The present invention relates to a door latch device for vehicle, having a function for detecting a door-opening operation, and to a door system provided with the door latch device.
Among a vehicle door system that includes a door latch device for retaining a door in a closed state and includes a window regulator for causing a glass window to perform an opening and closing operation, there has been a system that, based on a door-opening operation, performs drive control of a driving source of a window regulator to cause the glass window to perform an opening operation automatically for a predetermined amount. This type of system has intended to improve a sealing property of a weather-strip on a sash-less door, or to prevent an increase of a closing force of the door due to a raised indoor pressure at the moment of closing of the door (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-82808
The opening operation of the glass window to open automatically for a predetermined amount based on the door-opening operation, as described above, needs to be executable only when following three conditions are satisfied in view of anti-theft property, and practicality. (1) the door is in a closed state (2) a locking/unlocking mechanism of the door latch device is in an unlock state and (3) door-opening operation is performed with an operation handle on the door for door-opening (outside handle or inside handle).
In order to allow the above-described operation to be executable only when the three conditions are satisfied, however, a lot of detection switches for detecting a state of each of components are required. In particular, since detecting an unlock position of the locking/unlocking mechanism of the door latch device, and detecting a door-opening operation, may need at least two detection switches, problems arise in some cases that the door latch device structure, or control of a control circuit device for controlling an electric driving source of the window regulator may become complicated.
In view of the above-described problems, the present invention is intended to provide a door latch device for vehicle capable of, using a detection switch, detecting a door-opening operation of an operation handle when a locking/unlocking mechanism is in an unlatch position, and a door system provided with the door latch device.
To solve the above-described problem, a first invention includes: a meshing mechanism configured to be meshable with a striker when a door is closed; a locking/unlocking mechanism configured to be movable to an unlock position where an opening operation of an operation handle provided at the door is enabled and where meshing of the meshing mechanism is releasable, and to be movable to a lock position where the opening operation of the operation handle provided at the door is disabled and where meshing of the meshing mechanism is unreleasable; a smart lever configured to be operable in linking with the opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position, and to be inoperable in linking with the opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the lock position; and a smart lever detection switch configured to be detectable an operation of the smart lever.
In the first invention, according to a second invention, the smart lever operates by abutting the locking/unlocking mechanism that operates in linking with the opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position.
A third invention includes: the door latch device for vehicle according to the first invention or the second invention; a door open/close detection switch configured to be detectable closing of a door; a window regulator configured to be capable of opening and closing a glass window provided at the door using power of an electric driving source; and a control circuit device configured to control drive of the electric driving source. The control circuit device performs opening drive control of the electric driving source for a predetermined time, triggered by detection of operation of the smart lever by the smart lever detection switch when the door open/close detection switch is detecting the closing of the door, and performs closing drive control of the electric driving source triggered by detection of closing of the door by the door open/close detection switch.
According to the present invention, there are provided a smart lever and a smart lever detection switch. The smart lever is operable in linking with an opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in an unlock position, and that is inoperable in linking with the opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in a lock position. The smart lever detection switch is detectable an operation of the smart lever. By using the smart lever detection switch, it is possible to reliably detect the door-opening operation of the operation handle when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position.
Furthermore, by applying the door latch device having the smart lever and the smart lever detection switch to the door system having a window regulator, it is possible, with simple control, to cause the glass window to perform an opening operation automatically for a predetermined amount, in linking with the door-opening operation.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Before describing a structure of a door latch device 1, a door D equipped with the door latch device 1 and with a window regulator WR, according to the present invention, will be described.
As illustrated in
Next, a basic structure of the door latch device 1 will be described.
The door latch device 1 is mounted internally to the door D, and includes a meshing unit 2 and an operation unit 3, as illustrated in
The meshing unit 2, as illustrated mainly in
The body 4 includes, at a rear-surface side thereof, a recessed housing portion 41 for housing the latch 7 and the ratchet 8.
The latch 7 is housed in the housing portion 41 of the body 4 and is pivotally supported by the latch shaft 10 arranged in a front-rear direction, between the body 4 and the cover plate 5. As illustrated mainly in
The latch 7, in linking with the closing operation of the door D, pivots from an open position (position illustrated in
The ratchet 8, being arranged below the latch 7 and housed in the housing portion 41 of the body 4, is pivotally supported by the ratchet shaft 11 arranged in the front-rear direction, between the body 4 and the cover plate 5. The ratchet 8, using a spring 12, is biased in an engagement direction (clockwise in
The open lever 9 is pivotably supported at a front surface of the body 4, coaxially and integrally with the ratchet 8. The open lever 9 is provided with a released portion 91 at an end portion extending to a vehicle inner side (left-hand side in
As illustrated mainly in
Note that in
The worm wheel 17 is pivotally supported by a shaft 171 arranged in a vehicle inner and outer direction. The worm wheel 17 rotates in forward direction or in reverse direction from a neutral position (position illustrated in
The knob lever 19 is pivotally supported at the casing 15 by a shaft 191 displaced in the vehicle inner and outer direction. The knob lever 19, based on a manual operation of the lock knob LK, pivots to the unlock position, and the lock position reached after pivoting has been performed from the unlock position clockwise by a predetermined angle, as illustrated in
The key lever 22 is pivotally supported by a shaft 221 arranged in the vehicle inner and outer direction. The key lever 22, based on a manual operation of the key cylinder K, pivots from the neutral position (position illustrated in
The lock lever 18 is pivotally supported in the casing 15 by a shaft 181 displaced toward the vehicle inner and outer direction. The lock lever 18 is pivotable to the unlock position (position illustrated in
The outside lever 23 is pivotally supported at the lower side of the body 4, by a shaft 231 arranged in the front-rear direction. The outside lever 23, based on the opening operation of the outside handle OH, performs a release operation by which a coupling portion 232 provided at an end portion on the vehicle inner side moves upwardly against the biasing force of a spring (not illustrated).
The open link 20 is provided with a connection hole 202 at a lower portion thereof, being coupled to the coupling portion 232 of the outside lever 23 pivotably for a predetermined angle in the front-rear direction. At the same time, an upper portion of the open link 20 is vertically-slidably coupled to the lock lever 18. The open link 20, in linking with the operation of the lock lever 18, pivots about the coupling portion 232 to the unlock position illustrated mainly in
The inside lever 21 is pivotally supported by a shaft 211 arranged in the vehicle inner and outer direction. The inside lever 21, performs a release operation clockwise about the shaft 211, as illustrated in
In a case where the door D is in a fully closed state and the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position as illustrated in
In another case where the door D is in a fully closed state, and the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the lock position as illustrated in
(Main Portions According to the Present Invention)
Main portions according to the present invention will be described in the following.
The latch 7 includes, as illustrated mainly in
The cam portion 73 is arc-shaped, having a predetermined length in the peripheral direction with about the latch shaft 10, with a shape bulging toward the diameter direction more than the small-diameter portion 74.
On a front-surface side of the body 4, a detection lever 30 and a door open/close detection switch 31 are provided. The detection lever 30 pivots in linking with the pivoting of the latch 7. The door open/close detection switch 31 turns on or off according to the pivoting position of the detection lever 30.
The detection lever 30 is arranged such that a substantially central portion in a longitudinal direction (vehicle inner and outer direction) is pivotally supported by a shaft 301 arranged in the front-rear direction at an upper portion of the front surface of the body 4. At the same time, the detection lever 30, as illustrated in
The detecting portion 302 on the detection lever 30 abuts the small-diameter portion 74 of the latch 7, as illustrated in
The door open/close detection switch 31, being provided at an upper portion of the body 4, is arranged so as to be facing the cam surface 303 of the detection lever 30. The door open/close detection switch 31 turns off by detaching from the cam surface 303 when the detection lever 30 has pivoted to the latch detection position. When the detection lever 30 has pivoted to the unlatch detection position, the door open/close detection switch 31 turns on by contacting the cam surface 303.
The motor 16 and various types of switches including the door open/close detection switch 31 are wired to a coupler 32 provided on an upper portion of the body 4. An external connector (not illustrated) is connected to the coupler 32, whereby the coupler 32 supplies battery power on vehicle to the motor 16, and transmits detection signals of various switches including the door open/close detection switch 31, to a control circuit device 100 mounted on the vehicle. The door open/close detection switch 31 is retained in a resin plate 34 insert-molded with wiring 33 illustrated in
The operation unit 3 is further provided with a smart lever 26 and a smart lever detection switch 27 that detects operation of the smart lever 26.
The smart lever 26 is vertically-slidably supported on a front-surface side of body 4, and at the same time, biased downwardly by the biasing force of an internally-housed coil spring 28. The smart lever 26 normally stops at a non-operating position illustrated in
In a case where the locking/unlocking mechanism is in a state of unlock position as illustrated in
The smart lever detection switch 27, similarly to the door open/close detection switch 31, is supported by the resin plate 34. The switch detects operation of the smart lever 26 by contacting the tilted portion 262 of the smart lever 26 when the smart lever 26 has moved upwardly from the non-operating position. That is, the smart lever detection switch 27 transmits a door-opening operation detection signal to the control circuit device 100 only when the door-opening operation is performed for the outside handle OH or the inside handle IH, while the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position.
The control circuit device 100, as illustrated in
As described above, by performing, in linking with the opening operation of the door D, the opening drive of the motor M of the window regulator WR to perform the opening operation of the glass window G for a predetermined amount, it is possible to prevent the closing force of the door D from increasing due to increased indoor pressure at the instance of door D closing, and to close the door D with a lighter force.
The opening operation of the glass window G for a predetermined amount is executed based on the detection signal of a smart lever detection switch 27. The smart lever detection switch 27 detects the operation of the smart lever 26 that operates, in linking with the door-opening operation, only when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify the control of the control circuit device 100 without requiring complicated operating conditions.
The smart lever 26 operates only when the locking/unlocking mechanism is in the unlock position and the door opening operation is performed. The smart lever 26 does not operate in linking with any other operation, such as the opening and closing operation of the door D, for example. Therefore, the smart lever detection switch 27 transmits only signals related to the operating conditions, and does not transmit any erroneous signal that is not related to the operating conditions. Consequently, the control circuit device 100 can reliably perform the drive control of the motor M of the window regulator WR, based on the detection signal of the smart lever detection switch 27.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2014-179807 | Sep 2014 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2014/084165 | 12/24/2014 | WO | 00 |