JP2005120764A - Door latch mechanism for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a latch mechanism for a vehicle capable of increasing degree of freedom of peripheral parts around a door handle and the latch mechanism by reducing their size, reducing vehicle mass, using parts in common, and reducing cost. <P>SOLUTION: A U-shaped engaging hole 26 provided with engaging recessed parts 26a, 26b is provided in an intermediate lever 24, an engaging claw part 21 engaging with the engaging hole 26 is provided on an open lever 20, and the intermediate lever 24 is held so as to make the engaging claw part 21 oppose to a tip of an engaging protruding part 27 between the engaging recessed parts 26a and 26b. Coil springs 31, 32 turning the intermediate lever 24 by impact acceleration due to input load when input load in the direction of vehicle width exceeding a predetermined value acts on an outside handle 5 are provided. When a door is opened while the engaging claw part 21 opposes to the tip of the engaging protruding part 27, a vertically traveling member (an outside lever 22) is moved in the direction in which the engaging protruding part 27 presses the engaging claw part 21, and the open lever 20 is turned up to a turn regulation release position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle door latch mechanism provided with a door latch mechanism for locking a vehicle door when the door is closed.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle such as an automobile, a rotatable latch that regulates the removal of the striker provided on the vehicle body, and a rotatable ratchet that regulates the rotation of the latch at a position where the striker is regulated to be removed, A latch mechanism having an open lever linked to the ratchet is known. In addition, the open lever can be operated to a position where the latch restriction by the ratchet is released by the door opening operation of the outside handle of the door.

  In such a vehicle door latch mechanism, when an inertial force in the vehicle width direction acts on the grip portion of the outside handle provided on the door, the open lever moves in the door opening direction by this inertial force, that is, the open lever However, there is a risk that the door latch (removal restriction by the striker latch) will be released by rotating to the position where the restriction of the latch is released.

  As one of the methods for preventing this, there is known a method in which a counterweight for canceling the inertia force in the door opening direction applied to the grip portion of the outside handle is set on the outside handle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

As another method, there is known a method in which a counterweight that counteracts the inertia force in the door opening direction transmitted from the outside handle to the open lever is provided in the open lever (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2000-145211 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-7241

However, the method of setting the counterweight on the outside handle has the following problems (1) to (4).
(1) That is, since it is necessary to ensure the raising / lowering locus | trajectory of a door glass, there exists a layout restriction | limiting and it is necessary to restrict | limit the freedom degree of peripheral components.
(2) Since the counterweight must be set in the constrained layout space, it is necessary to make the counterweight in a complicated shape, which increases the cost of the outside handle.
(3) Since the counterweight is set, the mass of the vehicle increases.
(4) Since the impact acceleration generated by the input load differs for each vehicle type, it is necessary to set the counterweight mass / center of gravity position for each vehicle type, and it is not possible to share the parts of the outside handle.

Further, the method of setting the counterweight on the open lever has the following problems (5) to (8).
(5) That is, since the counterweight is set to the open lever, it is necessary to enlarge the door latch mechanism, and it is difficult to mount the door latch mechanism in the door.
(6) Since it is necessary to set two levers, a counterweight that cancels the impact acceleration in the vehicle “outside → inside” direction and a counterweight that cancels the impact acceleration in the vehicle “inside → outside” direction, the cost of the latch mechanism is reduced. Get higher.
(7) Since the counterweight is set, the mass of the vehicle increases.
(8) Since the impact acceleration generated by the input load is different for each vehicle type, it is necessary to set the counterweight mass / center of gravity position for each vehicle type, and it is not possible to share the parts of the outside handle.

  Therefore, the present invention can reduce the door handle and the latch mechanism, increase the degree of freedom of these peripheral parts, reduce the vehicle mass, make the parts common, and reduce the cost. The purpose is to provide a mechanism.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention includes a turnable latch for restricting a striker from being provided on a vehicle body, and a turnable ratchet for restricting the turn of the latch at a position where the striker is restricted. And an open lever that is linked to the ratchet, and a vehicle that can operate the open lever to a rotation restriction release position that releases the rotation restriction of the latch by the ratchet by a door opening operation by a door handle. In the door latch mechanism, a vertically moving member that is moved up and down by a door opening operation by the door handle is provided, and an intermediate lever that extends vertically is held by the vertically moving member so as to be pivotable in the vehicle width direction, and downward or upward. U-shaped engagement holes with engagement recesses extending vertically on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the protruding engagement protrusions are provided in the intermediate lever. An engaging claw portion that engages with the engaging hole is provided on the open lever, holds the intermediate lever so that the engaging claw portion faces the tip of the engaging projection, and is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Holding means is provided for allowing the intermediate lever to rotate by impact acceleration caused by the input load when an input load in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle acts on the door handle. When the door opening operation is performed in a state of facing the tip of the mating projection, the vertical movement member is moved in a direction in which the engagement projection presses the engagement claw, and the rotation restriction is performed. The open lever is set to be rotated to the release position.

  In this configuration, normally, the holding means holds the intermediate lever so that the engaging claw portion faces the tip of the engaging protrusion. At this position, the vertical movement member is moved upward or downward by the door opening operation of the door handle, and the intermediate lever provided on the vertical movement member is moved upward or downward.

  At this time, the moving direction of the vertical movement member is determined by the latching direction, that is, the rotation restriction release position (the latch release position of the striker by the latch) when the engagement protrusion provided on the intermediate lever presses the engagement claw portion. ) Until the open lever is rotated.

  The holding means enables the intermediate lever to be rotated by an impact acceleration caused by the input load when an input load in a vehicle width direction equal to or greater than a predetermined value acts on the door handle.

  As a result, when an input load in the vehicle width direction that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value acts on the door handle, the intermediate lever rotates in the vehicle width direction due to impact acceleration due to the input load, and the engagement of the intermediate lever is increased. The leading ends of the mating protrusions deviate from the engaging claws of the open lever and face the engaging recesses on both sides of the engaging protrusion in the vehicle width direction.

  At this time, even if the door handle is operated in the door opening operation direction by the input load and the vertical movement member is moved, the engagement claw portion is relatively opposed to the engagement recesses on both sides of the engagement protrusion. Since it is moved, the engaging protrusion does not press the engaging claw, and the swinging is lost, and the open lever is not rotated to the rotation restriction release position.

  According to this configuration, the counterweight provided in the open lever of the door handle or the door latch mechanism can be eliminated, so that the door handle or the door latch mechanism can be made small. For this reason, the freedom degree of the layout of the peripheral part of a door handle or a door latch mechanism can be enlarged.

  Further, since the intermediate lever (idling lever) has a simple structure compared to the counterweight, the cost of the door handle and the door latch mechanism can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the intermediate lever (idling lever) is more weighing than the counterweight, the vehicle mass can be reduced.

  In addition, when an inertial force in the vehicle width direction acts on the door handle, the door handle and the open lever are disengaged from each other. That is, when the intermediate lever is held so that the engaging claw is positioned directly below the engaging protrusion, and the input load in the vehicle width direction equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the door, the input load A holding means for allowing the intermediate lever to be rotated by impact acceleration is provided.

  Therefore, when an inertia force acts on the door handle in the vehicle width direction, it is latched by one type of intermediate lever (idle swing lever) regardless of the magnitude of the impact acceleration and the mass / gravity position of the handle grip of the door handle. Release can be prevented. As a result, the door handle and the latch mechanism can be shared.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Constitution]
In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body of a car (vehicle), 2 denotes a front door attached to the vehicle body 1, and 3 denotes a rear door attached to the vehicle body 1.

  Further, 4 is a window glass of the front door 2, 5 is an outside handle (door handle) for opening the door mounted on the rear side of the front door 2, and 6 is positioned inside the window glass 4 so as to be positioned on the front door 2. A lock knob 7 mounted on the rear side of the waist portion 2 a is a door key cylinder for door locking mounted on the front door 2 so as to be positioned below the outside handle 5.

  A door latch lock device is interposed between the front door 2 and the center pillar (not shown) of the vehicle body 1. This door lock device includes a U-shaped shaft striker (not shown) fixed to the front surface of the center pillar, and the door latch mechanism (lock) shown in FIGS. (Device main body) 8 is provided. Since this striker adopts a well-known structure, its detailed illustration is omitted.

  The door latch mechanism 8 includes a bracket 9 shown in FIGS. 1B and 2, and the bracket 9 is attached in the rear portion of the front door 2. The bracket 9 has a plate surface extending in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a cable attachment piece 10 that protrudes vertically from one surface 9a is integrally formed on one side of the bracket 9. The cable attachment piece 10 is formed in an L shape from a base portion 10a integral with the bracket 9 and an attachment portion 10b protruding laterally from the base portion 10a. Further, a stopper piece (stopper) 11 located on the cable attachment piece 10 side is integrally formed at the lower end portion of the bracket 9. This stopper piece 11 is also protruded perpendicularly from one surface 9a.

  In FIG. 1B, the bracket 9 has the cable attachment piece 10 side on the vehicle outer side and the opposite side to the vehicle inner side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a door lock body 12 is attached to the other surface (plate surface) 9 b of the bracket 9. A striker engagement groove 13 that extends in the left and right direction and opens to the other side of the bracket 9 is formed in the middle portion of the door lock body 12 in the vertical direction. The striker engagement groove 13 divides the door lock main body 12 into a main body upper portion 12a and a main body lower portion 12b.

  Moreover, a first rotary shaft 14 is rotatably attached to the main body upper portion 12a, and a base portion of a latch 15 is fixed to the rotary shaft 14 along the surface of the main body upper portion 12a. The latch 15 is provided with fork portions 15a and 15b, and a striker engaging groove 16 is formed between the fork portions 15a and 15b. Further, an arcuate ratchet engagement step portion 17 is provided on the side surface of the tip portion of the fork portion 15a.

  When the front door 2 is open, the fork portion 15 a is positioned above the striker engagement groove 16. This state is maintained by a spring (not shown). When the front door 2 is closed from this state, after the striker (not shown) is inserted into the striker engagement groove 13, the fork portion 15b is pressed to rotate the latch 15, and the latch 15 is in the state shown in FIG. Is located. At this position, the striker is inserted into the striker engagement grooves 13 and 16.

  Further, a second rotating shaft 18 penetrating the bracket 9 and the main body lower portion 12b is rotatably attached. As shown in FIG. 2, a ratchet 19 is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 18 on the lower body 12b side, and one end 9a of the bracket 9 is attached to the other end of the rotating shaft 18 as shown in FIG. The base of the open lever 20 along the line is fixed.

  When the striker is inserted into the striker engagement grooves 13 and 16, the ratchet 19 is engaged with the ratchet engagement step portion 17 of the latch 15 as shown in FIG. Further, an engaging claw portion 21 that is bent in a direction opposite to the bracket 9 is formed at the tip of the open lever 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a plate-like outside lever 22 as a vertically moving member (elevating member) is rotatably attached to one surface 9a of the bracket 9 via a support shaft 22a. Yes. One end of the intermediate lever 24 is in contact with the stopper piece 11 so that it does not turn downward any further.

  The intermediate lever 24 is formed in a sector shape that gradually increases in width as it goes upward. Further, an engagement plate portion 22b perpendicular to the plate surface is provided at one end portion of the outside lever 22, and a notch 22c is formed in the engagement plate portion 22b.

  The tube 23 a of the outside cable 23 is fixed to the attachment portion 10 b of the cable attachment piece 10. Inside the tube 23a of the outside cable 23, a wire 23b having one end connected to the outside handle (door handle) 5 is slidably held.

  A ball 23c is attached to the other end of the wire 23b. Moreover, the other end portion of the wire 23b is connected to one end portion of the outside lever 22 by being inserted into the notch 22c so that the ball 23c is positioned below the engagement plate portion 22b.

  Note that one end portion of the outside lever 22 is linked to an inside handle (door handle) (not shown) for door opening operation attached to the inner surface of the front door 2 via an inside cable (not shown).

  Further, an intermediate lever (idling lever) 24 along one surface 9 a (plate surface) is rotatably attached to the other end portion of the outside lever 22 via a support shaft 25. The intermediate lever 24 has an engagement hole 26 and an engagement protrusion 27 that protrudes downward from the upper end of the engagement hole 26.

  This engagement hole 26 is formed from an engagement recess 26a, 26b formed on both sides of the engagement protrusion 27 in the vehicle width direction and a continuous space 26c connecting the lower ends of the engagement recesses 26a, 26b. It is formed in a U shape. An engagement claw portion 21 is inserted into the open lever 20 in the engagement hole 26. Further, an engaging protrusion 28 that protrudes upward is formed integrally with an intermediate portion in the vehicle width direction of the upper end portion of the intermediate lever 24.

  At positions sandwiching the upper end portion of the intermediate lever 24, spring locking pins 29 and 30 projecting from one surface 9a of the bracket 9 are disposed. Coil springs (biasing means) 31 and 32 are interposed between the spring locking pins 29 and 30 and both side portions of the bracket 9, respectively.

  A support shaft 33 is rotatably held on the bracket 9, and a knob lever 34 is fixed to the support shaft 33 along the one surface 9 a. The knob lever 34 is integrally formed with an engaging protrusion 35 protruding downward. The knob lever 34 is linked to door locking / unlocking means such as the lock knob 6 and the door key cylinder 7.

  When this door opening operation means is operated to the locked position (lock position), the knob lever 34 rotates counterclockwise as shown by the arrow 36 from the position shown in FIG. 3B to the position shown in FIG. Be moved.

Accordingly, the engagement protrusion 35 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 28 of the intermediate lever 24, and the intermediate lever 24 rotates in the clockwise direction against the tensile force of the coil spring 31 as indicated by the arrow 37. Then, the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 faces the engaging concave portion 26a of the locking hole 26.
[Action]
Next, the operation of the vehicle door latch mechanism having such a configuration will be described.
(i) Normal Door Opening Operation FIG. 3 (a) shows the same locked state (locked state) as FIG. 1 (b). In this state, the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 faces the engaging recess 26a of the locking hole 26 as shown in FIG.

  In this state, when the door locking / unlocking means such as the lock knob 6 and the door key cylinder 7 are operated from the locked position (lock position) to the unlocked position, the knob lever 34 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 3B to the position shown in FIG. The position is rotated clockwise as indicated by arrow 38.

  Accordingly, the engagement protrusion 35 moves in a direction away from the engagement protrusion 28 of the intermediate lever 24, and the intermediate lever 24 is counterclockwise by the tensile force of the coil spring 31 as indicated by an arrow 39. Is rotated.

  When the opening operation is performed by the door handle such as the outside handle 5 or the inside handle (not shown) at the initial stage of the rotation, one end of the outside lever 22 is moved from the position of FIG. It is lifted upward as shown in b). As a result, the outside lever 22 is rotated clockwise as indicated by the arrow 40, and the other end of the outside lever 22 is rotated downward.

  At this time, the intermediate lever 24 is lowered downward against the spring force of the coil spring 31 integrally with the other end portion of the outside lever 22 as indicated by an arrow 40 a, and the engaging recess 26 a of the locking hole 26 is engaged. Moves downward relative to the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20, and the engaging claw portion 21 moves relative to the engaging recess 26a.

  In this state, the locked state is not released. However, when the hand is released from the door handle such as the outside handle 5 or the inside handle (not shown), the outside lever 22 returns to the original shape shown in FIG. 3A by the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32. To do.

  When the knob lever 34 is rotated to the unlocking position as shown in FIG. 3B when the hand is released from the door handle such as the outside handle 5 or the inside handle (not shown), the coil spring 31, The intermediate lever 24 is moved upward by the spring force of 32 and rotated counterclockwise by the spring force of the coil spring 31 as indicated by the arrow 41 in FIG. This rotation is performed until the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32 becomes the same.

  Accordingly, the continuous space 26 c is moved to the left with respect to the engaging claw portion 21. When the spring forces of the coil springs 31 and 32 are the same, the engaging claw portion 21 is positioned directly below the distal end (lower end) of the engaging projection 27 so as to face the distal end (lower end) of the engaging projection 27. To do.

  Therefore, in this state, when the opening operation by the door handle such as the outside handle 5 or the inside handle (not shown) is performed, the intermediate lever 24 is moved to the outside lever 22 as shown in FIG. The other end of the lever is lowered downward against the spring force of the coil spring 31, and the engagement protrusion 27 of the intermediate lever 24 presses and displaces the engagement claw 21 of the open lever 20 downward. The lever 20 and the rotating shaft 18 are rotated counterclockwise as indicated by an arrow 42.

  As a result, the ratchet 19 integrated with the rotary shaft 18 in FIG. 2 is rotated in the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 43, and the tip of the ratchet 19 is moved downward from the ratchet engagement step 17 of the latch 15. The rotation restriction of the ratchet 19 is released and the lock is released.

  By moving the front door 2 in the opening direction in this state, the latch 15 is rotated clockwise as indicated by an arrow 44 by a striker (not shown), and finally the striker is moved to the striker engaging groove 13, The front door 2 is opened when the door 16 comes off.

When the front door 2 is opened and the hand is released from the door handle such as the outside handle 5 or the inside handle (not shown), the intermediate lever 24 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 4B to the position shown in FIG. The coil springs 31 and 32 are raised by the spring force. At this time, the engaging claw portion 21 is raised by the intermediate lever 24, the open lever 20 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the engaging claw portion 21 is engaged with the engaging protrusion 27 as shown in FIG. It is made to oppose to the front-end | tip. On the other hand, the outside lever 22 is rotated counterclockwise, and its one end is brought into contact with the stopper piece 11 as shown in FIG.
(ii) Closing operation of the front door 2 When the front door 2 is open, the fork portion 12a is positioned above the striker engagement groove 16. This state is maintained by a spring (not shown). When the front door 2 is closed from this state, after the striker (not shown) is inserted into the striker engagement groove 13, the fork portion 15b is pressed to rotate the latch 15, and the latch 15 is in the state shown in FIG. Located in At this position, the striker is inserted into the striker engagement grooves 13 and 16.

  At this time, the fork portion 12a gets over the ratchet 19 by rotating it in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow 43 in FIG. Accordingly, the open lever 20 is rotated integrally with the ratchet 19, and the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 is displaced downward against the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32. .

  When the fork portion 12a gets over the ratchet 19, the intermediate lever 22 is raised to the position of FIG. 4A by the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32, and the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 is moved to the intermediate lever. 22 is raised.

  As a result, the open lever 20 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the ratchet 19 integrated with the open lever 20 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction opposite to the arrow 43 in FIG. The latch 15 engages with the ratchet engagement step 17 and restricts the rotation of the latch 15 in the direction in which the striker comes out.

4 (a), 5 (a), and 6 (a), the front door 2 is closed, but the door locking operation / unlocking means such as the lock knob 6 and the door key cylinder 7 are located at the locking position. It is not in a state.
(iii) Action of the intermediate lever 22 (idling lever) when an impact load is input when the front door is closed in an unlocked state (a) When an impact load is input from the outside (vehicle outside) to the inside (vehicle compartment side) In the state of (a), when an impact load from the outside (vehicle exterior) to the inside (vehicle compartment side) is input to the front door 2, the acceleration 45 in the impact load input direction (vehicle interior direction) is input to the front door 2. Will occur.

  At the initial stage of input of this load, the intermediate lever 24 tries to stop due to inertial force, and the coil spring 32 is pulled and the coil spring 31 is compressed.

  Thereafter, the intermediate lever 24 is rotated clockwise around the support shaft 25 by the inertial force that the front door 2 tries to move to the inside of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow 46 in FIG. The spring 31 is pulled and the coil spring 32 is compressed. As a result, the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 faces the engaging recess 26 a of the engaging hole 26 provided in the intermediate lever 24.

  On the other hand, when an impact load from the outside (vehicle exterior) to the inside (vehicle compartment side) is input to the front door 2, an inertial force that tries to stand still acts on the outside handle 5. Then, the lower part of the outside handle 5 is pulled outward relative to the front door 2 by this inertial force. This state is the same as the state of opening the front door 2.

  When the lower portion of the outside handle 5 is pulled outward relative to the front door 2, the outside lever 22 moves clockwise around the support shaft 22a as shown in FIG. The intermediate lever 24 is rotated downwardly against the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32 as indicated by an arrow 40a.

  At this time, the engagement hole 26 of the intermediate lever 24 is also lowered, the engagement recess 26a of the engagement hole 26 moves downward with respect to the engagement claw portion 21 of the open lever 20, and the engagement claw portion 21 is moved. It will be in the state which moves relatively in the engagement recessed part 26a.

  As a result, since the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 is not pressed downward by the engaging protrusion 27 of the intermediate lever 24, the open lever 20 is not rotated. As a result, the leading end of the ratchet 19 integrated with the open lever 20 does not move downward from the ratchet engagement step 17 of the latch 15 and is thus not detached, so that the latch 15 is moved in the locking / unlocking direction by the ratchet 19. It is avoided that the rotation restriction continues and the front door 2 opens.

  In the state shown in FIG. 5A, when an impact load is applied to the front door 2 from the outside (vehicle exterior) to the inside (vehicle compartment side), the intermediate lever 24 tries to stop due to inertial force. It is also conceivable that the state in which the coil spring 32 is pulled and the coil spring 31 is compressed as shown in FIG.

In this case, since the engaging claw portion 21 faces the engaging concave portion 26a, the outside lever 22 rotates in the above-described opening direction by the inertial force of the outside handle 5 in this state, and the intermediate lever Even when 24 is lowered, the engaging claw portion 21 is relatively moved into the engaging recess 26a, so that the ratchet 19 continues to restrict the rotation of the latch 15 in the locking / unlocking direction as described above. Opening of the front door 2 is avoided in advance.
(B) When an impact load is applied from the inside (vehicle compartment side) to the outside (vehicle outside) direction In the state shown in FIG. 6A, the front door 2 is moved from the inside (vehicle compartment side) to the outside (vehicle outside) direction. When the impact load is input, an acceleration 47 in the impact load input direction (the vehicle exterior direction) is generated in the front door 2.

  At the initial input of this load, the intermediate lever 24 is pulled by the inertial force to pull the coil spring 31 and the coil spring 32 is compressed.

  Thereafter, the intermediate lever 24 is rotated counterclockwise about the support shaft 25 by the inertial force that the front door 2 tries to move to the outside of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow 48 in FIG. The coil spring 32 is pulled and the coil spring 31 is compressed. As a result, the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 faces the engaging recess 26 b of the engaging hole 26 provided in the intermediate lever 24.

  On the other hand, when an impact load from the inside (vehicle compartment side) to the outside (vehicle outside) direction is input to the front door 2, an inertial force that tries to stand still acts on the inside handle (not shown). The inertial force causes the inside handle (not shown) to be pulled outward relative to the front door 2. This state is the same as the state of opening the front door 2.

  When the inside handle (not shown) is pulled outward relative to the front door 2, the outside lever 22 rotates clockwise about the support shaft 22a as shown in FIG. 6 (b). The intermediate lever 24 is displaced downward against the spring force of the coil springs 31 and 32 as shown by the arrow 40a.

  At this time, the engagement hole 26 of the intermediate lever 24 is also lowered, the engagement recess 26b of the engagement hole 26 moves downward with respect to the engagement claw portion 21 of the open lever 20, and the engagement claw portion 21 is moved. It will be in the state which moves relatively in the engagement recessed part 26b.

  As a result, since the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20 is not pressed downward by the engaging protrusion 27 of the intermediate lever 24, the open lever 20 is not rotated. As a result, the leading end of the ratchet 19 integrated with the open lever 20 does not move downward from the ratchet engagement step 17 of the latch 15 and is thus not detached, so that the latch 15 is moved in the locking / unlocking direction by the ratchet 19. It is avoided that the rotation restriction continues and the front door 2 opens.

  In the state shown in FIG. 6 (a), when an impact load from the inside (vehicle compartment side) to the outside (vehicle outside) direction is input to the front door 2, the intermediate lever 24 tries to stop due to inertial force. It is also conceivable that the state in which the coil spring 31 is pulled and the coil spring 32 is compressed as shown in FIG.

  In this case, since the engaging claw portion 21 faces the engaging recess 26b, the outside lever 22 is rotated in the above-described opening direction by the inertial force of the inside handle (not shown) in this state. Even when the intermediate lever 24 is lowered, the engagement claw portion 21 is relatively moved into the engagement recess 26b, so that the rotation of the latch 15 in the locking / unlocking direction by the ratchet 19 is restricted as described above. And the front door 2 is prevented from opening.

  As described above, the invention according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the turnable latch 15 provided on the vehicle body 1 for restricting the removal of the striker, and the turning restriction of the latch at the position for restricting the removal of the striker. A pivotable ratchet 19 and an open lever 20 interlocking with the ratchet 19 are provided, and the latch 15 by the ratchet 19 is opened by a door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle). A vehicle door latch mechanism capable of operating the open lever 20 to a rotation restriction release position for releasing the rotation restriction is provided. In addition, a vertically moving member (outside lever 22) that can be moved up and down by a door opening operation by the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle) is provided, and an intermediate lever 24 that extends up and down is provided as the vertically moving member (outside lever). The side lever 22) is provided with engaging recesses (26a, 26b) that are held rotatably in the vehicle width direction and extend vertically on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the engaging protrusion (27) protruding downward or upward. A letter-shaped engagement hole 26 is provided in the intermediate lever 24, an engagement claw portion 21 that engages with the engagement hole 26 is provided in the open lever 20, and the engagement claw portion 21 is connected to the engagement protrusion. The intermediate lever 24 is held so as to face the tip of the portion 27, and an input load in the vehicle width direction equal to or greater than a predetermined value is applied to the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle). Holding means (coil springs 31 and 32) are provided that allow the intermediate lever 24 to be rotated by impact acceleration due to the input load when acting on the engaging claw, and the engaging claw portion 21 is the engaging protrusion. When the door opening operation is performed in a state of being opposed to the distal end of 27, the vertical movement member (outside lever 22) is moved in a direction in which the engagement protrusion 27 presses the engagement claw portion 21. Thus, the open lever 20 is set to be rotated to the rotation restriction release position.

  In this configuration, the holding means (coil springs 31, 32) normally holds the intermediate lever 24 so that the engagement claw portion 21 faces the tip of the engagement protrusion 27. At this position, the vertical movement member (outside lever 22) is moved upward or downward by the door opening operation of the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle), and is provided on the vertical movement member (outside lever 22). The intermediate lever 24 is moved up or down.

  At this time, the moving direction of the vertically moving member (outside lever 22) is such that the engaging protrusion 27 provided on the intermediate lever 24 presses the engaging claw portion 21 to release the latch, that is, the rotation restriction is released. The opening lever 20 is rotated to the position (the latch release position of the striker by the latch).

  Further, the holding means (coil springs 31 and 32) are configured to generate an impact acceleration caused by the input load when an input load in the vehicle width direction of a predetermined value or more acts on the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle). The intermediate lever 24 is made rotatable.

  Thus, when an input load in the vehicle width direction that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value acts on the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle), the intermediate lever 24 rotates in the vehicle width direction due to the impact acceleration due to the input load. The distal end of the engaging protrusion 27 of the intermediate lever 24 is displaced from the engaging claw portion 21 of the open lever 20, and the engaging recesses (26a, 26b on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the engaging protrusion 27 are moved. ).

  At this time, even if the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle) is operated in the door opening operation direction by the input load and the up / down moving member (outside lever 22) is moved, the engagement claw portion 21 is relatively moved to the engagement recesses (26a, 26b) on both sides of the engagement protrusion 27, so that the engagement protrusion 27 does not press the engagement claw portion 21 and is swung. The open lever 20 is not rotated to the rotation restriction release position.

  According to this configuration, the counterweight provided on the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle) or the open lever 20 of the door latch mechanism can be eliminated, so the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle) or the door latch mechanism can be removed. Can be small. For this reason, the freedom degree of the layout of the door handle (outside handle 5 and inside handle) and the peripheral part of the door latch mechanism can be increased.

  Further, the intermediate lever (idle swing lever) 24 has a simpler structure than the counterweight, so that the cost of the door handle (the outside handle 5 and the inside handle) and the door latch mechanism can be reduced.

  Further, since the intermediate lever (idling lever) 24 is more weighing than the counterweight, the vehicle mass can be reduced.

  Moreover, when an inertia force in the vehicle width direction acts on the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle), the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle) and the open lever 20 are disconnected. . That is, the intermediate lever 24 is held so that the engaging claw portion 21 is positioned directly below the engaging protrusion 27, and an input load in the vehicle width direction that is a predetermined value or more is applied to the door (front door 2). A holding means (coil springs 31 and 32) is provided that enables the intermediate lever to rotate by the impact acceleration caused by the input load when acted.

  For this reason, when inertial force in the vehicle width direction acts on the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle), the magnitude of impact acceleration or the handle grip of the door handle (outside handle 5 or inside handle) (FIG. 1 ( Regardless of the mass / center of gravity position of the outside handle 5 and the exposed portion of the inside handle) of a), the latch release can be prevented by one kind of intermediate lever (idle swing lever) 24. Thereby, the door handle (the outside handle 5 and the inside handle) and the latch mechanism can be shared.

  In the embodiment described above, the outside lever 22 that rotates the up-and-down moving member is used, but it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, an elevating member that simply slides up and down by the operation of the outside handle 5 may be used. Moreover, although the intermediate lever 24 is provided so that the upper part can turn in the vehicle width direction around the lower end part, it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the vertical direction of the intermediate lever 24 can be reversed so that the lower portion of the intermediate lever 24 rotates around the upper end. Further, in the example described above, an example in which the present invention is applied to the front door 2 is shown, but the present invention can also be applied to the rear door 3.

  Further, in the embodiment of the invention described above, the holding means biases the intermediate lever 24 so that the engaging claw 21 is opposed to the tip of the engaging protrusion 27 ( Coil springs 31, 32) and the intermediate lever 24 against the urging force of the urging means (coil springs 31, 32) in conjunction with the locking operation by the locking means (lock knob 6, door key cylinder 7). A knob lever 34 is provided for rotating the engagement claw portion 21 to a position where the engagement claw portion 21 faces the engagement recess (26a, 26b).

  According to this configuration, when the locking operation is performed by the locking means such as the lock knob 6 and the door key cylinder 7, the intermediate lever (idle swing lever) 24 rotates in conjunction with the knob lever 34 and the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle 5). The engagement between the handle) and the open lever 20 is cut off.

  On the other hand, when the unlocking operation is performed by the locking means such as the lock knob 6 and the door key cylinder 7, the intermediate lever 24 is moved by the biasing means (coil springs 31, 32) and the door handle (the outside handle 5 or the inside handle) and the open lever 20. Will automatically return to a position where can be engaged.

  Even if the door handle (the outside handle 5, the inside handle, or the inside handle) is operated during the unlocking operation by the lock knob 6 or the door key cylinder 7, the unlocking can be performed by returning the handle operation. This eliminates the need to redo the unlocking operation.

(A) is a fragmentary perspective view of a motor vehicle, (b) is explanatory drawing of the latch mechanism of the door lock device of the front door of (a). It is explanatory drawing of the latch of the back surface of the bracket of FIG.1 (b). It is action | operation explanatory drawing of the latch mechanism of FIG.1 (b). It is action | operation explanatory drawing of the latch mechanism of FIG.1 (b). It is action | operation explanatory drawing of the latch mechanism of FIG.1 (b). It is action | operation explanatory drawing of the latch mechanism of FIG.1 (b).

Explanation of symbols

1 ... body 6 ... lock knob (locking means)
7. Door key cylinder (locking means)
15 ... Latch 19 ... Ratchet 20 ... Open lever 5 ... Outside handle (door handle)
21 ... engagement claw part 22 ... outside lever (vertical movement member)
24 ... Intermediate lever (idle lever)
26 ... engagement holes 26a, 26b ... engagement recess 27 ... engagement projections 31,32 ... coil spring (holding means, biasing means)
34 ... Knob lever

Claims (2)

A pivotable latch that restricts the striker from being removed from the vehicle body, a pivotable ratchet that regulates the rotation of the latch at a position where the striker is regulated, and an open lever that is linked to the ratchet are provided. In the vehicle door latch mechanism capable of operating the open lever to a rotation restriction release position for releasing the rotation restriction of the latch by the ratchet by a door opening operation by a door handle,
A vertically moving member that is moved up and down by a door opening operation by the door handle is provided, and an intermediate lever that extends vertically is held by the vertically moving member so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction, and is engaged downward or upward U-shaped engagement holes provided with engagement recesses extending vertically on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the protrusion are provided in the intermediate lever, and engagement claw portions that engage with the engagement holes are provided in the open lever. The input load is applied when the intermediate lever is held so that the engaging claw portion faces the tip of the engaging protrusion, and an input load in a vehicle width direction equal to or greater than a predetermined value acts on the door handle. When holding means is provided that enables the intermediate lever to be rotated by the impact acceleration due to, and when the door opening operation is performed with the engaging claw facing the tip of the engaging protrusion, The engagement protrusion is the engagement Department said vertically moving member is moved in a direction for pressing the vehicle door latch mechanism in which the open lever to the rotation restriction releasing position, characterized in that it is configured to be rotated. The holding means is a biasing means for biasing the intermediate lever so that the engaging claw is opposed to a tip of the engaging protrusion, and the biasing is interlocked with a locking operation by the locking means. 2. The vehicle door latch mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a knob lever that rotates the intermediate lever to a position where the engaging claw faces the engaging recess against an urging force of the means.

Images