1) and the latch mechanism (3), the operation lever being rotatable through a predetermined stroke (C) in one direction from a predetermined initial position in response to operation of the operation handle (11 or 12) to cause the latch mechanism (3) to release the vehicle door (1) from the closed position relative to the vehicle body, characterized by a restraining member (85) engageable with the operation lever (52 or 59) before the operation lever (52 or 59) reaches an end of the predetermined stroke (C)to restrain the rotation of the operation lever (52 or 59) in said one direction.

2. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a release actuator (8) linked to the latch mechanism (3) and adapted to operate the latch mechanism (3) to release the vehicle door (1) from the closed position relative to the vehicle body; and a driving switch (83) operable to actuate the release actuator (8) before the restraining member (85) engages with the operation lever (52 or 59).

3. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the operation lever (52 or 59) is rotatably supported by a housing (26) and is provided with an engagement portion (52b or 59a), and in that the restraining member (85) is a spring (85) whose one end (85b) is fixed to the housing (26), and whose the- other end (85c) is arranged on a moving path of the engagement portion (52b or 59a) defined by the rotation of the operation lever (52 or 59).

4. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising: a lift lever (51) provided between the operation lever (52 or 59) and the latch mechanism (3) and capable of operating the latch mechanism (3); and an actuating lever (54) capable of contacting the lift lever (51) and operating the latch mechanism (3) in response to the rotation of the operation lever (52 or 59), wherein the other end (85c) of the spring (85) engages with the engagement portion (52b or 59a) before the actuating lever (54) contacts the lift lever (51).

5. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restraining member (85) is a coil spring, and a strength of restraining is determined by a number of turns of the coil spring.

6. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restraining member (85) is a coil spring, and a strength of restraining is determined by a wire diameter of the coil spring.

7. A vehicle door operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined clearance (A) is provided between the operation lever (52 or 59) and the restraining member (85) prior to a contact between the operation lever (52 or 59) and the restraining member (85).